Chapter 154 The Disposition of an Emperor
Huang Shan raced into the palace on horseback with a secret letter, a jade note, and a map marked with smoke signals rolled up in his hand.
The message in the secret letter was short but the content was shocking enough to cause a chain reaction: “You Prefecture has declared itself an independent state with the City of You as its capital. Thousands of piles of dead bodies litter the land. The Devil Seeds are arriving.”
Before the Glorious Tang Empire could react, 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army died in the City of You Prefecture and not a peep could be heard from the tens of thousands of households there. Did You Prefecture establish its own country without permission before the Imperial Commissioner of the Tang State had even stepped out of Qing Prefecture? Who had occupied You Prefecture? Was it truly the Devil Race’s work?
“Thousands of piles of dead bodies litter the land?”
Were the piles made up of the bodies of the 200,000 soldiers of the Ye Army and the citizens of You Prefecture?
This was a challenge against the entire Divine Land!
If it was just the Devil Seeds occupying You Prefecture, the Chief Councillor of the Grand Council wouldn’t have considered it a big deal. You Prefecture was located at the extreme north of the Glorious Tang Empire, bordering the Royal Hall of the Grassland. Countless wars had been fought there in the past century, with both victories and defeats as the outcome. It wouldn’t be the first or second time for You Prefecture to be occupied.
Except the devils would replace the grassland barbarians this time.
If it was a war they wanted, the empire would gladly give them one.
The appearance of the Devil Seeds meant that all the cultivators in the world would aid the Tang State.
It was the jade note that shocked Huang Shan. Except for Mount Shu, all the orthodox sects in the Glorious Tang Empire had been ambushed by the Devil Seeds and suffered damage of varying degree. There were no official statistics as of now, but all the orthodox sects in You Prefecture had been wiped out. The sects in Qingqiu had suffered tremendous casualties while Mount Yang and Mount Yin had been cleansed with blood. Those at the Sword Tomb atop the Peak of Blight were fine, but they had lost more than a hundred Spirit Swords.
Each of the fallen orthodox sects had collapsed from within. Their seniors and juniors who had lived with them for more than a decade, or even several decades, suddenly turned on them and began a slaughter. The Fourth Arhat of the Temple of Six Buddhas even poisoned the well next to the Chronometer of Dawn.
These sects had operated for hundreds of years.
The spies had infiltrated them for just as long.
These Devil Seeds had been biding their time for the day they would take their revenge. The tactic the Mountain Valley of Pure Blackness employed this time could only be described as ruthless. It was cruel to himself, and to his children as well. Judging from the current circumstances, the exposed Devil Seeds were just a small portion. There must be even more Seeds hidden in the dark.
The Cultivation World was thrown into a state of panic, where everyone doubted one another.
Meanwhile, those sects who had their leaders assassinated were a complete mess. Never mind aiding the Glorious Tang Empire, they had to seek help from the court instead.
These two pieces of news would have been still acceptable to the Glorious Tang Empire. If worse came to worst, they would hold tight onto the prefecture and send reinforcements there. They would first stabilize the north, wait for the sects to clarify their internal turmoil, and then gather the cultivators in the Divine Land to suppress the Devil Seeds.
However, the map of smoke signals was what nearly tipped Huang Shan’s sanity over.
The Immemorial Copper Gates at the west border had been opened and the Great Demon Army had been spotted nearby Liang State. Meanwhile, smoke signaling the arrival of enemies appeared throughout four thousand kilometers of the west border. Unexpectedly, the six states west of the Tang State were attacking the empire. The Tang State’s army had to suppress the rebellion at the border but to this day, they had no idea who was the perpetrator behind this.
What was certain, though, was that it was either devils or demons.
The body of the previous Emperor hadn’t even turned cold.
Yet enemies had surrounded the Tang State from all sides.
It must be noted that the Glorious Tang Empire was currently without an Emperor—the former had just died, while the new one hadn’t been enthroned.
When Huang Shan charged into the Serenity Palace, Ye Que was still around as the Crown Prince hadn’t heard his request. The Crown Prince quietly finished reading the three documents that Huang Shan brought him and said nothing for a good fifteen minutes. He looked calmly at the secret letter, jade note, and the map of smoke signals in his hand.
Contrary to Huang Shan’s expectations, Li Chunzhi neither panicked nor went pale. In fact, he couldn’t see any shift in the Crown Prince’s expression. It was as if the three documents meant nothing to him.
This was the disposition of an Emperor.
An Emperor wouldn’t change his expression when Mount Tai collapses or blink when an elk passes his left!
A panicked Huang Shan began to calm down after seeing how tranquil Li Chunzhi was. How could the Chief Councillor of the Grand Council panic when the Emperor was calm? He had no right to panic. His Highness still needed his ministers and officials to plan a countermeasure!
Li Chunzhi closed his eyes in contemplation.
When he reopened his eyes, he smiled.
When Huang Shan saw that Li Chunzhi had finished thinking, he opened his mouth to speak. But Li Chunzhi raised his hand to stop him, even indicating for him to keep calm and stay put.
“Ye Que, since you can’t think of what you want, allow me to decide for you.”
Li Chunzhi rose to his feet as he spoke and walked to Ye Que. He patted Ye Que’s shoulder and said, “Imperial Father and Second Brother committed a grave sin against your family, the 200,000 soldiers of your family’s army who died a tragic death in the City of You Prefecture, and Old General Ye in the underworld.”
“My heart aches for this. I thought you’d request something from me, but you didn’t. You’re undoubtedly the child of Old Ye.”
Li Chunzhi paused for a brief moment, his face taking on a solemn and even sorrowful expression. “Just because you don’t say it doesn’t mean I can pretend as if I don’t know. When Imperial Father was around, I wasn’t able to make certain decisions but I was upset. Your family had always supported Second Brother on the surface, but that didn’t erase the contributions the Ye Army had made for our Glorious Tang Empire.”
“The case of the General’s Manor was corrupt. I hope you’ll return to the General’s Manor and continue the General’s lineage. The Manor belongs to you from now on. Those imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison will be released as well. I’ll announce to the world in an edict that the tragedy in the City of You Prefecture is the work of Devil Seeds and has nothing to do with the General’s Manor and the Ye family.”
“I’ll erect a military monument in Luoyang City within three days as a memorial for the fallen soldiers in You Prefecture. They died fighting for the Glorious Tang Empire and their gallantry is felt by everyone. Their loss feels as heavy as Mount Tai itself. It is only fair that they receive the deep respect and worship of everyone.”
“On that day, we’ll hold a sacrificial ceremony for the army.”
Li Chunzhi’s solemn words left the nearby Huang Shan stunned. His expression shifted indefinitely and he looked like he was hesitating to speak. The previous Emperor had personally presided over the trial of the General’s Manor case and made the sentence. For Li Chunzhi to overturn the verdict when the previous Emperor had just passed away, it was an obvious reproach of the latter and the entire imperial family.
Li Chunzhi would also be disgracing himself.
Moreover, it would be a great disgrace.
Not content with suffering shame in private, Li Chunzhi wanted to embarrass himself in front of the world and even wanted to erect a monument to constantly remind everyone that 200,000 soldiers had lost their lives in vain thanks to the Emperor and the court.
Huang Shan narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the soon-to-be-enthroned Emperor. Li Chunzhi wasn’t joking. He was one hundred percent serious.
Ye Que quietly listened to Li Chunzhi’s words with a frown. He then asked softly, “Is it your wish that I stay in the General’s Manor from now on?”
“Correct,” Li Chunzhi answered with certainty. “Don’t tell me that you’re unwilling to. I heard that you first came to Luoyang to trace your ancestral roots. I can make another edict and personally vouch that you’re Old General Ye’s biological child. Your mother will be conferred the title of Honorary Lady. You can enter the General’s Manor with your head held high and even move your mother’s ashes from Wei City to the ancestral hall of the General’s Manor.”
Li Chunzhi had even considered his mother in his plan of proving Ye Que’s identity and making him live in the General’s Manor via an edict. This idea was obviously not new. Li Chunzhi had planned this ahead of time.
Just because Ye Que once saved Li Jianqi’s life?
That was certainly one of the reasons, but not the whole story.
Li Chunzhi was about to become the Emperor of Tang State. He had a million things to attend to each day. He wouldn’t pay attention to such a small matter, much less have Li Jianqi personally invite Ye Que at the Divine Sect Seminary. He wouldn’t have Huang Shan wait until he finished dealing with Ye Que.
It was obvious just how important this was to Li Chunzhi, from having Ye Que return to his roots at the General’s Manor, erecting a monument, and holding a sacrificial ceremony for the army.
Ye Que raised his head to look at Li Chunzhi. He then nodded. He didn’t reject the arrangement but neither did he kneel to thank Li Chunzhi for his imperial favor. It was as if he thought there was no need for thanks when it was Li Chunzhi who owed him this.
Li Chunzhi didn’t try to coerce him. He didn’t care for this at all. He nodded after getting Ye Que’s agreement and then turned to Li Jianqi. “Jianqi, give Lil Ye a tour of the palace. I’ll give you special permission to take whatever you like, but only this once. If you miss this chance, it won’t come again.”
Li Jianqi’s eyes brightened. “You must keep your promise!?”
Li Chunzhi laughed. “Since when have I ever lied to you?”
Li Jianqi instantly gave Li Chunzhi a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek. She then pulled Ye Que and ran out of the Serenity Palace as if she was afraid her father would go back on his word.
The moment Ye Que and Li Jianqi disappeared, Huang Shan asked, “Your Majesty, why do you care so deeply for that young man? If I’m not mistaken, he’s just an illegitimate child of Old General Ye. Moreover, the rebuilding of the army is a vital task. You must think thrice, Your Majesty. The former Emperor had just passed away and many old ministers in the court remain his trusted aides still. We should prioritize the stability of the court.”
Li Chunzhi turned around and returned to sit on the wooden bench. There was finally a sliver of worry in his expression. Huang Shan was a trusted aide that he had groomed a long time ago and was worthy of his trust. Thus, they were honest with each other. For instance, Huang Shan was already referring to him as Your Majesty, and not Your Highness.
Li Chunzhi coughed twice before replying, “As far as I know, Ye Que is the sole remaining heir of the General’s Manor’s lineage. If I don’t care for him, who do I care for?”
“This young man represents not only the General’s Manor but also the 200,000 deceased soldiers of the Ye Army and the ten legions of the Tang Army consisting of millions of soldiers. These soldiers know better. They’ve seen what Imperial Father and Second Brother had done and they’ve carved in their hearts. They won’t let this pass so easily.”
“The literates won’t be the ones who will determine the stability of the throne. The strong will always prevail over the weak and the fist will determine it all. Don’t forget that our Glorious Tang Empire was founded on our military prowess,” Li Chunzhi said serenely. “I cannot afford to tarnish the loyalty of the soldiers. Even if Imperial Father and Second Brother had hurt them, I must do my best to make amends.”
Realization finally dawned on Huang Shan.
Li Chunzhi continued, “I’m making my stance clear by reversing the verdict on the General’s Manor case. Building the monument is my way of stabilizing the morale of the army. As for Ye Que, well, I think he’s a talent that I need to rope in. I think there’s a need to propagate the teachings of the Divine Sect Seminary that he had established with the first wife’s son of the Qian family.”
“You want the people to cultivate?”
“If all of our citizens are cultivators, if all of them knows how to slay devils and demons, if all of them can ascend to the Ninth Heaven on their flying swords, who’d dare to invade us? Who’d dare to act wantonly against us?”
“Our reputation alone will scare them to death.”