Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Great Jin was established as a military nation. The founding monarch, Yuwen Hongzhang, was originally one of the four Divine Generals serving right before the emperor of the former Great Yu Dynasty. After rallying the other three Great Generals—Wanyan Peng, Helian Yu, and Tuoba Cheng—he laid the foundation to defy the Divine Dynasty. From its establishment to becoming a sovereign state, and even until it finally turned into the number one Holy Land in the world, the entire process naturally relied heavily on these three individuals.

Though Great Jin is regarded as the top Holy Land in the world, due to its location in the north, the outside world's understanding of Great Jin is actually quite scant. However, the most celebrated aspect is undoubtedly the tale of "One Emperor, Three Emperors, Seven Kings, and Twenty-eight Marquises."

The so-called One Emperor refers to the present Emperor of Jin, Yuwen Dongdu.

The Three Emperors are Fenling Emperor Helian Ba, Youye Emperor Tuoba Zun, and Emperor Yuliang Wanyan Cheng. Each of these emperors governs one of the Yu, You, and Fen states under the rule of Great Jin. Just like Yuwen Dongdu, who took over the throne from his father Yuwen Hongzhang, the Three Emperors also succeeded their fathers as the second generation of emperors.

The Seven Kings are Nanxiang King Tuoba Yong, Lingyun King Tuoba Xiong, Pingcheng King Wanyan Jun, Yunting King Wanyan Kai, Yuzhao King Helian Ting, Xikang King Helian Chang, and besides these six, the seventh is Wuwei King, Hou Jing.

The twenty-eight marquises refer to the likes of Marquis Qingyang Tuoba Tao and Marquis of Ziquan Wanyan Lie. From the surnames of Marquis Qingyang and Marquis of Ziquan, it is clear that the majority of the twenty-eight Lords Marquis of Great Jin still come from the Tuoba, Wanyan, and Helian clans.

Looking at the surnames of the upper echelons, it seems as though Great Jin has been monopolized by the three clans, and even the Yuwen Clan of the imperial family appears to have little say. However, that is not actually the case.

Great Jin has clear regulations for the military forces of its marquises: a marquis may not possess more than a hundred thousand troops, a prince may not have more than five hundred thousand, and an emperor's troop count must not exceed one million.

Indeed, eighty percent of Great Jin's marquises below the Three Emperors do come from those three families, but that is only one aspect of the military department. Great Jin administers three provinces with a population of forty billion, and even if the combined forces of the twenty-eight marquises amount to less than three million, and even adding all the forces of the Seven Kings and the Three Emperors, it's insignificant relative to the vast territories of Great Jin.

Moreover, the Yuwen imperial family, which has ruled Great Jin securely for over a thousand years, is hardly ordinary!

The Yuwen imperial family resides in Youzhou, possesses tens of millions of armed forces, and directly controls three grand institutions—Wind Cloud Pavilion, Beiting Si, and Conglong Guard—which are filled with experts. With a single edict from the Emperor of Jin, the Three Northern Provinces dare not refuse.

If one really has to rank the Great Jin Dynasty hierarchically, then the Yuwen Clan is the supreme first level. The Tuoba, Helian, and Wanyan clans are the second level, followed by the influential forces of the provincial governments on the third level.

Expanding the view, the Three States of Jin Land are essentially dominated by the four clans—Yuwen, Helian, Wanyan, and Tuoba.

"During his over nine-hundred-year reign, the previous Emperor Yuwen Hongzhang only conferred titles upon Three Emperors, Six Kings, and Eighteen Marquises, all descendants of the three clans. It was only after the Jin Capital Pact, during the subsequent four hundred years of Yuwen Dongdu's reign, that ten additional marquises were conferred. Plus, twenty years ago, Hou Jing was conferred with the rank of prince and given the title Wuwei, making him Great Jin's first king of a different surname!"

New Yu Era, year 1322, October 26th.

Outside the Prefectural City, Hou Fei tirelessly recounted to Hou Yuxiao the information he had gathered within the Demon Army at Longguan Prefecture, emphasizing Great Jin's situation to him and how Hou Jing came to be known as the first King of a Different Surname.

"So you're saying that this so-called first King of a Different Surname just means that his last name is Hou, and he isn't a descendant of the Tuoba, Wanyan, or Helian clans?"

Hou Fei nodded and said seriously, "Family Head, don't underestimate these three clans of Great Jin. When I was in Longguan Prefecture, I specifically talked with soldiers of Great Jin. For martial artists who aren't descendants of the three clans, making a name for yourself in the Jin military is as difficult as reaching for the heavens. Hou Jing is just over five hundred years old this year, and not only has he already been conferred as a king, but I've heard that of the ten marquises Emperor Yuwen Dongdu conferred later, eight have close ties with him. In the Seven Kings of Great Jin, he holds the greatest clout, and even..."

At this point, Hou Fei hesitated, seemingly wary of eavesdroppers, and continued through Gang Qi voice transmission, "In the Three Northern Provinces, there are rumors that the Emperor is considering promoting Hou Jing to an imperial rank!"

Hou Yuxiao's pupils constricted slightly, for the information Hou Fei had gleaned alone was enough for him to deduce many things.

Wherever power grows, internal relations are bound to be intricate and complex; maintaining a single dominant force is nearly impossible.

A smaller force, like the current Hou Clan, incorporated four third-rate forces in addition to their five brothers, some Mansion Army troops, and after the destruction of the Great Luo Sect and Tianding Sect, they also took in many wandering martial artists. To balance the various factions within the family, Hou Yuxiao even established a cabinet system.

If the Hou Clan was so complex, then the Great Jin Holy Dynasty, publicly acknowledged as the number one Holy Land, goes without saying. Would the Yuwen imperial family be unconcerned about the other three clans?

This was the first possibility Hou Yuxiao considered: by vigorously promoting Hou Jing, a non-descendant of the three clans, and even contemplating his elevation to an imperial rank to sit on par with the pillars of the other three clans, it was clear there was an intention to weaken the influence of the three clans.

Of course, there was a second possibility!

That is, the current Emperor Yuwen Dongdu was cultivating his personal power base. Within the heartless imperial house, after Yuwen Hongzhang's nearly thousand-year rule solidified the power structure of the court, it wouldn't be impossible for Yuwen Dongdu to foster his private loyalists to enhance his actual authority.