Liu Zhongwu looked at the new couplet and couldn't laugh or cry for a moment.
The whole character must be a simple character, and the idea is concise and to the point. On the surface, the couplet is a minor cover-up, but in the dark, it is naturally meant to be "higher" than the student. Those who are higher than the pillars of the country are naturally the figures in the palace. Behind praising the students for their great powers is to insinuate that those in power stir up war. It's a pity that everyone has seen countless such cheap and cliched conspiracy theories on the street stalls. It's such a big holiday. It's probably some ungrateful "outside the world" who uses the unpredictable methods of the three-legged cat at hand. Just sensationalizing.
"That's it!" Liu Zhongwu laughed, "Chen Zhima's rotten-millet tone may make His Highness the Prince feel angry and hurriedly seek to settle accounts with that person..."
His voice gradually became quieter. Yan Qi was still staring at the new couplet, with a gloomy look on his usually unscrupulous face.
Situ Yi hurriedly asked: "Why are Yan Qi worried?"
"Two idiots!" Yan Qi's deep voice was full of anger, "You can't see through the appearance even if you are wearing a layer of lantern riddles? One appearance, one interior, one in and one out, this is the same old trick. .He does basic 'Maze'!"
Liu Zhongwu said "Ah" and suddenly realized. Mazes are one of the common memes in the myths of various countries. Mythological heroes often encounter "difficulties" such as mazes that cannot be exited and mazes that cannot be penetrated during their adventures, and they get out of them with the help of others or magic weapons. The characteristics of the maze are as Yan Qi said, either there are two layers inside and outside, or there is an original way in and out. The person setting up the formation used lantern riddles as "obstacles" and used the terrain to create conditions for entry and exit. It was precisely this technique that was completed without leaving a trace...
"The maze technique is used to 'protect' or 'conceal' something. When we get out of the maze, we will definitely get something." Liu Zhongwu tried hard to keep up with his thoughts, "But we found nothing..."
"Because that thing was taken away by Chi Zijing!" Yan Qi slapped him hard on the back of the head, "Hurry up and tell me what nonsense you are talking about! Forget it!"
"What's your attitude..."
Yan Qi became unusually irritable, and Liu Zhongwu was full of resentment. He thought, you have always been a lawless master, why are you so worried about royal affairs now? You changed your mind and became a loyal minister and asked me to help you. What's the matter?
But the complaints in his heart did not hinder the movements of his hands. He had always been a person who could distinguish priorities. Eight talismans were cast to stabilize all directions, golden and gray lines were intertwined to form hexagrams, and the Feng Shui compass for calculating fortunes appeared at Liu Zhongwu's feet in the blink of an eye. Situ Yi took out a paper figure from his sleeve and walked around the compass to replicate the path of Chi Zijing's previous actions. Liu Zhongwu pinched the secret in his hand and read in his mouth: "The four directions transport the power, and the universe borrows the law. The whereabouts are determined, and the true traces appear." !”
The golden and gray threads in the compass jump up at any command, weaving into an abstract human face without facial features. The faceless mouth didn't move, and a voice squeezed out from the gap between its lips:
"Before mid-March, west of the Albinos Mountains. The intensity will be controlled below 500 people. You will take the initiative to attack."
"Around the 13th of this month, a batch of new armors will take the secret passage in the Northern Wilderness Grassland. Wait for the opportunity."
"The concept of biomodification technology is excellent. I hope you will study it carefully and conduct experiments next month."
…
"The intensity has dropped in recent years. I hope you can try to boost the morale of the troops. Remember, the war will not stop."
Liu Zhongwu stared blankly, and the sounds went in and out of his ears, empty like a gust of wind, leaving confusion swirling in his mind.
What is this talking about? very messy. It seemed like they were discussing war. This voice sounds familiar... I don't understand it. This action also looks a bit familiar... It seems that His Highness the Crown Prince has used it... Yes, the technique of transmitting sounds into secrets in the Red Emperor's martial arts...
Suddenly he remembered that this was His Majesty's voice.
This is the voice of Emperor Chongxiao.
Then, his once-frozen brain resumed functioning, and shock and panic rushed into his heart like a flood. He got it. He understood it all. The lights shining all around were like phantoms in a nightmare, and the face of his friend beside him was ashen. Before he could react, his body made a move. Liu Zhongwu rushed forward like a madman to tear the chattering face.
Yan Qi grabbed his arm, and Liu Zhongwu's roar was as weird as a wild beast: "Destroy it! You can't let it stay... You can't let this thing stay!!!"
Yan Qi's voice was as quiet as a pool of stagnant water: "That's the emperor's voice. Do you know what he is saying?"
"I don't know!" Liu Zhongwu roared, "This is a divination error! It's a magic accident! It's ruined!"
"Yan Qi, don't be impulsive. It may not be what you think!" Situ Yi also panicked at this time. Liu Zhongwu's move is correct. Some things must not be made public. Those things are secrets that must be brought into the coffin and must not be known to others!
"You don't understand, let me tell you." Yan Qi said word by word, "That was Emperor Chongxiao discussing with Hezhong how to fight the next battle."
Liu Zhongwu and Situ Yi looked pale and speechless. Yan Qi breathed slowly, and his sounds were as heavy as the roars of wild beasts in the dark. He let go of Liu Zhongwu's arm and turned around silently.
The three people who had gone out earlier were walking this way. Qin Qianbai was running at the front, holding packed food in his hand: "Uncle Yan, I brought it for you..."
She froze for a moment, and her outstretched hand stopped in mid-air. The impression of the young man in black changed. The lines on his face were tense, like a piece of hard black steel. Under the cloth covering the eyes, a cold gaze that should not exist came out, as if something darker than the night was restrained in the human body, causing people unspeakable fear. It feels like standing on the edge of a cliff...
It's like staring into a human-shaped abyss!
She suddenly understood what Gongsun Ce said. This man had an abyss-like terrifying power sealed in his body, but he had always controlled it very well, not letting any of his malice leak out. But the restriction was lifted in front of Fang Qian, the darkness at the bottom of the cliff jumped up, and the violent and ferocious power was about to burst out, swallowing up everything around it!
"Yan Qi, hold still." "Yan Qi, don't scare the children!"
Qin Ming and Gongsun Ce stood in front, one on the left and the other on the right, holding Yan Qi's shoulders. The young man in black adjusted his breathing silently. After two breaths, all the previous abnormalities disappeared and he became the ordinary ruffian again.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it." Yan Qi's voice was hoarse. He took the packed Yuanxiao from Qin Qianbai's hand and wanted to pat the girl's head. After noticing the panic on her little face, he silently retracted his hand.
He took a few steps forward and distanced himself from everyone: "Qin Ming, is that the Red Emperor's martial arts?"
"Yes." Qin Ming said, "But there is more than one member of the Red Emperor's royal family..."
Yan Qi didn't listen anymore, "Where did Chi Zijing go?"
Gongsun Ce narrowed his eyes: "What are you going to do-"
"I asked you where Chi Zijing went!" Yan Qi shouted loudly, his voice like thunder.
Qin Qianbai was so frightened that she covered her ears. Gongsun Ce protected the girl and calmly replied: "He went to the palace in the sky."
In an instant, the young man in black disappeared, and then a long-suppressed gasp sounded. Liu Zhongwu almost collapsed to the ground, Situ Yi's face was paler than before, and Qin Ming stared at the face that had not disappeared.
Qin Qianbai grabbed Gongsun Ce's clothes and his voice trembled slightly: "Yan Qi... what's wrong..."
Gongsun Ce touched her head.
"Don't be afraid, your Uncle Yan is in a bad mood." He said softly, "He is a child who has not grown up. He will go crazy if he is unhappy. But he doesn't know that other people are in the same bad mood."
·
Moon, Taiqing Palace.
Chi Zijing hurriedly walked out of the teleportation formation. He came in such a hurry that he was even wearing clothes for outing. But the master in charge of etiquette in the palace did not dare to stop His Royal Highness. The child's gaze was like a quietly burning fire, exactly like his father when he was angry, which made people feel frightened.
Chi Zijing didn't have time to care about those bullshit masters. He had more important things to do, more important than anything else. He swept through the dark palace like a gust of wind, and the candlelights in the entire palace trembled crazily at his arrival. In just a few seconds, Chi Zijing arrived under the throne. His suppressed roar shook the earth: "Dad! Wake up!!"
The man on the throne did not wear a crown or court dress. He only wore black clothes like a martial arts uniform. He closed his eyes and meditated on the chair of power. He opened his eyes, his pupils were like a gloomy night.
"Zijing, what kind of attire is this?" the emperor said, "Is this how you dress to see your father?"
Chi Zijing slammed a faceless man's mask to the ground: "Forget about the clothes, look at this!"
The mask fell to the ground, and its mouth moved naturally, repeating what Yan Qi and others had heard before. The emperor on the throne listened quietly without saying a word until all the recordings were played.
"Oh, this is your holiday gift to dad?" he said, "But what do you want to express with this thing?"
Chi Zijing stared blankly at his father, who was as silent as the abyss, and couldn't even say a word for a while. His face turned red due to the surge of blood, and all the shock and rage he had tried to suppress burst out at this moment.
"Dad, do you still have time to joke? Are you fucking crazy?! I want to ask you if this is true!" He breathed rapidly, "I want to ask you if this war is about you He is pushing it behind the scenes, dad!"
The young man's roar echoed in the hall, sounding like distant thunder. The voice of the man on the throne was no different from before.
"Zijing, you asked a stupid question that shouldn't be asked. You are already eleven years old this year. With your talent and hard work, you should be able to hear my father's martial arts from this voice and confirm my father's martial arts. Identity... Now that you know the result, you shouldn't ask questions knowingly. This shows that you don't trust your own wisdom and judgment, and you think you are a fool.
And if you cannot confirm the authenticity on your own, it means that you have fallen behind in practice recently. You also take the initiative to let your father know about your laziness. Isn't this even more stupid? "
He glanced at his son and said calmly: "Dad doesn't mind giving you a useless answer. This was a recording from two years ago and was said by dad himself. Now that you know the answer, your homework will be doubled next month." ”
Chi Zijing stood motionless on the spot, the anger, shock and confusion that drove him here seemed to have been pulled out of the body by the emperor, and his strength also left the body. He lowered his head, like a child who had done something wrong, saying yes again and again.
"Yes, Dad, you are right. I should believe in myself. I will step up my practice in the future...I...I will definitely..." He raised his head suddenly, "Is now the time to talk nonsense? !Dad, what on earth are you stirring up!"
"What do you want to say?" Emperor Chongxiao said.
"We are talking about the secret war. We are talking about his killings and bloodshed!" Chi Zi shouted hoarsely, "This war has been going on for almost ten years. I don't know, tens of thousands of people died on the border. I don't know. How many people have suffered indirectly and directly because of the war, and there are still crazy plans for the war being carried out all over the world. They all thought they were going to protect their homeland! But it turned out that you were leading all of this behind the scenes... Is Secret War a shameful deal? Do you think war is a game? Do you think you are the big devil in the game?"
Chi Zijing waved his hands excitedly: "Father, you have to stop this battle now! We can't let innocent people die anymore!!"
Emperor Chongxiao waited patiently for him to finish venting before standing up from the throne. His tall and burly body was illuminated by the candlelight, casting a dark shadow that completely covered his son.
"Zijing, dad always thought you were a smart and capable child. But your performance today has disappointed dad very much." He said coldly, "What do you think war is? Do you think war can be divided into good and evil, and fighting is still Is it high or low?"
"Stupid!" He raised his voice, with an irresistible majesty in his scolding. "War is a means of rule, and it is the blood that must exist for the long-term stability of the empire. When your country relaxes in the long-term peace, you will be obese. Like a patient waiting to die in bed, you have to use war to consume the population, remove the dirty blood, use external pressure to force your people to change the system, and use the crisis of death and bloodshed to force them to use their brains. Make this huge country stronger. Until the war completes the tasks you gave it, you can bring it to an end... with your authority, wisdom, and your strength!"
Chi Zijing was shocked by the scolding and had no idea for a moment: "What nonsense are you talking about..."
"When you hear something you don't understand, you are going to give up thinking." The emperor said coldly, "Then dad will help you think about it. If there is no secret war, how can dad have reason to promote new people and drive out useless trash? The imperial court? How can I force the empire's technology to develop rapidly and catch up with Hezhong? What reasons can I use to get Fan Dingjie to agree to release the largest disorder factor and enrich this unprecedented inner sect of Taixue? And how to use it? What means can be used to control the conflicts that will eventually intensify among many countries?"
"But...but..." Chi Zijing's voice trembled, "But this is war..."
The emperor sighed and suddenly showed an angry look: "Fucking Chi Zijing, have you practiced martial arts and become a woman?! You are the future emperor of the empire, and you must have the emperor's perspective! For the common people, war is unforgivable. And for the common people, war is unforgivable. Emperor of the Empire, if the 'overall situation' requires it, war is something you must do!"
"How do you know this is necessary?" Chi Zijing also roared, "How do you know you won't do anything wrong!"
"Use your ministers as your eyes, use your military officers as your sword, and then rely on your own wisdom to judge." The emperor said, "Zijing, you must remember. When you become the emperor, Then no one can make a decision for you... You have to make the absolutely correct judgment on your own, you can only rely on yourself!"
On their own? Do you decide on your own whether to go to war? Determine the lives of 2 billion people... determine their future, determine their fate?
2 billion people. 2000000000. Chi Zijing raised his head in a daze and saw many people and many corpses behind his father. The flesh and blood were blown away by the grenade, the heart was penetrated by the bayonet, and the body was beaten by the impermanent method. So many deaths and so much blood were piled on the border of the empire, but only because of one word.
Because the emperor decided the war.
"What about the blood that people shed? What about the people who died and were injured in the process? Who will bear their pain... who will?"
He looked into his father's dark eyes. He got it.
"No." Chi Zijing stepped back step by step, "I don't want...I don't want people to die..."
He shed tears and cried: "I will never be this emperor until I die!! I don't want to die either!!!"
Chi Zijing ran away in fear. When he came, he looked like he was chasing a murderer for thousands of miles, but when he left, he ran away like a prodigal dog.
Emperor Chongxiao didn't say anything. He sat down on the throne again and watched his son become a very small dot in his field of vision until he disappeared.
A trace of white light appeared in his eyes, and the pale white light was like a nail embedded in the emperor's pupils. Not only did it not dissipate, it became more intense. Emperor Zhongxiao closed his eyes silently, locking the light in his pure black eyes.
"Don't be impatient..." he whispered.
Outside the palace, Chi Zijing, who was running out, passed by another person who came to the palace. Yan Qi didn't look at the crying prince. He silently walked up the steps until an old man in rich clothes stopped in front of him.
"Yan Qi, go back." Zhang Hongzheng said.
"It's none of your business."
"I know you have a lot to say." Zhang Hongzheng grabbed his disciple's shoulders, "But this is the palace, let's go back to Taixue first-"
Yan Qi pulled out the brush fiercely, and a wave of ink appeared in his hand.
"Get away!"
