Ti flies, in the blink of an eye, four decades have passed.
Since Great Chu unified the Central State, with the Shenwu Emperor on the throne, and the Holy Emperor ruling the world, no one dared to harbor dissenting thoughts. The world was stable and thus entered a golden age.
Under the emperor’s governance, the common people lived peacefully, rchants and travelers prospered, and scholarly pursuits flourished. The ailnts brought by thousands of years of warfare were resolved during this period.
The custom of competing for martial prowess in the civilian world gradually dissipated.
The once-common phenonon of martial artists defying the law was curtailed by the stern crackdown from the imperial governnt, becoming increasingly rare.
Major factions of Jianghu and the martial arts heroes slowly disappeared from view.
Especially after the scarcity of the Divine Blood Elixirs, the path of Martial Arts beca more arduous, and the ergence of new Inborn Grandmasters from among the younger generation beca increasingly difficult.
Apart from those forces that had deep roots and still possessed so Divine Blood Elixirs, there were no martial artists heard of who ascended to the Inborn rank.
During the zenith of the nation, there were nearly three hundred Inborn masters.
However, after a hundred years of Shenwu’s reign, only a little over a hundred remained.
Among them, most were avatars of the emperor.
The top powers of the world were overwhelmingly dominated by the court; sixty-four avatars of the emperor were scattered across the provinces, firmly suppressing the vast lands of Great Chu.
Facing this fearso force, the martial practitioners in the rural areas simply could not conceive the notion of rebellion.
Indeed, because the world was too peaceful, studying martial arts beca a fruitless endeavor once completed, with almost no opportunities available.
The military and official positions were already filled to the brim, leaving no openings for external martial artists.
On the contrary, those who studied for the imperial examination found many pathways to advancent through passing the tests.
Therefore, the once prevalent custom of practicing martial arts among the people gradually ceased in the golden age of Shenwu, as people preferred to study poetry and seek companionship in the pleasures of life.
The era of the imperial examination flourished.
Through successive changes of officials appointed by examination, the political dominance of the aristocratic families that had engulfed the Nine Provinces was replaced by scholarly officials who rose from the lower classes.
Interests shifted, and the nobility began to dissolve; the entangled local and central powers crumbled before the centralized governnt’s might.
A vast amount of land and wealth flowed from the hands of the aristocratic families to the common people.
Then, under Lu Yuan’s strict supervision, rather than re-concentrating, it was distributed more fairly among all the people of the world.
Everyone had fields to till, hos to live in; the moderately wealthy could study for examinations, and the poor could beco rchants to grow rich. Great Chu provided as many avenues for advancent as possible to everyone.
As a result, the world began to be filled with vitality.
This was the glorious Shenwu era, the world that everyone praised.
As the executor appointed by the emperor, who personally guided all these changes, the renowned Shenwu minister had completed his lifelong aspirations, and his life gradually ca to an end.
In Liang, at the Pri Minister’s residence,
As soon as the news reached the palace, Lu Yuan imdiately rushed to the mansion to see his old friend one last ti.
"Your Majesty..."
Sun Siwen lay on the bed, his hair and beard speckled with white, his face withered, the fla of life nearly extinguished within him.
This bleak sight made it difficult to imagine that this was the sa Shenwu minister who had been celebrated across the world for nearly a hundred years.
Now, as he looked at his friend, who was also a Wise Monarch, Sun Siwen showed a mixture of regret and contentnt: "Your Majesty is still so young, it seems that cultivation and Dao seeking are indeed enviable.
However, it is fine. This old minister has reached the end of his life and will have to go to Huangquan first and can no longer govern for Your Majesty.
But with Your Majesty here, this Shenwu golden age, these people of the world, need not worry.
To see the lifeti work that Your Majesty and I strived for continuing on, even in death, I have no regrets."
Even at this mont, Sun Siwen was still concerned about Great Chu and his good friend.
"Brother Sun..."
Lu Yuan looked at Sun Siwen’s frail body, a flash of pity crossing his eyes, almost bringing him to tears, but he held them back, simply holding his friend’s hand, offering him the warmth and comfort of his presence.
"Your Majesty need not grieve for , your old minister has lived long enough. My wife, children, even my grandchildren, all died before .
I miss them and wish to be with them again.
It is just that I can no longer accompany Your Majesty, leaving Your Majesty alone in this world... It might feel lonely, right...?"
Sun Siwen managed a weak smile, his voice growing fainter, and his breath weaker: "I dearly miss those days in town when Brother Lu and I would boil green plum wine, discussing grand matters together..."
His intermittent words ceased without notice.
In the half-closed eyelids of Sun Siwen, he seed to be taken back to one hundred and thirty years earlier.
The Nine Provinces were still there, Da Yue was still there.
In a snowy expanse, a spirited Hunter youth, carrying a gift, knocked on the door of his own ho,
and amidst his overwheld joy, he made a request to study.
That was the beginning of everything, how wonderful it would be if ti could go back to those days...
Amid his reminiscence, Lu Yuan personally closed his friend’s eyes, accompanying him through his last journey.
"Issue an order, posthumously bestow the title ’King Consort of the State’ upon Minister Sun, bury him with the rites of a king, enshrine him in the Grand Temple, and erect temples in every province to allow the people to offer sacrifices."
Lu Yuan, holding back his sorrow, let go of his friend’s hand, which was growing colder, and stood up to issue the decree.
He then ignored the gathering crowd of Sun Siwen’s sobbing great-grandchildren,
and headed straight back to the imperial palace.
There was no longer his friend, just a group of Sun’s descendants who kept a wary distance from him,
leaving Lu Yuan with one less person he held dear in this world,
bringing him profound grief.
Reviews
All reviews (0)