Chapter 556 The Sky Curtain – The Mourning Robe
Two dazzling golden beams shot out and collided violently above Xianyang Palace. The sound, like the mournful cry of heaven and earth, made everyone in the seven kingdoms instinctively look up.
The clouds surged like molten gold, weaving together to form a three-zhang-square canopy in the sky.
Strangely, regardless of distance, the sky was equally clear to everyone, yet they all seemed to understand that it was a sky that appeared because of the Qin state.
No one could say for sure whether this was a blessing from heaven for the Qin Dynasty or an ominous sign.
In the unfolding sky, in the ink-like darkness, a tall, slender figure of a young man emerged. His dark, mournful clothes were soaked with rain, and the unstitched edges of the linen were stained with strands of dark red, like wounds still bleeding from being ripped apart by a sharp sword.
The man gripped the wooden sign tightly in his left hand, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force, while the long sword he dragged in his right hand left a winding trail of blood on the ground.
Her long, soaked hair cascaded over her shoulders, fluttering wildly in the wind with each faltering step. Every step felt like treading on a blade, her staggering figure etching a profound sorrow onto the sky.
As everyone gazed at this surreal yet real scene, their eyes involuntarily welled up with tears, and they couldn't help but ask, "Who is this? And for whom are they grieving?"
"Why do I wear mourning clothes as a father? Because I am the most honored father. The feudal lords are like the emperor, and the emperor is the most honored.
Li Si, hurrying towards Xianyang Palace, gazed at the scene on the sky and couldn't help but murmur. The mourning attire of the Qin Dynasty followed the "Five Degrees of Mourning" system, with the severity of mourning divided into five levels: Zhan Cui, Qi Cui, Da Gong, Xiao Gong, and Si Ma.
The people on the celestial canopy wore mourning clothes, used by sons to honor their fathers, by ministers to honor their rulers, and by feudal lords to honor the emperor.
He didn't believe that such a commotion was caused by a son mourning his father, but if it was a subject mourning his ruler... which Qin ruler had died?
It's no wonder Li Si thought the worst, given that he had just experienced the eldest son's golden eyes seeing the future, and seeing such an unusual phenomenon again made it hard for him not to have the wrong idea.
Moreover, the initial golden light was remarkably similar to the eldest son's golden eyes, making him inevitably feel that this was the future...
The bronze bells on the eaves of Xianyang Palace rang without wind. As Li Si passed through the screen wall, the hem of his robe swept against the cool bluestone bricks.
The vermilion gates of the Hall of State Affairs were half-closed, and dozens of court officials stood with their hands at their sides in the corridor, their black official robes condensing into a dark tide in the morning mist.
His gaze swept over the physicians moving about in the hall. In the white mist rising from the bronze medicine furnace, he could vaguely see a blood-stained handkerchief, and his heart sank.
"Prime Minister, what is this?"
Li Si leaned close to Lü Buwei, his fingers trembling slightly beneath his wide sleeves.
Lu Buwei caught sight of his arrival, his expression turned solemn, his throat tightened, and he uttered three words softly: "Young Master."
Li Si's pupils constricted sharply, a chill running down his spine to the back of his neck. He stared at the eerie curtain of light in the sky. So it really was related to the eldest son, wasn't it? What price did the eldest son pay for this?
Suddenly, the sound of jade pendants rang out, and Ying Zheng, wrapped in a black cloak, strode out. The Lulu sword at his waist rang out with a clear and melodious sound, and his whole body was filled with a murderous aura.
The courtiers in the hall fell to their knees in a thunderous roar, the shouts causing the dust accumulated in the corridor to fall in a flurry. The King of Qin, however, seemed not to hear it, his hawk-like gaze fixed on the sky, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white.
After a long silence, he suddenly turned around and said, "Meng Wu, Wang Ben, immediately dispatch three thousand elite soldiers to patrol and guard Xianyang to maintain its stability; Lü Buwei, send men to monitor the movements of the six states..."
As the decrees were issued one after another, Li Si quietly raised his eyes and looked ahead, only to feel the chill emanating from the King of Qin becoming increasingly apparent.
Just as everyone held their breath, Ying Zheng suddenly raised his hand: "Take the seats!"
The eunuch, who had served for many years, immediately understood and hurriedly brought out a bamboo mat and spread it on the steps.
Ying Zheng knelt first, his black robe cascading down like a waterfall: "Today, I wish to discuss this heavenly secret with all my beloved ministers!"
He wanted to see what this thing was that had caused Fusu to injure his eyes and remain unconscious to this day.
Seeing that the King of Qin was already sitting in front of the hall, everyone looked at each other, and soon chose their seats and knelt down quietly, looking up at the sky.
Li Si glanced back at the quiet inner palace, where physicians came and went frequently, his mind filled with countless thoughts. He then turned to look at the king's cold profile. If something were to happen to the eldest son, then the king...
Before he could think further, a sudden burst of white light caught his attention.
Whether it was the officials in Xianyang Palace, the panicked and helpless common people, or the royal advisors of the other six kingdoms who were discussing amongst themselves, they all looked up at that moment.
The scene of a lone figure walking alone, which had always been one of constant change, suddenly took a turn.
The surrounding darkness surged towards the boy like a tide, trying to engulf him. The boy lightly raised his right hand, the sword's edge sharp and fierce, slicing through the darkness with unwavering courage, revealing bursts of white light.
Finally, the boy slashed down with his sword, and a burst of white light engulfed the entire screen.
Everyone couldn't help but blink as the scene shifted to a towering, mysterious building, with the three small seal characters "Zhaixing Pavilion" flashing by.
"Ahhh, brother! There's a bloody person here!" The scream startled a flock of birds, and a handsome and exceptionally lively young man rushed to the foot of the Star-Picking Tower carrying an unconscious boy covered in blood.
"Xiaoyue! Mr. Cui, help!"
Amidst the chaos, the boy was settled in a side room.
Xiaoyue took a clean silk cloth and wiped the boy's face clean.
"Young Master Fusu?"
The crowd in front of the Hall of State Affairs exchanged bewildered glances and couldn't help but look at the King of Qin.
If that was the eldest son, then who was he observing mourning for?
No one dared to think any further.
As for the person being watched, Ying Zheng clenched his fist slightly, gazing at the somewhat familiar outline in the sky. As a father, he was quite certain that it did indeed bear a seven-tenths resemblance to the current Fusu.
So, is this Fusu's future?
"They look alike, but this boy's bone age is no more than eighteen." Cui Wenzi said thoughtfully, touching his wrist bone and looking at his face.
"Ogawa? Ogawa!"
"ah!"
Yi Xiaochuan looked up after being called out to him several times by Xiaoyue.
Seeing that he seemed lost in thought, Xiaoyue asked in confusion, "What are you thinking about?"
She was quite unaccustomed to the sudden silence from the person who used to love joining in the fun.
"I'm looking at this."
With a grave expression, Yi Xiaochuan turned the wooden plaque he had taken from the boy's arms to face the two of them. Above it, the blood-stained characters "Great Qin" were awe-inspiring—this was a monument erected for the Great Qin Dynasty.
"This is the eldest son observing mourning for the Qin Dynasty..."
"Qin is gone..."
Under the sky, the Qin people's eyes were red. The intense emotions conveyed by the blood-stained characters "Great Qin" carved into the wooden tablet could be felt even by those who were illiterate.
When wearing mourning clothes, sons wear them for their fathers, ministers for their rulers, feudal lords for the emperor, and common people for their country.
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