[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten":3,"chapter-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-186":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Simulated to Reality: I Once Looked Down Upon Ten Thousand Ages?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2347201,4587,"Chapter 186: Ancestors and Founders, Take My Head!","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-186",186,"\u003Cp>Inside Fengtian Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air seemed frozen, heavy and suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie, commander of the Jinwu Guard, stood within the hall, his gaze piercing through the window lattice toward the gradually weakening assault outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s stopped! Everyone, be silent!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his heart felt no relief, only weighed down by profound sorrow and self-reproach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reality is cruel!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy forces outside numbered in the thousands—no fewer than four thousand heavily armored infantry—encircling Fengtian Hall tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another three thousand guards stood ready on the flanks, able to deploy ten thousand troops at a moment’s notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a disparity in strength pressed upon Dong Jie like never before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s a tenfold difference!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie knew that if not for his years of strict training and deep attachment to the Jinwu Guard, they would have collapsed without a fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could only hold out within this main hall, without water or food, their situation dire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the enemy not hesitated, they would have been slaughtered long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie sighed—he had already lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his heart refused to accept it. If it were true battle, he would not fear men like Lu Lu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with a three- or fourfold numerical disadvantage, he still believed he could hold his ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all of that was past now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jinwu Guard, once a mighty army, now numbered barely a thousand within this hall—most of the rest in the Jinwu Guard headquarters in Jingcheng were likely dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face bore only anguish and fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A pack of cowardly scoundrels!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Empress Dowager forged an imperial edict, summoning them back to the palace to protect the emperor; the Eastern Depot was destroyed, and Dong Jie, panicked, rushed to rescue the emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could have imagined!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Lu ambushed them outside Xuanwu Gate, causing catastrophic losses to the Jinwu Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, all is lost!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What pierced Dong Jie’s heart even deeper was that the Yulin Army, whom he had placed his hopes in, had failed to come to their aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time passed, he had begun to suspect the truth—the Yulin Army had betrayed them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The revelation struck like a thunderclap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were at the end of their rope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie’s chainmail was soaked through with blood; he turned his gaze to a man in a yellow robe standing beneath the portraits of past emperors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knelt straight down, his voice choked with grief:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, Dong Jie is guilty—I was blind, I failed to see the edict was forged!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He banged his head hard against the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the Yulin Army—I entrusted them to the wrong man, bringing about this disaster!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice echoed through the empty hall, thick with self-blame and helplessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Dong Jie had once been a servant in the Second Prince’s residence, and thus called him “my lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen turned to face Dong Jie, his expression calm as still water, neither sorrowful nor joyful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not your fault.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke softly, yet his tone carried an indescribable weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is I who entrusted power to the wrong man—I never imagined Xie Chunan would do this. The Yulin Army was under his command from the start; it has nothing to do with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mention of Xie Chunan’s name!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie’s face flushed with rage again; his fists clenched, as if he longed to tear that old villain into a thousand pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen’s gaze returned to the portraits of past emperors, each seated upon the dragon throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They radiated majesty, speaking of imperial glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen spoke slowly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I only wonder—what does Xie Chunan truly want? I intended to rule with him as loyal minister and sovereign, to truly entrust my heart to him—but I never imagined…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, brows knitted, then continued: “Yet if he was involved in Chen Sanzhong’s affair, he has already angered the Grand Empress Dowager—so why proceed further?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two fell into silence, a Jinwu Guard rushed in to report:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the Empress and the Grand Empress Dowager have arrived!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen nodded silently, but upon hearing “Empress,” a coldness involuntarily crossed his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This “trusted confidant” had immediately defected to the Grand Empress Dowager after he opposed the Northern Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say marriage is a blessing earned over a hundred, a thousand lifetimes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen murmured, shaking his head, his voice laced with bitter self-ridicule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, the Son of Heaven, am now controlled by two women!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie recalled the day’s events—unpredictable beyond measure!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the Western Depot ambushed Lu Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the Jinwu Guard exterminated the Western Depot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie used the golden arrow to recruit Lu Chen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The City Gate Captain mobilized troops to annihilate the Eastern Depot, pushing the conflict to its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All factions emerged: ministers like the Minister of Rituals and the Commander of the Capital Guards were drawn into the struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forged edicts, ambushes, purges—each shocking scene unfolded within the palace, leaving one breathless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the dust finally settled, Dong Jie realized there was no true victor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Grand Empress Dowager appeared dominant, she had suffered heavy losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The destruction of the Western Depot, the death of Chen Sanzhong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The City Gate Captain not only lost many troops, but worse—he dragged the imperial family’s power struggle into the open, a devastating blow to imperial authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pyrrhic victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the root of it all? Only one man: Lu Chen’s arrival in the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, at the center of this storm—Lu Shenzhou—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amazing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unharmed, untouched, safe and sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man had cultivated for fifteen years, long removed from court politics—what role had he truly played?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie felt countless riddles swirling in his mind, beyond comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they must be tied to this Young Protector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another Jinwu Guard hurried in, urgently reporting:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress wish to see you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie snapped out of his thoughts and looked to his master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Empress Dowager was his blood relative; the Empress, his wife of over a decade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even power struggles respected human ties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen laughed softly, his face filled only with sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell them—I will not see them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is I who refuse to see them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Victory and defeat—what is there to say? Must I, Zhou Zhen, beg for mercy before two women?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen turned to Dong Jie and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah Dong, come here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhou Zhen was still in the Prince’s residence, he had called Dong Jie “Ah Dong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take your sword, cut off my head, and take it to claim the title of Battalion Commander.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhou Zhen would rather die by your hand than by the hands of two women—how could I face the ancestors of Daqing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Jie heard this as if struck by lightning; he shot his head up, eyes wide with disbelief and anguish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face, unable to rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Zhen sighed, his voice bitter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eight years as emperor—and in a single day, all is lost—like a dream, like a phantom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, Zhou Zhen, once dreamed of achieving greatness like my ancestors—but in the end… ha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My posthumous temple name will be Emperor Xi—how laughable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the highest temple names—Tai Zong, Gao Zong, Shi Zong, Zhong Zong—were reserved for true founders, restorers, or rulers of great civil virtue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The upper tier: Ren Zong, Xiao Zong, Sheng Zong, Xian Zong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even my father was only a middling Shun Zong, and even that was due to his recovery of the northern lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xi Zong is only slightly better than the temple name of a dynasty’s last ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperors bearing this title ruled while their realm lay in ruins, powerless over court affairs, essentially figureheads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jinyu Guards outside the door exclaimed excitedly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the Yulin Army!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Yulin Army has arrived!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, everyone outside the hall was filled with intense excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhen’s eyes suddenly lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1325,"2026-06-21T01:32:57.622Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","01d966f261e11d4e4a44af8862cdae8148da3b9cacaab5078a64f4752091063e","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-187","simulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-chapter-185",728,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimulated-to-reality-i-once-looked-down-upon-ten-cover.jpg"]