Upon hearing Zhang Jiao's words, Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao couldn't help but look ashamed, and then looked at the direction Zhang Jiao was pointing with piety once again.
"Big brother, I think I saw it..."
"Me too, the purple aura is descending and surging, is that echoing my lord? Or is it that my lord is the reincarnation of Ziwei?"
Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao stared wide-eyed and gaped, their expressions filled with extreme excitement.
"The chosen one of destiny, Ziwei, has descended to earth. The glory of our Lord will surely fill the entire world. May our Lord protect us!"
Zhang Jiao was excited, his lips trembling as he let out a soft cry. Then, with a solemn expression, he prostrated himself on the ground and performed a deep salute.
May our Lord protect us!
The Zhang brothers, Liang and Bao, also prostrated themselves on the ground, muttering incantations.
"Why can they all see it, but I can't?"
Seeing the three brothers' appearance, Song Dian was stunned. He rubbed his eyes hard and looked up at the top of the hall, but it was still empty.
"Could it be that my cultivation is insufficient? Or that my loyalty is lacking?"
He had also heard of the seven-colored divine light that once emanated from the emperor, but he had never witnessed it.
"Could it be that only the most loyal among us are fortunate enough to see this?"
Thinking back to how Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and the others had all appeared so devout and so certain, Song Dian suddenly fell into self-doubt.
"No wonder Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and Jian Shuo are so favored and relied upon by His Majesty. It must be because His Majesty senses their loyalty that these unusual phenomena appear? And those who are not loyal enough do not receive such attention?"
Thinking of this, Song Dian looked at the three people who were still lying on the ground chanting incantations, and became even more certain of his idea. It was because the emperor sensed Zhang's loyalty that he showed the seven-colored divine light. Now, he sensed the piety of these three Taoists and allowed them to see the auspicious sign of the Purple Star descending to earth, as a way of showing them grace and power.
But I have never seen him. Does that mean His Majesty knows that my loyalty is insufficient? So I am not qualified to see him?
"Yes, that must be it... No wonder Jian Shuo was promoted to Zhongchangshi after serving His Majesty for only a few days, while I have served for so long but am still just a minor eunuch."
Thinking of this, Song Dian trembled and looked at Deyang Palace with awe.
What are they doing?
"I don't know, perhaps it's a Taoist ritual of worship!"
Looking at Zhang Jiao and his two companions lying on the ground in the square, and Song Dian standing dumbfounded to the side, the guards in front of Deyang Palace exchanged strange glances, unable to understand what they were up to.
A moment later, after the three Zhang brothers finished their formal greetings, they followed Song Dian into the Deyang Palace.
"Zhang Jiao, at the head of the table, worships our lord!"
"Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, who are below, pay homage to our Lord!"
Upon entering the hall, Zhang Jiao and his two companions saw Liu Hong looking at them from behind the table. They quickly knelt down and kowtowed respectfully.
"When did I become your master?"
Liu Hong sat on the imperial throne, his gaze deep as he looked at Zhang Jiao and the other two, his tone unhurried yet full of vigor.
"We are servants of the One God, and Your Majesty is the Son of God. Therefore, Your Majesty is naturally our master!"
Upon hearing the emperor's voice, which, though young, was full of authority, Zhang Jiao was shaken and became even more certain of his own conviction.
Upon hearing Zhang Jiao's words, Liu Hong's expression shifted. He had initially only acted mysteriously to maintain his authority and intimidate the three of them.
How come I've suddenly become some kind of divine being? And these three seem to be extremely devout to me.
Liu Hong squinted at Zhang Jiao and the other two kneeling on the ground, neither speaking nor making any indication that they should get up.
Zhang Jiao and the other two knelt on the ground with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, not daring to raise their heads.
After a moment, Liu Hong looked at Zhang Jiao with a deep gaze, "I ask you, which is greater, me or the heavens?"
Upon hearing Liu Hong's question, Zhang Jiao replied without hesitation, "Your Majesty is Heaven!"
Upon hearing Zhang Jiao's answer, Liu Hong couldn't help but laugh. In fact, the ancient Chinese ideology was the divine right of kings, which meant that the emperor was the king of the world because he was appointed by Heaven.
People subconsciously believe that divine authority is still superior to imperial authority. However, this nation is more pragmatic. They will only believe in you if you are useful to them. If you are not useful, then sorry, you are nothing in their eyes.
Therefore, when Chinese emperors of all dynasties offered sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, in addition to acknowledging themselves as the sons of Heaven, it was mainly for the sake of legitimacy and righteousness. Unlike in the West, the imperial power did not truly serve the divine authority. There was also a pope above the emperor, which is quite pathetic to think about.
Liu Hong's initial purpose in bringing Zhang Jiao and others here was to see if they could be used by him.
You may propagate your doctrines, but what those doctrines are is up to me. There can be no divine authority above the monarchical authority; in other words, divine authority can only serve the monarchical authority.
The so-called divine right of kings means that everything must be done according to the monarch's will. You can only believe in whomever I tell you to believe, thus completely suppressing divine authority under monarchical power.
However, judging from their current performance, it seems I don't need to go through much trouble.
Zhang Jiao's words, "Your Majesty is Heaven," made Liu Hong realize that their philosophy was: worship the emperor, for the emperor is a god, and the two are combined, with the emperor and the god becoming one.
I am God. Tell me, is God greater or am I greater? Those who believe are gods, those who do not believe are rulers.
In this way, there will definitely be no conflict between monarchical power and divine power. This situation seems even more perfect than Liu Hong initially envisioned, and can be said to be perfect.
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