[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-thirteen-years-as-king-of-the-great-song-i-learn":3,"chapter-thirteen-years-as-king-of-the-great-song-i-learn-thirteen-years-as-king-of-the-great-song-i-learn-chapter-55":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Thirteen Years as King of the Great Song, I Learned I Was the Dragon",{"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},2271750,4437,"Chapter 55: Wu De Si Crimson Dragon Guard (Requesting Follow Reads)","thirteen-years-as-king-of-the-great-song-i-learn-chapter-55",55,"\u003Cp>“Fist is power—how can it be lightly passed on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What circulates in the palace and the outside world is not the true Taizu Longquan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Taizu never transmitted the fist to the military; the thirty-two-form long fist practiced by soldiers and commoners was later issued by Taizong under the guise of Taizu’s final edict!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issued by Taizong?” Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Taizong transmitted only the postures and forms of Taizu Longquan, never its marrow or intent. The Dao is not spoken lightly; the Law is not passed on casually—how could such a divine fist be allowed to scatter freely into the world?” Gao Taotao said coolly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s the case, then why transmit it at all? Just don’t transmit it.” Zhao Ti asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one knows Taizong’s original intentions,” Gao Taotao’s expression grew complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti took a deep breath: “Then why only thirty-two forms?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because Taizong learned only thirty-two forms. Taizu had not yet taught him the thirty-third when he… passed away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then who, today, knows the true Taizu Longquan?” Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes, already suspecting the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Taotao looked at him and said: “Only each generation of Emperor has the right to learn and practice the true Taizu Longquan—it is passed solely within the imperial bloodline.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti pondered briefly: “Grand Empress, if that’s so… won’t it easily be lost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered how Zhao Xu had died suddenly—though his health had long been poor, the final illness struck with shocking abruptness; he could not speak or hold a brush, left no heir, and departed without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that’s true… then perhaps the fist was never passed down at all?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let it be lost,” Gao Taotao said coldly. “Though divine, it lacks one form. The golden basin is cracked; the state is incomplete. Transmitting it brings no benefit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti froze. Gao Taotao’s words carried hidden weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did she mean by “the golden basin is cracked, the state is incomplete”? What did she mean by “it brings no benefit”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He mused: “Grand Empress, did Zhenzong, Renzong, and Yingzong all practice this fist?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Taotao said every emperor practiced it—but if Renzong truly trained in martial arts, why would he burn down the arms repository?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course they practiced it,” Gao Taotao said slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All of them?” Zhao Ti asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every single Emperor of Great Song has practiced this fist!” Gao Taotao nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Empress…” Zhao Ti’s confusion deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Renzong had not practiced this fist, why would he, in rage, burn down the arms repository? He even considered destroying the fist itself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?” Zhao Ti’s heart stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?” Gao Taotao’s voice turned icy, brimming with boundless resentment: “Zhenzong had only one heir; Renzong had no heirs; Yingzong died young; Shenzong died young! What do you make of that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?” Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The current Emperor has never fathered a child, and his health does not seem strong—he too may be suffering from practicing this fist!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Empress, Zhenzong and Renzong both had children—though they died young…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they had not practiced this fist, how could their children have been born with weak constitutions, depleted bloodlines, dying at birth or failing to grow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What of Emperor Taizong…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emperor Taizong? He revered it. Though he speculated endlessly about Taizu Longquan, he dared not act rashly or meddle carelessly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Empress, what do you mean by that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Other emperors all tried to deduce the lost thirty-third form from the first thirty-two—but none succeeded. Those who tested it injured their meridians, damaged their pulses, depleted their vital energy, drained their blood and qi, and failed utterly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?” Zhao Ti’s heart churned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The current Emperor is likely the same,” Gao Taotao’s voice grew pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Empress, then why not switch to another martial art? Since this fist cannot be leaked, and no one else can help deduce it, why not simply learn a different style if you wish to train?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As long as you don’t rashly deduce the thirty-third form, there’s no harm. But no one knows what words Taizong left behind—generation after generation has become obsessed, deriding all other martial arts as beneath them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti pondered silently: Could Taizu Longquan have some special quality? Otherwise, why would every emperor be compelled to deduce it? But from thirty-two forms to the thirty-third… surely it’s not impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Empress…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Renzong vented his rage on the arms repository, yet dared not destroy Taizu Longquan—only followed Taizong’s edict to preserve it. Yingzong became obsessed with it, but remembering the tragedies of Zhenzong and Renzong, he sought enlightenment in the celestial treasures of Daoist stillness and non-action—yet could not change the final outcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti now knew for certain: if Zhao Ji were to ascend, he would almost certainly never have learned this fist. Zhao Xu died suddenly, left no heir, so the fist was never transmitted—otherwise Zhao Ji would not be as weak as a child. The true Taizu Longquan had already been lost after Zhao Xu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Zhao Ji reigned twenty-seven years, free of illness, with many healthy heirs, his body stronger than any previous emperor—precisely because he never learned this fist. Yet… he lost the empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand,” Zhao Ti said. “Thank you, Grandmother, for revealing this—my doubts are resolved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Taotao looked at him, silent for a long while, then her expression settled into calm: “Though I am of the Zhao family, I have no authority over Zhao martial arts. Yingzong treated me kindly, which is why I learned of this. Remember: never speak of it outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti nodded, then picked up the wine flask and refilled his grandmother’s cup: “Grand Empress, did you ever see Yingzong practice the fist?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Taotao frowned: “Why ask that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti said: “I have no ulterior motive—only curiosity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Taotao said: “I never saw it. Only the imperial bloodline may learn it. Even if Yingzong cherished me deeply, he would never betray it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti said: “I understand.” He recalled that night when he saw Zhao Xu—his sixth brother had radiated contradiction: his body and intent were estranged, his qi and spirit out of sync. Had this been caused by deducing Taizu Longquan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Within the Song imperial household, there is another force: the Crimson Dragon Guard, directly controlled by the imperial bloodline,” Gao Taotao said. “Had you not trained in martial arts, I would not have told you. But since you do, I’ll explain now, so you won’t be confused if you encounter it later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crimson Dragon Guard…” Zhao Ti listened intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Wu De Si Crimson Dragon Guard was originally public. But Taizong ordered it transferred to the Imperial City Office—merely a cover to hide the true Wu De Si in the shadows.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Ti nodded. The true Taizu Longquan, the Wu De Si—both were concealed after Taizong’s ascension, made imperial bloodline-only transmissions. What were they hiding from? Had the Candle Shadow and Axe Sound not been rumor, but fact?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why Taizong draped the imperial bloodline in armor, guarded the clan with iron vigilance—even keeping the secret guards hidden from the imperial clan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if this continues, the imperial clan will favor literature over martial arts, starkly different from the royal houses of Liao and Xia—won’t they grow weaker?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned slightly, gazing out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, the moon had risen higher, bathing the Nine Provinces, the Saha World. The bright full moon shone over the Nine Provinces—some households rejoiced, others grieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, Zhao Ti returned to the Wang Fu. As soon as he entered the gate, a young eunuch rushed to report: Prince Shen had come, waited for half a while, and left upon learning Zhao Ti had not returned.\u003C\u002Fp>",1279,"2026-06-19T22:30:31.989Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b4df852605a1a7e82c48ecfc1ac87ee60dc80d371af2ef8741c1fe8c24edc0e0","thirteen-years-as-king-of-the-great-song-i-learn-chapter-56","thirteen-years-as-king-of-the-great-song-i-learn-chapter-54",270,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthirteen-years-as-king-of-the-great-song-i-learn-cover.jpg"]