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

Chapter 216 Gu Fangchen's Inner Demons (Part 2)

After Gu Yuye's rebellion was exposed and he became a traitor hated by everyone, the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion fell into decline.

Everyone knew that from then on, no matter what, the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion would no longer be the same Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

Some time ago, Gu Yuandao was imprisoned, Gu Fangchen took Gu Lianxian to Shuobei, and Ning Caiyong returned to Jian Ge. In the huge royal mansion, only Gu Youren was left in charge.

She knew perfectly well that things were beyond repair, and Gu Yuye's actions were unbelievable to her. So she questioned several of the servants in the Prince's mansion and finally discovered Gu Yuye's true colors, which he had been hiding all this time.

The image of the father that Gu Youren firmly believed in finally collapsed completely.

But Gu Fangchen killed Gu Yuye, which was a genuine act of revenge for killing one's father. The inner torment Gu Youren endured during this period was beyond what outsiders could understand.

Torn between loyalty to the emperor and filial piety, her only reason for staying in the Prince's mansion was probably to wait for Gu Fangchen to return so that she could settle their score and settle their grudges.

However, news then came that Gu Fangchen had murdered the emperor, betrayed the country, and fled to the Qingman tribe. Gu Youren then realized that the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion no longer had any possibility of continuing to exist.

After settling the servants at the Prince's residence, she returned to Yaoshan Academy for the time being.

Firstly, I want to calm down, find a quiet place, break through my mental barriers, and see my true inner self at this moment.

Gu Youren is currently at the fourth-grade Snow Point Realm, which is also the time for divine cultivators to undergo tribulation.

She had already overcome the six physical tribulations, but the tribulation of her inner demons remained elusive. Therefore, when the royal palace was now facing a major upheaval, she saw it as the approaching arrival of her inner demons.

Therefore, it must be treated with caution.

She didn't want to go astray because of this.

The prejudices she held against Gu Fangchen became leverage that Gu Fangchen seized upon, thus planting a seed in her heart.

Only now does she realize how deeply she has been deceived, and therefore, she dares not make hasty judgments again and repeat the same mistakes.

Secondly, when a new emperor ascends the throne, he must come to Yaoshan to worship the covenant.

Gu Youren also wanted to ask whether the matter of Gu Fangchen murdering the emperor and betraying the country was really true... Of course, although she considered herself aloof, she was not completely ignorant of the world. If this matter was related to Xiao Sheng, the latter would definitely not tell the truth.

She simply wanted to find any illogical loopholes in what the other person said.

The poem that Gu Fangchen wrote at the Qionglin Banquet had indeed given her a great shock, and now that she had discovered the true colors of Gu Yuandao and Gu Yuye, the shock was even more profound.

Even with matters like regicide and treason, she subconsciously felt there might be more to the story.

I never expected that I would be greeted by Gu Yuandao before I even went to visit Xiao Sheng.

Gu Youren frowned slightly and looked at Gu Yuandao. Although she despised Gu Yuandao's collusion with the Demonic Sect, he was, after all, her own younger brother by blood.

Furthermore, judging from what she learned from those worshippers, Gu Yuye had complete control over the switch back then.

Gu Yuandao's collusion with the Demonic Sect is likely largely due to Gu Yuye's machinations.

On that day in the imperial court, Gu Yuye completely abandoned Gu Yuandao, a blatant act of sacrificing a pawn to save the king.

After this period of self-reflection, I hope my younger brother has truly repented.

Luo Song sighed and said:

"Looking back on all that happened in the past, Yuan Dao now realizes that he should not have done it and feels ashamed. That's why I came to find my elder sister to express my remorse."

Gu Youren was deeply moved by his sincere words, pursed her lips, and murmured:

"If only we had known then what we know now... We were all wrong."

Luo Song hesitated and said:
"However, forgive me for saying something I shouldn't have... No matter how bad Gu Yuye is, he is still our father. Moreover, Gu Fangchen has now murdered her father and emperor, and has betrayed Qingman with the fate of the nation. She is already a traitor."

"His motives for killing Gu Yuye are still unknown. Since he was able to collude with the Qingman Datiansa, he naturally had the ability to frame the Zhenbei King."

Gu Youren's deep-seated frustration stemmed from this very matter.
If Gu Fangchen returns safely and peacefully to become the Prince of Zhenbei, then things will be simple.

He is a pillar of the nation, while Gu Yuye is a traitor, but he is also her biological father, so she should naturally avenge him.

If she were to die at Gu Fangchen's hands, she would naturally have no regrets.

If she could kill Gu Fangchen, she would also commit suicide to atone for her sins, thus fulfilling her duty of loyalty and filial piety.

But now, Gu Fangchen has run away, carrying Emperor Yong'an's head with her, so there's no way she can clear her name.

Then the events of before seem to have many other possibilities for explanation, and suddenly become unclear.

And it's even more of a mess.

Since Gu Youren was unaware of the truth, he naturally could not act rashly.

She took a deep breath and said:

“You’ve only just come out of seclusion, yet you know so much.”

Luo Song's expression turned serious, and he said:
“This is a family matter, but also a national matter. Yuan Dao should naturally know this clearly, otherwise how would he know the foundation of his character?”

Gu Youren's heart stirred. Looking at him, she felt that her little brother was just like the good impression she had when they first met.

She nodded:
"Indeed."

"I intended to wait until after the worship ceremony to ask the new emperor if he would like to travel with me."

Luo Song shook his head and whispered:
"I don't think we can get anything out of Xiao Sheng. He's gone mad with the desire to become emperor."

He looked around, set up a protective barrier, and then said:
"I saw it with my own eyes. His body could no longer bear the fate of the nation, yet he was forced to support it with the Demon-Suppressing Nails. I'm afraid he won't live much longer."

"There's no way to get anything out of a madman like that."

Demon-suppressing nails?!

Gu Youren's pupils constricted; he hadn't expected Xiao Sheng to have gone to such a crazy state!

If that's really the case, even if there are other hidden reasons, it's indeed difficult to get the truth out of him...

A madman who is about to die will never create a situation that is detrimental to himself.

She said in a deep voice, "Then what do you intend to do?"

Luo Song cupped his hands and said:
"I have volunteered to go to Shuobei to join the White Dragon Army and assist the Princess in dealing with the Qingman."

He smiled slightly:
"A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. To see a person's true feelings, one must look at what they have actually done."

“If Gu Fangchen really betrays the country, he will definitely appear on the battlefield to deal with the Princess and the Marquis of Yizhou.”

"But if he had not defected to the enemy and it was all an illusion, then given his character, he would surely have secretly helped the Great Wei and reversed the situation."

"Why don't we go together and see for ourselves whether Gu Fangchen's so-called treason is true or false?"

Luo Song's eyes flickered, and he said:

"He is currently at the fourth rank. If he feels guilty, he will be tormented by inner demons and therefore will never do anything against his conscience."

Gu Youren pondered for a moment, then nodded:

"That is indeed a solution."

Moreover, now that the Xuanhuang Army has suffered heavy losses and Gu Fangchen has defected to the enemy, the Qingman will inevitably launch a major offensive.

With war imminent between the two countries, she originally had the idea of ​​going to the border to gather cultivators who were willing to do so to guard the country's gate.

Gu Yuandao's suggestion was exactly what he wanted.

Whether Gu Fangchen's defection to the enemy was genuine or not was obvious at a glance.

"it is good."

Gu Youren then agreed:
“After the worship ceremony is over, I will go to Shuobei with you.”

……

Luo Song left Gu Youren's place, squinted at the northern sky, his eyes completely filled with darkness.

He is in charge of transmitting and spreading the Way, and he can respond to all the thoughts and desires of the people.

The thoughts and desires of the human heart also include what is known as "inner demons." In his perception, Gu Fangchen's "inner demons" reside within the White Dragon Army.

To anyone who looks at Gu Fangchen, it seems that her Dao heart is as hard as iron, and she has no flaws at all.

It's hard to imagine what kind of "inner demons" this person might have.

He sneered, a playful expression on his face.

The so-called "inner demons" can be summed up in one sentence: the inability of one's actions and thoughts to be in harmony, leading to a divergence.

In such a state of disagreement, people's hearts become unable to find their own peace, which leads to all sorts of distracting thoughts and eventually evolves into "inner demons."

Although he still did not know the origin of Gu Fangchen's "inner demons".

But one thing is certain: inner demons do exist.

Gu Fangchen must have a contradiction in her heart, a contradiction between what she does and what she thinks.

However, this conflict needs a trigger...

……

When Gu Fangchen came out of the golden tent, it was already dark.

He looked up and saw the "Wolf God" curled up asleep beside the golden tent, its huge body rising and falling, its breathing sounding like muffled thunder, inspiring awe.

Unlike when he first arrived, this time, the guards bowed respectfully to him as soon as he appeared.

—If Suler has already greeted him with the rites due to a “god,” then even if he is not a “god,” it is not far off.

The scene that unfolded in front of the golden tent has already spread among the guards, and it may soon be known throughout the four major tribes.

The name Gu Fangchen will transform from a distant enemy of the Great Wei into a legend before their very eyes.

Behind him, Yi'er still followed closely, looking around curiously.

Qiqige popped out, grinning as she said:

"Gu Fangchen, my father told me to treat you well. Let me take you to your lodgings."

Gu Fangchen was indeed a little tired. She nodded, took Yi'er's hand, and smiled:
"Thank you for your help, Qiqige."

This daughter of the Qingman Khan, if converted, would be a princess, and she's actually quite popular in the game.

However, there isn't much of a storyline involving her, since most people wouldn't choose the Qingman route, and since the Great Wei won, this Qingman princess would naturally be used as a sacrifice...

So in reality, she often appears in the form of a human head.

Qiqi suddenly felt a chill on her neck and quickly shrank into her furry collar. Then she looked at Gu Fangchen and said:
“It gets very cold on the grassland at night, so I’ve asked someone to prepare some clothes for you to change into.”

Gu Fangchen also felt that she was not very presentable at the moment.

After being nearly killed by the Lord of the Robbery, he simply changed into a new set of clothes, which were soaked in blood. He nodded and, led by Qiqige, headed towards the other tents.

……

Inside the golden tent, Maha Boundless sealed away the national seal and the destiny of the nation within his head.

Suler sat in his seat, his fingers lingering on the scars on his face, and pondered:
"Old man, you know what I saw, don't you?"

Maha Boundless turned around and chuckled:
"How could I possibly see what the Khan could see?"

"But judging from the Khan's performance, the arrow he shot was indeed timeless, catching up with the Khan's shadow."

Suler nodded and said in a deep voice:

"Indeed."

He recounted his experiences from his youth and the miraculous arrow shot by Gu Fangchen today.

Maha Boundless nodded:

"So it seems that the future I saw is indeed real."

Suler asked:

What kind of future?

Maha Boundless: "I will die within this golden tent in the future."

Suler's pupils constricted.

Maha Boundless was not an omnipotent god, and naturally he would die, but what he did not expect was that Maha Boundless would die in this golden tent!
That would mean that Qingman's defenses would be rendered useless, which could be equivalent to the destruction of the country.

Maha Boundless smiled again:

"Khan, there is no need to be alarmed. I am going to my death willingly."

He pointed to the sky:

"The stars in the sky are countless eyes. Someone wants to control this world, and has chosen many people for this purpose."

Suler looked at him:
"Are you one of them?"

Maha Boundless nodded.

Suler hesitated and said:
"Can't the stars hear me?"

Maha Boundless shook his head:

"The stars have never been aware of themselves; it is only when people see them that they develop their own ideas and believe that their own ideas are the truth."

"Some people have figured it out and realized that it was a dead end."

"But some people can't understand it... so they spend their whole lives trying to figure it out."

"There are also some people who know it's a dead end, but because they are unwilling to accept it, they choose to deceive themselves."

Suler pondered for a moment and said:
"But some people have come up with a way to break the deadlock?"

Maha Boundless nodded and said softly:

"This land belongs not only to the Great Wei, but also to us Qingman people. The grasslands where we roam freely cannot be destroyed by the obsessions of a few."

Suler sighed deeply and said:
“Then I understand. If this is the will of the ‘gods,’ then Suler is the ‘divine punishment,’ the hand of the gods.”

"What Gu Fangchen just said is actually my idea: it is not impossible to unite the Western Regions and the Sea Kingdom."

He stood up and walked outside.

After Sule left, Maha Wuliang smiled, then suddenly looked at the withered head of Emperor Yong'an and said:

"Now that things have come to this, don't you have anything to say?"

The head had bled out; its skin was ashen, withered, and loose.

However, as Maha Boundless finished speaking, the head's eyes twitched, then turned to look at Maha Boundless, revealing a strange smile, and said:

"Mahabhāṣṭra, which category do you belong to?"

……

After washing up, Gu Fangchen changed into new clothes.

The clothes Qiqige prepared were those of the Qingman people, which were very thick and comfortable, with a fleece lining.

He lay half-reclined in the tent, raising his head to look up at the ceiling.

There's no rush to conquer Qingman. He needs to go back to Shuobei tomorrow... He needs to inform Old Ding and the Princess first.

He also had a promise he made to someone before, which he also wanted to keep.

(End of this chapter)