On the second day after the spring rain, the weather was good.
The new Emperor ascended the throne in the middle of the night. All the civil and military officials were waiting at the entrance of the altar.
The auspicious time had arrived, and the enthronement ceremony was about to begin.
The ceremony was to worship the Taiyi God. There were three levels to the altar, surrounded by green, red, white, black, and yellow altars. White deer, pigs, and white yaks were slaughtered as sacrifices. The Jianghuai region's Three Ridges Grass was used as a sacred book, and it was sealed with five-colored soil. Rare beasts and birds were placed all over the mountain to show auspiciousness.
The drums, Taiyi, and flutes were playing. Standing high up on the altar was a youth dressed in a bright yellow robe. The true dragons on his sleeves were about to fly, but his expression was calm. Holding the Imperial Jade Seal, his gaze was sharp and deep.
Directly below him, an important official of the court, Xiao Shao, wearing a red official robe embroidered with a white python, held the edict of the previous Emperor, and announced the ascension edict word by word. The young man was usually quiet and indifferent, but at this moment, his voice was clear and steady. Every word was like a blow to the hearts of the people, like a silent support, causing the hearts of those who heard it to tremble.
The musicians in the palace played, and a high-ranking eunuch helped the new ruler of the Great Jin Dynasty slowly ascend the throne carved with dragons and phoenixes. The moment he ascended the throne, all the music came to an abrupt end. The hundreds of officials congratulated him, bowing to the deity, and shouted in unison: "Long live the Emperor — —"
The young Emperor sat upright, his gaze lightly sweeping over the heads of the important officials. It was a disdainful gaze. Even if the officials did not raise their heads, they could still feel an indescribable pressure. They heard the young man say in a clear voice: "Everyone, rise — —"
The officials raised their eyes. The young Emperor's delicate face had completely lost its usual harmless air of nobility, or rather, shed the last bit of camouflage, appearing extremely sharp. Like a lazy cub finally revealing its dense white teeth, and a wave of its claws, it was filled with a biting cold killing intent.
This was the pressure that only someone in a high position could bring, and also the calmness of someone who was used to seeing grand scenes. At this moment, it appeared on the body of a teenager. There were many officials who were still hesitant, but at this moment, they all had the same thought in their minds. This young man was born to be a king because he was cunning, dictatorial, cruel, benevolent, and innately cold.
That was the innate aura of a king.
The Great Jin court welcomed a new master. The young man sat upright on the throne, his voice still clear and bright, but his tone was already solemn, slowly filled with an inviolable confidence. He said, "Today we have a national ceremony, granting amnesty to the world —"
"Those who obey me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish —"
"I am the Son of Heaven, I am the world …"
These three sentences, each one sonorous and resounding, were like the proverbs of the end of the world that had been passed down from prehistoric times, drifting and reverberating between the heavens and the earth. The Great Jin dynasty had no other master. This youth was the current Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty, the once useless prince, Xuan Pei!
The golden dragon on the corner of the robe was about to soar into the sky. The young man revealed a smile. This smile was both clear and vague at the same time. Everyone who saw it couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts. No one could guess what the Emperor was thinking. A complicated expression appeared on the face of the Grand Tutor standing on the right. He had made the right move in the end. This youth really did have the Qi of a True Dragon as he had thought, but he had hidden it even more deeply than he had imagined. However, he did not regret it. As the saying goes, there are only one or two times in a lifetime when you should live for yourself. Supporting Xuan Pei to ascend to the throne was what he wanted to do.
The moment the coronation ceremony was completed, the leader of the imperial guards suddenly rushed in and said, "Your Majesty, it's not good. The Eighth Prince has led a group of ministers in rebellion. Most of the imperial guards have defected, and they are now surrounding the capital from outside the city."
The young emperor on the high seat smiled faintly, as if he was not surprised by this. Xuan Li did not attend today's ascension ceremony, perhaps it was a tacit fact that everyone understood. As a loser, Xuan Li could not watch the throne fall into the hands of others without any grudges, and it was even more impossible for him to watch the ascension ceremony complete with his own eyes. But to choose this time to act, was it impulsive or completely prepared? It was really too unscrupulous.
"Among the officers and officials of the Great Jin Dynasty, there are rebellious ministers rebelling. The previous dynasty had eight princes rebelling. Crown Prince Hong Xi singlehandedly judged the rebellion and did not hesitate to die on the battlefield. Now that we have encountered such a situation, coinciding with the coronation ceremony, We are the current Emperor and should fight together with you. Take up the weapons in your hands. For the stability and prosperity of the Great Jin Dynasty, expel the bandits and establish our Great Jin Dynasty! We will not allow those with evil intentions to encroach on our country. Whoever covets our country, We will trample on their bodies. The majestic Great Jin Dynasty will be monopolized by the Heavens! "
He was not the least bit flustered by this sudden news, and even used this statement to raise the morale of the civil and military officials. Every word of the previous dynasty's Crown Prince Hong Xi's metaphor expressed the confidence and determination of the young Emperor. But even with such arrogant words, the crowd did not feel that he was boasting. Instead, they felt that this youth's words were powerful and resonant, as if he could do it as soon as he said it. Therefore, after a short while, a general shouted, "We pledge our lives to protect the Great Jin Dynasty! We pledge our lives to follow Your Majesty! "
As if the first person had spoken, more and more people were affected by this kind of agitation. Their blood surged uncontrollably, and they all knelt down to ask for battle. The shouts grew louder and louder, reaching the heavens. In the end, only the vigorous voices of hundreds of men could be heard resounding on the altar, "We pledge our lives to follow Your Majesty!"
Xuan Pei smiled in satisfaction and slowly stood up. The golden dragon on the corner of his robe glared angrily as he said firmly, "Fight!"
Fight!
…
The speed at which Xuan Pei won over the hearts of the people was much faster than everyone had expected. Not only did this youth gain the support of the common people, he also quickly gained the support of the civil and military officials. Not long after the coronation ceremony, someone revealed a secret. It turned out that there used to be a shop in the Great Jin Dynasty that helped the poor people every year. It was the most benevolent and righteous shop. Who would have known that the owner behind those shops was Xuan Pei? The common people were naturally deeply grateful. Having a benevolent and righteous Emperor was better than anything else. Moreover, this Emperor had been issued by the previous Emperor, so naturally, they would not hesitate to side with him. Xuan Li leading an army to rebel was originally a disgraceful act. These days, the common people around the capital had suffered because of the war. Xuan Pei sent people to send things to comfort the injured people, and in a short period of time, he won the hearts of many people.
As for the imperial court, there were already some old officials who supported Xuan Pei, so Xuan Pei's days were not too difficult. Moreover, he had his own unique way of winning over people. Towards those officials who were still unconvinced, he used both kindness and authority, and it actually had a miraculous effect. Moreover, the longer they interacted with this newly ascended Emperor, the more all the officials felt one thing at the same time. Xuan Pei was not like a young Emperor who had just ascended to the throne. Everything he did, including the way he handled political affairs, was like that of a veteran official. Even when faced with a difficult situation, he could skillfully resolve it in front of him. This feeling was as if it was not his first time as Emperor, but rather that he had been Emperor for many years. He was so familiar with it that he did not even need the guidance of the surrounding officials. With this understanding, the officials would be somewhat wary of the Emperor. This way, the relationship between the emperor and his officials would be even more stable.
What these officials did not know was that Xuan Pei was someone who had died once. Although he was a useless prince in his previous life, he had still been with Xuan Li for many years, and he had seen Xuan Li's way of doing things. After being reborn, he had been planning for this day for a long time, so naturally, everything went smoothly. However, he did not know that his actions in front of the officials were like a true dragon descending from the heavens.
If there was anything special, it would be that Xuan Li's people were harder to deal with than expected. Although they knew that he had secretly bribed many people, now that these people had all surfaced, they could not help but be shocked. Among them were many veterans of two dynasties, loyal officials. Even half of the people in charge of the Imperial Army were now in Xuan Li's hands. Therefore, they could be in a deadlock with Xuan Pei for such a long time. Moreover, their scattered troops were also converging. Not only the capital, but many other places also began to have chaos. Among them, there was no lack of people from the Southern Border. Those who had long been hiding in various places were also mobilized, and most of the Southern Border's military forces were also quietly transferred over. In the end, Xuan Li had put in a lot of effort this time.
Xuan Pei sat in the Imperial Study, countless memorials were all piled up like a mountain on one side. In this chaotic time, he still had the mind to go through the memorials one by one. At that time, Jiang Ruan had once told him to deal with myriad changes by not changing, and let nature take its course. As the Emperor of a dynasty, if he was in chaos, the hearts of the entire court would also be in chaos. He was calm, and he also believed that Xuan Li would certainly not be able to break this situation. He believed that Xiao Shao was a person who could solve this. The main thing that the Emperor needed to do was to use people, not to do things himself. Now, he used people very well. On the surface, Xuan Li seemed to have the upper hand, but in fact, he was at a disadvantage.
Now, the person that Xuan Pei was most worried about was naturally Jiang Ruan. There was still no news of Jiang Ruan until now. This was exactly what Xuan Pei was worried about. At that time, Xuan Pei also knew about Jiang Ruan's plan. As Jiang Ruan told Qi Feng, Xuan Li would definitely think of a way to use Jiang Ruan to make a deal with Xiao Shao. Now that Xuan Li had raised the flag of rebellion, the next step was naturally to use Jiang Ruan to exchange for benefits with Xiao Shao. What Xuan Li wanted was nothing more than the control of the Jinyi Guard. However, several days had already passed. Why hadn't Xuan Li made a move? At this moment, it was not a battle of endurance. Every moment was a life. Xuan Li would definitely be impatient to make a deal with Xiao Shao. For there to be no movement, there was almost only one possibility: Jiang Ruan was simply not in his hands.
Why was Jiang Ruan not in his hands? Firstly, Jiang Ruan had escaped, so Xuan Li could not find her. This was not wrong with what Jiang Ruan had said. She said that she would also find a chance to escape. Secondly, Jiang Ruan was now in some danger. This was the truth that Xuan Pei was most unwilling to guess. He told himself that Jiang Ruan was clever and cunning. Only she would scheme against others. The most likely scenario was that she had schemed against others to escape. But he could not help but think in the worst direction. Xuan Pei was also worried. If it was not what he thought, what should he do? If Jiang Ruan had really escaped, why did she not think of a way to contact them? Where was she now?
Xuan Pei thought about it, and his heart gave birth to a kind of depression. He thought of something and suddenly reached out to Ming Yue, who was standing on the side, and said, "What is Xiao Shao doing recently?"
Ming Yue replied, "Young Master is chasing after Yuan Chuan."
"Yuan Chuan?" Xuan Pei frowned. Thinking that Yuan Chuan was the masked man who liked to follow Dan Zhen, he said, "Why is he chasing after Yuan Chuan? Is it the whereabouts of Junzhu? "
"It's not that." Ming Yue patiently replied, "Recently, there have been reports from the Brocade Guards that Xuan Li's men are also chasing after Yuan Chuan. Yuan Chuan is currently on the run. Young Master feels that there is something fishy about this matter. Perhaps he can find out from Yuan Chuan that the situation has taken a turn for the better. Thus, he has been chasing after him." Ming Yue was Xiao Shao's person, but Xuan Pei was now very comfortable using her. Regarding Jiang Ruan's matter, Xiao Shao had also instructed that there was no need to hide it from Xuan Pei. Ming Yue did not conceal anything and told him everything she knew.
"Xuan Li is also chasing after Yuan Chuan?" Xuan Pei sat up straight and his expression became grave, "Why?"
…
The night was as dark as ink. Between the steep and precipitous mountain roads, there were two riders galloping through the mountains. The horse and man in front were obviously already somewhat panicked. They were only frantically whipping forward with all their might. The horse at the back was much more relaxed. The color of the horse's fur was bright, and its hooves were vigorous and powerful. It was obviously a fine horse.
The person on the horse at the back was dressed in black, almost blending in with the night. However, he suddenly leaped up and with the tip of his foot on the horse's back, his body fiercely flew forward. The person in front knew that the situation was not good and wanted to immediately turn the horse's head in another direction. Who knew that the person at the back was flying diagonally in the air and suddenly shot out a stone from his hand. The stone sneaked into the front horse's leg. The horse's leg softened and it immediately knelt on the ground. The person on the horse immediately fell down. In a flash, the person in black swept in front of the person. Before the person could react, a dagger was already at the person's throat.
"Third brother, wait for me!" Another slightly noisy voice came from behind, followed by a wave of irritated horse hooves. There were many people rushing over. When they came closer, they saw some imperial guards holding torches. The two people at the front were not dressed as imperial guards. Upon a closer look, it was Mo Cong and Qi Feng.
Mo Cong walked forward with a torch in his hand. When he saw the person on the ground, he could not help but cry out, "Third brother, are you sure that he is the southern border envoy? At that time, although he was wearing a mask, he did not look like this, right? Who is this? He looks like a ghost. "
The gray clothes of the man on the ground were already in tatters and his hair was disheveled. The most frightening thing was not his untidy clothes, but his unrecognizable appearance. His face seemed to have been burned by something. It was like half of the wall had been torn off. His skin was mottled and some were still hanging, revealing the exposed flesh underneath. The most frightening thing was a scar near his eye. It was as if the entire eye socket had been burned. Looking at his entire body, there were similar burn marks. It seemed that he had not been properly treated. Pus had already begun to flow out of his body. As soon as he walked closer, there was a foul smell.
"Where is she? Why is Xuan Li chasing after you? "Xiao Shao did not pay attention to Mo Cong's words. He did not loosen the dagger at Yuan Chuan's throat. At first, it was a spy from the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had discovered that Xuan Li's men were chasing after someone. That person looked very much like the previous southern border envoy. After informing Xiao Shao, Xiao Shao immediately personally came to capture him. In reality, it was indeed true. Yuan Chuan was already seriously injured. This was naturally the work of Xuan Li's men. If he had not been seriously injured, with Yuan Chuan's cunning character, he might not have been caught so easily by Xiao Shao. Even so, there were still many suspicious points. The southern border and Xuan Li had always been allies. Why would Xuan Li suddenly want to kill his own people? If the alliance was broken, then Xuan Li had not been chasing after Qi Man. Moreover, no one had seen any trace of Dan Zhen for a long time.
Yuan Chuan must know where Jiang Ruan was, because it was the southern border people who had first kidnapped her. Xuan Li did not dare to come forward personally. It had always been the southern border people who had guarded Jiang Ruan. Now that Yuan Chuan was being chased, could it be related to Jiang Ruan?
When Yuan Chuan heard this, he sneered and said, "Xiao Wangye, do you want to know why Xuan Li wants to kill me? Do you really want to know? "
"Don't talk nonsense." Without waiting for Yuan Chuan to finish speaking, Mo Cong interrupted him, "Hand over the whereabouts of my third sister-in-law. This young master will guarantee that you will die a painless death. If you don't say it, hmph. "
"I never wanted to live." Yuan Chuan looked up at Xiao Shao, who was coldly staring at him. Under the light of the fire, Xiao Shao's face was extraordinarily handsome, but also extremely cold. Yuan Chuan could not help but think of Dan Zhen's infatuation with this person in front of him. But this person only had Jiang Ruan, that vicious woman in his heart. His heart suddenly gave birth to a grievance, and he almost provoked him with a smile, "Xiao Wangye must know, so naturally, I can only tell you the truth. Xiao Wangye should know that Xuan Li has always wanted to use Wangfei to do business with Xiao Wangye, but I ruined this business. Do you know why? "He grinned, and his muscles pulled at the scars, making him look even more like a ghost," Because I killed her. That woman is dead, and Xuan Li lost a bargaining chip to negotiate with you, so he came to kill me. "
As soon as his voice fell, he felt the dagger in his throat suddenly move forward by an inch. A cold liquid seeped out of his throat. He closed his eyes, but he felt that the dagger did not move forward. Xiao Shao's cold voice sounded in his ear, "You are lying."
Both Qi Feng and Mo Cong breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, they were afraid that Xiao Shao would stab Yuan Chuan to death in a fit of anger. If there was anything that could make Xiao Shao emotionally unstable, it could only be Jiang Ruan. Anyone who heard such a curse on their wife would not feel good, let alone someone as protective as Xiao Shao. Mo Cong angrily said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think that my third brother will believe your nonsense? What ability do you have to kill my third sister-in-law? I'm afraid that you won't even be able to touch my third sister-in-law's little finger. Simply ridiculous! "
Yuan Chuan suddenly burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that his mouth was full of blood. He looked at Xiao Shao, gritted his teeth, and said word by word, "So what? I not only killed her, I also killed the bastard in her stomach! "
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