Emperor Yunqi: It’s fine…
Fusang appeared once more on the Celestial Screen.
[I wonder if everyone still remembers what I mentioned earlier—that the mess left by Emperor Ling of the North was cleaned up by three individuals. First, let’s talk about the first person. Can anyone guess who it is?]
(Since the host put it that way, it’s definitely not the Qianwu Emperor.)
(Three people—the Qianwu Emperor is absolutely going to be the grand finale. The other person isn’t likely to be a mystery either. Who doesn’t know that the entire Northern Qian didn’t fall apart solely because of Qi Zhou?)
(Hahaha, Qi Zhou—that Qi Zhou who once watched the sea with Emperor Ling of the North back in the day. How did those once high-spirited young men end up in such miserable states? Prime Minister! My Prime Minister—! I’m crying all over again.)
(Wait, hold off on the tragedy for now. The real tragedy is Qian. Everything was perfectly fine with Qian, and then suddenly a divine figure pops up, wow, declaring they’re going to revere Buddhism, and suddenly plays Qian into ruin. Who can you even reason with about that?)
(Qian Taizu is already down below, anxiously banging on the gates of the underworld, knocking so hard it echoes.)
In the Imperial Prison, Qian Taizu Xiao Jingchuan saw this line of comments and couldn’t help himself—he banged on the prison bars with a loud clang, barely venting his frustration.
He had just managed to calm himself down, and now he was angry all over again.
(So who else could it be? I’m new to this circle and not too familiar. Could any seniors or experts give a hint?)
(Who else could it be? Another emperor, of course.)
Fusang chuckled softly: [It seems the commenters have guessed it too—yes, counterintuitively, the first person to help Emperor Ling of the North clean up his mess was his younger brother, the then Prince of Jinling, Xiao Quan—later known as Emperor Yunqi of Nan Qian.]
[Speaking of Xiao Quan, he’s quite a fascinating figure. He and Emperor Ling of the North were full brothers, born to the same mother. Yet, whether in the Shuo Fang Historical Records or the Qian Fang Historical Records, and whether in Nan Qian or Northern Qian, it’s recorded that he had a very poor relationship with his older brother. After his brother ascended the throne and issued the Buddhist Reverence Policy, this Prince of Jinling once bluntly remarked at a family banquet: “Your subject brother recently reread Liang Emperor’s Precious Penance and suddenly found it quite amusing.”
His brother, still unaware of what was coming, foolishly asked: “Oh? What’s so amusing about it?”
Xiao Quan sneered: “Back then, Emperor Wu of Liang performed Self-Sacrifice at Tongtai Temple, and his ministers spent three billion coins to redeem him. Today, our dynasty casts Golden Lotus Seats and feeds millet to Bronze Camel Heads—are we not one step closer to the Western Paradise than Emperor Wu?”
At that time, Da Qian was at the peak of its power, yet someone declared its flame was about to burn out. And that someone happened to be the emperor’s only full brother. Tsk tsk, all I can say is that Emperor Yunqi was truly daring back then.]
(Hahahaha, Emperor Yunqi’s mouth is truly something else: “Still here with your Buddha this, Buddha that! You’re heading straight to the Western Paradise, you foolish little brother!”)
(I’m begging for a tutorial on Emperor Yunqi’s sharp tongue!)
(Say what you will, but look at what you ended up doing later—Cultivating Immortality. All I can say is, truly brothers born of the same mother. Even if the genes mutated, they didn’t mutate completely.)
(I still think these two are different. Why Emperor Yunqi became obsessed with Cultivating Immortality is an eternal mystery, isn’t it? I think it might have something to do with the Madness Disorder. Without the Madness Disorder, Emperor Yunqi might very well have become the World Ancestor. But even without the Madness Disorder, Emperor Ling was still a madman.)
All the civil and military officials in Jinling City once again began lying on the ground pretending to be dead, making the Black Dragon Guards on surveillance duty extremely awkward. They weren’t sure whether they should record the bizarre behavior of these ministers falling down and getting back up in their own courtyards in the middle of the night.
Emperor Yunqi himself was quite pleased, of course. Initially, he had been angry, but the later comment, “Perhaps he is the World Ancestor,” had effectively soothed his fury.
Although he didn’t know exactly who the Qianwu Emperor was, since the other could be mentioned alongside Taizu and was hailed as an emperor for the ages, the barrage’s words were ultimately praising him.
“Reward.”
Xiao Quan waved his hand, and Eunuch Lu instantly beamed with joy, repeatedly expressing his gratitude. Although Emperor Yunqi was usually intimidating, when he was happy, he truly rewarded generously, and his rewards were exceedingly lavish—starting with half a year’s salary for everyone in the hall.
Fusang continued: 【Then Emperor Ling of the North was furious, but after all, this was his own younger brother from the same mother—could he just execute him? Not a chance. So, he punished Xiao Quan by sending him back to his fiefdom, Jinling, to reflect properly.
Xiao Quan went. The journey from Chang’an to Jinling was long, and halfway there, Emperor Ling of the North was deceived by the State-Protecting Masters he had appointed, who planned a National Western Pilgrimage. So, Xiao Quan, who had only made it halfway, was summoned back.
Honestly, if I were Xiao Quan, I’d point at his nose and curse him too. Isn’t this just toying with people?】
(It’s reasonable to suspect that Emperor Ling of the North did this entirely on purpose. Although he wasn’t clever, he was sly and malicious—truly a piece of work. As a child, he even deliberately shifted all the blame onto his unfortunate study companion—our Prime Minister, Qi Zhou—causing our Prime Minister to be beaten frequently.)
(It’s entirely a matter of character flaws. I remember Shuo History also recorded that when he was young, he often bullied other princes and princesses, taking advantage of being older and taller, and even tore up their homework.)
(Ew—how vicious!)
Emperor Yunqi nodded repeatedly. Finally, someone understood his feelings: This foolish older brother was truly malicious! Not the kind of malicious that’s cunning, but the kind that’s stupidly malicious—utterly disgusting!
【When Xiao Quan arrived in Chang’an and learned why Emperor Ling of the North had summoned him back, his world collapsed. Xiao Quan, the Prince of Jinling, was renowned for his elegance. Besides being the younger brother of Emperor Ling of the North, he was also a famous connoisseur of calligraphy and painting in the Qian Dynasty, with exceptionally high aesthetic standards. He authored numerous renowned works on calligraphy appreciation, and the fundamental standards for appreciation were largely established by him. During the period he was summoned back to Chang’an, he didn’t write a single character. Just imagine how desperate a person who would normally fall ill with Madness Disorder if he didn’t write must have been driven to?】
(666 Da Qian’s first Word Abstinence Class)
(Is Emperor Ling of the North still not forgiving the world? With his actions alone, I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for the later emperor. Could it be that the later emperor’s Madness Disorder was also caused by him?)
(I think it might really have started from childhood.)
(Qian Taizu down below must have ground the Sword of the Emperor into a needle by now.)
Eunuch Lu immediately looked at Emperor Yunqi with sympathy. He had been by Emperor Yunqi’s side since the Qian Dynasty and had personally witnessed how much Emperor Yunqi had been tormented by his older brother.
In fact, there wasn’t a single person from the Qian era who had survived to the present day without being tormented by Emperor Ling of the North.
【Then came the well-known journey of Emperor Ling to the west. As everyone knows, Xiao Quan had a bit of a prophet’s touch in his youth—whatever he said would come true. He said the Da Qian Dynasty was heading to the western heavens, and with a snap, Da Qian split right in two. Upon learning about the westward journey, Xiao Quan was so shocked he didn’t even want to speak. This was not the kind of stunt a human emperor could pull off, you know?
First, he cursed his elder brother for losing the Way, predicting that this westward journey would surely end in disaster, and then he began feigning illness. But his brother insisted on him going, personally coming over to feed him extremely bitter medicine. While Xiao Quan pretended to be ill, Emperor Ling of the North pretended to be a caring elder brother, so bitter that Xiao Quan feared the emperor might whimsically add some poison to the mix. He didn’t dare keep up the act and had no choice but to agree to join the westward journey.】
【Then, within the westward pilgrimage procession, Xiao Quan watched helplessly as Emperor Ling of the North gleefully opened the gates of Yumen Pass, and Chanyu Lie Ri joyfully charged in. The tens of thousands in the procession fell into chaos, and the entire Da Qian Dynasty instantly crumbled like a collapsing wall into scattered fragments.】
Fusang even thoughtfully included a visual: when the Yumen Pass Rebellion occurred, a numb Q-version Xiao Quan stood there, looking utterly miserable as he fell over.
……
Sitting in Yunsu Hall, Xiao Quan couldn’t shake the feeling that the entire Jinling City was looking at him with pity.
In his cell, Xiao Jingchuan stroked his chin and mused, “Hiss… it seems this father’s grandson doesn’t look so displeasing after all.”
【Of course, back then, Xiao Quan was still young and full of passion, unlike other nobles and royals who fled in terror, losing their shoes in the process. His first reaction was actually to organize the scattered border troops to resist the Shuo Army. But he didn’t succeed—the formation was instantly broken, the situation too chaotic to hold back. He had no choice but to give up and flee.】
(Just this first reaction alone is enough to make Nan Qian’s later emperor’s reputation a hundred times better than Emperor Ling of the North’s, even though he truly couldn’t win.)
(There’s no helping it. After all, Emperor Yunqi was just a leisurely prince, while Chanyu Lie Ri was one of history’s fiercest warriors, with countless fierce generals under his command, and his son was exceptionally formidable as well. In the entire Qian Dynasty, only Qian Taizu and the Qianwu Emperor could match them.)
(It can’t be helped—those two had nuclear weapons: their Grand Marshal General Gu Yue and Commander Gu Yue. Don’t laugh, it really is the same name.)
(That’s what happens when rulers love cosplay—not only do they try to emulate Qian Taizu themselves, but they also force their subordinates to rename themselves according to Qian Taizu’s standards!)
(I’m really fed up with those arguments. The Qianwu Emperor clearly adored Qian Taizu—one side’s idol pushing the other’s idol—how they can still argue over this is beyond ridiculous.)
In his cell, Xiao Jingchuan’s corner of the mouth twitched. “I think there’s no ‘maybe’ about it—the Qianwu Emperor must be me.”
If it weren’t for the fact that his three capable ministers had also traveled back in time with him, making it more convenient to use their original names, how could the historical Qianwu Emperor possibly have given his subordinates the exact same names as Qian Taizu’s?
Dian Cui saw the last bullet screen scroll by and chuckled, “Oh my, I never expected Your Majesty’s pure love to be with yourself.”
How come we never saw you being this narcissistic before?
Xiao Jingchuan could only roll his eyes to express his displeasure.
【Then, once Xiao Quan started running, things got truly extraordinary. Flip through five thousand years of history books, and you’ll find few who can compare to him. In my mind, aside from a certain chariot-driving legend who pulled Emperor Gaozu of Han’s carriage in the early Han dynasty, there’s only the mythical figure who crossed the Yellow River on a single log.
Xiao Quan, a prince accustomed to luxury and comfort, swiftly adjusted his goal to escape, displaying unparalleled skills in fleeing. Not only did he dash swiftly and precisely in the opposite direction of Chanyu Lie Ri’s advance, covering over a hundred li in one go, but he also managed to pick up others along the way!】
【According to Northern Qian History, during Xiao Quan’s retreat, he “gathered all the panicked officials and nobles.” Records of Folk Affairs from the Northern and Southern Qian period also notes: “The prince personally wielded the whip, driving a hundred carriages day and night for one hundred thirty li. At the time, the wheel ruts were seen to be over three inches deep, laughing as they carried gold, unaware they bore the embers of the nation’s survival.”
This guy didn’t just run—when he encountered people, he genuinely rescued them. He scooped up all the useful officials, talents, craftsmen, and even royal relatives he could find. Even Qi Zhou, who later supported the entire Northern Qian, was fished out by him from a pile of corpses. He practically secured the foundation of a Resurgence Foundation for the later Qianwu Emperor.】
(Hail the true King of Land, Water, and Air Transport—Emperor Yunqi, who started passenger transport a thousand years ago!)
(If you think your life isn’t hard enough, take a look at Emperor Yunqi, who rescued talents while on the run.)
(I’m dying of laughter, I can picture it now: Emperor Yunqi: “No worries, I’ll rescue yours after yours, after yours—rest assured, everything is under my control. I rescue, rescue, rescue—”)