In the silent palace, the loser begging for mercy had already staggered away.
King Zhongshun's departing figure was straighter than before. The fuel of hope burned in his body, providing some energy to his desperate soul.
He had indeed seen hope for survival. This was the second chance his father had given him.
However, whether this hope was real or illusory like a flower in the mirror or the moon in the water, only the chess player knew.
The world was the chessboard, all living beings were chess pieces, and the Emperor played chess.
This emperor had already established a great undertaking that no one had ever done before or since. During his reign, the empire had obtained the final victory in the Great War of Tianyuan. Houtu had become the savior of mankind, and all the credit had to be attributed to this emperor … Leaving his name in the history books was nothing more than a trivial matter.
Houtu's martial arts had now surpassed the entire world by defeating the Sky Demon. Even the other four great nations had to temporarily avoid him. The Sky Demon, who had once had the potential to wipe out the human race, had also been defeated. King Houtu was very lonely. The chessboard was still the same, but his opponents were constantly changing. He had always been the winner. Now, whether it was the rulers of the four great nations or the tyrannical Sky Demon, no one was worthy of being his opponent.
His opponent had changed from a real person or power to something of a higher level.
Fate, the Dao of Heaven, fate, destiny … When an emperor had established a great undertaking in the human world, he would have new enemies. The battle would never end, because even the richest emperor of the empire had things he couldn't obtain and desires that couldn't be satisfied. The unfathomable but real will of heaven was the greatest enemy the emperor of the human world had to face.
Empress watched as King Zhongshun left. Then, she turned around and returned to the palace to report.
The Imperial Palace was brightly lit. Late into the night, the emperor of the empire was still reviewing memorials. A successful emperor must have a huge desire for power and control. Even if there were many capable ministers in the court, he would still want to firmly grasp the most important power in his own hands.
Empress quietly entered the palace. She saw the figure sitting on the throne reviewing memorials. That pen was scribbling, deciding important matters that could affect millions of people.
How could a single person easily decide the fate of countless people?
The education she had received since she was a child told her that because the emperor was the son of the heavens, the so-called power of the monarch was bestowed by the heavens with the power to rule over the people. It was the heavens who entrusted the emperor with the power to lead the people.
However, someone had given him a different answer. That person had once told him that it was the people who formed the country, and there was a small group of people who used various methods such as deception, coercion, suppression, deceit, and brainwashing to force or persuade the people to hand over the right to govern themselves. Layers upon layers of concentration formed a huge benefit, and it became the cake that the small group of people revelled in. The person who swallowed the biggest share was called the emperor.
Obviously, the latter was correct.
But, even if it was correct, so what?
Everything in the world did not exist because it was right, but because it existed, it was right.
Now, the emperor was sitting in the golden palace, leading the people. All the people in the world were cheering for him. The imperial power was forever stable, and the country was not easy. No one would say that the emperor was the biggest thief who stole from the world. No one would say that everyone had equal and inalienable rights. No one would say that the emperor should not exist at all.
Even those people who were deprived, suppressed, deceived, and deceived did not have an easy life. They were exploited by landlords, humiliated by officials, and robbed by bandits. But even so, if someone said that the emperor stole their things in front of them, they would definitely stare and say that it was nonsense.
It was because of this reason, Sun Lang, that you lost.
How many years has it been? You still haven't learned to think like the people of the empire. You still haven't thrown away your things … You are still so naive and childish.
Empress glanced at the figure sitting on the throne, and then lowered her eyes to cover her ambitious vision. In the future, that would be her position.
At this moment, a calm voice came from above, "That unfilial son has left?"
Empress bowed and said, "Father, Fourteenth Brother has left."
"Fourteenth Brother … You will only call him Fourteenth Brother in front of me."
The emperor snorted faintly, "He messed up the task I gave him and killed Yuanba. Even if he died ten thousand times, it would not be enough to vent the hatred in my heart. But I can't let him die. It's just like how I wanted to cut Sun Lang into pieces, but I still want to give him the title of General of the Shentse … The emperor has no choice but to do so."
Empress said, "We are useless. We can't share your worries."
"You also messed up the matter of Bai Castle. But you are very smart and you chose the right person. Doctor Li is calm and smart. He knows when to retreat and when to advance. He was able to make a quick decision when it happened and didn't make things worse. At least you saved the situation and didn't make me lose more face …"
The emperor raised his head and looked at his daughter. His eyes were slightly cold, "So now you can stand here and listen to me, but your Fourteenth Brother can only kneel outside. Not only does he have to kneel, this damn unfilial son has to make up for his mistakes. He has to use his life to make Sun Lang reveal his flaws."
Empress lowered her head and said, "I am guilty."
"Of course you are guilty, just like your Fourteenth Brother. But the severity of the crime is different. Your Fourteenth Brother has to risk his life. Whether he lives or dies depends on his luck. But you …"
The emperor put down the brush and moved his wrist. He said faintly, "I have no choice but to give him the title of General of the Shentse. This is the bet. I lost this round, so I have to follow the rules. I have to use this Shinto Province to shut the mouths of those bastards in the imperial court. I will also let that little bastard be happy for a few days …"
Although it was said that he was willing to accept his loss, but when he said this, a bone-piercing cold wind blew in the hall. The emperor was the most honorable person in the world. How could he accept his loss calmly?
So he said coldly, "Shinto Province, the head of the Martial House, General of the Shentse, and above the Three Ministers. All the treatment and honor are the same as that of Tensei Province. This is intentional … There is only so much power in the imperial court. It can't come out of nowhere. If Sun Lang is not willing to be a joke, then he will have to fight for it himself. I want to see if your Tensei Province can protect your own things."
Empress said resolutely, "If the emperor is humiliated and the subject dies, I will do my best!"
The emperor nodded slowly.
The father and daughter were silent for a while. After a while, a sweet date was fed to them, "I know, it's very difficult. It's very difficult for you, and it's also very difficult for me. Sun Lang is not easy to deal with. I underestimated him. I didn't make more preparations in the Great Barren Mountain …"
Empress didn't say anything. The emperor admitted his mistake, but the subject couldn't say anything.
The emperor paused for a moment. There was a trace of confusion in his always confident voice, "Sometimes I think, is this my miscalculation, or is it God's will?"
Empress raised her head in surprise.
The emperor shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, "Sun Lang didn't die in the Great Barren Mountain, which made the situation extremely passive. This year, he came out of Mingzhou and caused trouble in Suizhou, Mingzhou, and Qinzhou. He ruined my plans time and time again. The matter of Jinling was originally in the bag, but it was ruined by that unfilial son. So far, all the advantages that Sun Lang had accumulated were completely exposed through the incident at the Rongguo Mansion and the death of Old Woman Shi. He forced me into a corner … I must throw out the bargaining chip of General Shentse and make him return to the imperial court …"
"A big defeat … I didn't even know what happened at the beginning."
"Since the end of the Great War of Tianyuan, I haven't tasted this kind of defeat for a long time."
"The demon sword that you worked so hard to forge is now in his hands. Bai Yuwei raised the sword for three years, but in the end, it also benefited him. Old Woman Shi's grandson was clearly dead, but before he died, he changed his mind and unlocked Sun Lang's shackles. Now he is about to enter the capital and become General Shentse. In the imperial court, I don't know how many expressionless bastards are secretly cheering."
"They are happy, not because their friendship with Sun Lang is strong, but because they saw me make a fool of myself. In the past few years, I have been preparing to take back the power that they have controlled for too long. They are anxious, and Sun Lang is back. They are birds of a feather, and they hit it off immediately."
"They are too happy, because there is finally someone who dares to openly oppose me. I have long seen through those so-called trusted officials, those so-called upright officials, which one of them is of the same mind as me?"
"I'm a loner, a loner … No one understands me, everyone is wary of me, everyone is holding onto their own land and refusing to let go. That power was never theirs in the first place. The war is over, yet they still refuse to let go. Don't they want to leave a way out for their descendants?"
"People are like this. They only regret when they are at death's door. Before that, they refuse to realize their mistakes."
Empress lowered his head again, and made up his mind not to say a word.
As a lonely person, as the Emperor, His Majesty was a little abnormal today.
"But I still don't understand. I don't understand why things have turned out like this."
The Emperor sighed softly. "I defeated the Sky Demon, and Houtu's national power reached the peak. There is nothing more powerful than this. People like Li Huo and Qing Mu are just clowns. The glory of the Empire is unparalleled in the world, and my name is destined to be remembered forever. But when I was at the peak of my glory, I was hit in the head."
"Sun Lang … Sun Lang is just a small ant from the outer region. When he first came to the Empire, he was weak, timid, and humble. He couldn't walk when he saw blood, couldn't pick up a sword, and would cry easily … But such an ant that could be pinched to death at any time has now become a serious problem for Houtu. Even the assassination in the Great Desolate Mountain failed to kill him …"
"That is to say, we summoned Sun Lang to this world, and we made Sun Lang a serious problem for us. If it weren't for our decision at that time, Sun Lang wouldn't be where he is today. He survived in the most unlikely place, and he jumped out when I was about to establish the rule of the world and make trouble for me everywhere …"
The Emperor's voice sounded a little confused. "Is this … Is this the will of God?"
Weakness. There was weakness in the Emperor's words.
Hearing that, although Empress lowered his head, his heart couldn't help but beat wildly.
In his heart, he was inexplicably excited.