After the Skyfall

Chapter 559 Comfort
Although it was late at night, there was a storm deep in the palace.

No one would have thought that at this time, the emperor in the Yongchang Palace would suddenly issue an edict to suspend court for three days, and all officials to stay at home and not even leave the capital without an imperial edict. Moreover, at this moment, the emperor also summoned all the Jinyiwei. The appearance of these two actions made everyone smell the smell of impending storm.

But no one could guess what it was all about.

Only Prince Xin was a little clearer at this moment.

"Prince Xin, His Majesty has ordered you to enter the Yongchang Palace to meet the Emperor."

Golden-eyed guard Wang Ning appeared on the steps again at this moment. She stared at Prince Xin with her light golden eyes, with an expressionless face.

"My son, I obey."

Prince Xin trembled all over, then responded and slowly stood up from the ground.

He felt his hands and feet were cold, and his body was weak, as if his soul was about to float away.

Looking at the brightly lit Yongchang Palace, Prince Xin's expression changed. He felt that if he walked in today, he would most likely not be able to come out. He might be executed for patricide and treason as soon as he stepped into the Yongchang Palace, or he might be given a cup of poisoned wine and die on the spot, or disappear without a trace, and there would be no trace of Prince Xin in the world from then on?

"Prince Xin, don't waste time." Golden-eyed guard Wang Ning reminded in a low voice.

Prince Xin suddenly came back to his senses, took a deep breath and said, "I was distracted just now, I'm sorry."

He didn't have time to think about anything else and immediately stepped onto the white marble steps.

At this moment, Prince Xin felt that the white marble steps did not seem that long, and were even a little short. If he could keep walking like this, it might be a blessing. Why bother facing such an earth-shaking event?
But as he walked, his steps became more and more firm.

Maybe he accepted his fate, or maybe he knew he couldn't escape, so he was ready to die.

"Prince Xin, please follow me."

Golden-eyed Guard Wang Ning gestured, then led the way, leading Prince Xin to the main hall.

"Yongchang Palace."

Prince Xin raised his head slightly and looked at the palace. He remembered that he was in charge of supervising the construction of this palace when he was a prince.

The word "Yongchang" is taken from the meaning of receiving the mandate from heaven, which means longevity and prosperity.

Arriving at the entrance of the main hall, Prince Xin was stopped by the other two Golden Eyed Guards. He knew the reason and raised his hands to allow the Golden Eyed Guards to search him to ensure that he did not have any hidden weapons, poisons, or even unknown accessories, even though he was a prince.

Prince Xin was released only after the body search was completed.

As the two of them walked into the hall.

The clear footsteps of two people could be heard on the golden bricks of the empty and bright hall. Looking left and right, one could see the smell of sandalwood curling in the palace, relief carvings of auspicious beasts, and an extraordinary grandeur. Above the main seat, there was a high platform with a golden-carved dragon throne on it, and next to the dragon throne lay a tiger with black fur and golden stripes.

That is a monster that was transformed from a tiger into a god. He was named Black Mountain Lord by the current emperor and has extraordinary power.

"My son, please pay homage to your father."

Prince Xin took two steps forward and immediately knelt down. He did not dare to peek at the dragon throne on the high platform. He was very careful about his behavior and leaned over to shout.

"Get up, Rui'er." A deep and powerful voice echoed in the hall.

"Thank you, Father."

Prince Xin stood up at this moment. He glanced around, but only saw Lord Heishan lying next to the dragon throne, but did not see his father who was sitting on it.

At this moment, a tall and burly man wearing a black and gold robe slowly walked out from the direction of the back hall. As soon as he appeared, the air around him seemed to become heavy in an instant, and the aura of an emperor was pervasive, making people's hearts shrink involuntarily. Even before they saw the man, they felt as if a real dragon was approaching.

The gap in life levels is truly terrifying.

This feeling is exactly the same as that of Taiyi Taoist.

Prince Xin's heart trembled, and he couldn't help but take a few deep breaths to avoid suffocating and fainting.

"Rui'er, have you seen the letter?" the current emperor asked.

"I saw it. I saw the Taoist write it with my own eyes. However, I am not well educated and do not recognize the words above." Prince Xin felt his scalp tingling, but he still answered honestly.

"Did you see that man?" the emperor spoke again.

Prince Xin replied, “I saw it.”

"Tell me." The emperor's voice softened a little at this moment, and then he slowly walked towards the platform.

Prince Xin thought for a moment and said, "Tonight at 11:00 p.m., I am hosting a banquet in the Invitation Star Tower in the palace of Xinzhou City, hoping to imitate the ancients in seeking immortality and the way of Taoism. Halfway through the banquet, I failed to seek the way of Taoism, so I blurted out a line of poetry that my father once chanted: How much sorrow can you have? It is like a river of spring water flowing eastward. After I finished chanting, I saw a Taoist suddenly appear outside the window of the Invitation Star Tower."

"That Taoist calls himself Taiyi, and he steps on red auspicious clouds, looking like an immortal."

He did not hide anything and told everyone what he had seen and heard today.

The emperor, who was already sitting on the dragon throne at this moment, had a calm expression on his face. He listened quietly to Prince Xin's story without interrupting him.

quickly,

After Prince Xin finished telling the story, he said no more. He just stood there with his head slightly lowered, not moving a muscle.

"So, the Taoist Taiyi is already in the capital now?" The emperor spoke after a while.

"Replying to Father, Taoist Taiyi is in the capital." Prince Xin said. "Where are the Jinyi Guards?" Suddenly, the emperor shouted.

immediately.

Outside the hall, a group of Jinyiwei suddenly appeared. They held the swords at their waists, knelt on one knee, and remained silent, waiting for the emperor's orders.

"Is there any news about Taoist Taiyi?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, I have received a secret report from Liu Lingyun, a captain of the Jinyiwei in the capital, that Taoist Taiyi is on a flower boat on Xiang Lake." The Jinyiwei who spoke was one of the commanders of the Jinyiwei, named Lu Bin. He was a middle-aged man with a strong build. Although he had an ordinary appearance, his eyes were as sharp as torches, and they glowed brightly in the night.

The emperor said, "Find Taoist Taiyi and invite him into the palace. I want to see him. Lu Bin, you go and do it yourself. I will allow you to take the imperial road."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Commander Lu Bin agreed and then led a team of Jinyiwei away quickly.

Their bodies were very fast, more agile than leopards, and they disappeared in just a moment. Their figures seemed to have completely blended into the darkness, and they had left the palace in a moment. Someone had prepared horses, and when they appeared, they were already riding on horses, following the imperial road and heading straight for the capital.

"Listen carefully, your majesty wants to invite Taoist Taiyi to the palace. Be smart and don't mess up the job. Also, remember that Taoist Taiyi is extremely powerful. The several thousand soldiers who were responsible for following him were all injured before they even had a chance to fight back. You should also consider your own strengths and weaknesses. Go!"

Commander Lu Bin shouted in a low voice and then rushed out on his horse. Although he lowered his voice, the Jinyiwei were all sharp-eyed and sharp-eared, and they immediately understood what he meant.

The Jinyiwei immediately followed.

They were granted special permission by the emperor and headed straight for the imperial road.

Just her appearance startled many people.

There has never been a precedent of Jinyiwei taking the imperial route, because Jinyiwei is a secret guard that usually acts in secret and rarely acts in such a high-profile manner.

And with the departure of the Jinyiwei.

Inside the Yongchang Palace.

The emperor still stared at Prince Xin with a burning gaze. He spoke again, "Rui'er, you must be hiding something from your father. Taoist Taiyi will be entering the palace soon. Do you plan to tell him now or later?"

As soon as these words came out, Prince Xin was frightened. He immediately gritted his teeth, knelt down and said, "Father, Taoist Taiyi once said that he was not from this world, and asserted that the author of "Yu Meiren" was also like this. I think this Taoist is misleading the people with his lies and wants to shake the foundation of the country. I risked my life to advise him, and I hope that Father will kill this evil Taoist to prevent any accidents."

As he said this, he knocked his head heavily to the ground.

This was the only solution he could think of, which was to kill Taoist Taiyi, and then pretend that this incident had never happened, as if everything was just like yesterday.

Prince Xin, who had just said this, was already prepared to be killed on the spot, but even if he died, he could not be a confused ghost. At least he had to make sure whether this matter was true or false.

However, the emperor on the dragon throne did not get angry. He remained calm and said slowly, "The Taoist Taiyi is right. He is not from this world. He is a cultivator who came from another world. That is why he has the ability to ride on clouds and mist and call the wind and rain. But this matter is nothing. For thousands of years, there have been countless talented people in every dynasty. It is possible that some of them came from another world."

"Father." Prince Xin looked up in shock at this moment, and he looked at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne.

His father's attitude was beyond his expectations. Not only was he very calm, he also agreed to this matter very casually.

At this moment, the emperor slowly walked down the high platform, his pair of golden vertical pupils looking into the distance like dragon eyes: "Rui'er, your father knows what you are afraid of in your heart, and I also know that you have quite a few complaints in your heart. When your father first ascended the throne, and you were a prince who had not even reached the age of adulthood, your father named you the Prince of Xin and sent you far away from the capital. Do you know why?"

"I don't know." Prince Xin replied with a slight tremor.

The emperor asked, "How many gods do you think there are in this world?"

Prince Xin said: "The village has its own land, the mountain has its own mountain god, the river has its own river god, and the clan has its own ancestral temple. There are countless gods of incense and fire in the world. Some are canonized by the court, and some are privately built by wild monsters. But most of them are relics of past dynasties. Some can still be controlled, but some have already occupied the mountains and become kings, and are difficult to control."

"Yes, I am very pleased that you have such insight."

The emperor stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes like a torch as if he was inspecting the world: "There are indeed too many gods of incense and worship. Rui'er, do you think this world belongs to me or to the gods of incense and worship? Can my decree really mobilize all the gods and ghosts in the world? The four guardian gods have gone through twelve dynasties. Do you think they will take me seriously? In my opinion, there are too many gods and ghosts in this world. It's time to change. I will destroy the mountains and temples today."

Prince Xin immediately broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. Only his father would dare to say this. Which prince in the world would dare to discuss such things?

You must know that there is a god above your head.

If this word gets out, I'm afraid that gods will appear in people's dreams at night and take away their souls.

"Rui'er, you are the most intelligent of my bloodline. If I fail in what I want to do in this life, you will definitely be held accountable. Conferring you the title of Prince Xin and keeping you away from the capital is the only way I can think of to protect you." When the emperor said this, he sighed softly and then looked at Prince Xin.

"If I didn't have such an ambition to create a new world, you and I would have been such a good father and son. Why would we be suspicious of each other today? Rui'er, do you know why I named you the King of Xin?"

"I don't know." At this moment, Prince Xin's face was covered with tears and he was sobbing silently.

The emperor said: "He who can keep his word is trustworthy."

"Father."

Prince Xin could no longer bear it and knelt down, crying loudly.

He felt that he had misunderstood his father. It was not that his father did not value him, but that he had far-reaching plans and wanted to compete with the God of Incense for the world. He was afraid of involving him, so he sent him away from the capital.

Not only did he not understand it, he actually indulged in sensual pleasures every day, seeking immortality and asking for the way, and degenerating himself. He was truly extremely stupid.

The emperor walked up to him, patted him on the shoulder and said, "The prince is ill, you should encourage him."

(End of this chapter)