They were like a group of the most devout believers, filled with awe and deep affection for the divine.

In this quiet yet powerful way, they bid farewell to the regent who had been a beacon illuminating their path forward.

Outside the capital, the news spread like wildfire to every village and county, every field and alleyway.

In the vast fields, the farmers who were working hard heard the news, and the farm tools they were holding seemed to lose their strength and quietly slipped to the ground.

They slowly straightened up, sweat rolling down their cheeks without them noticing.

Their gaze passed over the fields of crops swaying in the wind, looking towards the capital, their eyes filled with sorrow and longing.

The bustling market was suddenly silenced by the constant shouts of vendors, who stood there dumbfounded.

The goods in their hands seemed incredibly heavy, and their eyes were filled with bewilderment and sorrow.

In their cozy homes, busy women and children stopped what they were doing, tears welling in their eyes, and silently stepped out of their homes, gazing towards the capital.

They slowly knelt down, and the moment their knees touched the ground, it seemed as if they were pouring out all the sorrow and reluctance in their hearts to the land that nurtured them.

They might kowtow devoutly, their foreheads touching the ground, each movement expressing their endless remembrance and longing for the Regent.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if time had stood still, and the whole world was immersed in this mournful atmosphere.

The entire Zhaoning Kingdom seemed to have been silenced by an invisible and sacred giant hand.

The usual hustle and bustle, the laughter and chatter, vanished without a trace in an instant.

A heavy, almost suffocating sadness permeated the sky, like a boundless, impenetrable black net.

It tightly envelops every corner of this land and every living being, making people feel a deep-seated sorrow and grief.

Just then, the Minister of Rites, dressed in a solemn black official robe, walked slowly toward the crowd with steady and firm steps.

That black official robe, like a deep and vast night sky, exuded a solemn and dignified aura, as if bearing the grief of the entire nation.

Her expression was exceptionally solemn. Every wrinkle etched on her face by time was filled with sorrow and grief, as if history had written a tragic chapter for her.

She paused slightly, glanced around at the grieving crowd, and then cleared her throat.

The voice seemed to pierce through endless sorrow, resounding in a loud and affectionate tone, like a great bell, in the silent air.

"The ways of Heaven are unfathomable, often startling the world with their upheavals; the people are insignificant, repeatedly suffering from calamities and being trapped in the mire."

In that era, drought raged, cracking the fertile fields into patterns resembling tortoise shells, and severing the rivers like rotten ropes; floods breached defenses, submerging countless villages and cooking fires into the belly of fish, and flattening hills and mounds like whetstones.

Even worse, swarms of locusts blotted out the sun, devouring fields and crops, leaving farmers weeping as they clutched their hoes in despair; the earth's veins collapsed, overturning houses and homes, forcing refugees to flee with the elderly and children in tow.

In the final days, an epidemic took advantage of the situation, leaving the streets and alleys desolate, incurable by medicine, and littered with bones.

Cang Hao silently lowered his eyes, regarding the people as drifting tumbleweeds and broken stalks; all the beings bowed their heads and sighed: "This is the will of Heaven, and cannot be reversed by human power!"

But you are different.

As regent, he possessed the benevolence to save the world, and when he saw the suffering and devastation, his heart burned with anguish.

He declared with conviction: "If Heaven fails the people, I will defy Heaven; if the people are plunged into misery, I will surely rescue them!"

He donned his armor and faced the perilous situation, disregarding his own safety to fight against the heavens for a sliver of hope, battling the calamity for a hundred days to survive.

At that time, the north wind was like a knife cutting his skin, and the sudden rain was like arrows piercing his bones. His body was covered with marks, yet he did not stop walking.

Thunder shattered mountains, torrents engulfed cities, and though the public was exhausted and weary, his will remained steadfast.

Some wept and pleaded, "Going against Heaven's will bring misfortune; why must you sacrifice yourself?"

He laughed and replied, "Even if this body is shattered into dust, it would be enough to save one person's life!" In the end, he used his flesh and blood to block the wrath of thunder, and collapsed from exhaustion, dying on the road to saving the people.

Alas! You are not capable of soaring to the heavens, but merely a mortal with a body only seven feet tall; yet your will can pierce the sun and moon, and your courage can shake rivers.

Heaven may take away the lives of the people, but you protect their lives; the Way may destroy the world's warmth, but you preserve the world's goodness.

The saying goes, "If there is injustice in the world, there is still justice in Heaven; if justice in Heaven is unjust, there is still a regent." He proved this loyalty with his death.

Today, people in the alleys and villages stop pounding grain and weep, and people in the mountains and fields stop hunting and grieve. This is not to mourn the passing of the Duke, but to respect the Duke's rebellion—rebellion against the indifferent way of Heaven, and protection of the human world.

Although he has passed away, his spirit of "defying fate with mortal bones" will transform into stars and hang in the long night, illuminating the path for those who come after him to tread the perilous road.

His ambition to "go against the tide for the common people" will surely be etched in history. We offer this incense with heartfelt sincerity, humbly hoping for your acceptance!