The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 223: The King of a Different Surname, the Old Marquis Refuses the Order

Border town, in front of Zhenbeihou Mansion.

The people gathered and gathered around.

The imperial envoy stopped in front of the door.

The middle door was wide open, and the Marquis of Zhenbei, wearing armor, walked out with three old servants and a little girl.

In the guest house, Xuanming had no plan to go out.

He only let the three little ones represent him.

He had been paying more or less attention to what Zhenbei Hou was investigating these days, and Bai Suying had also given him some information.

The Saint of the Liu Sect was also dissatisfied with the imperial court.

Because of this, he already knew part of the truth.

The old emperor lived up to the wisdom and bravery he had when he first ascended the throne, and became foolish and cruel. He completely exploited the Zhenbei Marquis, who had been a harmonious monarch and subject for two hundred years. How could this not be disappointing?
Xuanming didn't want to meet anyone from the central government.

Anyway, he is an outsider and has many reasons.

In addition, he was a spiritual practitioner, so the imperial court did not dare to force him.

Xuanming stayed until today because he wanted to see the final result.

At the gate, seeing the drastically changed appearance of Zhenbei Hou, the people had different reactions. Some gasped, some were stunned, some couldn't help but pinch their companions, and then they started talking.

"How come the Marquis has become like this after just two days of not seeing him?"

"What else can I do? My whole family died in the war. Who else can bear this?"

"Every family in our border town has lost a life, but none of them were as tragic as the death of Zhenbei Hou. All men, women, young and old died. They all died for their loyalty to the country."

"Speaking of which, the court is really short of something this time... Why are you covering my mouth?"

……

In the carriage, the envoy from the court had good ears.

Listening to the reactions of the people in the border town, he felt a little uneasy and knew that this one was not going to be a good one.

Otherwise, how could it be his turn?

But who made me rank last among the five major prisons?

Taking the initiative to step out of the carriage, Eunuch Huaijin flicked his whisk and shouted sharply, "Silence!"

The sound was clear and audible, and everyone present was silent.

"Marquis Zhenbei greets the envoy."

The old marquis clasped his fists and bowed.

The seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door.

What’s more, they are eunuchs around the emperor.

The other party was an envoy from the imperial court.

Since he came here on behalf of the Emperor, he had to be even more respectful.

As for the people's discussions.

In the past, he might have cared.

Right now, I don’t want to care about it.

Eunuch Huaijin did not dare to be negligent. He stepped aside to accept half the greeting, then bowed to return the full greeting. Only then did he get off the carriage and was invited into the mansion.

The middle door was wide open and not closed.

Eunuch Huaijin asked about the health of Marquis Zhenbei as usual, then took out the imperial edict and handled the matter in an impartial manner.

"Following the will of heaven and the virtue of the earth, Lu Gongming, the Marquis of Zhenbei, has guarded the border diligently for more than two hundred years..."

Accompanied by Eunuch Huaijin's story.

The imperial edict shone brilliantly, and each word flew out, sparkling in the air with dazzling golden light, demonstrating the imperial power.

---

In the guest house, upon hearing about the imperial court's reward, Xuanming stroked his beard and smiled, looking quite satisfied.

Although the old emperor did some outrageous things before his death, he had a good eye for choosing his successor.

The new emperor has a broad mind and a magnanimous character.

Directly promote the title of Marquis of Zhenbei to King of Zhenbei.

Cross the line of dukedom and become king with a different surname!
This is a great treat.

The title of nobility in the Divine Dynasty should not be conferred lightly.

Each title represents a part of the imperial court’s fortune.

The title of king can only be held by practicing God.

In other words, if a cultivator sees the threshold to becoming a god, and a title of king falls on his head, combined with the luck accumulated in the past, he will have enough confidence to impact the god-training realm.

Most of the kings in the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty are descendants of the royal family.

Royal titles with different surnames are extremely rare.

The new emperor is indeed generous.

I did put some thought into the reward.

All those who died in battle with the Zhenbei Marquis were canonized. According to the size of their merits, they were either canonized as ghosts or assistants of the main god.

This is a good thing for the Tianchi Mountain God, the Sujiang Goddess, Taiyi Rescuer of Sufferings and the Emperor Gou Chen.

Lian Xuanming, the gods, and other generals of the Zhenbei Army were all canonized, and their families who died in battle also received generous pensions.

For example, Xuanming was canonized as the second-rank guest official of the Tiandiyuan. He could enjoy the offerings of the Tiandiyuan without doing any work, and could even mobilize part of the power of the Tiandiyuan when necessary.

Only the first-rank guest official and the three-flower Taoist can take up the post. For example, the fact that the Lord of Gou Chen was promoted to the Great God was not concealed. The court specially appointed him as the God of War of the North, in charge of the war in the North, and could recruit 30,000 divine soldiers.

This is the court trying to win over the great god.

After all, Shinto is both connected to and independent of humanity. The Divine Dynasty can control ghosts and gods, but it cannot control the great gods.

Taiyi the Savior of Suffering was canonized as Taiyi the Savior of Suffering God of the North; the Central Huangji Huangjiao Immortal was canonized as Tubo of the North; the Dharmakaya of the Red Emperor was also recognized by the court and became a true god.

Xuanming couldn't stand the old emperor, but he would not go against the reward. He had made great contributions to the Great Wall of the Divine Dynasty, and this was what he and the gods deserved. Why shouldn't he take it?

In fact, he was protecting the people of Daxuan.

The Great Xuan Emperor was merely the common leader chosen by the people, and he accepted the people's gratitude.

The front yard of the Houfu.

The announcement of the decree was not smooth.

When the golden light condensed into an imperial edict scroll again.

The Marquis of Zhenbei did not accept the decree as everyone expected. After bowing to the imperial decree floating in the air, he had a complicated expression and said in a heavy tone:

“Your Majesty’s kindness is great, and I should not refuse it. However, I am old and can no longer fight, nor do I want to.

I, this old minister, beg Your Majesty to revoke your order, and at the same time, I beg the court to allow me to resign and retire..."

The Marquis of Zhenbei is deeply affectionate.

There was an unconcealable disappointment towards the court in his tone.

Eunuch Huaijin was stunned.

The accompanying soldiers were surprised.

The people were in an uproar.

I didn't expect that the old marquis who had been loyal for more than two hundred years would refuse the title and refuse to obey the will.

They want to tell themselves that this is a lie.

But I saw the old marquis take off his helmet, put it on the ground, then stand up tremblingly and take off his armor with his own hands.

It means to take off the armor and return to the countryside.

It can be seen that the old marquis has made up his mind.

Compared with the common people, the generals and a small number of people who knew the inside story, such as Eunuch Huaijin, knew it more clearly.

The old marquis did this because, on the one hand, he was truly disappointed with the court, and on the other hand, he was retreating to advance and force the new emperor to express his position.

He was waiting for an apology.

A letter of repentance from the new emperor.

The Daxuan royal family must have an attitude.

As he wished, he continued to serve the court after practicing Shen, and died on the battlefield without any regrets.

If it fails, then I will truly retire.

Witnessing with their own eyes the old marquis who had been loyal to the emperor and the country for half his life come to this point, Eunuch Huaijin, the accompanying generals, and the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army were all sighing with regret.

They all looked at the imperial edict at the same time.

The imperial edict contains the emperor's legal will. The moment the imperial edict is read, a trace of the emperor's divine consciousness will descend.

I was able to witness this scene with my own eyes.

It is also possible to communicate temporarily with the recipient.

It is somewhat similar to the gods appearing in temples.

It just has a wider radiation range.

---

In the guest house, Xuanming was also waiting.

He also wanted to know what choice the new emperor would make.

The emperor has been in power for less than two months, and there are pros and cons to issuing a self-criticism edict. It all depends on how he chooses and whether he has the courage.

The entire Zhenbeihou Mansion was in complete silence.

Even the common people stopped whispering.

The golden light flickered and the imperial edict hung quietly.

After a while, a voice finally came.

"My dear, you have made up your mind. Do you really have to do this?"

The voice is gentle and one cannot tell whether it is happy or angry.

Eunuch Huaijin trembled slightly.

He had followed His Majesty since he was young and had been serving him since the Prince Jingtian's Palace. He understood that His Majesty was angry.

His Majesty is a soft-hearted person and does not respond to harsh words.

Although the old marquis retreated to advance, he seemed soft but was actually hard, and the outcome was already decided.

Eunuch Huaijin couldn't bear it, so he closed his eyes and kowtowed.

Just pretend that you are deaf and blind at this moment.

Just as Eunuch Huaijin expected.

After the old marquis said "it has to be this way", the new emperor expressed his position: "Mr. Lu, the Marquis of Zhenbei, is getting old next year. I will allow him to retire. Considering his great contributions to Daxuan, I will also confer him the title of Duke of Zhenguo..."

"Your Majesty, wait!"

He was interrupted before he could finish his words.

(End of this chapter)