Chapter 548: Emperor

The death of Emperor Jiang Wanxiang of Ying State plunged the entire empire into mourning.

In accordance with his final wishes, no grand funeral was held; everything was kept simple, and the whole empire sank into a somber atmosphere—but no matter how intense the grief, it would eventually pass, and life must go on.

With the former monarch gone, a problem long suppressed finally emerged, unstoppable.

And the moment it appeared, it became fiercely intense.

Jiang Wanxiang is dead—who shall be the next heir to this vast empire?

Crown Prince Jiang Gao is virtuous and widely admired, yet his nature is too soft; civil officials revere him, but among military commanders, he lacks the aura of a ruler fit for turbulent times; Imperial Prince Jiang Yuan, once unruly in youth, later corrected himself, and notably led reinforcements to defend the capital when General Yu Langwang's wolf army attacked, proving himself capable.

Both princes are backed by immense factions.

After Jiang Wanxiang's death, these two factions began secretly scheming against each other for their own futures, and the two divine generals who had once fought side by side in the southern campaign now harbored resentment.

What began as court deliberations gradually turned heated.

The remaining ministers dared not speak.

General Yuwen Lie's voice was cold and hard: "Since ancient times, succession has always favored the legitimate heir or the eldest son—this has never changed. At a time when the state teeters on the brink of ruin, replacing the crown prince is a path to national disaster. He Ruo Qinhu, do you not understand?!"

He Ruo Qinhu's wife's family is tied to Jiang Yuan.

As Jiang Wanxiang once said, He Ruo Qinhu fought alongside him since youth, rising step by step, and naturally gathered support from court officials—now, whether for profit, for the future, or simply because they could never support Jiang Gao, they chose to back the second prince.

He Ruo Qinhu said: "General Yuwen Lie, His Majesty once said the Crown Prince is a benevolent gentleman, unfit to rule in turbulent times—you heard those words. If the realm were at peace, I would wholeheartedly support the Crown Prince, even to the point of sacrificing my life."

"But now the realm is not yet settled, and Qin Wang's military might is overwhelming."

"Can the Crown Prince's disposition ever raise a sword and stand against Qin Wang Li Guanyi?!"

General Yuwen Lie replied coldly: "Even if the Crown Prince cannot match Qin Wang, he is far superior to the second prince's unruly ways. You say the Crown Prince is unfit—do you claim the second prince can stand against Qin Wang Li Guanyi?!"

"By then, the realm may still be unsettled, but our Ying State will collapse from within!"

He Ruo Qinhu flew into rage: "You whelp, what do you know of the world?!"

"In turbulent times, decisive action is required!"

"If we follow the rule of legitimacy and seniority, then the late emperor himself was a collateral branch of the imperial clan—so, in your eyes, was the late emperor also a disaster to the state?!"

General Yuwen Lie was enraged by these words.

The air rippled, and a furious tiger's roar erupted like thunder; the entire hall seemed to shake violently. The ministers, whose martial arts were far inferior, could not stand their ground and staggered backward.

General Yuwen Lie said nothing.

He raised his hand and gathered qi into a long sword.

With a flick of his wrist, he tore through the air and slashed directly at He Ruo Qinhu. General Yuwen Lie was furious; He Ruo Qinhu refused to yield, and likewise condensed qi into a weapon—two divine generals drew arms and clashed right there in the grand hall.

For a moment, the clashing of swords and blades pierced the air with shrill resonance.

All civil and military officials retreated.

Chancellor Wei Yiwen's head throbbed; he could not stop them, so he turned to the front row of military officers.

Jiang Su sat with eyes closed, his demeanor as still and unmoving as a deep lake and towering mountain—as if he heard nothing of their quarrel.

Wei Yiwen sighed and said: "Grand Master, you must intervene."

"This is utterly disgraceful."

Jiang Su finally opened his eyes, raised a finger, and a terrifying aura surged upward, sending ripples exploding through the air. The two ninth-tier generals suddenly felt suppressed—their grip on their weapons stiffened.

The weapons formed of qi fell to the ground.

They clanged sharply, then shattered and slowly dissolved.

A deathly silence fell.

Jiang Su's voice was heavy and solemn: "The Emperor has been gone only a few months, yet you two draw weapons in the grand hall, fighting over the next sovereign—do you think that after the Emperor, no one can hold you in check?!"

His voice was calm, yet ripples spread through the void; Jiang Su's martial legend form, having broken further into the realm of legend, manifested—golden light shimmered, and a weighty, mountain-like aura slowly spread, crushing both General Yuwen Lie and He Ruo Qinhu.

General Yuwen Lie remained cold.

He Ruo Qinhu bowed his head.

Jiang Su said only: "Your salaries are forfeited for three months; your ranks are reduced by three grades."

"If you dare repeat this, do not blame me for showing no mercy."

Having subdued the two divine generals, this day's court session ended in a complex, turbulent manner. Jiang Yuan watched General Yuwen Lie, exhaled slowly, and wore a gentle smile as he stepped forward, bowing:

"General Yuwen, it seems you still hold… grievances against me…"

General Yuwen Lie appeared not to see him at all.

Eyes straight ahead, expression cold and detached, he strode past Jiang Yuan without pause.

As if passing a worm or a pig-dog!

Jiang Yuan froze mid-motion, still wearing that gentle, helpless expression—but a flash of ruthless fury crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by a bitter smile as he addressed the surrounding ministers: "I was unruly in youth; no doubt I left a terrible impression on General Yuwen. He refuses to speak with me."

Emperor Jiang Wanxiang has passed.

Crown Prince Jiang Gao, recognizing that in this turbulent age, excessive mourning is inappropriate—if grief becomes excessive, it loses its meaning as remembrance—moved with propriety; though sorrowful, he remained restrained, and all ministers observed his conduct with approval.

But Imperial Prince Jiang Yuan wept bitterly, weeping repeatedly, overcome with grief until he fainted—only then did all realize the depth of his sorrow. Jiang Yuan then dismissed his most beautiful maidservants, shattered his ancient zither, renounced music and pleasure, dressed plainly, and ate no meat.

The people hailed him as virtuous and filial.

After returning to his residence, Jiang Yuan entered through the inner gate; from outside, the mansion appeared starkly simple, with few beautiful maids, but within, it teemed with lovely servants, concubines, fine foods, and music.

Jiang Yuan changed his clothes, and beautiful maidservants attended him, indulging him in luxury, as he muttered: "Damn Yuwen Lie—relying on his martial arts, he dares to ignore me! When I crush Li Guanyi, my authority will spread across the four seas."

"At that time, you'll be useless to my realm—your life will be forfeit!"

"To repay your insult today!"

The surrounding maids and concubines cooed soothing words, but another arrived with good news: the beauty sent last year, favored and delighted, now bore a child.

Jiang Yuan was overjoyed, embraced the infant, and caressed its cheek.

Those around him offered congratulations.

Yet Jiang Yuan's face twisted with malice.

His palm stroked the child, and he said with sorrow and pity: "What a pity, what a pity, good child, you have come at the wrong time." The people around offering congratulations, and the beauty who had just given birth, all froze.

They stared at Jiang Yuan in disbelief.

Jiang Yuan looked at the child, who instinctively gripped his palm with tiny fingers.

A trace of reluctance flickered in his eyes.

But when he thought of that lofty dragon throne and the imperial seat, that sliver of reluctance, along with the grief for his father's death and the blood-ties with his elder brother, all dissolved. He handed the child to the beauty and said:

"I shall give you a thousand gold pieces; take yourself away."

"My father has only just passed away. If I were to have a child born now, I fear the scholars of public opinion would say I am unfilial."

The beauty froze for a long while, unable to believe her own ears at the words she heard, but she still held the child, tears streaming down her face, and kowtowed to thank His Highness for his grace. Jiang Yuan also sighed, sorrow in his heart.

So today, at the very end, he favored the beauty's younger sister and the two of them once more.

Just after their intimacy, he sent those two beauties away, and suddenly thought: if in the future, when he ascended the great throne, this woman appeared again with the child, would not his reputation be ruined at that time?!

If it were investigated then, it would look extremely bad on his face.

At that time he would be the Son of Heaven.

The Son of Heaven is the god of the mortal world, who commands all people, the supreme being of the human realm.

How could the Son of Heaven commit such a mistake!

So after struggling for a long while, he summoned his shadow guard and said: "Go, and silence that woman and her child."

The shadow guard froze for a long while, but still carried out the order. When he returned to report, Jiang Yuan gave him a reward of a thousand gold pieces. As the shadow guard was leaving, Jiang Yuan suddenly drew his sword and thrust it into the guard's lower back.

A burst of domineering true qi exploded outward, tearing the guard's internal organs into shreds.

The shadow guard collapsed to the ground. Jiang Yuan wiped the fresh blood on the guard's corpse, kicked him with his foot, and cursed: "Vile, treacherous villain!"

"How dare you murder my wife and child!"

Jiang Yuan brandished his weapon, hacking the loyal shadow guard into a pile of rotten flesh before finally stopping. Then he slowly exhaled a breath, and the conscience in his heart ceased to ache.

He raised his head, gazing at the distant heavens and earth, and murmured: "Child, you will not resent your father. That is the imperial throne, the most powerful position in all the world. For this position, whatever the price paid, it is all worth it."

"You would help your father too, wouldn't you."

"You will not resent your father."

As for that beauty, she was not within his considerations.

He had already forgotten what that person looked like.

Because of this matter, Jiang Yuan, having learned a painful lesson, had all the beauties in his side residences thoroughly investigated. Yet such a thing could ultimately not be kept truly airtight, and it still leaked out, recorded in the official histories.

【Yuan, increasingly dissembling, all children born in his inner chambers were not allowed to live.】

This is the spring-and-autumn brush of the green histories.

A child of the imperial house, born but not raised.

If not killed, then exiled.

It is also said that Jiang Yuan, beginning several years prior, had already 【completely hidden away his beautiful concubines in separate chambers, keeping only the old and ugly ones, dressing them in plain silk, attending him at his side; the screens and curtains were changed to undyed white silk, and all the officials of the realm thought he had no taste for music and women.】

The Second Imperial Prince Jiang Yuan was handsome in bearing, of a sharp and clever nature, profound and solemn; fond of learning, skilled in composition; respectful toward court officials, his courtesy exceedingly humble; thus his fame spread far, surpassing all under heaven.

Yet Jiang Gao did not concern himself with these superficial things.

He valued practical matters more.

In the court, and even near Jingcheng, the Second Imperial Prince Jiang Yuan's support and the people's hearts had already faintly begun to surpass Jiang Gao's. And on this day, Wei Yiwen, after handling court affairs, was invited by Grand Preceptor Jiang Su and came.

Jiang Su's residence was quite plain, bearing the stern, martial air of a famous general, yet without many luxurious indulgences. Wei Yiwen entered and saw Grand Preceptor Jiang Su brewing tea and playing chess alone; the board was locked in a most fierce struggle—a game representing the entire realm.

Wei Yiwen steadied himself, walked forward, and said with a smile: "Grand Preceptor, how leisurely!"

Jiang Su said calmly: "It cannot be called leisurely; I only see the weapons of war across the realm."

Wei Yiwen looked at the board and thought of the realm today. It was already deep autumn, and the impact of Jiang Wanxiang's passing on the entire court and the hearts of the people of Ying had still not faded.

Wei Yiwen said: "With the War God Jiang Su present, our great Ying can still stand firm in the realm and rest easy!"

But Jiang Su shook his head, his voice solemn and calm: "No longer."

Wei Yiwen was startled.

Jiang Su reached out and loosened his clothing. His body was robust and martial, yet covered in many wounds—all old injuries gained through battle. But on his chest and abdomen, there was an extremely ferocious piercing wound; even with the recovery of a body tempered by the legends of the martial Dao, it had still left a massive scar.

Like a dragon.

Wei Yiwen, a scholar of this kind, had He Ceng seen such a gruesome sight, and could not help but feel a slight chill of alarm.

He rose instinctively and said:

"Grand Preceptor, this is—!"

Jiang Su put his loose robe back on and replied: "I fought Li Guanyi in a great battle beyond Zhenbei Pass. He used his Immortal Indestructible Wu Gong, pried open vitality and body, and fought me to the death. The price he paid was not small, but this old man did not win easily either."

Jiang Su picked up a chess piece and said: "These past days, I often think of the past. Back then, Your Majesty stood atop the Star-Plucking Tower gazing at the stars and constellations of the heavens. Back then, the Sword Madman of Jiangnan was still in closed-door cultivation, and all things flourished."

"But now, Your Majesty has fallen upon the battlefield, Elder Murong has also left the jianghu, and those people of my era, those of the past, are disappearing one by one. This has finally given this old man a dazed feeling."

"It is as if I have been left behind by them."

Wei Yiwen said: "Why does the Grand Preceptor speak such words? With the War God of the realm present, even if Shanhe were to crumble, with you here, you could hold up the heavens with a single hand."

Jiang Su said: "I am already old."

This was a very cruel sentence.

It was also a sentence Wei Yiwen had never imagined he would hear from Jiang Su's mouth.

So much so that this Prime Minister, who had once caused the Star-Breaker no small trouble, paused in his thoughts for a moment. Jiang Su said: "Since this old man first became famous, more than three hundred years have passed. The lifespan of a martial legend is not limited to three hundred years, but I made my name on the battlefield."

"When young, relying on Wu Gong, I did not lack for moments of fighting to the death at the front lines. The consumption of qi and blood was so great that my foundations were shaken early. The me of today is no longer the me of those years."

"But Li Guanyi is in his prime."

"He can still draw experience from battle after battle, constantly improving. After being wounded, he will recover faster than I. He will still grow stronger, while I will not. My body will not become more resilient after injury and healing."

"It will even feel fatigue and weakness because of the wounds left behind in those fierce battles over the past three hundred years."

"I am growing weaker, while Li Guanyi grows stronger."

"My time is running out."

"Our chances are running out as well."

Wei Yiwen was silent for a long while, then said: "The Grand Preceptor's meaning is—"

Jiang Su said: "As Your Majesty has said, the Second Prince, compared to the Crown Prince, is more suited to the realm at this moment. It is not because Jiang Yuan is more talented; on the contrary, it is precisely because of Jiang Yuan's lack of talent and capacity."

"If it were Jiang Gao, he would surely insist on his own views, would hope for peace under heaven, he is still too young, still clinging to the hope of getting along peacefully."

"Jiang Yuan will indulge himself in pleasures."

"He will hope I never return, yet also hope I defeat the enemy. While Jiang Su still lives, he at least will not act too outrageously."

Wei Yiwen understood. The present God of War Jiang Su no longer needed a wise ruler; he had already possessed a monarch of magnificent bearing as his lord, and was satisfied.

What the present God of War needed was a battlefield where he could gallop freely.

And a puppet who would not hinder him.

Wei Yiwen said: "If it were the Crown Prince, he might not necessarily choose to obstruct the Grand Preceptor."

Jiang Su said: "Is that so?"

"Then this old man can still wait a while and observe. The two of them themselves will give you the answer. Please."

Wei Yiwen sighed and departed, heavy with worry.

As a general, Jiang Su needed a stable rear, but his stability meant a monarch who would not arbitrarily interfere with the edge of his blades, a monarch who did not possess benevolence and virtue in his heart, hoping to let the people rest and recover at this juncture.

Wei Yiwen, on the other hand, was the Chancellor.

He faced the monarch day after day, and naturally did not wish to face an Emperor who suppressed his own desires and was obstinate and unruly. Standing in his position, he did not wish for Jiang Yuan to ascend, but the development of events ultimately did not follow what he had hoped.

The realm briefly entered a period of peace, when an envoy from the State of Ying arrived in Jiangnan.

He was an envoy sent by Crown Prince Jiang Gao, who came bearing heavy gifts to pay respects to Qin Wang Li Guanyi, hoping to mend relations between the two nations. Li Guanyi received these envoys, but upon hearing the words the latter spoke, Li Guanyi smiled slightly.

The envoy was a daughter of the Ying imperial house, a former disciple of the School of Diplomacy in the Academy—Jiang Cai.

She saw that exceedingly proud Pojun.

She saw those old acquaintances from her days in the Academy. She delivered the gifts from Jiang Gao, as well as Jiang Gao's letter. After Li Guanyi finished reading the letter, he said: "Jiang Gao... brother, hopes that we negotiate peace?"

Jiang Cai said: "Yes, the Crown Prince now wields full sovereign authority."

"The realm is in turmoil today. From the autumn of the eleventh year of Tianqi until this autumn of the eighteenth year of Tianqi, seven or eight years have passed, the realm has been in endless war, the common people toil, the soldiers fight bitterly. If this continues, when will the days of peace come for the people?"

"Qin Wang Your Majesty is a benevolent ruler of our age. Back then, the Crown Prince and Qin Wang had an agreement, hoping that when the days of peace came, they could drink together."

Li Guanyi set the letter down on the table and said: "Jiang Gao, brother..."

"Still too immature, after all."

Jiang Cai pressed her lips together. She saw the Qin Wang say:

"Take all the gifts back."

Jiang Cai said: "Your Majesty..."

Her words could not come out. She saw the Qin Wang's gaze was calm and still, yet like the cold gleam of a weapon forged by hammering. He wore a dark blue outfit, a jade belt at his waist, the sleeves hanging down with Fire Qilin patterns, yet he calmly rested his hand on the sword at his waist.

White hair hung at his temples, his gaze no longer carried its former sharpness, only a kind of calm, resolute sense of power: "Negotiation and peace talks will never bring true peace."

"What a pity. Has Jiang Gao, brother, still not grown over these years?"

Jiang Cai wished to retort.

But looking at this monarch, young in years yet seasoned by storm and the realm, possessing a presence reminiscent of seeing Jiang Wanxiang back then, she was suppressed. The Qin Wang said: "History stretches long—has there ever been a kingly enterprise that settled for half a realm?!"

"Only beneath blade and sword can the true answer be seen."

"When two armies clash, envoys are not slain. Miss Jiang Cai, please return."

Jiang Cai murmured: "Two armies clash..."

"Qin Wang, when did our two nations ever begin to clash?"

The Qin Wang answered:

"When did we ever stop fighting?"

The Qin Wang gripped his sword and walked down calmly, his steps steady and unhurried, his sleeves billowing, already bearing the bearing of a sovereign. He said lightly: "This war to unify the realm has long since lifted a corner of its veil, and even now, it has not ceased."

Jiang Cai's heart pounded wildly, yet from fear and oppression.

When the Qin Wang walked out, civil and military officials flanked him on both sides.

On the right, the first was the solemn and dignified Yue Pengwu.

On the left, the first was the Pojun who, back in those years, had been defeated by her in words as a youth, yet had taken up a staff and struck back.

Pojun also walked past her, but as he passed, the corner of his mouth curved slightly upward:

"This time, I won, Jiang Cai."

"Do you have a monarch like this?"

Jiang Cai looked at that purple-eyed youth, exceedingly proud and arrogant, chin slightly raised, the corner of his mouth curved upward, dressed in refined and elegant clothing. Whether it was her own unsettled thoughts, Jiang Cai always felt as though this fellow had something like a tail behind him, wagging rapidly.

It seemed about to slap her in the face.

Jiang Cai sighed, and after a long while, said: "Qin Wang..."

She had once thought Jiang Gao was already a benevolent, gentle, and mild ruler. Back when the Qin Wang was rising, he was Qin Wu Hou, and she had also seen Qin Wu Hou's high spirits and valor at that time, yet even so, she still felt that Jiang Gao would surpass that Qin Wu Hou.

Regardless, Qin Wu Hou had spent the previous ten-odd years moving among the common folk of the realm; speaking of imperial education and methods, speaking of the foundation and strength behind him, he could not compare to Jiang Gao.

But ten years later, seeing the Qin Wang again—

Jiang Cai would not even compare Jiang Gao to him.

The question that arose in her heart was even whether Jiang Wanxiang or the Qin Wang possessed the stronger presence.

Jiang Cai returned to the State of Ying, but this diplomatic mission itself had already exposed Jiang Gao's problem: he still clung to soft and gentle illusions about the realm, hoping to lay down blade and sword and reach peace by another means.

He did not possess the bearing of a hero of a chaotic age.

He didn't know. Only blades and swords could buy peace.

Perhaps Jiang Gao still had a chance to grow, still had that time and future; perhaps, by slowly teaching him, by slowly guiding him, Jiang Gao would reflect, would awaken. People were all like this — no one was a peerless hero from the very start; one had to grow.

But a world of chaos would not give anyone the chance to grow.

Jiang Su no longer had such leisure either.

What he needed was not a future benevolent and brilliant sovereign, but a present-day puppet who would not interfere with his battlefield decisions. Even if this puppet would bring enormous calamity upon the entire Ying court, he no longer cared.

Jiang Su always saw things very clearly.

Only by fighting the Qin Wang to a finish did Ying have the right to speak of a future.

Which weighed more, which weighed less — he could tell, clear and plain.

Grand Tutor Jiang Su, monopolizing power and acting on his own authority, produced the late Emperor Jiang Wanxiang's posthumous edict, stripping Crown Prince Jiang Gao of his position as heir, and chose instead the Second Prince Jiang Yuan to ascend the throne, issuing a general amnesty throughout the realm, and commanded that the era name be taken as—

【Daye】.

The realm was in an uproar, and there were also those who said: the realm was split in two, and Ying had once again proclaimed an emperor, which seemed, faintly, to press the Qin Wang down by one measure.

Thus, while Jiang Yuan had ascended the throne and his edicts were being broadcast in all directions—

Nan Hanwen presented a memorial to the Juan Sect, expounding the great trends of the realm, the role of the hearts of the people and of renown, and laying bare the ills of the age. Then Yan Xuanji cupped his hands and stepped forward, his voice calm and stern:

"For the sake of the realm."

"To uphold the rightful lineage of Ying!"

"I implore Your Majesty to ascend the throne and proclaim yourself sovereign."

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