Chapter 597

But whenever he thinks of how the fifth died, the King feels uneasy. Marquis of Han Shou has already risen to the top of his kill list; if given the chance, the King only wants to personally slay Bai Li Qi. Thus he feels extra pity for the Princess of Everlasting Spring, and hates even more how the Wusun take advantage of the situation.

But Xie Tu is also correct; by personally acting now, he really gives the Wusun face!

The King turned his gaze to Wei Shen, who had a bad premonition, and asked, "What do you mean by looking at me?"

Cousin, go.

Wei Shen immediately objected, "No way! Back in Chang'an you could hit whoever you wanted because your dad is the emperor. My dad is only the heir of the Marquis of Wei Ting; I can't afford that."

The King, frustrated, said, "Your older brother is the Commander of the Feathered Forest Guard, and I'm about to ascend the throne—yet you don't dare to cause trouble in Chang'an? Don't make me look down on you; go quickly! If someone files a complaint against you, I'll selectively turn a deaf ear, understand?"

Xie Tu: ……

Wei Shen: ……

This time Wei Shen let out a long sigh, "Fortunately I conduct myself properly; otherwise, following you, Your Majesty, I would have become the tyrant of the Capital City!"

Xie Tu: ……

Great King: ……

That arrogant, smug look let Xie Tu see some of the King's likeness in him. Everyone says the King resembles the Eldest Young Master of Wei, and he claims that those who constantly hang out together are the most alike, with even their microexpressions practically identical.

After seeing off the Stopwatch Brother, the King again ordered Zhao Baqin to fetch the Princess of Everlasting Spring into the palace.

"There's nowhere else to go home to; still staying in a place like the Hospitality Guesthouse for guests. Though the old man is gone, I, the King, am still here. …Let her stay in the residence she had before marriage, let people attend to her well, without neglect."

Xie Tu opened his mouth to say something, but still didn't speak. The rule of Great Jin is that a married princess cannot return to live in the palace, just as a feudal lord who returns from his fief can only stay in the Hospitality Guesthouse.

Tomorrow, upon learning this, the Minister of Rites and the Director of the Imperial Ancestry will surely come to oppose the King.

But the King is clearly an oddball; court regulations have never been the most important thing for him.

Earlier, Xie Yuan quickly received the news; the earnest pleas of the two 'Old Door Gods' at the gate, plus Xie Tu's persuasion, had already caused the King to turn back to the Sleeping Palace. Hearing this, Xie Yuan felt greatly relieved; the King still listens to advice.

After just a couple of hours, word came that the Wusun Prince had been beaten bloody, his arms broken. The Wusun Prince cited a blemish on his face as his reason to decline attending the King's coronation ceremony, and though he didn't file a complaint seeking justice, one can guess he knows in his heart who did it.

Before Xie Yuan could even react, he heard that another trouble had arisen in the palace: the King thought sending a few camels as a gift to the Wusun was too shabby, saying it was deliberately meant to slight him.

He wasn't just speaking in secret; he had people spread it far and wide, and the whole atmosphere of the Honglu Office grew even more tense.

Those dispatched as representatives aren't fools either; smart people are prone to overthink, and Bai Li Jing here is definitely giving them a warning for not yet presenting tribute.

Did you hear? The camels and their fur are looking a bit shabby.

The Xiongnu envoy team, just arrived in Ever Peace and still catching their breath, had suppressed anger all the way that almost turned into a spit of old blood. Bai Li Jing, can you be any more shameless?!

The King is still angry, he's standing in the Establish-Regulations Palace with hands on hips, jumping around, saying, "Great, great~ The ones who came are either the heir or the grandson; the feudal lords—none showed up, right?!"

Tong Chen shrank his neck, "... not exactly, there are also brothers and sons born of concubines."

Zhao Ba Meng raised his head and glanced at the foolish disciple, "You know how to light a fire." He hurriedly soothed the enraged King, "Your Highness, calm down, your milk tea is ready..."

"I'm not drinking it; I'm so angry I'm not even thirsty!"

Zhao Ba: "... It sounds as if you want the milk tea because you're thirsty."

"How could my character be so bad? Could I really make them come and never return? How would that work?! I only send them to enjoy blessings in Remote Prefecture!" The King muttered to himself.

Everyone: ……

Wei Shen added fuel to the fire, he asked Zhao Ba: "Who has come from Broad Mausoleum?"

Zhao Ba felt vexed, but still answered honestly: "... It's the Chancellor."

Wei Shen chimed in: "Oh oh oh~ They really sent someone? What on earth is your second brother thinking? And what about Thorny Prefecture?" He asked Zhao Ba again.

Zhao Ba: "Replying to Second Young Master, Thorny Prefecture has had no movement."

The King also stopped jumping, he quietly returned and sat: "It's fine that the second brother isn't coming; otherwise I'd feel embarrassed. Should I let him go back or not?! As for the elder nephew…… if he comes, I'd still have to take care of his diapers, so if he doesn't come, all the better~"

The King's double standards are crystal clear, and he knows it himself: "It's normal for the second and fourth brothers not to come; as long as the gifts arrive, just don't send only assassins." The King's demands are also very low.

Everyone: ……

What moving brotherhood!

★

★

★

☆

Main text:

As the date drew near, Zhu Ti also personally led a caravan to Ever Peace. Now that Dong Fu is in charge of the Northern Border's military affairs, Zhu Ti no longer needs to take turns guarding Remote Prefecture with the King.

The King, in order to separate the feudal lords and the envoys once, actually postponed the auction at the Floating Pagoda Tower; now that Zhu Ti has arrived, the Floating Pagoda Tower is rolling up its sleeves, ready for a big showdown.

On his first day arriving, Zhu Ti went to the site of the coronation ceremony under renovation, walked around, and left only two words: "Shabby." to make the officer in charge, the Grand Minister of Rites, furious.

Old Master Cheng felt terribly wronged; he wasn't being careless, after all—the specifications for this coronation preparation aren't any worse than those for Emperor Ning De's accession back then. You have to know that these are turbulent times; they've already done their best.

He went to see the new Chancellor, Xie Yuan, who remained calm: "Zhu, the Chief Steward, isn't saying you're not conscientious; she's merely giving an objective assessment, with no ill intent. Everything in Ever Peace, compared to the Northern Border Prince's Manor, is somewhat crude, lacking grandeur. She's always frank and outspoken; the Grand Minister of Rites need not take it to heart."

Several officials present drew a breath, "It's only somewhat crude?!"

What the heck does that mean?! Isn't the Chancellor unhappy too?! This is just boasting!

At this point, no one thinks the Northern Border Prince's Manor can compare to Ever Peace's palace complex, inherited for three hundred years; they only feel that these people from Remote Prefecture are being nitpicky and stiff‑mouthed, possibly a new kind of intimidation tactic.

After Zhu Ti finished evaluating the site, she went to see the King, speaking her mind as usual: "Your lordship's coronation ceremony looks rather shabby; the facilities can't keep up, so we can only make up for it elsewhere—good thing I brought the atmosphere crew for the King."

The King didn't care about those formalities, but having personally gone through the procedure, he didn't find it shabby at all—only overly tedious, a bit of a waste of his time.

He objected, saying, "I even had the cavalry personally serve as the honor guard to open the eyes of Ever Peace's people—is this standard still not high enough?" Then, curious, he asked, "What atmosphere crew did you bring?"

Zhu Ti pulled out a familiar bag, saying, "I caught a mirage before leaving. With it, my lord is the Mandate of Heaven's choice, occupying the high ground of public opinion among the rebel kings." Feudal ancients aren't that easy to fool, huh? Dragon—Chief Steward Zhu is full of confidence.

Upon hearing that, the King exclaimed, "That makes sense! How could I have forgotten I have a dragon?!"

Although it's not quite fair to it, being on assignment in Ever Peace means being separated from friends and losing freedom for a while, but raising a dragon for a thousand days—its usefulness comes down to this moment.

On the night the lord ascended the throne, our Floating Pagoda Tower sponsored a fireworks display; can we add it to the coronation proceedings later, so that everyone in Chang'an knows about it?

The king instantly grasped the point; he still knows what fireworks are, though he hasn't seen them live, but he saw a video at White Yang's place. "Are these fireworks developed by the Directorate of Astronomy, or did you buy them at the manor?"

The folks who researched gunpowder crossbow explosive packs have made a simple version of fireworks, but their level is still insufficient to set off at the coronation ceremony. Our Ministry of Commerce bought some fancy ones at the manor as early promotion for the Northern Border fireworks, to give the world a shock and to warm up for the fireworks the Directorate of Astronomy will produce later. Your Highness must specify that this fireworks display is sponsored by the Floating Pagoda Tower; such a world‑watching prosperous age will let our Floating Pagoda Tower become famous in one fell swoop.

The king: ……

Once the fireworks are over, we'll immediately open the Floating Pagoda Tower auction, right? I never thought of that! This is far more effective than posting small ads on the street and at the Honglu Office.

Chief Manager Zhu lets no advertising opportunity slip, including his coronation ceremony. And the king himself is pleased with it. It's all about making money!

When Chang'an was swept by wind and clouds, the atmosphere stretched to its limit, the king's coronation finally arrived.

He didn't leave the palace, and all kinds of troops obediently stayed at the Honglu Office.

The previous night, the king nagged at White Ze for a long time; the theme was that if he didn't come, he'd burst!

Xie Yuan and Lu Tong took turns watching him, as if the moment he stepped out of the palace gate, the various forces of Chang'an would hack him to pieces.

The ninth day of the tenth month, a great auspicious day; all undertakings are suitable.

While Chang'an City was still immersed in the last of the night, the palace was already brightly lit, and the king, eyes still closed, was dragged up by Zhao Bao.

Your Highness, no, from now on you can't be called Your Highness. Your Majesty, it's time to get up.

Tong Chen led the little eunuchs in shouting, "Your Majesty, it's time to get up!" vowing to rouse the lazybones who lingers in bed.

This guy, eyes closed, doesn't care whether the palace staff call him Your Highness or Your Majesty; he should just keep lazing.

Twelve palace maids held up dark-colored deep garments and various accessories, standing still like terracotta figures, while the newly crowned emperor, still eyes closed, was dragged by Zhao Bao and Tong Chen into the bath.

Your Majesty? Wake up, open your eyes and see—today's bath water is extraordinary! Drawn from the Wei, Jing, Feng, Lao, Xiang, Chan, Mi, and Ji rivers, gathering the waters of eight streams, symbolizing "receiving the mandate from the rivers and lakes of the world".

The king curiously opened one eye: "Hmph, washing with this eight‑treasure water is receiving the mandate from heaven? What a waste of manpower!"

Zhao Bao: ……

Certainly, no matter what position this person ascends to, his mouth won't change.

What the heck is this Eight‑Treasure Water?

The not‑so‑steady Tong Chen almost laughed at the king's description.

When the first ray of morning light shone through the window lattice, the Grand Coachman presented the twelve‑symbol ceremonial robe. Sun, moon, and stars embroidered on the shoulders; mountain dragons and floral insects painted on the sleeves; ancestral vessels, algae, fire, and rice patterns woven into the lower garment.

The Grand Minister of Rites loudly recited the ancient teaching: "Sun and moon shine bright, mountain dragons guard the state; these twelve symbols are not mere adornments, but the diagram of the heavenly mandate."

The king silently muttered to himself: "Heavenly mandate? I have another handy way of expressing it~"

At the early morning hour, the procession set out from the Northern Gate, heading for the High Temple, to first go to the ancestral temple and announce the sacrifice to the forebears.

Along the way, the populace, dressed anew, knelt on both sides of the road; before seeing any people, they heard the sound of hooves.

The hoofbeats of several thousand warhorses merged into a single rhythm, like rolling thunder striking the ground, carrying the earth's resonance, finally landing in everyone's chest.

The sound grew louder; they first saw the towering fully armored cavalry and warhorses, the fur beneath the horses' armor shimmering like silk as they moved, the cavalry's black iron armor tightly wrapped around their bodies, only a slit at the eyes revealing pairs of calm, stern eyes.

The cavalry steadied their grip on the sword hilt, as if they would draw their sharp side‑blades the next second.

Sharp, icy.

The black‑armored cavalry stretched in lines, leaving the populace on both sides of the road marveling and shocked.

A unit with blades passed, followed by a unit holding military flags. The wind today also had spirit, suddenly shifting, the black‑background gold‑character military flag fully unfurled.

The front row of civilians could even see the fine cloud‑and‑thunder patterns on the black armor, and see the dust kicked up and settled by the horses' hooves.

Chang'an City had never been so quiet before, except for the sound of hooves and armor rubbing.

Everyone simultaneously had the same thought: No wonder the world has fallen into his hands! Moreover, having held Chang'an for so long without rushing to take the throne, now we see he truly possesses an unparalleled advantage!

The king sat solemnly on the azure‑canopied imperial carriage, struggling to hold back a yawn; if only he'd known not to set up a stall at the manor yesterday evening.

All the way dazed, he arrived at the ancestral temple; when the new emperor performed the kowtow ritual, his forehead struck the cold stone tiles, and this fellow finally came to his senses a bit. Rising, he heard the Grand Historian's prayer in his ears; the king boredly repeated it silently in his mind, then he realized something was seriously wrong!

That prayer was obscure and torturous; hearing it, he didn't even know how to write some of the characters!

This guy instantly woke up—heaven has collapsed!

And from now on, even if heaven collapses, there's no taller person to shield him! From today onward, the world will smash onto Bai Li Jing's shoulders!

Ah—

No, it's—woe~

★

★

★

Supplementary section:

………………new chapter………………

………………new chapter………………

………………new chapter………………

Everyone felt the king's expression growing grimmer; Xie Yuan, who had followed the king all along, also had some thoughts, thinking that at this moment the king's mood must be extremely complex. Without surprise, from now on this myriad‑mile realm will gradually become his, surely because heightened emotion plus a sense of duty makes it especially complex.

Who knows the king's worries?

When he was young, he only wanted to go to Changzhou, where his uncle held a fief, and then laze around.

Later, when he grew up and realized it was impossible, he wanted to go to a less poor place, and then laze around.

In short, just laze around.

As it turns out, now it's great—he's started borrowing money to unify the world!

Now the unification process has only just begun; he knows the hardest nut to crack isn't the fourth and second elders, but Bai Li Qi's Great Chu and the rebelled Ailao states and Shu region, with distant and unfavorable terrain.

Oh, also lacking money and grain.

After the ancestral temple rites, the newly crowned emperor, just out of the furnace, let out a long sigh—alas! Sorrow~

He drew several puzzled glances from the nearby Minister of Rites and Commandant of the Imperial Stables. "What are you sighing about? You've already ascended the throne and become emperor! Are you trying to hide the joy that makes you want to leap up?"

As Your Majesty was about to leave, he suddenly turned back and glanced at the altar, his expression inscrutable and hard to read.

Everyone was wondering what he was looking at; only Zhao Ba's heart was pounding, as he felt that this fellow was gazing at this batch of brand-new ritual vessels.

★

New Era Ritual Vessels: dangerous~