[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-peace-decree":3,"chapter-the-peace-decree-the-peace-decree-chapter-574":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Peace Decree",{"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},2328749,4553,"Chapter 574: Let Peace Reign (The End)","the-peace-decree-chapter-574",574,"\u003Cp>The founding ceremony and the Emperor of Qin’s wedding were proceeding simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to His Majesty the Emperor of Qin’s orders, the wedding was to follow the founding ceremony; both were of immense importance, yet officials and the Emperor himself, along with the Changfeng Lady and others, all agreed that nothing outweighed the founding ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>State affairs lie in sacrifice and war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that weapons have been laid down and the four seas are at peace, the founding ceremony proclaims peace to all under heaven—it soothes the people and honors the dead; truly, nothing is more important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Majesty the Emperor of Qin also insisted that the wedding must begin only after this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an official of the Ministry of Rites, Nan Hanwen asked His Majesty how many ceremonies to hold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The invincible Emperor of Qin grunted for a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Hanwen understood at once and said, “Your servant understands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor of Qin exhaled in relief, his face showing an expression of approval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Nan Hanwen spoke with perfect solemnity:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will His Majesty hold them together, or one by one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor of Qin froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Hanwen added with a hint of teasing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Will His Majesty try to save money this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor fell silent for a long while, then said, “I have earned achievements—I conquered Chen Guo, and the imperial treasuries of the Ying and Chen houses are full of gold and silver. But love is heavy, and I have waited long…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor, his temples streaked with gray, smiled lightly: “This time, I won’t save.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let the Emperor of Ying, the Emperor of Chen, the Tuyuhun, the Tangut, and the thirty western states—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words were plain, yet his accomplishments were laid bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor’s authority and calm were absolute; his millennia-spanning achievements left hearts dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Hanwen stood stunned, then bowed deeply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Emperor of Qin immediately added, “But extravagance and waste must be absolutely forbidden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words finally gave Nan Hanwen a strange sense of closeness and familiarity; the old man stifled laughter as he stepped out, then burst into loud laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This emperor—the greatest of three generations—still held the same nature as when he was young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Hanwen laughed until tears streamed down his face in the cold winter wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped away his old tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How good—it is wonderful that an old friend has achieved supreme achievement and become the supreme sovereign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his achievements tower above all his age, his name echoes through a thousand autumns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor is still the old friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words, these small things, stirred in Nan Hanwen’s heart a faint, indescribable warmth—he realized that an emperor is merely a title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed, rejoiced, then suddenly halted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Hanwen’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man suddenly understood why General Nan Gong Wu Meng had begun frequently leaving to search for things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed and groaned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply got to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when he informed the Old Astronomer, the old man intended to leave immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would not attend the founding ceremony, nor would he come to drink at the wedding. Nan Hanwen, who had a good relationship with the Old Astronomer, had never expected that telling him of the Emperor’s wedding preparations would prompt such an early departure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Astronomer merely smiled faintly: “Yin and yang complement each other; where there is yin, there is yang. Having seen peace under heaven and Li Guanyi’s wedding, I fear I shall grow reluctant to leave. Better to depart now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After the founding ceremony and the Emperor’s wedding, word will spread across the land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At that time, I shall raise a cup from afar to offer my blessings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Nan Hanwen busied himself, the Changfeng Lady arrived. He bowed to her respectfully; seeing her hair adorned with a wooden pin and her sleeves embroidered with crimson qilin cloud patterns, even his stern expression softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silk tailors of Jiangnan were without doubt the finest in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Nan Hanwen nearly blurted out “Your Majesty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore the crimson qilin robe—only the imperial proclamation remained. Yet due to the influence of the late Qu Hanxiu, Nan Hanwen swallowed the word that had nearly escaped his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rituals must not be neglected; titles must not be misused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply said: “Lady.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Shuangtao bowed slightly: “Master, you are too formal. Where is Guanyi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Hanwen froze: “His Majesty is likely paying respects to the departed. Lady, do you have urgent business with him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Shuangtao said: “General Pojun intends to take his leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nan Hanwen stared, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—Old Master Siming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the Emperor’s wedding and the founding ceremony, there is one even greater matter!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is His Majesty?! Where is he?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi slowly opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had crossed the Nine Tripods, advanced, stepped upon the white jade stairs, each step causing a tripod to roar—until all Nine Tripods overflowed with qi, and at their peak stood only a white jade chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi’s fingers touched the chair—cold to the touch—then turned and sat slowly. Gazing down from above, he bore the detached, sovereign air of a lone ruler; it was clear that the highest point of the Nine Tripods was merely a white jade chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Buddhists say: the finger points to the moon. The Daoists say: my heart is heaven’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Confucians say: this is my heavenly mandate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This white jade chair was the final burden and glory bestowed upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the path to reach this peak—the path that swept the land and forged the Nine Tripods—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was [Unification of the Nine Provinces].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You have received this heavenly mandate; why seek external symbols?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The so-called ending—his achievements are complete; nothing more need be sought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the Emperor of Qin merely patted the white jade throne, without attachment or lingering, rose, and said with ease: “Too hard. Uncomfortable to sit on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked his own path; as he departed, the Nine Tripods roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Tripods no longer resisted—they were wholly under the Emperor’s command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the slightest thought, no delay remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Billions of lives strengthened him; every gesture surged with vital energy, surpassing even the greatest warlord; his qi was vast, surpassing even the Red Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, his martial prowess stood unmatched in all history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His nature was self-sufficient, needing nothing beyond himself. Merely standing there, heaven and earth became his domain; the sovereign shone with radiant majesty, the emperor radiated bright righteousness—only this one man fulfilled his true intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this state lasted only briefly before an urgent message shattered it: General Pojun intended to depart. When the Emperor learned this, his expression changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He broke into a run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He mounted his steed and galloped straight toward General Pojun’s residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Pojun’s dwelling was not in the bustling city, but in a quiet, serene place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing through the market, even the Emperor of Qin dismounted and walked his horse; he was not worried General Pojun would leave immediately—he had known the man’s nature for over a decade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fellow told the Young Lady precisely so Li Guanyi would come to bid farewell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General Pojun still held to his ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi led his warhorse through the crowd, concealing his presence with Murong family’s martial arts and the Rainy Jiangnan Tower Technique; others could not see him, yet he saw the people living in peace, smiles on their lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone looked forward to the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tyrant had been overthrown; corrupt officials and noble houses had been dealt with; war would no longer come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All hearts carried warm hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A glorious age was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi suddenly heard a faint murmur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor halted. His warhorse neighed softly. The crowd surged like tides. Li Guanyi slowly turned his head, led his horse off the broad avenue onto a narrow, level side path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, sunlight did not reach, and the dust of the world could not enter; in the shadow, a common farmer knelt on the ground, face filled with grief:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please, I’ll give you all my money—I’ll give you everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But according to Great Qin’s laws, this land belongs to my family. How can you give it to him? Even if he’s your brother-in-law, you can’t do this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean? Didn’t we already distribute land to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi’s gaze moved from the desperate, grieving farmer to the man being begged—his face was hidden in shadow, but the hem of his battle robe—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>bore the qilin pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A captain of the Qilin Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain said nothing, only laughed loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The farmer collapsed to his knees, crying out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Lord!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, Li Guanyi awoke from his dream of peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beautiful dream—where the people lived in peace and plenty, the taverns glowed with warmth and harmony, children were educated, land was distributed, and clans and families found balance—filled with light, now shattered before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if the cycle of rebirth had seized his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be a founding emperor—or…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footsteps approached. As the commoners knelt, a strong hand suddenly lifted their arms, preventing them from bowing. Startled, they heard a young voice say—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stand up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do not kneel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And do not kneel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both turned their gazes—and when they saw the man, the Qilin Army captain froze, then turned pale, immediately bowing: “Your Majesty…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Qin, Li Guanyi, lifted the people’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The regal expression of a sovereign who had achieved supreme deeds slowly faded from his eyes; the warrior’s radiance returned, sharp as a honed blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahahaha, old fools, old fools!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know my lord? Have you ever seen a lord like mine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going back—I must tell you all what I’ve seen, what I’ve done. I ended the chaos. I accomplished what none of you could.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I even surpassed Yao Guang…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purple-eyed strategist paused, his pen still, his smile frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pondered, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, a faint smile curled his lips: “She became the Empress—or co-ruler. Either way, she’s no longer a strategist, no longer my advisor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahahaha, on this path of strategists!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Po Jun!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Won!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Won big!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Felt great!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a knock came at the door. Po Jun froze—he heard a familiar voice, now matured, say: “Master, are you still awake?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Po Jun grew solemn. He set down his pen, straightened his robes and bearing, then rose to open the door. Outside stood Emperor Qin—and for a moment, he was disoriented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purple-eyed strategist’s pupils contracted. In that instant, he did not see the emperor in his daily robes, calm and majestic—but rather Li Guanyi, clad in armor, draped in battle cloak, a divine general reborn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after the illusion passed did he see the emperor still wore the same attire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet that piercing battle will, that blazing will like a blazing sun, had returned to this emperor who had completed supreme deeds—making the purple-eyed strategist’s blood surge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, are you leaving?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi looked at the letters on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purple-eyed strategist smiled: “When we first met, I told you—we are a lineage of struggle. Now the world is settled. There are no enemies left, no rivals. A peaceful golden age is coming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With no enemies, there is no place for us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We must retire. These letters are for the Qilin Army and the rest of the Tiance Prefecture—old comrades, after all. But Master, what is this…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi said: “What if I say it’s not over?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Po Jun froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are the enemies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi raised his hand, pointing to himself, then to the world beyond. Po Jun stared, confused. Li Guanyi slowly recounted what he had seen: “Peace has just begun. It will take at least ten years for the world to find its footing—and already, this has happened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our enemy has returned, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi said: “It is no longer a specific foe like Chen Dingye or Jiang Wanxiang. Not born of flesh, not hatched from eggs—but born of transformation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It will reappear between man and man. After we defeat enemy states, these detestable things will slowly emerge from our own brave soldiers, taking root again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Po Jun, a genius of the realm, understood. He gripped the letters and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, has our struggle ended?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi answered: “It has only just begun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young, still-peak purple-eyed strategist smiled lightly and asked the greatest emperor: “Can we win this struggle within ten, twenty, thirty years?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor replied: “No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps, even in our lifetimes, we must fight this enemy. We may grow better—but neither you nor I will live to see the day we crush ‘it’ utterly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Po Jun asked: “Even so, will you fight it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Qin extended his hand: “Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor’s dignity faded. Here stood once more the piercing warrior. He reached out to Po Jun, offering a second endless dream, and smiled: “Since we have come this far, let us dream one more impossible dream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, will you walk with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Po Jun looked at the emperor—and suddenly laughed aloud:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could I refuse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swept his sleeve, sending every letter on the table into the brazier. Flames roared, like the crimson Qilin-cloud banner unfurling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The founding ceremony had begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Qin’s gaze burned. He did not wear the imperial dragon robe. Instead, he donned a black armor, set aside the ceremonial crown and robe prepared by Nan Hanwen, and took up the crimson Qilin-patterned battle robe. He caressed the sleeves, smiling faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly turned—his sleeves billowed like a tidal wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the great river rushing eastward, the robe wrapped around Emperor Qin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bold, spirited, majestic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go—found the empire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He strode forward alone. As he walked, the purple-eyed strategist nodded with a smile, falling in step beside him. Yue Pengwu stood solemn, clad in armor and battle robe. Behind them came Li Guanyi’s companions: the silver-haired star-seer, the young Changfeng Lady, Yan Daqing, Wen Qingyu, Fang Ziqiao, Li Zhao Wen, Yue Qianfeng, Chen Wenmian…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One by one, they followed the emperor, watching his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were still young. They carried blazing fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the sun rising, radiant and fierce!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began alone. Now, at the summit, many stood beside him. Li Guanyi looked down at the crimson Qilin banners, their flames burning the heavens. He inhaled deeply, gazing at the people’s joyful faces—his expression softened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All he had walked, all he had seen, all he had fought, all he had slain—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each old comrade, each mighty foe, every battlefield, now swirled into the crimson flame of the banner. The sound of the Nine Tripods echoed across the land. Emperor Qin inhaled deeply, his voice solemn:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today, we build this altar to declare to Heaven and Earth, to the people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One realm, no more war!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We change the era name—to—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“【Taiping】!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A breathless silence followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then cheers erupted—The era of peace and prosperity had begun. Beautiful, yes—but the decay of time had also begun. Emperor Qin leaned on his sword, watching the crimson banners, sleeves billowing, his expression calm and still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood upon the tide of the cycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him: comrades, brothers-in-arms. Before him: the flood of the world and the age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Has our struggle ended?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our struggle—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Has only just begun!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Book)\u003C\u002Fp>",2555,"2026-06-20T19:20:36.387Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","48d0fb4b0ae389fd87314b066b50d1a886717f63d3c70a4f40272df9493644d3","the-peace-decree-chapter-575","the-peace-decree-chapter-573",593,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-peace-decree-cover.jpg"]