The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 151 Why Not Congratulate the Crown Prince? (Three-in-One)

When Gu Fangchen heard someone exclaim in surprise, she looked up at the landscape painting in mid-air, her eyes flashing.

He wasn't surprised; on the contrary, he felt as if the starting gun he had been waiting for had finally been fired.

Whether as a player or as Gu Fangchen.

From the very beginning, he knew that to succeed in his storyline, the final boss he would have to face was none other than himself.

It was Xie Qian, the only remaining first-grade Eternal Realm expert of Yaoshan.

Although this sage has been in seclusion to maintain "half of the country," and the one teaching students at Yaoshan Academy is merely a wisp of his divine consciousness, it does not mean that he is unable to interfere with the outside world.

Given the prestige of this Confucian sage, even if he doesn't take action, just saying a few words to express his intentions will cause countless people to speculate, thus affecting the structure of the Great Wei court and the Immortal Sect.

Take Gu Yuandao for example. When he was in the academy, although he was also a top student with good cultivation and reputation, he was only among the younger generation and was far from being as famous as he is now.

On the day of the imperial examination, Xie Qian bestowed upon him the spirit of righteousness, making him his true disciple, and he became the most famous person around him for a time.

As for Xie Qian's stance, it doesn't actually lie with Gu Yuye, Gu Yuandao, or even anyone in the Great Wei, but only with his dream of "eternal unity under the same sky".

As mentioned before, Xie Qian, and even the Lord of Hengchang Dao, are all First-Rank cultivators who have lived for too long. Their thinking has surpassed that of humans, and they no longer simply think about the rise and fall of a country.

Not to mention the life and death of several people.

It just so happens that, at this very moment, Gu Yuandao is the best piece in his hand.

When forced into this situation, Xie Qian will definitely stand up.

And now, all I can say is—

It's bound to happen...

Everyone looked up at the sound and gazed at the scroll that stretched across the sky.

From the hidden mountains in the landscape painting, a pure white deer slowly emerges, stepping out of the painting and into the outside world.

On the back of the white spirit deer, a thin old man dressed in a loose blue robe sat casually to the side, his mottled white hair tied up in a bun with a peach wood hairpin, and he was gently stroking the spirit deer's long antlers.

The spirit deer leaped lightly and landed inside the Purple Palace, creating ripples of pure energy.

The students of the academy inside the hall immediately stood up respectfully, their faces solemn, cupped their hands in greeting, and said in unison:

"Welcome, Master!"

Many of them were once students of the academy and are now officials in the court.

In an instant, more than half of the officials stood up and called out to the Master, while the rest said, "Greetings, Sage."

Such a grand display clearly indicated the identity of the visitors.

It was none other than Xie Qian, the only surviving first-rank cultivator in the Great Wei Dynasty—the "Sage of Confucianism"!
However, this was certainly not his true form, but merely a wisp of thought that remained within Yaoshan Academy.

In fact, this thought has no interaction with the main body; it is essentially just a pre-set AI.

But even if it's just a thought, no one dares to take it seriously or disrespect it.

Emperor Yong'an also lifted the curtain, stepped forward to personally greet him, and said with great surprise:
"I was planning to inform the Emperor later, but why did he come in person? I didn't even have time to set out an extra set of chopsticks."

Xie Qian shook his head and said:
"It's nothing to be proud of, and I'm ashamed to attend the banquet. Your Majesty doesn't need to go to such trouble. If people find out, they'll laugh at this old man for his poor teaching."

He turned his head, looked at Gu Yuandao, and scolded him:

"Evil disciple, why don't you wake up?"

Xie Qian simply said this in a stern tone, just like a teacher waking up a sleepy student.

Gu Yuandao's consciousness, which had been tucked away in his spiritual platform, suddenly awoke, rose to the surface, and abruptly opened his eyes.

Immediately, he felt a metallic taste rise in his throat.

He suddenly leaned forward and, with a "whoosh," vomited a pool of blood covered in dark, foul matter.

The filth in this blood was the "Buddha's Hand Pulling Silk" Gu that was entrenched in his seven orifices and brain, and one could vaguely see that it resembled countless small black spiders.

But in just a moment, all the little spiders turned into pus.

Gu Lianxian, who was standing nearby, was startled and exclaimed:
"Second brother!"

Although it looked frightening, Gu Yuandao's face quickly returned to a rosy color after a short while, from its previous deathly paleness.

He steadied himself, quickly stood up, staggered a couple of steps, and knelt down before the old man in the blue robe. Tears streamed down his face as he said in a hoarse voice:

"Thank you for saving me, Master. I am ashamed. My faith was not firm. I was bewitched by the demonic sect and blinded by its influence, and I committed a grave mistake..."

"The student deeply regrets his actions and is willing to accept punishment!"

Now that things have come to this, Gu Fangchen has even brought up Juehui, so no matter how he tries to argue, it's all in vain.

Even if Xie Qian came, he couldn't ignore the facts and directly overturn the verdict... If that happened, Gu Fangchen would definitely think of using the spirit turtle's "rules" to question her conscience and confirm whether what both sides said was true.

At that time, Gu Yuandao will face an abyss!

He had no choice but to confess first, and the only scapegoat he could find was the evil cult.

But in doing so would be tantamount to admitting that his Dao heart was unstable, his will was weak, and that even his righteous energy could not help him resist the supernatural powers and poison control of the demonic sect.

Although this makes no sense, after all, he is only at the fifth rank of cultivation. He is an outstanding person among the younger generation, but in the entire cultivation world, he is only in the middle to upper ranks.

No one would expect a young junior to do what even a top-tier cultivator cannot.

—Among the demonic sects, there are quite a few high-ranking members who have betrayed the righteous path.

But if he wants to convince everyone, he must be flawless!
Only in this way can he quickly gain popular support.

Now, the impeccable gentleman image cultivated over several years has been shattered in an instant, vanishing without a trace...

Given his previous reputation, if he were to achieve some more political success, he could immediately rise rapidly through the ranks.

But now, the label of "bewitched by the evil cult" will be forever attached to him!
Gu Yuandao looked dejected and unwilling.

He was unwilling to accept it... In the end, his repeated attempts to salvage the situation stemmed from his unwillingness to accept it!
But after more than a decade of lying low, just when he was about to soar to great heights, he was brought down by a roadside bug that he had previously paid no attention to. Anyone in his shoes would be unwilling to accept this!
It's infuriating that he didn't even realize when the Landscape Painting had ended up in Gu Fangchen's hands...

Gu Fangchen clearly hadn't gotten close to him much along the way, so how did this guy even get the Landscape Map?!
And it's ready to use right away...

Gu Yuandao couldn't help but think, doesn't this prove that the person at the Qionglin Banquet that day was Gu Fangchen herself?

You can even use the illusion arrays of the Demonic Sect's "Love" Path, and you still say you're not a member of the Demonic Sect?

If this had happened before, Gu Yuandao would have immediately raised objections.

But now, he no longer harbors any illusions.

When his resentment turned into dejection and his disdain vanished, he had to admit that every step he had taken before had been under Gu Fangchen's control and prediction.

He dared not gamble that Gu Fangchen would have no way to deal with it.

If Gu Fangchen were given another chance to showcase her talent and outshine him in front of all the civil and military officials, he would really commit suicide on the spot...

Xie Qian sighed, and Bai Lu nimbly walked up to Gu Yuandao.

The old man stretched out his hand, spread his five fingers, and placed them on the top of Gu Yuandao's head, saying calmly:
"If you know your mistakes and can correct them, there is no greater good."

He raised his head, looked at Emperor Yong'an, and said again:
"Your Majesty, my student is unskilled and lacks a firm resolve, which is truly shameful. However, his original intentions have not been extinguished and he can still be taught. So let me, his teacher, take him back to the mountains to reflect on his mistakes."

"What do you think, Your Majesty?"

With just a few words, the charge that Gu Yuandao had colluded with the Demonic Sect to harm the Sword Pavilion was cleared up.

With just the phrase "shameful," the seriousness of the matter was downplayed to the level of a child's ignorance.

However, neither the practitioners nor the officials present offered any objection.

Or rather, even if they have such thoughts, they can only suppress them...

This is the fundamental difference between the imperial court and the immortal sects.

When the laws of the king and the law of the country are applied to ordinary people, it is a matter of course that murderers should pay with their lives.

But when it comes to practitioners, one must first consider their stance before discussing right and wrong.

If one's stance is not problematic, but one is merely misled for a time, then even killing countless people is just a minor mistake.

I've reflected on my actions, and I'll practice again to try and avoid being misled next time.

Apart from some sects that may have a special pursuit of "Tao".

Which cultivator doesn't have a few lives on their hands?
When you're fighting to the death, if you accidentally lose control of your strength and harm a few ordinary people, are you going to commit suicide?
Come on, it's good enough that you admit your mistake.

Most of them wouldn't even give these mortals a second glance.

I fight against the demonic sect, isn't it all to protect you?
These are merely necessary sacrifices. If you want to challenge me, you must first get past those I saved and see whether they support you or me.

Now, Gu Yuandao has walked a fine line between the two sides, but ultimately, he has not crossed the line.

Because Gu Fangchen tricked him into having no choice but to draw his sword against Ning Caiyong, he had to use Gu poison to cover up his true intentions. In the end, that move actually saved his life.

If he hadn't been forced to use the "Buddha's Hand Silk" technique on himself back then, he would have no reason to refute Juehui's accusations now.

Gu Fangchen's expression remained unchanged; she had anticipated this.

If Gu Yuandao is not forced to reveal his true colors in front of Ning Caiyong, even if the Confucian sage were to come, Gu Yuandao would not be able to clear his name; at most, he could only save his life.

But if given the chance again, he would still make the same choice.

Ning Caiyong and Gu Yuandao were, after all, mother and son, born after ten months of pregnancy. How could they be severed so easily?
Even though Ning Caiyong had already sworn an oath not to treat Gu Yuandao as his own son.

However, if he were to kill Gu Yuandao with his own hands one day, it was hard to guarantee that Ning Caiyong would not harbor some resentment towards him.

Gu Fangchen wouldn't feel at ease unless she pushed Ning Caiyong to this point and made her experience Gu Yuandao's cold-blooded ruthlessness firsthand.

"Your Majesty is too kind. If the top scholar goes astray, I will also feel deeply sorry for him..."

Emperor Yong'an's attitude was no longer as stern as before; he only sighed:
"Since the sage has said so, I am naturally pleased. I only hope that when the top scholar returns to the country, he will become a pillar of the nation."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Xie Qian raised his hand, and Gu Yuandao instantly transformed into a white bird, circling him twice before flying into the Landscape Painting.

With another wave of his hand, the scroll was put away and landed at his waist.

Gu Yuye quickly added:
"My son's cultivation is still shallow and his experience is insufficient. I am grateful for the sage's guidance." Although their plan has now been completely ruined, with the Confucian sage stepping in to cover it up, at least it has not developed to an irreversible point.

Now that Gu Fangchen has taken the position of heir, Gu Yuandao has not only failed to win people's hearts, but has also destroyed the foundation he had built.

Total defeat...

Now, the plan is completely blocked and there's no way forward.

From today onwards, their primary objective should no longer be to maintain their own plans, but rather... to kill Gu Fangchen and eliminate this variable completely!
"Your Highness is too kind. Cultivation begins with cultivating the mind. In recent years, the turbid energy of the Nine Netherworlds has surged, and people's hearts have become restless. The entire academy has not been spared, which has inevitably given the Demonic Sect an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. It has come to this, yet we are still a pure land for scholars of the world."

"Speaking of which, it is also because I have been in seclusion for many years and have neglected worldly affairs. Fortunately... the day I emerge from seclusion is not far away. At that time, I must clean up this filthy atmosphere in the academy."

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled, then overjoyed.

The Confucian sage is actually going to emerge from the pass?!

Doesn't that mean the increasingly tense battle with the Qingman can be turned around immediately?
Emperor Yong'an asked the question that everyone was most concerned about:
"May I ask when the Sage will emerge from the pass?"

Xie Qian smiled and said:
“There was a Buddha in the past, and he will become a Buddha in the future, so he is called the future Buddha. I, Xie, also follow the ancients. If Your Majesty wants an answer, then it is that I have already come out of seclusion.”

Have you already cleared customs?
The group looked at each other, all with confused and bewildered expressions.

If a sage were to emerge from seclusion, how could they be completely unaware? There should be some reaction from them.

Moreover, this very thought hasn't even been withdrawn yet, so how can it be said that he has already emerged from seclusion?

Immediately, the old man turned his head and suddenly looked at Gu Fangchen.

Gu Fangchen's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained unchanged as she calmly accepted the scrutiny of this number one person in the world.

He comforted himself.

It's okay, it's okay... Since Xie Qian can't break the fourth wall, he probably can't see my true origins either.

The puppetry technique on his body wasn't some kind of demonic art. Others used it to create puppets, but he used himself to do so. Was that illegal?

Aside from this "magic refining," he possessed an aura of pure spirituality, which was exceptionally clean.

—Ahem, these are all experience points absorbed from righteous cultivators. They cultivated them little by little on their own, so how can they not be clean!
That being said, Gu Fangchen was not entirely unconvinced.

Xie Qian is still in seclusion at this moment, which means he is actually offline. A wisp of his thought remains outside. Although it is strong, it is not invincible. It is only at the peak of the second rank.

If Xie Qian could maintain his full strength even with a single thought, then the Great Wei would have unified the world long ago, and there would be no need for the Qingman.

Moreover, our Lord Hengchang is also present...

He has just suppressed Gu Yuye's rising trend, thus passing Emperor Yong'an's test and officially joining Emperor Yong'an's camp.

While he is still of use, Emperor Yong'an wouldn't be so quick to discard him after he's no longer useful.

"I must thank you for your timely warning, young friend, so that my worthless disciple will not make the same mistake again."

Xie Qian looked at him, touched the spirit deer's neck, and his expression was quite amiable:
"Looking at your talent and literary talent, it is a pity that you could not become a member of the academy."

If he hadn't played through the storyline and known what a crazy, inhuman creature was hidden beneath the guise of a Confucian sage... he would have really thought this was some kind of righteous leader.

But if we're talking about the right path, then it truly is the right path.

At least in his logic, he was doing it for the sake of all living beings, and from the starting point alone, it was the right path.

However, the peace that Xie Qian wanted... from a normal person's perspective, was too sinister.

Gu Fangchen sighed and said:
"The venerable elder doesn't need to feel regretful. I think it's a good thing that I didn't enter the academy. If I had gone to the academy as a student, I don't know how many people would have been so angry that they would have vomited blood!"

The expressions of the people below were subtle, and they couldn't help but chuckle.

This prince... is quite self-aware, and didn't take the Confucian sage's polite words seriously.

Although his martial arts skills have improved by leaps and bounds, his lack of learning and skills is a fact that the entire Huangtian City has witnessed over the past ten years.

Some time ago, a member of a demonic sect impersonated him, causing everyone to believe that His Highness had secretly made progress, which really gave them a big fright.

Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm!
The Sixth Prince, Xiao Yi, was sitting to the side, watching his former nemesis suddenly become a different person, snatching back the position of heir apparent that should have been rightfully returned to Gu Yuandao. He was filled with dread.

He had no idea what had happened. In less than a month, Gu Fangchen had suddenly become the tenth-ranked expert on the Little Heaven Ranking, chatting and laughing with all sorts of big shots.

Gu Fangchen used to be a good-for-nothing who was chased and beaten by him!
What's even more terrifying is that his sister, whom he both respected and feared, was actually very kind and gentle to Gu Fangchen.

This left Xiao Yi dumbfounded, almost questioning the meaning of life!

Gu Fangchen is the kind of person his sister hates the most, so why is it that in such a short time, he's been flirting with her and acting all cute in front of her, and she hasn't reacted at all?
But this turn of events has actually relieved him.

fine……

If Gu Fangchen suddenly became skilled in both literature and martial arts, all his previous mockery of her would turn into boomerangs stabbing him in the head. But how could that be? Hahahaha…

Before Xiao Yi could finish laughing in her heart, she heard Xie Qian chuckle and say:
“Young friend, you are much more modest than I am. I do not want you to be a student at the academy, but rather... I hope you can become a teacher so that those arrogant young men in the academy can broaden their horizons.”

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

If Gu Fangchen's sudden transformation into a martial arts genius was somewhat acceptable before, this moment is truly astonishing and leaves people speechless.

Throughout history, geniuses have been as numerous as carp crossing a river.

Each of them has achieved something in their respective fields of divinity and martial arts.

At this moment, they seemed to be witnessing the birth of a "genius".

The extension of talent is the way of the gods!
Talent is not the same as divine cultivation, but if talent is enhanced by divine cultivation, it can be transformed into cultivation very quickly!
Xie Qian meant that Gu Fangchen was qualified to be a teacher at the academy based solely on her literary talent.

If he were to cultivate the divine path and take literature as his path, he could at least achieve the fourth rank, with an immeasurable upper limit!
Others might take Xie Qian's words as mere politeness, but the disciples of the academy had no doubts whatsoever.

Therefore, everyone, including Liu Xuan, gasped and their faces became solemn and serious.

"Overflowing with talent" is a fine description; there are at least twenty young people in the academy who deserve this praise.

However, "the cohesion of cultural heritage" is not so simple.

This means that a completely new, uncharted path has begun to unfold in Gu Fangchen's life.

That is what is known as "cultural lineage".

Throughout history, those who possessed these "cultural traditions" were all great Confucian scholars who founded schools of thought and became famous in their respective eras.

This evaluation is too harsh!

Everyone felt that Gu Fangchen should at least decline, but he raised an eyebrow and grinned:
"Since the venerable sage has shown me such favor, I will naturally accept it with utmost respect."

Everyone: "..."

You're really not humble at all!

"However, I've been very busy lately and will probably be occupied for a while. When I have time, I will definitely come and give some guidance to the students of the academy."

Gu Fangchen was extremely arrogant.

He wasn't afraid of angering Xie Qian. Apart from his ultimate goal being utterly inhuman, before he emerged from seclusion, the sage still deserved the title of sage.

Hearing this, everyone's lips twitched. "You're getting all worked up after just a couple of compliments... Damn it, this is outrageous! This kid has a 'literary talent'? The sage must have misjudged him!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Qian was indeed only stunned for a moment, then laughed and even joked along with him:
"Then I, Xie, will await your arrival at the academy."

Having said that, the spirit deer beneath him let out a few long cries and leaped into the air.

The old man who arrived riding a white deer then drifted away again.

Everyone felt as if layers of mountains and forests had appeared before them, and the mist was dissipating. In the blink of an eye, Xie Qian disappeared into them.

The students of the academy shouted again:

"Respectfully seeing off the Master!"

Emperor Yong'an turned to look at Gu Yuye, as if only then realizing what he had just said:

"Oh dear, why is Minister Gu still kneeling? Please rise quickly."

Gu Yuye then slowly stood up, his face showing shame, and cupped his hands in greeting:

"I am ashamed that I failed to discover my son's actions in time..."

"Ah, it is only natural that you, my dear minister, are so loyal to the emperor and love your country that you have not been able to take care of your own family. How could I blame you?"

Emperor Yong'an opened his arms, looked around, and said with a smile:
"Besides, hasn't this matter come to a perfect end now?"

“My dear minister once told me that no matter who becomes the heir apparent, we should not show favoritism and should hold a grand celebration banquet.”

He walked to the side, picked up a glass of wine, and handed it to Gu Yuye:
"Minister Gu, why not offer congratulations to the Crown Prince?"

Gu Yuye held the glass of wine, his face looking as if he had swallowed a greenbottle fly—it was disgusting, but since it was already in his throat, he had no choice but to swallow it.

He held the glass of wine for a long time before walking up to Gu Fangchen and slowly raising the glass.

Gu Fangchen could see clearly that his knuckles were white as he gripped the wine glass, and he was trying to control his strength so as not to crush it.

—Emperor Yong'an even specially gave him a glass cup, which was quite cunning.

Gu Fangchen looked at Gu Yuye with a half-smile and said in a low voice:
"Gu Yuye, do you know what? I love the way you look at me with dislike but can't do anything about it."

Gu Yuye remained expressionless, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

Gu Fangchen reached out and took the wine glass.

He didn't drink it, but suddenly raised the glass high and said coldly:
"Your Majesty, I have heard that many have died in this battle at the Qiu'an border. This cup of wine should not be offered to me, but to those who have died!"

After saying that, she laughed and, in front of Gu Yuye, poured out the wine in her glass.

"Sa!"

The spilled wine traced a line in front of Gu Yuye.

It was like a memorial service.

At this moment, Gu Yuye's expression was twisted to the extreme!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)