Chapter 856 - 332: Sparking the Night with Starlight
Changning City, now fully under the control of the City Guard, is swiftly reconstructing order.
The army that came from other parts of Shangjing to offer support has assembled on the chaotic Jade Plateau, forming an oppressive and magnificent sight. No one dares to provoke the authority of Shangjing anymore.
On Jingming Square at the Immortal Palace,
Immortal Emperor Jiang Xuan stands on the terrace, looking up at the sky. Below him are the civil and military officials, neatly arranged. This session of the Court, everyone here is seeing Jiang Xuan’s stance for the first time.
This Immortal Emperor, for the vast majority of time, only let the world feel his will, hardly revealing his true form.
Thus, it is a great fortune for the officials.
"Ladies and gentlemen, have you seen it? What is happening above in the heavens," Jiang Xuan’s voice is calm yet authoritative.
Of course they saw it, that grand and awe-inspiring spectacle.
Fan Wubing, as if the Master of the Dao, effortlessly stripped away the Terminal Daoists’ powers. Those who willingly surrendered their power were spared, while the resistant ones were arranged to walk the path of reincarnation once again.
This ability, in their eyes, is no different from myth and legend.
Never before in history has there been a figure of such level.
If someone had told them earlier that a person could master the Three Thousand Innate Dao, they would certainly have thought this person was insane, deluded by extreme desires from failing to pursue the Dao.
But now, they witnessed it firsthand.
Fan Wubing has become the true Master of the Dao, the absolute ruler.
But what does the Immortal Emperor intend to convey?
The crowd remains silent.
No one dares speak lightly.
Jiang Xuan’s tone becomes slow and solemn,
"Those Terminal Daoists, content in their empty status, exploiting seekers for personal gain, fostering various so-called celestial factions. This is the fate they deserve. The Shangjing Immortal Dynasty, enjoying transfusions from the world, yet failing to reciprocate, and now the dragon veins are disintegrating, the national fortune severely hampered, this too is the fate deserved. What about you?"
He turns back to look at the civil and military officials.
Jiang Xuan is met with deeper silence.
Everyone understands that a purge is inevitable.
The Shangjing Immortal Dynasty has fallen from grace, regressed to the Imperial Dynasty, its core weakened significantly, unable to sustain the bloated body, thus the shedding and bleeding is bound to happen. Jiang Xuan’s words are merely a prelude, an advance notice to prepare their minds.
With Fan Wubing’s prior arrangement concerning the Terminal Daoists, even a fool knows what to do now.
"Right Minister stays, the rest may disperse," Jiang Xuan says.
After expressing gratitude, the officials hurriedly depart to arrange their own back roads.
"Your Majesty." Gong Tianrui arrives behind Jiang Xuan.
Jiang Xuan says,
"It’s time to restore the Eldest Princess’s name."
Gong Tianrui is momentarily stunned. The term Eldest Princess feels quite unfamiliar to him. After some moment, he realizes it refers to His Majesty’s sister, Jiang Ran.
"What does Your Majesty think?" Right Minister cautiously inquires about Jiang Xuan’s view.
Jiang Xuan says,
"The Eldest Princess understands the divine principles and sees the truth with discerning eyes. For a thousand years, she devoted herself to the Immortal Dynasty’s cause tirelessly, to the world’s work, exhausting both body and mind. She is the epitome of human excellence and nurturing spirit, worthy of eternal reverence and remembrance by all."
Worthy of eternal reverence and remembrance by all?
Upon hearing this, Gong Tianrui trembles. This is usually used to describe... the dead.
The Eldest Princess...
Gong Tianrui also understands that, as a minister, he should not delve into matters better left alone, even in thought.
He bows and says,
"I obey Your Majesty’s command."
After Gong Tianrui leaves, a shadow slowly grows from light to dense, then emerges from the ground. As the shadow recedes, Liu Qingqing appears in her true form. She is now no longer in the image of an old woman but a young lady in her twenties.
Liu Qingqing does not regard Jiang Xuan as an emperor, thus speaks in a usual tone,
"The Hall Master left a letter for you."
She hands an ordinary ink-and-paper letter to Jiang Xuan.
Judging by the handwriting on the seal, Jiang Xuan immediately recognizes it as penned by his sister.
He impatiently opens it. The letter contains little, just one sentence—
"Brother Xuan, these years you’ve suffered, I’m sorry, I am an irresponsible sister."
Jiang Xuan’s fist clenches tightly, crumpling the letter into a ball, speaking in a deep voice,
"She absolutely didn’t need to say such a thing!"
Liu Qingqing hasn’t read the letter but can guess its content. She knows her Hall Master too well,
"The Hall Master always blames herself for everything. She never accuses others. But I must say, her greatest fault is precisely this. If she had learned to blame others just a bit, she wouldn’t have ended up sacrificing herself for everyone else."
Even the Emperor, who rarely reveals his inner thoughts on his face, cannot avoid sorrow at this moment.
He was raised by his sister Jiang Ran, and to him, she is not just a sister, but a mother, a teacher who imparted wisdom and dispelled doubts.
He certainly believes that his sister deserved a better ending.
With a glimmer of hope, he asks,
"Fan Wubing could bring back Pei Weiyi, maybe he can bring her back too?"