Chapter 3#

I Usurped the Throne?#

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the sky, sounding as if it came from beyond the nine heavens.

Inside and outside the Imperial City, people looked up in unison.

Immediately following, a beam of soft white light poured down from the center of the sky screen. The light wasn’t dazzling; instead, it was like flowing glaze. Once the light stabilized, the figure of a young woman clearly appeared on the screen.

“Look, it’s a fairy! A fairy has descended to the world!” children pointed at the sky screen and clapped excitedly. Throughout the entire Sheng Dynasty, cries of astonishment rang out simultaneously as people bowed toward the “fairy.”

Evil-doers grew timid, the virtuous became devout, and opportunists pondered what they could gain. Some even took the chance to shout, “The gods are sending heavenly punishment upon the world!” only to be immediately seized by nearby soldiers. Such are the various faces of sentient beings.

Occasionally, a clear-headed person would whisper, “The clothing of this fairy… it seems I’ve never seen it before.”

“A fairy must wear immortal clothes; how could she be like us common mortals!”

What was happening outside the capital was unknown to the Emperor and ministers currently on the white marble square. As the core of the dynasty—the elite of intelligence and strength—they had regained their reason after the initial shock and began a heated discussion.

“Your Majesty, should we immediately prepare a ceremony to sacrifice to Heaven?” the Minister of Rites was the first to suggest.

The Emperor’s gaze moved slightly, but he didn’t immediately state his position. While offering sacrifices was a custom to show reverence, making a grand display before the situation was clear might instead fuel public unease and be exploited by those with ulterior motives.

“I believe this phenomenon might be a mirage,” the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy spoke cautiously.

“The Records of the Grand Historian states: ‘The sea’s vapor takes the form of pavilions and towers; in the vast wilderness, the vapor becomes palaces.’ This scene might be based on the same principle.”

Hearing this, the Emperor lightly tapped his fingers on his jade belt. This was a way to temporarily stabilize the situation; even if it wasn’t necessarily true, it provided a natural explanation for the court to work with.

“Your Majesty, I second the Chancellor’s opinion!” the Minister of Revenue quickly chimed in. “As for the sacrifice… we should save where we can.”

The Emperor glanced at him and gave an almost inaudible snort.

“Absurd! How can you forget righteousness for the sake of small gains?” the Minister of Rites immediately retorted.

“The ancients said there is a resonance between heaven and man. Since Heaven has shown a strange omen for us to see, there must be a deep meaning. We should sacrifice to communicate with Heaven and Earth to clarify the Sage’s heart!”

Seeing the two ministers about to argue, the Emperor frowned slightly, showing a hint of impatience.

The Minister of Works was worried: “If this ‘fairy’ wants us to build temples and statues, what should we do?”

The Minister of Revenue agreed: “This is indeed something we need to prepare for. If ’lewd sacrifices’ (unauthorized cults) spring up among the people, it will be extremely difficult to manage.”

Li Zhao even heard a military general whispering to a colleague: “If heavenly soldiers and generals attack… can we take them on?” He couldn’t help but laugh inwardly; this man was truly crazy for military merit.

However, he noticed that after hearing such wild words, a flash of thought crossed his father’s eyes. It wasn’t that he found it ridiculous, but rather as if he were seriously weighing the possibility of military deployment in such an extreme situation.

Li Zhao watched this group of high-ranking officials solemnly discuss the fairy’s origins and intentions, finding the scene both absurd and amusing. He still hadn’t figured out the details of this Golden Finger. Surely it wasn’t just to play videos for entertainment for the ancient people? For now, he could only take it one step at a time.

Just as the ministers were arguing incessantly about the “fairy,” the sky screen seemed to finally connect the two worlds.

The figure within began to move, and a clear, pleasant voice—quite different from the tones of the current era—spread clearly to every corner of the world:

【Friends, hello everyone! I am ‘Wind News of World Affairs,’ welcome to “A Playful Talk on History”!】

The opening words left the Emperor and ministers on the white marble square stunned. The intonation was completely different from the present, and the characters were missing “arms and legs” (simplified characters), yet strangely, everyone could understand the meaning. What kind of divine power could achieve this!

【In the previous video, we finished talking about the connection between the harem and the court of the founding emperor of the Sheng Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Sheng, Li Xiao—a man of peasant origin who ended the chaotic times and unified the world. Next, it’s the turn of the Sheng Emperor everyone has been looking forward to the most!】

Hiss— Li Xiao! That was the current Emperor’s name. Emperor Gaozu? The second Emperor? This was actually predicting the future!

【He is the tenth son of Emperor Gaozu, the final winner of the ‘Struggle of the Nine Sons for the Throne’—Prince Rui, Li Zhao.

He is also the Sage-Literary-Martial Emperor revered by later generations, Emperor Shengzu of Sheng!

At the same time, he is a legendary monarch who led Huaxia to new peaks in the fields of culture, military, technology, and economy, laying the foundation for modern China’s invincible position in the world: a Great Emperor of the Ages whose achievements surpass those of the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han!】

Boom—!

These words were like a meteorite falling from the sky, violently smashing through the peace of the entire square. In an instant, all gazes—filled with horror, jealousy, or disbelief—focused squarely on Prince Rui, Li Zhao. He became the center of the storm!

On the dragon throne, the Emperor’s pupils contracted suddenly. His sharp, hawk-like gaze fell on the son he usually doted on the most, filled with shock, scrutiny, and an indescribable depth.

He heard his own temple name—Gaozu (High Ancestor). This was the mark of a founding monarch, indisputable for his achievements.

But what was even more astonishing now was that the successor’s name was actually his tenth son, who usually appeared to be a profligate and indifferent to the world!

“Shengzu” (Sage Ancestor)? “Sage-Literary-Martial Emperor”? “Final winner of the struggle of the nine sons for the throne”? Every word was like a drumstick hitting his heart as both an emperor and a father.

The Crown Prince’s face turned ugly instantly, and his body swayed. He followed the “Doctrine of the Mean” and sought stability; he never imagined that the greatest threat didn’t come from his aggressive brothers, but from this tenth brother famous for being a profligate.

He subconsciously looked at the Emperor, but only saw a face that was unfathomable, its joy or anger indiscernible.

The other princes were even more shocked and angry, the wariness in their eyes toward Li Zhao almost solidifying.

“I knew he was faking it, but I didn’t expect him to fake it this big,” the seventh prince, Prince Jin, muttered, seemingly not overly shocked.

The eleventh prince, Prince Fu, had his mouth wide open, looking at Li Zhao with starry eyes.

The ministers lowered their heads one after another, but their hearts were in turmoil. They didn’t know whether to be shocked that this immortal dared to call the current Emperor by his name, or that this “heavenly secret” was so blunt!

“Sage” (Sheng) means divinely intelligent and morally perfect. “Literary” (Wen) means governing the world and educating the people. “Martial” (Wu) means suppressing chaos and expanding territory. [1]

“Ancestor” (Zu) for a founder, “Progenitor” (Zong) for a successor—this was the core principle of the temple name system. Unless there was a major pioneering achievement, it was rare for a successor to be called “Ancestor.” Not to mention “Shengzu” and “Sage-Literary-Martial Emperor,” which were top-tier posthumous titles. Had their Prince Rui saved the world?

The Crown Prince had the potential of a “maintenance” ruler, but compared to a “Shengzu” who was predicted to be a world-renowned pioneer whose fame surpassed the ages, he wasn’t enough.

Which ambitious official wouldn’t want to follow a wise monarch to open up a prosperous age? The position of the heir was now hanging by a thread.

The ministers could already glimpse the future court; it would surely usher in a bloodbath!

And at this moment, under the Emperor’s calm face, a violent storm was brewing. He had never thought of deposing the Crown Prince. Even if he had some dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince, it was only to suppress his power and support other princes for the sake of tempering him, not to replace him. As an emperor ages, this is a common ailment.

But what the sky screen said… was it a fixed fact of the future? Two “Ancestors” in one dynasty, rivaling Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han—and seeing the descendants’ reverence for Li Zhao, he must have established monumental achievements.

Thoughts flooded his mind uncontrollably. “Could it be that the Crown Prince will make a grave mistake in the future and cause a disaster? Or is it Little Ten… this Little Ten of mine actually possesses great talent and strategic vision that I haven’t noticed, causing the court and the commoners to turn to him, making him indispensable?”

He even thought of the most cruel possibility. “This ‘Struggle of the Nine Sons’—did Little Ten eventually step over the bones of all his brothers, including the Crown Prince, to ascend the throne?”

A chill climbed up his spine, making his gaze toward Li Zhao, besides scrutiny, add a touch of wariness. But at the same time, it was filled with the joy of a “Great Emperor of the Ages” coming from the Sheng Dynasty and being his son.

Whatever giant waves were crashing in the hearts of the Sheng Emperor and ministers, the fairy on the sky screen was completely unaware and continued to spill the beans with interest:

【As everyone knows, Emperor Shengzu Li Zhao never established a harem in his life and had no children. He only had the ministers who struggled alongside him; he truly lived as a “solitary man” (Guajia).

Without an official pairing, he is practically the top-tier of “Ruler-Minister CPs” (Couples)! Salvation literature, taboo literature, rival-turned-lover literature, grooming literature, childhood sweetheart/white moonlight literature—there’s nothing you can’t ship! Therefore, regarding Emperor Shengzu, the streamer will lead everyone to understand his life’s achievements from the perspective of shipping CPs.】

This statement contained a massive amount of information. Not only did it confirm Li Zhao’s status as Emperor, but it also painted a future picture unimaginable to the ministers: a Great Emperor of the Ages who stayed away from women but had “unusual” relationships with his officials? The beards of many elderly ministers began to tremble.

【On a side note, does everyone feel that the pronunciation of ‘Emperor Shengzu’ (Sheng Shengzu) is a bit of a tongue-twister? In the following explanations, the streamer will directly refer to our ancestor as ‘Shengzu.’

There’s a rather interesting story here. When deciding the temple name for our Shengzu, there were actually two options: one was Emperor Chengzu, and the other is the ‘Emperor Shengzu’ we are familiar with today.

Both are top-tier temple names, but ‘Shengzu’ (Sage Ancestor) has a different meaning; it’s almost like a ‘Mythical Emperor.’

It is said that at that time, Shengzu’s ministers really wanted the ‘Sheng’ (Sage) temple name. However, considering it was homophonous with the dynastic name ‘Sheng,’ they thought it inappropriate and drafted ‘Chengzu’ instead.

Then, Shengzu’s number-one fan leader, the Commander of the Jinyiwei (Brocade-Clad Guards), Lord Pang Ying, wouldn’t have it. In Lord Pang’s eyes, Shengzu was the light, the lightning, the only myth [2]; no amount of mythologizing was too much. Lord Pang believed nothing but ‘Sheng’ was worthy of our Shengzu.

He had ‘private talks’ with all the officials involved in deciding the temple name one by one. We don’t know what exactly was discussed—you can imagine it for yourselves—but the final result was that everyone half-willingly agreed to the ‘Sheng’ temple name.】

Pfft—

Some ministers with weak hearts almost fainted. What the “Jinyiwei” was was currently unknown, but no one present was a fool. This… this wasn’t just a spoiler for the future; it was spilling the beans on future court secrets and the overbearing nature of the Emperor’s close officials!

Li Zhao stood there with a wooden face, feeling the gazes coming from all directions that were enough to pierce his heart with ten thousand arrows. Only one thought was frantically flashing in his mind: “This isn’t a Golden Finger; this is clearly a death warrant from the King of Hell!”

And Pang Ying—it wouldn’t be the Pang Ying he was thinking of, would it?