Chapter 2770: Crowning Ceremony Like a Monument

In the Xuan Lu Hall, a gust of wind lifted a corner of a book page, but didn't actually turn it.

On the page were several plain lines of text, catching Chun Yu Gui's peripheral vision:

"...Its head then hung. People at the time said, looking at it, it wasn't like a dark monarch."

Chun Yu Gui knew the full context just by seeing these words; he understood this was from the *Biographies*.

It was the set of books the current emperor most often read.

At least, that's how it seemed from Chun Yu Gui's perspective. He hadn't been to the Xuan Lu Hall many times. The first time was during his initial proof of the divine arrival, alongside Zhao Xuan Yang. His recent visits were all after the Cave True realm.

But each time he came here, he saw signs that this set of history books had been read.

Perhaps this kind of lord with a universe in their heart was impatient with historical commentaries full of miscellaneous details. They only looked at history's original form, their profound emotions hidden deep within their saintly hearts.

Just as Penglai Island, standing alone overseas, occasionally exerted its influence, controlling the East Sea. Jinyu Mountain, sitting in the west, itself bore the heavy responsibility of suppressing the Qin Kingdom.

The execution of a Daoist sect leader was certainly a good thing.

The head of Jinyu Mountain was the leader of the Yi Zhen Dao. For the emperor's faction, this was also an excellent opportunity to gain control of a Daoist lineage.

But Zong De Zhen's clean and decisive death would undoubtedly greatly weaken Jinyu Mountain's influence. For the Great Qin Empire, whose national power was just rising, this was undoubtedly another great gift—there was no power in the western borders to restrain it!

Sometimes Chun Yu Gui genuinely felt tired for the emperor.

The matter of the Yi Zhen Dao was still unresolved, and the emperor was already worrying about the western Qin.

In this world with six directions, where was there a moment of peace?

Such a vast empire, appearing so ordinary with smooth winds and gentle rain, truly required exhausting mind and energy to maintain!

"Sir Sima hasn't shown his face for a long time," the emperor closed the volume in his hand, opened the next one, and said casually.

Chun Yu Gui knew his peripheral glance had been noticed. He quickly hid his thoughts and said attentively, "Sir Sima seeks truth in writing history and often travels deep into ancient places. It's common not to see him for decades. It's also getting close to the time for presenting the books. Only for this, he won't let others substitute. He should appear within these years."

Earlier, during the spring hunt, the emperor had suddenly asked him if he wanted to join the Demon Extermination Army.

With his status and cultivation, being a main general was too much of a waste of talent, and he wasn't qualified to be the commander-in-chief.

Jing Kingdom was different from Qi Kingdom. Things like Chen Ze Qing dying in spring or Tian An Ping cutting rain were very hard to happen in Jing Kingdom. Even more so were figures like the deeply profound Chu Liang and Qi Wen Shi.

Because Jing Kingdom was too ancient and too vast, there were too many people vying for those few positions.

When Yin Xiao Heng died, who knew how many people were waiting in line behind him.

Of course, the most important thing was that powerful armies like the Demon Extermination Army, the Disaster Extermination Army, and the Evil Eradication Army had always been the self-preserved territory of the Daoist gates. They absolutely would not allow someone like him from the emperor's faction to touch them!

The exposure of Zong De Zhen's identity as the Yi Zhen Dao leader had once given him an opportunity.

If he couldn't join the Demon Extermination Army, or the Disaster Extermination Army, could the Evil Eradication Army be a substitute?

Especially at the moment the assassination of the king occurred, he was still following Ji Yu Min's order to guard Ku Huai Mountain...

To leap into the position of an Eight Armored Commander in the world's foremost central empire—this was a huge leap for his political life. The resources and power this brought, and even the positive influence on his entire family, were all clearly visible.

However, after the emperor personally went up Jinyu Mountain, this possibility vanished.

The trouble Jinyu Mountain provoked, the emperor resolved.

The pressure Jinyu Mountain couldn't bear, the emperor endured.

Then, who should Jinyu Mountain obey?

If the emperor wanted to secure the position of head of Jinyu Mountain for Lou Shu Shi, then Jinyu Mountain would absolutely not release such an important position as an Eight Armored Commander.

He couldn't help but feel regret, but it was just regret.

"Tomorrow is the Grand Court Assembly. The Censorate will submit another memorial." The emperor picked up the memorial in his hand, raised it slightly, his face showing neither joy nor anger, and simply said, "What does Dao Jun Lou say about it?"

The current emperor's display of undisputed power and the first Grand Court Assembly after the execution of the Yi Zhen Dao leader were bound to have a profound impact on the entire empire.

The pulling out of the Yi Zhen Dao and the huge power vacuum created by the execution of the Jinyu Mountain head would be filled during this Grand Court Assembly. This was a huge power adjustment involving the entire central empire!

And the true decisions had already been made before entering the central main hall.

Like Lu Qiu Wen Yue's plea for death in the hall last time, the emperor revealed his hand on the court hall, directly facing the pressure from the three Daoist lineages, and instead forced the Daoist gates to retreat... That kind of intense competition on the dining table was relatively rare.

The great officials of the capital played a civilized game.

The memorial submitted by the Grand Censor, Shang Shu Yi, involved Lou Yue again. It was about Lou Yue's second daughter, Lou Jiang Yue, joining the Wu Men of Hell, attacking the head of the Mirror World Platform, Fu Dong Xu, and interfering with the head of the Arresting Criminal Department, Ou Yang Jie, in pursuing King Guang Qin.

The Censorate definitely had to make a severe disposition on this.

At that time, before the assassination, the emperor had simply said that Lou Yue would give an account. This had spared Lou Jiang Yue's life and had not immediately linked it to Lou Yue himself.

But until now, with the Grand Court Assembly tomorrow, Lou Yue still hadn't provided a satisfactory account!

Especially since Chun Yu Gui had heard that Lou Yue had asked the head, Ou Yang Jie, to pressure the Censorate and forcibly take Lou Jiang Yue back to the Arresting Criminal Department...

The emperor called him "Dao Jun," clearly still favoring Lou Shu Shi.

Chun Yu Gui pondered in his heart and replied, "With the sudden removal of the Yi Zhen Dao, the empire has lost quite a bit of blood and suffered extremely heavy injuries. There is bound to be panic. The chaos throughout the country is hard to control. Dao Jun Lou bears heavy responsibilities, and many things probably haven't been dealt with yet... I think he needs time."

The emperor waved his hand, "Summon him."

A eunuch guard outside the hall went to transmit the order.

Just as Chun Yu Gui was considering whether to take his leave, he heard the emperor say, "You wait here."

He then stood firm.

He understood in his heart that his standing here was also a reminder and urging to Lou Yue—reminding Lou Yue how many resources the emperor's faction had tilted towards him, and what decision he should make!

Lou Yue arrived very quickly.

Almost as soon as Chun Yu Gui had adjusted his standing posture, he strode into the center of the hall.

The tiger-roaring river and mountain-patterned robe lifted high, and then lonely fell down.

"Your subject, bows before the Emperor!"

This imposing figure bowed directly, prostrating on the ground.

When the world derived the Dao, reaching the peak of extraordinary power, a cultivator's monarch! A practitioner of this realm could see the monarch without bowing, and there was even less need for this great ritual.

The determination and plea shown by this bow were almost self-evident.

But what kind of person was the current emperor? How could he tolerate this repeatedly?

Chun Yu Gui felt uneasy for a moment and dared not look up.

The emperor was still slowly flipping through the book, seemingly not at all affected. He only said, "Rise."

Lou Yue remained prostrate on the ground.

"I told you to rise," the emperor said.

Lou Yue instead knocked his head on the ground, producing a "bang" sound. His voice was almost pressed to the ground: "Your subject will give Your Majesty an account."

The emperor finally stopped reading for the first time, shifted his gaze, and looked at Lou Yue: "Lift your head."

Lou Yue thus prostrated on the ground, raising his head to look at the emperor.

The Jing Kingdom emperor in the Xuan Lu Hall wore no crown robe, just ordinary clothes, and no Ping Tian Crown, just a jade hair tie. Without the covering of the crown beads, his gaze lacked a few points of mystery, but suddenly increased a few points of naked majesty!

The Jing Emperor gazed at him: "What did you say?"

Lou Yue prostrated on the ground with his face raised, presenting a posture awaiting slaughter: "Your subject deeply knows he has failed the imperial grace. Even if his body shatters and bones break, he will give Your Majesty an account!"

The Jing Emperor directly threw the book roll in his hand!

Just like that, he smashed it onto Lou Yue's head, smashing his skull!

The first true person of the central domain to achieve the Derived Dao, who had hope of ascending Jinyu Mountain and becoming the contemporary True Monarch who was the head of Jinyu Mountain, was actually smashed in the forehead by a book roll!

That roll, just like that, was embedded in Lou Yue's forehead.

It didn't just hit, it embedded.

Chun Yu Gui was almost shocked enough to jump out of the hall! He forcefully suppressed it in his containment of spirit, then suppressed the shock in his heart.

That thick roll of book was vertically inserted in Lou Yue's forehead, like a crown of blood.

"You don't need to give me an account, because I have full trust in you." The Jing Emperor's voice contained some anger, a hatred for iron not being steel: "But you need to give the people of the world an account, because you want to sit in that position!"

Lou Yue lay prostrate on the ground like a corpse, the crown-like book standing like a stele, letting the fresh blood immediately cover his face. He pleaded, "That year, I traveled with Qi Hate. At first, I didn't know his identity and formed a heartfelt connection with him. Later, I guessed his identity and hated his plot. I wanted to use a scheme to counter his scheme, to lure and kill the demon monarch. But from beginning to end, whether I knew him or not, I was under his control. My thoughts were like the lines on his palm. My will was like grass under his boot. In this contest between him and me, I lost completely, lost everything, and almost fell into the demon realm—"

"Today's sorrow, all originates from my incompetence."

"Today's hatred, all bears the name of Lou Yue."

"Lou Jiang Yue lived for Yuan Tu. It was not her thought, not her wish, not her doing. She did nothing at all, only because she was Lou Yue's daughter, did she suffer such a fate—"

"Your Majesty, if I kill her, will that just wipe away my mistake?"

Lou Yue knocked his head on the ground: "Or forever...nail down my sin!"

This was the first time Chun Yu Gui had seen such a Lou Yue.

This Tai Yuan True Person, the foremost in the central domain, a figure who comprehended the world-covering power, had always controlled the universe, tall and majestic.

When had he ever prostrated on the ground begging forgiveness, weeping blood and awaiting slaughter?

It was also today that he learned there had been such a past event that year.

It could be said that just based on Lou Yue's past interaction with the Seven Hate Demon Monarch, killing him would be justified. The emperor could still tolerate him, could still give him such trust, which truly showed great magnanimity.

From the perspective of public sentiment, in the current situation, Lou Yue personally killing Lou Jiang Yue was the best choice.

As the emperor said—give the people of the world an account.

Only by Lou Yue personally killing Lou Jiang Yue could he truly "cut off old evils" and complete the thorough transformation from Lou Shu Shi to Lou Dao Jun. Only after this act of righteousness and extermination of relatives could he walk onto that pure white Jinyu Mountain and stand high above, leading a Daoist lineage.

As long as Lou Jiang Yue was still alive, this was a wound that Lou Yue could never avoid, and could never cover up.

Anyone could use this to attack Lou Yue, and Lou Yue would be unable to defend himself.

In fact, it was hard to imagine that Lou Jiang Yue was able to live until today.

Lou Yue, a figure who could walk all the way to such a high position in the intricate and complex central Great Jing, would actually leave himself a fatal weakness.

Who could have imagined?

The emperor sat there without speaking.

Lou Yue, prostrate on the ground, his sorrowful voice like a cry: "Your subject also knows that only one knife is needed, and from then on, the sky is high and the sea is wide, the Daoist lineage will reach its peak, and in advancing, I will not fail Your Majesty's great kindness, and in retreating, I will fulfill my lifelong pursuit. But this one knife, which could not be used on the swaddling clothes that year, with the passage of time, has become increasingly difficult to bring down—"

"Your subject has hesitated and wandered these years, which are also the years Jiang Yue has struggled against Yuan Tu. Your subject watched her grow up with wide eyes, watched her laugh, watched her cry, watched her live in pain every day, yet struggle forward every day. How difficult it was for her to grow to this day!"

"Even though she wholeheartedly seeks death, your subject is incompetent to fulfill her wish."

"Your subject went to the prison of the Arresting Criminal Department and saw Jiang Yue's face."

"She is truly a very, very good child."

"She explained all the reasons, said why she wanted to do so, only one point she didn't say—"

"Only by committing such a crime can I not save her, and not suffer the reproach of conscience."

Lou Yue lay on the ground, crawled two steps, and raised his blood-colored, blurred face: "She loves me."

For a moment, it was impossible to distinguish the blood from the tears on his face: "Loves me, this father who cannot protect her. Loves me, this ugly face, who has implicated her blood closest relative!"

Chun Yu Gui was suddenly moved.

All the pain in the world is not as great as a parent's sorrow.

He felt Lou Yue's struggle over the years.

He also felt as if he was re-understanding this Lou Shu Shi.

"Go down," the emperor sat there, his face showing no emotion.

"Your Majesty!" Lou Yue knocked his head on the ground again, and suddenly a blood print appeared.

"Lou Jiang Yue cannot die, but she also cannot be released." The Jing Emperor waved his hand, a few points of weariness finally appearing in his voice: "Let it be like this."

"Your subject, thanks the Emperor!" Lou Yue knocked his head again, then retreated backward, leaving the hall step by step.

From the moment Lou Yue entered the door until he walked out of the Xuan Lu Hall, Chun Yu Gui remained silent like a stone sculpture, not daring to breathe.

To be able to hear a secret was to gain the emperor's trust.

But some secrets, once heard, must be borne.

He was not sure if he could truly bear it.

Permanent imprisonment in prison was Lou Jiang Yue's fate. But for Lou Jiang Yue, this was already the best result. The emperor ultimately favored Lou Yue.

"Hearts from ancient times are hard to fathom. Though you are high in the clouds, or mixed in the mud, you cannot control everything."

The emperor sighed faintly: "I have paved a good road for him to ascend to the top. He only needs to lift his foot to step onto that step."

"Kinship, power, strength, why do you say he wants it all?"

"I also cannot own everything."

The emperor's hand hung on the chair, and blood beads suddenly dripped from his fingertips like rain, blooming like flowers on the ground tiles.

Smashing a book on Lou Yue's forehead certainly did not cause this emperor to be injured.

The blood seeping from his fingertips showed the remnants of his fight with the Yi Zhen lineage.

Of course, standing in the center of the Xuan Lu Hall, where would Chun Yu Gui dare to assume this was true?

What the emperor wanted you to see was what you could see.

Chun Yu Gui took a step forward: "Your Majesty..."

The emperor waved his hand: "No harm."

The emperor sighed, saying that he too couldn't own everything. Chun Yu Gui couldn't help but think of the rumors circulating in the capital recently—it was said that among the imperial heirs of Great Jing, there was a member who was instigated by the Yi Zhen Dao. If the assassination of the king had succeeded, Zong De Zhen had originally prepared to support him to ascend to the throne...

But he said nothing, just half-squatted down, wiping the blood with his hand, slowly cleaning the bloodstains on the ground.

The Jing Emperor quietly watched him do this, and suddenly said, "When Tai Yu True Monarch raised his sword and went out to the East Sea, someone sent Xu San back to Da Luo Mountain intact, and he then sat securely—do you have any clues about this matter?"