Chapter 384 A New Era
August 15th, another Mid-Autumn Festival.
On this day last year, Wei Changtian had just traveled to this world not long ago, and was still in the critical stage of fighting wits and courage with Xiao Feng.
That day he had a reunion dinner at home, and then set out for Qingci River to "appreciate the lanterns, cruise the flower boats, and play with the courtesan." In the process, he became famous for the poem "The Clouds Think of Clothes, the Flowers Think of Face."
Of course, the most important thing is to achieve the three goals of "enjoying the tour" and successfully get on Yang Liushi's embroidered bed.
After a year, it would undoubtedly be quite interesting to recreate the scene of that day today.
But unfortunately, it seems that this cannot be achieved.
Because at noon, Yang Liushi took Wei Changtian's letter and went straight to the Shiwanda Mountains to find the demon king Qingxian.
August 18th.
On the fifth day after returning to Shuzhou, Wei Changtian took the leader token left by Qin Zhengqiu and went to Tianluo Sect in person to tell his four uncles the whole story.
The leader suddenly ran away, which was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Tianluo Sect.
Fortunately, Qin Zhengqiu's life plate was not broken, which meant that he was still alive, and this also made the elders and guardians feel somewhat relieved.
The only thing left is the question of who will take over the Tianluo Sect.
According to the rules, if the leader dies or resigns, the position of leader should be taken over by Wei Changtian, the Holy Son.
Wei Changtian did not refuse, but he made the excuse that he was too busy to handle everything, and turned around and handed the master's token to his four uncles for safekeeping.
In other words, he is now only the nominal leader of the Tianluo Sect, but he will not interfere too much in specific affairs.
Of course, if he needed the Tianluo Sect to do something, the latter would definitely not refuse.
August 20th.
Although he told Liang Zhen "no need to discuss it with my father", Wei Changtian still wrote a letter to tell Wei Xianzhi what he was going to do.
And today he received a reply.
In the letter, Wei Xianzhi first reminded him that this matter was of great importance and must be handled with extreme caution. He then said that if Wei Changtian had really made up his mind, he, as a father, would definitely support him fully and asked Wei Changtian to just rest assured about their safety in the capital.
August twenty-first.
Ning Yuke moved out of the small courtyard where she had lived before and moved into the governor's mansion in the north of the city.
Wei Changtian entered the mansion in the early morning and came out in the evening. He chatted with Ning Yuke for the whole day.
He did not hide anything, but told the latter exactly what he thought -
I do want to rebel, but I am not planning to establish a new dynasty. Right now, I only plan to kill Ning Yongnian and then replace him with someone else to be the emperor of Daning.
I can't handle this matter in person, so you should do it, and you happen to have a good reason.
If you fail, you will die.
If you succeed, you will be the first empress of Daning. After hearing Wei Changtian's words, Ning Yuke, who had already guessed it, did not refuse, and it was impossible for her to refuse.
The blood feud of her entire family must be avenged, and she only has this one chance.
August 23rd.
Under heavy guard, Ning Yuke appeared on the streets of Shuzhou City for the first time.
Her appearance not only confirmed the previous rumor that "Princess Rouan is not dead", but also indirectly proved the truth of Prince Shun's assassination.
For a time, there was an uproar in the court and the country, and everyone was talking about this major case of "internal strife" within the royal family.
However, before everyone could come to their senses, another even more devastating news exploded in the sky over the entire Daning like a nuclear bomb.
On August 31, Ning Yuke will hold a grand ceremony and proclaim himself king with the support of a number of major officials in Shuzhou and General Liang Zhen.
King's title: Shu.
There is no "zhou" character to indicate affiliation, only "Shu".
Therefore, although Ning Yuke's surname is Ning, he is the first person in Daning to openly declare himself king and rebel since the founding of the dynasty.
As the news came out, the military commanders of several states surrounding Shuzhou were all in a panic, fearing that Ning Yongnian would order them to send troops to suppress the riot.
After all, except for Shuzhou, most of the soldiers from the other thirty-six states have been sent to the Dafeng front. If an imperial order really comes down, they will probably end up with a result of throwing meat buns at a dog.
However, unexpectedly, the capital has not made any response to this matter.
Ning Yongnian seemed to be still waiting for the final result.
This was a result he could never believe.
August 31st, early morning.
Fengyuan, east city wall.
"Father, why do you think Young Master Wei would do this?"
Standing beside Li Qi in the wind, Li Wutong's face was full of worry: "How can a state fight against a country? Isn't he putting himself in danger?"
“.”
In response to his daughter's question, Li Qi did not speak for a long time. He just stared blankly at the endless military camps below his feet.
Now Daning's offensive is getting more and more fierce. Although it has not yet reached Fengyuan, it is only a matter of time.
In this case, he made the most correct choice -
Abandon all prefectures west of Fengyuan, concentrate military forces in Fengyuan, and then fight a decisive battle with Daning there.
Judging from the previous battle situation, this war that determines the survival of Dafeng should begin soon.
But now. "Maybe he did it for himself, or maybe for you."
Facing the rising sun, Li Qi turned his head and looked at Li Wutong, who was dressed in red. "Or maybe, he did it for the three million dead souls in Yuanzhou City."
“.”
For myself.
for you.
For the three million people who died in Wonju City.
If the first explanation was more reasonable and the second explanation was more touching, then the third explanation made Li Wutong stunned.
As if he had guessed the doubts in her heart, Li Qi also sighed softly at this time.
"Do you know what Wei Changtian wanted to get from me in exchange for killing Yan Luo?"
"You will never guess what a man like him wants."
"The world is at peace."
Noon.
Dafeng, Ren'an Prefecture, Huangmei Mountain.
A mountain stream slowly extends from the top of the mountain to the foot, hiding many hidden pools and small waterfalls.
The young man carrying the shoulder pole went upstream along the stream and entered a bamboo forest on the mountainside. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, he finally stopped next to a small bamboo house.
"Senior! I'm here to bring you food!"
He shouted at the top of his voice, and then took out the salt, rice and other things from the shoulder pole with ease.
At this time, an old man slowly walked out of the bamboo house.
"Senior, can you please see if there is anything missing?"
Seeing the old man appear, the young man smiled and asked, "I'll bring it to you next time I go up the mountain."
"No need, everything can be as usual."
Shaking his head slightly, the old man sat down on a piece of bluestone and asked casually, "Is there anything new outside these days?"
“.”
Upon hearing this question, the smile on the young man's face immediately faded.
While helping the old man put away the salt and rice he had just brought, he answered in a low voice with a worried look on his face: "Da Ning's army has already reached Yong'an Prefecture. I heard that the emperor has transferred all the troops to Fengyuan, intending to fight a decisive battle with Daning in Fengyuan."
"Ning Yongnian put all the blame on us for the incident in Yuanzhou City, saying that our soldiers were punished by God for massacring the city. Ugh..."
"Oh yeah, there's one more thing."
"It seems that someone in Daning wants to proclaim himself king and rebel!"
"She's a woman. She was a princess before, and now she wants to be the King of Shu."
"In my opinion, this is a very good thing. At least it will give Ning Yongnian a headache for a while."
"Senior, you said so, right?"
"Um?"
"Senior? Where are you?"
Wei time.
Daning capital, Wei Mansion.
“Woof! Woof woof woof!”
Amid the barking of dogs, Wei Qiaoling, who had two pigtails, strode into the dining room with a small black dog.
However, Wei Xianzhi, who had already been sitting at the dinner table, just glared at her, and frightened her so much that she lost her previous dignified spirit.
"Big ghost! Get out! Daddy won't allow dogs to eat with humans!"
"Woof!"
As if it understood what people said, the little black dog turned around and ran out of the house, lying at the door in boredom to bask in the sun.
Wei Qiaoling jumped onto the chair happily, picked up her small bowl and prepared to eat.
Soon, the maids brought plates of exquisite dishes to the table, which were as sumptuous as usual.
But apart from Wei Qiaoling, Wei Xianzhi and Qin Caizhen obviously had no appetite.
"Daddy, Mommy."
With half a chicken leg in her mouth, Wei Qiaoling asked vaguely, "Why don't you guys eat it?"
“.”
The couple looked at each other, and finally Qin Caizhen said casually: "Just eat yours, why are you talking so much!"
"I'm just curious!" Wei Qiaoling stared with her big eyes and refused to give in.
"you"
Facing her daughter's question, Qin Caizhen hesitated for a moment and then explained helplessly: "Your elder brother has to do something important today. Your father and I are worried about him. How can we have the mind to eat?"
"Okay, eat quickly, then it's time to practice."
"oh"
Wei Qiaoling nodded as if she understood, then lowered her head and continued to eat.
But after eating two bites, she quietly raised her head and secretly observed Wei Xianzhi and Qin Caizhen who were full of worry. "Dad, Mom"
Suddenly, a slightly childish but very serious voice sounded in the ears of the "evil couple".
"Brother is so capable, he can accomplish anything!"
"Hurry up and eat!"
“.”
Hearing their daughter's sudden comfort, Wei Xianzhi and Qin Caizhen were stunned for a moment.
When Wei Qiaoling saw that the two had no reaction, she thought that her persuasion had no effect, and she couldn't help feeling discouraged.
She pouted, and soon seemed to remember something. Suddenly, in the surprised gaze of Wei Xianzhi and Qin Caizhen, she took out a handkerchief wrapped in something from her arms.
"This is what my eldest brother secretly gave me when my father and I went to Shuzhou last time. He said that everything you eat will taste better with it."
"Here, I'll lend it to you for a while!"
As she spoke, Wei Qiaoling unwrapped the layers of handkerchiefs wrapped around her and held the contents high up as if she was showing off some rare treasure.
This is a very simple dark green jade pendant with a small word engraved on the front and back.
Clear and absolute.
Shen time.
Shuzhou City, provincial government.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
The loud sound of bells and drums continued one after another, and it lasted for twelve times before slowly stopping.
The Shuzhou government office at this time has completely changed compared to a month ago. From the appearance alone, it looks like a scaled-down version of the imperial palace.
On the tall vermilion city wall, Ning Yuke, dressed in a golden robe, stood on the top of the wall, her clear black eyes full of determination and dignity.
Her appearance at this moment could not be said to be that of a queen, but she looked exactly like a queen.
After all, the creature flying in the clouds on the clothes is not a python, but a dragon.
“.”
"Nothing is flat without a slope, nothing goes without a return, and perseverance in adversity brings no fault."
Beside him, a ceremonial official who was also dressed in extremely formal attire was reading aloud the proclamation of kingship. The content was nothing more than words such as "comply with the will of heaven", "blessings to descendants", and "blessings to the people".
Although the entire proclamation did not mention Ning Yongnian, it no longer mattered.
Because the moment the ceremony was completed, the establishment of a king and the rebellion became a fact that could no longer be changed.
At his feet were hundreds of Shuzhou officials standing with their heads bowed.
In the distance, there were thousands of soldiers with swords in hand and stern expressions.
Further away, there were tens of thousands of people watching the excitement.
When the extremely boring but extremely solemn announcement was heard by everyone through the mouth of the ceremonial officer, no matter what attitude they had before coming here, they were all deeply shocked by the solemn atmosphere.
The sun was shining brightly, and there was total silence within a radius of several miles, with only the obscure ancient poems echoing in the air.
"It is God's will, we follow the rites and rituals, obey public opinion, and respectfully inform the heaven and earth, the ancestral temple, and the country."
"To value the rule of ten thousand years, to enrich the hearts of the world"
"Announce it to the world, and let everyone know!"
"The ceremony is now complete!"
"Thank you Cheng Yutian!"
"kneel!!"
As the last sentence fell heavily, the ceremonial officer slowly retracted the edict and looked up, and Ning Yuke also took a step forward.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths. According to etiquette, the tens of thousands of people present at this moment should kneel down and shout the king's name.
But after three breaths, no one knelt down.
Naturally, the common people don’t understand these things and can only learn from the officials before them.
However, hundreds of officials, both big and small, just stood there in a daze, their eyes fixed in one direction.
"Master Wei! You better think about it carefully!"
Right under the red wall where Ning Yuke stood, Li Huaizhong almost forced the words out of his throat one by one, and then pieced them together into sentences in a low roar.
"As long as you don't kneel, the ceremony will not be successful! There is still a way out for this matter!"
"But if you kneel down, there will be no room for maneuver!!"
"Master Wei!"
"Think twice before you act!"
“.”
With the eyes of millions of people focused on him, Wei Changtian's expression did not change at all.
He just turned his head and glanced at the lobbyist sent by Ning Yongnian, then walked past Li Huaizhong step by step.
"Eunuch Li, instead of helping Ning Yongnian persuade me, maybe you should worry more about yourself."
"We haven't settled our accounts yet."
“Bang!”
He took the last step and stood before all the officials in the arrow-like sunlight.
At this time, there are only two people facing everyone.
Ning Yuke on the city wall and Wei Changtian under the city wall.
Then “BOOM!!!”
The latter lowered his raised arm, and tens of thousands of people immediately knelt down on the ground, shouting to the figure on the city wall without any hesitation:
"Long live our king! Long live our king! Long, long live our king!!"
“.”
The deafening roar of the mountains tore through the sky and echoed throughout the entire Shuzhou City amid Li Huaizhong's desperate eyes.
Wei Changtian watched all this silently, but at a certain moment he suddenly turned his head and looked in one direction.
There seemed to be a woman standing there just now.
A woman with a peach blossom hairpin in her hair.
His eyes widened slightly, and he subconsciously wanted to rush over there.
But before he could take a step, the woman disappeared in the blink of an eye.
An illusion? Shaking his head, Wei Changtian stood still and refocused his attention on the coronation ceremony that was about to end.
In front of me, the cheers like waves of mountains still continued.
really.
Just as Li Huaizhong said, they meant that everything was irreversible and that countless people would die because of Wei Changtian's decision.
but.
They also symbolize the arrival of a new era.
(Volume 4, End)
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
