Chapter 24: This is the Voice of the Emperor

mperial gifts. These two broke in and locked the door from the inside. Who knows if they're looking for something or stealing something""You wretched girl, who cares about your worthless things!" the...About the land north of the endless sea, there are many stories and versions passed down through the world.

But no matter which version, it cannot be separated from the word "spiritual power".

Everybody possesses spiritual power, yet this continent now exists completely without any connection to it.

Or, so-called spiritual power, has already disappeared from this continent almost five hundred years ago.

Today, in the Northern Continent, people farm and raise families, living ordinary lives.

But it is said that five hundred years ago, there was spiritual energy present. People cultivated their spiritual energy, laying the foundation for themselves. Those who succeeded lived for at least a hundred years, and some even for a thousand.

That was the most glorious era of this continent, and also the era when humanity was most ambitious.

Everyone wants to become an immortal, everyone wants to borrow spiritual power to have greater abilities, a longer lifespan, and a higher status and more say.

Thus, they tirelessly cultivated their spirits, ceaselessly plundering the Earth's resources. A thousand years of lifespan was no longer enough to satisfy them; they craved ten thousand years, wanting to live as long as the Earth itself.

Wars between nations were frequent, and the Xiu Ling sects clashed endlessly. Finally, after a major battle, the earth's spiritual energy completely vanished. Overnight, the people of this continent had to change their way of life that had persisted for millennia. Without spiritual energy to cultivate, they laid down their arms and returned to civilian life.

There were no more spirit cultivating sects, no more human cultivators. People picked up swords and shields like mortals, dividing the world into nations.

Finally settled, but discovered that the originally ample lifespan also disappeared with the fading of spiritual power, and even became less.

Life span does not exceed one generation, everyone lives no more than sixty years old. No matter how healthy the body is, they will die when they turn sixty, unable to wake up after sleeping. Let alone those who are already sick, their lifespan is even shorter.

People began to panic, searching for every possible way to break out of this deadlock. Unfortunately, hundreds of years passed, and they achieved nothing.

Gradually, everyone got used to it. All hope was extinguished. They stopped resisting and began to compromise with the laws of nature, starting to live ordinary lives peacefully and contentedly.

All of this was common knowledge in the Northern Qi dynasty, so it wasn't important to the original owner. Because she thought it was unimportant, when Ye Wen borrowed her body to return as a soul, memories about this matter didn't immediately flood her mind.

Now that I think about it, I understand why Shi Li Yuan would be the only one in this world who uses magic along with him. It turns out that their spiritual energy has long been taken away. So-called magic is already a thing of legend.

"Fourth Sister" Yunchen called out to her, "What's on your mind, Fourth Sister"

She shook her head gently, "It's nothing, just thinking of my grandfather and father. They have quite a few years left before they reach sixty."

Yun Chen’s voice dropped a little, “General Ye Lao is fifty-three, General Ye Da is thirty-six, isn’t there still some time”

As they talked, the group had already arrived at the gate of the Chengguang Hall.

This Hall of Light is usually used for early morning court sessions. Right now, ministers dressed in white hats and mourning bands are gathered here to discuss which prince should inherit the throne.

Although some people wiped their eyes occasionally to show sorrow, as soon as the topic of the prince's succession came up, they immediately joined the debate, arguing fiercely with each other.

Wu Fei let out a sigh and said with some helplessness: "To these adults, the emperor's departure is just his departure, and mourning is just a show. What they truly care about is who the next new ruler will be. As for the deceased, they seem to be of little importance."

Behind him, the dazzling night scene took a step forward and let out a muffled hum, "So all the officials in Beijing are here, only this general is missing."

Finally, someone looked this way and saw the beautiful night view. He opened his mouth and asked: “Oh, isn’t this Young Master Ye from the Night family What brings you here”

The night scene was even more lively, “Why can't I come I am also a third-rank official, a martial general!”

"Is that so" The man pondered for a moment, then said, "Oh, I see, I almost forgot about this. But don't blame us, after all, you're a warrior who doesn't fight on the battlefield, you're really our Northern Qi's top figure. It's understandable that we wouldn't remember."

"You..." Ye Wan felt particularly embarrassed, and she really wanted to have a good talk with this person, but right now wasn't the time or place. She had to swallow her anger for now.

But just as he had managed to swallow his anger, someone else came to provoke him. Someone asked: "General Ye Er, what about your concubine Is the wound on her face healing My wife is acquainted with a nunnery outside the city. Why don't you take this opportunity and become a monk It's better than cutting your own throat."

The night scene was so lively that it made people's eyes roll. Everyone seemed on the verge of fainting. Just then, someone finally changed the subject, "Isn't that Night Sister Four How did she get to the Chengguang Hall Why is her face so pale There's no trace of blood at all. It's creepy to see her like this in the middle of the night!"

"Who is that over there It seems like it's the Imperial Inspector, Yun. How come he's standing with Ye Sijie Lord Yun always stays by the Emperor's side. Now that the country is in mourning, I don't know if the Emperor can even show his face. I haven't seen him in almost ten years."

The main hall was in disarray, with all sorts of things strewn about. Ye Wen stood still and listened, hearing how the conversation quickly shifted from her to the crown prince after a brief moment focused on her.

After all, compared to which prince should inherit the throne, her presence as a young woman in the palace was insignificant.

Ye Wan also joined the discussion. As a member of the Sixth Prince's faction, he naturally stood with those who supported the Sixth Prince.

You have to know, this group of people was originally very powerful because the Sixth Prince was the legitimate son. Among all the princes, he was the most likely to become the next ruler.

It's a pity that times have changed. The commotion at the front gate of Su Wangfu in the evening was witnessed by too many people. Although Su Wangfu had cleared everyone away at the first moment, quite a few people still saw the man's broken lifeline scattered on the ground.

Therefore, the most advantageous have now become the least advantageous, and they remain gathered here because someone is still present. Regardless of whether Sixth Prince has any hope, at least Empress Dowager is still here. No matter which prince ascends to the throne, Empress Dowager will be the Grand Empress Dowager. So we absolutely cannot harbor any dissent at this critical juncture, otherwise, explaining ourselves to Empress Dowager would be difficult.

It's indeed hard to explain. Everyone knows that Empress Li is a very shrewd empress. Ever since the previous empress died in childbirth twenty years ago, Li, who was only seventeen at the time, jumped from a lowly concubine position to become empress, which shocked many people.

That year, she hadn't yet given birth to the sixth prince. A concubine without a prince by her side was able to ascend to the position of empress. This shows that besides being extremely beautiful, Lady Li also possessed extraordinary means.

The grand hall was in an uproar, with people frequently coming to blows over the choice of heir to the throne.

Finally silencing the commotion, an eunuch shouted in a high-pitched voice: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

The great hall fell silent immediately.

But someone still spoke up: “Shouldn’t we call the Empress Dowager now”

Empress Li Xiao Han, thirty-seven years old, was the mother of Prince Quan Qing Lu.

Ye Wen followed the crowd in kneeling, glancing at Empress Li from afar. But he didn't expect that with just one glance, he would meet the piercing gaze thrown his way by Empress Li.

If looks could kill, Empress Li would probably be dead right now.

She touched her nose and met his gaze coldly. Even though they were separated by a crowd, she could still see the empress dowager's hands trembling uncontrollably. If it weren't for a large palace maid pressing down on her side, those hands would have shot out instantly to strangle her to death.

It's no wonder the Queen was frantic. With the Emperor dead and her son on the throne, after years of careful planning, their dream was about to come true. But at this crucial moment, her son exited the competition stage forever in such a way. Anyone would go mad!

But who can blame anyone

Ye Wenyan tilted his head back, though he was kneeling. This posture didn't look like a bow to the Empress at all.

Empress Li's jaw was clenched so hard her teeth were almost grinding together. The maid of honor, Bao Chan, gripped her arm tightly, her voice squeezed out from between her teeth: "Your Majesty must endure. Sixth Prince specially instructed us to never act rashly, or none of us will survive."

"Then I'd rather die!" Empress Li was also enraged, "For twenty years, I've been the empress since I was seventeen, and I gave birth to our son when I was nineteen. My whole life has been spent planning for this day. Now that everything is about to be realized, it's all ruined by a maid! How can I bear this I might as well die with her. I'll kill her, and then let the Emperor kill me!"

At this point, her gaze unabashedly went to Ye Wen's waist. Unfortunately, there were too many people blocking her view, so she couldn't see clearly. So she asked Bao Chan: "Can you see if the bell is still there Lu'er doesn't have a bell hanging on her waist, exactly the same as the one the Emperor once used"

From Baochan's point of view, the vantage point was good and his eyes were sharp. He tilted his head and looked for a while, then let out a soft "huh" "The bell is gone."

"Gone" Empress Li walked a few steps forward. The princes and ministers looked at her in confusion, their heads tilting upward.

"Baochan pulled her hand again, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Just because it's not here now doesn't mean it's not here at all. Perhaps she just put it somewhere else. Your Majesty, even if the Sixth Prince has given up hope, our lives must go on." She leaned into the Empress Li's ear, her voice softer, "The people of Duke Su's Mansion are not to be underestimated. Sister Hongzhuang is already pregnant, so we have to plan for the Crown Prince. Besides..."

She stopped speaking, for Empress Li had glared at her sharply, cutting her off.

The person kneeling before the lord couldn't hear what the master and maidservant above were saying, but Ye Wenyan understood their lip movements.

It seems she was right. The commotion she caused at the gate of Duke Shu's residence wasn't a big deal to anyone, and the reason was that bell Shi Lifeng had given her.

She leaned closer to Yun Chen and said, "It seems Shi Liyuan's deterrence is still quite strong."

Yun Chen didn't know why she came up with such a sentence, but the fact that the Emperor was imposing was undeniable. So he quickly said, "Fourth Sister is absolutely right."

The court officials have already begun to pressure Empress Li about the succession of the crown prince. Some suggested the eldest prince, but this was immediately met with opposition: "Are you joking The eldest prince is already forty years old, how many more years could he possibly rule as emperor"

There was also a suggestion for the third prince, but it was met with opposition.

Anyway, no matter which one you choose, there will always be someone to oppose it.

Just as people were arguing heatedly, suddenly a voice boomed down from above the main hall, as if it were pressing upon their ears —

"The new emperor is young, let the seventh prince Quan Qingcheng inherit the throne!"

Behold!

This voice is... the Emperor to its novelty, but holds little monetary worth on their own soil. 。Unless it's wax-resist dyeing made by a master craftsman, the rest commonly found on the market are not even worth stealing by thie...