In Wang Jian's illusion, Mo Xi slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself lying in a boundless darkness, surrounded by the boundless night sky. Above the dome, a dark blue ribbon of light traversed across, and on the ribbon of light, small seal characters flickered.
Suddenly, an ethereal voice pressed down on him from the sky, hoarse like a worn scroll —
"What … do you want to read?"
This was the invitation that Wang Jian had finished piecing together and could trace back to the past.
Mo Xi propped himself up and sat up, facing the dark blue ribbon of light that looked like a green dragon baring its fangs and brandishing its claws in the night sky, he said, "I want to know if Gu Mang betrayed the country in the past year."
"…"
The ribbon of light was still twisting and coiling, and there was no change. Just as Mo Xi's hopes were dwindling bit by bit, and he thought that Wang Jian might not have recorded anything related to the past, the ribbon of light suddenly burst into a dazzling brilliance, and then countless flickering seal characters gathered and twisted together, transforming into the shape of an illusory dragon that reached the sky and the earth.
It had a long mouth and slender eyes, and its mane was flying in the air. In a split second, the clouds and thunder in the universe created by Wang Jian exploded, and the wind and clouds were surging! The illusory dragon's claws soared up to the ninth heaven, and then suddenly swooped down, flying towards Mo Xi, who was as small as a grain of rice between heaven and earth!
In a split second, the wind and sand were flying, and the violent blue light was so dazzling that people could not open their eyes. There was a loud bang! Mo Xi's last perception was that the giant dragon was like a heavy downpour from the sky, and the light was like thousands of arrows piercing through his soul.
"Yesterday … Has … Died …"
A faint sigh, like a final warning to those who peeped at the scroll.
"The … Monarch … Should … Be … Lenient …!"
The multicolored light intertwined like snowflakes pressed into his eyes and invaded his pupils, as if it wanted to pierce all the years engraved in Wang Jian's mind into this flesh and blood body.
Suddenly, the light was extinguished.
Mo Xi gasped for breath. His eyes were still flickering with the remnants of the strong light, so he couldn't immediately see which day he had been brought to eight years ago by Wang Jian.
He stood where he was, blinking his eyes hard and shaking his head from time to time, trying to recover his vision as soon as possible. At this moment, he only knew that he had come to a very dim place. He could hear the pitter-patter of rain against the eaves and windows. The rain was very rapid, and the water gathered on the roof tiles.
After a while, someone came. The sound of footsteps came from afar and stopped about a foot away.
The rain continued to fall. The person did not speak immediately. Just as Mo Xi thought the footsteps were an illusion, a familiar voice finally broke the silence.
The person said,
"Commoner Gu Mang pays his respects to the Emperor."
This voice, which was as light as snow, was like a clap of thunder, causing the blood in his limbs and bones to surge!
Mo Xi's eyes were still flickering with strange and variegated shadows. His eardrums were also buzzing, but he couldn't care less about the strong dizziness and turned his head abruptly.
The night wind blew in, carrying with it the wind and rain and the sweet fragrance of the magnolia flowers at night.
It was said that in a person's memory, the sense of smell was the most deeply engraved and the most difficult to erase. As soon as Mo Xi smelled this scent, even though he still couldn't see clearly where he was, he was suddenly enlightened.
The Golden Stage.
The Historian Wang Jian had brought him back to the most secretive and unreachable palace in the Chong Hua Palace!
The Golden Stage was built in front of the mountain behind the palace, with cornices and arches. It stood on top of 999 long steps. The entire stage was built with yellow pear wood, and the entire palace was built with mortise and tenon structures. There was no use of nails and glue, and everything was slowly fastened between the pieces of wood. Around it were large patches of Dragon's Tongue Magnolia from the Eastern Sea Immortal Island. The flowers were crimson and white, shaped like the tail of a carp, and never wilted all year round. The fragrance was strong and very special.
As the saying goes, "Reporting to the Emperor's will on the Golden Stage, I brought the jade dragon to die for the Emperor." Throughout the ages, only the Emperor's most valued and trusted officials could reach the top of the Golden Stage. Countless cultivators had high hopes placed on them by their parents since they were young, hoping that they would one day receive the Emperor's imperial edict and bring glory and splendor that others could not hope to achieve to the top of the 999 steps.
Mo Xi himself had only received the Emperor's Golden Stage after swearing an oath to the Heavenly Tribulation, and became the Emperor's "trusted official." So he never would have thought that the first place Wang Jian brought him back would be the Golden Stage, and he never would have thought that the Emperor had once summoned Gu Mang on the Golden Stage.
Before he had time to think, he heard the Emperor say lightly, "Marshal Gu, you're finally here."
The light spots in front of his eyes were still swaying, but they were no longer as dazzling as before. Mo Xi closed his eyes and clenched his teeth for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he could finally see the scene in front of him clearly.
It was a stormy night, so he couldn't tell the time. The gauze curtains around the Golden Stage were scattered and fluttering in the wind and rain, like smoke seals. The Emperor's back was straight, and he was sitting on the Emperor's seat.
Beside him was a vermillion railing carved with a coiling dragon and a sea of clouds. The bamboo was half curled up, and the torrential rain was pouring outside. The flying jade beads splashed onto the Golden Stage, but the Emperor didn't care. He withdrew his gaze from the almost indistinct green mountain, and looked at the entrance of the Golden Stage through the hazy candlelight.
Mo Xi followed his gaze and looked —
After the Mirror of Time, he once again saw the Gu Mang from eight years ago. But the Gu Mang recorded in Wang Jian's history was even colder. A bolt of thunder split the sky, and the lightning illuminated Gu Mang's face, making him look somewhat sinister.
"Marshal Gu, please come in."
Gu Mang pursed his lips. He still held a closed oil-paper umbrella in his hand, and water was dripping from it. There were no attendants on the Golden Stage. Gu Mang leaned the umbrella against a pillar, and slowly walked into the Golden Stage with cold air.
"Sit."
The Emperor gestured to Gu Mang.
"Gu Ye has been waiting for you in the front seat for half the night, and you've finally come."
Gu Mang sat on the other side of the cushion.
Looking at his expression, other than coldness and desolation, there was also a faint trace of doubt between his brows. He didn't seem to understand why the Emperor wanted him to come to the Golden Stage, and he didn't think that the Emperor would let him come to the Golden Stage.
As expected, after a while, Gu Mang asked: "I don't know why the Emperor is looking for me."
The Emperor didn't answer immediately. He fiddled with the small red clay stove in front of the table, and used the small bamboo fan to heat up the tea. The hot steam rushed into the cold and wet wind, and was instantly swallowed by the curtain of rain.
In this stormy night, the Emperor said: "Marshal Gu, do you hate this Emperor very much now?"
"…"
"This Emperor heard that Lord Xi He asked you to drink wine. You told him that you were very tired, that you couldn't go on …"
Gu Mang said coldly: "The Emperor sent someone to follow me?"
The Emperor continued to fan himself with the small bamboo fan, and didn't deny it.
"Why is the Emperor doing this? You've already stripped me of my military rank, stripped me of my military power, and detained all of my remaining troops. "After a pause, Gu Mang said:" You've also sentenced my best brother. "
"Right now, I'm just a commoner, and it's hard for me to fly. The Emperor doesn't need to waste this effort on this commoner."
The Emperor repeated: "This Emperor only wants to ask you, Marshal Gu, do you hate this Emperor very much right now?"
"…"
"Actually, you don't need to say it, this Emperor also knows. You've fought so hard for the country for so long, and in the end, except for yourself, you have nothing left. Everything has been taken away by this Emperor. Even that day, you asked this Emperor for a tombstone for your brothers in front of all the civil and military officials, but all you got was sarcasm and reprimand. "
The Emperor chuckled.
"If it were possible, Marshal Gu would have already broken this Emperor's bones to make soup."
Gu Mang said, "My lord, did you invite me here today just to have a chat?"
The ice cracked porcelain pot was boiling, and the lid of the pot was knocked open, making a tinkling sound. The Emperor picked up the bamboo beam wrapped in the bamboo roll, and poured two cups of thick tea for himself and Gu Mang.
Long Fingers pushed the teapot in front of Gu Mang.
The Emperor said: "No. This Emperor came to you to clear a person's name. "
As if a crack had suddenly appeared on the surface of ice, Gu Mang's cold, masked face suddenly showed a "human" emotion. He immediately looked up.
Because of some kind of perception, Gu Mang's lips trembled slightly, and he stared at the Emperor's eyes.
After a long while, he trembled out a word.
"Who?"
Outside the curtain, the lightning flashed, and the pale light illuminated the night and the green mountains, and also illuminated the eyes of the two people who were chatting through the night. The Emperor said: "The person you're thinking of."
"…"
"Lu Zhanxing."
Boom! Thunder broke through the sky! That earth-shaking explosion was like a sharp sword piercing through the roof! The trembling sound pierced through the roof and went straight to Mo Xi's heart!
The bone-chilling cold was like a monstrous wave, suddenly surging up his back …
Lu Zhanxing was … wronged?
More importantly, the Emperor knew that Lu Zhanxing was wronged?
The strong wind blew the rain, and in an instant, several candles were extinguished.
The light on the golden stage became weaker, but even so, Mo Xi could still see Gu Mang's face clearly — it was terrifyingly pale. Obviously, Mo Xi wasn't the only one who was stimulated by this news. Gu Mang was suddenly nailed to the seat, and his whole person was stunned.
After a long while, Gu Mang was like a puppet that was injected with vitality. He paused after each word, and asked very slowly: "What?"
The Emperor said: "Lu Zhanxing was wronged."
"…"
"Your brother was schemed against."
Gu Mang looked so pale that he was like a corpse. The wind blew the several palace lanterns on the high stage, and the flickering light of the palace lanterns illuminated his bloodless face.
The rain poured down from all directions. A moth that had unknowingly sought refuge under the eaves thought that it had escaped the claws of the storm, but it didn't know that there was also a grave waiting for it on the high stage. It flapped its wings near the flickering flames, as if it was going to rush into the light at any moment.
After a long time, Gu Mang said: "… Is the Emperor joking?"
"This Emperor knew that you would have such a reaction." The Emperor pushed the teacup towards Gu Mang's hand again, "Drink. If you don't drink, it will get cold. This is the Peach Blossom Origin Immortal Tea left behind by the Emperor. There are a total of five pieces. When the Emperor worshipped you, he tore apart a piece and offered it to you as a sign of respect. This second piece, this Emperor will give it to you today. "
At this time, Gu Mang was not only shocked, he was even angry and frightened. He was like an animal that was being toyed with, confused and disoriented by the carrot and the stick. He didn't even know what the person in front of him wanted to do, what he wanted from him, and whether the next step would be the honey or the whip.
He suddenly stood up, his chest rising and falling, and looked down at the most honorable and powerful man of the Chong Hua from top to bottom.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Mo Xi could see that Gu Mang had exhausted his lifetime's endurance to suppress his anger and not let himself shout out.
But Gu Mang's hands were shaking, and his nails had already sunk deep into his palms.
The Emperor raised the teacup and looked at Gu Mang indifferently. The strong wind blew his wide sleeves, and Mo Xi noticed that the Emperor wasn't wearing any standard imperial attire tonight.
He was only wearing ordinary clothes, and the white jade hairpin was simply used to tie up his black hair.
"It means, I'm sorry, Marshal Gu. This Emperor owes you. "
After he finished speaking, he didn't pay any attention to Gu Mang's stunned and confused eyes. Instead, he drank the strong tea in the cup in one gulp, and tilted the cup to look at Gu Mang.
Gu Mang took a step back, trembling, his lips moving in a murmur.
But even if he didn't say anything, Mo Xi understood what he was saying.
Lu Zhanxing was wronged … Lu Zhanxing was wronged …
"What wronged … what wronged did he get?" Gu Mang suddenly became a little confused. His voice was hoarse, and his voice went from low to high, from slow to slow, from muttering to shouting hysterically, "Is it possible that he wasn't the one who killed the envoy from Feng Ming Mountain!? Did he! Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he cry out for justice? Why did he suddenly tell me this? Why was it you who told me this?! "
His pupils almost shrank as he stared at the Emperor's face that didn't change.
Gu Mang had truly lost his mind, to the point that a commoner dared to speak to a descendant of the heavens in such a manner, to the point that Gu Mang, who had always been cautious in front of nobles, dared to address the ruler as' you '.
As for the Emperor, he slowly raised his head.
He, who had always been suspicious and violent, didn't refute Gu Mang's words.
The Emperor said, "No, in the battle of Feng Ming Mountain, the envoy was indeed killed by Lu Zhanxing himself."
"…"
"No one framed him, no one forced him — but."
Looking at Gu Mang's tottering figure, the Emperor paused for a moment, and took out a blood-stained white chess piece from his sleeve, and gently placed it on the table.
"He was bewitched by others, and unknowingly, he willingly became someone else's chess piece." The Emperor's fingertips moved away from the table, and softly said, "Marshal Gu is involved in forbidden arts, look … do you recognize this white chess piece?"
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.
