Chapter 108 Entering the Dream If you were still alive, our Shen family…
It was past midnight, but Changyang Palace was still brightly lit. Shen Hengzhen had been working at his desk for five or six hours straight, but he still hadn't finished dealing with the day's official duties.
With the dynasty newly established, there were so many matters awaiting his decision that he barely had time to sleep each day. Yet, Shen Hengzhen did not feel tired. It was as if an inextinguishable fire burned within him, driving him forward and providing him with inexhaustible strength.
Wei Ji once suggested that he demolish and rebuild Changyang Palace, or at least change its name. After all, the last emperor of Yunchi Kingdom died tragically here, and it was a case of old master and new emperor. It was hard to say whether he was tainted by resentment, and continuing to live here would be somewhat unlucky.
Shen Hengzhen didn't believe in those things. He didn't think he was the one who killed Yun Tianqi. Even if Yun Tianqi really turned into a vengeful ghost and came to take his life, he would let him be. He only believed that good would prevail over evil.
He had stayed there for many days without anything unusual, but tonight, Shen Hengzhen felt as if there was always a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows inside the palace.
"Whoever it is, come out. Settle your grievances and avenge your grudges." Shen Hengzhen's voice was cold and his tone was unusually calm. He didn't even stop writing the memorials.
The candlelight flickered in the empty hall. Shen Hengzhen disliked being surrounded by a bunch of people serving him when he was busy with official duties, so he was the only one in the entire hall at this moment, which made it seem even more desolate and lonely.
After waiting for a while without any movement, Shen Hengzhen thought he was just imagining things and was about to continue reviewing the memorials when a familiar figure appeared in the hall.
She appeared out of nowhere, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, with the voice and appearance of yesteryear, so real it was almost unreal.
"Your Highness..."
Shen Hengzhen looked up at the woman, a hint of bewilderment finally appearing in his cold and resolute eyes.
Yun Tianjiao remained silent, only watching Shen Hengzhen quietly.
Shen Hengzhen lowered his head and rubbed his temples, muttering to himself, "Am I dreaming...?"
He then noticed that there was no shadow under Yun Tianjiao's feet, and suddenly looked up.
"Your Highness, is it really you?"
Yun Tianjiao smiled and said, "Lord Shen, oh no, I should call you Your Majesty now."
Shen Hengzhen slowly put down the memorial in his hand, stood up, and stared straight at Yun Tianjiao, his eyes seemingly suppressing surging emotions. However, in the end, he did not come over, but only asked softly across the table, "Your Highness... is everything alright?"
"It's just death, after all. If you don't consider that, it's not so bad," Yun Tianjiao replied casually.
Shen Hengzhen didn't know what to say next.
He felt guilty.
If Yun Tianjiao hadn't let him go in that alley, he would probably be dead by now. But not only did he fail to repay her kindness, he also destroyed her dynasty and harmed her younger brother. He failed to fulfill his oath of loyalty to the imperial power and became a treacherous minister in a chaotic world, a traitor who plotted to usurp the throne.
He was blameless before heaven and earth, before his ancestors, before the imperial power, and before all the people, yet he had no shame before her…
He dared not look her in the eye.
Yun Tianjiao looked around and saw that the palace was no different from before. He strolled around twice and walked towards Shen Hengzhen.
For some reason, Shen Hengzhen voluntarily gave up his seat and stood respectfully to one side, just as he had done when he was her subject.
Yun Tianjiao didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on his throne. He casually flipped through the memorials spread out on the table and saw that most of them were reports from various places about abolishing temples and statues.
"Do you want to ban the worship of gods nationwide?" she asked.
“Exactly,” Shen Hengzhen replied firmly.
Yun Tianjiao turned his gaze away from the memorial, met Shen Hengzhen's eyes for a moment, and suddenly said, "That day, I went to watch you try out He Cuilian's case."
Shen Hengzhen's expression shifted slightly, but his tone remained calm: "I have not seen Your Highness."
Yun Tianjiao narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly and raised his voice slightly, "Chen Hengzhen."
Shen Hengzhen looked at her, ultimately not avoiding her piercing gaze, "What does Your Highness want to say to me?"
Yun Tianjiao sneered, "Stop pretending with me. You should have known all along that a public trial of this case would drive He Cuilian to her death, right?"
Shen Hengzhen's eyelashes trembled slightly. "I don't understand what Your Highness is talking about. He Cuilian's death was just an accident."
Yun Tianjiao stopped wasting time with him and suddenly stood up. With his innate arrogance, he instantly suppressed the aura of the new emperor, Shen Hengzhen.
"You don't know?" she sneered. "It's already hard enough for women to survive in this world. He Cuilian was sold by her husband's family to have a child with an outsider. Such a thing was made public in front of thousands of people. Even if she hadn't been kicked by Li Defu, could she have survived the criticism of others afterward? She could have been drowned by the spittle of the world! Shen Hengzhen, with your intelligence, I don't believe you didn't think of this. You even hope to see He Cuilian die in the yamen, so that you can use the momentary pity and anger of the onlookers to create the momentum you want!"
"Your Highness!" Shen Hengzhen was finally agitated by the scolding, her gaze burning as she looked at Yun Tianjiao. "You should know that the destruction of Yun Chi Kingdom was ostensibly due to my actions, but in reality, it was due to its indulgence in the worship of gods. This is a chronic disease of the nation. If it is not eradicated with swift and decisive action, the consequences will be endless, and the people of the world will suffer the most!"
"So what?" Yun Tianjiao's eyes revealed a hint of disappointment. "So you can sacrifice a woman's life? Shen Hengzhen, how are you any different from those gods you despise? You're just manipulating the lives of others to achieve your own goals, treating human life like dirt."
Shen Hengzhen's expression was somber, yet she could not refute it. In the end, she simply flicked her sleeve, turned her back to Yun Tianjiao, and stopped looking at her. "Your Highness does not know my ambitions. Say whatever you want. If you really cannot stand my actions, you may take my life."
Yun Tianjiao remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. "Shen Hengzhen, I came here today not to argue with you, nor to seek revenge. Once I am dead, worldly affairs will no longer concern me. However, since we grew up together, I just want to remind you not to abandon the most basic humanity for the sake of the so-called Great Dao in your heart. That's all I have to say. You... take care of yourself."
Seeing Yun Tianjiao walking towards the palace gate, seemingly preparing to leave, Shen Hengzhen took a few steps after her and called out urgently, "Your Highness!"
Yun Tianjiao stopped in his tracks but did not turn around: "Is there anything else?"
Shen Hengzhen's clear and upright eyes reflected her graceful figure, filled with indescribable emotions. In the end, he only said, "If you were still alive, our Shen family would never rebel. The Shen family... I am willing to honor you as emperor and dedicate my life to assisting you."
Yun Tianjiao smiled but said nothing. As he walked step by step toward the palace gate, his figure gradually disappeared.
Shen Hengzhen suddenly woke up, got up from the table, and shouted, "Yun Tianjiao!"
A eunuch serving outside the palace gate trotted in, "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
Shen Hengzhen was stunned and looked at the eunuch with a frightened expression, then looked at the palace gate.
"Has anyone just come in?"
The eunuch respectfully said, "Your Majesty, this servant has been guarding outside the whole time and has not seen anyone come in. I suppose Your Majesty must have been disturbed by a dream."
Was it all a dream...?
Shen Hengzhen felt cold and stiff all over, and felt empty and lost in her heart.
He still thought she had really come to find him...
Meanwhile, in the Ghost King's Palace in the Netherworld, Yun Tianjiao also opened his eyes on his bed.
Zhiwei rested her chin on her hand and stood guard by his side. When she saw that he was awake, she said with a hint of resentment, "Your Highness is finally back, but you've been gone for so long."
Yun Tianjiao sat up and looked at her body. She had just entered Shen Hengzhen's dream with her soul to communicate with him in this way.
Seeing that Zhiwei seemed a little unhappy, he smiled and said, "It's just out of consideration for our past relationship, I'm just saying a few final words to him. Your idea is very good, thank you, Zhiwei."
When Zhiwei learned that Yun Tianjiao wanted to see Shen Hengzhen, she initially refused decisively. This was because Shen Hengzhen was protected by the aura of an emperor, and even if he, as the Ghost King, directly came into contact with him, his soul would inevitably be damaged, let alone Yun Tianjiao, who was a newly deceased soul.
But Yun Tianjiao insisted, so Zhiwei could only try to help her enter Shen Hengzhen's dream.
But he was still very unhappy.
Yun Tianjiao saw through it, smiled, and gently kissed his lips, lifting his chin. "I'm not doing this for him, but I'm afraid he might go to extremes, and in the end, it's the people of the world who will suffer. Didn't we say we'd be in seclusion for a few years? During that time, we won't be able to pay attention to what's happening outside, so we need to make some arrangements in advance."
Thinking that the next few years would be spent together only by the two of them, Zhiwei finally cheered up. She took Yun Tianjiao's hand and pulled him up, saying, "Then what are you waiting for, Your Highness? Let's go into seclusion now."
Yun Tianjiao was shocked. "They're going already? No, they're not making any more preparations?"
Zhiwei simply picked her up and carried her horizontally towards the underground secret chamber of the Ghost King's palace. This was where the Ghost Kings of all generations secluded themselves for cultivation. The secret chamber was sealed, and no matter how urgent the matter, no one was allowed to enter and disturb them.
"Your Highness's soul is weak, which is already a crisis within a crisis, and a danger within a danger. You have just gone to the mortal world, which makes it even more urgent. We can't delay any longer."
Seeing his solemn expression, Yun Tianjiao couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She had just managed to preserve her soul and had the chance to be with Zhiwei, and she didn't want to end up with her soul scattered and her life cut short, so she stopped struggling.
But she never expected that her seclusion with Zhiwei would be like that.
The two secluded themselves in a secret chamber to cultivate, and it was that kind of cultivation.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye. After Shen Hengzhen became emperor, he launched a campaign to destroy the gods, demolishing temples and destroying statues of gods. At the same time, he reduced taxes, selected talented people, and carried out various reforms. For a time, the country's strength increased and the people were well-fed and clothed. Gradually, they no longer relied on and believed in gods as they had before, and the worship of gods gradually diminished.
The Heavenly Court finally couldn't sit still any longer.
Almost every day, gods kneel in the Heavenly Venerable Hall, weeping and pleading their cases. Many lesser gods perish because they have no offerings from the mortal world. As for those with higher divine ranks, although they are still powerful, they are not having an easy time either, and their divine power is diminished to varying degrees.
Finally, the Heavenly Venerable responded to the gods' pleas and decided to personally descend to the mortal realm to persuade the Human Emperor who intended to destroy the gods.
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