Chapter 350: Ascending the throne, internal strife in the Demon Sect

Song Que, who had a warm smile on his face just now, froze. The atmosphere of the entire banquet suddenly changed. He said in a gentle tone, “Minister Pei, today’s banquet is only for celebration. We will not discuss state affairs. This matter can be discussed later.”

Pei Ju lowered his head and did not persuade him again. “I was reckless, please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

“It’s okay, back off.”

Everyone had a subtle look on their faces. The king’s tone of rebuttal was not strong. This was possible!

Even though Song Que kept silent about the matter, his attitude actually showed that he acquiesced, otherwise he would not have just said lightly that after today’s banquet, the civil officials and military generals would have to write memorials to persuade him to ascend the throne.

The achievement of following the dragon is right before our eyes, who wouldn’t be eager to go further?
Just by submitting a memorial to the court, one can gain credit, which is much easier than fighting on the battlefield. If Song Que goes a step further and ascends the throne to become emperor, they, the ministers, can also be promoted.

This was something that everyone in the Wu State was happy to see. As for the Sui Dynasty, bah, no one would miss that dynasty. Yang Guang destroyed all the cornerstones of the dynasty. The aristocratic families were unwilling to follow him, and the lower classes were burdened with heavy labor. The three expeditions to Goguryeo, the Grand Canal, and the conquest of the south of the Yangtze River all resulted in countless bones being shed. Otherwise, the whole world would not have rebelled.

Soon, the atmosphere of the banquet became more harmonious, with civil officials and military officers toasting each other and enjoying themselves.

After the banquet, a cold wind blew, and the drunken courtiers looked at Pei Ju with obvious jealousy in their eyes. It was really hateful that he was competing with them for credit at such an old age!
Facing the hostile looks from his ministers and colleagues, Pei Ju kept a straight face but was secretly pleased in his heart. When it came to flattery, these people still had some practice. He, Pei Ju, had survived three dynasties and that was no exaggeration.

……

A few days later, the desk was filled with memorials from the ministers urging him to ascend the throne.

Inside the hall, candlelight flickered. In the corner stood a beast-shaped incense burner. Incense curled around like rising clouds, and the air was filled with a light and elegant fragrance. Song Que, wearing a black python robe, stood in front of the hall.

With his tall figure and handsome face, he looks very young at about fifty, like a man in his thirties. His martial arts skills as a grandmaster and power close to that of an emperor make him more and more charming. He controls infinite power in his every move, and just standing there seems to be the center of the world.

He looked at the dark sky in the distance and muttered to himself, “It seems that the time has come.”

The Battle of Luoyang did not simply bring Wu more benefits than just winning a war. The victory brought by the war brought all-round benefits to Wu, from the situation to the economy, and then to politics. In a sense, it was a bit similar to Xiang Yu’s burning of his boats and defeating the Qin army.

Taking Luoyang would allow the State of Wu to reach a higher level. This was the political center of the world, and no party could ignore it. After taking it, it would be natural for him to be crowned emperor.

When he was in Yangzhou, someone submitted a memorial to the emperor advising him to become emperor, but Song Que pretended not to see it. Now that so many ministers are coming to advise him and everyone is supporting him, he should also follow their advice and take the final step to ascend the throne.

……

On the sixth day of the second month in the seventeenth year of Daye, King Song Que of Wu ascended the throne in Luoyang and proclaimed himself emperor, with the reign title Kaiyuan.

The Qianyang Hall in Luoyang is the largest hall in the Luoyang palace complex and it was also the place where grand ceremonies were held in the early Sui Dynasty. The warriors of the Qianyang Hall held golden gourds and wore black armor, standing in the corridors between the two halls. They were wearing Ming Guang armor and looked awe-inspiring.

In the Qianyang Hall, officials of the Wu State held tablets in their hands, with solemn expressions. The civil officials stood on the left and the military officials on the right, all facing south.

Suddenly, drums and music sounded on the imperial road. Under the five-colored canopy, Song Que, wearing a black crown and an imperial crown on his head, walked slowly on the white jade steps of the imperial road. The whole process was orderly and the ceremony was grand.

The ceremonial guards surrounded him and he ascended the jade steps. He slowly turned around and sat on the dragon throne facing south. Then all the officials turned around and faced north.

After declining three times, he sat on the dragon throne leisurely and looked down at his ministers.

The moment he sat down, all the feelings changed instantly. Even though Song Que had a heart of Taoism that was polished to the highest level, he couldn’t help but feel excited. This was the throne of the Son of Heaven, the most honorable position in the world.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhuangzi proposed that there are three kinds of swords in the world. The sword used to fight bravely and fiercely with sharp weapons, and to risk one’s life, is the sword of the common people; the sword used to make good use of talents and to conquer the territory is the sword of the princes and hegemons, which is medium; only the sword used to know the heaven and the earth, use virtue and punishment, govern the world, control the way of mankind, and act like the sword of the Son of Heaven is the best.

The most supreme person in humanity is none other than the emperor!
Song Que reached out and touched the golden dragon head on the armrest of the throne. The cold touch contained an indescribable meaning. His mental will became more subtle and sensitive, and he fell into a brief state of enlightenment.

The Taoist scriptures say: Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature.

The great way of the world is nothing but heaven, earth and man. Heaven, earth and man are each a corner of the great way. The way of heaven, the way of earth and the way of man are mutually reinforcing and indispensable.

However, the way of heaven is illusory and mysterious, while the way of earth is thick and bears the weight, nourishing all things and difficult to grasp. Cultivation and comprehension can only be left to nature. Only the way of the human world is complicated and changeable, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false. Martial artists who are in it can empathize and understand the mystery of humanity.

The three treasures are the essence, energy and spirit, among which the spirit is the most mysterious. Man exists for the spirit, and the spirit is relied on by man. The Taoists pay attention to entering the world first, then leaving the world, exploring the world, and using the known tangible human way to spy on the unknown invisible heavenly way, so that heaven and man correspond, and the heart and the Tao are in harmony. The intention is to realize the invisible Tao through the tangible changes, apply the magic, do nothing and keep it in one heart.

Song Que is not a man who uses a sword, but his way of sword is to replace the heart of heaven with his own heart. The heavenly sword becomes the way of heaven and controls the way of heaven. Now, he is the Son of Heaven and the master of humanity. His every move affects the general trend of humanity. He governs the people and controls the warps and latitudes of humanity. He is closest to humanity.

The way of the Son of Heaven is that the heart of Heaven is my heart. Observe the way of Heaven, follow the actions of Heaven, and act on behalf of Heaven.

At this moment, his mind was infinitely elevated, and his spiritual power suddenly became abundant, spreading from the small Qianyang Palace, leaving the palace city, and spreading to the entire Luoyang, Heluo, and the south. When he wanted to “observe” the north, what he saw was only a dark fog, which was a place that his forces had not yet controlled.

Unconsciously, Song Que, who was sitting on the dragon throne, entered a state of great tranquility. His essence, energy and spirit merged into one and gathered at the entrance. His already smooth and powerful spiritual will advanced a step further. His mind and thoughts escaped into the void and fragments flashed through his mind.

The Great Wu launched a northern expedition, Yu Wenzhi died, the Hedong Li clan surrendered, Dou Jiande fell, Liang Shidao and others were defeated one by one by the Great Wu, the world was unified, the great unified dynasty came, and then after several years of hard work, the Wu army marched north, destroyed DTZ in one fell swoop, and swept across the northern grasslands…

In a trance, he grasped the majestic trend that was brewing from the vast and complicated things in the world. This was what a new empire should do. The previous Sui Dynasty failed to accomplish it, and now it was completed by the Wu Kingdom he established.

If his generation fails to accomplish the task, his descendants will carry on the mission until the Great Wu dominates the world and has no rivals.

At this moment, he suddenly heard the voice of the ceremonial officer: “Perform the ritual of kowtow!”

When he came to his senses, he found that he was still at the coronation ceremony. The scenes just now seemed like a dream, but his active and substantial spiritual power told him that everything he had just seen might be the scene of the future.

As the ceremonial officer finished speaking, all the officials of His Highness knelt down and kowtowed. They did not look up, but they could still feel that the emperor on the dragon throne was watching them, and his heavy gaze was as dazzling as the sun!
“Long live my emperor! Long live!”

Song Que lowered his eyes, glanced at the ministers in the hall through the crown, and said softly, “Stand up!”

Pei Ju then took a step forward, took the imperial edict from the eunuch, stood on the jade steps, and read aloud in front of all the civil and military officials: “When a king changes his surname and receives the mandate, he must be cautious at the beginning, change his clothes, trace his origin to the heaven, and follow his will. I rise up in accordance with the mandate of heaven, rule the south and the north, name the country Da Wu, start a new era, and establish a dynasty…”

Then, there was a series of rewards. Pei Ju was appointed as prime minister and given a title of marquis. Li Jing and Kou Zhong were all powerful generals and were not given any titles for the time being. In the end, Su Ming was appointed as the state teacher, ranking above the three dukes. However, when the officials in the court looked around, they found that Su Ming did not come to participate in the coronation ceremony at all.

After lasting for most of the day, the coronation ceremony finally came to an end. All the officials in the court were in high spirits, the city was decorated with lights and lanterns, and merchants and travelers were coming and going in the market, returning to the prosperity of the past.

……

On the bank of the Luo River, Su Ming sat on the shore fishing alone, his eyes slightly closed, his mind immersed in the sea of ​​consciousness:
Mirror Owner: Su Ming

World: Twin Dragons
Identity: National Master of the Great Wu, Master of Xu Ziling, Jade Taoist, Number One Person in the World

Origin of the World: 786,200

World collapse degree: 78.6 percent.

Number of time and space reflections captured: zero
Number of crossings: Zero
In the battle of Luoyang, Bi Xuan died, the Wu Kingdom took Luoyang, and Song Que became emperor. This series of events caused the world’s degree of collapse to exceed half at once. However, in the original work, the Li family was far from reaching this point.

The Song clan unified the world much faster than the Li clan. In terms of strength, the Li clan was originally inferior to the Song clan. However, with the bonus of historical halo, it seemed as if they were helped by God. Now all this has been reversed.

Recalling the previous world, Guo Jing fought for several years, conquered Jin and Song, and gradually completed the unification. The speed of the two is completely incomparable. Of course, if he chose Yang Kang to start, he might be faster than Guo Jing.

But, having one Qing Dynasty in this world is enough.

Song Que’s martial arts and military tactics were both top-notch in the world. In a sense, he was stronger than the real Li Erfeng. The Wu Kingdom unified the north and the south, and got rid of the shackles of Buddhism and the Guanlong clans. The newly established dynasty was able to move forward more easily after getting rid of many burdens.

For a moment, Su Ming’s mood became more and more cheerful. At this moment, the bamboo pole in his hand sank slightly. He moved his fingers slightly, and the fishing line that sank into the water shook. The fishhook fell off from the mouth of the big carp that was jumping around in the water. The fish swung its tail and ran away without looking back.

……

Under the cover of night, a dark figure ran hurriedly through the woods. His steps were disordered, and he covered his chest, cursing in a low voice, “Jie Li is stupid, and he is also dragging me down!”

The moonlight shone through the treetops, illuminating a pale, bloodless face. This person was none other than Zhao Deyan, the Turkic national teacher who had held great power and a high position a few months ago.

In the vast forest, a sharp voice came from far away, “Zhao Deyan, you can’t escape today, just surrender!”

Zhao Deyan looked down at his wound and panted, “As fellow Saints, why should we kill each other?”

On the treetops, a fat figure followed behind, “Haha, we are one family, so we should not have different opinions. Zhao Deyan, if the Turks took over the Central Plains, would you give us a chance to live?”

Zhao Deyan said nothing and just ran away. When he saw the Wu army’s chariots on the battlefield, he realized that something was wrong and took advantage of the chaos to run away. However, he did not expect that there was a group of “fellow disciples” who were secretly watching him closely.

The internal strife of the Demon Sect is well-known. Everyone wants to unify the two sects and the six paths, integrate all the sects, obtain the complete Heavenly Demon Strategy, and go one step further, but few can do it.

Although Jie Li Khan was defeated, the power of DTZ still made the various demon sects wary. In troubled times, it was normal for them to place bets on many parties, but who could blame DTZ for being too powerful?

The various sects of the Demon Sect quickly reached a consensus to kill the Demon Sect first before discussing other matters.

Thus, a massive hunt began.

After running for an unknown amount of time, Zhao Deyan rushed out of the woods and came to an open field. The border was just a few dozen miles away. As long as he crossed there, he would be able to return to the grassland and live again.

Just as he was secretly happy, a figure blocked his way, “Your road is over!”

Zhao Deyan stared at the other person with gritted teeth, and uttered three words fiercely, “Zhu Yuyan!”

Under the moonlight, Zhu Yuyan was wearing a white palace dress, which was extremely beautiful. Her cold eyes were filled with indescribable dominance. “Zhao Deyan, as long as you bring the Demon Xiang Sect to join my Yin Kui Sect, I will guarantee your life!”

As the “number one” master of the Demon Sect, she believed she was qualified to say this.

“Whizzing!”

There were the sounds of footsteps coming one after another, and several figures came closer, staring at Zhu Yuyan. When he saw that the other party did not make a move, his heart sank slightly.

The fat man who came here first threw out a few hidden weapons, but was knocked away by a white ribbon and fell to the ground.

Fat Jia Anlong’s eyes flickered, and he whispered, “Zhu Yuyan, do you really want to protect him? Don’t forget what he was going to do before.”

A thin, middle-aged man stared at Zhao Deyan and advised, “The people of the Demonic Sect cannot be trusted. Don’t be fooled by his sweet words.”

Zhu Yuyan remained unmoved and repeated, “Zhao Deyan’s life will be saved by me.” Then, she looked at Zhao Deyan and said, “As long as you give up your martial arts, I will save your life.”

Zhao Deyan looked at the eager eyes of the people present and sighed in his heart. The winners take all, it’s just like that. He didn’t lose to them, but to the Song clan.

Then, he slapped his chest with his palm, and his Qi meridians dispersed. His whole aura dropped to the bottom, his face became paler, and blood spurted out of his mouth.

Seeing him like this, everyone felt it was not appropriate to continue forcing him to kill. Without his physical strength, Zhao Deyan had lost his “threat”, so they had to be careful instead.

Zhu Yuyan, who has gained the support of the Demonic Sect, will definitely not let them go, and the days ahead may not be peaceful.

Several people looked at each other, then retreated explosively, and disappeared without a trace after a few breaths.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Zhu Yuyan’s eyes. She looked at Zhao Deyan again, and finally a smile appeared on her pretty face.

(End of this chapter)