Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
On the evening of the third day, Sang Jue received a Pigeon Post. "Girl, put on your mourning clothes again and wait at the city gate; your two brothers will accompany you."
Sang Qingxiao detected the sorrow in his voice but did not ask for the reason. "What about you?"
"Isn't the Xuande Emperor eager to see me? If I don't show up soon, he might think I'm afraid of him."
The next morning, Gentle personally rode over to pick him up, wearing a black hooded hat to conceal his emotions. As he helped Sang Jue into the carriage, he couldn't help but say softly, "My lord."
His voice was choked, cautious.
"Gentle, you've worked hard."
"It's no trouble serving my lord."
Once the carriage started moving, Gentle spoke quietly to those inside. "The Xuande Emperor originally planned to meet you alone, but today is a small court meeting. I deliberately didn't remind him. Right now, the officials are waiting at the palace gate. The Xuande Emperor hasn't let them in, and they aren't leaving either."
"When you meet him, just bring them all into the palace."
"I've taken many precautions already, but I'm still worried about the Xuande Emperor losing his temper. With so many people around, he tends to hold back a bit."
"You've put in a lot of effort."
"As long as my lord is safe."
When they arrived at the palace gate, they indeed saw quite a few officials. As Sang Jue got out of the carriage and glanced around, he recognized only a few of them. They were all unsure how to address one another, creating an awkward atmosphere.
Even Shi Yun and Ze did not take the initiative to speak with him.
As soon as he arrived, the palace gate opened.
The guards tried to stop other officials from entering but failed because those guarding inside were a group of imperial guards who had made mistakes earlier and were assigned here as punishment. Once the gate opened, there was no way to hide; facing them were all elders—how could the Great Ancestors dare to show their teeth?
They marched into the main hall in a grand procession.
Seeing a large group of increasingly unruly ministers made Xuande Emperor furious.
Seeing that Gentle had failed to stop them only added to his anger.
And seeing Sang Jue's still youthful face made Xuande Emperor even more enraged.
There was just over a decade between them; Sang Jue was nearing forty while he himself was just over fifty. Yet this comparison revealed at least a fifty-year gap in vitality. Xuande Emperor felt ashamed and found himself sweating under the heat of the dragon throne beneath him.
He had been so eager to see Sang Jue before, but now he felt like escaping.
After a long pause, he finally managed to say, "You... you're back."
"Well, I'm back. Why aren't you kneeling before me?"
The Founding Emperor, in a magnanimous tone, declared that kneeling was not necessary.
For the first time, the Xuande Emperor cursed the Great Ancestor in his heart. "These days, all of Great Jing revolves around your Sang Family!"
Sang Jue smiled and countered, "Your Majesty, that is not correct. The citizens are merely helping the royal family make amends for past mistakes."
"What mistakes have I made?"
"Hasn't Your Majesty already issued an edict against yourself? If Chongjing Emperor hadn't died early, the Edict of Self-Condemnation would probably take days and nights to finish."
"As for you, I have only just returned to the capital and do not know you well enough to judge. However, the crimes of Chongjing Emperor are numerous, and as a member of the clan, you will inevitably be implicated."
"Sang Jue, how dare you openly criticize the royal family!"
The Sang Family had always been so audacious before the royal family, granted by the Founding Emperor. Thus, even though Chongjing Emperor hated them deeply, he had no choice but to tolerate them for nearly a decade.
"This is my first meeting with Xuande Emperor; I hope to receive your guidance in the days to come."
"I advise you to temper your temper. Great Jing is no longer the Great Jing of more than a decade ago. The Sang Family has finally gained freedom; do not let yourselves fall back into despair."
"Matters of overturning past judgments can be both possible and impossible. The love and guilt of the citizens should be cherished; do not let it slip away one day."
This time, Sang Jue did not argue back but thanked Xuande Emperor for his good intentions.
Xuande Emperor sighed in frustration about the Sang Family's audacity. "Why is it that only you have come? Where are the others from the Sang Family?"
Estimating the time, they should have already arrived at the city gate; there were quite a few people there. "Would you like to see them?"
"Impudent! No matter how important the Sang Family is, they are still courtiers. There is no reason for me to meet them!"
Sang Jue smiled mysteriously. "If Your Majesty does not wish to see them, then you truly won't get to."
Before Xuande Emperor could get angry, Sang Jue walked directly towards him. With the Great Ancestor's item hanging at his waist, no one dared to stop him or even wanted to.
Xuande Emperor was so frightened that he stood up from his seat and shouted, "Help! You are all useless! Come quickly and save me! Gentle! Gentle! Help!"
But Gentle had already anticipated this scene and deliberately stayed out of sight.
Sang Jue approached Xuande Emperor and grabbed his wrist with a smile. "Your Majesty need not worry; for the sake of the Sang Family's reputation, I would never attempt assassination. Don't you want to see other members of the Sang Family? I'll take you to see them right now."
"Let go of me! I won't! I refuse to look! You can't force me, I'll have someone kill you!"
In the end, a monarch of a nation began to curse.
No matter how he struggled or shouted, Sang Jue's grip was too strong, dragging him out of the palace and towards the palace gates.
Upon reaching the gates, they went straight up to the city tower. Just as Xuande Emperor thought Sang Jue was going to push him off, the force in his hands suddenly vanished.
Sang Jue released him and stepped back. Enraged and humiliated, Xuande Emperor lunged to hit him, but Sang Jue merely sidestepped slightly, causing Xuande Emperor to crash into the wall behind him. It was Shi Yun who quickly pulled him back just in time to prevent injury.
Shi Yun looked at Sang Jue with dissatisfaction.
Sang Jue shrugged, expressing his innocence; he couldn't just stand there and let someone run into him.
At that moment, Xuande Emperor brushed off Shi Yun's good intentions and vented his anger at him instead.
Sang Jue chuckled in delight; well, he had saved him after all.
Shi Yun stepped aside to avoid Xuande Emperor's spittle and rolled his eyes. Indeed, he had saved him; some habits die hard.
"Your Majesty, since you're up here, take a look. Being so cowardly, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"I'm not afraid!"
Sang Jue seized the opportunity to pull him again, determined to make him see clearly. He raised his right hand and pointed straight ahead. Though they were a bit far away, it was still visible. "Xuande Emperor, do you see that team over there? That's them!"
At that moment, Xuande Emperor finally understood; the Sang Family Sang Jue mentioned were not alive but dead.
"Thanks to your Qin Family," he continued, "I went through great lengths to find these remains. Fortunately, I found almost all of the direct lineage."
"You Qin Family are truly ruthless. The Sang Family fought for you for so many years, yet after slaughtering us, you didn't even spare our remains."
"If it weren't for Jing Wang's old subordinates keeping a low profile, there would be nothing left of the Sang Family elders but bones."
"I've also heard that you even want to dig up the graves of our ancestors."
He chuckled softly. "Past grievances can still be settled after death; aren't you Qin Family afraid?"
Comment 0 Comment Count