Chapter 1033 Final Chapter!

Chu territory,

Ying City;

A carriage slowly drove to the front of a restaurant named "Zui Sheng Lou."

This restaurant wasn't a time-honored brand, but in recent years, it had become quite famous in Ying City.

The "Zui" (drunken) in Zui Sheng Lou was because its drunken shrimp and drunken crab were considered superb, attracting diners, especially gourmets from near and far, in an endless stream.

"A'ye (Grandpa), A'nai (Grandma), we're here."

A young boy carefully lifted the carriage curtain and reported.

Inside the carriage,

sat a man and a woman, both past middle age, but they didn't look old yet.

The woman was well-maintained, with a mole under her lip, but her complexion was very rosy. She wore a red jacket, which looked very festive.

The man was draped in a wolf skin coat, and his hairstyle was meticulous, but half of it was white.

The boy diligently got out of the car first, placed the footstool below, first helped his A'ye out of the car. When he wanted to help his A'nai, A'nai waved her hand and smiled, saying no need, but then took A'ye's hand and leaned on it to get down.

It could be seen that they were a very loving couple, with traces of mutual support in each other's eyes.

"Is this the place?" the woman asked.

"This is the place," the man replied.

White lanterns hung at the entrance of the restaurant, draped with black纱 (gauze).

The business in the restaurant today was also two or three percent less than usual.

The same situation was not only in this "Zui Sheng Lou," but also in almost all the restaurants and teahouses on the street.

The news of the emperor's death spread to Ying City, and the former capital of Chu was all in mourning.

The officials and prominent families in Ying City consciously prohibited unnecessary activities, and the market naturally became a lot deserted as a result.

At this moment, a team of city patrol soldiers passed by here, seemingly checking the "national mourning" regulations at the doors of merchants along the street. They stopped in front of Zui Sheng Lou.

It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the arrangement in front of Zui Sheng Lou, but the patrol captain in the lead saw the couple standing next to the carriage at the entrance.

The woman's jacket was the most popular style for women in Yan territory in winter. It corresponded to the characteristics of Yan women's large physique, and it was more suitable for labor activities because it was not as rigid as the styles in Qian Chu.

The man's hairstyle was extremely familiar to this captain.

It was true that the people of Yan didn't pay much attention to hairstyles, especially since the crew cut became popular in Jin East. The lads of Yan generally liked this energetic hairstyle, but the old people of Yan would grow a little hair again after they got older.

For him, who was on duty in the former capital of Chu, he usually saw the Chu people's hairstyle at the temples the most. Seeing this kind of hairstyle of the old Yan people, he subconsciously thought of his father in San Shi County.

However, just as he wanted to step forward to talk, someone stood in front of him, holding a token.

The Yan captain glanced at the token and silently retreated without greeting.

Lu Bing took back the token and returned to the man's side.

Back then, when the four great powers stood side by side, apart from the fact that the Three Jins had already separated, the Great Yan's Secret Intelligence Division could only rank after the Qian Kingdom's Silver Armor Guards and the Chu Kingdom's Phoenix Nest Inner Guards.

Now, the Great Yan Secret Intelligence Division ranked first, the well-deserved first, because Qian Chu had been destroyed by the iron cavalry of Great Yan.

However, as the highest-ranking living fossil of the Secret Intelligence Division, Lu Bing naturally saw where the eyes of the previous Yan captain were wandering.

"Lord, the Chu people's hairstyle..."

The man raised his hand and interrupted him.

Lu Bing immediately shut up.

Just as he was about to go inside, the man stopped again and looked at Lu Bing;

He was his father's milk brother, and according to seniority, he should call him uncle.

When it came to the end, he should say something more to him for both emotional and rational reasons.

"It's easy to change the hairstyle, but it's hard to change people's hearts. In recent years, many ministers have submitted memorials to朕 (zhen, imperial 'I'), meaning that in the Qian Chu territory, hair should be shaved and clothes should be changed, and everything should imitate my Great Yan's system, so as to win people's hearts and stabilize the country.

朕 (zhen, imperial 'I') has been suppressing it all the time, not allowing it.

In fact, where can my Great Yan's clothes and various customs and festivals be regarded as authentic?

The wind of Jin East rose and quickly swept through the Three Jins, and then extended to the old Yan territory.

It's okay to take out etiquette and ethics and say a few polite words on ordinary occasions, but you can't force them in.

The Great Yan Dynasty is not a Great Yan Dynasty of one kind of Yan people, and 朕 (zhen, imperial 'I') has no interest in being a Great Yan emperor carved out of a mold.

You think the Chu people's hairstyle is strange and uncomfortable to look at, which is normal, but why do you think there's nothing wrong with those lads of your Lu family having crew cuts when they join the army?

What you don't like is not the hairstyle, nor the clothes, but the hearts of the people.

What the world unites is the hearts of the people, not the clothes, not the hairstyles.

Some words can be mentioned by ministers, and the ministers are not wrong.

But the emperor can't really think about it this way.

The culture of the Qian people can be used;

The etiquette of the Chu people can also be used;

The military system of Great Yan can continue to be inherited.

Take its essence and discard its dross. A ruler should have such a grand vision."

Lu Bing silently bowed. He knew that these words were not for him.

"What should be said, 朕 (zhen, imperial 'I') has said before, and what should be written down, 朕 (zhen, imperial 'I') has also written down. Before entering this door, 朕 (zhen, imperial 'I') can still say a few more words.

It's not that 朕 (zhen, imperial 'I') can't let go of this world, nor that 朕 (zhen, imperial 'I') can't let go of this country,

It's purely that 朕 (zhen, imperial 'I') can't let go of my son.

Keep the previous words as they are and tell them to the new emperor."

"Your subject obeys the decree."

Ji Chengjue turned around, took He Sisi's hand, and the couple walked into the restaurant together.

"Welcome, honored guests, what would you like to order?"

The waiter immediately stepped forward to ask.

Ji Chengjue and He Sisi, who had crossed the threshold, faced Lu Bing and his party standing outside the door,

and waved to Lu Bing:

"Uncle, you've come this far, go back."

Lu Bing and others had tears in their eyes, turned around, and left. Even the little grandson cried directly while turning around.

Ji Chengjue's gaze fell on the threshold of the restaurant;

At this moment, He Sisi beside him, the former Empress of Great Yan, felt that her husband seemed to be twenty years younger all of a sudden.

The Great Yan Emperor's dragon body was unwell, and he died of illness. The Crown Prince Ji Chuanye, in the capacity of Crown Prince, accepted the imperial edict and succeeded to the throne.

Three days later, the Empress died of illness due to excessive grief, following the late Emperor in death.

The news of the state funeral had just reached Ying City, but who would have known that the former Emperor and Empress of Great Yan, who were causing the entire Xia to mourn, were actually standing here alive and well at this moment.

Ji Chengjue reached out and intimately put his arm around He Sisi's shoulders,

Regardless of etiquette and the public eye,

He bit his wife's earlobe,

and said:

"Wife, after crossing this threshold, we can be completely at peace."

"What, are you still afraid that your own son won't let you go?"

"Don't use common sense to speculate about the emperor. Now, he is the emperor first, and then my son."

There was a sentence,

Ji Chengjue didn't say,

because back then, he had personally stabbed the dagger into his own father's chest.

And at that time,

Chuanye,

was also in the Lu family.

He had given him way in advance by "faking his death" so that he could relax, but when he really sat on the dragon chair, if he recalled his father, he might suddenly have a dream one night and feel uneasy.

Chuanye,

Ji Chengjue trusted him,

what he didn't trust,

was the emperor.

Fortunately,

under the heavens,

there was still a place,

that could allow this "retired emperor" to enjoy his old age without worry.

"Two guests, are you here to eat or stay?"

The waiter asked again with a smile.

"Eat, and stay."

"Alright, what would you two like to order? Our restaurant's drunken shrimp and drunken crab are..."

"Half a roast duck, with half a pot of grilled corn cakes, and a side of Daze fish tongue to cut the greasiness."

"This..."

"Just tell them to prepare it." Ji Chengjue waved his hand.

"Yes, yes, you two please wait."

The waiter went down to order the dishes.

Ji Chengjue and He Sisi sat down together.

At the table on the left were a group of Jianghu (martial arts world) wanderers, men and women all wearing swords;

However, each of their swords had a purple tassel hanging from the end of the scabbard.

In the martial world of today,

there were also four great swordsmen standing side by side.

Although the Qian territory's Great Hero Chen had already semi-retired, he had long replaced Baili Jian and become a symbol in the hearts of the Qian people;

Qian Kingdom was destroyed, but the Qian people could still boast.

In addition, there was a woman named Yuan Yu, who was unknown in her early years, but reached her peak as soon as she appeared.

The last two,

had extremely high status,

but people had to admire them, and even had to sigh that the regent prince, who was invincible on the battlefield, was unprecedented and unparalleled in future generations when it came to his descendants.

That was the Wang (Prince) Manor's eldest princess,

and,

the current regent prince himself.

Great Yan never paid attention to rules, or rather, after reaching a certain height and level, the rules served them, rather than conforming to the rules.

After the first king died five years after unifying the world due to the recurrence of old injuries, the emperor did not revoke his title of regent prince, but directly passed the regent prince position to the next generation as a title, to commend the first king for his great achievements for Great Yan.

After all, Great Yan was not without similar things back then. Which country had a situation where even princes had to kneel and salute a marquis for a long time?

No one would doubt the credibility of this swordsman ranking,

because that eldest princess had personally gone to the South Sea, alone with her sword, and destroyed the so-called seventy-two caves of the South Sea. This was a solid record.

And even in Great Yan, the Regent Prince's Manor was simply on par with the Ji family, but in the South Sea, the Wang (Prince) Manor's power could not be touched and penetrated.

As for the current regent prince himself, not many people knew that he was also a swordsman. In the original four great swordsmen, the first three remained unchanged, and the other was a one-eyed swordsman from Zhao territory.

He had sparred with Great Hero Chen for a whole day without losing ground, and had since joined the ranks of the four great swordsmen.

Subsequently, he sent out hero invitations and founded his own sect.

And on the day of the founding of the sect,

in full view of everyone,

the Great Yan Regent Prince, who could originally affect the situation of the entire world with a slight movement,

actually came to Zhao territory alone,

and used a sword with a purple tassel hanging from the scabbard,

to nail the one-eyed swordsman, who had only recently ranked among the four great swordsmen, directly to the sect's plaque.

Since then,

the position of the four great swordsmen in the Jianghu (martial arts world) was completely finalized.

And everyone found that, including the Great Yan Prince, the swords used by the other three great swordsmen all had purple tassels hanging on their scabbards.

Therefore,

a theory that had been circulating but had not been concluded was finally confirmed,

that was, the disciples of all four great swordsmen were disciples of the same person, that was... the Sword Saint of Jin territory.

In the previous era, Sword Saint Yu Huaping almost crushed his peers with his own strength and established a benchmark for swordsmanship.

In the next era,

his four disciples completely became a sky.

Seeing this purple tassel,

Ji Chengjue wanted to laugh,

he knew how unruly Zheng Fan's son was. To make him wear a python robe, like a boorish man, and run to a Jianghu (martial arts world) sect to kill someone was really embarrassing for him.

In this world, he could disobey the emperor's orders, but he had to listen to his eldest sister's words.

At this time, He Sisi whispered:

"Husband, they said they are going to Daze to seek opportunities."

"Oh?"

Ji Chengjue paid attention to their conversation and learned that they were planning to go to a secret realm in the depths of Daze to seek opportunities. It was said that the secret realm was extremely dangerous, and most people who approached it could not come out alive.

A few survivors had almost gone mad, shouting crazily that they had seen graves inside, many, many graves.

Therefore, that secret realm located in the depths of Daze had another name in the Jianghu (martial arts world), called "God's Grave."

It was said that there were great opportunities hidden inside, such as martial arts secrets and divine weapons.

But Ji Chengjue knew clearly that

it was completely empty inside!

The Zheng family and the others originally thought they were going to die, so they dug a grave for themselves. Then the princess by his side and a group of gentlemen were going to be buried with him, but as a result, the Zheng family didn't die, so the grave was left there.

But the problem was that the Zheng guy was immoral. He didn't bury anyone there, but the formation was set up long ago and had been running. Over the years, he didn't know how many Jianghu (martial arts world) children had been attracted to go inside and lose their lives for an empty tomb.

Eleven years ago,

when the Zheng family was still alive, he, as the emperor, asked the Zheng family during another eastern tour. Didn't he feel guilty about doing this?

The Zheng family said disapprovingly: He just liked to see these groups of chosen people go and never return. If he really encountered an absolute chosen one, even if he shed a layer of skin and didn't die, he shouldn't think that he would have a good thing happen after passing the test. He just wanted to let them see the empty tomb and let them know clearly that they had been tricked, which was more fun.

Tsk,

the table next door,

was probably another group going to die with dreams and a spirit of adventure.

Ji Chengjue wanted to laugh a little,

because the tomb owner of the place they were going was right here.

At this time,

a man dressed as a Chu territory madman in the corner was holding a drunken crab leg and began to chant his sad poems.

The current Chu Kingdom was long gone, and the Chu Emperor had also become the Chu Prince, moving to Yanjing.

The Chu people could only use this method to miss the former Great Chu in the former Chu Ci (a style of classical Chinese poetry originating in the state of Chu).

Seeing this scene,

Ji Chengjue couldn't help but think of the fact that he had asked the Zheng family if those words that Xiong Laosi (Old Fourth) said before his death were true.

The death of the Chu Emperor was the last straw that broke the resistance of the Chu Kingdom.

The Yan people, in the name of patricide, questioned the then Crown Prince of Chu, but the Crown Prince was speechless because his father was really gone.

Later, the Yan people took out the Chu Emperor's will,

which described in detail

his instructions to his mother, his sister, the Xiong family, Great Chu, and the people of Great Chu, hoping that there would be no more suffering and that the war would stop.

In the end, the Crown Prince was deposed.

The Chu Kingdom prince, who had been sent to the Regent Prince's Manor as a hostage for less than a year, was sent back to Yingdu to succeed the new king, and then, with the tacit approval of the Chu nobles and local forces, announced that Great Chu had降国格 (reduced to the status of a vassal state) and requested annexation from Great Yan.

Since then, the world had substantively completed its unification.

Ji Chengjue had naturally read the will. How should he put it? Also as an emperor, he felt that the words in this will were very in line with the identity of an emperor. But the problem was that Ji Chengjue knew what happened in Ming Village that day, so he felt that what Xiong Laosi (Old Fourth) said seemed a bit too much...

The Zheng family rolled his eyes at him in the face of this question, and said very bluntly:

"To fool my wife."

The Chu Kingdom princess was the Zheng family's wife, and gave birth to a daughter for him, who was now the object of admiration and admiration by many young men and women Jianghu (martial arts world) heroes.

The fact of the matter was that

the scene was very chaotic at that time,

and Zheng Fan issued the order "leave no one alive."

The demons also went crazy,

and even that Great Xia Son of Heaven failed to leave any last words or show anything else,

not to mention that the brother-in-law, who had been sickly for a long time, was long gone.

He didn't know which demon's aftermath of the attack didn't pay attention and directly crushed the brother-in-law.

After the battle,

everyone was in no mood to care where the Chu Emperor was or where his bones were. Most likely... his bones were gone.

Therefore,

rather than saying that the forged will was to allow Chu to have a way to give up the final resistance, it was originally used by Zheng Fan to fool his second wife to get away with it.

"Now my Great Chu, revitalize my Great Chu, my Great Chu..."

The madman was drunk from the drunken crab and began to say things without thinking. The other guests completely regarded him as a joke.

The Regent Prince had left ten years ago, but Great Yan's next generation of generals had seamlessly taken over.

They were personally trained by the Regent Prince and, after the Regent Prince, took over the responsibility of suppressing the world.

Chen Xianba had three campaigns against the southwestern indigenous people. This indigenous son-in-law had almost become the nightmare of the indigenous people. Now, the imperial court was implementing the policy of converting indigenous people to Chinese rule in the southwest and northwest of Qian territory to the Tu (indigenous) and Bei Qiang (Northern Qiang people).

The Jingnan Prince's heir was specifically responsible for suppressing the rebellions in Chu territory. His father burned the capital of Chu, and his father dug up the ancestral graves of the Chu nobles. Now it was his turn to strike down on those who dared to rebel in Chu territory with thunderous force.

The barbarian adopted son of the former Regent Prince, who once stood with the three of them, was originally responsible for suppressing the affairs of the snowy plains, but after the Regent Prince's death, he was transferred to the Northern Feng County.

In short,

it was impossible to completely stabilize the world in less than twenty years.

But at least, the world believed that Great Yan's military virtues were still enough to continue to suppress the world for a long time. Next, it would depend on how the emperors of the past would govern the world.

As for the Regent Prince's Manor, which still stood in Jin East, it seemed to have become the root of the troubles that people in the world faintly expected. But as long as it did not rebel for a day, this world would have to continue to hang the Black Dragon Banner for a day.

After waiting for a long time,

the ordered dishes had not yet been served.

Ji Chengjue was anxious.

What exactly did this Zheng family mean?

Not only did he not personally come out to greet him when he arrived,

but he even put on airs for so long!

The "late emperor" was very angry,

got up,

and directly broke into the backyard of the restaurant.

He saw a man like an iron tower walking over with firewood, shouting: "Make way!"

He saw a man dressed in a tuxedo walking out of the wine cellar with a wine dipper, with a slightly drunk aroma on his body;

He saw a beautiful woman sitting by the window on the second floor playing bamboo tiles with a few women, the sound crisp;

He saw a strong man digging mud from the pond, and a blind man squatting beside him constantly saying that he was working hard, come, eat an orange.

Finally,

Ji Chengjue was willing to look at the center of the yard,

the figure lying on the reclining chair, basking in the sun while slowly rocking.

Ji Chengjue walked over,

and the person on the reclining chair also opened his eyes at this time,

and said:

"You're blocking the light."

Ji Chengjue was furious,

reached out and directly grabbed the neck of the person on the reclining chair,

and scolded:

"Zheng, my hair is white, how the hell haven't you aged at all!"

The two wrestled for a long time,

finally,

the late emperor was old after all and not an opponent of a middle-aged man, and was the first to be defeated.

"Sister, come up and play cards, let them make a fuss."

From the window on the second floor, Fourth Mother called He Sisi up.

Being called sister by Fourth Mother, who was so young, in such a way, He Sisi, who was already a grandmother of several children, really felt a little strange, but she still smiled and took the initiative to walk up.

"Are you ashamed, dying so early?"

"What's there to be ashamed of? Alas, I originally wanted to hold on for a few more years and at least have a western expedition, but after learning that the barbarian country newly established to the west of the desert was also using the Black Dragon Banner,

I knew that there was no need for a western expedition and that I could rest.

If he comes back one day, he will come to me first, have a drink and eat a bun."

"What about me? What about me? Do you know how I've been living all these years? You were tired of playing and said you were done, but I have to continue to struggle to maintain this hard-won unified situation.

Did you ever think about me?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Look, isn't that guy digging mud over there?"

Zheng Fan pointed to Liang Cheng, who was digging mud in the pond,

Ji Chengjue looked a little puzzled.

At this time, a man with a scar on his face drove a carriage in from the back door,

constantly cursing: "Which irritating guest specially ran to our Zui Sheng Lou to eat roast duck, causing me to have to make a special trip to the market to buy him a duck in the afternoon!"

The scarred face saw the people in the yard,

looked carefully,

burped,

and shouted with a smile:

"Yo, you're here. Gouzi (Dog) greets you, Gouzi (Dog) will wash the duck for you."

Then, the waiter who led him in earlier took off his clothes, threw away the stilts under his feet, revealing his dwarf appearance, and kept juggling with a drawing in his hand, happily saying:

"Come, come, A'cheng, dig quickly, dig quickly. I've already designed this oven, and we'll build it overnight. I guarantee it will be easy to use. Blind man, what are you doing watching by the side? Come with me to clean the kitchen. Didn't you see that the roast duck master is here?"

Zheng Fan reached out,

put his arm around Ji Chengjue's shoulder,

and said:

"See, starting tomorrow, our Zui Sheng Lou will have another featured dish... authentic Yanjing roast duck."

……

……

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(End of the book)