Chapter 129 My Charming Ancestor 3
"Who are you?"
Three words, neither too light nor too heavy, without reverence, without flattery, and without the fear that mortals feel when they meet a deity.
Only scrutiny, exploration, and a trace of the absolute desire for control that is deeply hidden in the bones of an emperor.
On the mountain path, the civil and military officials kneeling on the ground felt their hearts leap into their throats upon hearing this question.
My Majesty! That is a deity! A living deity! How can you speak to Him like you are interrogating a prisoner? What if the deity becomes angry and unleashes divine punishment?
Li Si was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, wishing he could climb onto the altar and cover his emperor's mouth.
However, Zhou Jue, standing on the altar bathed in the glow of the sunset, did not become angry.
She knew exactly what was going on.
This ancestor was no saint. He rose from a hostage to become the First Emperor who swept across the land, not because of his belief in gods, but because of his insight into human nature and his absolute control over power.
The more you act mysteriously, the tighter the string of "doubt" will be in his heart.
She smiled slightly: "I come from the long river of time, witnessing the changes of humankind and the rise and fall of dynasties."
Her voice, ethereal and otherworldly, unlike the speech of ordinary people, clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
It didn't answer who it was, yet it seemed to have answered everything.
I am no one, I am just an observer, a recorder. I watch you as if watching the world change, the clouds rise and fall.
There's a lot of information in those words.
Ying Zheng's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
The long river of time? The rise and fall of dynasties?
These words struck him like a heavy hammer.
His proudest achievement was ending the Zhou Dynasty's eight-hundred-year period of disintegration and establishing an unprecedented unified empire.
What he desired most was for his empire to last forever.
But this "immortal" in front of us said that she had witnessed the "rise and fall of dynasties".
This means that, in her eyes, the Great Qin, which she was so proud of, was nothing more than a wave in the long river of time, which could be washed away by the next wave at any time.
An indescribable sense of irritation and anger rose from the depths of Ying Zheng's heart. But he did not show it, and simply continued to ask, his voice even lower than before.
What brings you here today?
This question is even more insidious than the previous one.
Since you're just a spectator, why did you have to jump out when I was performing the Fengshan ceremony? Were you here to support me, or to sabotage me?
The officials below the mountain felt their hearts tighten even more.
Zhou Jue looked at him, but did not answer directly. Instead, he gently raised his hand and pointed down the mountain with his fingertips.
I came for you.
boom!
These five words are even more impactful than the previous phrases "after the rain comes sunshine, and cranes fly together."
The civil and military officials at the foot of the mountain were stunned into silence, completely losing their ability to think.
We've come for His Majesty!
The immortals have come specifically for Your Majesty!
What an honor! What a destiny bestowed upon us!
Those ministers who had previously worried that the immortals were there to guide His Majesty to ascend to heaven now realized what was going on.
No! If the immortals were here to guide us, why make such a big fuss? They could just sweep people away with a golden light.
His solemn descent and the words "I have come for you" clearly represent the highest affirmation of His Majesty's achievements!
Ecstasy! An indescribable ecstasy instantly overwhelmed everyone!
"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Great Qin Dynasty!"
The thunderous shouts rose again, this time with an almost frenzied devotion.
On the altar, Ying Zheng's heart was deeply moved by these four words.
You came for me?
Throughout his life, he has heard far too much flattery and seen far too many hypocritical faces.
Everyone feared him, respected him, dreaded him, and exploited him. But no one dared to say to him, "I came for you."
His mother schemed against him for her lover.
His uncle betrayed him for power.
His son, in the name of benevolence and righteousness, opposed him at every turn.
He stood at the pinnacle of power, yet was more lonely than anyone else.
But today, a "fairy" who claims to be from the river of time tells him that she came for him.
Ying Zheng slowly loosened his clenched fist. He looked at Zhou Jue, and for the first time, his deep eyes lost their scrutiny, replaced by genuine curiosity.
"Why did you come for me?"
He asked a third question.
This time, his tone lacked the imperial authority and instead carried a hint of... ordinary human bewilderment.
Zhou Jue smiled.
She knew the most crucial moment had arrived.
Her gaze went over Ying Zheng's shoulder and landed behind him, on the vast, boundless land he had unified.
"Because you have accomplished what no one before you has done."
Her voice was no longer ethereal, but instead carried a hint of solemnity and reverence.
"You ended five hundred years of war, freeing all people from the suffering of displacement. This is the merit of stopping war."
"You abolished the feudal system and established prefectures and counties, bringing power to the center of the world and eliminating the threat of warlordism. This is the achievement of establishing the dynasty."
"You standardized the gauge of carts, the written language, and the weights and measures, laying an unshakeable foundation for civilization on this land. This is an immortal achievement."
Each sentence, each word, was crystal clear.
There are no flowery words, no mystical praise. It simply lays out the three most proud achievements of Ying Zheng's life, one by one.
However, it was this simple narration that completely stunned Ying Zheng.
He stood there, stunned, as if struck by lightning.
Cease the fighting, establish order, and achieve immortality!
These three words accurately summarize his lifelong pursuits and aspirations.
The people of the world only knew that Qin Shi Huang was cruel, burning books and burying scholars alive, and using harsh punishments. Those Confucian scholars cursed him as a "tiger and wolf ruler" and said that he was "unworthy of his position."
But who truly understands him?
Who would have known that the reason he wanted to "stop the war" was because he had personally witnessed how, in the midst of war, human life was as worthless as grass, and bones were exposed in the wilderness.
Who would have known that the reason he wanted to "establish a new regime" was because he understood that as long as the feudal system existed, this land would never have a peaceful day, and today's unification was just the beginning of an even greater division tomorrow.
Who knows that his desire for "immortality" was not for his own immortality, but rather for the hope that the foundation of civilization he laid would allow this nation to pass on its legacy and endure for eternity, no matter what storms it may face!
He never told anyone these things.
Because he is an emperor, and emperors don't need explanations.
But today, these grand ambitions, which he had buried deep in his heart and which even his closest ministers might not fully understand, were revealed in a single sentence by a "celestial being" he had just met.
At that moment, a tremendous surge of bitterness and grievance welled up in Ying Zheng's heart.
His eyes, which had witnessed countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood without ever blinking, were now slightly red.
He is not a tyrant.
Everything he did was for the country he loved so deeply.
Finally... someone understood.
Moreover, those who understand him are not ordinary people, but immortals sent by heaven!
"What a magnificent achievement!"
Ying Zheng laughed loudly, his laughter filled with an indescribable joy and desolation. Never in his entire life had he felt so exhilarated!
After he finished laughing, he looked at Zhou Jue again, his eyes now completely changed.
If before it was about scrutiny and curiosity, now it's about a kind of recognition and respect that's almost like "knowing someone intimately."
He slowly bowed slightly to Zhou Jue, performing a gesture of respect befitting an equal.
"Since the immortals know my heart, they must also know my confusion. Today, I performed the Fengshan ceremony to appease Heaven and pray for the eternal stability of my Great Qin Dynasty. However, the wind and rain have descended from the heavens. Could it be that my efforts are still insufficient?"
This is what he cares about most.
Zhou Jue shook his head.
"The wind and rain are not divine punishment, but rather a cleansing of the dust."
She said softly, "To wash away the hardships of your journey, and to cleanse Mount Tai of its worldly dust, so that we may welcome the Holy King."
"As for eternity..."
Zhou Jue paused, knowing that this was the question her ancestors cared about most. She couldn't lie and say that the Qin Dynasty could truly last forever; that was unrealistic and would trigger a system warning.
She looked into Ying Zheng's eyes and said, word by word, "A kingdom may not last forever, but civilization can."
"The foundation you laid, as long as future generations continue to add bricks and tiles, will ensure that the civilization you created shines as brightly as the sun and moon, and lasts forever. This is the true meaning of 'eternity'."
A kingdom may not last forever, but a civilization can!
These words, like a bolt of lightning, instantly illuminated Ying Zheng's entire world.
He stood there, pondering those words over and over, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light.
Yes! How could he not have thought of that!
The rise and fall of dynasties is a natural cycle, beyond human control. What he sought was not the eternal rule of the Ying family, but the enduring legacy of Chinese civilization!
As long as the flame of civilization remains extinguished, and as long as the foundation of "standardized writing" remains, even if dynasties collapse in the future, the people on this land will always be one family!
This knot, which had troubled him for half his life, suddenly became clear at this moment!
"Hahaha! Good! Well said!" Ying Zheng laughed again, this time with a sense of magnanimity and pride: "A single conversation with the immortal is better than ten years of my own seeking!"
He looked at Zhou Jue with burning eyes.
Such a "sage" who can see into his heart and guide him through his confusion is far more valuable than an army of 100,000!
A bold idea arose in his mind.
He bowed solemnly to Zhou Jue once again.
"Since you have come for me, Immortal, I am sure you will be generous with your guidance. My Xianyang Palace is still lacking a Grand Preceptor. I wonder if you would be willing to return to Xianyang with me, Immortal, so that I may see for myself the vast empire I have built for you with the 'immortal achievement' you speak of?"
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