Chapter 854: The Final Testament

Lanling City, Imperial Palace.

Although the Imperial Palace was protected by the Profound Firmament Imperial Pole True Dragon Array, the clash between Yunshu and Jingheng still destroyed dozens of palaces and many covered bridges and pavilions.

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

The Qingde Palace, serving as the Crown Prince's sleeping quarters, was also affected and completely reduced to ruins.

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

For the past two days, the Crown Prince had not chosen to reside in another palace, but had remained in the Imperial Study.

During the battle two days ago, he had endured the backlash of the national destiny and was also heavily injured.

Fortunately, he was young and robust, had kept himself in good health all these years, and at the final, most critical moment, the Emperor had voluntarily taken over control of the national destiny to bear the most intense backlash for him.

Thus, the Crown Prince only suffered damage to his vitality and would recover after a few years of recuperation, without leaving behind any sequelae or even a shortened lifespan.

After receiving treatment from the imperial physicians, the Crown Prince had spent the last two days living and working in the Imperial Study, handling various affairs.

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

Fortunately, Jingheng had been heavily injured and repelled, and the Battle of Baifeng Plain was won after all; the situation had not reached the point of being unmanageable.

The Central Secretariat still had Grand Secretary Ye Ze sitting in command, so it would not fall into chaos.

After working busily for two consecutive days, the Crown Prince had finally temporarily stabilized the hearts of the court and the capital.

"Your Highness, Commander Xing Sinan has led the Qingshuang Army to arrive at the Capital Garrison Camp."

The Imperial Eunuch Feng Cheng stood outside the study and respectfully reported to the Crown Prince.

The Capital Garrison Camp was outside Lanling City, a place specifically for the army to station and provide supplies.

Previously, the Sky Blue Cavalry had been stationed at the Capital Garrison Camp for a long time.

The Qingshuang Army, having traveled thousands of miles from the northern border to "protect the King," had finally arrived in Lanling City!

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

Although the Buddhist faction had been repelled, the Imperial Preceptor Yunshu was dead, and Wenren Zheng and the Sky Blue Cavalry were still outside.

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

If someone were to harbor ulterior motives, the Crown Prince truly did not know if he could hold on.

He had stayed in the Imperial Study for the past two days only because the Imperial Jade Seal was here, which was the hub of the Profound Firmament Imperial Pole True Dragon Array, allowing him to mobilize the power of the array at the fastest speed!

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

At this moment, hearing that the Qingshuang Army had finally arrived, the Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief, and his tightly strung heartstrings finally loosened.

With the Qingshuang Army sitting in command, plus the support he could provide by mobilizing the Profound Firmament Imperial Pole True Dragon Array, even if Jingheng were to enter the city again in his prime, they could still fight!

After all, Yunshu's state was too poor, certainly not as good as a full-strength Qingshuang Army. And the closer the distance, the stronger the power the Profound Firmament Imperial Pole True Dragon Array could provide.

Even with the support of the Son of Heaven's dragon Qi, the Sky Blue Cavalry far away on the Baifeng Plain could only barely suppress the River-Suppressing Heavenly King.

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

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

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

The reason the situation could stabilize so quickly over these two days was mainly due to Grand Secretary Ye Ze in the Central Secretariat, and for the Imperial Palace, it was mainly due to this Imperial Eunuch with the cultivation of a Grandmaster.

Feng Cheng bowed slightly, his face still full of respect:

"Your Highness is too polite, it is all within my duties."

The Crown Prince nodded, his eyes suddenly turning red:

"Prepare yourself, notify everyone: the Emperor has died for the country and has ascended to heaven on a dragon!"

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

Now that the Qingshuang 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 involved.

"Yes!"

Feng Cheng lowered his head deeply, his tone finally showing fluctuation.

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

Only at this moment did he finally have the heart to properly 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 multi-treasure cabinet and carefully looked at the collection displayed on it.

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

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

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

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

"What treasure did Father hide?"

The Crown Prince became curious at once.

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

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

With a thought from the Crown Prince, a strand of purple-gold aura flew out from the Imperial Jade Seal on the desk and merged into the small jade box.

Soon, the "lock" was opened.

The Crown Prince opened the jade box; there was no incredible treasure inside, just a piece of ordinary folded letter paper.

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

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

"It is Father's handwriting!"

The Crown Prince immediately became spirited.

It was just that the characters on the letter paper looked "weak and powerless," likely written by the other party personally after falling seriously ill.

After reading only the first paragraph, the Crown Prince was already tearful, his hands trembling slightly:

"I have held the mandate of heaven and ruled the universe for over forty years. Now my lifespan is coming to an end, and I am returning to heaven on a dragon. Thinking of the ancestral foundation entrusted to you, I specially offer these words from the bottom of my heart as a warning, hoping you will think carefully and act decisively, and not fail my expectations.

Since I ascended the throne, I have been vigilant day and night. I suppressed the powerful clans, trimmed the power of the nobility, 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 strength of the Jianghu.

I campaigned against the northern barbarians and expanded our territory!

Although I had the ambition of a restoration and the heart to expedition to the Western Continent.

Yet first, there was the invasion of the Western Continent, with troops at the city gates.

Then there was the rebellion of the Qingxu, and when the flames of war moved across the Ming Province, the sound of the people weeping blood was still in my ears!

Then there was the disaster of the New Heaven Society, and the killing of Qiming caused the national destiny to fluctuate again.

Now there is the mutiny in the southern border; the country is in constant turmoil, and national strength is constantly being depleted.

With such merits and faults canceling each other out, how dare I overstep and claim a temple name?

Let the Central Secretariat draft 'Renzong' as the title; it is enough to just hold the name of governing the country with benevolence and ruling subordinates with kindness."

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

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

After an emperor dies, the most important thing is not the posthumous title, because the posthumous titles given to emperors are always as pleasant as possible and basically have no reference value.

What truly measures an emperor's achievements is his temple name.

This is decided jointly by the descendants of later generations and the court officials to "seal the coffin and settle the conclusion."

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

Founding the foundation is called "Tai," having high merits is called "Gao," restoring the country is called "Zhong," and being worshipped for generations is 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 pioneering merits can be called "Zu," otherwise they can only be called "Zong."

The requirements for temple names were too high at the beginning, but 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, and so on.

The Great Lan Dynasty's foundation of over five hundred years, being the first empire in history to unify the Central Plains, naturally had extremely high standards for temple names.

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

Of the many generations of emperors that followed, not one was worthy of the four first-tier temple names of "Tai," "Gao," "Zhong," and "Shi."

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

Later, the campaign against the northern barbarians turned the seventeen northern barbarian tribes into fourteen, penetrating deep into the wilderness and occupying a piece of territory, expanding the territory for the Great Lan Dynasty!

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

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

In his own words, it could only be "merits and faults canceling each other out."

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

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

However, the country had been in constant turmoil, with internal strife and depletion of national strength.

These were all indisputable facts.

If the Crown Prince forcibly tried to win 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, as well as their reputation in later generations, would be affected.

The Crown Prince had just ascended the throne, and Emperor Hongguang did not want him to argue with the officials over this matter and leave behind hidden dangers, so he voluntarily left a letter mentioning his own temple name.

With this letter, the Crown Prince can provide an explanation to the ministers, to the people of the world, and to future generations.

Calming his emotions, the Crown Prince continued to read the letter:

"You have been clever since childhood, yet you possess an excess of caution and a lack of decisiveness. Although you are able to treat subordinates with courtesy, you still lack the capacity to tolerate others.

After I am gone, Ye Ze shall guard the interior, and Wenren Zheng shall defend the exterior; you must manage these two with reason and employ them with integrity.

Prince Cheng guards the northern border; while I am alive, he should have no ulterior motives. After I am gone, you should not press him too hard, but you must not fail to guard against him.

As for Marquis Jing'an Li Fei, I once had the State Preceptor cast a divination for him, and the oracle read—

Safety and danger shift, disaster and fortune beget one another.

This youth's nature is pure and kind; he is a man of true sentiment. You should govern him with affection, and strictly avoid suspicion, testing, or harboring doubts at every turn.

While I am here, he is a blessing to our Great Lan.

After I am gone, you must not force him to become a disaster for Great Lan!"

The Crown Prince held the letter paper and let out a heavy sigh.

In the second paragraph of this letter, the Emperor gave instructions on how to employ people, and he only mentioned four individuals:

Ye Ze, Wenren Zheng, Prince Cheng Qin Shixian, and finally, Li Fei.

The first two naturally need no further explanation; they are the right and left hands left by the Emperor for the Crown Prince. Without these two, it would be difficult for him to sit firmly on the throne!

As for Prince Cheng Qin Shixian, with the First Imperial Prince and Prince Li having already rebelled, and the Third Imperial Prince dead, he is the only remaining hidden danger to the imperial family.

The opponent is at the peak of the Dao Establishment realm and has a certain possibility of breaking through to become a Martial Saint!

Being a prince of the blood, holding heavy military power, and guarding the northern border, he is far from the Emperor's reach.

While Emperor Hongguang was alive, he could suppress Prince Cheng, making him unwilling and afraid to harbor any ill intentions.

But after the Crown Prince ascends the throne, that is no longer certain.

As for how to resolve this hidden danger, the Emperor had actually laid out the chess game for the Crown Prince early on and finished placing the pieces:

Li Fei's Killing Barbarian Army is stationed at the northern border!

Using Li Fei to check and balance Prince Cheng is undoubtedly the perfect choice.

That is why the Emperor emphasized Li Fei at the end.

He even used very stern wording to remind the Crown Prince!

Looking at this passage, the Crown Prince immediately recalled the Emperor's final imperial decree from two days ago.

The Emperor used the national fortune to condense a divine ability for Li Fei, allowing Li Fei to complete the final, decisive strike.

At the same time, it was also the final piece the Emperor placed for the Crown Prince and the Great Lan Dynasty!

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

He was overcome with a complex mix of emotions.

There was one final paragraph in the letter in his hand:

"The grassland royal court now harbors secret ambitions, the southern border gates are wide open, and the Mo Kingdom is restless. Furthermore, the Western Continent is eyeing us covetously.

Internal troubles are not yet settled, and external threats may arise. You shoulder a heavy responsibility; you must not grow lax, nor do you need to harbor fear.

You may gather the strength of the pugilistic world to suppress Buddhism with the Dao.

Plan slowly; when Marquis Jing'an's martial path reaches completion, rely on him as your blade, and he can block a million soldiers!

The eighth day of the seventh month, the forty-ninth year of Hongguang, the final writing of the Great Lan Emperor."

The letter ended there.

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

It was also a final entrustment written by a past emperor to a future one.

The Crown Prince read the final sentence, "Rely on him as your blade, and he can block a million soldiers," over and over again.

He had also seen the contents of the note Li Fei had written back then.

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

The black flying boat was flying high in the sky.

After the Battle of the Baifeng Plains ended, the work of clearing the battlefield did not require Li Fei's attention.

Thus, Li Fei immediately planned to make a trip back to Lanling City.

He wanted to see the Emperor who had given him his seventh divine ability and helped him break through his realm one last time.

Wenren Zheng actually had the same thought, but this Grand Marshal of the Military Council had to stay behind to preside over the overall situation.

Most importantly, Wenren Zheng had to safely lead the Heavenly Lan Iron Cavalry back.

So he could not return with Li Fei.

Before Li Fei departed, Wenren Zheng specifically handed him something—a wooden box:

"His Majesty specifically entrusted me to pass this on to you in the future."

For some reason, after Li Fei took the wooden box, he felt an unexpected reluctance to open it and see what was inside.

It was not until he had been piloting the flying boat for two days that he gradually calmed his mood.

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 the note out, 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 that flow for eternity.

Turning to battle for three thousand miles in a single body.

A single sword can block a million troops!"

This was the note he had specifically left for the Emperor back then.

The corners of Li Fei's mouth curled up slightly, recalling the time that had passed, which made him feel a bit more at ease.

Then he noticed there was writing on the back of the note and immediately flipped it over.

He saw two lines of text written on the back:

"If one day you can trample the Western Continent with your horses and your hegemony is achieved, you may bring the soil of that land before my tomb.

Even in the netherworld, I shall clap my hands and laugh heartily!"

PS: This chapter was a bit difficult to write; some readers might feel it is filler, but after careful consideration, I ultimately decided to write it this way.

(End of chapter)