Chapter 1686: Its Name Shall Be Song (II)

Li Jiangliang respectfully obeyed, and helped him don his imperial ceremonial robes.

The reincarnation of True Essence, a man of immeasurable nobility, said indifferently, "When the region of Lixia was poisoned by the Great Desire Dao, it was I who ordered that not a single person be killed. Once I gave the command, all the cultivators followed it without question. You alone urged me not to allow the corrupted survivors to enter the prefectures. It is plain to see who is loyal and who merely flatters me."

Li Jiangliang hesitated for a moment. Rather than reaching for the next sash, he knelt and said softly, "Your subject is too foolish to understand... Since your majesty possesses the power to cleanse them, why not employ your mystics to liberate them all in a single sweep, and eradicate the karmic energy of the Golden Lotus? Why allow them to enter the prefectures instead... I fear heterodox cults will rise again in Lixia, leaving the region in unrest for the next hundred years."

Yang Zhuo regarded him calmly and replied, "Those inhabited by the karmic energy of the Golden Lotus have already been changed, and what has been changed cannot simply be undone. It is as though they have spent all these years studying its scriptures. Even after the Great Desire Dao withdraws, they remain people who have been beguiled. Once a person has seen a ghost, even if I drive the ghost away, I cannot restore the state of mind he possessed before seeing it, unless I tamper with his soul.

"True devotion can only arise freely from one's own heart. If someone chooses to believe in Buddhism, and you use mystics to change him, then you are no different from a Buddhist cultivator.

"Remaking the people of the world according to one's own will belongs to the Dao lineage of the Wei Emperor and the Sheji, not the Dao of Tianwu. When the Great Desire Dao poisoned the land, the people of Lixia had no freedom to disbelieve. Now that I rule, they have the freedom not to believe in me. Since the Great Desire Dao has departed, I will let them choose for themselves."

Li Jiangliang could only lower his gaze and reply, "Your subject spoke rashly."

Still kneeling on the floor, he picked up a pair of white jade boots adorned with profound patterns.

Yang Zhuo raised one foot and said, "Now that the new dynasty has been established, your father can oversee the north, but the Jiaozhi people cannot be allowed to slip from our grasp. We must appoint a Protector-General. Since Liu Bai is a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator and possesses the military tally of Chu State, you will travel to Jiaozhi and have him take command of its defenses.

"As for the name of the protectorate..."

He paused, and Li Jiangliang respectfully said, "We have discussed the matter. Jiaozhi overlooks Shitang and bears responsibility for pacifying the entire sea. Under the Song Dynasty, it may be named [Tranquil Sea]."

Yang Zhuo's pupils widened slightly at those words, and he frowned. "You know nothing of such matters... The word [Tranquil][1] is unsuitable. It violates the name taboo of an exalted one. Replace it with [Stillness][2]. Govern the protectorate through stillness, bringing stability and everlasting peace. It shall be called the [Stillness Sea Protectorate]."

Li Jiangliang dared not ask which exalted one's name the word offended. He hastily acknowledged the command, "Yes!"

He settled firmly onto his knees, and raised the imperial crown with both hands.

It was round at the front and square at the back, with twelve tassels in five colors. Li Jiangliang bowed his head as low as possible.

Naturally, he was not qualified to place the imperial crown upon Yang Zhuo's head himself.

Yet the man who was about to ascend the throne as Emperor of Song held the crown in silence.

He stared at it as he said coldly, "The imperial mandate... originated with Wei, and the imperial crown was likewise modeled after that of Wei. It is round in front and square in the back, symbolizing the pivot of utmost Yang between heaven and earth. Its twelve tassels in five colors represent the Five Virtues and Twelve Essences.

“Qi and Liang merely imitated their predecessor. One possessed [Radiant Essence], while the other possessed [Boundless Essence], each no more than one of Wei's Twelve Essences, yet both wore this same imperial crown."

"Now that [True Essence] has achieved the Dao, how can adopting the institutions of Wei be justified?"

A chill ran through Li Jiangliang's heart. These imperial rites were not something Li Jiangliang had devised on his own authority. Every detail had been confirmed with Yang Tianyou, and their origins could be traced all the way back to Yang Ruiyi... Yang Zhuo's question might not have been directed at him at all!

Yet even if the question was not truly meant for him, he still had to answer. He respectfully replied, "Your majesty, the Imperial Monarch transcended worldly affairs and ruled with effortless ease. Although Ning acknowledged the calendar and legitimacy of Wei, it was jointly established by the various great houses and adopted the twelve tassels in five colors. Now that True Essence has been restored, it is only proper to follow the old institutions."

"The Imperial Monarch." Yang Zhuo raised a brow and said, "Those who cultivate immortality hold the word [True] in the highest regard. They seize the creative power of heaven and earth and thereby attain Truth. Tianwu became emperor because he attained Truth. He did not attain Truth by becoming emperor. That is why he is commonly addressed as True Monarch. Is this notion of an imperial mandate not therefore superfluous?"

Cold sweat gradually broke out across Li Jiangliang's body. He could only answer respectfully, "It is merely to bring peace to the realm!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Yang Zhuo placed the imperial crown upon his head, and Li Jiangliang knelt beside him. Dense clouds billowed past in ethereal currents, and he knew that the Emperor of Song was steadily descending through the white qi.

The Emperor of Song stopped before the doors of the hall and rested one hand against them.

He said calmly, "You call him the Imperial Monarch, yet you do not understand that he sought Truth, not emperorship. The so-called 'Rectify one's nature and restrain desire' was the work of his predecessor, whose benevolence and might were said to be boundless. Yet who knows for whom that benevolence was meant? It was certainly not for the common people. If the common people had mattered more than the pursuit of Truth, why would he ever have left this realm?"

Li Jiangliang had no idea how to answer. He could only watch as Yang Zhuo strode out of the great hall. Thunderous cries erupted outside as water and fire surged. The sky glowed in rich shades of green, filled with countless streams of profound light.

One brilliantly colored serpent after another dropped from the sky and slithered across the immaculate white steps. The purple qi before Li Jiangliang grew increasingly dense. He felt the cold, clammy serpents coil around his arms and crawl past him in droves.

Strangely, he felt not the slightest joy. There was only endless bewilderment, accompanied by an inexplicable sense of disbelief. Was the heroic wanderer who had drunk with him and spoken from the heart during that journey south all those years ago... truly this Emperor of Song?

If pacifying Yue State and founding a dynasty were never what you sought, how did this mighty tide of events ever come to pass? Would the Yang Zhuo of those days ever have spoken such words... Your majesty... What are you truly trying to do?

Outside, bells and cauldrons sounded in unison as the officiants proclaimed the rites, seemingly proceeding with the conferral of titles and rewards. Their faint voices barely reached him. Li Jiangliang remained kneeling inside the hall as the white mist around him swiftly dispersed, leaving the women's bodies standing motionless within.

Their bodies had long since crystallized like jade, transformed into flawless stone. Yet their fair skin retained a delicate flush, and a subtle peach fragrance drifted from them. Their eyes appeared so vivid that each seemed ready to move at any moment.

He rose slightly, keeping his lowered head turned toward the emperor as he quietly withdrew through the side of the hall. Once outside, he knelt again.

Dong!

A profound peal of the bell suddenly rang out. As the assembled officials kowtowed, tens of thousands of white cranes descended from the sky. Their wings carried them over the countless cultivators kneeling on the ground before they fluttered down onto the lower terrace, landing among the thousands of male and female descendants.

The white cranes were enormous, bringing with them roaring gales and surging currents of water and fire. Yet the kneeling men and women noticed nothing, allowing the cranes to descend and perch one by one upon the nearby lamp pillars.

Dong!

The assembly kowtowed once more. Each enormous white crane among the crowd rose upon a single leg and spread its vast wings in time with the pealing bells and cauldrons, completely concealing the men and women beneath them. Nothing remained below the steps but an endless expanse of white.

The ivory wings merged seamlessly with the pale sky above, dazzling Li Jiangliang and forcing him to lower his head at once.

"Heaven's ordained succession descended through cultivation and martial achievement. A realm was established along the Huai; disorder was quelled; and the people were delivered from suffering for many years... After Tianwu departed this world, that legacy came close to collapse...

“Now, amid this year's upheavals of water and fire, their essential nature has gathered within my body, while the immortal writ has proclaimed the way before me. I shall once more pursue the twin achievements of cultivation and martiality... Entrusted with ruling over the myriad people, I shall found a dynasty, enfeoff kings, fulfill the hopes of the great houses, and establish the realm as its emperor..."

The magnificent immortal proclamation echoed through the air as boundless water and fire surged across the heavens.

Yang Zhuo stepped forward and calmly declared, "Its name shall be Song."

Dong!

Li Jiangliang raised his head once again. It was the darkest hour before dawn. The moonlight had faded, and the sun had yet to rise, yet a star as brilliant as the sun suddenly blazed, illuminating the world like a deity of the profound heavens silently gazing down upon the earth.

The radiance was dazzling, yet Li Jiangliang could not keep tears from welling in his eyes.

The Star of Cultivation and Martiality shone bright!

Buzz...

In an instant, heaven and earth were flooded with brilliance, and the great void reverberated. Water and fire intertwined, sending turmoil throughout the world. Every cultivator in Jiangnan raised their head toward the sky, then exchanged terrified glances!

The celestial phenomena have changed!

The great void was even more astir. One radiance after another emerged within the empty, uninhabited darkness. Some figures raised their fingers to divine the cause, while others pondered gravely with lowered eyes, saying nothing.

The spiritual aura has shifted...

Yet beneath the great hall, there was only fear. Even the Daoist Masters waiting before the hall lowered their eyes and remained silent.

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out nearby, respectful and solemn, "The Ning Family... presents your majesty with a set of dragon sinews!"

1. The raw used the character [靖] (jìng) which means tranquil, quiet, etc. ☜

2. The raw used the character [静] (jìng) which means still, calm, etc. It has very similar meaning to [靖] (jìng) but [静] (jìng) is a more common everyday word while [靖] (jìng) is formal, literary, or found in names and historical terms. ☜

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