Chapter 1020: Young Qin Zhuo Makes His Official Debut!
People on horseback galloped along the street.
Strangely, the usually bustling streets were completely devoid of their usual vibrancy and noise. Almost every household had its doors tightly shut and was completely silent, with only the occasional fleeting figures and eyes behind the windows serving as proof of their presence.
They finally breathed a sigh of relief when they realized that the riders outside were not the kind of people they had imagined. The spying from the shadows gradually disappeared, and from time to time, rustling conversations could be heard from the hidden corners, as if they were exchanging some information, but then silence returned.
Soon, the rider crossed the street and rode his horse to a secluded courtyard.
"Whoa—"
The young man, dressed in a dark blue outfit, quickly pulled on the reins, then nimbly dismounted and swiftly passed through the courtyard gate.
The courtyard was silent, with a long, narrow ancient corridor covered by green tiles and mottled beams and pillars. Only a gentle breeze swept across the long steps, bringing a moment of coolness.
The young man continued walking, his long shoes steady as the wind. Leaving behind the desolate scenery along the way, he arrived at the end of the next corridor, where his view suddenly opened up—
The stone table in the courtyard was clean and tidy, and the charcoal fire warmed the white porcelain teapot. Wisps of steam rose and dispersed in the autumn wind, with only a hint of tea fragrance lingering at the nose.
A person sat quietly at the desk, head slightly bowed, doing what he was doing. His movements were slow, calm, and unhurried, but his overall figure was not very clear through the mist.
Judging from the scene before him, he was probably brewing tea and enjoying the cool air, cultivating his mind and spirit.
The boy stood in front of the courtyard and walked towards the figure without hesitation. But when the camera panned over the thin layer of mist and followed the boy's perspective around the bonsai in front of the courtyard, and finally stood in front of the person, everyone realized that the person was not brewing tea to calm his mind, but was wiping a sharp sword!
The long, narrow sword gleamed with a restrained cold light, its blade as sharp as frost. Even from such a distance, it subtly exuded a menacing sharpness.
The owner wiping the longsword was no ordinary person. Just sitting there, he exuded a powerful aura. He wasn't wearing a light and flowing robe, but a sharp black outfit that accentuated his outstanding physique. Even his wild and fierce features and brows revealed a touch of nobility in his demeanor.
Once the water on the stove beside him had finally boiled, the man finally put down his sword, then reached for the hot kettle next to him and slowly tilted it to pour the hot water onto the blade.
The aroma of strong liquor, even more potent than the fragrance of tea, surged forth instantly. The scalding liquor was poured over the sword, producing a soft, rising sound. The liquor then flowed down the spine of the sword, leaving only the increasingly gleaming blade and the blurry figure reflected within it.
Finally, the wine pot was placed back on the stove, and only the clear sound of boiling wine and the young man's bow and "Young Master" echoed in the courtyard.
Qin Zhuo held the sword hilt in one hand and a soft silk cloth in the other. When he heard the boy's shout, he only slightly raised his eyelids and continued to wipe the sword in his hand at a leisurely pace.
He stood up only after the wine on the blade had been completely wiped clean.
The longsword was not sheathed, but hung down naturally with its owner's movements, as if it had been ready for battle for a long time and was eager to try.
Meanwhile, outside the courtyard, another group of people had appeared at some unknown time.
At that moment, everyone's eyes were drawn to the person in the very center.
Let's go.
Qin Zhuo glanced at the crowd, a confident smile on his face, and swaggered out with his men, sword in hand.
It was just a simple sentence, but a chilling aura was already palpable.
The sky over Liucheng may be about to change...
-
When the scene shifts, the plot has reached the point where Qin Zhuo takes advantage of the city's lockdown to lead his men into the mansion to seize power, officially reaping the fruits of victory that have been painstakingly built up since the beginning of the first episode.
In reality, Qian Wenhao only belatedly realized that there were two other people sitting next to him!
"ah!"
Qian Wenhao was startled and almost jumped off the sofa. He turned around and realized that the two people sitting next to him were his parents.
"Dad, Mom, when did you get here? You startled me."
He clutched his chest, nearly unable to recover.
"It was when Xiao He made his official appearance."
Qian's mother glanced at her son, then turned her attention back to the television in front of her, her eyes full of satisfaction as she looked at someone else's son: "Xiao He, this Emperor Chen, truly deserves to be called a young hero, a dragon among men. You could tell he was no ordinary person the moment he appeared."
As expected of a military general, his entrance is quite different from that of other protagonists in period dramas.
Moreover, Xiao He underwent a complete transformation in this story, becoming very different from the person we remembered.
Qian's mother hadn't seen Xiao He much in real life; the only time she saw him was when they all went to pick up Qian Wenhao.
In Qian's mother's memory, Xiao He was a very polite and sensible young man at that time. You could tell from some details and his speech that he was a well-mannered and cultured child.
I just don't understand why, when people act online, they're always playing villainous roles.
Look at this! He directly portrays a great emperor, a wise ruler! Just his demeanor and eyes alone are enough to give him a perfect performance.
Qian's mother immediately gave Xiao He a higher opinion of him in her mind.
"Which episode is this?"
She asked.
Qian Wenhao said somewhat awkwardly, "I've already watched the second episode. If you're interested, you can watch it from the beginning yourselves."
The first episode mainly focused on the background and conspiracy, and now Qin Zhuo, who was hiding behind the scenes but controlling the whole situation, is finally making his grand entrance.
However, to be fair, the earlier plot points were not drawn out at all, giving the audience a sense of security that the starting point was very high and the characters were able to land steadily in the end.
Especially when Xiao He's face appeared—
The villainous aura he used to have completely faded away. Although there was still a murderous aura in his eyes when he was young, there was no negative coldness or sharpness. He was just a little more naive and a little more flamboyant, and had nothing to do with a dark villain.
In addition, Xiao He's own face was smart and convincing enough, so when such a young man as Qin Zhuo appeared in front of everyone, the first thing everyone thought of was not "Xiao He has finally appeared", but "As expected, he is Emperor Chen".
Emperor Qin Zhuo seems to be just like that.
He is Emperor Chen.
He wasn't an actor, nor was he Xiao He. He was a man who, in that era, swept across the world with his outstanding strength, directly secured the throne, and left behind a legacy of military achievements and lasting blessings for countless generations.
Mr. Qian also put his hands behind his back, rarely having the leisure to sit down and watch TV. Then he nodded and said, "No wonder the old man went upstairs after dinner tonight. It turns out he was going back to watch 'The Imperial Empire'."
Qian Wenhao said with embarrassment: "My second grandfather has been posting about it on his WeChat Moments for two days now, I'm afraid no one doesn't know about it."
Actually, not only Mr. Qian, but other older people are also watching it.
After all, Emperor Chen is truly a national idol.
But of course, the most exciting part is online.