As night falls, the capital city, already decorated with lights and colorful lights, becomes even more dazzling.
The imperial capital of Great Xia has ushered in the busiest time since the founding of the country. Even the original enthronement ceremony was far behind.
The stage in the center of the imperial city has already been set up. It is very large and can accommodate hundreds of people.
Famous actors, theater masters, and master chefs from all over the world are all backstage preparing makeup, tools, voice opening and other unique skills. They are all in a very excited mood. After all, they can perform their special skills in front of the emperor for no amount of money. thing.
As long as you perform better, there will be no need to worry about glory and wealth in the future.
The young children had already moved the benches and grabbed the best seats for the family, just waiting for the show to begin.
An Emperor Xia, wearing a nine-clawed golden dragon robe, was sitting at the top of the city, with a yellow umbrella above his head, illuminated by palace maids carrying lanterns. He was surrounded by various concubines, chatting about palace gossip.
The senior officials who were invited to the banquet looked proud. They were all respectable people. It was truly an honor to be able to enjoy the grand banquet and beautiful night scene in front of them with the emperor.
Yu Daocheng's hair was mostly white, and his face looked tired and old, but when he saw the scene in front of him, his eyes couldn't help but shine.
His eyes were shining brightly, and he was very satisfied with the scene of prosperity in front of him.
It has been ten years since he raised an army, from a pawn to a general, from a general to a king, and finally in the third year of becoming emperor, it was time for him to enjoy himself.
"Is the Emperor satisfied?"
Liu Longqing, the Minister of Household Affairs, and the Minister of Rites, both appeared in front of the emperor with smiles on their faces.
"You two dear ladies have done a good job. Come and give me a seat!"
Yu Daocheng laughed, stretched out his hand and asked the palace maid beside him to carry two wooden stools.
After Liu Longqing sat down, he continued with a smile: "All the respected old men from all over the country arrived. They all thought of His Majesty's kindness and clamored to meet the Emperor."
After hearing this, Yu Daocheng's smile became even stronger: "This meal cost me a lot of money. Tell them that I will accept their kindness!"
Just when Long Yan was in great joy and harmonious with the ministers, a clear female voice sounded from the side.
"Your Majesty, I'm here to see you."
A beautiful girl with almond eyes came to the top of the city. It was Pei Xiangyun, the princess of Xiangyun County.
At this time, she was wearing a rosy colored pleated skirt and walked over quickly.
When Yu Daocheng saw the visitor, he smiled and said, "Hey, it's Xiangyun girl here."
"Come, give me a seat."
The imperial guards around her all let her go. Everyone knew the reputation of Princess Xiangyun. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she was the little ancestor of the capital.
Pei Xiangyun smiled with apricot eyes and leaned in front of Yu Daocheng: "How can I not come to your happy birthday?"
In his early years, his father was the commander of the personal soldiers who accompanied the emperor. He was considered a brother who carried swords together. In terms of relationship, she should be the emperor's niece.
When Yu Daocheng looked at Pei Xiangyun, who was graceful and lively, he couldn't help but sigh:
"It's been so long since I last saw you. She's grown so much. She's becoming more and more sensible. It would be great if your sister could be as worry-free as you."
Pei Xiangyun is very attentive and can tell as soon as he hears it.
The emperor misses his family.
"Then I'll just stay with you. My sister is lost among the people and she never knows when she will come back." Pei Xiangyun comforted her with a soft smile.
In fact, she knew that her sister would probably not come back.
Last time she even tried to persuade him in person, but she couldn't persuade him.
"Okay, I accept your suggestion." Yu Daocheng said happily and touched Pei Xiangyun's head.
Thinking about it carefully, on this happy birthday, the emperor is alone and his children are not around. Anyone else would be inexplicably sad.
"Your Majesty, the show has begun."
Previously, Liu Longqing watched the emperor's relatives gather together, and he was obedient and did not disturb him. Now that the drama has begun, it is really time to give him a warning.
"Okay, let's watch the show together."
Yu Daocheng nodded and watched the show with Pei Xiangyun. It seemed like his daughter was right beside him.
When the show begins, the first scene is a troupe of jugglers. They are proficient in breathing fire, throwing knives with their eyes closed, juggling wine jars, swallowing swords and other stunts. The people watching are extremely thrilling.
The people below looked at it with great interest, clapped their hands and cheered. The emperor was also happy and gave a lot of money.
Even the Imperial Guards standing guard couldn't help but take a look at it with their peripheral vision, which can be regarded as a hidden privilege.
The only two exceptions were the two, who stared intently in and out of the play.
One person has a round head and a round head, a strong and broad body, carrying a shield and ax on her back, and the other is a tall woman, holding a red bow and wearing a mask. The two have black robes and red bird tattoos on their chests.
These two people are the remaining black turtles and cherry birds of the four masters.
Qin Hu looked at the Tianwu Sect, and they were guarding the Holy Lord, never leaving.
Except for Yunlong who has left far away, it is rare for the three major masters from the capital to gather together now.
After the acrobatic performance, a large curtain was put up, and several masters held small human-shaped pieces of paper.
Liu Longqing smiled and explained: "Your Majesty, here is the shadow puppet show."
Yu Daocheng nodded lightly and said: "Reward more. It's not easy for these artists. They have come all the way here."
"I understand, Your Majesty." Liu Longqing agreed.
Soon, the stage in the center of the entire imperial city went dark, and even many of the lights at the top of the city were extinguished.
Only the high platform built has so much light.
For any shadow puppet show, the lights need to be turned off and there should be no light around. Otherwise, the shadow puppets on the curtain will not be visible clearly, which will greatly affect the effect of watching the show.
But it was all in the dark, and something would inevitably happen. The imperial city was completely dark, and no one knew what was going on. Everything was silent.
Xuangui and Yingque both stared closely. The surrounding imperial guards were in darkness. Only the lantern beside the emperor had a bright light source. Because the field of vision became dark, the guards were worried and did not dare to be careless.
The emperor wants to see how well their imperial guards are doing, so they can only strengthen their protection work.
The shadow puppet show started immediately. The exquisite shadow puppets moved back and forth on the curtain. This was done by experienced masters with poles in the back. The performance was so lifelike.
The people below watched intently, and when the plot reached its climax, there was a burst of applause.
Even Yu Daocheng couldn't help but praise: "This shadow puppet dance is indeed very good. It is so vivid that it seems to be in front of your eyes. The performance is excellent and fresh to watch. It should be appreciated."
"Good work! You should be rewarded!" Liu Longqing immediately acted as a messenger and loudly explained to his officials.
The shadow puppets perform familiar classics such as Chang'e flying to the moon and Hou Yi shooting the sun.
Especially Hou Yi, whose appearance is extremely realistic, the size of a baby, and the big bow, which is made of fine animal skins, carefully painted paint, and the wooden poles are made of giant trees that are hundreds of years old. Everything is made of the best. How could it be careless when performing in front of the emperor?
There were ten suns in the sky, and Hou Yi was seen, leaning up and holding his bow, full of energy, as if shouting:
Glowing ones, one is enough.
At the critical moment, Hou Yi nocked his arrows and drew his bow, and he was about to shoot at the sun. Everyone was watching!
Everyone held their breath. At this time, Hou Yi suddenly turned around and pulled the full moon perfectly, but the direction was very wrong!
With a "whoosh" sound, the arrow speed was extremely fast, like a shooting star.
Go straight to the emperor in front of the city!
Everyone at the banquet, including master monks, high-ranking officials and minor officials, ordinary people, including Yingque and Xuangui, had their hearts beating fast and their faces were shocked.
Oops!
Someone wants to assassinate the emperor!
No one could have imagined that a little shadow puppet would actually come to life and want to assassinate the emperor. Even the two masters of foundation building, Yingque and Xuangui, could not react in time.
As soon as Sakura realized what she was doing, the arrow was already in front of the emperor.
The people around me tried to save him, but it was too late!
The bow is not big, and the arrows are not thick, but the arrows shot are strangely fast, and are inexplicably filled with a terrifying aura.
It's not ejaculated by ordinary people at all!
There is a faint smell of the ultimate foundation-building master, but Qin Hu has already checked, how could there be a master of foundation-building!
At the critical moment, when the arrow was about to reach Yu Daocheng, he was about to be shot to death.
Above the imperial capital of Daxia, a huge shadow of a dragon opened its eyes, entrenched itself in the capital, and became the Emperor of Xia.
This is the incarnation of the national destiny of Daxia. The Daxia dynasty belongs to fire. This is a golden dragon with red eyes.
The red-eyed golden dragon looks up to the sky and roars, and all evil spirits cannot get close.
The terrible arrow hit the dragon shadow, and immediately deflected and missed the target. It hit the head of a soldier of the Imperial Guard and his head exploded.
No matter what, Daxia is a unified dynasty in Zhongzhou, dominating the Kyushu. The Lord of Daxia has national destiny to protect his body and destiny. If it weren’t for the country’s ruins and the turmoil in Kyushu, and the little assassin trying to assassinate Daxia’s son, it would be impossible. It’s a fool’s dream!
"Escort! Escort!"
A group of imperial guards and guards reacted, surrounding the emperor on one side, and on the other side, the heavily armed imperial guards surrounded the central stage.
Yu Daocheng quickly recovered from his shock. After all, he had seen many big scenes. He acted calm and calm, stood up from the top of the city, faced the stage, and shouted:
"I am the Son of Heaven, and I will definitely receive God's help! How dare you assassins act so recklessly?!"
At this time, the two masters Xuangui and Yingque did not hesitate at all. They suddenly disappeared, took out their shields and axes, nocked their bows and drew arrows, and aimed at the assassin in the center.
I saw the old master on the stage, with overwhelming hatred in his eyes, looking up to the sky and shouting:
"Dog Emperor! I can't take your life, Master Crow Immortal can!"
After he finished speaking, the evil raven curse mark rose from his neck and soon covered his entire face.
A tall shadow rose slowly, with the head of a crow and a body, three heads and six arms, looking at the red-eyed golden dragon in front of him with sharp eyes.
The trident in his hand suddenly thrust out.
The red-eyed golden dragon roared and flicked its tail to fight back.
Yu Daocheng trembled and turned pale.
The fate of the country is precarious, and the shadow of the dragon is everywhere.
A silent battle began, no one could see or hear it.
Black Turtle and Sakura stepped forward one on the left and the other on the right, shooting an arrow from the red bow through the assassin's heart, and cutting off the assassin's head with a large axe.
"Long live Lord Crow Immortal!"
Before his death, the assassin screamed fanatically.
Xuangui stepped forward and touched the body, and said in surprise: "He is obviously just a mortal."
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you!"
At this time, the concubines, concubines, and ministers on the city wall were all panicked.
Yu Daocheng spat out a mouthful of dragon's blood. His face was pale, and his lips were even bloodless. He fell down and fell unconscious. No matter how many people around him screamed, he couldn't wake up, and his breath became weaker and weaker.
The giant shadow of the Crow Immortal in the void slowly disappeared.
However, the dragon shadow in the imperial city completely dimmed and slowly disappeared.
This time, no one wins.
After all, Daxia was not long after the founding of the country. This dealt a heavy blow to the already unstable national destiny. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was shaken.
It would be okay if it was a peaceful and prosperous age, where the country's fortunes would continue and the Dragon's Qi would not end, and it would just be enough to make up for it.
But now... Yu Daocheng may not be able to hold on for too long.
"Capture the assassin's accomplices! Execute them all!"
Seeing the emperor in this state, the commander of the imperial army took the lead in drawing out his sword and roared angrily.
If the emperor dies after this battle, then everyone involved in this banquet will be involved. The shadow puppet troupe, the officials of the Ministry of Rites, and the imperial city guards will all be in danger!
"Chi, chi, chi!"
Groups of black-armored forbidden troops came forward with spears and imprisoned all the troupes present, including officials wearing various robes.
They all cried bitterly and shouted that they were wronged. Many people also scolded the assassin for daring to assassinate the emperor at the state banquet on his 60th birthday. You don't want your life, but we still want our lives!
It seemed that the people in the shadow puppet troupe didn't know anything about it. The assassins killed them, and these people could only kneel on the ground, begging for their lives.
The Minister of Rites was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground. Not to mention the black gauze hat, he was probably dead.
"Take them all!"
The commander of the imperial army had no sympathy for these officials and said indifferently.
The Minister of Rites seemed to have lost his soul, his eyes were dull, and he was seized and taken away by the imperial army.
The officials and concubines on the top of the city were also frightened and their faces turned pale. They were afraid that they would be taken away too, so they ran away and slipped away. Some ministers also came forward to see the emperor's condition, but they were stopped by the imperial guards. Stopped.
Liu Longqing, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, had eyes flashing, his arms were pressed down by the imperial guards on the left and right, but he did not panic, but murmured from the corner of his mouth:
"It's a mess, it's a mess."
He is one of the organizing officials and will definitely be held accountable.
A wonderful sixtieth birthday, celebrated by the whole country, turned into a lively scene of crying for father and mother to recognize relatives.
Pei Xiangyun looked at the chaotic imperial city and had not yet reacted.
Until the emperor was assassinated, she was stunned and her head was empty.
Later, the emperor vomited blood and fell to the ground. Before he could even take a look, he was escorted away by the palace doctors.
There was only one frightening thought in her mind.
The emperor is dead, what will Daxia do?
...
The lively crowd in the imperial city quickly dispersed, some were walking, some were escaping, and some were being escorted away.
Soon the street became deserted, which was very different from the cheerful scene an hour ago.
Some are just lanterns of various colors, shining alone.
For the Imperial City, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
A woman wearing a headscarf and veil walked to a deserted corner, glanced at the messy stage, looked at the piles of broken shadow puppets on the ground, and the dirty curtain, and slowly stepped forward.
She picked up an inconspicuous shadow puppet and took out a folded black talisman from behind the shadow puppet.
"It's a little short, but it's enough. Although this crow talisman can improve people's strength, it will cost people's lives. It's a pity."
She glanced at the desolate streets and said with a faint smile: "The fate of the country has been severely damaged. Let's see if you can survive tonight."
...
