The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 224: Biting Irony, the Imperial Edict Self-Immolation

As soon as these words came out, the whole audience was shocked.

They all stared at the old marquis in disbelief.

No one expected that he would dare to interrupt the emperor.

Who gave you the courage?
The demon lord from outside the domain?
Or have you lost your mind?
Once blamed, it will be a serious crime of disobedience!
Only Xuanming smiled knowingly.

I understand that Zhenbei Hou is letting himself go.

He and the late emperor met when they were still young.

At that time, Lu Gongming was just a gangster.

The late emperor also traveled around the world hiding his identity.

The two hit it off right away, and joined hands to make their way through life. When they saw injustice, they would help each other and became brothers.

Later, the Lu family's enemies came to visit.

Lu Gongming and the late emperor joined hands to kill the enemy.

I didn't expect that the enemy was backed by court officials.

The Lu family rose to prominence late and was not a family of martial arts.

He was framed and soon thrown into jail.

At the critical moment, the late emperor revealed his identity, saved the Lu family from danger, and defeated the officials who abused their power for personal gain.

Lu Gongming was sentimental.

Everyone in the Lu family is grateful and repays the favor.

From then on, the entire Lu family surrendered to the late emperor and always followed him, relying on him through life and death and never leaving him.

Lu Gongming saved the late emperor from danger many times.

The most serious incident involved eighty-one stab wounds, and his life was hanging by a thread, yet he managed to survive.

After the previous emperor ascended the throne, he transformed himself into a close minister, enjoyed great power, and was later entrusted with important tasks.

He brought his family and traveled to the northern border town.

Three generations of loyalty remained for more than two hundred years, enduring the cold and wind all year round, fighting on the battlefield without complaint.

The world only tells stories about the good relationships between rulers and their subjects.

But when we arrived at the border, we discovered the countless corpses and bloody storms behind the beautiful story.

Because of the late emperor, no one in the Lu family had a good end.

In the end, the descendants are extinct.

The late emperor is dead.

Before he died, he was still worried that the Lu family wasn't miserable enough.

He pushed forward again.

The new emperor also planned to use rewards to cover up the truth.

Zhenbei Hou saw through it and woke up.

Isn't that just letting yourself go?

---

In fact, it was just as Xuanming expected.

Zhenbei Hou knelt in the ancestral hall for two days and two nights.

I have figured out a lot of things.

The new emperor's attitude further strengthened his determination.

"How dare you, Marquis Zhenbei, to commit treason!"

Eunuch Huaijin rebuked harshly.

He didn't want to speak, but since His Majesty was watching, he had to speak, otherwise he would be held accountable when he returned to the capital.

Marquis Zhenbei glanced at Eunuch Huaijin, seemingly speaking to him, but actually speaking to the new emperor.

The attitude seems humble, but in fact it is gentle but strong.

"Wei Chen dare not."

Thinking of the past with the late emperor.

The Lu family’s success and failure are all due to the late emperor.

The Marquis of Zhenbei bowed to the imperial edict and said humbly, "Your Majesty is the ruler of the country. Who am I to be considered a prominent figure? How dare I go against His Majesty's will?"
I am just feeling uneasy and feel that I am not worthy of the position, so I would like to ask Your Majesty to revoke the order.

I am an old minister in my twilight years, and have held the position of Marquis of Zhenbei for more than two hundred years. I have done nothing but sit in the position for nothing, which has led to the alienation of my family members, who have all left me, and the deaths of my soldiers, all on the battlefield.

Only one in ten people in the border town survived.

Every household in the border town wears mourning clothes.

An old mother cries for her child, a wife loses her husband, and a young child loses his father.

I, an old minister, feel guilty.

The old minister deserves to die.

This old minister has failed to live up to the emperor's grace.

I deserve to end up without any descendants.

My old bones cannot eat delicacies from land and sea, nor can I wear silk and satin, so I deserve to suffer all day long.

I can no longer afford any reward from the court.

I dare not trouble Your Majesty to worry about me anymore.

I only wish to stay at Beishan Cemetery for the rest of my life, sweep the graves of the heroes on the mountain, and cleanse the souls of the three peaks and twelve valleys."

After he finished speaking, the whole place was silent, and you could hear a pin drop.

Zhenbei Hou stood up again tremblingly.

He took off the Ruyi bag from his waist, presented it with both hands, handed it to Eunuch Huaijin, and continued:
“The old minister is incompetent and blind.

There is no sign that the border troops are short of food and fodder.

We never see the people in the border towns suffering from hunger and cold.

I only cared about enjoying myself and often spent money lavishly. All the accumulation of more than 200 years of the Zhenbei Hou Mansion was squandered by me.

All that is left is the red book and iron scroll bestowed by the late emperor and this empty, haunted-looking mansion, which is returned to the court."

Eunuch Huaijin's fingers trembled and his face was wrinkled like a chrysanthemum. He looked up at the imperial edict, and when he saw no reaction, he agreed.

He could only bite the bullet and take the hot potato of the Ruyi Bag with both hands.

After handing over the reward.

Zhenbei Hou felt half relieved.

He took out the tiger talisman and stroked it slowly with his old hand, as if he was saying goodbye to an old friend.

He immediately handed it over decisively.

"I have led the Zhenbei Army for more than two hundred years. I have been incompetent and foolish. I have failed the trust of the court and the people. I am unfaithful, unfilial, unkind and unjust. I will now return the tiger talisman.

From now on, there will no longer be Lu Gongming, the Marquis of Zhenbei, in the world, only the sinner Gongming. "

Eunuch Huaijin reached out to take the tiger talisman, his old face almost crying with anxiety, he felt that his life was too difficult.

Done.

Lu Gongming didn't wait for the new emperor to speak.

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times.

"Your Majesty, I bid you farewell. May Your Majesty be in good health and may the Great Xuan Dynasty prosper for generations to come."

Boom, boom, boom, three more kowtows.

"Your Majesty, I, Gongming, thank you."

After saying this, without waiting for the new emperor's reply, he stood up on his own and strode forward with his head held high.

The Lu family has never let Daxuan down.

Old man Gongming has no guilt in his heart.

Regardless of whether the new emperor agrees or not, he will never change his mind.

This time he committed treason, so what? It's not a request, so what?

What if the new emperor blames us?

What is he afraid of now?
The whole family goes to jail? Or is it the entire clan?
---

Everyone was shocked.

Everyone is puzzled.

Everyone admired him.

Whether they were people in government or ordinary people in the market, everyone felt confused and overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

They also automatically made way.

Accompanied by three old servants and his adopted granddaughter, Gongming walked out of the main gate of the mansion, stepped over the threshold and stood on the steps.

He looked up at the sun that dispelled the dark clouds, and the heavy burden on his shoulders and heart fell completely.

He felt relieved, and the constraints that had been weighing on him for two hundred years were broken, and his aura suddenly increased.

The moment Elder Gongming stepped down the stairs, he saw the magnificent scene of spiritual cultivation, and his cultivation level advanced half a step forward.

As long as he wants, he can step in at any time.

Although he refused the reward from the new emperor, he also lost his title of Marquis of Zhenbei and abandoned the fortune of the imperial court.

But his two hundred years of military experience are not false, his numerous achievements in fighting against foreign demons are not false, and his status in the hearts of the people in the North and even in Daxuan is not false.

More popular than the new emperor.

Even without the support of the temple, he still has a strong fortune that is envied by all the dignitaries.

Old Man Gongming wanted to laugh but couldn't. Instead, he felt sad. The state he had longed for but was always one step away from before was now within his reach when he had been dismissive.

Turning around, he looked at the plaque on the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion and the four words "Pillar of the Country" engraved on the screen wall in front of the door, and felt extremely ironic.

Looking at the threshold of the Hou Mansion again, it seemed unprecedentedly high, as if it would take the lives of everyone in the mansion to build it.

"Let's go!"

Thousands of words are reduced to two words.

All the disappointments faded into indifference.

Zhenbei Hou turned around and left without looking back.

From now on, everything here has nothing to do with him.

There is only the old man Gongming who visits the graves in the border town, and there is no longer the Marquis of Zhenbei, Lu Gongming.

The Lu family of Zhenbei Hou is extinct!!!

Inside the palace, the new emperor remained silent.

The imperial edict is useless. When the time comes, it will shatter into pieces and burn without fire.

Eunuch Huaijin burst into tears.

For the boldness of Zhenbei Hou.

Also for the breaking of the imperial edict.

He really messed up this mission.

But he did not blame the Marquis of Zhenbei. Instead, he admired him from the bottom of his heart. However, when he thought of those ironic words, Eunuch Huaijin's face turned pale. What happened today could not be concealed.

Whether it was the fact that Marquis Zhenbei disobeyed orders or what he said today, once it spreads, it will bring shame to the court and damage the dignity of the new emperor.

But for the sake of the last fig leaf, the new emperor could not tear his face off. Eunuch Huaijin could imagine how furious His Majesty would be in the capital of God.

Fortunately, after he returns, His Majesty's anger should ease, otherwise, he would be in great danger.

In the guest house, Xuanming was amazed.

If the Marquis of Zhenbei does not make a name for himself, he will be a sensation when he does.

Irony is pungent and stimulating.

It was like slapping the emperor in the face, scolding the Daxuan royal family for being unfaithful and hypocritical.

As for Zhenbei Hou, he was not surprised when he saw the threshold of practicing spirit. He let go of the heavy stone in his heart, and his thoughts became clear, and he would naturally be able to reach a higher level.

The affairs of the Lu family gave Xuanming some insights.

After traveling for nearly a year, starting from Li Daniu's house, he saw a lot of joys and sorrows, happiness and anger, and sorrow and happiness.

The characters are different, including common people, wealthy businessmen, farmers and scholars, and Liu Sect demon cultivators, with diverse perspectives and rich content.

The Zhenbei Marquis Mansion made him see another kind of thing.

He was the most shocked and felt the deepest.

At the same time, the rise and fall of the Lu family gives us a glimpse into the wonders of the great Dao.

The Lu family's service to the Great Xuan Divine Dynasty began with the late emperor and ended with the late emperor. This is a perfection.

Zhenbei Hou put an end to it.

The Lu family survived because of the previous emperor and perished because of the previous emperor. It was another perfect ending.

One in front and one behind, up and down, life and death!
Contains the truth of the world.

Just as the universe and all things begin with the infinite and end with the infinite, from nothing to something, from something to nothing, it is a cycle and a perfection.

Xuanming's aura suddenly became mysterious, and all the unclear points in the past were solved, and his cultivation level was one step closer to the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top of the Head.

His mana also skyrocketed as a result.

Now that the matter is over, there is no need to stay.

After the three little ones returned, Xuanming waved his sleeves and took them away.

By the time Eunuch Huaijin, who had received the new emperor's orders, had composed himself and came to visit, the guest house was already empty.

The Marquis of Zhenbei has no good impression of the new emperor.

Xuanming didn't have it either.

I don't want to get involved in the court's troubles.

Naturally there is nothing good to see.

---

Invisible ripples appeared in the air.

Outside the border town, Xuanming appeared.

He waved his sleeves and released the three little ones. He was not in a hurry to change his appearance, but looked towards the direction of the city gate.

There was a figure waiting there for a long time. It was the blind old beggar.

Seeing Xuanming approaching, he immediately bowed and saluted: "Ji Yuan greets the True Lord, an envoy from the imperial court. I dare to guess that given your temperament, you will not be impatient to deal with people from the imperial court and will leave soon. That is why I am waiting here in advance to see you off."

"You have a heart."

Xuanming nodded.

Ji Yuan took out a jade box and handed it over.

"I have nothing, but the spiritual fruit I got by chance can barely be presented to you. I want to thank you for your guidance in the past. I hope you will get what you want in this trip. I hope you will not refuse."

Xuanming did not refuse. He put away the jade box and took out a jade bottle and handed it to Ji Yuan.

"This spiritual fruit must have been hard to come by. I will accept it. Please do not refuse this gift in return."

Knowing that once a Shen Lian Da Xiu makes a decision, it will not be easily changed, Ji Yuan thanked him and took it with both hands.

"The mountains are high and the waters are long. We will meet again if we are destined to. I am leaving now."

Xuanyan led the way and the disciples held the rope.

Xuanming rode a white deer at his side, going farther and farther along the official road.

"The junior respectfully bids farewell to the senior."

Ji Yuan bowed and saluted.

When he could no longer see the figure, he turned back to the city.

But he disappeared the moment he crossed the city gate.

Even Xuanming didn't notice it.

I just felt that Ji Yuan was still in the border town.

(End of this chapter)