Chapter 85 Self-Deception "It is against reason for the body to remain unburied for so long!"...
In the eleventh month of autumn in the sixth year of the Jingtai reign, the imperial star dimmed, and the young emperor suddenly disappeared. The court was in turmoil, and public opinion was boiling. However, the Southern Yuan Dynasty had been squandering its wealth for a long time and disregarding the will of the people. Although the court and the public had doubts, no one dared to speak out because of the prestige of the Jingbei army.
In January of the seventh year of the Jingtai reign, war broke out everywhere, with rebellions and uprisings erupting in various places. The Prince of Jingbei personally led his troops out of Luoyang, and wherever his iron cavalry passed, blood was spilled on the wilderness.
In April, during the ancestral worship ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, rumors suddenly spread among the common people that the late emperor had been bedridden for many years during his time as a prince, and that the young emperor's bloodline was in doubt. These rumors spread like wildfire in an instant. Although some people in the court risked their lives to defend him, the people's hearts gradually crumbled.
In June, the Prince of Jingbei abolished the old calendar of Jingtai, announced the change of temple name and national name to Yuanxi, and from then on, the weight of the Nine Tripods was entirely attached to one person.
Summer is rainy, and Luoyang is no exception. The continuous rain has lasted for several days. The smell of rust and blood from the battles seems to be suppressed by the rain, but everyone is still in a hurry.
The somber atmosphere throughout the city only intensified.
It has been half a year since Shi Wan died in the fire, and Jiang Xu has been dealing with more and more things. He seems to have already returned to normal.
The Imperial Study.
The place has been simply renovated. The golden nanmu wood table, along with simple writing brushes and ink, represents all of Jiang Xu's professions. The new eunuch is named Shi Wan, a handsome young man who was chosen to serve the emperor at the age of less than twenty. There are many voices of jealousy, both openly and secretly, but there are also those who survived the accident and know the truth, who are clear-headed and keep their mouths shut.
Pei Sheng, the Minister of Personnel, moved to the Jiangnan region. His clan had accumulated considerable prestige over several generations and was not to be touched for the time being. Jiang Xu had no choice but to confiscate the property and imprison the collateral branches of his clan and other officials in the court.
One imperial edict after another was sent out from the hastily set up study. The new emperor had seized the world on horseback, and most of his confidants had also made their fortunes through this. Therefore, he acted more decisively and ruthlessly. In a short time, those who had tried to waver in the court were completely silenced.
In October, Wan Houyi sent a letter directly to Luoyang, stating that the former Grand Marshal of Youzhou harbored treacherous intentions and colluded with foreign tribes, and that he wanted to fight, regardless of life or death.
Beside him, Shi Wan saw that His Majesty's expression was cold and his eyes were bloodshot. Remembering what Prime Minister Xiao had said, he couldn't help but advise, "Your Majesty, you have been reading memorials for many days in a row. You must take care of your health."
Jiang Xu remained noncommittal, his gaze lingering briefly on the secret letter sent by Wan Houyi before suddenly calling out, "Shi Wan."
Beside him, the little eunuch was startled and hurriedly said, "This servant is here. What are your orders, Your Majesty?" He only dared to lower his head, naturally ignoring the gaze Jiang Xu was looking at, which contained nostalgia and a hint of melancholy detached from everything.
Then, it returned to silence.
What are your thoughts on the issue of alien races?
What do you think?! How dare a mere eunuch interfere in state affairs? Could it be that His Majesty is testing him?
Shi Wan lowered his head even further and said respectfully, "The foreign tribes have been rampant for a long time. They have been harassing us since before Your Majesty ascended the throne. This servant believes that with Your Majesty's great talent and strategy, it is only a matter of time before you expand your territory."
He paused slightly, then mustered his courage and said, "At that time, your fame will surely spread even further! You will be renowned both at home and abroad!"
Jiang Xu listened quietly. After a while, his brows relaxed, and the gloomy look on his face gradually faded. After a long while, his hand moved slightly, and the words were completed in one go.
He smiled, as if extremely certain, "Yes...renowned both domestically and internationally."
Not only to eradicate the foreign tribes and eliminate future troubles, but also...
For a moment, the huge, agonizing emptiness in his heart was temporarily filled, and Jiang Xu even began to sketch a phantom picture of himself.
In the future, when he swiftly and decisively quells those barbarian tribes that repeatedly invade the borders, expanding the nation's territory to an unprecedented extent, his fame and achievements will surely resound throughout the world.
So, is it...?
As his thoughts returned to normal, Jiang Xu stopped imagining with a lingering fear, yet this very thought had sustained him through countless days and nights over the past six months.
Like a drowning person grabbing onto the last piece of driftwood, desperately trying to find something to lean on.
After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
The hall was brightly lit by candlelight, illuminating the man's handsome profile. He showed no joy or sorrow, only a faint, almost obsessive gleam burning deep within his eyes.
Just then, faint footsteps sounded outside the door, and the person who entered spoke with a fearful tone, "Your Majesty, this servant has something to report. It's another report from the Imperial Observatory..."
Upon hearing those three words, the vulnerability that had briefly shown in Jiang Xu vanished instantly. His expression remained calm as he uttered a few words, "Continue."
The eunuch had no choice but to steel himself and continue, trembling, "The Imperial Observatory says that the... ice coffin in the Qianqing Palace has been sitting there for many days, and it's probably not proper for it to remain unburied for so long! Please, Your Majesty, reconsider!" At this point, the eunuch's tone carried a sense of resignation, and he closed his eyes, saying, "The Imperial Observatory has specially dispatched this servant to inquire of Your Majesty, when...when will the burial take place?"
Before he could finish speaking, Shi Wan felt his heart pounding and he almost fainted. He stood beside Jiang Xu and suddenly gave the fool a meaningful look, but no matter how much his eyelids twitched, the other man remained kneeling on the ground, trembling like a leaf, and did not raise his head.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
The candlelight flickered, and Jiang Xu's expression remained calm, but his tone had already taken on a murderous glint, "Did the Imperial Observatory send you?"
Before the eunuch could answer, the man continued in a cold voice, "Drag him away."
"He is granted the right to commit suicide."
......
*
That night, Jiang Xu returned to the Qianqing Palace. The emperor's imposing presence during the day had completely vanished.
All was silent. The enormous ice coffin stood in the center of the side hall, emanating a chilling aura. Accompanied by the occasional cold raindrops drifting in from outside the window, the temperature inside the hall was extremely low.
Inside the ice coffin, a body that was almost unrecognizable as human was carefully wrapped in plain white brocade, revealing a face that, despite the efforts of the mortician to restore it, still bore horrifying burn marks.
Looking down, the broken and damaged limbs were also burned beyond recognition in that fire back then, and even after being repaired, the results were still minimal.
Only the shackles around his ankles remained tightly fastened.
In the past, Jiang Xu had thought about removing it in the dead of night many times, and had also fantasized about another ending besides a fight to the death, but in the end, it was all just a dream.
His gaze was fixed, sweeping over every inch with utter greed.
The hall was brightly lit, but there was no warmth inside.
The political affairs and countless thoughts that had been used to numb oneself during the day crumbled completely at this moment.
The most brutal reality lay coldly before him.
Countless possibilities gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes, and the unease intensified whenever he approached this place. Ironically, he could only find a sliver of peace by staying here.
After days of intense tension, Jiang Xu was exhausted. Leaning against the ice coffin, his black robes concealing the mangled body inside, he greedily absorbed some energy for a moment, and then fell into a deep sleep.
In my dream, the familiar house reappeared.
In the center of the house, flames raged, desperately licking at Shi Wan's skirt, making a sizzling sound.
As Jiang Xu watched, over time, he could hardly distinguish whether he was in a dream or experiencing another self-torturing memory.
Suddenly, the person opposite him slowly turned around and looked at him.
There were no scars on his face, and his appearance remained the same. Only his amber eyes, which always held stubbornness and hatred, were now frighteningly empty.
There was nothing inside.
Jiang Xu's heart skipped a beat.
The distance between the two began to stretch infinitely, transforming into several long staircases with no end in sight, and Shi Wan's face became increasingly blurry.
Jiang Xu desperately wanted to take another step forward, but no matter how he tried, his feet seemed to be stuck in an invisible quagmire, each step was incredibly heavy and he could hardly move an inch.
Including the distance between the two.
It seems so close, yet it can never be crossed.
The surrounding flames suddenly surged, crackling and leaping up, rushing towards Shi Wan.
She was probably looking at him; her lips twitched very slightly, but no sound came out.
But Jiang Xu seemed to have heard it.
I could clearly "hear" a cold, mocking, and distant address.
"His Majesty."
It was no longer the hateful shouts with her full name in her past memories, nor was it the humble self-reference as "servant" during their last meeting, while secretly harboring resentment.
Rather, it is a cold, detached form of respect that completely distances one from others.
A sense of fear suddenly arose in Jiang Xu's heart, and he dared not listen any longer, but the voice still penetrated his ears, word by word.
They wouldn't let him go.
She said.
"His Majesty."
It sounded like a sigh, but more than that, it was a cold, scathing pronouncement of the outcome.
Every word was like a knife to the heart: "You've finally met your match."
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Author's Note: I'm here!! Two chapters again, I can't keep up [crying emoji]
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