Yefutidaolu

Chapter 452 The Change Begins

Gao Jian requested an audience with the emperor again.

Once again, I stood before that palace gate that symbolized the supreme authority of the empire.

The golden-armored gatekeepers on both sides remained like sculptures, exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay. Their gazes were like tangible blades, slicing across Gao Jian's body.
Gao Jian ignored this, simply standing there calmly, his figure as imposing as a mountain and as still as a deep pool, his aura extremely restrained, as if he had merged with the solemn environment around him.

He didn't exude any imposing aura, nor did he show the slightest urgency; he simply waited quietly.
Time passed slowly in silence. After a short while, a series of light and rhythmic footsteps came from inside the palace gates.

An old eunuch with a pale face, no beard, and cloudy eyes reappeared. He still had that humble and submissive appearance, as if he were just a shadow in this deep palace.

He walked up to Gao Jian, bowed slightly, and proclaimed in his unique voice, which carried a hint of femininity and was high-pitched yet exceptionally clear:

"By imperial decree, Gao Jian is summoned to an audience—"

The voice echoed before the empty palace gates, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Gao Jian nodded slightly, passed through that place without saying much, and followed the old eunuch into the palace that was as deep as the mouth of a giant beast.

Just like last time, it was another complicated and dazzling process.

We passed through one magnificent palace after another, walked through one winding corridor after another, and were scrutinized by countless sentry posts, both visible and hidden.

The sense of space here becomes chaotic and eerie once again, as if every step taken is not walking in an ordinary palace, but traversing some kind of mysterious formation or... domain based on reality yet transcending it.

Finally, after what seemed like an aimless trek, the view suddenly opened up before me.

He arrived once again at that familiar, eerily empty hall.

Almost the instant he stepped into the main hall, that familiar yet strange feeling enveloped him once again—

The air of "living heaven".

With each inhale, it felt as if countless subtle, joyful breaths flowed into the lungs through the nasal cavity and permeated the entire body.

They were not inanimate objects, but rather like living spirits, actively nourishing his body. Under the influence of this "living" energy, the blood and qi within his body seemed to become more agile and full of vitality. Even the minor injuries he sustained from his previous fight with the imposter Yuan Lu were being repaired and healed at a slow but clearly perceptible pace.

At the far end of the hall, the boundless darkness remained profound.

The majestic figure could be vaguely seen, still sitting on the dragon throne that seemed to bear the weight of the entire empire, hidden in the shadows, with only a blurry outline, exuding an aura as vast and desolate as the starry sky.

Gao Jian stood still, gazing into the darkness.

He knew the emperor was there.

This time, however, he brought not a test, but a determined edge to break the deadlock.

In the vast, seemingly silent hall, only the aura of the "Living Heaven," imbued with a strange vitality, flowed silently. At the edge of the darkness, the towering figure seemed to stir, and a low, echoing voice broke the silence:

"My dear minister, what has your consideration been?" The emperor's voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were merely inquiring about a trivial matter.

Gao Jian stood below the hall, his body bathed in the mysterious aura of "living heaven," yet his face showed no restraint or fear, but rather a faint smile:

“Your Majesty is joking,” he said casually, as if chatting with an old friend. “I have never considered it. I just want to go back and recuperate to consolidate my cultivation.” He downplayed the emperor’s “consideration”, which implied recruitment, as his own need for cultivation. He neither directly refused nor accepted it, skillfully maintaining a delicate distance.

"Hahaha..." The emperor let out a low laugh in the darkness, the laughter echoing in the hall, causing the surrounding atmosphere to fluctuate slightly. "Good, I like talking to people like you. It seems that my previous assessment of you was wrong."

Gao Jian raised an eyebrow slightly, appropriately revealing his curiosity: "Oh? May I ask how Your Majesty previously evaluated me?"

The emperor did not answer immediately, remaining silent for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts or recalling something. After a long while, his echoing voice slowly broke through:

You are a plum tree.

Plum tree?

Gao Jian's heart stirred slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

He pressed on with that question.

"Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums possess noble character, are beautiful from afar, and their delicate fragrance is captivating," the emperor said calmly, as if appraising an ancient painting. "However, their branches are often crooked and rugged, lacking uprightness. They can be used to adorn gardens, cultivate temperament, and appreciate their beauty and fragrance. But—"

He paused, a deeper, unspoken meaning creeping into his voice: "—Unfit to be a pillar of society."

They are not fit to be pillars of society.

Plum blossoms brave the snow and frost, blooming in the cold winter, symbolizing an indomitable character and lofty integrity. Their fragrance is delicate and pleasant, making them suitable for appreciation, but if you get too close, you may feel alienated by their aloofness and coldness.

However, a pillar can withstand heavy pressure without breaking. While the plum blossom is beautiful, its branches are often crooked and rugged, lacking straightness and sturdiness, making it unsuitable as the core pillar of a temple. Similarly, while Gao Jian possesses talent, his temperament is too aloof and sharp, making him unfit to bear the responsibility of a "pillar."

He possesses plenty of integrity but lacks uprightness; he can be admired, utilized, and even used to embellish himself with his "fragrance," but his inherent "unconventionality," "intricacy," and uncontrollable "solitary bloom in the cold" destined him to be unable to become a well-ordered and reliable "pillar of the state" to support the imperial court.

Gao Jian listened without changing his smile, as if the sharp criticism had no effect on him. Instead, he followed up with interest, asking, "I see. Then, in Your Majesty's heart, what constitutes the pillar of the nation, the true backbone?"

The emperor in the darkness seemed to chuckle softly, and the answer slipped out, carrying an undeniable certainty:

"Isn't Minister Li Zoufang, whom you know, a pillar of the nation?"

Li Zoufang!
The emperor actually named him so directly and praised him as a "pillar of the state".

Hearing the emperor's affirmation of Li Zoufang, Gao Jian's face did not show admiration or agreement; instead, a very faint, almost imperceptible disappointment flashed across it. He gently shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of doubt:

"Is someone like Minister Li considered a pillar of the state?" This question was somewhat impolite. The emperor, hidden in the darkness, did not become angry. Instead, he patiently explained, "You have worked with him and should know. Without his constant mediation and balancing of the various factions in court, how rampant would those deeply entrenched aristocratic families be? It is precisely because Minister Li has devoted himself to suppressing and dividing the aristocratic families, both openly and covertly, that the authority of the court and my will have been able to barely suppress them and maintain this superficial balance and order."

Gao Jian paused for a moment, then had to admit, "That's true..."

He recalled the beginning of his cooperation with Li Zoufang. It was this Minister Li who, in order to strike at and weaken these local powerful families, chose Gao Jian, who was then rising to prominence, acting recklessly, and had grudges against the aristocratic families, as a pawn and a sharp weapon.

Li Zoufang's goal was clear and firm: to suppress powerful families, weaken local forces, strengthen central authority, and bring all power to the capital and to the emperor on the throne.

Gao Jian clearly understands this ideal and effort.

Unfortunately... man proposes, God disposes. All these grand plans were rendered inefficient and even tragically futile due to the emperor's own strange condition—a "strange illness," or rather, the predicament of being "separated from the living and the dead"—which made them seem like a lot of effort for little reward.

The current emperor, though possessing the title of supreme power, is unable to hold court frequently or command absolute authority. He remains merely a symbol, residing deep within the palace shrouded in the "living emperor's" power. Consequently, the strength of imperial power is greatly diminished.

Even under such unfavorable circumstances, Li Zoufang, through his superb political skills and unwavering conviction, prevented the power of aristocratic families from becoming completely rampant over the past eight hundred years. He truly played a crucial, pillar-like role, supporting this vast empire from collapsing completely from within.

Having sorted everything out, Gao Jian raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dense darkness to meet the figure on the dragon throne, and asked a crucial question: "So, Your Majesty, do you hope... that I will become another 'pillar of the state'?"

A brief moment of silence.

Immediately, the emperor's voice rang out again, this time with an unprecedented directness, even containing a barely perceptible urgency: "Yes. Your previous stab wound... eased my illness slightly." He frankly admitted that Gao Jian's stab wound had a subtle but positive effect on him, "Therefore, my dear minister..."

The emperor paused, as if gathering all his strength and expectation, and slowly asked the question that truly concerned him:
"Do you have any way to make me fully recovered?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall seemed to freeze.

The emperor laid out his "illness," the crux of which troubled him and even affected the entire empire's structure, before Gao Jian.

Upon hearing the emperor's question, Gao Jian's faint smile remained, as if he had expected this question.

His answer was crisp and clear:

"Have."

The figure in the darkness seemed to lean forward slightly, an invisible pressure spreading out: "What to do?" The emperor's voice carried an uncontrollable urgency.

Gao Jian said calmly, "The method is quite simple. It is to leave many, many knife wounds on His Majesty, not just the previous one." His words were calm, but the content was shocking: "The more severe the wounds, the stronger the power that sustains His Majesty."

He abruptly changed the subject, pointing out the cruelty of this method: "In that case, when His Majesty's 'illness' is cured, His Majesty himself will likely be critically injured and on the verge of death due to this persistent Dao injury. Moreover, this wound can never heal; once it heals, the connection weakens, and the illness will immediately return." He omitted the rusty knife, referring to it only as "knife wound" and "connection," but the meaning was clear: this was like drinking poison to quench thirst, exchanging continuous harm for temporary "normality."

Essentially, this is to use the "cause and effect" connection attached to the wound that is difficult to heal caused by the rusty knife to forcibly anchor the emperor's existence more closely to the present world, resisting the force that drags him to a state of "separation between the living and the dead," and using the status of the rusty knife to replace the connection of existence.

But the price is that the emperor will forever carry many "shackles" and "trauma" from his lofty views and rusty sword.

"What I want is a complete cure!" The emperor slammed his hand on the armrest of his dragon throne, his voice filled with anger and resentment.

How could an emperor tolerate his life and condition being controlled by a wound that would never heal?
Gao Jian remained silent, simply gazing at the darkness. He had offered a solution; whether the emperor accepted it or not was his own choice.

But the next moment, the surging anger in the darkness receded like a tide. The emperor had clearly realized something.

Yes, a complete cure may be a long way off, but... what about regaining some freedom? Rather than being trapped in this deep palace like a ghost, why not take back some initiative first! Even if I'm in shackles, as long as I can walk in the sunlight again and regain the power that has been put aside for so long, the price I have now doesn't seem so unacceptable!

In the darkness, the emperor's voice rang out again, now calm and even decisive: "This... will do." He compromised. "There's no need for a complete cure. Let's first restore my condition to about 50%, how about that? So that I can govern the country. As for the aftermath... we'll figure out a solution later."

Gao Jian bowed slightly: "It's my pleasure to serve you."

The deal is done at this moment.

Immediately, the emperor seemed to perk up, and he shouted in a deep voice, "Guards!"

Before the words were even finished, a figure appeared silently in the hall like a ghost, kneeling on one knee. The newcomer was fair-skinned and beardless, with eyes as sharp as an eagle's, and an aura that was restrained yet powerful. He was none other than a highly skilled eunuch who kept his abilities hidden in the palace.

The emperor's voice, carrying a long-lost imperial majesty and power, clearly commanded:

"Issue my decree to inform all departments to prepare for court ceremonies—"

He paused, then spoke each word with a resounding, metallic force, like the clash of metal against stone:

"Tomorrow, I will attend court!"

The kneeling eunuch suddenly raised his head, his face filled with extreme shock and disbelief, and he even forgot the strict etiquette of the palace for a moment!
Attending court?!?

The emperor has been afflicted with a strange illness and has been separated from the mortal world for many years, living in seclusion and rarely appearing in public, let alone holding a grand court assembly! Now, he is actually... actually going to hold court!?

Once this news spreads, it will be like a thunderclap, exploding across the entire capital! It will be enough to cause a violent shock to all the dormant forces and all the onlookers!

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, the eunuch bowed deeply and replied in a trembling voice filled with excitement:

"This servant... obeys the decree!"

The entire palace came to a standstill.

The imperial decree was issued, the order was promulgated, and many long-forgotten ritual objects in the palace were put to use. The news quickly reached the ears of the court officials!

That night, an imperial decree from the depths of the palace was destined to change the landscape of the capital. And Gao Jian was the one who would personally push open the door to change.

(End of this chapter)