The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Until they found out the truth, not even the likes of Genesis Supreme dared to act recklessly. Unwittingly, Wang Chong had made the capital after the Sage Emperor’s death even more of a forbidden zone.

  But regardless of the shift in the heavens, as per the Sage Emperor’s final decree, it was set in stone that Li Heng was to ascend to the throne of the Nine and Five and become the new Emperor of the Great Tang.

  The country could not be without a sovereign for a day. Now that the Sage Emperor had been interred in the imperial mausoleum, to calm the people and stabilize the morale of the army, all the officials agreed that Li Heng would be coronated in Taiji Palace in several days.

  Once this was announced, various letters of state began to be sent in all directions. All of the foreign countries were invited to participate in the coronation.

  The Sage Emperor had passed, and the two renowned ministers of the Great Tang, Duke Jiu and Yao Chong, had passed shortly afterward. The three core individuals who had forged an era and suppressed the surrounding countries for thirty-some years had all died.

  For the surrounding countries, it was as if three massive mountains had been moved off their heads, and these countries thus lost some of their respect and fear for the Great Tang.

  But while the undercurrent flowed, the borders of the Great Tang remained calm and peaceful.

  Though the Sage Emperor had passed, the intimidating War God Wang Chong still existed, and the Great Tang remained a powerful country.

  No one would dare to move until they were fully prepared.

  In fact, after receiving the invitations, seventy percent of the countries dispatched delegations to attend Li Heng’s coronation in the capital.

  Bong!

  On the day of Li Heng’s coronation, almost the entire capital turned out. Banners snapped in the wind and large lanterns festooned the streets. The streets were lively and bustling, forming a stark contrast with the gloom that had come with the passing of the Sage Emperor.

  “Hail the new Emperor!”

  “Hail the new Emperor!”

  “Hail the new Emperor!”

  The people of the capital cheered as they gathered around the Imperial Palace, excitedly looking toward Taiji Palace.

  Even though they were far away and separated by many walls, they could still see the majestic Taiji Palace by raising their heads.

  They could not personally attend the coronation, but at the time of the ceremony, they could still serve as distant spectators.

  The Imperial Palace was pervaded by a solemn air, the one hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army standing guard, the newly-produced dragon banners placed on the walls dancing in the wind.

  Within the inner court, countless palace maids with bamboo baskets showered fresh flowers from above. The coronation ceremony involved ninety-nine thousand feet of Sassanid carpet that extended all the way from the Eastern Palace and up the jade stairway to Taiji Palace.

  “Silence!”

  As the eunuch Director of Ceremonies spoke, the officials solemnly stood on the two sides of the white jade stairway.

  The high officials, nobles, members of the imperial households, the various Great Generals, the Grand Preceptor, the Grand Tutor, and the Ministers of the Six Bureaus had all assembled.

  Wang Chong himself was wearing his imperial robes, standing prominently in the crowd with his crown of violet gold.

  Wang Chong was no longer the sixteen-year-old youth of yesteryear. He had been honed and baptized through wars and tribulations, and had long ago become an influential official of the empire who struck fear into all the surrounding countries.

  Simply by standing there, Wang Chong exuded boundless majesty and dignity that inspired awe in everyone who looked upon him.

  But most importantly, everyone knew that Wang Chong had an extremely close relationship with Li Heng. One could say that Wang Chong had pushed Li Heng onto the throne.

  Amongst the many Princes the Sage Emperor had left behind, Li Heng had been the most timid and unremarkable.

  The patient and shrewd First Prince, the Second Prince who appeared to collude with the First Prince but had his own plans, the threatening and unbridled Third Prince, and also the Fourth Prince who had the support of the Hu generals and was very accepting of Turkic practices…

  None of these Princes who were clearly more exceptional than Li Heng had taken the throne, which truly surprised everyone.

  “The new Emperor has arrived!”

  “Set off the fireworks!”

  “Play the Shao Music!”

  The presiding eunuch loudly issued order after order.

  Fireworks shot into the air, as they fiercely exploded, cheers rose up from around the Imperial Palace.

  From atop the white jade stairway, Wang Chong could see a golden canopy approaching from the distance, followed by the ceremonial guard holding dragon banners, escorted by numerous soldiers belonging to the Golden Guards and Imperial Army.

  Beneath the golden canopy, surrounded by dragon banners and guards, was a Nine Dragon imperial carriage.

  Nine hundred and ninety-nine feet away from the stairway, the carriage stopped, and a majestic and noble figure stepped out, his eyes shining with the domineering light of an Emperor.

  When Wang Chong saw Li Heng, somewhat more mature and with a beard and mustache beginning to form on his face, he couldn’t help but emotionally sigh.

  The coronation was presided over by the Directorate of Ceremonies and the Bureau of Rites. There was a strict ritual and process for the new Emperor to take the throne, and Wang Chong had not interfered in any way.

  This was the first time Wang Chong had acted as a spectator to a matter involving Li Heng.

  Li Heng was no longer that panicked, timid, and unaware Fifth Prince he had run into in the forest. The various palace struggles had honed and tempered him, and after the Sage Emperor’s passing, Li Heng had finally matured into that Lord of Resurgence from Wang Chong’s memories who understood his duties.

  To Wang Chong’s relief, even after all that had happened, he had still managed to change Li Heng’s fate.

  In his last life, Li Heng had only answered the call and ascended the throne when the situation was incredibly unstable. The throne at that time had been no honor, only an immense burden. In the end, the Great Tang’s Lord of Resurgence, doing his utmost for the empire, died full of regrets amidst the country’s troubles. This was one of Wang Chong’s regrets, a regret shared with many other people in that apocalyptic era.

  But now, everything had changed. Li Heng had taken the throne, but the Great Tang was still prosperous and peaceful. This was not an era where enemies were on all sides.

  Gao Xianzhi, An Sishun, and Zhangchou Jianqiong still stood tall, and not only had the Great Tang not grown weaker, it was even stronger than before.

  The new takes the place of the old! The Great Tang has finally managed to get through this trial, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

  Everything he had done bore fruit at this moment. In the end, it had all been worth it. With this thought in mind, Wang Chong quickly calmed down.

  In the distance, Li Heng wore the imperial crown and his imperial robes. His expression was somber as he was escorted up the steps by the officials from the Bureau of Rites toward that building which represented the absolute authority in the Great Tang, Taiji Palace.

  The main eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies held the imperial decree drafted jointly by the cabinet, Six Bureaus, and Directorate of Ceremonies, and loudly read its contents.

  “Acceding to the will of the heavens, the Emperor declares: the previous Emperor suddenly passed, returning to the cycle of the Five Elements. Crown Prince Li Heng, acceding to the last wishes of the Sage Emperor and in accordance with the will of the heavens, entered the ancestral hall to offer respects. The officials and members of the imperial household attempted to persuade the Crown Prince three times before he finally accepted, so that it may be solemnly announce
d today that he takes the throne as Emperor. He fully understands the heavy responsibilities and feels great apprehension. It is his desire to properly govern and to reform the government with new practices, at the same time respecting the will of his predecessor. Knowing that he lacks in virtue, he will trust his virtuous subjects so that they may rule together. Thus, the next year will be known as the first year of the Zhongxing (Resurgence) Era.”

  Once he was done, the eunuch rolled up the decree, upon which a eunuch at his side came forward with the jade seal and offered it to Li Heng.

  Li Heng took the jade seal, upon which cheers rose up from inside and outside the Imperial Palace.

  “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!”

  “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!”

  “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!”

  The nearly one million inhabitants of the capital exploded with cheers, and fireworks soared into the skies. The entire capital immediately became a sea of jubilation.

  The officials flanking the stairway all bowed.

  The jade seal was a symbol of imperial authority, and the words inscribed upon it, ‘Accepting the Mandate of Heaven, Let the People Live Long and the Country Forever Prosper’, were a representation of the imperial household’s duty.

  When Li Heng took the jade seal, he completed the ceremony for the transfer of imperial power. At that moment, Li Heng formally became the new Emperor of the Great Tang.

  Bang!

  At the same time, Dragon Qi, invisible to all eyes, soared into the heavens, and the world trembled. The stars above the Great Tang also began to change.

  In the depths of the starry sky, a new Ziwei Emperor Star representing Li Heng exploded into brilliance.

  As Wang Chong watched this all, he emotionally sighed.

  He understood that Li Heng was now a true sovereign. He was no longer Crown Prince Li Heng, but His Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Tang!

  He and Wang Chong could no longer be friends. They were sovereign and subject, and their relationship would no longer be the same.

  But when he thought about it, wasn’t this exactly what he wanted when he supported Li Heng?

  “The ceremony is over!

  “Let the new Emperor proceed to Taihe Palace to preside over his first court session! At the same time, he will issue the first decree of the Zhongxing Era!”

  As Wang Chong heard the eunuch’s loud proclamation, he blinked and came back to his senses.

  Chapter 2052 - The Three Great 'Prior Heaven' Realms!

  Chapter 2052: The Three Great ‘Prior Heaven’ Realms!

  Although the coronation ceremony was held in front of Taiji Palace, the new sovereign had to proceed toward Taihe Palace, where he would hold his first court session and issue his first decree for the ceremony to be considered complete.

  “Your Majesty, please make your way to Taihe Palace!” the officials all loudly cried out.

  Li Heng nodded. Without another word, he slowly descended the steps, escorted by numerous eunuchs.

  In the entire process, Li Heng had a solemn expression, his gaze remaining fixed forward.

  At this moment, he was the center of attention, the undisputed main character of the Central Plains.

  But as Li Heng was passing by Wang Chong, he suddenly stopped.

  “Wang Chong!”

  Li Heng turned to Wang Chong, calling him by his name instead of by his title.

  “I was able to reach this place today largely due to your efforts. I know that we can no longer be as close as before starting from today, with me calling myself ‘We’ and you calling yourself ‘subject’, but while the ways we call ourselves might change, deep down, I am still the same Li Heng!

  “No matter what, I will always believe in you!

  “We will never burden you!

  “The previous Emperor and Duke Jiu were always the people that We most admired. Their friendship of sovereign and subject served as a children’s tale retold throughout the Great Tang. Although they are no longer here, We are confident that the two of us can continue the friendship between the previous Emperor and Duke Jiu, creating a new children’s tale for the Great Tang!”

  The officials lining the steps were all moved by these words.

  The coronation ceremony was extremely important, and all private relationships should have fallen to the wayside. For the new Emperor to stop for Wang Chong was an enormous honor.

  And this wasn’t even considering that the new Emperor had said those words before the gathered officials.

  Li Heng had referred to himself as ‘I’ in one sentence and ‘We’ in the next. This was not the new Emperor forgetting the past and drawing a clear line between him and Wang Chong. On the contrary, he had used ‘We’ for the officials to hear, and so that he could display his resolution and intentions.

  The new Emperor’s regard for Wang Chong had reached a level that ordinary people could not fathom.

  Wang Chong said nothing, only sighed.

  How could he not understand Li Heng’s kind intentions?

  To speak such words on such an important occasion in front of so many officials and foreign dignitaries, Li Heng was essentially granting Wang Chong a writ of pardon, establishing Wang Chong’s paramount status in the empire.

  This was clearly his way of repaying Wang Chong.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty!” Wang Chong earnestly said as he bowed. “No matter what, this lowly subject will do everything in his power to support Your Majesty and bring blessings and good fortune to the people of the realm!

  “That has always been this lowly subject’s duty!”

  Li Heng merely nodded and exchanged a glance with Wang Chong before he walked off toward Taihe Palace, escorted by the eunuchs and officials.

  But Wang Chong did not follow.

  The Great Tang had its own system, and every matter had an appropriate official to handle it. While Li Heng had spoken his previous words out of kindness, they were certain to have a negative effect on his reign. By not attending the court session, Wang Chong was attempting to minimize this negative effect and show that he was not trying to outshine the main character.

  After glancing in the direction of Taihe Palace, Wang Chong took his leave.

  He had far more important things to do than handle daily court affairs.

  ……

  The officials of the Six Bureaus and the court all gave their support to Li Heng, and after he took the throne, the entire court began to operate like a highly efficient machine.

  The empire swiftly recovered from the deaths of the Sage Emperor, Duke Jiu, and Yao Chong, and order was quickly restored.

  Li Heng also quickly began to display the marks of a wise sovereign.

  Li Heng handled court affairs efficiently and properly, not making a sloppy job of it. Even harsh and rigorous old officials like the Grand Preceptor and Grand Tutor couldn’t find anything to criticize.

  Not only that, Li Heng used this opportunity to announce a general amnesty and no taxation for three years.

  Li Heng also issued a series of plans covering the military, the economy, transportation, and even maritime affairs, implementing a series of reforms. Assisted by the massive stimulus of billions of taels of gold brought back by Wang Chong from Arabia, the Great Tang Empire quickly began to show signs of flourishing.

  As the court proceeded with its affairs, Wang Chong, who had almost entirely withdrawn from the court, had secluded himself within the King of Foreign Lands Residence ever since the Sage Emperor’s passing, never taking one step beyond its gates.

  For Wang Chong, his current task was far more important than anything else.

  Buzz!

  Seated in the main hall, Wang Chong was carefully reading a book.

  But this was no ancient and stained text. On the contrary, it appeared to have been written in the last few years.

  In truth, this was a book the Sage Emperor himself had written several years ago.

  �
�The Saint Martial realm, Great General, peak Great General… when a martial artist reaches this level, they reach the limit of the amount of Origin Energy they can absorb from this world. No matter how much more they cultivate, they will find it difficult to advance any further. Thus, while there are many martial artists in this world, even the strongest can only ever reach the peak Great General level.

  ‘For thousands of years, martial artists have always believed peak Great General to be the limit. Few understand that the martial path has no end. During Our ponderings, We began to comprehend the world. After several months of meditation, We vaguely began to understand its secrets.

  ‘There are hundreds upon thousands of different kinds of Origin Energy in this world. If one only absorbs the Origin Energy present in the world, one is in the ‘Post Heaven’. If one wishes to advance further, to rise to an even higher realm, one must break through space, surpass oneself, and interact with the energy of an even higher universe!

  ‘To go from absorbing the energy of a world to absorbing the energy of a universe is to go from ‘Post Heaven’ to ‘Prior Heaven’!

  ‘From what We understand, deep within the depths of spacetime, there exist three higher dimensions, and the higher the dimension, the greater the level of the universal energy. These energies can be divided based on their nature into the Subtle realm, the Grotto Heaven realm, and the Divine Martial realm. Each level also has its own levels of proficiency, which can be divided into basic, middle, high, and peak!

  ‘To move from one level to the next, one must comprehend the principles of energy, the world, the universe, and spacetime!

  ‘Though ascending through the three great Prior Heaven realms is exceedingly difficult, a breakthrough will lead to a complete transformation and an astonishing leap in strength!’

  As Wang Chong sat in his armchair, countless thoughts ran through his mind.

  It took a long while for Wang Chong to calm himself down after reading the book.

  For the vast majority of people, there existed a large blank space between the peak Great General level and the Divine Martial realm—one that was excruciatingly difficult to overcome. Even Wang Chong, the Wushang Village Chief, and the Demonic Emperor Old Man did not know much about this. Not even the extraordinarily talented Qutaybah and Khatabah had known very much.