At the Zhaoyang Gate, Lu Zhenyan looked at the woman in phoenix robe standing in the air like a god, and suddenly stumbled and took several steps back.
If the Minister of Works Shi Weizhen beside him had not reacted quickly and supported him from behind with his shoulder, this second-in-command of the current dynasty would probably have fallen to the ground in embarrassment in front of everyone.
Shi Weizhen saw that his face was pale and his eyes were empty, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He couldn't help but ask in a low voice with concern:
"Lord, the situation has reversed and we should be overjoyed. Why are you so upset?"
Lu Zhenyan struggled to stand steady, her voice dry and filled with an indescribable trance:
"Mingyuan (Shi Weizhen's courtesy name), have you ever seen a group of ants toiling away, not daring to rest, finally building a nest that looks decent?"
"Just then, a naughty child came, carrying a pot of boiling water, laughing, and poured all the water into the tiny ant nest..."
Shi Weizhen was a little confused at first when he heard Lu Zhenyan's incoherent story.
But he was, after all, a leader in the imperial examination who had fought his way out of thousands of enemies. He had a sharp mind and after a moment's hesitation, he vaguely understood the deep despair and powerlessness in Lu Zhenyan's words.
His throat moved, and his voice was very low, with a hint of surprise and uncertainty.
"What the elder is saying is... wouldn't this be... if... if it were like the story of Zhao Mu..."
The "Zhao Mu story" he mentioned refers to the Great Yan Dynasty more than a thousand years ago, which produced an empress named Zhao who was extremely powerful and cruel.
This woman usurped the throne of Yan, proclaimed herself emperor, and changed the country's name to "Damu".
After the death of the empress, although Dayan was lucky enough to be restored, it was plagued by frequent wars and its national strength was greatly damaged. The glorious country in the Central Plains thus declined.
It also laid the seeds of disaster for the great chaos that lasted for nearly three hundred years at the end of the Yan Dynasty.
"Zhao Mu?" Lu Zhenyan shook her head slowly upon hearing that, a bitter smile that was almost self-deprecating appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Just at this moment, in front of Jianji Palace, the phoenix shadow swung the sword again.
Clang——!
Another extremely sad and beautiful crescent sword light descended from the sky, and more than a thousand rebels in the square turned into ashes.
Lu Zhenyan watched this scene in silence. After a long while, she continued the previous topic in a voice that was almost whispering:
"Is it really that simple as Zhao Mu?"
"From now on, there will be no more emperors in this world... no more civil and military ministers, no more noble families... no more eunuchs, no more upright officials... no more gentry and powerful people, and no more common people..."
He paused slightly, as if thinking of something, then slowly raised his head and looked towards the sky, his voice becoming increasingly erratic:
"Similarly... there are no more barbarians in the northeast... no more Manggu people on the grasslands... no more military leaders with their own troops, no more separatist vassal states... no more hungry bandits, no more Japanese pirates, no more red-haired devils who have come from across the ocean..."
Shi Weizhen was completely bewildered by what he heard, and his suspicions grew even greater.
He almost thought that this old minister, who was usually steady and upright, was too stimulated and became confused. Otherwise, why would he say such irrelevant nonsense?
He wanted to touch Lu Zhenyan's forehead, but his hands were tied behind his back and he couldn't move at all.
Seeing that Lu Zhenyan's expression became more and more complicated and incomprehensible, those eyes that were once sharp and determined were now filled with indescribable vicissitudes and sadness.
Shi Weizhen couldn't help but ask, "Master...if these were gone...then what...would be left in this world?"
Lu Zhenyan's face revealed an extremely bleak smile: "What is left... From now on, there is only one person and one voice left in this world."
Upon hearing this, Shi Weizhen felt a chill running from the soles of his feet straight up to the top of his head, causing him to gasp uncontrollably.
"Lord! You...you are the leader of our generation, so...why don't you do something?"
The more Lu Zhenyan spoke, the steadier her breathing became.
Hearing Shi Weizhen's question, he put away the sadness on his face, smiled slightly, and asked:
"Mingyuan, why do you read the books of sages?"
Shi Weizhen almost blurted out: "Naturally, it is to establish a mind for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to carry on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages, and to bring peace to the world for all eternity!"
Lu Zhenyan stared intently at the phoenix robe and asked, "Establish a mind for heaven and earth? Then... what is 'heaven'?"
Shi Weizhen was slightly startled, then answered carefully, "As the Shuowen Jiezi says, '天' means 'top', 'the highest and most supreme', from '大'."
"An ancient book also notes that Heaven is the supreme ruler of all gods."
Lu Zhenyan uttered a soft "huh," then raised her chin slightly, motioning Shi Weizhen to look in Li Wei's direction. She asked calmly, "What... is that?"
Shi Weizhen looked in the direction he pointed, opened his mouth, but found that his throat was dry and he couldn't utter a word.
After a long, long time, he finally squeezed out a word from between his teeth: "God..."
As if to respond to his word.
Ping! Pong! Clang clang clang!
Countless weapons fell to the ground. The sounds were scattered at first, then became dense, and finally gathered into a torrent, like a raging wave suddenly hitting the shore, sweeping across the entire Jianji Palace Square.
Those rebel soldiers who had managed to survive the two sword beams could no longer bear the fear that came from the depths of their souls. They dropped their swords, spears, and halberds, and scrambled to crawl on the ground, prostrating themselves, trembling, like a group of lambs to be slaughtered, and no longer had the slightest thought of resisting.
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