Chapter 938 Offering Sacrifices

"So, they really drilled a hole in my skull?"

Ji Chengjue asked as he looked in the mirror, touching the gauze wrapped around his head.

"Yes."

"This hole seems much smaller than I imagined." Ji Chengjue turned to look at Zheng Fan, gesturing with his hands like a bowl. "I thought it would be like eating monkey brains, with a large opening cut right across."

Zheng Fan really wanted to ask, you dared to agree to this "surgery" even thinking they'd have to open such a big hole?

But thinking that Ji Chengjue would definitely answer: Because I trust you.

To prevent this disgusting dialogue from happening,

Zheng Fan changed the subject;

"A small opening is enough. By the way, I've kept the tumor for you. Do you want to see it?"

"Let me see."

Zheng Fan walked to the cabinet next to him and picked up a sarcoma placed in a glass bottle, preserved in medicinal liquid by Xue San.

"This thing was taken out of my brain?"

"Yes."

"It makes me want to throw up a little."

"You are what you eat; you can add it to a dish to nourish your brain."

"Ugh…"

The emperor first covered his chest and dry heaved, then felt a little dizzy and his head ached, so he gently covered his head again.

Fortunately, nothing serious, just a normal post-operative reaction.

The surgery was successful. As for the wound on the emperor's head, Si Niang had also stitched it up;

Except for a small bald spot where the hair grew back, there were no other effects.

"Hey Zheng, I just woke up, can you not be so disgusting?"

Zheng Fan held the glass bottle and looked at it carefully,

Saying;

"I think it's quite collectible."

"It's yours, please keep it safe for me."

"Then I'll take it to feed the dogs."

"Put it down!"

The emperor finally put the bottle away.

Afterward, the emperor began to try to walk out the door and bask in the sun, and for a moment, he seemed a little dazed.

He didn't tell Zheng Fan what terrifying nightmares he had been plunged into every day during those days of unconsciousness, because since he was awake, talking about dreams, whether good or bad, was meaningless.

"Can I live a long time?" the emperor asked.

"You might not choke to death eating, but you might drown drinking water."

"Hey Zheng, have you always been this sweet-tongued?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"You can live to adulthood; you really have too many people to thank. That's also the truth."

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"I just ordered the meal."

"That's the first nice thing I've heard since waking up."

"Oh?"

…

"I take back what I just said, hey Zheng, you're an animal!"

Facing the porridge, eggs, milk, and a small portion of meat floss in front of him, the emperor roared almost frantically.

"Your body is still weak, so you have to eat something light. Besides, it's good to have eggs and meat, isn't it?"

Zheng Fan said as he picked up his chopsticks and picked up the various dishes that were placed in front of him.

"Then can't you eat the same thing as me?"

"My brain doesn't have a hole in it."

"What about sharing joys and sorrows between brothers?"

"Do you know when eating something is the most delicious? When someone next to you is envious of you, that's when you enjoy your meal the most. What's more, the person envying me now is the emperor, so it's even more delicious.

Also, in my opinion, sharing joys and sorrows between brothers means you suffer the bitterness, and I taste the sweetness for you.

Eat quickly,

Don't let it get cold."

The emperor was really hungry and started eating.

After they both finished eating, Si Niang came in to clear the dishes.

A Ming then pushed over a wheelchair.

"I don't need this," the emperor said. Although there was a hole drilled in his head, he felt that his body had no other problems except for being a little weak.

"I just think you feel more the part sitting in a wheelchair now."

"Why don't I feel that way?"

"Because you're sitting on it, and I'm the one pushing it."

"Heh." The emperor sneered, "If we switched places, I would feel it too."

"Are you going to sit or not?"

"I will sit, but there's no need to sit now. I don't want to go out yet. Since becoming emperor, even the Eastern Tour half a year ago, to be honest, wasn't for fun. I was as tired as a dead dog. I want to take this opportunity to rest."

"Preparing to fish?" Zheng Fan asked directly.

The emperor's dragon body is unwell, no, in the eyes of the outside world, the emperor who has already established the Regent is considered to have explained his last affairs, entered the back garden to say he is recuperating, but in fact, he is waiting to die;

Under such circumstances, some people might be ready to make a move.

"If you hadn't been made the Regent, if you weren't in the capital right now, I could play this game, but since you're here, who would be so blind?

New officials light three fires when they take office, and you are from the military. Except for idiots, no one would be so lacking in tact;

Even if there are tactless idiots who jump out, the reason for keeping them is also a need. I think it's a waste of bait to fish them out."

"Really just want to rest?"

"Yes."

"Rest for how long?"

"We'll see, just call Wei Zhonghe and Lu Bing in for me to see them."

Resting is what he really wants to do, but Ji Chengjue didn't intend to rest himself into becoming an Emperor Emeritus.

"Then I'll go out for a stroll," Zheng Fan said.

"You're not keeping me company?"

"I'm going to take a look at the Tian family's ancestral grave."

"Oh, okay."

Zheng Fan was about to leave, but then stopped and said;

"Really don't need me to do anything?"

The emperor smiled and said;

"Father used Tian Wujing as a knife, I won't do that. Besides, you Zheng Fan aren't someone who likes being used as a knife."

"Heh."

"Moreover, you don't need to come out for some small fries. This time, I'll just deal with them along the way."

"Still saying you're not planning to fish?"

"Fish are in the water, so I have to fish; small fries are chirping on the roof beam, besides being annoying, they're still annoying.

Alright,

Go."

…

The Prince of Pingxi, no, the Regent, rode the Pixiu with Tian Tian, accompanied by the Sword Saint and a group of brocade-clad personal guards, out of the back garden and towards the old Tian family residence.

And at this time,

Almost the entire city of Yanjing's attention was focused on this back garden;

More broadly speaking, if the delayed message transmission brought by the stretched regional amplitude is considered, almost the entire Xia's attention is focused on this garden designed and built by the Qian people.

The news of the Regent's departure,

Was like a stone thrown into this taut lake surface, splashing layers of ripples, causing a series of chain reactions.

And not long after Zheng Fan left,

Wei Zhonghe, Zhang Banban, and Lu Bing, who had been guarding the periphery of the back garden without leaving an inch, knelt before the emperor.

The emperor was not sitting in a wheelchair, but in a chair.

Except for his shaved head, he looked quite good.

Wei Zhonghe, Zhang Banban, and Lu Bing all had tears in their eyes at this moment.

"Alright, wipe away your tears. I've come back from the brink of death this time, it's okay, Heaven didn't want me to live long, but I stubbornly took it back.

It's quite interesting, really quite interesting."

"Your Majesty's body is healthy, it is…"

"Alright, shut up."

The emperor didn't seem to want to ramble too much at this time and said directly:

"Since I'm okay, then let's close the net this time. Lu Bing, what's the situation?"

"Your Majesty… it's quite peaceful, mainly because the Prince of Pingxi… the Regent is here."

If you really want to hit a rabbit while mowing the grass, it's most convenient when the Prince of Pingxi isn't here. The Emperor "weakens," and all kinds of monsters and ghosts can't help but jump out;

But the problem is, if the Prince of Pingxi wasn't here, not to mention who would "treat" him, even the emperor himself wouldn't be at ease doing so.

Within the Great Yan, the Prince of Pingxi's residence cannot be touched;

The Prince of Zhenbei's residence has long been dismantled;

Father trampled over the aristocratic families;

Since the implementation of the New Deal for two years, the overt and covert resistance has been dealt with almost completely.

Logically speaking, an emperor who has reached this point is already in complete control. If the Chu Regent and the Qian Emperor had had such a situation in their early years, they would have laughed in their dreams.

But precisely,

Ji Chengjue was still not satisfied.

What he wanted was not only for this bureaucratic system to listen to him, but also to make it… pleasing to his eyes, to knead it into the shape he liked.

A year has passed.

There are less than four years left;

This has nothing to do with whether he has been "cured" because the "five-year" war plan according to his and Zheng's plan will not change.

At that time, he and Zheng would still be in their prime, with enough energy and time to take care of the entire Xia.

For this goal,

He had to prepare as best as he could.

The emperor took a sip of tea,

Saying;

"If they're obedient, then just instigate them a little, anyway, if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext, do as much as you can."

Lu Bing immediately said;

"Yes, I understand!"

Wei Gonggong and Zhang Banban both breathed a sigh of relief at this moment;

The emperor's implication was to open a large prison, to govern the entire officialdom again with all kinds of trumped-up charges.

And Lu Bing, who now controlled the two Embroidered Uniform Guard agencies, was the best knife;

But not everyone can become the Prince of Pingxi. Some knives, after being used, the ending…

The emperor looked at Wei Zhonghe,

Saying;

"Go check what books the Crown Prince has been reading these days."

…

After the Tian family's bloody night, Zheng Fan was left to collect the corpses.

The conditions at the time were very simple, and the tombs were actually quite crude.

After all, Zheng Fan at that time didn't have the resources to identify each corpse and erect a tombstone. Except for some important members of the Tian family who had their own inscriptions, the rest were directly buried and a mound was erected.

The abandoned old Tian family residence, the desolate ancestral graves, had become forbidden grounds.

The imperial court had a dedicated team of old eunuchs maintaining it here;

When Tian Wujing was around, no one dared to slack off;

After Tian Wujing left, Zheng Fan rose to prominence, so naturally no one dared to slack off either. After all, everyone knew that the Prince of Pingxi was the person who inherited the mantle of the Prince of Jingnan.

When Zheng Fan brought Tian Tian here,

His personal guards stepped forward to offer red envelopes and wine and meat as a reward to these old eunuchs, which was also etiquette;

The old eunuchs hurriedly knelt down to Zheng Fan and kowtowed, then silently retreated.

Zheng Fan held Tian Tian's hand and walked among them.

The Sword Saint followed behind.

"Dad brought you here because although you are Dad's son, you are named Tian after all. No matter what, you have to come here to take a look and pay your respects."

"Yes, I know."

"Over the past few years, Dad has always told you that your biological father was a very great existence, someone your Dad admired, and also the military god of the Great Yan;

But today, you can see another side of your biological father.

Buried here are all your clansmen, but they actually have nothing to do with you anymore. When you were just born, you were brought to my side by your Uncle Yu;

You haven't seen them, nor have you eaten a meal or a bowl of water from them. Just acknowledge them as your relatives; there's no need to be overly sad."

"Yes, I understand."

"Your biological father is a hero of this country. Without your biological father, there would be no current situation in Great Yan. If Great Yan can truly unify Xia one day, then this will be where it all began.

Common people say that your biological father is an executioner, a heartless devil. That's right.

I can understand your biological father's actions back then and admire them, but I don't want you to become like him in the future. That's also what your biological father wanted. He was very tired and very bitter.

So he hopes you can live a free and happy life."

"Yes."

"This is the tombstone of your grandparents."

Tian Tian prepared to kneel down, but Zheng Fan stopped him.

"No rush, let me introduce them to you first, and then you can take the incense and paper money and pay your respects one by one."

"Yes, Dad."

"This is your great-granduncle's tombstone. Your great-granduncle taught your biological father the art of the mystic, which your biological father only knows a little about."

"Mm."

Zheng Fan held Tian Tian's hand,

And walked to another location.

Here, there were two obviously new tombstones;

One was a joint burial tomb with two burial spaces, and the other was built more imposingly, with a Pixiu stone statue placed in front.

"This is, your mother's tombstone."

"Mother…"

"Your mother was from the Qian Kingdom's Silver Armored Guard. Many in the Embroidered Uniform Guard agency are recruited from a young age and brainwashed… you know what brainwashing means, right?"

"I know, North Master taught me."

"Good, so your mother lived in that environment since she was a child, then her identity was changed and she was sent to the Yan Kingdom, entering the Yan Kingdom's secret spy agency.

You have to understand your mother's pain at that time.

It's very complicated, and your dad doesn't understand some of the specifics, and your dad even thinks that maybe the Qian Kingdom isn't very clear about it either.

But one thing your dad can confirm is that your mother loved you and loved your father.

She cut open her own stomach, gave birth to you, and then handed you over to Uncle Yu, who was the most trustworthy person at the time. She did everything she could at the time.

Your mother died, she had to die, because this was her destiny, and also her sorrow, but she tried to make her death not so… so as not to hurt your biological father so much.

But ultimately,

Your mother died because of your biological father.

So,

Do you know why Dad has never given the emperor any face?

Do you know why Dad, even though the emperor and I have always called each other brothers, still tightly hold on to military power and territory and will never be a submissive subject?

Because if your biological father had given off the same feeling that your dad gives off,

Then Zhao Jiulang, the former Prime Minister of Great Yan, wouldn't have dared to push things along back then.

Because he was sure,

Your biological father wouldn't rebel,

So, they dared to… take an inch after gaining an inch."

"Dad, did Zhao Jiulang kill Mom?"

"It was him, but not just him. In essence, your biological father killed her himself."

"My biological father…"

"But your dad has already killed Zhao Jiulang. I smeared his neck with a knife against the dawn, letting him slowly bleed to death, and by the time the sun rose, he was gone."

"Thank you, Dad."

"This is what Dad should do. Your mother's tomb was originally in Li Tian City. Your dad ordered it to be moved here, leaving a vacant spot next to it for your biological father.

This is the final destination of your biological father's oath. One day, he will return here to atone for his sins.

Just know these things.

Dad brought you here for two reasons: one is to let you see the graves of your clansmen, and the other is to tell you that your biological father has already done too much for this country.

Tian Tian,

You don't have to do anything anymore.

If you have the ability, if you have the strength, protect your family, don't let the people you cherish be threatened.

The greatest pain in the world is when you clearly have the ability, but you still can't protect your family."

"Yes, Dad, I understand. When I grow up, I won't allow anyone to hurt you, Dad, or Auntie Da and Auntie Er, and I won't allow anyone to hurt my younger sister and younger brother;

Whoever dares to hurt them…

No,

Whoever dares to have the thought of hurting them,

I…"

Tian Tian silently clenched his fists,

"I won't let them go, absolutely not."

Zheng Fan reached out and touched Tian Tian's head. Although Tian Tian is only a teenager now, he is already an eighth-rank martial artist. One can imagine how powerful this child will be in the future.

"Son."

"Dad."

"Say it out loud, whoever dares to have thoughts of harming my family, we'll wipe out their entire clan first."

Tian Tian nodded heavily, and a flash of blood gleamed in his eyes,

Saying;

"I will remember Dad's teachings and keep them in my heart. Whoever moves my family, I will kill their entire clan."

It wasn't that Zheng Fan was cruel, insisting on teaching his child these things;

Tian Wujing's original intention in placing the child by his side was precisely this, because this was his Zheng Fan's character: I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me!

He, Zheng Fan,

Would live selfishly and freely in this life!

Zheng Fan bent down,

Took a bundle of incense and paper money in his hand,

Saying;

"Go ahead, offer incense and kowtow to your nominal clansmen, fulfilling your duty."

"Yes."

Tian Tian picked up the incense and paper money and began to pay his respects at each tomb.

Zheng Fan then walked to another new tomb;

This tombstone was quite grand,

With a Pixiu in front, inscribed with… Tomb of Guo Fusheng, Earl of Tiger Might of Great Yan.

Zheng Fan had placed Li Fusheng's tomb here. Li Fusheng's original surname was Guo. After being adopted by the Marquis of Zhenbei, he changed his surname to Li. He had no ancestral grave.

Zheng Fan buried him here, also for convenience. With Li Fusheng's temper, if he knew that he could be neighbors with the Prince of Jingnan in the future, he would probably be so excited that he would kick the coffin lid.

Zheng Fan sat down in front of the tombstone,

Saying;

"Old brother, I don't know when I'll be able to come see you next time.

Alas, who told you your brain wasn't working well? You were actually surrounded and killed in battle. It's really embarrassing.

In a few years, when I really start the great war, you won't have a chance to witness it. You tell me, isn't that a pity, isn't that stupid?"

Zheng Fan was too lazy to say more;

Because of Li Fusheng's death and the mutilation of his corpse, he ordered the massacre of the capital of the Liang Kingdom when he was in Liangdi.

Between brothers, less talk, more action.

Zheng Fan leaned against Li Fusheng's tombstone and took out the iron box he carried with him;

The afternoon wind blew through the cemetery, and the grass and trees rustled;

Outside, the Regent smoked;

Inside, Li Fusheng smoked incense;