Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2808 Extra: Lingyan Pavilion
During the ten years of the Taihe era, the world was at peace.

On this day, Emperor Taihe, Li Yan, on a whim, accompanied only by a few trusted eunuchs and Hanlin scholar Wang Cong, dressed in plain clothes, slowly walked through the deep corridors of the rear garden and headed towards the quiet and solemn palace in the northwest corner of the palace.

Lingyan Pavilion.

Built during the reign of Emperor Taizu, this four-story pavilion with its flying eaves and bracket sets stands silently among the pines and cypresses, like a silent guardian of history, overlooking the empire it helped to create.

The door to the pavilion slowly opened, and the scent of aged sandalwood and books, mixed with the dust, wafted out.

The interior was dimly lit, with only a few rays of morning light shining in through the high windows, illuminating the slowly floating dust particles in the air, like fragments of time.

Emperor Li Yan stood in the main hall on the first floor. This was the most spacious area, where statues and portraits of the seventy-two founding heroes were enshrined according to the "Earthly Fiends" number.

Zong Ze, Yuwen Xian, Sun Mei, Kong Xuan, Wang Baobao, Yuwen Tai, Xiong Kuohai, Hulü Guang, Guo Ziyi, Yao Chong, Song Jing, Jia Xu, Jia Fu, Huang Feihu, Li Keyong, Han Qinhu, Yang Zaixing, Cen Peng, Cen Wenben, Feng Bo, Pei Yuanqing, Yuwen Chengdu, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Yang Yanzhao...

The statues are slightly smaller than life-size and are all sculpted according to the official attire and regalia worn by the statues during their lifetimes. Although the colors have faded slightly over the decades, the expressions and features still faintly reveal the heroism or wisdom of their former selves. In front of each statue is a bronze plaque engraved with the statue's name, title, and major achievements.

Li Yan's gaze slowly swept over these names, some familiar, others only seen in historical records.

Most of them have long since passed away, and even their descendants have died out, but together they supported the initial sky of the Great Jin Dynasty.

The emperor did not linger on the first floor, but merely nodded slightly, as if paying homage to the "soil" that laid the foundation for his dynasty.

Climb the rustic wooden stairs to the second floor. The space here is slightly smaller, and it enshrines thirty-six "Tiangang" meritorious officials who made even more outstanding contributions.

Their statues are taller, and the details of their clothing are more exquisite.

Li Yan may have met many of these people's descendants when he was young, and heard their stories.

Such as Li Cunxiao, Di Qing, Zhang Juzheng, Huang Tianhua, Su Lie, Li Mu, Shang Yang, Ji Dan, Meng Tian, ​​Aju, Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Fang Xuanling, Liu Ji, Han Xin, Xun Yu, Huo Qubing, Qi Jiguang, Chang Yuchun, Du Ruhui, Di Renjie, Feng Yi...

Li Yan was even fortunate enough to meet some of them in person and hear their teachings.

Continue upwards to reach the third level.

This level of space is more spacious and solemn, and houses only twelve life-size statues.

These are the top meritorious officials who are known as the "Twelve Pillars of the Founding of the Nation".

Li Yan stayed here the longest, carefully reading the achievements he already knew by heart, his fingers occasionally brushing against the inscriptions on the cool jade tablet.

His gaze lingered particularly on a statue slightly to the left of center. It was a statue dressed as a civil official, with a lean face and deep eyes. It was Wang Meng, the grandfather of Wang Cong, a Hanlin scholar of the time, the first Minister of Personnel of the Great Jin Dynasty, who was bestowed with extremely high honors and posthumously honored with the title "Wenzheng".

Wang Cong stood behind, and seeing the emperor gazing at his ancestors, he couldn't help but hold his breath and lower his head, his heart surging with emotion.

Slightly to the right of center is Xue Rengui, the Prince of Liaodong, a minister who followed Emperor Taizu in his rise to power. He was one of the earliest fierce generals and commanders, guarding the Bing and He regions for many years. He also participated in the Central Plains War, presided over the Northern War and the war against Tang, and personally killed Emperor Liu Xuande of Qing Han, making significant contributions.

Among the military merits of the Great Jin Dynasty, apart from Xing Tian, ​​who was a foster brother of Emperor Taizu, he was the only one who was not a member of the imperial clan to be posthumously granted the title of king.

To the left and right of Prince Jing (Wang Meng) and Prince Liaodong (Xue Rengui) were Prince Yue (Li Jing), Duke of Bing (Wei Qing), Marquis of Langya (Zhuge Liang), Duke of Qi (Guan Zhong), Duke of Wu'an (Bai Qi), Duke of Wei (Su Qin), King of War (Xing Tian), Marquis of Lu (Wu Qi), Duke of E (Yue Fei), and Marquis of Liu (Zhang Liang). Finally, Li Yan stepped onto the last staircase leading to the fourth level.

The steps here are narrower and steeper, as if symbolizing the arduous and unique path to the summit.

The fourth floor is the top floor of Lingyan Pavilion, which is also the most central and sacred floor.

The pavilion contained nothing else except a huge portrait that almost filled the entire north wall. In front of the portrait were an incense table and a bronze tripod.

The person in the painting is Emperor Taizu Li Xiang, the founding emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty, who single-handedly ended the chaos and ushered in the prosperous Tianchen era.

The portrait of Emperor Taizu does not depict him as a kind old man with white hair in his later years, ruling with ease, but rather as someone around forty or fifty years old, in the prime of his life.

He wore a winged crown and a reddish-yellow robe, without deliberately emphasizing imperial majesty. Instead, he sat upright on a rock, gazing calmly out of the painting.

That gaze was neither aggressive nor weary; it was as deep as an ancient well, as if it had pierced through the years, carrying a calm and insightful understanding of the world and a sense of control over the universe.

The painter's skill was truly divine, capturing the complex temperament of the founding monarch in his brushstrokes.

He possesses the fortitude honed through battles and conquests, the authority needed to command a multitude of heroes, and the magnanimity and profound wisdom essential to ushering in a new era.

On either side of the portrait hang couplets personally written by the founding emperor, the ink as fresh as new, the strength penetrating the silk:
"Originating from the common people, how could we forget their suffering?"

"To safeguard this land, we must always be vigilant against the cyclical nature of destiny."

Li Yan stood silently before the portrait for a long time. The pavilion was extremely quiet, with only the faint echo of the morning bell in the distance and the barely audible breathing of the person beside him.

In the dim light, the Emperor Taizu's gaze seemed to be truly fixed on him, the son who had taken the reins of the empire from his hands.

Countless thoughts churned in Li Yan's mind. When he was born, the world had already been pacified, and even the grasslands had been brought under the rule of the Great Jin Dynasty.

However, through the history books, one can still see the hardships and bloodshed of the founding of the country by the emperor, recall the suffocating, long and invisible pressure of the emperor in his later years, and recall the years of regency in which one trembled and walked on thin ice.

I was also reminded of my elder brother, the former crown prince, who was exceptionally talented but ultimately died of depression…

"Having such a father is too much of a despair for his descendants!" This thought flashed through his mind again, and now, standing in front of the portrait of the founding emperor, this feeling was even more profound.

The founding emperor is like an insurmountable monument, not only defining the beginning of the empire, but his long existence itself has shaped the fate of all those who followed.

But at the same time, an unprecedented complex emotion is also emerging.

He finally stood here, becoming the sole master of this vast empire.

While the achievements of the founding emperor were indeed magnificent, the times had changed. The reign of Emperor Tianchen brought the empire to its zenith, but also left behind many hidden problems and deep-seated issues.

Now it's his turn to take up the pen and write a chapter belonging to "Taihe".