The Great Night.
Not a single star in the firmament.
The world of dust.
When Xu Qingnian’s voice rang out, all the world fell silent.
The next moment.
There was no peace in the entire Dust World.
The first to be shaken was the Great Wei Dynasty.
Inside the imperial palace.
Ji Ling had lost a lot of weight, and although she was still the most beautiful woman in the world, the haggardness in her eyes could not be concealed.
An emperor, in theory, should not be like this.
But, these days, she had suffered too much inner torment.
Her father had left since she was a child, the dynasty was in turmoil, she was on thin ice, and she had no one she could trust.
Until Xu Qingnian came along.
In these days, she could not forget her first meeting with Xu Qingnian, nor could she forget Xu Qingnian inviting the holy will above the court.
This scene lingers in the back of her mind.
Until now, Xu Qingnian left, silently and without a sound, leaving behind only a few curatorial remarks for herself.
These days, she looked forward to it, hoping that Xu Qingnian would come back and return with light.
But what she hadn’t expected was this.
Hearing the voice she least expected to hear.
“I am Xu Qingnian, and today I wish to spread the power of the Sublime Sage and the talent of the Palace of Literature between heaven and earth, to open up the path to sainthood for the world’s scholars.”
“May five hundred years from now, two saints will be in the world.”
A voice full of determination, with ruthlessness and determination.
When the voice rang out, Ji Ling knew that Xu Qingnian would eventually be unable to save the day.
He had fallen after all.
In front of the vastness of Heaven’s destiny, he did not continue to create miracles.
It hurt.
It was too painful.
At this moment, Ji Ling’s heart was like a knife cut, she could not cry out, these days, she did not know how many times she had shed tears.
She covered her heart and bent over, suffocating with difficulty.
Xu Qingnian was carrying half of the country’s fortune, and when Xu Qingnian fell, she felt it.
She knew that Xu Qingnian was dead.
Truly gone.
The Empress cried out loudly in the Hall of the Nurtured Heart. All these days, she had feared that this day would come.
When that day came, she could not accept it.
Inside Kyoto.
In the middle of the Ministry of Justice, Chen Zhengru looked at the sky, starless, and Xu Qingnian’s voice rang in his ears.
He was old and had seen many storms, but at this moment, he could not help but shed two lines of tears.
At the table.
He raised his pen and slowly dropped two words.
Vanguard.
Before he died, Xu Qingnian was still planning for the heaven and earth and the living beings, dispersing his talent to feed the heaven and earth.
Soon, the news of Xu Qingnian’s death spread throughout Kyoto.
The people had never expected that Xu Qingnian would suddenly die and were unable to accept it.
Soon, someone told them of Xu Qingnian’s achievements.
He had practised a different art and feared that he had become a demon, so he had killed himself.
The story was not very detailed, but the general meaning was this.
For a while, the people were shocked.
At this moment, what Xu Qingnian had done was no less than any saint.
Sacrificing himself for the tranquillity of heaven and earth.
This is not a saint, what is this?
Cries rang out from the capital of Great Wei. Everything Xu Qingnian has done since he entered the capital has been for the people, his stand, the people.
He has defied power and demons, established his heart for heaven and earth, his life for the people, followed the teachings of the sages and opened up peace for the world.
Xu Qingnian has done what he should have done.
The news spread quickly.
In the Central Continent.
The Sudden Evil Dynasty and the First Yuan Dynasty also learned of the news.
However, the emperors of the two dynasties no longer had any desire to fight.
But after hearing what Xu Qingnian had done, the two great emperors also fell silent.
It was admiration.
But it would not affect them in any way.
A voice of the genius of the ages was the highest praise given to Xu Qingnian, but nothing else.
West Continent.
After Hui Jue heard Xu Qingnian’s words, he could not help but fold his hands and chant the Buddha’s hymn under his breath.
“World Honoured One, to take oneself into hell and return the world to ultimate bliss is the highest state.”
Hui Jue spoke, and apart from admiration, what remained in his eyes was confusion, for he understood that he would never be able to surpa*s Xu Qingnian in his lifetime.
It was not because he was afraid of death, but because of Xu Qingnian’s great fearlessness.
The Eastern, Southern and Northern Continents are all in shock.
The name Xu Qingnian was like a divine mountain that pressed the five continents into silence.
The Great Wei Dynasty, a precarious dynasty, was held together by one person in the midst of the storm.
This person was Xu Qingnian.
It is difficult to speak of Xu Qingnian’s achievements, for everything he did was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
But such an unparalleled man has fallen today.
People could not believe it.
But they had to accept this fact.
Xu Qingnian scattered his own talent, which doomed Xu Qingnian to inevitably fall.
Otherwise, what was the point of dispersing one’s talent for no reason at all?
Great Wei Dynasty.
Inside Ping’an County.
Wu Ming carried Xu Qingnian on his back, and there was still a trace of residual warmth in his body.
He was already old, Xu Qingnian was his disciple, and it was a heartbreaking thing to see someone with white hair give up a black one since ancient times.
Wu Ming fell into tears.
He was a First Rank of the Great Wei, and even if he were to break into pieces, he would not shed tears.
But at this moment, he could not help but cry bitterly.
But he still had to carry Xu Qingnian to the Demon Realm and let the immortal corpse suppress his corpse, lest a demon be bred.
Only, Wu Ming soon realised that there was something in Xu Qingnian’s hand.
Unfolding Xu Qingnian’s hand, it was a note.
Asking himself to send the remains to Kyoto so that the empress could take one last look at it before sending it to the middle of the demon realm.
After all, he was still reluctant to part with it.
Wu Ming took a deep breath.
He did not speak, but took Xu Qingnian’s corpse with him and walked towards the Great Wei’s Kyoto.
On the way, he was silent, and his pace was not very fast, as if he wanted Xu Qingnian to see more of the mountains and rivers.
However, he understood that Xu Qingnian had completely lost her life.
Even if the gods came, they could not save him.
In the twinkling of an eye.
The sun rises in the sky.
No matter who pa*ses away, the sun still rises as usual.
Outside Kyoto.
Wu Ming appeared carrying Xu Qingnian’s body on his back as he walked step by step inside Kyoto.
At first, some people were curious, after all, the image of an old man carrying a young man on his back was a bit odd.
But when the people realised that the person on the old man’s back was Xu Qingnian, in an instant, countless cries rang out.
All the people fell to their knees.
They lost their voices and cried out in pain, looking at Xu Qingnian, crying out that the gods were unjust, crying out that Xu Qingnian had a bad fate.
Within the capital, many people knew about this, and people came of their own accord, kneeling on both sides, respectfully seeing Xu Qingnian off on her final journey.
In a flash.
A beam of light entered Xu Qingnian’s body.
This was public opinion.
A vast and incomparable public opinion.
It boiled over from Kyoto like a haze of light.
People were astonished, thinking it was a miracle, thinking Xu Qingnian would be resurrected as a result.
But the miracle did not happen after all.
No matter how much of this light entered Xu Qingnian’s body.
He still did not come back to life.
In the end, Wu Ming arrived outside the Imperial City.
The empress, on the other hand, had already been waiting outside the imperial palace.
Her face was already full of tears, as an emperor, she should not be like this, but gazing into the distance, she could not stop her pain.
The hundred officials all appeared.
Chen Zhengru, Zhang Jing, Gu Yan ……
They looked at all this.
There was silence.
Some shed tears.
Some also sighed.
The people knelt at the sides, crying out Xu Qingnian’s name.
Over the years, they could see all the things Xu Qingnian had done for Great Wei.
But what they did not expect was that Xu Qingnian would end up in such a state.
Some cried and asked the gods.
Why do good people always end up like this.
This day.
The cries resounded throughout the entire capital of Great Wei.
All the people came, perhaps infectiously in general, or perhaps the people were indeed sad.
They all appeared in unison.
Inside and out, I don’t know how many people were gathered around.
People spontaneously knelt on the ground, allowing the children to bow down and see Xu Qingnian one last time.
On the main road.
Wu Ming carried Xu Qingnian on his back as he bent over.
He was a First Grade.
The First Rank of Great Wei.
No one could make him bend over, but the person he carried on his back could make him bend over.
One by one, individuals appeared.
They were Xu Qingnian’s friends, perhaps not so familiar, but they admired Xu Qingnian.
They bowed deeply towards Xu Qingnian.
Readers also appeared in unison.
They were not students of Shouren Academy, but they still admired Xu Qingnian.
This day.
Kyoto was once again abuzz with excitement because of Xu Qingnian.
Only this time, it was extraordinarily sad.
In the end.
Wu Ming arrived in front of the empress.
He slightly tilted his head sideways and slowly spoke.
“Shouren, it’s time to go home.”
The voice rang out.
It was not very loud.
Yet it brought tears to the eyes of many people.
“Your Majesty.”
“Shouren hopes you won’t blame him.”
“There are many things that are no longer his choice to make.”
“He is tired, it is time for him to rest.”
Wu Ming spoke out, he did not know what words to use to comfort the empress and could only do so in such a way to ease her mind.
But these words made Ji Ling even more heartbroken.
She could no longer cry out.
Her tears, they were gone.
In these days, day and night, there was not a single day when she did not shed tears.
By this time.
Her heart, it had been completely broken.
“I am the Empress of Great Wei, today I posthumously appoint Xu Shouren, as the first loyal martyr of Great Wei, to sculpt three thousand statues to be erected in every county of Great Wei, and I decree that all my people of Great Wei, when they are crowned, shall bow three times and pay nine obeisances, and all my scholars of Great Wei, when they see the sculpture of Shouren, shall perform the salute of a saint.”
“This law, into the ancestral system.”
This moment.
Ji Ling’s voice rang out.
She posthumously sealed Xu Qingnian.
Even made this into the ancestral system.
It meant that future generations of emperors, none of them could change it.
This was the supreme glory.
But …….
Everything was false.
Soon.
Someone brought in the dragon carriage, and Wu Ming slowly placed Xu Qingnian inside the dragon carriage.
At this moment, Wang Xinzhi’s voice rang out.
“Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty gave his life for the country, he is the first loyal martyr of the ages, and as a sub-sage, I believe that the body of the king should be placed inside the Tong You Palace, so that the people of the world and the world’s scholars can come and pay their respects.”
Wang Xinzhi knelt in front of Ji Ling, he was in tears, even though he had a million hard feelings in his heart, he still had to say these words.
Xu Qingnian had died.
The aftermath needed to be arranged, one to allow Xu Qingnian to leave in style, and the other for the world to see.
The country was too big to lose its manners.
“Granted.”
Ji Ling spoke out, and she agreed, but after saying this, she swayed a little, too weak, and the maids on either side of her immediately a*sisted the empress.
On the dragon carriage.
The crowd carried Xu Qingnian’s coffin, and the six ministers and even a few of the already elderly state princes also came over.
They carried Xu Qingnian’s body to the Hall of the Eternal Soul.
Afterwards, the Ministry of Rites drew up the decree, and Chen Zhengru of the Ministry of Officials approved the words.
The matter of Xu Qingnian was announced to the world.
Xu Qingnian had sacrificed his life for his country to prevent further disasters from befalling it, and had spread his talent between heaven and earth in the hope that two saints would be born between heaven and earth 500 years later.
Such a feat was a real shock to the world.
This day.
The people of Great Wei cried uncontrollably, and every household placed incense burners to worship Xu Qingnian.
In particular, in the South Yu Province, people from all walks of life took it upon themselves to collect donations and send people to the capital of Great Wei to pay their respects.
It was still night.
Inside the Hall of the Tong You.
Xu Qingnian’s body was laid out on the dragon carriage.
In the hall, the empress was the only figure.
She looked at Xu Qingnian.
Her eyes were filled with both memories and remorse.
She had known Xu Qingnian for only two or three years, but to her, Xu Qingnian meant something different from others.
The court was full of civil servants, they were for the world and the country.
Xu Qingnian was her own subject, but more often than not, she was also a friend.
It was the only friend she had.
Because of this, she had developed a kind of affection for Xu Qingnian, an affection that was blocked by imperial power.
She was the empress, the emperor of the Great Wei.
Even if she had a crush on anyone, she could not say so.
It was also for this reason that she never spoke her mind.
In the end, the country was at peace, but it was too late to speak her heart out with Xu Qingnian herself.
Inside the main hall.
Ji Ling did not cry anymore.
She just watched quietly.
In this way, three days pa*sed in the blink of an eye.
In the whole of Wei’s Kyoto, I don’t know how many people came, people from all over the world, even people from other countries, came to see Xu Qingnian.
There were also a large number of scholars who had set up rituals outside of Kyoto because it was so overcrowded.
A huge amount of public opinion poured into the Great Wei Palace and into Xu Qingnian’s body.
But there was little point in doing so.
Xu Qingnian was already dead, and no amount of public opinion would be of any use.
For three days in a row.
Ji Ling stayed by Xu Qingnian’s side.
For Ji Ling, she was willing to wait here for a month.
But she was the empress of Great Wei after all.
Before the hour.
Chen Zhengru was outside, his voice carrying some calmness.
“Your Majesty.”
“The deceased has gone, and Great Wei has lost the King of Peace and Chaos, which is a national wound, but Great Wei still needs you to preside.”
“For three days in a row, the affairs of the court must not be delayed, and if the king were alive, he would not wish to see His Majesty so sad.”
This was the wording Chen Zhengru had thought about for a long time.
He did not know how to go about saying that it was normal for the empress to be sad.
If it were any other person, they could have stayed here in silence, but Ji Ling was the only one who could not.
She was the Empress of Great Wei.
When she sat in this position, she would have to endure the pain that ordinary people could not bear.
Chen Zhengru’s voice rang out.
Inside the main hall.
Ji Ling was silent.
She wanted to utter a few words of questioning, and she wanted to say something about her heartache.
She wanted to make a few questioning noises, and to say something about her heartache.
But in the end.
Ji Ling got up.
Her face was expressionless as she walked out of the hall.
The sunlight bathed her, and instead of being gentle, it was inexplicably uncomfortable.
She was silent.
Looking out of the hall.
Slowly walking towards the main hall.
“Your Majesty, some of the King’s old friends want to come and see the King.”
Chen Zhengru opened his mouth and spoke up about this matter.
“Granted.”
Ji Ling replied indifferently.
And then, he slowly left.
