Chapter 353 The Warlords' Hearts Remain Undiminished
"Father..." In the dead of night, Chang Hao dared to let out a mournful cry, his voice calling out in vain, but he could not call back his father. "You and I are separated by the barriers of Yin and Yang, and I am filled with endless regret. I wish I could cultivate supreme supernatural powers as soon as possible and go to the underworld to erase my name from the Book of Life and Death."
“Father, how can you bear to abandon me and travel alone? You have always kept your promises to me and never broken them. You once said that you would live to be ninety-nine and travel with me, but you have broken your promise on this most important matter.”
"I would rather you lied to me about other things..." Chang Hao knew that he had lost the person who loved him most, and that there was nothing left to live for.
Good, good, good, that's good too. If he fails in the future, he will have no regrets even if he dies.
“Brother, don’t be sad anymore. Father has always loved you the most. If he were alive, he would not want to see you like this.” Wei Ziqi quietly brought soup and porridge to his younger brother, away from the others.
Chang Hao wiped away his tears, his eyelashes still damp with moisture fluttering. "What are you doing here?"
"I noticed you haven't eaten much these past few days, so I brought you some porridge. You...you should have a few sips." Wei Ziqi picked up the bowl of porridge and looked at Chang Hao with a somewhat ingratiating expression.
Chang Hao stared at Wei Ziqi, seemingly trying to figure out his true intentions.
Wei Ziqi felt a little apprehensive under Chang Hao's gaze, but he still withstood the look that seemed to see right through him.
Chang Hao finally took the bowl of porridge, stirred it with a spoon, and after determining that it was not poisoned, he put a mouthful in his mouth, but found it difficult to swallow.
Handing the bowl back, Chang Hao turned his gaze back to the mourning hall. Father, without you, nothing tastes right.
“Brother, drink some more. The ministers are all in the outer hall and can’t see us,” Wei Ziqi said anxiously. His younger brother now bore a heavy responsibility, which concerned their wealth and honor. They were all still young, and only his brother had the right to claim the title.
How could he survive three days without food or water? Even a person made of iron couldn't endure it, let alone his frail younger brother. He must be worried something bad might happen to him.
“No need, brother, you may leave. I want to spend more time with my father. I think he would like to see me more often.” Chang Hao choked up. “Quansheng, escort brother back to the palace.”
"Yes, Your Highness," Quan Sheng was more than happy to oblige. He had just seen His Highness drink the porridge brought by the eldest prince, and he was extremely anxious. He needed to have the junior physician take the prince's pulse later. "Eldest Prince, this way please."
Wei Ziqi had no choice but to return home. He couldn't persuade his third brother to take his grief seriously, and how could he face his mother when he got back...?
……………………
"Your Majesty, this is the list of those to be sacrificed. Please take a look, Your Highness." Zhu brought over a long list, and seeing the genuine sorrow in his future king's eyes, he dared not be ambiguous in the slightest.
This list includes over five hundred people, from those who eat and drink to those who guard and attend to them.
Chang Hao looked at Zhu and said, "I remember that the practice of human sacrifice was abolished long ago. What, Zhu, don't you understand? Should I summon the Grand Tutor and ask him about matters concerning the underworld?"
"Or perhaps you harbor treacherous intentions, hoping to prevent my father from resting in peace? Or perhaps you intend to deepen his sins?" Chang Hao was furious and forgot to correct himself.
Just when I was feeling frustrated and had nowhere to vent, I walked right into the line of fire.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This is not the opinion of just one of us. The Grand Historian, the Diviner, and the Inner Historian all strongly agree with it. Besides, the funeral arrangements for the late King should not be so shabby, with no one to be buried with him." Zhu kowtowed repeatedly.
Unfortunately, Chang Hao was as hard as iron. He turned and left, saying as he went, "Come on, take Zhu away, dismiss him and investigate him. The same goes for the Grand Historian, the Diviner, the Inner Historian, and others. If they have committed any crimes, they will be dealt with according to the latest version of the Shang Dynasty law."
How dare they bring up his father? Well, Chang Hao was even angrier.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Upon hearing the voice from inside the palace, the Imperial Guards outside immediately drew their swords and entered.
Zhu slumped to the ground, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please have mercy! Your subject is loyal to Your Majesty..." Oh no, if he had known, he shouldn't have been the one to stick his neck out and test the new king's attitude towards them. Now look what's happened, they've all been caught, along with their colleagues who were performing the sacrifice, all wiped out!
The newly arrived Imperial Guards from Chang Hao immediately rushed up, covering Zhu's mouth and nose with one hand and dragging him away with the other, their grip incredibly strong.
If he were to be buried alive with the emperor, none of the Imperial Guards who used to protect the Qiankun Palace would be spared. His younger brother also served at the Qiankun Palace, so this person wanted to kill his brother.
The nobles were uneasy because no one was buried alive with Emperor Yi after his death. Chang Hao's burial for Emperor Yi was extremely lavish, silencing the grumbling faces of the old stubborn men.
When people get old, they become afraid of death and worry about what will happen after they die. Fortunately, the Grand Tutor and other Taoist priests appeared and said that even if servants were buried with them, they would still have to go to the underworld on their own. This made these old stubborn people begin to recognize this fact.
Knowing that in the afterlife, the netherworld judges everything by merit and karma, it must be said that the atmosphere of the Shang dynasty's royal family and nobility was cleansed. Although Chang Hao didn't know how long they could hold out, he sincerely hoped they could continue and not cause him any trouble; otherwise, he would have to kill them.
Emperor Yi's funeral was held with the utmost solemnity and honor. Before Chang Hao could recover from his grief, he received a message from Dou Rong, the general of Youhun Pass, who had sent a messenger on horseback to Chaoge: Marquis Jiang Hengchu of Dongbo had invaded Youhun Pass, and Youhun Pass was in dire need of help.
This Marquis of Dongbo, Jiang Hengchu, is Your Majesty's maternal uncle. Now, sitting on the throne is your nephew. Why is he being so restless again?
"Grand Tutor, I have just ascended the throne, yet none of the feudal lords from all directions have come to pay homage. Now, the Marquis of Dongbo has openly rebelled, presumably because he is not convinced of my authority." Chang Hao narrowed his eyes, concealing the murderous intent within them. Too lazy to call on anyone else to quell the rebellion, he directly summoned Wen Zhong, who was familiar with the situation.
This time, Jiang Hengchu wasn't as lucky as his father. He dreamed of being rewarded with gold, silver, cloth, and fine horses after being captured alive for his rebellion.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will ensure that the Marquis of Dongbo continues to behave himself," Wen Zhong immediately assured him.
Chang Hao raised an eyebrow. Simply remaining obedient was not enough. What he wanted was for the Dongbo Marquis to disappear from the world and for the lands of the Dongbo Marquis and his vassal states to be nationalized.
However, it's unclear who in the court is the Eastern Marquis's spy, so it's best not to alert him.
"Then I will trouble you, Grand Tutor. I will appoint Lu Yuan and Huang Feihu as your deputies to accompany you on the expedition." Chang Hao made his selections directly.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Wen Zhong replied immediately.
Chang Hao glanced at the ministers below, who were full of ulterior motives, and slowly let out a cold smile. "Lord Dongbo, you've come at the right time. I was just worried about not having a chance to deal with the feudal lords from all sides."
After the court session, Chang Hao immediately summoned Lu Yuan.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Lu Yuan knelt on one knee.
"Rise," Chang Hao put down his brush and handed the silk scroll to Lu Yuan. "Keep this silk scroll close to your body. Once the Grand Tutor captures Jiang Hengchu alive, you should secretly hand this scroll to him and tell him my intention: to capture Jiang Hengchu alive and bring him to Chaoge. Of course, if Jiang Hengchu unfortunately dies, then so be it. Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. Who can guarantee that he can be captured alive?"
Chang Hao patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, "Do you understand what I mean?"
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