Chapter 88: The world is at peace, the tyrannical Yan is vanquished, and the world is at peace!
The endless zero is like a never-ending staircase, yet it cannot extinguish the burning desire in the hearts of the dragon, phoenix, and pig. Once a person grasps supreme power, a yearning for eternal time will arise.
Forever and ever seated on the dragon throne, forever and ever looking down upon the masses. The countless common people are nothing but ants crawling at their feet, learned scholars willingly bow their heads in submission, and iron-willed soldiers willingly give their lives.
The most beautiful women from all over the world would be sent to the palace like a flowing stream, all in an effort to win the emperor's favor.
Those who have not ascended to the throne can never truly understand the feeling of being above all others.
If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be—
I am the only one who matters.
Ordinary people cherish life for only a few decades, let alone emperors like dragons, phoenixes, and pigs who hold power. After seizing power, they all firmly grasp the country and its people in their hands.
They refused to bow to the passage of time, and even more unwilling to succumb to illness.
They are true dragons and emperors, the incarnations of gods on earth.
Since the elixir of immortality was within reach, and since its price was clearly stated, they were certain that one day they would be able to save up this staggering sum. Even though their current monthly wage was only a little over two hundred, they were confident that their wages would definitely increase.
At this moment, the Dragon and Phoenix Pigs were like donkeys being dangled with carrots, their eyes gleaming with fanaticism.
Li Shimin even began to consider offering advice to Jiang Ge—the bandits besieging the city should be reported to the imperial court. During the battle just now, he clearly saw that among the chaotic army were not only mountain bandits, but also many soldiers wearing official armor.
Regardless of the reason, the execution of court officials and soldiers would likely lead to charges of treason.
He originally only planned to collect the 50,000 yuan bonus and leave. Who would want to go through all that trouble for nothing? After all, the extra work wouldn't earn him any more money.
Things are different now. The dawn of immortality is just around the corner, damn it!
Li Shimin rubbed his hands together, his body burning with excitement. Rebellious blood flowed in his veins; he was a born restless soul. The Xuanwu Gate Incident wasn't enough; now, transmigrating to this godforsaken place, it had rediscovered that ruthless streak he once possessed.
Having rebelled twice before, I'm quite familiar with the process.
There are rules and methods to starting a rebellion.
Rebellion requires a pretext. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, there was great chaos and the people were disaffected.
Emperor Yang of Sui was a tyrannical ruler who engaged in extravagant construction projects, leading to widespread suffering and numerous uprisings. As the Sui dynasty collapsed, Li Yuan, serving as the governor of Taiyuan, saw that the dynasty was beyond saving and launched a rebellion. His official slogan was "Abolish the tyrannical and establish a wise ruler, support the Prince of Dai," meaning he used "restoring the Sui dynasty" as his banner, rather than directly declaring his intention to change the dynasty.
Such slogans do indeed reduce many obstacles.
After capturing Chang'an, he immediately enthroned Yang You as Emperor Gong of Sui, and appointed himself Grand Chancellor and King of Tang, thus effectively controlling the government.
The following year, Emperor Yang of Sui was killed in Jiangdu, and Li Yuan forced Yang You to abdicate, formally establishing the Tang Dynasty and changing the era name to Wude.
Historically, the vast majority of emperors who successfully rebelled would find a legitimate name or slogan when raising an army, in order to gain legitimacy and win over the hearts of the people, with the ultimate goal of reducing the resistance to ascending to power.
Even if they were to rebel, they wanted to make things easier.
As Li Shimin was pondering this, he suddenly noticed the sword at Magistrate Jiang's waist. A plan formed in Li Shimin's mind.
He had the crowd cover him up, and he was sneaking around doing something no one knew.
After a while.
"Magistrate Jiang!" He slapped his thigh suddenly. "Last night I heard a fox howling, and when I went to look for it, guess what? That beast had a piece of cloth hidden in its belly!" As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of rag that he had prepared beforehand, on which the four bloody characters "天下归戈" (meaning "All Under Heaven Return to Arms") were written crookedly.
The blood on it is obviously not fresh blood, but blood that has been splattered on someone.
This method is so outdated!
Liu Che rolled his eyes as he watched from the side. "They're still using this trick after all these centuries?"
You think you can rely on just one trick to succeed, huh?
Liu Che believed himself to be more thoughtful than Li Shimin, and he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Kill the tyrannical Yan and bring peace to the world!"
This is the tradition passed down from our ancestors.
Liu Bang rebelled against Qin Shi Huang, who was still alive at the time.
This shout snapped Qin Shi Huang out of his daze. Good heavens, to shout "Punish the tyrant" right in front of him, the real tyrant, this Liu the Wild Boar is truly fearless!
Jiang Ge looked at this group of clowns before her. She finally understood: these emperors who had traveled from another era were all professional rebels. Now, for the sake of the elixir of immortality, they were probably even willing to overturn the Jade Emperor's Lingxiao Palace.
“If you ask me…” Zhu Di interjected menacingly, “why not say, ‘The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise’?”
In order to make more money, these celebrities are willing to give up everything. They wish they could rebel right now and storm the imperial palace to make the emperor's throne unstable.
Jiang Ge took the cloth strip written by Li Shimin. It read "The world belongs to Ge," written in a free and flowing style, with each stroke like a knife or axe, revealing its sharpness.
The world is at peace with war…
How can it not be a prophecy?
"Prime Minister Zhuge, write a report on the suppression of the bandits and have it sent to the capital by fast horse." Jiang Ge gripped the strip of cloth tightly, knowing that the auspicious omen he had created could not be taken seriously.
It should not be publicized to the world.
Zhuge Liang agreed. They both knew that now was not the right time, but the right time would not be far off.
By then, will immortality be far behind?
King Zhaoxiang of Qin had a deep gaze, and the years had etched deep lines on his face. Compared to Ying Zheng, who was in his prime, he truly resembled the setting sun about to sink into the mountains. Over the years, he had long been prepared to leave this world at any moment, and even ordered people to add oil to the eternal lamp in his mausoleum every day.
I never imagined I'd see the elixir of immortality one day.
I really didn't expect that.
He took a deep breath, his chest filling with energy. He couldn't touch Lord Wu'an now; in the entire Qin state, only Lord Wu'an was currently being recruited, and his uniqueness was self-evident.
The hope of immortality rested on Bai Qi.
King Zhaoxiang of Qin shifted his gaze to Bai Qi's profile. Bai Qi was already old and not as young and strong as Huo Qubing and other generals, but age did not have much of an impact on him.
He remained clear-headed and sharp-eyed, his sword-wielding hand as steady as a mountain, as if he could mount his warhorse at any moment and take another million heads.
What would Bai Qi, with his clear mind and sharp eyes, do after learning that he was originally destined to die at the hands of King Zhaoxiang of Qin?
During a moment of deep affection between grandfather and grandson, King Zhaoxiang of Qin learned of later history from Ying Zheng, while Bai Qi probably already knew this history on his first day in Songyang County.
Will Bai Qi still be loyal to the Qin Dynasty?
King Zhaoxiang of Qin was suspicious of Bai Qi at all times, just as he was now suspicious of Bai Qi but had no choice but to rely on him.
He also longs to live forever!
——————-
Jiang Yuanshan was imprisoned in the county jail, and the yamen runner guarding him was Wei Shun. Wei Shun did not get this opportunity, but he did not regret it. He used this opportunity to exchange with Magistrate Jiang for something better.
An opportunity that can influence and change most people.
Kui Shun felt that this was much more valuable than giving him 50,000 yuan.
"Let me out," Jiang Yuanshan said, still determined to return to the capital, to inform the Crown Prince, and to save his son and wife's lives.
He deeply regretted giving birth to Django. This daughter was a real troublemaker who ruined all his plans. Jiang Yuanshan still doesn't know how things got to this point, or why they ended up fighting like this.
He doesn't know.
He needs to go back; only by going back can he have a chance to live.
Having not slept all night and constantly on edge, Jiang Yuanshan was exhausted, but he couldn't afford to give up.
Even in prison, Jiang Yuanshan didn't forget to try and bribe the jailer. "Brother, let me out." Jiang Yuanshan gripped the wooden bars with both hands, his voice hoarse. "How much money do you want? Fifty thousand taels? One hundred thousand taels?"
Kui Shun shook his head. Money was meaningless to him now, and he couldn't take it back with him. Besides, with his monthly salary of two hundred yuan, he could easily buy a glass and exchange it for tens of thousands of taels.
None of that matters anymore.
———
Deep within the dark and damp prison, Wang Laohu lay slumped in a corner, his face bruised and swollen, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His last memory was of Huo Qubing's cold, piercing eyes.
He had obediently allowed himself to be tied up, even extending his hands voluntarily, for fear of angering this god of death. But Huo Qubing didn't even bother to say a word, instead delivering a heavy punch to his face with a force that seemed capable of shattering rocks.
"Bang!"
Before Wang Laohu could even scream, everything went black, and he completely lost consciousness.
When he woke up again, his bones felt like they were falling apart, his head was buzzing, and he tasted blood in his throat. He struggled to open his swollen eyelids, and in his blurry vision, the flickering firelight outside the cell illuminated a tall, spear-like figure.
Wang Laohu didn't see clearly and thought it was Huo Qubing. He trembled and instinctively curled up, squeezing out broken sobs from his throat.
"Stop...stop hitting me..."
Hearing the angry shouts coming from afar, Jiang Yuanshan was stunned for a moment. Then he pressed his face against the cold iron bars, twisting and contorting it as if he wanted to force his head out through the gaps in the fence.
"Boss! Is that you, Boss!" he shouted in a hoarse voice, his voice echoing in the empty prison.
Kui Shun frowned, picked up his stick, and walked over, slamming it against the iron fence with a clang: "Quiet!"
The sharp metallic clang startled Wang Laohu, who was standing some distance away. He squinted his swollen eyes to get a better look—it wasn't the notorious killer Huo Qubing, but just an ordinary constable. His tense nerves immediately relaxed, and only then did he belatedly realize that the cold sweat on his back had soaked through his clothes.
"Jiang Yuanshan! You son of a bitch!" Wang Laohu suddenly sprang to his feet, dragging his heavy shackles as he lunged at the cell door, the chains rattling loudly. "You and your son have ruined my entire Black Wind Stronghold! If I had known this would happen, I should have chopped you up and fed you to the dogs back then!"
His voice was distorted with anger, echoing through the cell.
The word "dog" was repeated many times.
Jiang Yuanshan's face turned ashen from the scolding, but he still clung to the railing, unwilling to give up: "Boss! What's the use of saying all this now? We need to think of something..."
"Think of a way?" Wang Laohu interrupted him with a savage grin, revealing a mouthful of bloody yellow teeth. "My men and the government soldiers are all dead, what the hell are you thinking of? I just want to strangle you with my own hands right now!"
As he spoke, he suddenly lunged forward, the heavy shackles slamming against the iron bars with a loud clang, startling the prisoners in the next cell who shrank into the corner.
Kui Shun watched the two prisoners fighting like dogs with a cold eye.
Jiang Yuanshan suddenly burst into manic laughter, his withered fingers gripping the iron bars tightly until his knuckles turned white. A morbid light shone in his eyes, like a drowning man grasping at a last straw: "The Crown Prince! We still have the Crown Prince! He will definitely save us!"
His voice echoed through the prison walls, carrying a chilling certainty. It was as if simply uttering those three words would cause the iron bars to open automatically and the knife-wielding jailers to kneel and beg for mercy.
This sense of complacency led Jiang Yuanshan to subconsciously overlook other unfavorable factors.
For example, if Django kills government soldiers, it's considered rebellion, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family. However, Jiang Yuanshan and Django are legally family, so he can't escape punishment.
Jiang Yuanshan didn't ignore it subconsciously; he never treated his daughter as part of the family from beginning to end.
From the moment a father and daughter are born, they are already spiritually separated.
Upon hearing the name of the First Prince, Wang Laohu gripped the railing tightly, clenching his teeth, his eyes filled with hatred. He still had one last way to survive. Compared to Jiang Yuanshan, who knew nothing, he had leverage over the First Prince, and the First Prince would definitely save him.
After all, only he knew the secret of the eldest prince keeping a private army.
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Author's Note: This is the first time I've written such a long novel, and I often doubt myself and feel anxious, but I will try my best to finish it. The next one will definitely be better than this one!! Thank you all for your support!
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