Chapter 267: Only for Cultivation
The Imperial Preceptor’s wife also ascended the Altar of Heaven, looking ahead. Qin Mu had sheathed his sword, while Yanfeng Emperor was watching his back. The young woman watched them both, a look of worry on her face.
This bloody battle quickly subsided. The monks and priests of the Great Thunderclap Temple and the Daoist Sect were either dead or fled, but most lay dead here, staining the Altar of Heaven with blood.
Blood plasma flowed gurgling down the steps, from the nine hundred and ninety-ninth step all the way to the first, flowing to the feet of the envoys from various nations and the leaders of various sects and schools who were watching the ceremony below the altar.
The Altar of Heaven, this place of sacrifice to the heavens, was dyed blood-red.
“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!” Suddenly, someone knelt down and shouted loudly.
*Huala*—
On the Altar of Heaven and below it, whether officials or envoys, or the leaders of various sects, schools, and noble houses, all knelt on one knee, speaking in unison: “Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!”
Yanfeng Emperor turned around, stood before the highest step, spread his arms, and faced the prostrations of these subjects. After a moment, he raised his hands slightly in a gesture of lifting: “Rise.”
The Imperial Preceptor’s wife looked at Yanfeng Emperor. Behind him, Qin Mu and the eight Heavenly Demon Cult Supervisory Envoys also stood on the Altar of Heaven, not kneeling.
“Husband, Cult Leader Qin’s edge is too sharp; I fear it is not a good thing,” she whispered to Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor.
Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor glanced at Qin Mu and shook his head, saying, “For him, Yan Kang is merely a place of trial. Killing the Crown Prince was also just a trial. He doesn’t have so many worries. Besides, the Emperor truly needs to rely on him for many things, both inside and outside the court.”
The Imperial Preceptor’s wife was surprised: “A trial?”
Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor nodded: “A trial.”
This rebellion by the Crown Prince, colluding with the Daoist Sect and the Great Thunderclap Temple in an attempt to rebel, harm the Emperor, seize power, and usurp the throne, had caused immeasurable impact and destruction.
In the records of the court historians, it might just be a simple line: “On the eighteenth day of the second month, Crown Prince Yuxia rebelled; on the sixth day of the third month, he was executed.”
It was that simple. The details were not for outsiders to know. Many of the stories within were often only found in unofficial histories, but most were hearsay and unreliable.
However, after the rebellion came a bloody purge. Officials from the Crown Prince’s faction had their families executed and their property confiscated. Monks and priests from the Great Thunderclap Temple and the Daoist Sect were also taken to the execution ground.
Beheadings at the market continued from the seventh day of the third month until the beginning of the fourth month before they were finally finished.
During this time, a small incident occurred: the Crown Prince’s head could not be found.
The Crown Prince’s head had vanished without a trace. They searched everywhere around the Altar of Heaven but never found it, and Yanfeng Emperor did not order a thorough investigation.
Then the Emperor issued an edict, stripping Crown Prince Ling Yuxia of his name, removing him from the imperial genealogy and ancestral temple, and demoting the Crown Prince’s birth mother, the late Empress Dowager, to a consort.
Yanfeng Emperor also replaced officials, promoting some young scholars from the Imperial Academy, and selecting capable people from various armies and departments to fill the vacant positions.
A few days later, the Emperor summoned the Second Prince, Ling Yushu, back from the border to report on his duties. A few more days passed, and the Emperor, feeling slightly unwell, appointed Ling Yushu as Crown Prince, regent to oversee state affairs.
“Yushu, as you oversee state affairs, what is the first thing you will do?” Yanfeng Emperor summoned Crown Prince Ling Yushu and asked.
He did not have high hopes for this second son. Among all his children, Ling Yushu was not the most decisive, nor was he the most talented. On the contrary, he had quite admired Ling Yuxia, who possessed great decisiveness, courage, and talent—unfortunately, too much decisiveness and courage.
As for his other older sons, they had died early, outliving him.
Ling Yushu thought for a moment. He had just returned from the border battlefield, and these few months of hardship had given him a sharper, more heroic air, as well as a newfound decisiveness.
This time, Ling Yuxia had colluded with the Great Thunderclap Temple and the Daoist Sect in rebellion. Because he was not in the capital, he had escaped the disaster.
Ling Yushu said in a deep voice, “Your son shall abolish the treaties Big Brother…”
Yanfeng Emperor’s face darkened: “Now you are the eldest son. I have no such son.”
Ling Yushu paused, then said, “Your son shall abolish the treaties he signed with foreign nations, reclaim the ceded lands, and clean up the lands that those sects annexed during the chaos. Now that the Daoist Sect and the Great Thunderclap Temple have suffered heavy losses, with half their experts dead, your son will take the opportunity to reclaim most of their sect lands.”
Yanfeng Emperor’s expression eased slightly. “And then?”
“Your son will undertake disaster relief on behalf of Father. But before the relief, your son will first issue a self-criticism edict…”
Yanfeng Emperor flew into a rage and shouted, “Say that again!”
Ling Yushu bowed and said in a deep voice, “Your son will first issue a self-criticism edict, taking the blame for the natural disasters upon himself, praying to the heavens to stop sending calamities and tribulations, and to appease the hearts of the people.”
Yanfeng Emperor’s face remained gloomy. He said coldly, “Who taught you this?”
Ling Yushu was slightly startled: “Your son…”
“I’m asking you, who taught you this!”
Yanfeng Emperor stood up, pacing back and forth in uncontrollable fury. Suddenly he shouted, “You are my son! I know you inside and out! You couldn’t have come up with this! This is not spoken from the perspective of a second prince, but from the position of an emperor to see clearly and consider truly! Speak! Who taught you?”
Cold sweat broke out on Ling Yushu’s forehead. He gritted his teeth and said honestly, “After returning to the capital, your son visited the Imperial Preceptor. It happened that the Palace Attendant was there treating the Imperial Preceptor’s injuries. Your son spoke with them about how Father might inquire about state affairs and test me, so I asked them for advice…”
Yanfeng Emperor’s anger subsided. He said unhurriedly, “The matter of the self-criticism edict, who among them said it?”
Ling Yushu said, “Both the Imperial Preceptor and the Palace Attendant said it. They said this tribulation was a punishment from the gods. It would be better to go along with the gods and handle it slowly. If we try to force it, we will only fail and perish. It is better for your son to issue the self-criticism edict than for Father to do so. If Father issues a self-criticism edict, it would be denying the reforms. I am the Crown Prince, so I can play along.”
Yanfeng Emperor’s expression softened a bit more. He sat down and continued, “I know that with your intelligence and courage, you wouldn’t dare say such things. Someone must have taught you, which is why I pretended to be angry. When I ask you about state affairs, don’t just repeat what they taught you. You must also express your own views.”
Ling Yushu acknowledged.
Yanfeng Emperor sighed, “I am not worried about the Imperial Preceptor, only about the Palace Attendant. I fear that one day, when the Imperial Preceptor and I are gone, you will not be able to contend with him. I have lost all my cultivation this time, my divine altars are broken, and it will be very difficult to recover my power. That is why I am letting you oversee the state and manage the government. You must be diligent. If I cannot restore my cultivation, I will only have thirty to fifty years of life left. By then, you will be the Emperor. Broaden your horizons, broaden your tolerance, and think for yourself.”
At that moment, on the Holy Mountain of the Heavenly Demon Cult, Qin Mu, along with the cult’s hall masters and elders, came to the graves of Heavenly King Qian and Heavenly King Lu. Only a handful of ashes remained of Heavenly King Lu, while Heavenly King Qian’s bones had not been found; his grave contained only the clothes he wore in life.
Qin Mu stepped forward and placed the head of Crown Prince Ling Yuxia before the graves. Everyone offered incense and paid their respects.
“Two Heavenly Kings, may your spirits rest in peace. You can now find peace.”
Heavenly King Yu prayed, “Heaven sends calamities; these are troubled times. Our Holy Cult will inevitably face tribulations as well. Two Senior Brothers, Heavenly Kings, please protect our Holy Cult.”
After the worship, everyone dispersed.
Heavenly King Yu came to Qin Mu’s side, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Cult Leader, will you return to Yan Kang?”
Qin Mu nodded.
Heavenly King Yu was puzzled: “This time, our Holy Cult entered the imperial city, killed the false emperor, and eliminated so many strong experts from the Daoist Sect and the Great Thunderclap Temple. I’m afraid the Emperor will be on guard against us. Aren’t you worried about going back like this?”
Qin Mu looked at the tombstones of the two Heavenly Kings, his expression calm, and said, “The Daoist Sect and the Great Thunderclap Temple still exist. The Emperor’s primary task is to eliminate these two sacred lands. Before he eliminates them, he will not touch our Heavenly Saint Cult. If those two sacred lands are destroyed, then we must be careful. As for now, there is no need to worry.”
Heavenly King Yu thought it over carefully and realized this was indeed the case.
Qin Mu walked towards the Sacred Tree, gently stroking the texture of this ancient tree, looking up at its crown, and said, “The way of the sage is used by the common people daily. Heavenly King Yu, do you think the Heavenly Dao can truly be changed?”
Heavenly King Yu stepped forward and said, “My talent is dull. The Cult Leader asks too profound a question; I’m afraid I cannot answer. But I know that in the beginning, there were no roads in the human world. As more people walked, roads appeared. Later, people found the roads muddy in the rain, so they paved them with stone slabs, making them easier to travel. Later still, people found walking too slow, so they invented wheels and vehicles, and then carriages and horses traveled on the roads. I think that before, there was no path for carriages and horses. People created it, and thus another Dao appeared in the world.”
Qin Mu was stunned.
Heavenly King Yu continued, “Later, people found carriages and horses too slow, so they created ships that could fly in the sky. There was no ready-made mystic copper or mystic gold, so they refined copper and gold from ore. Distances were too great to send messages, so they created flying books for communication. I think that as people create, the Daos of heaven and earth may slowly increase.”
Qin Mu was lost in thought, looking at the Sacred Tree. It had only one trunk, but the branches and twigs it sent out were becoming more and more numerous. He couldn’t help but smile.
“In the past, it was hard to get fresh vegetables and fruits in the north during winter. But now, with flying ships, vegetables and fruits from the south can be transported north in just a few days. In the past, there were barren mountains and harsh waters, teeming with demons and monsters. Now, we can use magic to change the geography, turning barren mountains and harsh waters into beautiful landscapes. In the past, the land was barren and couldn’t produce much grain. Now, we can turn barren land into fertile soil.”
Heavenly King Yu said, “In the past, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning were natural phenomena. Now, people can already control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Cult Leader, have we changed the Heavenly Dao of the world?”
Qin Mu nodded and smiled, “We should have changed it.”
Heavenly King Yu said, “Cult Leader, I am dull by nature…”
“You are not dull at all!”
Qin Mu interrupted him, smiling, “Heavenly King Yu, you are a capable man. There’s no need to always belittle yourself. What were you about to ask?”
Heavenly King Yu said, “The Cult Leader just said that after the two sacred lands are destroyed, the Emperor might deal with our Heavenly Saint Cult. Does the Cult Leader have a countermeasure? Perhaps the Cult Leader could also become Emperor…”
Qin Mu shook his head and said, “No. As long as what the Emperor does aligns with our Heavenly Saint Cult’s goals, it doesn’t matter whether I am Emperor or not. Besides, the Imperial Preceptor is also the Fourth Heavenly King of our Holy Cult. As long as the Imperial Preceptor lives, how would the Emperor dare to touch us? Moreover, destroying the Daoist Sect and the Great Thunderclap Temple will likely be very difficult. Don’t overthink it. I came to Yan Kang only for cultivation and training.”
————I recommend this book to everyone: *The Rise of Humanity*. Author: The Mountain Man Has a Clever Plan