Chapter 520

Lanling City, Imperial Palace.

Although the Imperial Palace was protected by the Profound Vault Imperial Ultimate True Dragon Array, the clash between Xiang Yunshu and Buddha Buddha Jingheng still destroyed dozens of palaces and many corridors and pavilions.

After the battle, the corpses and broken walls and ruins everywhere had not yet been fully cleared, so the once golden and magnificent Imperial Palace now felt a bit dilapidated.

The De Palace, as the Crown Prince's sleeping quarters, was also affected and completely turned into ruins.

Fortunately, the people inside had evacuated in advance, so there were no casualties.

For the past two days, the Crown Prince did not choose to live in other sleeping quarters but had been staying in the Imperial Study.

In the battle two days ago, he bore the backlash of the national fortune and was also not lightly injured.

Fortunately, he was young and strong, had taken good care of himself all these years, and at the most critical moment, the Emperor took the initiative to take over the control of the national fortune and bore the most intense backlash for him.

Therefore, the Crown Prince only suffered damage to his vitality and would just need a few years of recuperation; he would not be left with any sequelae, let alone a shortened lifespan.

After treatment by the imperial physicians, the Crown Prince had been living and working in the Imperial Study for the past two days, handling various affairs.

The Emperor suddenly passed away, and there were simply too many things to handle!

Fortunately, Buddha Buddha Jingheng was heavily injured and repelled, and the battle on the Bai Feng Plains was won after all; the situation had not reached an irreparable point.

The Central Cabinet still had Grand Secretary Ye Zean sitting in charge, so it would not fall into chaos.

After being busy for two consecutive days, the Crown Prince finally stabilized the hearts of the court and the capital for the time being.

"Your Highness, Commander Xing Sinan has led the Green Frost Army to arrive at the Jingcheng Garrison."

The imperial eunuch Feng Cheng stood outside the study and respectfully reported to the Crown Prince.

The Jingcheng Garrison was outside Lanling City and was a place specially provided for the army to station and provide supplies.

Previously, the Heavenly Lan Iron Cavalry had been stationed at the Jingcheng Garrison for a long time.

The Green Frost Army, which had traveled thousands of miles from the Northern Border to "protect the throne," had finally arrived at Lanling City!

Hearing this news, the Crown Prince, whose face was still somewhat pale, put down the memorial in his hand, his expression clearly much more relaxed.

Although the Buddhist sect was beaten back, the National Teacher Xiang Yunshu was also dead, and Wen Ren Zheng and the Heavenly Lan Iron Cavalry were still outside.

The capital at this time was at its weakest in history!

If someone else wanted to harbor evil intentions, the Crown Prince really didn't know if he could hold on.

He had been staying in the Imperial Study for the past two days only because the Imperial He He Yuxi was here, which was the hub of the Profound Vault Imperial Ultimate True Dragon Array and could mobilize the power of the array at the fastest speed!

Only by staying here could he have some sense of security.

Hearing that the Green Frost Army had finally arrived, the Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief, and his tightly stretched heartstrings finally relaxed.

With the Green Frost Army sitting in charge, plus the support he mobilized from the Profound Vault Imperial Ultimate True Dragon Array, even if Buddha Buddha Jingheng entered the city again in his prime, they could still fight!

After all, Xiang Yunshu's state was too poor and certainly not as good as the full-strength Green Frost Army. And the closer the distance, the stronger the power the Profound Vault Imperial Ultimate True Dragon Array could provide.

The Heavenly Lan Iron Cavalry far away on the Bai Feng Plains could only barely suppress the River-Suppressing Heavenly King even with the support of the Son of Heaven's dragon aura.

But if it were a duel outside Lanling City, the River-Suppressing Heavenly King would be suppressed and beaten!

"Understood, Eunuch Feng, you've worked hard these past few days."

The Crown Prince said to Feng Cheng in a gentle tone.

The reason the situation could stabilize so quickly these past two days was mainly due to Grand Secretary Ye Zean in the Central Cabinet, and mainly due to this imperial eunuch with the cultivation of a Grandmaster in the palace.

Feng Cheng bowed slightly, still looking respectful:

"Your Highness is too polite, it is all my duty."

The Crown Prince nodded, his eyes suddenly turning red:

"Prepare, notify everyone, Father Emperor died for the country and has ascended to the heavens!"

In order not to cause great chaos, only a very few high-ranking officials knew the truth of the Emperor's death these past two days, and the news had been strictly sealed.

Now that the Green Frost Army had arrived, the Crown Prince did not intend to hide it anymore; otherwise, it would make him look guilty, as if there were some conspiracy inside.

"Yes!"

Feng Cheng lowered his head deeply, his tone finally having fluctuations.

After Feng Cheng left, the Crown Prince did not continue to handle the memorials but stood up and looked at the Imperial Study.

Only at this moment did he finally have the heart to take a good look at this study.

This was the Emperor's private space.

Now it belonged to him.

After walking around the study, the Crown Prince came to a treasure cabinet and carefully looked at the collections placed on it.

There were rare books, calligraphy and paintings, and antiques and curios.

He touched them one by one with his hand, his expression changing from joy to calm, and finally to sorrow.

When he touched a small jade box with his hand, he suddenly felt something in his heart.

This jade box was actually locked by a strand of the Son of Heaven's dragon aura!

"What treasure did Father Emperor hide?"

The Crown Prince suddenly became curious.

Logically speaking, who would dare to steal things in the Imperial Study?

There was no need to lock it in this way, and even use a strand of precious Son of Heaven's dragon aura.

The Crown Prince's heart moved, and a strand of purple-gold aura flew out from the Imperial He He Yuxi on the desk, merging into the small jade box.

Soon, the "lock" was opened.

The Crown Prince opened the jade box; there was no amazing treasure inside, just an ordinary folded letter.

He carefully picked up the letter and opened it to look.

The first sentence at the top read "To be opened by Crown Prince Qin Ziheng."

"It's Father Emperor's handwriting!"

The Crown Prince immediately became spirited.

It was just that the words on the letter looked "weak and powerless," which should have been written by the other party himself after he became seriously ill.

Just after reading the first paragraph written above, the Crown Prince was already in tears, his hands trembling slightly:

"I have received the mandate of heaven to rule for more than forty years, and now my lifespan is coming to an end, and I am returning to the heavens. Thinking that the foundation of our ancestors is entrusted to you, I specially warn you with words from the bottom of my heart, hoping that you will think carefully and act firmly, and not fail my expectations.

Since I ascended the throne, I have been vigilant day and night. I suppressed the powerful clans, cut down the powerful and noble, and centralized power. I reformed the military system, promoted martial arts, and pushed for the Mingxin Reform.

I built the Lan Patrol Pavilion to gather the power of the Jianghu.

I conquered the Northern Barbarians and expanded our territory!

Although I have the ambition of restoration and the heart of a long-distance expedition to the Western Continent.

However, first there was the invasion of the Western Continent, with troops pressing on the city.

Then there was the rebellion of Qingxu, and when the smoke of war moved the earth in the Ming Province, the sound of the people crying blood was still in my ears!

Then there was the disaster of the New Heaven Society, which killed Qiming and caused the national fortune to fluctuate again.

Now there is the mutiny in the Southern Border, the country is in constant turmoil, and the national strength is constantly being consumed.

With such merits and demerits offsetting each other, how dare I overstep the temple name?

I order the Central Cabinet to propose 'Ren Sect' as the name, just to lead the name of governing the country with benevolence and virtue, and ruling subordinates with generosity..."

The Crown Prince's hands trembled, and tears flowed continuously.

In the first paragraph of this letter, the Emperor was explaining his posthumous name.

After the Emperor died, the most important thing was not the posthumous title, because the posthumous titles given to the Emperor were all as good as they could be, and basically had no reference significance.

What truly measured an Emperor's achievements was his temple name.

This was decided jointly by the descendants and the court officials to finalize the verdict.

When the temple name system first began, only monarchs who had great merits for the country and were worthy of eternal worship by their descendants could have a temple name, and there were only four types of temple names: "Tai," "Gao," "Zhong," and "Shi."

Founding the foundation and establishing the cause is called "Tai," those with high merits are called "Gao," those who restore the country are called "Zhong," and those who are worshipped for generations are called "Shi."

Then, according to the standard of "Ancestors have merits and Zongs have virtues," the title of "Zu" or "Zong" is added.

Those with the merit of pioneering can be called "Zu," otherwise they can only be called "Zong."

The requirements for temple names were too high at the beginning, and later, as there were more and more emperors, the requirements for temple names were lowered accordingly.

Thus, there were secondary temple names such as Xiaozong, Xianzong, Suzong, Xuanzong, etc.

The Great Lan Dynasty had a foundation of over five hundred years and was the first empire in history to unify the Central Plains, so the standard for temple names was naturally extremely high.

Except for the founding emperor who was called "Taizu," which was indisputable.

Among the many generations of emperors who followed, none of them reached the first tier of the four temple names of "Tai," "Gao," "Zhong," and "Shi."

By the generation of Hongguang, the changes made by the Mingxin Reform to the Great Lan Dynasty were obvious to all, and it already had the atmosphere of a monarch of restoration.

Later, the expedition to the Northern Barbarians turned the seventeen tribes of the Northern Barbarians into fourteen, penetrated deep into the wilderness, occupied a piece of territory, and expanded the territory for the Great Lan Dynasty!

It could be said that whether in civil administration or martial arts, Emperor Hongguang was the most outstanding emperor of the Great Lan Dynasty after Taizu!

But in the forty-nine years he was on the throne, the Great Lan Dynasty experienced too many changes.

In his own words, it could only be "merits and demerits offsetting each other."

The reason the Crown Prince felt sorrowful was that out of filial piety, he certainly had to try his best to fight for a better temple name for his father.

If one only looked at the achievements made by Emperor Hongguang, even if he couldn't be "Taizong," he could at least fight for the temple name of "Gaozong"!

However, the country was in constant turmoil, with internal strife and consumption of national strength.

These were all undeniable facts.

If the Crown Prince forcibly fought for a first-tier temple name for his father, would the court officials agree? Could it convince the hearts of the people?

But if he didn't fight for it, the personal image of the Emperor and the Crown Prince and their reputation for future generations would be affected.

The Crown Prince had just succeeded to the throne, and Emperor Hongguang did not want him to have disputes with the officials over this matter and leave hidden dangers, so he took the initiative to leave a letter mentioning his temple name.

With this letter, the Crown Prince could explain it to the officials, to the people of the world, and to future generations.

After calming his emotions, the Crown Prince continued to read the letter:

"You have been intelligent since childhood, but you have more caution than courage. Although you can treat subordinates with courtesy, you still lack the capacity to tolerate others.

After I leave, Ye Zean will guard the inside, and Wen Ren Zheng will guard the outside; you must treat these two with reason and use them with righteousness.

Prince Cheng guards the Northern Border; while I am alive, he should have no two hearts. After I leave, you should not press him too hard, but you must not fail to guard against him.

As for the Marquis of Jing'an Li Fei, I once asked the National Teacher to divine for him, and the hexagram was—

Safety and danger alternate, disaster and fortune are born from each other.

This child has a pure nature and is a person of temperament; you should treat him with emotion, and avoid guarding against or testing him, or being suspicious everywhere.

While I am here, he is the blessing of our Great Lan.

After I leave, you must not force him to become the disaster of Great Lan!"

The Crown Prince held the letter and breathed a heavy sigh.

In the second paragraph of this letter, the Emperor explained how to use people, and only mentioned four people:

Ye Zean, Wen Ren Zheng, Prince Cheng Qin Shixian, and finally Li Fei.

The first two naturally need not be mentioned; they were the right and left hands left by the Emperor to the Crown Prince. Without these two, his throne would be difficult to sit firmly!

As for Prince Cheng Qin Shixian, now that the eldest prince and Prince Li had already rebelled, and the third prince had died, the only hidden danger of the royal family was him.

The other party was at the peak of the Dao-Establishing Realm and had a certain possibility of breaking through to become a Martial Saint!

He was both a prince and held heavy troops, and guarded the Northern Border, far from the Emperor.

When Emperor Hongguang was alive, he could suppress Prince Cheng, making him unwilling and afraid to have any bad thoughts.

But after the Crown Prince succeeded to the throne, that was hard to say.

As for how to solve this hidden danger, the Emperor had actually laid out a chess game for the Crown Prince early on and completed the move:

Li Fei's Barbarian-Killing Army was in the Northern Border!

Using Li Fei to check and balance Prince Cheng was undoubtedly an excellent choice.

Therefore, the Emperor emphasized Li Fei at the end.

Even to remind the Crown Prince, the wording used was very severe!

Looking at this passage, the Crown Prince immediately remembered the Emperor's last imperial decree two days ago.

The other party used the national fortune to condense a divine ability for Li Fei, allowing Li Fei to complete the final winning blow.

At the same time, it was also the final move left by the Emperor for the Crown Prince and the Great Lan Dynasty!

When the 【Jing'an】 divine ability was generated, the Crown Prince knew its effect and naturally understood the Emperor's painstaking efforts.

He was filled with mixed feelings for a while.

The letter in his hand had one last paragraph:

"Now the grassland royal court hides ambition, the southern border gate is wide open, and the Desert Kingdom is ready to move. There is also the Western Continent eyeing us covetously.

Internal troubles are not yet settled, and external troubles may arise. You shoulder a heavy responsibility, must not be slack, and need not be afraid.

You can gather the power of the Jianghu to suppress Buddhism with Daoism.

Plan slowly, and when the Marquis of Jing'an's martial arts are completed, rely on him as a blade, and he can block a million troops!

July 8th, 49th year of Hongguang, last words of the Emperor of Great Lan."

The letter ended here.

This was a last word written by a father to his son.

It was also a commission written by the previous Emperor to the future Emperor.

The Crown Prince repeatedly looked at the last sentence on the letter, "rely on him as a blade, and he can block a million troops."

He had also seen the content on the note Li Fei left behind.

In the Imperial Study, the future Son of Heaven stood for a long time holding the letter.

The black flying boat was flying in the high sky.

After the battle on the Bai Feng Plains ended, the work of cleaning up the battlefield did not need Li Fei to be responsible.

So Li Fei planned to return to Lanling City for a trip as soon as possible.

He wanted to see the Emperor who gave him his seventh divine ability and helped him break through for the last time.

Wen Ren Zheng actually had the same idea, but this Military Minister had to stay behind to preside over the overall situation.

Most importantly, Wen Ren Zheng had to safely bring back the Heavenly Lan Iron Cavalry.

So he couldn't return with Li Fei.

Before Li Fei left, Wen Ren Zheng specially gave him something, a wooden box:

"This was specially entrusted to me by His Majesty to be handed over to you in the future."

For some reason, after Li Fei took the wooden box, he didn't want to open it to see what was inside for the first time.

It wasn't until he had been driving the flying boat for two days that he gradually calmed down.

He took the wooden box from his bosom and carefully opened it.

Inside was a note that looked somewhat familiar to Li Fei.

He took out the note, and on it was Li Fei's own handwriting:

"Our generation should have the ambition to reach the clouds,

Not failing the rivers and mountains for all eternity.

Turning and fighting three thousand li in one body.

One sword can block a million masters!"

This was the note he had specially left for the Emperor.

Li Fei's mouth curled up slightly, recalling the time they had spent together, which made him feel a bit more comfortable.

Then he noticed that there were words on the back of the note, and he immediately turned it over.

He saw two lines of words written on the back of the note:

"If you can ride a horse across the Western Continent in the future, and the hegemony is achieved, you can bring the land of other countries to my tomb.

Even in the nine springs, I will clap my hands and laugh!"

PS: This chapter was a bit difficult to write, and some readers might think it's filler, but after careful consideration, I finally decided to write it this way.

(End of chapter)