Nan Qian Imperial Palace, Yunxing Hall Court Assembly.
Everything began to feel wrong from the moment the words “Nan Qian” appeared.
Not only Xiao Jingchuan and Jun Youcheng, imprisoned in the dungeon, thought so, but even Gu Yue, who for some reason woke up in the Asura Realm, felt the same way.
Incense began to spread from the four corners of the hall, and the entire court fell into silence. Even the precious incense tribute from the Southern Frontier could not mask the thick scent of blood permeating the hall.
Minister of Personnel Jun He lay dead at the very center of the hall. The fifty- or sixty-year-old man died with his eyes wide open, staring silently at the towering, arched ceiling. A long sword had pierced his heart with precision, nearly soaking his crimson official robe in blood once more, turning it a deep red.
Blood spread silently, like the Qian borders scorched by war, with shadows reflected within flickering like flames.
“Swish—”
The sword embedded in the minister’s body was pulled out cleanly and sharply. Emperor Yunqi, who suffered from extreme cold sensitivity due to excessive consumption of alchemist’s elixirs, still wore a black golden dragon pattern fur robe in early summer. His sharp brows and eyes were icy as he strode slowly, stepping over the bright red blood on the hall floor.
His features were as sharp as if carved by a blade, his posture tall and straight like a pine tree. Though only in his forties, his eyes were dim and gloomy. Paired with his black and gold attire, he gave off not the aura of a divinely ordained Son of Heaven but rather a sense of decadence, as if wealth had rotted into excess.
According to tradition, the Qian Dynasty followed the virtue of metal, and the emperor revered white and gold attire. However, Emperor Yunqi was unyielding. Upon hearing that black clothing aided his cultivation of the Dao, he insisted on changing all ceremonial robes to black. For this, he executed countless remonstrance officials from the Ministry of Rites. Since then, no ritual official dared to risk their lives by angering the emperor.
“Your Majesty—!”
The surrounding civil and military officials instantly bowed in salute, nearly prostrating themselves to kowtow and beg for forgiveness. Emperor Yunqi had just publicly executed Jun He, one of the Six Ministers, in court. Under normal circumstances, though Emperor Yunqi despised Jun He for his outspoken admonitions, he would never have dared to publicly execute a second-rank official. Now, it seemed…
He must have succumbed to his madness disorder again.
“The sun is bright, the moon is bright, one seeks immortality at Kunlun, the other lies drunk in the Golden Hall.”
Both the Northern and Southern Qian Emperors suffered from madness disorder—this was already a public secret, sung even in children’s ballads among the people.
After the officials’ cry of “Your Majesty,” they were at a loss for what to say next. Seeing the emperor’s grim expression, only the State Preceptor, standing at the forefront among the Three Excellencies, dared to speak up boldly, exclaiming, “Your Majesty has eradicated evil and treacherous officials, truly the sagacity of all nations—!”
Another round of praise for his sagacity.
Though the words twisted black and white, they at least temporarily quelled Emperor Yunqi’s anger, making the officials feel somewhat safer.
As for the Minister of Personnel lying dead on the floor, his body not yet cold—everyone was struggling to protect themselves. Who had the time to care?
Emperor Yunqi swayed as he held the gold-and-silver-inlaid dragon-handled cloud-patterned long sword. The blade was as pure as auspicious snow, its sharp edge gleaming like a bronze mirror. On the coiled dragon hilt, the characters “Son of Heaven” were inscribed in elegant Qin seal script. This was none other than the Sword of the Emperor, the personal sword of Da Qian’s founding emperor, Xiao Jingchuan.
Legend had it that four thousand years ago, during the ancient era, after the Primordial Emperor Huangdi forged the Xuanyuan Sword, the remaining materials were used to create the first of the Three World-protecting Swords. It aided emperors in executing disloyal subjects, and those slain by it bore the karma, ensuring they would die by its blade.
Legend has it that the Three World-protecting Swords possess spiritual intelligence, capable of seeking masters on their own, appearing and disappearing at will. The Spring-Autumn Sword Ancestor Ouyezi once observed: “When the three swords gather in one place, the one who obtains them shall rule the world.”
Unfortunately, today, only this Sword of the Emperor, passed down since the reign of the founding emperor, remains of the mythical Three World-protecting Swords. The other two—the Prime Minister’s Sword and the Marshal’s Sword—have vanished without a trace, never reappearing since the Three Kings’ Struggle of Early Qian.
Fresh blood from the Minister of Personnel, dripping unwillingly down the grooves of the blade, still stained the edge of the Sword of the Emperor. Not a single civil or military official in the court dared to speak. Even the Third Prince and the Crown Prince, who usually enjoyed the emperor’s favor, had abandoned their usual rivalry and lay prostrate on the ground, exchanging bewildered glances.
“Who else is as reckless as him, embezzling public funds and pocketing military pay? Who else?!”
Emperor Yunqi swung the long sword in his hand fiercely. The foremost of the Three World-protecting Swords let out a sharp resonance in the air, like a mournful cry.
An eerie silence fell over the entire Yunxing Hall. Officials at the very back of the ranks had never been so grateful for their lowly positions, spared from kneeling at the front to face the Imperial Majesty directly.
“Speak—! Have you all lost your tongues?!”
Emperor Yunqi roared, and everyone trembled in fear. Even the Speech Official, who had just closed his eyes and prepared to step forward to admonish the emperor for acting contrary to propriety, shut his mouth and knelt back down, driven by the instinct for survival.
Better to die a few days later; leaving a name in the Historical Records could wait. Survival came first.
Amid the terrifying silence, a young man kneeling near the end of the military officials’ ranks swayed slightly and opened his eyes in confusion.
Where is this? Still the Northern Desert? Where have I ended up?
Gu Yue, the Grand Marshal General of the Early Qian Period, thought hazily, his body still aching from the excruciating pain of being pierced by multiple War Spears and Flying Arrows during the battle against the Chanyu of the Northern Desert.
He pursed his lips, struggling to maintain clarity of mind. The intuition that had kept him alive on the battlefield now told him he must not succumb to the pain or faint.
Fortunately, a lifetime of warfare had endowed him with a high tolerance for pain, and he quickly regained his composure.
Memories not belonging to Gu Yue flooded his mind.
So that’s how it is, Gu Yue thought. He must have died on the battlefield. Having spent half his life in military haste, he had long been prepared for death in battle and felt no surprise at his own end.
But these foreign memories vividly informed him that after dying on the battlefield, he had traversed over a century to possess the body of a stranger in the Qian Dynasty more than two hundred years later. This person was a notorious wastrel with a military rank, orphaned early and left to his own devices, growing increasingly lawless and eccentric—a famous ne’er-do-well in the army.
To become another person across centuries—Gu Yue had heard tales of such phenomena from the disciples of the State Preceptor Dian Cui’s alchemists. The proper term for it seemed to be… Soul Possession?
How could this be? Since he was already dead, he needed to find a way to return this body to its rightful owner as soon as possible.
Gu Yue abruptly opened his eyes. Having just absorbed the memories of this body, he was still unaccustomed to it, his vision blurry. He could barely make out that he was in a crowded place, with a figure clad in black and gold waving a familiar-looking sword through the air.
His internal energy cultivation is quite good, but his movements are utterly dreadful, lacking any proper form. I wonder who his martial arts instructor was…
Gu Yue, the Grand Marshal General of the Early Qian Period, reflexively began critiquing Emperor Yunqi’s sword techniques. As his vision gradually cleared, he realized he might have committed a grave error.
He had just directly gazed upon the face of this future emperor of Da Qian!
Without permission, one must not look upon the imperial visage. Gu Yue immediately bowed low. If this were his own body, he would never have performed such a deep bow to anyone other than Xiao Jingchuan. But now, occupying another’s body, causing trouble that could lead to execution would violate the Way of the Soldier.
Fortunately, Emperor Yunqi seemed to be in poor mental state, his steps erratic and unsteady. He didn’t notice Gu Yue’s momentary transgression, preoccupied with brandishing his longsword and angrily denouncing the entire court.
“A full quarter of my Da Qian’s treasury revenue has been embezzled by treacherous officials! From top to bottom in the Southern Inspection Province, across thousands of miles of Da Qian territory, there is not a single clean spot! This grieves my heart deeply! I placed such trust in you, entrusting you with the wealthiest region of Jiangnan, and you allowed such a giant rat to hide in the granaries right under my nose, oblivious all along!”
Emperor Yunqi’s Sword of the Emperor swept past the Third Prince kneeling at the front, causing the latter to shrink back hastily, none of his earlier spirited confrontation with the Crown Prince’s faction remaining.
“Or did you see the giant rat but dared not open your eyes?!”
“This grieves my heart deeply!”
Emperor Yunqi thrust his longsword deep into the floor of Yunxing Hall’s main hall, embedding it several inches. Seeing the emperor discard his sword and the danger level drop, the current State Preceptor quickly crawled forward on his knees to flatter: “Your Majesty speaks truly! Da Qian is most fortunate!”
The officials bowed even lower: “To encounter such an enlightened ruler is our greatest fortune!”
Gu Yue had been thinking that this Emperor Yunqi truly lived up to his Taizu lineage, his “This grieves my heart deeply” echoing the founding emperor’s style. He nearly failed to react again, but was forcibly pressed down by a fellow military officer beside him, knocking his head against the floor louder than anyone else.
“…Now that the treacherous officials have been executed by my own hand, I know all of you, my beloved ministers, are loyal subjects of Da Qian, all wishing to serve the dynasty.”
Emperor Yunqi remained silent for a long time before speaking again. His words startled Gu Yue, who pondered them repeatedly but couldn’t discern any logical connection.
“The nation’s situation is difficult now, precarious and storm-tossed. I understand all your hearts, but one cannot guarantee that some might not share in hardship…”
The emperor’s gaze swept past the trembling historian in the corner who could barely recognize brush characters anymore, then passed over the civil and military officials kneeling below. He feigned a sigh of regret.
“Like the Minister of Personnel—what a straightforward and daring advisor he once was! Pity he was ultimately blinded by copper stench!”
“Since the world could produce one Jun He, who’s to say there won’t be a second…” Emperor Yunqi deliberately assumed a thoughtful pose, emitted a laugh of unclear emotion, then issued his imperial decree.
“Deliver the imperial edict: starting today, all officials regardless of rank grade may directly memorialize about corruption matters. Submit memorials to the Black Dragon Guards, who will deliver them directly to me.”
Having delivered this statement decisively, Emperor Yunqi paid no heed to the civil and military officials below—particularly the Crown Prince whose face had turned pale—and sneered coldly.
“I want to see who, with all their heaven-reaching abilities, can still silence the public opinion?!”
He slammed the armrest of the Dragon Throne, and the officials bowed once more. Gu Yue stiffly thought: Even though he was often mocked openly and covertly by the prime minister and the State Preceptor in his previous life for his poor political acumen, he knew that this court was about to descend into chaos.
And the one sitting high above in the hall, Emperor Yunqi, was the sole creator of this chaos.
What did he want to do?
Gu Yue instantly sensed something was wrong, but soon, hurried footsteps rushed in from outside the hall. An old eunuch stumbled and crawled in: “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! There’s a celestial phenomenon outside!”
At the same time, the civil and military officials, along with Emperor Yunqi at the center, looked toward the hall’s entrance. Against the azure sky, something like a black canvas was frantically asserting its presence.
The officials stole incredulous glances at Emperor Yunqi: ??? What? Did you actually manage to cultivate immortality?
The next moment, the canvas moved.
[“Hello, everyone? Can you hear me? This is your streamer bard Fusang. You can also call me by my other nickname, Yugatraxi.”]
First came a pleasant male voice, one that clearly had a musical foundation. In the next instant, the black turned into a colorful scene, with the words “Discussing Historical Parallels: Qian Dynasty Chapter” appearing on an antique-style background.
[“Yesterday, I saw everyone’s requests in the comments section. It seems we’re all on the same page. Recently, the tomb of the Qianwu Emperor was just discovered, and countless groundbreaking artifacts and historical records have been unearthed. Coincidentally, I’m also very interested in this dynasty, so for this installment of the ‘Fusang Lecture Series,’ we’ll be talking about the long-awaited—Qian Dynasty!”]
The moment the voice fell, the text scrolling across the entire screen exploded.
(Ah ah ah ah Qian! My Qian! How can this not be my god of wealth? Personal experience! Love Qian and you’ll have money ah ah ah ah!)
(It’s a dynasty with a lot to say, very romantic, but romantic to such an extent that it turned into magical realism. Everything that happened feels like a dream. Not to mention same-sex marriages being commonplace, men and women were treated equally as workhorses—unofficial histories really dared to exaggerate. The Divine Mechanism Art was even more advanced than modern industry, they even built rockets… Probably because the Spiritual Emperor of Northern Qian drank too much.)
(The ending is too strange… No one knows how the Qian Dynasty fell. Very few historical records from the entire Qian Dynasty have survived, most are from the Early Qian and Middle Qian periods. It’s really eerie. Hopefully, this archaeological discovery can solve some of these eternal mysteries.)
(As for outstanding figures, there’s no doubt. The founding Qian Taizu and the revitalizing Qianwu Emperor are twin stars, competing for the title of Gatekeeper of Eternal Emperor. It’s just that their teams seemed like carbon copies, and the people were carbon copies too—so orthodox. And there were so many suspected time-travelers who were true gods in their fields. This is the most suitable dynasty for time-traveling, hands down!)
(Outstanding figures, no doubt—are you referring to the Spiritual Emperor of Northern Qian, that prodigy who could rival a certain mysterious Gao family?)
…
Fusang seemed to have seen the scrolling text and smiled: [“I imagine the comments are already filled with everyone’s opinions. So, next, the streamer will begin. We’ll set aside the Early Qian stories for later and start with the growth journey of the most heavyweight figure in the Qian Dynasty—”]
Although only a few lines of bullet comments were clearly seen, the information revealed by those texts called “bullet comments” truly brought an uncontrollable shock to everyone.
Those bullet comments seemed like evaluations from people of later generations. Once a dynasty changes, the final verdict is sealed. Though the exact meaning of those bullet comments was unclear, everyone present in the hall were intelligent individuals who had climbed their way up through the imperial examinations. They could roughly sense that later generations held a rather favorable view of Da Qian.
【The revitalizing ancestor of Da Qian, known as the Gatekeeper of Eternal Emperor (one of them), the Martial Emperor Ancestor who revealed his brilliance during the Yunqi Reign—everyone can simply refer to him as the Qianwu Emperor or Ancestor Gan.】
Before those watching the Celestial Screen could react, the streamer called Fusang had barely finished speaking when the bullet comments exploded, startling the civil and military officials below.
(Starting off with something this big? If you feast so well now, streamer, how will you handle what comes later?)
(Holy crap, indeed is the Gatekeeper of Eternal Emperor, the most legendary eternal emperor! The bullet comments just exploded!)
(That’s how top-tier figures in the Historical Circle are. After all, this one’s legendary aura is too strong. During his reign, it was Chaos of Demons Dancing below (in a positive sense). Unofficial histories almost had rockets being crafted, and there are even Memorials passed down—truly feels like a living person! But still, be careful. Once this one is mentioned, soon the debates over whether he or his ancestor is the true Gatekeeper of Eternal Emperor will start—it’s a bloodbath!)
(LMAO, a coser is worth this much hype from you all? If he’s so capable, why does he keep copying his ancestor every day, even changing his subordinates’ names to be exactly the same as his ancestor’s? Only someone with a leaky brain would stan him, right?)
(The one above is the real joke. Qian Taizu died so pathetically in Hanhai, and it was only thanks to his nephew the Crown Prince that face was regained. And you can still boast about that?)
(…As expected, they’re fighting.)
The bullet comments swept past frantically, but the screen froze, and Fusang couldn’t continue speaking.
That Celestial Screen flickered and turned black again.
But the information revealed was already shocking enough.
“Yunqi Reign…”
The State Preceptor standing beside Emperor Yunqi murmured for a moment. The black-robed emperor glanced at him: “Does the State Preceptor have any profound insights?”
Unexpectedly, the old man with white hair kowtowed and bowed: “Your Majesty! Ancestor Gan was born in the Yunqi Reign. This Celestial Screen is an Auspicious Sign! A great Auspicious Sign! It must be that Taizu, seeing Your Majesty’s righteous conduct, truly bringing prosperity to the people, has bestowed from heaven this Object Knowing Past and Future!”
The civil and military officials behind once again knelt in a grumbling mass: Fine, even this can be boasted about.
Author’s Note:
Youjia: No joke, I’m really overwhelmed x