eurekapd Chapter 34 The Sigh of Emperor Qian, the Elusive Immortality
Chapter 34 The Sigh of Emperor Qian, the Elusive Immortality
Deep within the imperial palace, inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Unlike the oppressive atmosphere outside, which seemed to foreshadow an impending storm, this place was deathly silent.
The air was filled with a strong medicinal smell, mixed with the fragrance of sandalwood.
But this could not conceal the decaying aura of life nearing its end.
The elderly Emperor Daqian, Li De, was lying quietly on the large and luxurious dragon bed.
His life was like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
His eyes, once filled with majesty and wisdom, were now clouded and murky.
Looking out the window at the moon obscured by dark clouds, his eyes were filled with disappointment and exhaustion.
He knew that his sons were currently out there, fighting to the death for the throne.
For this reason, they even turned the country they had built up into a mess.
These days, they take turns coming to "visit" his dying father.
They knelt before the bed, tears streaming down their faces, uttering words of filial piety that moved heaven and earth.
But Li De's eyes, though cloudy, still saw through people's hearts clearly.
Beneath their sorrowful expressions lay an immense eagerness and greed.
None of them came to visit him out of genuine concern.
What they brought wasn't some life-saving medicine, but bowls of herbal soup urging him to depart sooner.
How ironic!
He was the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, the ruler of the world!
Now, they don't even have the power to decide their own life or death.
"Cough...cough cough..."
A violent cough caused his already frail body to tremble violently.
He felt that his life was slipping away rapidly.
He knew he probably wouldn't make it through the night.
Ah, back in the day, he was a Grandmaster, how glorious he was, suppressing the entire world.
Even a grandmaster, with world-destroying power, cannot achieve immortality.
Grandmasters and great grandmasters both have a lifespan of three hundred years, and the prospect of immortality is very far off.
"Someone come...someone come..."
Li De used his last bit of strength to let out a weak call.
An old eunuch who had been waiting by the side rushed forward and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, this old servant is here."
"Reveal...reveal my imperial edict..."
Emperor Qian, panting heavily, spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Summon Wang Jian, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards... and... and the Ninth Princess... Yuechan... to come before me immediately... there must be no mistake..."
Upon hearing this, the old eunuch's body trembled violently.
Wang Jian, the commander of the Imperial Guards, is the most loyal confidant whom His Majesty personally promoted.
But... Ninth Princess?
The Ninth Princess, who lost her mother at a young age and was almost forgotten by everyone in the deep palace?
Your Majesty, why did you summon her before your death?
Although the old eunuch was filled with doubt, he dared not be negligent in the slightest. He quickly bowed and withdrew to personally convey the imperial decree.
Half an hour later, Wang Jian, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and Princess Li Yuechan, the Ninth Princess, entered the palace filled with an aura of death, one after the other.
Looking at her father, who was on his deathbed and both familiar and unfamiliar, on the dragon bed, Li Yuechan's delicate body trembled involuntarily.
Perhaps it was excitement, perhaps it was reluctance; it was a very complex emotion.
"Wang Jian... Yuechan... you've arrived..."
Emperor Qian's voice was so faint that it was almost inaudible.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
"Your subject greets Your Majesty."
The two of them knelt down on the ground.
"Everyone...get up..."
"Wang Jian, you stand guard at the door. No one is allowed to approach."
"I... have some things I need to say to Yuechan alone."
Emperor Qian gestured.
"My lord, I obey your order!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Jian rose and retreated outside the hall, standing guard like a door god.
Inside the hall, only the father and daughter remained, spending their first true moment alone together before their deaths.
Emperor Qian's cloudy gaze fell on his youngest daughter.
He saw the timidity and unease in her eyes, and a pang of guilt flashed through his heart.
Over the years, he has been so busy pursuing that elusive realm that he has neglected his daughter.
He slowly reached out his withered hand, which looked like a chicken claw, towards Li Yuechan.
Li Yuechan hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, knelt by the bed, and took Li De's cold hand in her own warm little hand.
"Yuechan... Father... I'm so sorry..."
The Emperor Qian's voice was filled with endless guilt.
"Father..."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuechan's eyes instantly reddened.
"Listen, Yuechan..."
Emperor Qian seemed to experience a brief resurgence of energy before his death, and his spirits improved considerably.
He held his daughter's hand tightly and spoke with an unprecedentedly solemn tone.
"None of your royal brothers are qualified monarchs; they even colluded with vassal kings for the throne."
"I...cannot hand over this vast empire to them."
"so……"
At this point, he stared intently into Li Yuechan's eyes.
"Father, I want to pass this throne to you!"
boom!
These words struck Li Yuechan like a bolt from the blue.
How could she... how could a woman, a princess who had never participated in any politics, inherit the throne?!
"Father! No! This...this is against the ancestral laws! Your son...your son cannot bear this responsibility!"
She said in a panic.
"Nothing is more important than the stability and prosperity of the nation."
"Besides, don't you already possess a first-rate peak martial arts level?"
"With this, plus what I have left you, you have a chance to secure this position."
Emperor Qian's voice suddenly turned stern.
With his last ounce of strength, he pulled a pure white jade seal from under his pillow.
The Imperial Seal of the State!
He placed this token, symbolizing the highest authority of the empire, into Li Yuechan's hands.
"Yuechan, listen to me, Wang Jian and the 100,000 Imperial Guards of the capital will be loyal to you."
"With Wang Jian's supreme master cultivation, he can barely help you stabilize your throne."
"But that's not enough. Your brothers, those three great vassal kings, will never let this go."
"They will question you, they will rebel against you, and they might even... kill you."
"You must survive, and you must hold onto this position."
"There's one more thing, the Imperial Seal of the State is..."
At this point, Emperor Qian's voice grew weaker and weaker.
The light in his eyes began to fade rapidly.
After he finished explaining all his final arrangements, a single, cloudy tear slowly rolled down his cheek.
"Perhaps... perhaps I shouldn't have pursued that elusive realm. I've lived for almost three hundred years, and only now do I understand..."
These were his last words in this world.
Immediately, his hand fell limply to his side.
An emperor has passed away.
The empty palace was deathly silent.
Sixteen-year-old Li Yuechan knelt alone on the cold ground.
She held the cold, heavy Imperial Seal of the State tightly in her hand.
Confusion, helplessness, fear...
A flood of emotions overwhelmed her.
What should she do?
In this endless darkness and despair, a figure appeared in her mind without warning.
That black-clad youth who instantly killed a Grandmaster-level expert in just two moves in Black Wind Gorge.
Where is he now?