webnovelfull Chapter 433 National Mourning Like Snow Covers the Sky, A New Emperor Will Ascend, Undercurrents Sur
Chapter 433 National Mourning Like Snow Covers the Sky, A New Emperor Will Ascend, Undercurrents Sur
In the ancient capital of Tianqi, white banners fluttered in the breeze.
Xiao Chongjing's coffin was temporarily placed in the East Garden of the Imperial Palace. At the end of the Yin hour the next day, it was moved to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The following day, the streets of Tianqi City were deserted as everyone flocked to the city.
From the Zhuque Gate to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the ten-mile-long street was entirely covered in white mourning clothes.
The six regents of the Ministry of Personnel carried the coffin, followed by seven censors from the Censorate. The officials of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers were arranged according to their ranks, forming a long, dark procession.
Qi Tianchen, the Director of the Imperial Observatory and the Imperial Preceptor, walked to the left of the coffin, holding a whisk, his white beard fluttering in the wind.
"At that time, the Heavenly Venerable Who Saves from Suffering, pervading the ten directions... helped those who were lost in delusion, but the beings were unaware of it, like the blind seeing the sun and moon."
The Jade Capital and Golden Palace bestow their grace, cleansing the souls of the departed from all karmic obstacles, wishing them eternal freedom and entry into the ranks of immortals.
The Three Caverns True Scripture proclaims its wondrous teachings; those who hear it will have their sins extinguished and their spirits banished, and may they attain the body of a Great Golden Immortal…
With his eyes slightly lowered, he silently recited the "Supreme Mysterious Treasure Sutra for Saving from Suffering and Removing Sins." With each step he took, faint golden lotus flowers appeared on the ground—this is the highest realm of "lotus blossoms with every step" in Taoism, which the Imperial Preceptor used to send off the emperor.
Wang Youzhi, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, followed closely behind. This judicial official, known for his iron-fisted approach, had slightly red eyes at this moment.
Seventeen years ago, when Xiao Chongjing ascended the throne, he was still the head of the Ministry of Justice.
For seventeen years, they served as ruler and subject, with both kindness and severity, but now that the emperor has passed away, all that remains is a lifeless coffin.
Even more striking were the foreign envoys in the group. The Nanjue delegation was led by a young prince dressed in brocade robes, with a curved sword at his waist, and a wildness in his eyes that was uncommon among people from the Central Plains.
Behind him followed eight bare-chested strongmen carrying a white jade unicorn over ten feet tall. This was one of the national treasures of Nanjue, priceless, and was specially ordered by the prince to come and pay his respects to the emperor of Beili.
Three foreign monks arrived from the Buddhist kingdom of the Western Regions, each wearing a bright red kasaya and carrying a golden alms bowl.
The elderly monk at the head of the group had cloudy eyes, yet a faint Buddhist light emanated from them. They did not offer any treasures on this trip, but only clasped their hands and chanted scriptures. Their deep, resonant chanting even drowned out the mournful music that filled the city.
“Nan Jue is here to show his power,” Tang Xianda, Minister of Rites, whispered to Hong Chengfu, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies beside him. “The white jade unicorn is a national treasure, and in previous years, it was never taken beyond the borders as tribute. Now it’s being used as a burial object…”
"With the southwest in chaos and the north weak, they naturally want to put on airs," Hong Chengfu sneered. "As for those three Tibetan monks... I heard they're from the Jokhang Temple, the foremost Buddhist sect in the Western Regions. Their presence here can be considered a sincere farewell to the late emperor..."
At 3:45 AM, Xiao Chongjing's coffin arrived at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the sound of bells immediately rang out in front of the main hall.
Nine chimes tore through the dawn of Tianqi City, each chime seemingly striking Xiao Ruofeng's heart heavily.
From the first sound, the entire city fell silent, except for the white banners fluttering in the morning breeze.
Xiao Ruofeng, dressed in the most mourning clothes, in coarse linen, with a straw rope around his waist and a mourning staff in his hand, stood atop the jade steps of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Behind him, members of the imperial family and officials stood solemnly according to their rank, a dark mass like a silent mountain range.
He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the people below—the six elders of the Ministry of Personnel, the seven censors of the Censorate, the nine ministers of the six ministries, the directors of various temples… These faces, who usually argued endlessly in the court, all lowered their heads and looked down, none daring to meet his eyes.
“Open the box—” Tang Xianda, the Minister of Rites, drawled out.
Eight Imperial Guards carried the sandalwood dragon coffin slowly out of the main hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The outer coffin was covered with a bright yellow dragon-patterned cover, with white jade discs hanging from the four corners. With each step taken, the blue bricks on the ground trembled slightly.
Xiao Ruofeng descended the jade steps, tears welling in his eyes, and personally supported the head of the coffin—this was the filial piety of a son, and also his final act of support for his father.
From the Imperial Ancestral Temple to the Xuanwu Gate in the north of the city, the ten-mile-long imperial road was covered with white felt.
The imperial guards on both sides stood with halberds in hand, their armor stained black and their spears white.
People knelt by the roadside, and the crowd spread out in layers on the street.
Xiao Ruofeng walked at the front, followed by Xiao Ruojin and the other princes.
Xiao Ruofeng held the filial piety staff, and the sound of it hitting the ground could be clearly heard.
The Western Region monks walked on the left side of the group. Suddenly, the old monk at the head of the group stopped, put his palms together, and recited a passage of Sanskrit.
Amidst the chanting of Buddhist hymns, Prince Nanjue narrowed his eyes and placed his hand on his curved sword.
Behind him, his attendants carried a white jade unicorn on a trolley, which gleamed coldly in the dawn sunlight.
Qi Tianchen flicked his whisk, and a golden light circled the dragon coffin three feet away, spontaneously drifting to both sides.
At dawn, east of Tianqi City, at the imperial mausoleum.
The funeral procession passed through the entire city of Tianqi and finally arrived at the Xiao family's imperial mausoleum.
On both sides of the spirit path in front of the mausoleum, stone statues have stood solemnly for thousands of years: civil officials holding tablets, military generals with swords, stone horses with bowed heads, and qilin gazing at the sky.
Today, the eyes and brows of these stone sculptures seem to carry a hint of sorrow.
Xiao Ruofeng knelt before the altar in front of the mausoleum, bowing three times and kowtowing nine times.
Each time he knocked, his forehead struck the bluestone with a dull thud. When he raised his head, faint traces of blood were already visible on his forehead.
"By order of the late Emperor—" Zhuo Qing, dressed as a tomb keeper in coarse linen clothes, held the late Emperor's memorial tablet in his hand and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Zhuo Qing, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, has volunteered to guard the tomb, paying his respects morning and evening, and from now on, he will never leave the tomb for the rest of his life."
This was a show put on by Zhuo Qing for the world to see. He said he was volunteering to guard the tomb. Humph... Xiao Ruofeng knew it perfectly well, but he still played along.
He rose and took the gold tray presented by the eunuch. The tray contained three items: a jade thumb ring that the late emperor used to play with, a scroll of reviewed memorials, and a private seal.
"These are my father's relics, to be buried with him forever." He placed the three items in the burial pit in front of the coffin and covered them with soil.
As the last handful of soil fell, Zhuo Qing suddenly stepped forward and lowered his voice: "Your Highness, this old servant has something to say before leaving the palace."
Xiao Ruofeng glanced sideways.
“The Dragon Seal Scroll…” A complex look flashed in Zhuo Qing’s eyes. “On the day His Majesty wrote the edict, Zhuo Xin was also outside the palace. This person… cannot be completely trusted.”
After saying that, he returned to his original position and resumed his wooden expression.
Xiao Ruofeng's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm. He turned to face the assembled officials and said in a clear voice:
"The late emperor has passed away, and the whole country is in mourning. However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. According to ancestral rules, on the day the national mourning period ends, the imperial edict shall be opened and a new emperor shall be established in accordance with the imperial edict. During this period, the affairs of state shall be temporarily managed by the Ministry of Personnel and this prince."
He paused, his gaze sweeping intentionally or unintentionally over Xiao Ruojin in the crowd:
"I hope that all of you will perform your duties diligently and keep the people at ease. Once the new emperor ascends the throne, we will then plan to restore our nation to its former glory."
The funeral ended in the late afternoon.
Xiao Ruofeng stood alone in front of the tallest pillar of the imperial mausoleum, looking down at the mountain below.
The funeral procession, like a white ribbon, slowly flowed towards Tianqi City.
The setting sun stretched everyone's shadows long, like a microcosm of Xiao Chongjing's seventeen years on the throne.
He remembered the warmth of his father's hand when he held it for the last time, the unopened dragon-sealed scroll, and his promise to his elder brother.
"Your Highness." Ye Xiaoying appeared behind him unnoticed, handing him a water pouch. "Let's return to the city."
Xiao Ruofeng took it, but did not drink it.
As he gazed at the setting sun in the west, he suddenly asked, "General Ye, if one day you find that loyalty and righteousness are mutually exclusive... what should you choose?"
Ye Xiaoying remained silent for a long time before clasping his hands and saying, "This humble general is a rough man. I only know that once I put on this armor, I am protecting the Great Li land and the people behind it. As for loyalty and righteousness... this humble general believes that as long as one's conscience is clear, that is enough!"
"I have a clear conscience..." Xiao Ruofeng murmured repeatedly.
He unfastened the Haoque sword from his waist and ran his fingers over the inscription on the scabbard.
This sword was a gift from my father when I became his apprentice as a child. He said, "Feng'er, this sword has two edges, one facing outwards and the other inwards. You must remember that the most difficult thing for a swordsman is not to kill external enemies, but to control his own heart."
Now that the late emperor has passed away, Xiao Ruofeng's eyes welled up with tears again as he gazed at the Haoque Sword.
"Let's go." Xiao Ruofeng turned and headed down the mountain. "We still have a lot to do."
As night fell, the lights of every household in Tianqi City lit up one after another, and the white banners blurred into pale shadows in the darkness.
In an inconspicuous courtyard in the west of the city, Zhuoxin's four disciples—Jinxuan, Jinxian, Jinyan, and Jinyu—were gathered around a solitary lamp.
"Master instructed before he left," Jinxuan, the one with the highest cultivation among the four and the most valued by Zhuoqing.
Jin Xuan's voice was icy: "Before the new emperor ascends the throne, we will observe the situation quietly. But there are three things that must be done: First, keep a close eye on Zhuo Xin; second, investigate the authenticity of the Dragon Seal Scroll; third..."
She paused, then took out a black token from her sleeve, on which a winding river was engraved.
“If necessary, we can bypass the Shadow Sect and contact the people in the Dark River. There are some things they can do more easily than we can…”
……