Chapter 355

Great Song plane.

The Bianliang Imperial Palace was several sizes smaller than the Taiji Palace in Chang'an, but the layout was square, with red walls and yellow tiles; it had all the halls it should have, and all the gates it should have.

When the flying sword hovered directly above the palace city, the scene below had already exploded.

Guards ran out from various halls, some holding swords, some holding spears, and some who hadn't even had time to grab weapons, still clutching brooms in their hands.

They looked up at the giant sword in the sky and at the seven people on the sword, all of them foolish.

An elderly guard knelt down, muttering things like "Ancestors bless us."

Several young guards raised their swords toward the sky, their hands trembling, their swords trembling too, not knowing if they wanted to protect the emperor or bolster their own courage.

Zhao Kuangyin was in the Imperial Study reviewing memorials.

When he was reviewing the third one, a commotion came from outside, the sounds of footsteps, shouting, and clashing weapons mixed together, getting closer and closer.

He frowned, put down his brush, stood up, and walked to the door.

A guard stumbled in, his face pale: "Your... Your Majesty! In the sky—"

Zhao Kuangyin walked out of the hall and looked up to see the giant sword.

The sword hung above the main hall, less than thirty feet from the roof.

Seven people stood on the sword, the sunlight shining down from behind them, each person's silhouette gilded with a golden edge.

The one in the front was dressed in white, the five behind were wearing dragon robes, and there was a woman wearing a phoenix robe.

Five dragon robes.

Zhao Kuangyin's first thought was—who is so bold as to dare fly over his head wearing a dragon robe?

His second thought was—how are they flying?

His third thought was—never mind, go out and see first.

He strode out of the hall, crossed the corridor, and arrived at the square in front of the palace city.

The Forbidden Army had already formed a formation, swords unsheathed, bows strung, shield bearers in front, spearmen behind, surrounding Zhao Kuangyin layer by layer.

But no one dared to make a move.

Because the sword was suspended in mid-air, motionless.

It just hung there, with no ropes hanging it, no wings flapping, just hanging there; this simply subverted Zhao Kuangyin's understanding.

Zhao Kuangyin pushed aside the shield bearer in front of him and took a step forward.

The commander of the Forbidden Army pulled his sleeve, but he shook it off.

"May I ask if Immortals have arrived?"

His voice was not loud, but very steady.

Having been emperor for three years, if nothing else, his courage had been forged.

The young man in white on the sword smiled but didn't speak.

An old man in a dragon robe next to him leaned out, grinned, and revealed a mouthful of white teeth: "This is Immortal Master Gu, who issued the Sky Screen."

"I am Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Great Han."

Zhao Kuangyin's hand trembled.

The founding emperor of the Great Han? Liu Bang?

Before he could recover, another person on the sword spoke.

This time it was a middle-aged man with a cold, hard face and an extremely strong aura; his voice was not loud, but every word seemed to jump out of an ice cellar: "I am the First Emperor of Qin, Ying Zheng."

Zhao Kuangyin's pupils shrank.

The First Emperor of Qin? The First Emperor of Qin who unified the six states?

He subconsciously wanted to kneel.

It wasn't cowardice, it was a conditioned reflex—

Facing an emperor through the ages who had unified China, anyone would have a moment of weak knees.

But he held back.

"Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che."

"Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu."

"Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin."

One more famous than the next, one heavier in weight than the next.

Zhao Kuangyin took a deep breath, steadied his breathing, cupped his hands, bowed, and performed the full set of grand rites.

"I did not know the Immortals were arriving; I failed to welcome you from afar, and I beg for your forgiveness."

He looked up at the woman in the phoenix robe; she nodded slightly and did not introduce herself.

Liu Bang spoke for her: "This is Empress Zhangsun, Li Shimin's wife."

Zhao Kuangyin cupped his hands again.

Gu Shanhe controlled the flying sword to descend slowly.

When the sword was three feet from the ground, the Forbidden Army surrounding them instinctively rushed forward a step, their sword tips pointed at Gu Shanhe.

Gu Shanhe glanced at the Forbidden Army and waved his hand casually.

All the swords, spears, blades, and halberds in the soldiers' hands flew out of their hands at the same time, flying into the air, as if gripped by an invisible hand, hanging above their heads, motionless.

The whole scene was dead silent.

Zhao Kuangyin's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

The Forbidden Army soldiers were even more scared to the point of weak knees—it wasn't fear of death, but that this method exceeded their understanding.

Weapons flying up on their own; this wasn't martial arts, it wasn't a magic trick, it was immortal art.

Gu Shanhe waved his hand again, and the weapons fell gently back to the guards' feet, not a single one hitting the ground.

"Official Zhao, we have no malice; we just came to visit."

Gu Shanhe finished, paused, "And by the way, to issue a ranking list."

Zhao Kuangyin steadied himself, stepped aside to make way, his palms full of sweat, but his face revealed nothing: "Seniors, please."

Early the next morning, Bianliang City exploded.

The news of the Immortals flying into the palace on a sword yesterday spread throughout the city overnight.

Some said it was a true immortal descending to earth, others said it was a charlatan performing tricks; there were all kinds of talk.

Zhao Kuangyin issued an imperial edict overnight, saying that Immortals had arrived in the Great Song and would issue a list in front of the Xuande Tower, and that all civil and military officials and the commoners of the city could go to see it.

Those who believed went before dawn to occupy positions.

Those who didn't believe also went, wanting to see if it was a true immortal or just pretending to be a god.

In front of the Xuande Tower, on the square at the northernmost end of the Imperial Street, it was packed with people.

Civil and military officials in court dress stood in the front, followed by soldiers maintaining order, and then thousands of commoners.

Some stood on tiptoe to look at the city tower, others whispered and discussed.

On the city tower, Zhao Kuangyin was wearing a brand-new dragon robe, his back straight.

Several trusted ministers stood beside him; someone whispered to ask if he wanted to strengthen security, and Zhao Kuangyin waved his hand.

"If the Immortals wanted to kill me, they would have done it yesterday; there is no need to wait until today."

The ministers shut their mouths.

Just past the hour of Si, a golden light appeared in the sky.

It wasn't the sun, it was the Sky Screen.

The golden light screen fell from the dome, covering half the sky, even larger and brighter than the one seen in the Tang Dynasty.

The commoners on the square saw it first; someone shouted "Look at the sky," and everyone looked up.

The golden light became brighter and brighter, but it wasn't blinding, as if covered by a thin veil.

Images began to appear on the light screen—not static, but moving.

Mountains and rivers, palaces and cities, soldiers and warships, people moving about.

The whole city was in an uproar.

Those who originally didn't believe now believed.

It wasn't a trick, it wasn't an illusion, it was true immortal means.

Gu Shanhe flew over from behind the city tower on his sword.

The flying sword carried him and Ying Zheng, Liu Bang, Liu Che, Liu Xiu, Li Shimin, and Empress Zhangsun—seven people—slowly flying to the sky above the Xuande Tower, hanging below the Sky Screen.

Seeing this scene, the commoners on the square plopped down and knelt in a mass.

"Immortals! They are really Immortals!"

"Look! Those five wearing dragon robes! Five emperors!"

"That woman is the Empress, right?"

Gu Shanhe looked down at the dense crowd on the square and cleared his throat.

The voice was not loud, but everyone could hear it, as clear as if someone were whispering in their ear.

"Everyone, what is being issued on the Sky Screen today is the complete list of the emperors of the two Song Dynasties."

"From the founding of the Great Song to the fall of the Great Song, eighteen emperors, one by one."

The square was silent.

Gu Shanhe let go and recited something silently in his heart.

Above the firmament, wind and clouds surged, and the golden light flourished.

The new list was about to appear in the world.