It was not easy to peek into the secrets of history.
It was not easy to be enlightened.
It was not easy to understand the necessary conditions for the prosperity of the country.
Xiao Ruxun found that he had to take action. He could not sit back and watch the Daqin slowly walk the old road of the previous central dynasties in China.
It was not worth it. It was not worth it.
He began to think about what he should do.
So, in the golden autumn of that year, in September, Xiao Ruxun sent someone to summon Xiao Zhenbang to Wanshou Palace, closed the palace door, and the father and son had a secret talk for a day and a night.
No one knew what they talked about.
Half a month later, Xiao Zhenbang announced the establishment of the Royal Central School of Administration. It would stand side by side with the Royal Central Military Academy. It would be the highest school of administration. In the future, all officials would have to go through strict examinations and be selected to enter this school to further their studies.
Those who did not pass the further study could not take up official positions.
No one felt that there was anything wrong with it. They only felt that it was a preparation for the selection of talents. The cabinet quickly approved it and immediately sent people to establish it. The school started the next year.
From that year on, all the local national schools were notified to start adding political history courses. The content of the textbooks was secretly led by Xiao Ruxun and a group of central officials to write them together.
In addition, the officials of the central government were sent to the Central Administration College to be retrained. By the eighth year of Yongxing, the officials of the entire central government were basically retrained from the college.
But to be honest, Xiao Zhenbang didn't know if his father was really doing this because he was worried that the officials would be corrupted too quickly, so he needed to be vigilant and put a shackle on them so that the officials wouldn't be so easily corrupted.
Xiao Zhenbang had read the teaching content of the College of Administration and the political history textbooks for the children in local schools. It seemed to have a lot to do with anti-corruption, but it was not completely in this aspect.
He constantly emphasized the importance of unification and described the rise and fall of the dynasties from a very unique perspective. He also stipulated that it was not allowed to be changed in the future and should continue like this. This made Xiao Zhenbang feel a little strange.
Did it make sense to put these things in the children's textbooks? Was it necessary? Would it be dangerous?
But no one thought it was bad, and no one dared to bring it up.
Xiao Ruxun was still alive and his prestige was still there. No one dared to oppose him.
Emperor Xiao Zhenbang had absolute trust in his father. He believed that his father would not harm him. In his eight years as emperor, his father had never interfered in any political or military operations. Only this time, he had made a strong request in terms of the construction of the school and the curriculum.
Xiao Zhenbang didn't say anything and immediately agreed to his father's request. However, Xiao Zhenbang was confused as to why his father did this.
However, Xiao Zhenbang's mind was not on this at that time. In the sixth year of Yongxing, a Daqin merchant fleet was robbed by a Spanish ship when it passed through the Strait of Gibraltar. Xiao Zhenbang was furious when he learned about it and immediately decided to demand an explanation.
As a result, the Spanish government passed the buck to each other and refused to give any explanation. Xiao Zhenbang lost his patience. In order to promote the national prestige of the Daqin and protect the safety of the Daqin people who were doing business overseas, he resolutely decided to send out a naval expedition.
He sent people to contact Genoa and France. Genoa and France expressed their willingness to form a joint navy with the Daqin to fight against Spain and demand an apology and reparations from Spain.
Therefore, Xiao Zhenbang was busy with this matter during that time.
During this period, Xiao Ruxun was busy with the administration school and the new curriculum.
He was extremely fortunate that he had more time than Sun Yatsen, and his prestige was higher than Sun Yatsen's. His situation was far better than Sun Yatsen's.
Without the worries of state affairs, he could also focus all his remaining energy in this area.
He wanted to leave a political legacy for the future Daqin in his lifetime.
A strong core.
A core that insisted on the unification of the central government.
A one-man emperor with one surname was lonely. If he was not smart enough, it was easy to be fooled and his power was taken away. Once the power was taken away, it was difficult to get it back.
And the emperor could not always be smart.
Education was a very powerful weapon. As long as ten or twenty years, the effect and results could be seen. Xiao Ruxun did not know if he could live to see the results, but no matter what, it was something he had to do.
Because he had no other choice.
But what would happen in the future, he could not know everything, nor could he predict the future in advance. He could only predict, and the prediction was extremely limited.
And this extremely limited content prompted him to make such a choice, prompting him to use the last strength in his life to complete this matter.
The rest, he could not do, and he did not have time to do it.
He could only entrust it to his descendants, the descendants who were willing to inherit everything from him. Therefore, there were some things that he had to tell Zhenbang.
He could only tell Zhenbang, and no one else. After Xiao Ruxun died, only Zhenbang could know and remember it in his heart, and it would become a complete top secret.
In the 13th year of Yongxing in the Daqin, Xiao Ruxun fell ill.
As the saying goes, autumn rain brings cold. The autumn of the 13th year of Yongxing was a little colder than the 12th year of Yongxing.
Xiao Ruxun suddenly felt dizzy, and his hands and feet were weak. Therefore, he realized that he was sick.
It was normal to fall ill at this time. In recent years, the weather had been getting colder and colder, and the harshest period of the Little Ice Age was slowly approaching.
Fortunately, Daqin had made enough preparations. The population in the north was constantly moving south. Although the grain production in the north was decreasing year by year, it was enough to feed the current population in the north.
The policy of moving the population in the north to the south had been implemented since the 3rd year of Longwu. After more than 30 years of hard work, the effect was still very obvious. Therefore, Xiao Ruxun was not worried that the northern part of Daqin would have a famine caused by a large decrease in grain production.
With enough grain to eat, Daqin could survive this harsh 50-year Little Ice Age and usher in a new warm period.
But Xiao Ruxun knew that he would not be able to see this.
On the 27th day of the 9th month of the 13th year of Yongxing, he fell ill. Although he had been carefully treated by the imperial physician and used medicine at all costs, Xiao Ruxun was already very old. At the age of 67, his hair had already turned white. Although he was in good spirits and looked good, he was indeed an old man.
Years of hard work had exhausted his vitality.
This illness repeated, and in November, his condition suddenly worsened.
After hearing the news, Xiao Zhenbang went to Wanshou Palace several times to visit Xiao Ruxun. He personally fed medicine to Xiao Ruxun, asked about his well-being, and called the Imperial Hospital to jointly treat him. Then, he issued an edict to the central hospitals of all provinces, asking the best doctors to come to the capital to treat Xiao Ruxun.
But Xiao Ruxun had always known that from that time on, he was afraid that his life was coming to an end.
Sometimes, when one's life was coming to an end, even if it seemed to be a minor illness and disaster, young people could get through it by taking some medicine or even not taking medicine, but old people could not do it.
It felt like the time had come. No matter how much medicine was used, no matter how the treatment was, it was useless.
Famous doctors could not cure him, and ginseng could not support him. The reason was very simple. It was not an illness at all, but the end.
Feeling the exhaustion of vitality, Xiao Ruxun unexpectedly found that he was very calm.
He even felt a sense of relief.
It was indescribable relief and relaxation. It was as if he no longer had to be tense, and his whole body suddenly relaxed.
For a long time, Xiao Ruxun felt that he had obsessive-compulsive disorder. It was an obsessive-compulsive disorder of fighting for life. He felt that if he relaxed even a little, it would be a waste of life, and he would be letting down his life.
He felt that he had become the Emperor, and as the Emperor, he had the power of the world. He should use his limited time to do unlimited things, and not be a salted fish muddling along. Of course, muddling along was very comfortable. He did not need to fight for power, nor did he need to sleep and forget to eat and sleep. It must be very comfortable.
But he felt very uncomfortable in his heart.
Xiao Ruxun was a person who could only be at peace if his heart was at peace, and his standard of peace was very high. It was so high that he could only slightly breathe when his vitality was exhausted.
So he did not feel unreconciled or anything. Instead, he felt waves of relief.
Maybe I don't dare to slack off, no matter what, but if I die, no one can blame me, right?
So, he relaxed.
Xiao ZhenBang took time out of his busy government affairs to accompany Xiao Ruxun every day, and personally attended to him.
Not only that, but he also called Zhenwu and Yingying to attend to him. He also called the children of the younger generation to enter the palace to attend to his grandfather, making him happy. He felt that this might make Xiao Ruxun happy, and then her body would recover.
Xiao Ruxun was no longer the Emperor, but he was still the stabilizing force of the Daqin.
He was still alive, and the world was as stable as Mount Tai. His prestige was too high, like a god. Even if he retreated to the second line, even if he lived in seclusion and did not show his face many times a year, his existence was still incomparably strong.
The influence that he brought was that great, that terrifying.
Even Xiao ZhenBang himself had a faint sense of security. He felt that his father was sitting behind him. His father was still alive. As long as he was still alive, he did not need to worry about anything. He could be at ease, and his father was his biggest backer.
But now, he suddenly realized that his biggest backer was not going to make it.
He was very anxious, very worried, and did not dare to think deeper into it.
So, when he saw that Xiao Ruxun's body was getting weaker day by day, his aura was getting weaker day by day, and he looked more haggard day by day, he was incomparably worried.
The imperial doctors' examination results were not good. They kept using medicine, and they did not stop eating, but Xiao Ruxun's body was still getting weaker day by day.
They all had a very bad premonition.
But regarding this, Xiao Ruxun had always been comforting ZhenBang.
"Your father has already lived for sixty-seven years. There is an old saying that it is rare to live to seventy years old. Since ancient times, it is very rare to live to seventy years old. Your father has exhausted all his efforts for the Daqin, and to be able to live to sixty-seven years old is already a blessing from the heavens. What greater goal do I have?"
Lying on the sickbed, Xiao Ruxun held ZhenBang's hand with some effort: "You also have to pay attention to your body. You are already over forty years old, and you are no longer young. You can't lack appropriate exercise. Remember to drink milk, remember to eat eggs, and don't forget to eat supplements."
"Father."
Xiao Zhenbang only felt that his throat was a little choked: "Don't say these things. You should rest more quickly. Your son is still waiting for you to recover, and then we will go hunting together. Your archery and marksmanship are so accurate, and your son is far from you. I still need you to teach the children more."
"Why do you always need me to do things? What do you take me for? I am old and sixty-seven years old. You are the Emperor of the Daqin. If you rely on someone, the mountain will collapse. Only you can rely on yourself. You are already over forty years old, and these doubts should not exist in the first place. "
Xiao Ruxun sighed. "I'm already very satisfied. I haven't wasted a single day of my life. Every day, I'm doing my best to do what I can. Not a day goes by when I'm not worried about the country. So now, I'm very satisfied, but I'm also very tired.
Zhenbang, your father has no more energy to do more things. The rest of the things can only be entrusted to you. The Daqin can only be entrusted to you. "
Xiao Zhenbang hurriedly said: "Father, don't say that. The imperial physicians have already said that your condition is improving. You will get better and live to a hundred years old."
"What do you mean live to a hundred years old?"
Xiao Ruxun suddenly felt a little dumbfounded: "Your father did not hand the throne to you for you to live on until you are old! You brat! Your father is already so tired. How much more do you want me to suffer? "
Xiao Ruxun couldn't help but slap Zhenbang's head. Zhenbang was in a trance. In a trance, he felt as if he had returned to his childhood, when he was brought along by Xiao Ruxun to learn government affairs.
When he thought of this, his tears flowed out uncontrollably.
"Father …"
Xiao Ruxun was also silent for a while.
After a long time, he slowly said: "Your grandfather left a long time ago, and so did your mother. First Uncle, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle are all gone, leaving me alone. I always feel lonely. I have never had such a feeling before, but this time, the feeling is particularly strong. Zhenbang, this time, I really can't do it."
Feeling his fatigue, Xiao Ruxun knew that he did not have much time left.
Therefore, he made up his mind to tell Zhenbang everything he had to tell him before he died, no matter what.
Everything, everything, he told Zhenbang without reservation.
As for how to say it, Xiao Ruxun had thought about it more than ten years ago. He had been putting it off until now, and he could not put it off any longer.
On the morning of the sixth day of the twelfth month of the thirteenth year of Yongxing, Xiao Zhenbang was discussing with the First Minister of the Cabinet, Chen Longzheng, about moving part of the population in the northwest to the southwest for resettlement. Suddenly, Li Sheng, the old eunuch who had served Xiao Ruxun for decades, came from the Wanshou Palace.
"Your Majesty, the Retired Emperor asked Your Majesty to go to the Wanshou Palace."
"Father asked me to go there?"
Xiao Zhenbang felt a little confused: "Father's spirit is better today?"
"… Yes, the Retired Emperor is in good spirits today, and he ate a little more for breakfast."
Li Sheng hesitated for a moment and said.
Xiao Zhenbang frowned and suddenly turned pale with fright.
"Go to the Wanshou Palace!"
Xiao Zhenbang hurried to the Wanshou Palace. The Cabinet assistants had different expressions, and some of them had very bad guesses in their hearts. For example, Chen Longzheng, a very senior minister, suddenly had a very bad guess.
But he calmed the Cabinet down and asked them to continue the discussion, not letting them continue to guess.
Even if Xiao Ruxun was already the Retired Emperor, if something happened to him, it would still have a shocking impact on the Daqin.
I hope nothing happens to him.
Chen Longzheng silently made a wish — —
There were only a few old people who came all the way from Myanmar.
When Xiao Zhenbang arrived at the Wanshou Palace, it was close to lunchtime. When he entered the Wanshou Palace, he was surprised to see Xiao Ruxun, dressed in a thick black dragon robe, sitting at the dining table with a book in his hand, waiting for him.
There was a sumptuous meal on the table, and Xiao Ruxun looked very good, just like a healthy old man.
This was not normal.
Xiao Zhenbang almost ran all the way there.
"Father, why did you get out of bed? Where's the imperial physician? Who told you to do this? It's very cold outside, it's not good for your health, it's really not good! "
Xiao Zhenbang supported Xiao Ruxun and wanted to let him go to bed, but Xiao Ruxun stopped him with one hand and sat next to him.
"Such good weather, don't you want to have a meal with your father? Your father's appetite is very good today. It's been a long time since we, father and son, have eaten together. "
Xiao Ruxun's request left Xiao Zhenbang somewhat at a loss. As he watched Xiao Ruxun eat mouthful after mouthful of food that he usually had no appetite for, the ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger.
"Father …"
"Zhenbang, let's eat together. After eating, your father has something to say to you, something very important."
When Xiao Ruxun said this, Xiao Zhenbang also picked up his chopsticks and casually ate a bit. The delicacies that usually tasted delicious in his mouth now tasted like wax. There was no such feeling at all.
With great difficulty, Xiao Ruxun put down his chopsticks. The palace servants took away everything, including Li Sheng. Everyone, including Li Sheng, was arranged to leave by Xiao Ruxun.
"Inside the Wanshou Palace, no one is allowed except for us father and son. Everyone, leave. Li Sheng, personally lead some people to guard the Wanshou Palace. Anyone who dares to take a step in, kill without question."
Xiao Ruxun gave such an extremely abnormal order.
The white-haired Li Sheng immediately accepted the order and left. After a while, all the palace servants serving Xiao Ruxun left the Wanshou Palace.
Zhenbang did not understand why Xiao Ruxun did this.
"You don't understand why your father is doing this, right?"
Xiao Ruxun looked at Zhenbang with a smile.
Zhenbang nodded.
"Father, what's going on? What are you … going to do? "
"It's very important. It's related to the future of Daqin. Two hundred years, three hundred years, four hundred years, five hundred years. Zhenbang, do you know the future of Daqin?"
"Future?"
Zhenbang's face was full of doubt: "Father, what are you talking about? Humans are not gods and cannot know the future. I am not a Six-Eared Macaque, how can I know what will happen in the future? "
"Hahaha, a Six-Eared Macaque is nothing. Zhenbang, you should know that your father, I, am much more powerful than a Six-Eared Macaque."
Xiao Ruxun laughed: "Your father, I, know what will happen in five hundred years!"
Zhenbang's face was full of astonishment.
"Ah?"
"That's right, Father knows what will happen in five hundred years."
Hearing Xiao Ruxun say this, Xiao Zhenbang really did not understand.
"Father, are you … are you alright?"
"Little brat!"
Xiao Ruxun slapped Xiao Zhenbang's forehead: "Your father's body is sick, not his brain. Remember clearly!"
"Father …"
Xiao Zhenbang covered his forehead, his face full of disbelief: "But you just said … you know what will happen in five hundred years? How is this possible? Could it be that you … "
"Are you crazy? You little brat, when did Father deceive you? Ah? If Father says he knows, then he knows. It's not that Father is born to know, it's because Father, I, came from five hundred years in the future. "
"… …"
Xiao Zhenbang used the word 'dumbfounded'.
"You don't believe me? If you don't believe me, then read this book. "
Xiao Ruxun smiled and said, "This happened five hundred years after daddy came from. What I know happened in the past is not quite the same as what you know, because daddy changed it."
Xiao Ruxun handed the book in his hand to Xiao Zhenbang. Xiao Zhenbang looked at the book, then looked at Xiao Ruxun, then reached out and grabbed the book.
"Zhenbang, I am your father, without a doubt, you are my flesh and blood, but I also came from five hundred years in the future. I was born five hundred years in the future, but because of something happened, I went back to five hundred years in the Ming Dynasty, Year 20."
Under Xiao Ruxun's narration, Xiao Zhenbang opened the book in shock, which Xiao Ruxun spent six years writing, a secret that no one in this world knew.
"The present that you're familiar with shouldn't have happened. What should have happened is something that you would never want to happen. Similarly, it's not something that daddy wants to see. So daddy decided to change it. After paying the price of a million lives, daddy was very lucky to change it. However, even now, whenever daddy thinks back to that time, daddy feels that it's like a dream."
Xiao Zhenbang flipped open the book. Everything he saw, everything that Xiao Ruxun had written down, shocked him to the core.
"The Ming Dynasty … had forty-eight years? Father was just a general in Ningxia and didn't participate in the war of Korea? The Ming Dynasty was not replaced by Daqin, but by the country established by Liaodong Jurchen? This … this … that's why Father … "
"Yes, because of this, I wanted to get rid of this hidden danger, so in the first year of Longwu, I sent troops to wipe out the Jurchen Jurchen in Jianzhou of Liaodong. Then, I subdued this Jurchen tribe and re-established Nuer as the city commander."
"They actually ruled the Central Plains? Then … Barbodes rhododendri of Europe invaded Huaxia? British and French allied forces … Eight-Nation allied forces … This … "
Two hours later, Xiao Zhenbang saw even more shocking things. Each and every one of them made him feel incomparably crazy.
"Industrial revolution … Jenny spinning machine … Steam engine … Mechanical factory … Iron warships, iron chariots … Tanks? And automatic guns? Machine guns? "
"Nihon actually … actually dared to invade Korea again? And … they even tried to annex the whole Huaxia? They … "
Just the historical events had shocked Xiao Zhenbang, not to mention the future world of machines and appliances described by Xiao Ruxun.
Xiao Ruxun hugged Xiao Zhenbang and described the future world to him one by one.
"We have been trying to fly to the sky, but many people think it is impossible. But in the future, we really did it. Not only can we fly to the sky, but we can also fly out of this planet. It is not only hot air balloons that can fly to the sky, but also airplanes. Airplanes can not be used as a means of transportation to fly in the sky, and they can also be used to fight."
"The future war will be very different because of the appearance of these things. The number of troops is no longer a decisive factor. Weapons are more important. Our current bombs can only kill a few people, but more than 300 years later, that atomic bomb will destroy a whole city and kill hundreds of thousands of people."
"The torrent of tanks is like a flood made of steel. When it pours down, it is indestructible and unstoppable. It is not something that can be defeated by human strength. All of this starts from the application of the steam engine. That is why I asked the old masters to study the steam engine."
"But I'm not a professional steam engine maker. I only know how it works, but I don't know how it works. Although I have all kinds of ideas, I can't do it myself. I can only let the old masters explore it bit by bit and realize what I know."
"It is the same for you in the future. You don't know how to do it, but you know what it will look like. Compared to others who don't even know the result, you know the result, and you can guide them in the right direction. You have already predicted the enemy for hundreds of years. Is this an advantage that anyone can have?"
From noon to night, seven or eight hours had passed. This book that Xiao Ruxun had painstakingly memorized, but Zhenbang had only read less than one-fifth of it. However, the things in the book made Zhenbang unable to continue reading. Zhenbang closed the book and looked at Xiao Ruxun again. His eyes were full of doubt and astonishment …
"Did you reincarnate? Was it because of the big explosion of gunpowder? "
"Maybe, I don't know either. I thought I was dead, but when I opened my eyes, I was already in Ningxia in the 20th year of Wanli. I had become Xiao Ruxun. But I am Xiao Ruxun, and I have never changed. You are also Xiao Ruxun's son, and you have never changed."
"I …"
Xiao Zhenbang felt that his thoughts were a little chaotic.
"The reason why you can do these things is because you know everything?"
"It's one thing to know, but it's another thing to be able to do it. I know about steam engines, airplanes, trains, and tanks, but I can't do it because it's too advanced. It's not something we can do at this time. Our steel production is not enough to reach that standard," Wang Yao said.
Xiao Ruxun shook his head. "Knowing is one thing, but whether you can do it or not depends on yourself. You can think that you have a lot of advantages, but maybe you don't have that advantage at all. You will die before you can use your advantages."
"This …"
"I have sighed many times. If Xiao Ruxun was not a general, if he was just an ordinary soldier, if he was just an ordinary person, or even if he was a Northern Barbarian on the grassland, what would the situation be like?
If I became an outsider, a Japanese, a Korean, or a European, what would the situation be like? I don't know all these, but fortunately, I am a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, and I have done all these things that seem unbelievable.
The war in Ningxia, the war in Korea, the war in Burma, the war in Shanxi, the war in Datong, the war in the north … I have been through many difficulties and dangers, and I have almost lost my life several times, but I have survived and established the Daqin Dynasty. The descendants of Huaxia were not ruled by the Jurchens, and they did not have to experience the humiliation of more than 200 years later. "
As he said this, Xiao Ruxun held Xiao ZhenBang's hand. "I have used my whole life to prevent all these things from happening again. This is not only because I know about it, but also because I have done it. Otherwise, you and I, father and son, would only be drifting people at the end of the world.
I have wanted to tell you this for a long time, but I felt that it would be too shocking. You were still young at that time, and I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to accept it. "
"I can't accept it now … Father … You … You are really …"
ZhenBang's expression was very interesting, indescribable.
"I know that this is too difficult for you."
Xiao Ruxun nodded and hugged ZhenBang tightly. "But you have to know that this is the truth. I have never lied to you, in the past, present, and future. This is the truth. Although I have changed some things, there are still some things that might not happen again.
What I am worried about is nothing more than the collapse of the Daqin Dynasty, the loss of land, and the gradual decline to an unsalvageable state. In the end, the Daqin Dynasty will follow the old path of the Qing Dynasty. I don't want to see that happen, so I have spent many years preparing this book.
I can't say what will happen in the future, but with this book, when it really happens, perhaps the future generations won't be at a loss for what to do, and won't be at a loss for how to deal with the problem. "
Xiao Ruxun told Xiao ZhenBang to hold the book in his hand tightly.
"From how your father sees it, leaving you with your family's assets, wealth, and even the throne is not as important as this book. With this book, you will be able to predict enemies ahead of time, and they will not be ordinary enemies but enemies of all of Great Qin." Zhao Fu said with a smile.
"Common enemy, you … So that's it. You want to set up schools and add courses because of this?"
Xiao ZhenBang thought of what he saw just now and suddenly realized what Xiao Ruxun had been doing all this time. Why did he want to popularize education, why did he want to add courses, why did he want to let the officials go back to school, and why did he insist on never changing the policy of the mausoleum city.
"That's right, the biggest enemy of the Daqin Dynasty is not foreign enemies. With the current territory and national power of the Daqin Dynasty, no foreign enemy can destroy the Daqin Dynasty. The only ones who can destroy the Daqin Dynasty are the Daqin Dynasty itself, and only the vermin within the Daqin Dynasty, and those who try to deceive the people.
This is the reason why I insist on centralization of power. You, and the future generations, have to abide by this principle. If you abide by it, the Daqin Dynasty can continue to exist. Once you relax, the former Han Dynasty will end up like the former Ming Dynasty, and the Republic of China will end up like that. "
Xiao ZhenBang swallowed his saliva, feeling that his throat was very dry.
"Father, this matter …"
"Only you and I, father and son, know about it. In the future, only you and the emperor you choose will know about it. Take good care of this book. It is more important than the Imperial Jade Seal, the Emperor's Sword, and the Sixteen Treasured Seals.
Father will give it to you. Keep it safe, and when you die, bring the Emperor you choose to the front and give this book to him, just like how I gave it to you today. This is the most important thing for the inheritance of the Daqin Dynasty. Five hundred years of prosperity and decline. "
Xiao ZhenBang looked down at the book in his hand and suddenly felt that it weighed a thousand pounds, a weight that he couldn't carry at all.
"Father … I … this is really true, right? This isn't fake, right? You aren't lying to me, are you? "
"Little brat."
Xiao Ruxun shook his head helplessly and smiled. "When have I ever lied to you? Think about it carefully. Since you were young, when have I ever lied to you? This is true. This is everything I know and have personally experienced. Otherwise, how could I have fought for so many years and predicted the enemy in advance for so many years? This is the real national treasure of our Daqin! "
Xiao ZhenBang looked at the book in his hand and was silent for a long time.
"Father, you are always so unexpected. I … I really don't know what to say …"
"Take this book and read it carefully. Then, unexpectedly, you will be the one to predict the enemy beforehand. You will continue to do what I can't do. You must make sure that the Daqin can always predict the enemy beforehand. In this way, even if I'm not here, I can rest assured."
As he said this, Xiao Ruxun sat down tiredly and leaned on Xiao ZhenBang, panting a few times.
Xiao ZhenBang suddenly realized something.
"Father, are you all right? I'll call the imperial physician right away. Please wait a moment. "
Xiao ZhenBang was about to shout.
"Don't."
Xiao Ruxun stopped Xiao ZhenBang. "Don't call him in. I still have something to say to you."
Xiao Ruxun held Xiao ZhenBang's hand.
"Zhenbang, I know it's hard for you to believe what I'm telling you now, but this is what really happened to me. I don't know how I returned to 500 years ago from 500 years in the future, but it's true. I really changed a lot of things and even established a country that shouldn't have existed.
However, even though daddy could change things for a while, he might not be able to change everything. Daddy was a human, not a god, and with some foresight, daddy could guide Great Qin in the right direction. However, apart from that, there were too many things that daddy could not do.
Daddy's intellect isn't high, and I'm not strong enough. I can't do everything. I can only entrust the rest to you. Daddy doesn't want the future generations to go back to their old ways. I don't want them to experience that kind of thing again. I don't want my efforts to go down the drain.
I know it's very difficult for you, but Zhenbang, you're my son, the son of a man who changed his fate. There are some things that you can't escape from. You have to face them. "
Xiao ZhenBang turned his head and looked at Xiao Ruxun, who was leaning on him. His lips were trembling.
"You're my son, Xiao Ruxun, the emperor of Daqin. When the future generations evaluate you, they will definitely compare you with me. I've done so many things. I don't say that I've done very well, but I've done a lot. I've done a little bit of everything. It's easy at the beginning, but it's difficult later on.
Daddy knows that it hasn't been easy for you. You're very tired, and you've worked very hard to catch up to daddy. So, daddy left this to you. Take it, and it's the same as obtaining the general trend of the next five hundred years. If this isn't enough for you to make some achievements that will go down in history … Xiao Zhenbang, you're not worthy to be my son! "
Xiao Ruxun grabbed Zhenbang's hand with force, but he was a little depressed to find that he couldn't muster any strength. His head gradually became dizzy, and his body became weaker and weaker.
"Father, I … I'll go find the imperial physician. You … wait a moment. I still have a lot of things to ask you. Wait a moment!"
Xiao ZhenBang remembered.
"Sit down. You're not allowed to go anywhere."
Xiao Ruxun didn't let him leave.
"Father! I can't just watch … watch you … tell me about this today. I'm the emperor, but you also said it! The emperor is also a human! I can't accept it! I really can't accept it! You threw this thing to me while talking. I … I didn't come from 500 years in the future! I can't accept it!! "
Zhenbang's voice carried a sobbing tone.
Grievance, sadness, fear.
All kinds of emotions surged in his heart. In front of his father, Zhenbang cried like a child.
Xiao Ruxun sighed slowly.
"I'm sorry, Zhenbang. Father now feels that it's a little too late to say these words, but Father has no chance to change. Forgive Father, Zhenbang, it's true, it's really hard for you to throw such a big burden to you. But Zhenbang, you're the emperor above tens of thousands of people. If you don't carry this burden, who do you want to carry it for?"
"I …"
"An emperor doesn't have the right to be weak, and you don't have the right to escape. No matter how hard it is, how tired it is, how afraid you are, you have to brace yourself and hold on until you die. Otherwise, the country will be finished. Father has held on for a lifetime, and only today can I tell you this. It doesn't matter if you can accept it or not. You can only accept it …"
Xiao Ruxun's breath was getting weaker and weaker.
"Father, I can't accept it. I really can't accept it. What 500 years, 400 years, what is all this! You threw this burden to me and left. I'm alone, I'm alone, how can I hold on by myself? Father! Don't go, really don't go … "
Zhenbang seemed to break down and burst into tears. He hugged Xiao Ruxun tightly with both hands.
Listening to his crying, Xiao Ruxun gradually felt that his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier.
"Father has died once. I died once decades ago. Death isn't something to be afraid of. Father feels that death is much easier than living. As long as I'm alive, I have to keep fighting, keep creating, and keep struggling. Otherwise, I'll have to starve. But I don't have to do that when I'm dead. When I'm dead, everything ends.
It's so easy. When I'm dead, I can go and find your mother. Your mother has been waiting for me … for almost 20 years. Zhenbang, Father will tell you something funny. In my previous life, I didn't get married until I died, and I didn't have any descendants. In this life, only your mother is with me. I'm really tired.
I don't want to hold on anymore. Father also misses your mother. I really want to go and find her. Zhenbang, let me go. Father really can't hold on anymore. After so many years, so many things, so many people's lives, and the future of the entire country, Father is really too tired … "
Tears flowed out of Xiao Ruxun's eyes. Everything in front of him became blurry.
"Father … don't go … don't go … I'm afraid that I … I also can't hold on … I … I definitely can't hold on!!"
Zhenbang hugged Xiao Ruxun even tighter.
"Even if you can't hold on … you still have to hold on … you're the Emperor … if you don't hold on … who will? Educate Zhigao and the others well. The more outstanding they are, the earlier you can put down your burden. As long as you're the Emperor, you … you have to hold on … "
Xiao Ruxun placed his hand on the back of Zhenbang's hand and took a deep breath.
"Father is going to leave … your mother … your mother is waiting for me … she's waiting … waiting for me …"
After a while, Xiao Ruxun's hand drooped down powerlessly and fell on the bed.
There was no longer any trace of Xiao Ruxun in the Wanshou Palace. Only Zhenbang's heart-wrenching cries remained.
Later that day, when it was close to midnight, the large bell in the Daqin Imperial Palace rang loudly.
The sound was ancient and distant. It was so heavy that it made it hard for everyone to breathe.
On the night of the sixth month of the twelfth month in the thirteenth year of the Daqin, the founding Emperor of the Daqin, Xiao Ruxun, passed away at the age of sixty-seven.
This news spread to every corner of the country at the fastest speed.
The people who had received Xiao Ruxun's kindness wept bitterly and rushed to the shrine they had set up for Xiao Ruxun to pay their respects to the Emperor who had given them hope in life.
They prayed that Xiao Ruxun would go to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to enjoy eternal happiness, and that he would always bless everyone in the sky of the Daqin, and that the Daqin would never perish.
Those who had been oppressed by Xiao Ruxun and even had their families destroyed by him laughed wildly. They hated Xiao Ruxun so much that they gnashed their teeth and wished that they could eat his flesh and drink his blood.
They cursed him with all kinds of vicious curses and cursed him to never be reincarnated, cursed his entire family to die, and wished that the Daqin would collapse in the next second so that they could take back what they once had, but now could not have.
Some people were sincerely sad and cried bitterly, as if they had lost their guiding light and spiritual sustenance.
Some people looked sad on the surface, but in fact, they heaved a sigh of relief, feeling that the mountain that had been pressing down on them had finally collapsed, and that they could really live a good life in the future.
But in any case, there would be no Xiao Ruxun in the Daqin in the future.
He did not know what the future would hold. Whether everything he had done would bear fruit, or whether it would still be unable to change the course of history, he did not know.
Xiao Ruxun was not afraid of death. After all, he was also a person who had died once.
He really welcomed the end of his life with an indifferent and even somewhat expectant attitude.
He was also a little curious.
What would happen after this real death?
Would he be able to see those who had left?
Would he be able to let go of everything and talk to each other, then drink a bowl of Meng Po's soup at the Bridge of Helplessness and reincarnate?
That was what he had in mind.
Until he was woken up by someone in a daze.
"Old Xiao, are you still sleeping? Hurry up and get up for class! The exam is coming, don't you want the usual points? Don't you want to have a good New Year? I'm not joking with you. If you don't get a roll call, you will get zero points. You are worse than me in advanced mathematics, hurry up and get up for class! "
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