This was the longest and most extensive rain in recorded human history. It lasted from the height of summer all the way to the beginning of autumn. It was beyond everyone's imagination. The rain continued to fall from the sky, landing on the mountains, rivers, plains, and lakes. After being washed by the rain, cliffs began to collapse, official roads were destroyed, rivers burst their banks, and floods flooded.
Such a serious natural disaster was enough to make the whole world feel desperate. Fortunately, the West-Hill Divine Palace and the royal families of various countries quickly launched disaster relief. Once again, in the face of serious natural disasters, human beings showed terrible vitality and endurance. They were not knocked down, but calmly accepted and fought hard.
The heavy rain also fell on the Wilderness. The fields were muddy and soft, and it became extremely difficult to walk on it. The herdsmen could not graze, so they had to hide in their tents and suffer. Even the Horse Gang hid in the forest by Shubi Lake and kept sighing at the rain.
After the war in the Wilderness, the Tang army divided into two groups and retreated. Among them, the Northeast Border Military arrived at Tuyang City in the south before the rain fell. The cavalry of the Northern Military Camp stayed in Helan City for a while, but were forced to stay by the endless rain.
Although the empire spared no manpower and resources and had been investing for hundreds of years, Helan City was far away in the Wilderness, and the buildings in the city were limited. Tens of thousands of cavalry of the Northern Military Camp filled all the tents and residences in the city, but a large part of them were still forced to settle in the city tower.
The city tower was high between the cliffs, and the cold wind passed through it at night. The temperature at the turn of summer and autumn should have been suitable for camping, but it had been raining for many days. Autumn came early to the Wilderness, and the temperature suddenly dropped. Helan General Han Qing had spent these days trying to keep the cavalry of the Northern Military Camp warm.
The most troublesome problem was the supply of food.
Helan City had a lot of food reserves, but with the addition of tens of thousands of Tang soldiers and countless horses, the pressure on them suddenly increased. They could barely hold on for a while, but if the rain continued, the food from the south could not be delivered, and they could not leave. Then Helan City would face the danger of food shortage.
All kinds of problems and troubles came together to form all kinds of danger. However, no matter if it was the cavalry commander of the Northern Camp or General Han Qing, they did not dare to use this problem to ask the Emperor, who they should ask the most. They did not dare to disturb the empress or Grandmaster Huang Yang.
Because His Majesty was sick, very sick.
…
…
The Great Tang Emperor, Li Zhongyi, was a man who valued friendship and righteousness, but this did not mean that he was inflexible and ignorant of worldly affairs. When he was a prince, he was the most powerful general in the world. In the past twenty years after he ascended the throne, he appeared to be very calm and low-key, but no one dared to look down on him.
To the emperors of the South Jin Kingdom, the Yuelun Kingdom, Yan, Qi, Song, and Chen Kingdoms, the Tang Emperor was definitely at the top of their death list. At all times, there were countless people secretly praying that he would suffer from an incurable disease, cursing him to die from it.
In reality, not many people knew that many years ago, Li Zhongyi had contracted an illness. Moreover, this illness was very serious and had always accompanied him. It was ingrained into his internal organs and bones, and there was no way to cure it.
The Headmaster of the Academy had seen the Emperor's illness. Perhaps the illness was too troublesome, or the Headmaster of the Academy had seen the abyss of fate after the illness, so he only wrote a prescription and did not use any human power.
The illness dragged on until the autumn of the 18th year of the Tianqi era. With the arrival of the Giant Golden Dragon, with the continuous cold rain, and with a fated stray arrow, the illness broke out.
The Emperor leaned against the couch, his face pale. He held a handkerchief in his hand, which was stained with blood.
The Empress lowered her head and did not speak. She gently rubbed his chest, trying to make him feel better.
"Many people have died in Chang 'an over the past few years. Many old people who had accompanied my father and even my grandfather have died before me. Now, even the Headmaster has left us."
"Now, I can't do it either."
The Emperor held her hand and said, "Heaven wants the Tang Empire to die, and it is not because of war … Even so, I have no fear, because I believe that the Tang Empire will win in the end."
Hot tears fell from the Empress' eyes. At this time, the Emperor was holding her hand, so the tears fell onto the tightly clasped hands and became splashes.
"I am the most powerful man in the world. I married the woman I love the most, and in the end, I died on the road to conquer the world. I have no regrets in this life, so don't be sad."
The Emperor said.
The Empress raised her head and said with tears on her face, "But I have a lot of regrets. I haven't seen what you look like when you grow old. I haven't let you see Little Six grow up. I regret even more that I went south to Chang 'an under the orders of the sect, seduced and lied to you, and finally hurt you like this."
The Emperor smiled and said, "Seduced and lied to me, and finally, you still fell in love with me."
Listening to the sweet and sour words, the Empress finally smiled with tears in her eyes and asked, "Have you ever blamed me?"
"It would be a lie to say that I have never blamed you. After all, who doesn't want to live longer?"
The Emperor reached out and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. He said, "But later on, I thought that the war between you and me would end with my victory. Then, my injuries would be a mark of glory."
The Empress gently hugged him and murmured, "From the moment I saw you, I lost."
The Emperor smiled contentedly. He had fought in countless battles in his life, but only this one was the most unforgettable and the most important to him.
"If I wasn't the Emperor, I would be a student of the Academy. Now that I think about it, that kind of life might be more interesting. But after all, the Headmaster of the Academy is my teacher."
The Emperor smiled tiredly and looked at her. He said, "Now that my teacher is working in Heaven, we still have to work in the human world. After I go with my teacher, do you know what to do?"
The Empress said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I know what to do."
The Emperor said, "I asked Little Six to be Mr. First's disciple because I want him to learn the way of benevolence. If the two children don't mess around, then … let them live."
The Empress stopped crying and said very calmly, "I will do these things well."
"Then I can rest assured."
The Emperor said and then slowly closed his eyes.
Master Huang Yang walked into the room.
The Empress looked at the Emperor who seemed to be asleep for a long time. Then she took off the rosary on her wrist and put it on his wrist. She bent down and kissed his forehead gently.
Master Huang Yang put his palms together.
After a moment, the chanting of scriptures sounded in the room.
The Reincarnation Scripture.
…
…
It was also raining in Chang 'an.
The rain was heavy and mixed with thunder. Lightning flashed occasionally, illuminating the quiet and empty palace as if it were daytime. Even with a lampshade, the candlelight still swayed restlessly.
If there was no lampshade, the candlelight would probably have been extinguished.
Lee Yu sat behind the table and looked at the beautiful candlestick next to the pillar. She was a little distracted.
Her black hair was slightly wet, and so was her palace dress. She must have gone somewhere in the rain.
Her face was a little pale, not because she was afraid of thunder and lightning, but because she believed that what she had done was right. Even if she was in a dark room, she did not feel guilty.
Looking at the night rain outside the hall, two lines of tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, slid down her pale cheeks, and fell on the memorial on the table, wetting a line of ink.
Lee Yu came to her senses and ordered a eunuch to bring a coarse paper dipped in water. She carefully wiped the wet marks on the memorial, and then wiped the tears off her face. She calmly and attentively continued to read the memorial.
This memorial was a summary of the flood situation in all the counties of the empire. It was very important.
She picked up a brush and began to read the memorial.
Guarding the dikes, storing water, disaster relief, epidemic prevention, military mobilization, and keeping an eye on the riders in the Eastern Wilderness.
The Tang Empire was very big and there were many things to do. She had already adapted to it and handled it in an orderly manner. As she continued to read the memorial, her expression became calmer and calmer, even more determined.
…
…
Late at night, after a busy day of government affairs, Lee Yu put on a cloak and left the palace alone under the heavy protection of the Yulin Royal Guards and guards. She did not bring any eunuchs or palace maids with her.
She did not go far, just to the Southern Gate Temple opposite the imperial city.
The Southern Gate Temple shrouded in the heavy rain seemed particularly desolate and quiet.
Lee Yu walked into the Taoist temple. Deep in the black paulownia floor, there was an oil lamp beside the soft mattress, illuminating the gaunt and thin face of the Nation Master of Tang, Li Qingshan.
She walked to Li Qingshan and slowly knelt down. She said in a trembling voice, "Father, I'm leaving."
Li Qingshan slowly closed his eyes and then opened them again. There was only sadness in his eyes, not shock.
For hundreds of years, Helan City had used the thousand-mile messenger talisman twice in a row in a few months.
The first time was because of the black horse carriage.
The second time was to send the news of His Majesty's passing back to Chang 'an City.
At this time, only a few people in the entire Chang 'an City knew this news. Lee Yu relied on the help of the Southern Gate Temple to keep this secret temporarily. Looking at Li Qingshan's expression, she knew that he already knew. Since she relied on the Southern Gate Temple to keep the secret, she naturally could not hide it from the Temple Master of the Southern Gate Temple.
Li Qingshan looked at her kneeling in front of him and said weakly, "What do you want to do?"
Lee Yu said, "I want to see the edict."
The edict of the succession of the Tang Emperor was not in the palace, but in the Southern Gate Temple!
Li Qingshan said, "According to the law of the Tang Empire, the edict should be announced in public before the civil and military officials."
Lee Yu looked down at her soaked skirt and said, "The civil and military officials do not know yet."
Li Qingshan said, "They will know eventually."
Lee Yu said, "I do not want to hide the news of Father's passing for too long. I will inform everyone later."
Li Qingshan said, "Then why did Your Highness come here in advance?"
After a long silence, Lee Yu said, "Because … I am worried."
Li Qingshan also fell into a long silence.
Lee Yu lowered her head even more, and water droplets dripped from the ends of her black hair.
Her body fell along with the water droplets, and her forehead touched the black floor.
…
…
(According to the agreement, there are two chapters today. This is the first one. There is still one more.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
