Chapter 660: What a Great Emperor?

Chapter 660, what a mighty emperor?

Ah

A sigh, heavy with resignation, rose from the billowing white smoke.

It's not that I was too slow, but you have crossed the line, Li Que Zhu.

Bang!

The twisted, deformed car door burst free and flew, as Zhou Changqi suddenly thrust his body out of the vehicle.

Crossed the line—whose line is it?

Zhou Changqi's expression was calm, even faintly amused, his jaw lifted slightly: "That is the palace; whose domain do you think it belongs to?"

Li Jun did not turn to gaze at the towering palace that glowed in the night, his tone flat: "What then?"

A petty man, of course, cares not; yet someone else would be displeased.

Zhou Changqi smiled, clasped his fists, and bowed to the heavens.

"Humble subject Zhou Changqi, pays respects to the Prince of Liao!"

Hum!

A sudden, sharp, urgent buzzing tore through the night.

Li Jun lifted his gaze; the sky was a blackened dome like iron, fine rain pattering down, the roar swelling in moments.

The night sky resembled an inverted ocean, warped space forming a massive vortex; silhouettes emerged one after another, numbering over a hundred, assembling into a formation that pressed directly above Li Jun.

Majestic pressure, like the wrath of heaven, enveloped all, like an erupting torrent, as if in an instant it would pour down, washing Li Jun to bone and ash.

Zhu Pingxu, once shattered by Li Jun's fist in Songjiang Prefecture, now hovered at the front of the battle array, arms crossed, head bowed, eyes aloof as a tiger.

Rain soaked his face, streaming down his sharply defined jaw; Li Jun's eyes half-closed, a subtle smile curving his lips.

"Huh, the formation is truly grand."

Li Jun's steady gaze fell, only to find an unfamiliar figure materializing before him.

A youth clad in a yellow robe, with a short beard and gentle eyes.

Raindrops passed through his shoulder, creating fleeting ripples, revealing that this was but a projection.

Zhou Changqi stood behind the youth, hands clasped, bowing humbly to the point of near abasement, proof of the visitor's high rank.

It was Emperor Jiaqi, Zhu Yihuo!

"I have heard many tales; today I finally meet the man himself, Li Que Zhu, long famed."

Jiaqi's smile was warm, his words shifting: "Yet I feel 'Que Zhu' does not suit you; 'Ge Jun' suits you better."

He avoided the lofty 'Zizhu', opting for the more approachable 'I'.

Jiaqi's eyes flickered with obscure light as he praised, "The solitary sequence, three Ge Jun; your teacher remains visionary, giving you a fitting title for your sequence."

"It seems the Emperor truly understands the origin of my name."

A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, yet Li Jun did not linger in contemplation.

"But I fail to grasp why Zhang Laozi named me so; though his own pupil is the empire's most noble sovereign, he now prefixes 'Jun' with 'Ge'."

Li Jun smiled at Jiaqi: "Do you understand his meaning?"

"The teacher's act is deliberate. To me, the sequence is a chasm separating heaven from earth, dividing mortals from deities; I am sovereign of the people, not of the immortals."

Jiaqi chuckled, "Thus I see this 'Ge' is not aimed at me, but at those lofty figures who sit upon clouds, deluding themselves as deities."

"Ah, so that is how it is; since the Emperor feels it is not"

Li Jun raised his hand, pointing to the stern, killing aura-laden military formation awaiting above.

"What then is the meaning of this?"

Jiaqi's smile unchanged: "No hidden meaning, merely expressing respect for Ge Jun."

"How courteous."

Li Jun replied flatly, curiosity in his eyes: "Yet I wonder, given such a prosperous lineage, why has the imperial house suffered so greatly in recent years?"

"Li Jun, dare not be reckless!"

Zhou Changqi suddenly lifted his head, brows like crossed swords, eyes sharp as unsheathed blades, shouting fiercely.

"It matters not; I sincerely wish to befriend Ge Jun, and as friends, light jesting causes no great harm."

Jiaqi raised a hand to halt Zhou Changqi, seemingly unperturbed by Li Jun's offense, his peripheral glance sweeping behind.

"Yet Changqi, when you meet Ge Jun henceforth, treat him as you would the Emperor, showing humility and propriety, discerning rank and status, understand?"

"Yes, I obey your command."

Zhou Changqi turned to Li Jun, clasped his fists, and bowed distantly: "My apologies for any offense earlier; I hope Ge Jun forgives me."

Another round of this routine.

Li Jun, weary of these staged duets, let out a rueful laugh: "I am but a coarse, blunt man who wields fists and blades, unworthy to stand beside the Ming Emperor."

"How dare you? A century ago, the martial sequence was the empire's unassailable pillar; a mere 'standing together' need not be worried about."

Jiaqi swept his sleeve, proclaiming, "Even if you desire, I could grant you an hereditary, unreplaceable robe, the python robe that endures with the state—what is there not to like?"

"I appreciate the gesture, yet this king—whether real or feigned—I have slain too many of, leaving me with little interest."

Jiaqi retorted, "You have already donned the flying fish armor and wielded the embroidered spring blade; why now lose interest in the more noble python robe?"

"My fate is hard and my fortune shallow; I am accustomed to bitter hardship, unable to enjoy ease."

Li Jun answered flatly, then recalled something, his gaze growing cold as he fixed it on Jiaqi: "Hongque, is that also your Zhu family's?"

"Indeed."

Jiaqi made no concealment, admitting plainly.

Li Jun licked the salty rain from his lips: "Why?"

"Because I need the people to remember the court, to remember the Great Ming."

In Li Jun's mind, faces—vivid or monochrome—flashed like a carousel, a wry smile forming at his lips.

"So those who are forgotten are meant to die?"

"More are alive."

Jiaqi's tone carried earnestness: "Moreover, they will surely live better."

"Indeed?" Li Jun scoffed, "Can you count that?"

"Yes!"

Jiaqi declared firmly, each word deliberate: "For this is the Great Ming of my Zhu family!"

"A truly nauseating reason."

Li Jun exhaled a hot breath, his wet hair clinging to his head, lengthening toward his shoulders.

"As the saying goes, a thousand gold bodies cannot sit in a lowly hall; even an emperor's shadow outweighs the common folk's life."

Li Qian stood with his head tilted, his eyes falling, as if gazing with a certain intensity.

“Do you really have to change position? You’ll end up with your eyes stained with blood.”

Thunder boomed!

At once, a multitude of voices resonated, waves of sound rising like a thunderclap that shattered the storm clouds. The roar swept through the sky, drowning out the chaos.

“Li Qian, three scholars from the Spring and Autumn period have already been killed by you. Not to mention that the scholar Yang Baize, under your command, has cleared the Spring and Autumn gatherings of the local aristocracy.”

The gentle warmth on Gaqi’s face was washed away by the rain, revealing the sharp edges of a young emperor’s resolve.

“So many have fallen. It’s almost like a great calamity. If you think these lives aren’t enough to comfort the masses and the strategies of the court, then today we can promise to stand together against the dragon and the emperor’s palace.”

Laughter erupted—a sharp, mocking sound.

“Another empty talk! Your ears have heard enough, have you?”

“Same words, different source,” Gaqi replied, his tone unwavering.

“My words are fixed—nine tao, no change!”

Even if he could speak with nine tao, he felt the weight of death still lingering.

“Even if you could speak with nine tao, I still think these lives aren’t enough to soothe the people or the strategies of the court.”

With a cold, decisive smile, Gaqi said, “This is the first lesson I’ll teach you, after the throne was taken. Now, let’s begin.”

“Your majesty, are you here to teach me how to rule?”

Li Qian chuckled, a sound both amused and resolute.

He raised his hand, and the sharp fingers brushed over his scalp, swiftly removing excess black hair.

His short, fierce hair fell in a cascade, revealing eyes that had deepened into something almost menacing.

“You think your name means you’re destined to be the emperor? You’re just another thief, a bandit, a rebel, a foolish commoner—even the root of the imperial turmoil. What is the true cause of the chaos in the royal family?”

With a surge of force, Gaqi’s fists crashed into the air, shaking the heavens.

A thunderous crack echoed, shaking the very fabric of the sky.

“You think you’re the hero of destiny? You’ll be nothing but a fleeting shadow!”

With a final, resounding roar, the thunder cracked, and the storm raged on.

The thunderous voice of Li Qian shattered the silence, a voice that cut through the chaos.

“Death, end it now!”

As the last echo faded, the thunder subsided, leaving only the scent of rain and the distant thunder of war. The scholars of Spring and Autumn, once mere whispers in the wind, were now etched forever into the annals of history.

Within the labyrinth of shadows, where whispers of ancient power coiled, the solitary figure turned, his eyes locked upon the shifting visions of the celestial being, each movement a dance of anguish and resolve.