Chapter 2409: A Warning to All Aquatic Creatures

Yong Guo, a country with such strength, and Qi Mao Xian, with his capabilities, were not qualified to keep others waiting. They could not remain silent on the stage for too long.

So he made a quick decision and immediately responded: "Yong Guo's new policy is a miraculous achievement jointly created by the people of Yong Guo, but of course, it still has many areas that are not yet mature and needs time for examination. Today, I, Qi, am taking the stage to lecture precisely in the hope of receiving suggestions from all wise and virtuous people."

He stood on the stage, humble and polite: "Great General Wei, you are a figure who became famous at the beginning of the new calendar, an existence standing at the peak of the extraordinary realm. With your great age and deep seniority, having been buried in the coffin for a thousand years, you still understand the changes of the years; shuttling through the sun and moon, you can still point to and describe the rivers and mountains. Regarding the evolution of the water races, presumably, you have deep insights, and regarding the current situation of the Changhe Dragon Palace, you should also have views. I wonder, do you think the Lanhe Water Mansion should or should not be included in Yong Guo's new policy?"

Whether the Lanhe water race should be included or not, this question was not easy to answer.

What it truly asked was — in the current era, how should the human race treat the water race?

And Yong Guo was absolutely not qualified to answer such a question!

Today, all sides gathered at Guanhe Tai, and the problems to be discussed were nothing more than this.

Yong Guo, a country that couldn't get on the table, only had the opportunity to ascend the stage and say a few words because of the balance of powerful forces...

How dare they preempt all sides and take a stance?

Wei Qing Peng's question was extremely dangerous!

If Qi Mao Xian answered even slightly carelessly, he would be filling in the grave pit for Yong Guo.

And he jumped over this pit while being polite in every sentence, yet not polite in every sentence. This truly was a firm stance —

Yong Guo and Li Guo were different; they had no qualification to play both sides. He firmly stood on a team. As long as Jing Guo was willing to support them, Yong Guo was willing to walk on the front line and confront Li Guo most fiercely.

"This rough military commander of mine, where does he have any thoughts?" Wei Qing Peng did not pressure Yong Guo at this time. He touched his bald head, grinned a simple smile, treated Qi Mao Xian like a child, and let it go: "We still need to see what everyone else says. There are so many smart people here; let's listen to everyone!"

Ying Jiang Hong looked down from the stage: "General Wei is a person who follows good like water."

"Where, where." Wei Qing Peng cupped his hands to everyone below the stage: "We have slept too long and cannot keep up with the times. We just want to learn more from everyone. Constantly learning and reflecting, to avoid being looked down upon by future generations!"

Ying Jiang Hong said with deep meaning: "General Wei cherishes the past but does not despise the present, loses his way but knows how to return. Presumably, he will not take the wrong path in the future."

Wei Qing Peng said quite seriously: "Although my family is old and decrepit, Li Guo is still very young. Young people are inevitably frivolous and make mistakes, but the Jianghu path is long. If everyone is willing to give young people more opportunities, this young person will certainly walk very steadily."

"If you want to exchange pleasantries, there's plenty of time privately. Today, let's talk about proper matters!" Gong Xi Yan knocked on the armrest below the stage.

Although he didn't take Wei Qing Peng's playing both sides very seriously and knew early on that Li Guo would not willingly be driven by anyone, there were only interests between countries, and Li Guo would only act for Li Guo.

But these two guys exchanging glances openly in public was really too much.

Was this signaling?

They didn't even bother to hide it!

Ying Jiang Hong looked at him with deep eyes: "It seems the Palace Governor is very anxious and quite worried for Changhe!"

"Saying anxious is fine." Gong Xi Yan replied with a smile: "After all, in our Jing Guo, we must be responsible for everything we do. Whoever is at fault will admit it. If this governor were the South Heavenly Master, standing on this Guanhe Tai, looking at the river waves, they would all be past mistakes, ashamed to face the mirror. It's hard to have the leisure of the South Heavenly Master!"

"I wonder what past mistakes the Palace Governor is referring to?" Ying Jiang Hong slightly raised his eyebrow.

"Please, sir, look at the Changhe," Gong Xi Yan said.

"I've looked. What then?" Ying Jiang Hong asked.

Gong Xi Yan only smiled: "Whether it's clear or turbid is not for others to say. Hold up a mirror and examine yourself, adjust your clothes!"

Ying Jiang Hong truly looked at the Changhe waves again for a while, then sighed deeply: "Jing Guo overly believed in the oath left by the Lie Shan Human Emperor and did not expect the betrayal of the Changhe Dragon Lord. As a result, the great cause of Cang Hai fell short. But the loss of Cang Hai, the loss is only for Jing alone. The nearly subverted Middle Ancient Heavenly Road in Cang Hai, which led Ao Shu Yi to rise and destroy it, is a festering sore in front of Shen Xiao, beneficial to all under heaven — How can I look at this mirror today and only see the mistakes of the Jing Guo people neglecting their country and home? There is not a single wrinkle, not unfavorable to the human race!"

"The Jing Guo people abandon their country and benefit all under heaven, yet they are required to adjust their clothes themselves?"

"Palace Xi Yan." He turned to face this Hong Wu Vice Governor: "I heard your youngest son, Palace Wei Zhang, has already grown up and is the anticipated new generation world-shaking heavenly pride for many people! For your family, for your country, and for the overall situation of the human race, how will you teach him?"

Palace Xi Yan's face still wore a smile, but his involuntarily twitching pupils still betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

Because the existence of Palace Wei Zhang was a secret of the Palace family.

The talent of Palace Wei Zhang was a secret of Jing Guo!

This child was not born of his principal wife. Because of his innate Dao pulse, he was valued by him. As he grew up, he showed talent very early on.

But he was not in a hurry to bring this child back to the Palace family; instead, he always raised him outside. One reason was that his wife was the Emperor's eldest princess, the contemporary Jing Guo Emperor's own sister. Her identity was noble, and her cultivation was absolutely high. She could not tolerate any sand in her eyes. The second reason was also for the child's growth, to not suffer thorns and hardships, and to rarely receive heavenly materials for support.

He wished to imitate Li Yi's old method, to place Palace Wei Zhang's fame battle at the most critical time. Either achieve fame in an occasion where heavenly prides gathered or stand out like iron cavalry during a time when the younger generation was neglected, settling everything with one blow.

He concealed the matter of his illegitimate child from his wife but not from the Emperor.

Of course, he phrased it very skillfully — "After drinking, this minister was indiscreet and accidentally had a son. Originally, I wanted to strangle him to death to show my sincerity to the princess. But the people of Jing are all the Emperor's subjects. How could this humble minister have the right to execute? Moreover, he has an innate Dao pulse and is a talent of Jing Guo. Perhaps one day he can be the Holy Emperor's sword. This minister dares not arbitrarily kill him and only asks Your Majesty to decide."

Now in the world, those with innate Dao pulse were increasingly rare. The Emperor loved talent and only told him to cultivate him well, even helping him cover it up.

This matter should not have been known by more people! At most, it should have been recorded in the Emperor's daily notes.

Palace Wei Zhang's cultivation was always the responsibility of Palace Xi Yan himself. He personally guarded Palace Wei Zhang during his necessary tempering. If he truly couldn't free up time, he would only let his most trusted generals accompany him.

Ying Jiang Hong mentioning Palace Wei Zhang's name showed the penetration of Jing Guo's intelligence and forced Palace Xi Yan to take it seriously.

As for how to face the anger of his wife when the existence of the illegitimate child was exposed... that could only be dealt with when he returned.

At worst, he would be beaten with several dozen military sticks! It wasn't like he had never been beaten before!

"It's been troublesome for the South Heavenly Master to care for my son," Palace Xi Yan said calmly: "The fate of all of us is tied to the overall fate of the human race, whether generals, ministers, kings, or proud talents and commoners, we are all branches and veins of this towering tree that is the human race. If the tree does not exist, where can the branches and leaves attach? Of course, I will teach him to prioritize the overall situation of the human race."

"Palace Commander is truly a national talent, a pillar of the human race, excellent awareness!" Ying Jiang Hong praised him and then said: "We gather here today precisely to discuss the overall situation of the human race. Please do not say any words that are unfavorable to the unity of the human race. Shen Xiao is coming. Jing does not wish to draw swords against its neighbors. Gentlemen, towards whom do you wish to draw your swords?"

"The overall situation of the human race is not entirely here, not entirely in the mouth of the South Heavenly Master, not entirely in the hands of Jing Guo!" Xu Wang said from below the stage: "We Qin people have an old saying, 'Do not look at words, but look at actions.' South Heavenly Master, you also have the opportunity to walk the Yu Yuan Great Wall and see the overall situation of the human race there — The blade edge of the Qin people is always towards foreign races, but regarding the blade that strikes from behind, we have never been soft. Towards whom the blade edge is pointed sometimes also depends on who wants to try the blade."

Under the instruction of Qin Tai Zu, Qin Guo shared the Yu Yuan Great Wall with Li Guo, and the two sides had an extremely close alliance. Now, seeing Li Guo swaying between Jing Guo and Jing Guo, playing both sides, they were naturally somewhat dissatisfied.

Li Guo should be the nail to leverage the winds and clouds in the northwest to achieve Qin Guo's political goals, not to stir up trouble in the northwest.

These words were both a warning to Li Guo and a warning to Jing Guo.

"The heroes of Qin are deeply known to me! The undertakings of the Qin people are first-class in the contemporary era!" Wei Qing Peng quickly came out to smooth things over with his allies: "With the Yu Yuan Great Wall as the curved blade, the direction of the blade edge is self-evident. My family always teaches our subordinates to follow military orders and learn from the sharp warriors of Qin."

Ying Jiang Hong laughed heartily: "Indeed, as Zhen Hou said, let's also look at my actions!"

He stood on the stage with his hands behind his back: "Former sages piled up yellow soil into a high platform, observing the water situation of Changhe here to seek strategies for governance, with the intention of ten thousand years; formerly, the Lie Shan Human Emperor refined the Nine Towns and commanded the Dragon Lord at Changhe, thus having ten thousand years of calm waves; our generation meets here today, we should emulate the former sages, set rules for ten thousand worlds, make the surging ancestral river a source of blessings, and make the people on both banks live in peace for generations. Only then will this trip not be in vain, and we will not be ashamed as humans!"

To say "ashamed as humans," the words were quite serious.

The crowd below the stage all looked solemn.

Ying Jiang Hong said: "To speak of water control, first speak of the water race. To discuss the water race, first discuss the water lord. Today, we sit here, and there are several consensuses that need to be reached. The first one is about the Changhe Dragon Lord."

Looking at the self-cultivating Zhong Xuan Zun with closed eyes on the stage, his eyes like ink had already opened at this time. He simply leaned back slightly,

His eyebrows and eyes were clear and bright, exuding a kind of leisure and romance that others could not match.

In his hand, he held the constantly flashing Tai Xu Hook Jade, not knowing whose message he was replying to, but his eyes casually looked towards the high stage.

This grand meeting on water control only had content that interested him at this moment.

Regardless of whether Ao Shu Yi still existed, that was a transcendent scenery.

He was born to cut delusion, and he could not see the other shore with a single glance. Only then could it be viewed by him as a challenge.

Beside him, Dou Zhao also temporarily stopped cultivating. He sat directly cross-legged on the chair, supporting his left knee with his left hand, his right elbow resting on his knee, and his palm holding his face. With this unrestrained posture, he examined the old... old predecessors in the front row.

Huang She Li crossed his legs, folded his arms across his chest, and slightly lifted his chin. He tilted his head and looked at Zhong Xuan Zun, then at Jiang Wang, and then back at the stage.

Qin Zhi Zhen was still in closed-eyed bitter cultivation. He didn't care about this grand meeting. If the eight people didn't cultivate, he would lead the eight portions of time.

Cang Ming's eyes were never open, yet it was hard to distinguish whether or not he was paying attention to the field.

Li Yi's eyes were indeed open, but very empty, his spirit wandering somewhere.

Heaven and Earth Slash Decline had already ended. The residual waves of Ao Shu Yi's death had not yet dispersed.

Perhaps today was the last ripple.

Ying Jiang Hong's voice was grand: "We should not deny the water control merits of the Changhe Dragon Lord. From the Middle Ancient period to the contemporary era, the clear waves of Changhe all rely on its merits. But it must also be clarified — if It had not rebelled at the last moment and destroyed the Middle Ancient Heavenly Road, Cang Hai would have been pacified today, and the mi jie would all be in one jar!"

Regardless of how the rights and responsibilities were divided today, and how the arguments were made.

That the Changhe Dragon Lord did not die properly, this itself was not controversial.

That Ao Shu Yi died under the Nine Dragons Hold Sun Eternal Town Mountain and River Seal, this matter itself confirmed the law. The decision of the Emperors of the six hegemonic countries was naturally impossible to be "unjust".

Then who was "unjust"?

The figure of the Yellow River Great Supervisor hanging there was a silent explanation.

Fu Yun Qin himself was also silent.

Jing Guo's South Heavenly Master said on the stage before all under heaven: "At the key moment when the human race was pacifying Cang Hai, Ao Shu Yi in fact sided with the sea race, making the human-sea border uneasy. This caused our past preparations to fall short and gave the sea race breathing time. It also required us to make more investments to cope with the threat of Cang Hai — for this point, presumably, the people of Qi have a deep experience."

What else could Ruan Qu say?

He couldn't say that the collapse of the Middle Ancient Heavenly Road harmed Jing and benefited Qi. Everyone had to discuss problems from the perspective of the overall situation of the human race. So he only lightly nodded, indicating agreement.

Ying Jiang Hong continued: "The Changhe Dragon Lord had outstanding achievements throughout its life, but it did not preserve its integrity in its later years, which is truly a pity. It abandoned the human race and also gave up the water race!"

This was the final definition for the Changhe Dragon Lord.

As a water lord, it lost its virtue; as an ally of the human race, it lost its righteousness.

Finally, it died as an abandoner.

The brush of history was like iron, engraving this word.

Naturally, no one had any opinions.

Regardless of what hardships, what reasons, how despairing, helpless, or forced Ao Shu Yi was — It raised the rebel flag, stirred up a violent current, and impacted the Nine Towns, publicly intervening in the war between the human race and the sea race, clearly supporting the sea race. This established fact was the reason it had to die.

And It was already dead, under the Nine Dragons Hold Sun Eternal Town Mountain and River Seal, not leaving any dust or smoke, and there was even less need to explain for It.

No matter where you once stood, what achievements or identity you had. Dead was dead, and nothing was left after death.

Qi Mao Xian quietly stood below the stage, waiting for the answer to the problem — Yong Guo's new policy, whether the Lanhe water race should be included? The policy for all under heaven, whether the water race should be included?

Regardless of Qin Chu, not divided Qi Mu, or Jing Li Wei Song, the great figures from all sides sat around the stage before all under heaven, quietly watching everything happening on the stage.

And Ying Jiang Hong pressed the long sword at his waist: "The crimes of the Changhe Dragon Lord cannot be redeemed even after death. Since the Dragon Lord rebelled, there is no innocent one up and down the Dragon Palace. The Changhe Dragon Palace is also no longer worthy of our trust. Today, execute the Dragon Lord's minister, the Yellow River Great Supervisor Fu Yun Qin, as a warning to the water race under heaven, to deter rebellious hearts! Do any gentlemen have objections?"

This was just a formality.

The fate of the Changhe Dragon Palace was already decided, and the Yellow River Supervisor had no reason to live.

But a sword drawn should have a name, and a public execution still required the head to be displayed on both banks of the Changhe. On this stage before all under heaven, the formality that needed to be performed still needed to be performed.

Xu Wang only said: "Qin Guo has no objections."

Tu Hu Ji, wearing his crown and long robe, looked very solemn and majestic at this time: "Mu Guo has no objections."

Ruan Qu had decided to come as a spectator today and only said: "Qi Guo has no objections."

Qu Jin Kui came back to his senses: "Chu Guo has no objections."

Gong Xi Yan lifted his eyelids: "Jing Guo has no objections."

Wei Qing Peng said loudly: "Li Guo naturally supports it!"

Representing Wei Guo at the meeting was the Dragon Tiger Altar Master Dong Fang Shi. On this occasion, he fundamentally had no qualification to object and only said: "Wei Guo has no objections."

Song Guo's Tu Wei Jian quickly opened his mouth: "Song Guo has no objections!"

If he hadn't spoken, perhaps he wouldn't have been allowed to speak. Now that he had spoken, the history books would record that Song Guo at least had a name on the list of this meeting.

Qi Mao Xian had no qualification to speak. He only nodded, indicating that Yong Guo also agreed.

Wu Bing no longer spoke. The execution of Ao Shu Yi was in accordance with the law. On this basis, Ying Jiang Hong's evaluation of Ao Shu Yi could also be considered fair. He did not add too many subjective definitions, more just describing the substantial impact of Ao Shu Yi's rebellion on the sea border situation.

Yao Fu, the Dean of the Long Men Book Institute, remained silent. The Long Men Book Institute had guarded the river for generations, and he only cared about river affairs. The order of Changhe involved the power struggle under heaven, and the Book Institute should not be involved in the vortex.

Ying Jiang Hong looked around the crowd and then drew his sword.

"And — wait a moment!"

At this moment, a voice spoke.

Ying Jiang Hong raised his gaze, and the crowd in the front row all turned their heads to look —

They saw the "Ten Thousand Realms Flood Ferryman" slowly stand up from his seat in the last row.

He said: "I have objections."