Chapter 727: Entering the Temple

Dark clouds have shrouded Jingcheng for three days already.

The so-called dark clouds are not a description of the atmosphere, but a literal celestial phenomenon.

The sky over Jingcheng is filled with haze, the black clouds pressing down so low that it feels as if one could touch them by reaching out a hand.

Those black clouds are no ordinary clouds; wisps of lightning roll within them like loaches drilling through mud, and muffled peals of thunder can be heard from time to time.

This is the Nine-Layer Thunder Cloud, containing power capable of destroying heaven and extinguishing the earth. Jingcheng is completely enveloped beneath the thunder clouds, with Shadow everywhere; it is more than just a storm about to break—it is as if the end of the world is at hand.

This day is the tenth of the first lunar month.

Noon.

Jingcheng, which has not seen Sunlight for several days, is extremely gloomy today. Although it is high noon, it is darker than dusk, and the carriages and horses walking on the main road must all hang a Lamp.

From afar, a procession of men and horses approaches along the official road. In the front, several wind-proof lanterns are hung, and behind them, the main group holds high a Torch. The procession is straight and orderly, like a dragon of fire.

The procession passes a post station; this is the last post station on the official road, and ten miles further ahead lies Jingcheng.

Suddenly, a spark of light also flickers in the station, and someone says, "Is that His Highness Prince Shun arriving ahead?"

The large procession stops and parts from both sides. A person wearing magnificent royal robes rides over on a tall horse and says, "This Prince is here. Who are you?"

Only three people emerge from the station. The one in the middle wears a Seven Stars robe and a crane cap; he is a young yellow-capped Daoist who bows and says, "This subordinate has been ordered to wait here to welcome Your Highness."

Seeing that he is not wearing official robes yet calls himself a subordinate, Prince Shun's expression changes slightly, and he says, "Daoist, you are..."

The Daoist says politely, "This subordinate is Xu Zhongnan, a Fourth-Rank Immortal Official of the Nine Heavens Dao Palace, sent by the State Preceptor to welcome Your Highness."

Upon hearing this, Prince Shun immediately rolls off his horse, his face full of smiles, and says, "So it is an Immortal Official from the Dao Palace! Why trouble the State Preceptor to think of Xiao Wang?"

Xu Zhongnan smiles and says, "Your Highness has come from afar, how could we dare to be negligent? Please follow me, Your Highness."

Prince Shun agrees, but thoughts are already forming in his mind. He says, "Where are we going? Is it to see the Emperor? Xiao Wang is covered in dust and it is not appropriate to see the Emperor now; would it not be better to return to my manor to change clothes?"

Xu Zhongnan pauses slightly and says, "Naturally, it is not to see the Emperor; the State Preceptor has requested your presence."

Prince Shun feels a secret jolt, but his face remains smiling as he says, "The State Preceptor is also incomparably noble; would it not be rude for me to go see him now? Why don't I return to my manor to change clothes..."

Xu Zhongnan glances at him and says, "The State Preceptor wishes to invite Your Highness to go immediately. If Your Highness insists on returning to the manor, then please go ahead. I will report it truthfully."

Prince Shun was originally just testing him, but with Xu Zhongnan pushing back like this, he does not persist, nor is he angry—this is considered polite for someone from the Dao Palace. He smiles and says, "What are you saying? The State Preceptor's summons is naturally the most important thing. Please lead the way."

Xu Zhongnan says, "Very well, this way please."

The place he gestures to is actually the pavilion by the side of the road.

Prince Shun's heart skips a beat, and he thinks to himself: Why is the State Preceptor waiting for me in a pavilion? Did he come specifically for me? Do I have such great face? What on earth is this about?

Immediately after, he thinks to himself: It must be that matter! If others don't know, how could I not? It seems my intelligence could not be more accurate; the little Emperor is indeed dead. The State Preceptor is naturally flustered; is he coming here to meet me to guard against me, or to test me?

He thinks for a moment and feels that the probability of a vassal king outside the capital, the Emperor's cousin, directly becoming a candidate for Emperor is too small. There are two of the Emperor's own younger brothers in the capital; no matter what, it would not be his turn.

It seems he is being guarded against?

I am a vassal king from the provinces, a man of real power; is the State Preceptor here in person to intimidate and beat me down?

He suppresses a cold sneer, but he has already made preparations:

He knew the news earlier than anyone else, so he naturally had a contingency plan early on. He reckons the State Preceptor will not kill him on sight, so he naturally has the confidence to adapt.

He waves his hand, signaling the others to wait where they are, takes a deep breath, straightens his cap, and enters the pavilion alone with his head held high.

Who would have thought that upon entering the pavilion and sweeping his eyes across it, the pavilion is empty without a single figure.

"How..."

"Your Highness Prince Shun, this way." Xu Zhongnan follows him in and points to the door on the opposite side.

This pavilion has two opposite doors, yet it is, after all, only the most rudimentary pavilion; one can see inside from the outside, and outside from the inside. Prince Shun sees at a glance that there is only desolate wilderness outside.

"There is no one outside, where are you telling me to go?" Prince Shun says, suppressing the fear in his heart.

Could it be that the State Preceptor really wants to fight to the death, taking advantage of the desolate wilderness to completely wipe out this vassal king?

Although this is at the foot of the Imperial City and it is high noon, the State Preceptor could create a "dark night with high winds, a perfect time for murder and arson"!

Prince Shun is not afraid of debating logic, he is only afraid of physics!

Xu Zhongnan says politely, "Your Highness, you will know once you go out. Since you are already here, why not take a step? It is not a solution for you to stay in the pavilion forever."

Prince Shun is secretly angry, glances at him, and suddenly strides forward across the door.

The moment he crosses the door, the surrounding scenery changes, and he has entered a magnificent grand hall.

This is... the Feng Xian Dian of the Tai Miao!

As a vassal king born in the provinces, he does not have many opportunities to enter the Tai Miao, but that place is so sacred that he has a deep impression of it. At this moment, he sees at a glance the portraits hanging in the hall and the spirit tablets placed on the incense table.

That includes his own grandfather, the late late Emperor.

Heh, perhaps by now it is already the late late late Emperor.

Just at this moment, he hears someone shout, "Who are you?"

Prince Shun is startled and hurriedly looks back, only to see an old man sitting in the hall, wearing golden armor, with a white beard and hair, his expression of majesty the likes of which he has never seen in his life.

He is even more majestic than his own grandfather, whom Prince Shun only saw once when he was a child, making one dare not look directly at him!

"Are you... the State Preceptor?"

Prince Shun has never met the State Preceptor, he is only guessing.

No...

This suit of golden armor is very familiar...

No, this person's appearance is even more familiar.

An absurd thought pops into Prince Shun's mind; he refuses to believe it himself, yet his body has already involuntarily lunged forward and fallen to his knees, crying out, "Great Ancestor... Great Ancestor Grandfather!"

This person is exactly like the one who walked out of that portrait of the Great Ancestor, only far more majestic than in the painting; it can only be the Great Ancestor himself!

The old man says, "You call me Great Ancestor, are you my grandson?"

Prince Shun explains, "Child is your tenth-generation grandson, your direct tenth-generation grandson."

The old man is slightly startled and says, "Tenth-generation grandson, so that's how it is. I said that when I died, I had already seen the Grandson of the Emperor, but he was different from you. So you are the eleventh Emperor of the Great Jin? Not bad, you look heroic and spirited; you have the bearing of a ruler."

Prince Shun was embarrassed at first, but immediately after, a spark ignited in the depths of his heart:

Did you hear that?

The bearing of a sovereign!

Bestowed personally by the Grand Ancestor!

Is this not Heaven's mandate?

However, even though there was no one around, and even though he had fallen into a state of self-satisfied relaxation the moment he entered the hall, with his speed of thought far slower than usual, he still retained his reason and knew he could not just go along with the flow; he hurriedly said, "This grandson has no fortune to be a sovereign, I am merely a vassal king. The current Emperor is my nephew."

The Grand Ancestor frowned and said, "That is not right. If you are not the Emperor, why do you have such a bearing?" As he spoke, his eyebrows gradually stood up, and he barked, "And why do you have such wild ambition?"

Prince Shun's heart skipped a beat, his Bone felt numb, and he instinctively said, "I do not! Grand Ancestor, please look clearly; when has this grandson ever had ambition? Even if I did, it is the ambition to build merit and the loyalty to assist a wise ruler!"

The Grand Ancestor barked, "Stop playing these little tricks! When I was reading through the hearts of men everywhere, you were not even dust! Do you think I cannot see through you? You clearly have had a heart of rebellion for a long time! You are already a vassal king who has taken his fief; the names of sovereign and subject were long ago fixed. Instead of calming your heart and cultivating your Qi, and managing your fief well, you harbor surging ambition—what is this for?"

Prince Shun was both shocked and angry, and not knowing where the courage came from, he actually did not lower his head, but instead shouted, "Do you wish to execute my heart? I say I have no ambition, and you do not believe me; could it be you want your subject to cut open his heart for you to see? Or do you wish to execute me in the name of 'intending to rebel'? How do you know I have not been working from dawn to dusk to manage my fief? Of all the royal fiefs, only my Youzhou is still authentic Great Jin territory; the others have either become states within a state or are a Human District, how can they compare to mine? Even that Emperor, he only knows how to bicker with the Empress Dowager like a pair of crows; he has been on the throne for several years, when has he ever done a single good deed? Even so, I still respectfully serve him as the Supreme, without the slightest disrespect, acting as a northern barrier to quell chaos and guard the borders; how is it that, on the contrary, I have become a traitor? Even if it is you, Grand Ancestor, I do not submit!"

The further he went, the more he lost control, and he did not know how he had blurted out his heartfelt words. These were all things he could only shout to his heart's content in his dreams.

That Grand Ancestor stared at him for a long time and said, "Come here."

Prince Shun had some reservations, but he still walked over. Although he had just been indignant and spoken violently, that burst of impulse had come and gone quickly, and for some inexplicable reason, it had Disappearance; having calmed down, he still had to respect the Grand Ancestor.

Especially in this space, he seemed to instinctively want to obey the Grand Ancestor's command; that outburst just now had almost drained his emotions dry.

Arriving before the Grand Ancestor, he bowed down respectfully; the Grand Ancestor raised his hand, Touch the top of Prince Shun's head, and gently stroked his hair.

That was the tactile sensation of human skin, and the warmth of a human body; it was a living person, no mistake.

The Grand Ancestor said slowly, "Grandson, I know you feel wronged, and I also know you have ability and ambition. You know you have talent and the bearing of a sovereign, yet you have never had the opportunity, and you are depressed and restless. But you must know, as a member of the royal family, you are already protected by Heaven's mandate, and naturally, you must shoulder the responsibilities of the royal family."

Prince Shun said, "I..."

I am just about to shoulder them properly.

"The responsibilities of the royal family—governing the court and the fiefs are secondary; the most important thing is to guard the Emperor, or rather, to guard the throne."

His voice turned gentle, and he spoke at length: "There is only one Emperor, and he belongs to only one person. But the throne belongs to the Yuan royal family. This is also the foundation of everything for my family. The Emperor is a towering tree, and the royal family are the roots and the branches; you must both nourish the Emperor and be protected by the great tree. With the great tree, you can all absorb water and soil to nourish yourselves; without the great tree, you are but withered roots and fallen leaves, and you can never survive alone."

"You may think your talent is outstanding, but there are many people in the world with talent, and those stronger than you are countless. You are arrogant because you occupy a high position and hold power. And this high position of power is precisely because you are of the royal family, born higher than others; this is the lingering grace of the throne, and you have enjoyed the benefits. While the great tree stands, all this exists; if the great tree were not there, and you had to compete with the heroes of the world with your bare hands, what chance of victory would you have? Therefore, this great tree must be kept standing high, it must be straight, and it must have lush branches and leaves so that people can see it at a glance. Of course, the branches and leaves can breathe in and out, but it is not for every branch and every leaf to fight to be the trunk; then these branches and leaves would not be branches and leaves, but parasitic vines that would slowly strangle the great tree to death, and in the end, neither the trunk nor the branches and leaves would survive. Think for yourself, is this not the logic?"

It seems... that is the logic.

That Prince Shun was originally still unconvinced and felt there were many points to argue, but the more he listened, the more logical it sounded, and his eyes gradually became clear.

Yet he did not know that behind him, strands of Thunder Light were seeping into his mind along with the hand stroking his hair.