Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 191 The End of Emperor Ling

In the autumn of the fourth year of the Tianyou calendar, in the capital of Yao, the newly renovated Daoist, now dressed as the Grand Daoist Astrologer, looked up towards the southwest.

Five years after the Palace Collapse, due to Emperor Ling's incompetence, Su Wang controlled the court, and the court system was in chaos; Xian Daoren then infiltrated the Da Yao regular staff.

Although Xiandaoren had "bad intentions," his skills were not the problem.

While his colleagues were still at a loss as to when the next catastrophe would occur, he had already calculated the latest anomaly on the Evil Moon!
"The Immortal Root is Dying?" Xian Daoren muttered to himself regarding this situation. However, just as he was about to continue his thoughts, the blue flames on his body flickered briefly before the golden power negated them.

Suddenly, the Daoist forgot what he was thinking.

This was a situation where he suddenly lost track of time while speaking, something he hadn't experienced in a very long time. He couldn't help but scratch his head in frustration. Then, the blue flames leaped again, and the golden power was erased once more.

Xian Daoren has always been committed to connecting Xie Yue and Xi Ren Realm, and Xie Yue's operation process is as follows:
Step 1: Xie Yue will select an agent, such as Wu Hanluan, and then give him a "Blessed Sacred Object" (Golden Bucket).

The second step: Let the blessing (corruption) spread across the surface of the Xiren realm; when the corruption reaches a certain level, the mental endurance of those corrupted will reach its limit, generating a large amount of despair.

Step 3: When negative information such as despair, indulgence, deceit, and destructive desires accumulate to a certain degree, the power of the Evil Moon can interfere with reality; it will condense into a "portal" that leads directly to the Evil Moon, or you could say a "ladder to heaven".

In other words, for a normal person to enter the Evil Moon, they must pass through a corrupted zone and be influenced by fanatics within that corrupted area. The more people gathered within the corrupted zone, the more dangerous it becomes.

However, now, lotus seeds are being planted on the Evil Moon. These lotus seeds will create pure information on the Evil Moon and release it into the mortal realm; this is called the Fallen Immortal Root. The Immortal Root will reach the ground and create a safe zone; this also means that military forces in the Xi Human Realm can follow the Immortal Root, bypassing the Evil Moon's selection process, and enter the Evil Moon on a large scale to carry out conquests.

The golden system forcibly disrupted the memory in Xian Daoren's mind that the military forces gathered within the safe zone created by the falling immortal roots posed a risk to Xie Yue.

Which force is most likely to enter the Evil Moon campaign now? If Xian Daoren continues his thinking, he can easily deduce that it is Wu Fei.

This is because the Wu clan, who stole the dragon's energy, has been locked in by fate, and the will of the Xiren Realm will inevitably arrange a task for Wu Yuanchang.

However, the moment Xiandaoren's train of thought reached this point, it was completely eradicated.

After losing consciousness, he suddenly didn't know what he was doing, but he vaguely felt that he had to do something.

…System: The target has been incorporated into the stable storyline…

In the imperial harem, Emperor Ling became increasingly licentious and immoral. Even amidst widespread chaos, he continued to issue edicts to replenish his harem. On a high platform in the palace, he would take medicinal powder, drink strong wine, and, feeling feverish, frolic with his beauties.

Emperor Ling hid on the tower, avoiding the ministers who came to advise him. Those ministers who were willing to risk their lives to provide Emperor Ling with information were intercepted by Suwang's men as soon as they stepped out of the palace.

The day after a minister gave his advice, he saw that all the sparrows in his house had left. Knowing that a great disaster was coming, he mocked the murderers who were hiding nearby, saying, "You vermin, you are eating my bones now. When the house collapses, where will you escape to?"

After uttering these words of farewell, he laughed loudly and went inside. The assassins sent by Suwang rushed in, blood splattering on the walls and windows. Then a great fire burned down the loyal minister's house.

This great fire also completely destroyed the hearts of those loyal to Da Yao in the capital who still held hope for him. Many families began to leave Yao and seek refuge with local clans.

Emperor Ling had lost his divine mandate without realizing it. Perhaps it's more accurate to say that he never truly understood the concept of "divine mandate." His own incomplete integration with the divine mandate had already made him weary of dissenting opinions in the court. —Emperor Xu, on the other hand, was heedful of advice under the blessing of the divine mandate.

Emperor Ling decided to give up entirely.

In Emperor Ling's eyes, the role of the Mandate of Heaven had become a coating that "increased his popularity among his subjects."

His understanding wasn't necessarily wrong. Due to the blessing of Heaven, over 90% of the millions of subjects in the Great Yao Dynasty trusted the emperor unconditionally; even when the court collapsed, the blame was placed on treacherous officials.

However, for those ministers at the core of the power structure who had close ties with the emperor, the favorability effect of the Mandate of Heaven was offset by the high-pressure atmosphere in the palace.

Under the high-pressure environment surrounding the emperor, the Mandate of Heaven became the emperor's warning against the contradictions in the world.

The stronger an emperor's connection to the Mandate of Heaven, the more suspicious he becomes; for he can sense the harsh conditions for rebellion imposed on ministers who appear loyal on the surface.

Emperor Shu would preemptively eliminate any possibility of rebellion, suppressing certain ambitious individuals and ensuring they never had the opportunity to rebel. The emperors before him did the same; countless disloyal individuals were boiled alive in the great cauldron before the Nine Palaces, becoming food for the river's guardian beasts.

The azure, malevolent moon in the sky clearly disliked this idea of ​​an everlasting dynasty, and thus had long ago plotted against it, having already made arrangements when Emperor Xu ascended the throne. Emperor Xu's ascension was actually achieved by first gaining control of the Imperial Guard. It was from that time that flaws appeared in the process of the transfer of the Mandate of Heaven under the guise of ritual and law.

From the time of Emperor Xu onwards, during the transition between old and new emperors, the Mandate of Heaven would decline; ultimately, this consequence would fall upon Emperor Xu.

In this latest round, Xiandao Ren personally transformed Suwang, who was the most loyal to King Zhou ten years ago and had the lowest probability of rebellion, into what he is now.

…The essence of blue is breaking vows and promises…

In the winter of the fourth year of the Tianyou era, during the sacrificial ceremony, King Ji began to preside over the ceremony in place of Emperor Ling.

When the people of Yaodu began to kneel and worship Heaven along with King Ji, the sacred meat was unknowingly replaced with dead rats.

At the same time, Xiandaoren also began a ritual in the underground tunnel of Yaodu, offering the stolen Zuo meat to the altar, where the blue eyeball that had been flashing appeared.

At this moment, the eyeball, the size of a round table, was being stung by the "mirror" (system power) in the evil moon, making it teary-eyed; of course, upon seeing such an offering, it still managed to squeeze out a look of relief, and joy flowed through its tears.

The mandate of heaven has begun to shift.

During the grand sacrificial ceremony in Yaodu, golden light emanated from the canal and arched bridge that symbolized the mountains and rivers of the world, and entered the body of Prince Ji. The common people participating in the ceremony knelt in worship, but the learned officials noticed that when the light of the mountains and rivers entered Prince Ji, the sky above Emperor Ling's palace dimmed.

The Astronomical Commissioners on the important viewing platforms surrounding the grand ceremony showed expressions of shock, because according to the astonishing results calculated by the celestial astronomy at this time, the Eastern Palace and Ziwei Palace were diverging from each other.

However, these officials of the Astronomical Bureau dared not speak loudly, each with a voice in their hearts urging them to leave and seek refuge. (The bloody scene of Emperor Ling's ascension to the throne sent chills down the spines of these officials.)
Suwang looked at the kneeling ministers, gripping the hand of the Prince of Ji as if he were holding the reins of power tightly.

Suwang: "The ritual of stealing the mandate of heaven has been completed. Now, well, now we can rest easy."

After the sacrificial ceremony, Xiandao Ren looked at Suwang, whose ambition had swelled, and smiled: "Your role has been fulfilled."

Xian Daoren looked north outside the city at the Yuzhou loyalist army, which had been blocked for several months: "It's time for the next Fate Master to take the stage."

…fun…

That very evening, while Suwang and his cronies were excitedly plotting, they prepared to divide the fruits of power that would soon follow Emperor Ling's death.

Little did they know that hundreds of outsiders, disguised as actors, had entered the city and launched a surprise attack on Suwang's residence that very night.

That night, Suwang's mansion was shrouded in thick fog, with only the sound of bells and pendants lingering around it, followed by eerie noises.

Suwang's mansion covers thirty acres and has multiple sentry posts. His mansion is always guarded by fifty skilled men and has tunnels that allow him to contact his henchmen in the city. It is like a rabbit with three burrows. It would take at least several hundred soldiers and weapons to break through it.

However, within the thick fog, the assassins who obeyed Suwang's orders were transformed into puppets. Pulled by unseen strings, they danced comically like wooden dolls, only to be burned to ashes by a sorcerer resembling a juggler with a single burst of pink flame.

Suwang eventually died, and his death was mysterious. In the tunnel, Suwang appeared to have been strangled to death, but there were no marks on his neck; and before he died, he seemed to have seen something unbelievable, his eyes wide open, unable to close them in peace.

Right after the defeat of Su Wang's faction, a powerful minister in the capital came to claim credit, saying that he had personally led assassins to carry out the assassination. His smugness completely disregarded the severe punishment for so-called "secretly raising assassins" stipulated in the laws of the Great Yao.

Clearly, under the perverse actions of Suwang and others, many rules have been broken and are now being retaliated against and ignored.

Just as these ministers split into two groups, one going to the palace to ask Emperor Ling to take charge of the overall situation, well, that is, to drag Emperor Ling out of his harem and give him a good lecture.

The perspective shifts to the city gate of Yaodu, where the loyalist army has entered the city.

However, both routes experienced unexpected "changes".

...the smarter you are, the more you make mistakes...

After the rising star minister, Ji Yan, entered the palace (Chapter 148), he prepared a stern and righteous admonition. However, when he discovered that Emperor Ling had died suddenly, his expression was one of distress. The palace maids wearing purple undergarments and the scattered medicinal powders before Emperor Ling's bedside foreshadowed the cause of death.

Emperor Ling's death was due to the fact that the apothecary, who originally belonged to Su Wang's faction, fled immediately after realizing the situation was not good.

Emperor Ling, lacking a pharmacist, was eager to use potent drugs; as a result, his already weak body could not withstand the excessively strong effects of the drugs, and lacking any remedies to moderate them, he died after a brief moment of pleasure.

Originally, according to Suwang's plan, Emperor Ling was supposed to be able to hold on for another year or two. But now, the thunder has exploded.

The perspective shifts to the city gate, where the Yuzhou troops, completely unaware of what was happening, entered the capital city of Dayao.

The ministers in charge of receiving them treated the leading military generals with great courtesy, but these generals hoped to see Emperor Ling as soon as possible to establish their titles.

Because the troops from Yuzhou were in a great hurry, their preparations for entering the city were actually insufficient.

Note: The military experience learned by Xuan Chong has strict standards. When facing a city that has voluntarily surrendered, the soldiers entering the city must undergo rigorous screening. The selected soldiers must be cautious and polite, and must not be arrogant or impetuous.

Because most of the armed forces in these surrendered cities have not been completely disarmed, one must act with discretion to prevent a resurgence of rebellion.

The first priority is to firmly control the treasury, armory, and key personnel in the city. We cannot allow the soldiers entering the city to be dazzled by the wealth and women within. The worst example is "Cao Cao, who killed three virtuous men with one cannon shot."

The military commanders of Yuzhou were here to reap the rewards. Riding their tall horses towards the palace, they encountered palace servants who tried to stop them. So they ordered their troops to shout, "Let His Majesty come and inspect the troops!"

The sound reached the entire city, so much so that some vendors in teahouses wondered to themselves, "Are these out-of-towners here to defend the emperor, or to stage a coup?"

The staff in the Yuzhou army sensed the discussions in the city and tried to reassure their general. The Yuzhou general, who was loyal to the king, announced nonchalantly, "Don't worry, we have already made an agreement with the court officials."

His words showed no respect for Emperor Ling. Over the years, the various rumors surrounding Emperor Ling had led this general, who came from a powerful family, to think: "Emperor Ling is just a good-for-nothing. So what if I push him a little? Does he think he can't stand the humiliation and will die?"

...hehehe...

Two hours later, the divination was completed. The people of Yuzhou encountered an embarrassing situation: "As soon as they entered the city, His Majesty suddenly died."

what is this?
Even the ministers who had invited the Yuzhou faction into the city felt a chill. At this moment, even the stone turtles in the canals of the capital collectively shrank back and buried themselves in the mud.
If Emperor Ling died before the process of establishing a new emperor, then the blame could be placed entirely on Suwang's faction.

If Emperor Ling had met with misfortune later, and the army had entered the city, everyone would have forced him to issue an edict of self-reproach and confirm the succession. After that, many ministers would have chosen a new ruler, and no one would have cared about Emperor Ling's life or death.

Even after his death, people believed that Emperor Ling had been drained by wine and women.

But now, why did Emperor Ling die suddenly, not earlier or later, just when they were inviting external forces into the city? If this gets out, the people of the world will surely think that he is a traitor who murdered his emperor.

The court officials tried to suppress the news. But! An unexpected incident still occurred.

Among the fleeing Suwang faction, some disgruntled members shouted throughout the city: "Traitors have murdered the emperor, and the troops of Yuzhou have rebelled!"

All of this is just like a replay of the "Jupiter's interpretation of the ending when it falls into the house".

At that time, the capital defense forces that the emperor had rebuilt based on the core members of the Eastern Market Army were scattered at Suwang's command.

The reason why the Jupiter Language people gathered together to obey the Jupiter Language was for "blood rewards," for a glorious promotion.

By pinning such a grave charge of regicide on them, Suwang effectively extinguished any possibility of advancement for the army. When every soldier realized they wouldn't receive payment, what purpose did the organization serve?
Back then, Jupiter chose to die to prove her loyalty. Faced with the unreasonable actions of the Zhou King's faction, she directly turned the blame back on them, essentially fighting to the death with the Zhou King's faction! As a result, after the Zhou King ascended the throne, he became a cripple, unable to mobilize any military forces in the capital region.

Meanwhile, the sons of the Eastern City Army who remained in the capital were spared the stigma of rebellion thanks to Jupiter's grace. After returning to Bo, they were able to receive Bo's "blood reward" cleanly.

Although these young men from the Eastern Market failed to obtain the position of Grand Guard in the capital as originally expected, they were at least able to work under a local lord.

However, the Yuzhou army currently lacks a responsible figure like Jupiter.

After being falsely accused, the generals from Yuzhou who led their troops into the capital felt that rumors were spreading extremely quickly.

He immediately ordered the suppression of the "rebellion".

There was no such thing as a "rebellion"; the soldiers could only define it themselves. The squad leader said to the assembled soldiers, "Anyone who makes the general unhappy is a traitor."

These armored soldiers, brandishing swords and spears, stormed into the streets of Yaodu.

However, wielding a sword cannot erase the rumors. These Yuzhou soldiers rushed over hundreds of miles, already under pressure, and faced with rejection from the city and a shortage of goods, they had to confront the question: "What is the point of making this long journey?"

When an army realizes it has gained nothing and is instead in debt, a mutiny begins.

On the third day, the taverns in Yaodu refused to serve the new soldiers, leading to a conflict that escalated within hours, with the soldiers losing control. Looting began, further fueling the rebellion in Yaodu!

Clearly, the reputation of the Yuzhou army's rebellion could not be erased, and those loyal ministers who had been plotting for years to eliminate Suwang's faction were also branded with the infamy of regicide.

This reversal meant that a certain imperial heir, who had been questioned by the court and had not succeeded to the throne, gained the sympathy of the people.

Amidst the chaos of battle, Prince Ji escaped from Yaodu and fled to Ningzhou. For the court officials opposed to Suwang's faction, they faced immense trouble. After entering the capital of Yaodu, the two most valuable figures—the only two who could explain the legitimacy of their campaign to support the emperor—were both missing.

For the loyal ministers and generals of the loyalist army in the Great Yao, it seems like a joke of fate; at the moment when they were closest to success, everything was gone.

…to watch from the sidelines…

On the star-gazing platform in Zhenzhou, Xuan Chong was watching the celestial phenomena with San Niang.

Ten years ago, Xuan Chong dismissed the idea of ​​the interaction between Heaven and Man.

However, in recent months, Xuan Chong has used the observation equipment provided by Chi Youbing to enter the edge of the atmosphere via hydrogen balloons.

Xuan Chong discovered that the positions of starlight outside the atmosphere and the starlight observed inside the atmosphere were different. Further observation revealed that starlight from outer space was bent by "unknown factors" after entering the atmosphere.

Having witnessed how celestial projections like the Evil Moon could distort matter and energy on the Xi Huang Realm (planet), Xuan Chong began to place great importance on astronomical observation.

Xuan Chong stayed on the star-gazing platform, observing where Xie Yue's troublemaking stick was landing.

Third Sister: "Husband, Yao is being bestowed by the Venerable Qingbao Daoist."

Xuan Chong glanced to the east, and indeed there was a twisted crack in the sky falling in the direction of Yaodu.

Xuan Chong set this aside. Because Yaodu was the grand stage of the world, it wouldn't matter where he went; whatever he did would only lead to chaos.

Xuan Chong then looked south. A crack was projected beyond the southern border of the major hexagram. Clearly, the evil moon was not shining solely on the major hexagram.

That was the direction his expeditionary force was about to head, after preparing for half a year since the summer; in addition, Xuan Chong discovered through celestial phenomena that similar cracks were falling from the sky in the due west.

Xuan Chong knew that the area around the capital would be in chaos, but he did not intend to take any concrete action.

Xuan Chong feigned helplessness, saying, "Evil spirits are flourishing in various places. I can't get involved in Yaodu. I'm just idling around anyway. Now there are demon bandits outside of Da Yao. Rather than waiting for these things to grow stronger in the outer regions, I'll go directly to them and learn from them. That way, when new monsters emerge in the Southern Frontier in a dozen years, my group won't be caught off guard."

Third Sister smiled. She knew that Xuan Chong was using this as an excuse to get his forces to avoid the vortex in the core area of ​​the Great Yao.

Third Sister's pupils were pure gold as she prayed, "The Heavenly Venerable sent my senior brother to spread the Dao and destroy the Dharma; there will be no more changes or interference."

(End of this chapter)