Douluo Dalu: Seven Kills

Chapter 594: The Second Test, the Second Level - It can be called a test similar to "The Eternal Half Emperor" (two in one)

Zichen Palace.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Chen Junting raised his eyes slightly.

As if he didn't care, he only said one word, "Xuan."

After a while, "Father!"

The voice of the Crown Prince Chen Shuo was filled with anxiety, and it echoed throughout the empty hall. He knelt in front of the steps, his young back straight, looking directly at his father on the throne, "The Qionglin Garden project is huge, and it will cost millions! This year, there is a severe drought in Guanzhong, and refugees are beginning to appear. Although the national treasury is abundant, we should also prepare for the rainy day. How can we start such a lavish and extravagant project? I would like to ask my father..."

Chen Junting was already in a bad mood because of Han Xiu's advice.

Now that the prince has come again, he has undoubtedly walked into trouble.

"shut up!"

Chen Junting slammed the imperial desk suddenly. In his rage, there seemed to be a sound of gold and jade clashing, shaking the pillars of the palace.

Then he stood up suddenly, looking down at the prince below the stairs, his eyes burning with anger, like an angry dragon choosing its prey.

"I have expanded the territory, made all nations bow down to me, made the granaries full, and made the people live and work in peace and contentment. I have created a prosperous era that has never been seen before! Now I just want to build a manor and a garden to rest for a while. As the crown prince, you don't understand me. Instead, you dare to criticize my extravagance like those corrupt scholars and want to cut the project. Are you unfilial!?"

He took a step forward, and the hem of his bright yellow dragon robe swept across the cold golden steps. As the emperor on horseback, his invisible pressure was wrapped in a terrifying murderous aura, covering the entire hall like a substance.

"Could it be that you can't wait for this dragon throne?!"

"I have absolutely no such intention!"

Chen Shuo's face turned pale, and he knocked his forehead heavily on the gold brick, making a dull sound. "I am only worried about the country! I am worried about..."

"worry?"

Chen Junting interrupted with a voice as cold as ice, "My country and my people, I know my limits! Back off!"

The sleeves of his robe flicked, and a strong wind swept past, causing the pearl curtain on the crown of the prince to tremble. "If there is a next time, I will never forgive you!"

Chen Shuo clenched his fists in his sleeves, his nails dug deep into his palms, leaving several crescent-shaped blood marks. He slowly raised his head and looked at his father's back, which was wrapped in a dragon robe but already showing vicissitudes of life. His throat rolled, and he finally swallowed back the words of advice along with the sweet and fishy taste of rust.

In this way, under the imperial power of Chen Junting, the two major projects were still carried out in an orderly manner. And for a while, the entire Chang'an City still had the atmosphere of "Yuanxi Prosperity".

In the third year of the Yongjia period, when the winter snow had not yet fallen, envoys from various countries brought "auspicious signs" that Chang'an City had never seen before.

At the palace banquet, the music of Sheng and Xiao stopped and a red carpet was spread on the floor.

As the tribute envoys from various countries presented their so-called "auspicious signs" one by one, Chen Junting still sat on the throne, with no expression of joy or anger on his face.

But in his heart, he seemed extremely pleased with himself. After all, from ancient times to the present, which emperor could achieve what he did!
"Your Majesty, the Honorable Emperor Daqian." It was the turn of the tribute envoy from Shule to pay tribute. He half-knelt on the ground and announced the tribute items one by one. Compared with the tribute items in previous years, there was not much difference. Until the end, "… our country has a 'Pearl', which is presented to His Majesty, the Emperor Daqian. Congratulations to His Majesty! Congratulations to Daqian!"

"Oh? With Mingzhu?"

Hearing this, Chen Junting immediately became interested.

However, the tribute envoy from Shule said that this pearl was not that pearl, but a beauty, so it was not presented to the court for viewing.

Chen Junting didn't care about this.

She's just a Hu woman.

After the tribute, Chen Junting also returned to the Zichen Palace.

As tribute, most of them were put into the emperor's treasury. Inexplicably, Chen Junting suddenly had an idea and looked through the tributes from various countries. When he arrived at Shule State, when he saw the so-called "Pearl" of Shule State, a dark red light suddenly lit up in the depths of his eyes. Although it was a flash, at this moment, he had already become interested in this "Pearl".

Then, someone was sent to call for the "Pearl".

Soon, a figure came into Chen Junting's sight with the sound of golden bells, like a ball of burning desert fire.

The woman is barefoot, with fine gold chains wrapped around her ankles, decorated with tiny bells, and every step creates an invisible ripple. The thin gauze wrapped around her exquisite curves, her waist is as flexible as a willow branch in the wind, and her gauze flutters during the dance, revealing a corner of the natural and mysterious indigo tattoo on her honey-colored skin. However, this tattoo does not bring ugliness, but gives people a sense of charm and beauty, which is surprising.

Besides, the woman's eyes were full of movement, like the legendary magical spring deep in the desert that could swallow up travelers, deep, mysterious, and fatally attractive. When she danced to the throne, she leaned forward, and her gauze slipped off her shoulders, revealing her smooth neck and delicate collarbone. When her red lips parted slightly, it seemed that even the candlelight in the corner of the palace seemed to sway. "Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor Daqian."

At this moment, Chen Junting's eyes were slightly dull, but deep in his eyes, a dark red light was burning like a flame.

This made him feel something different when he saw this woman. He had seen many beauties in the imperial palace, but he had never seen such a strange beauty, which made him unable to stop.

"Good! What a great pearl of Shule!"

The emperor's laughter broke the silence, with a long-lost, almost indulgent joy. He looked at the woman with interest and said, "You are a woman from Shule, do you have a name?"

"My name is Jialing."

……

Jialing's arrival was like a spark falling into a pile of firewood.

As for how to say it?

Clouds on the temples, beautiful faces and golden steps shaking,
The hibiscus tent warms the spring night.

The spring night is short and the sun is rising,
From then on, the king did not go to court early.

That’s probably it, but it may be better.

Since the arrival of this woman, the emperor's residence has become even more extravagant. In addition to the Summer Resort and Qionglin Garden that were already under construction, he also built a "maze tower" beside the hot springs of Mount Li.

Compared with the previous two, the maze tower is still better! There is even a saying that the maze tower was built for Jialing.

Countless laborers worked day and night under the whip of the supervisors, and the hot springs were introduced into the exquisitely crafted palace pools. The most extravagant was the bottom of the "Drunken Immortal Pool" in the main hall of the maze tower. Following the order, the craftsmen cut and polished whole pieces of pure and flawless jade, and inlaid a huge "Paradise Goddess Bathing Buddha" on the warm white jade bottom of the pool. The goddess has a graceful figure and the Buddha has a solemn appearance. When the water ripples, the light and shadow are refracted, and the green light of the jade flows on it. The whole picture seems to come alive, filled with a kind of beauty and strangeness that makes people's hearts sway and does not seem to be in the human world.

The depths of the maze are filled with extravagance beyond imagination.

The wine pool was deep and wide, built with a whole piece of green jade, filled with amber-colored nectar, and the rich aroma of wine lingered all day long. The meat forest was made up of countless fine iron branches, hanging freshly roasted lambs, deer jerky, rare birds and beasts, with fat dripping and sizzling in the special charcoal trough below. The aroma mixed with the smell of wine was so strong that it was suffocating. Countless beautiful women, some from the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, some from the Gobi Desert in the western regions, some as beautiful as lotus, some as glamorous as fire, all dressed in gauze, playing in the wine pool and meat forest. The music of stringed instruments and pipes never stopped day and night, and the chirping of orioles and swallows intertwined into a huge, addictive net. And Najia Ling was undoubtedly the center of this net.

Anyway, since then, she could always easily stir the lazy string in the emperor's heart. When Chen Junting was occasionally awakened by the gradually brightening light outside the window and remembered to go to the morning court, Jialing would coil around him like a snake, and her warm breath would brush against his earlobes.

"Your Majesty, the silk tent is warm and the hibiscus is in full bloom. Why bother waiting for the cold dew in the morning? Why listen to the chatter of those old men?" Her voice had a strange, bone-chilling rhythm.

"Besides, Daqian is so powerful, who dares to cause trouble?"

Chen Junting looked at the tassels on the top of the tent. Deep in his eyes, three colors of light, dark green, dark red, and dark blue, flashed one after another. Laziness, even disdain and contempt, were revealed on his face.

This made the mountains of memorials, border reports, and local people's sentiments seem distant and vague.

Yes, I have worked hard for half my life. Shouldn’t I enjoy this picturesque landscape and this gentle beauty?
Besides, who dares to disturb my kingdom?

So he indulged again.

The banquet in the maze lasted all night, and the morning court gradually became a mere formality. Even when he occasionally attended the court, Chen Junting seemed absent-minded.

What's more: Jialing was leaning against the throne, peeling fresh lychees sent from Lingnan at full speed, the juice staining her fingertips red. An urgent memorial about the misappropriation of river workers' silver was presented by the eunuchs trembling with fear.

Chen Junting glanced at it and was about to speak, but Jialing grumbled and threw the juice-soaked lychee pit on the memorial. The scarlet juice quickly spread all over the silk.

Instead of getting angry, he burst into laughter, picked up a box of lip balm on Jialing's dressing table, dipped his red brush in the rich rouge, and nonchalantly wrote two big words on the smudged memorial - "As proposed".

This kind of thing happened more than once or twice.

In addition, he also promoted treacherous officials.

No matter what happens,

"Regent" Li Ju always bowed and accepted orders in a flattering manner.

This man had a fair face and no beard, and his eyes were lively. He was originally a jester in the palace who was good at flattery. Because he pleased Jialing very much, he was promoted to this position by Chen Junting as an exception, and was given some power on his behalf.

In order to provide the emperor with pleasure, Li Ju sold official positions and titles at a clear price; he embezzled military pay and withheld taxes. In the court, the upright people were either excluded or framed. Although a small number of loyal officials were allowed to remain safe with the help of the prince, most of them were flatterers and profiteers. The once diligent and solemn court became a mess, with civil officials indulging in pleasure and scheming, and military generals slacking off in military preparations. The so-called "Yuanxi heroic soldiers" were put into storage and their horses were released to the mountains, as if only an empty shell remained.

This situation forced Chen Shuo, the crown prince, to risk angering his father and stand up once again!

In the spring of the sixth year of Yongjia, Chen Shuo was no longer silent.

Holding a memorial impeaching Li Ju for ten crimes, he went straight into the maze of Mount Li despite the eunuchs' obstruction. At that time, Chen Junting was drinking and having fun with Jialing, a group of concubines, and a few close officials by the Drunken Immortal Pond. The Emerald Goddess painting in the pond was rippling with a hazy light in the wine waves. From this point of view, life was not very happy.

"Father!"

Chen Shuo's voice penetrated the melodious music, with a sonorous sound like metal and stone, "The evil woman Jialing has confused people's minds, Li Ju has brought disaster to the country and the people, sold official positions and titles, and was greedy! The government was corrupted and the military was relaxed! Now the various tribes of the barbarians are ready to make a move, and there are already scattered cavalrymen who are eyeing the northern border! If this continues, the country will no longer be a country, father!"

The music in the hall suddenly stopped and there was dead silence.

Li Ju's face turned pale, and his eyes were evasive. Jia Ling leaned against Chen Junting's side, her beautiful eyes moving around. Although she looked at the prince with fear, she also had a hint of indifference as if she was watching a good show.

Chen Junting was drunk and drowsy, but suddenly woke up at this moment!

Just when the look in his eyes was somewhat clear, in the dark void, "No, it's not enough."

"Laziness, arrogance, and some force."

"I know. You're so long-winded! Look at me!"

“ZZZ——”

"Boom——"

Accompanied by the sound of bursting snot bubbles,
"it is good."

The next second, dark red, dark green, and dark blue, the light of original sin of lust, laziness, and arrogance flashed in Chen Junting's eyes, forcibly suppressing his aroused clarity.

So, Chen Junting became furious after hearing this!
"Asshole! I have cleaned up the world, and the barbarians have submitted to me. The barbarians have long been reduced to homeless dogs, and I am your subordinate. How dare they commit crimes again? As the crown prince, you don't think about sharing my worries, but instead you are here to spread alarmist rhetoric and deceive people! Do you think I have lived too long and am in your way?!"

After saying this again, he casually grabbed a golden cup on the table and threw it fiercely at Chen Shuo's feet. The cup hit the ground with a sharp sound, and the fine wine splashed on the corner of the prince's robe.

"I won't!"

Prince Chen Shuo faced his father's furious gaze without any fear, and spoke with tears in his eyes, "Your Majesty, I only ask you to open your eyes and look! Look outside this maze! Look at this vast land! The treasury is almost empty! The military is in disrepair! Under natural disasters, refugees are everywhere! Those reports that whitewash the peace are all lies that Li Ju and his ilk have spread to deceive Your Majesty! Father, please wake up! Look at your son, look at this world! Are you still the father who is a man of great talent and strategy and loves the people like your own children in my memory?! Are you old!? Father!"

Suddenly, the prince roared!

"We want our father back!"

This sentence was like thunder exploding in Chen Junting's ears!

His mind was shaken, and he stumbled a step. Jialing hurriedly supported him. Under the intoxication of alcohol, the three original sins were torn open by a ray of clarity, but it was like a firefly.

His turbid eyes swept across the young and angry face of the prince, the frightened eyes of the close ministers in the hall, and the cold sweat on Li Ju's forehead... After a long time, he sighed softly.

"I am old. Youth is passing away. What do you want me to do?"

"boom--"

The prince bent his legs and knelt down suddenly.

"Father! You are an emperor with great achievements! You are a saint that I and many other old ministers have revered throughout our lives!"

Listening to the prince's roar, Chen Junting did not blame him at all. He just stared at the front with his eyes dimly, wondering what he was thinking. Inexplicably, he was lost in thought until the prince's voice stopped.

When he came to his senses, he pointed forward slightly and said to Li Ju without questioning, "Go, help the prince up."

However, when Li Ju stepped forward fearfully,
A sudden change occurred!

(End of this chapter)