Yang Ge once again sneered coldly.
Seeing this, Zhang Xuansu narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Don’t believe?"
Yang Ge spoke, "You asked me earlier what I believe in, how I achieved my current state..."
Zhang Xuansu’s interest piqued, he pressed on, "What? Have you figured it out?"
Yang Ge nodded, "After I returned, I thought for a long time and realized that I do believe in a power."
Zhang Xuansu asked, "Oh, what power?"
Yang Ge spoke seriously, pausing after each word, "For the spirit of sacrifice ignites lofty ambitions, daring to teach the sun and the moon to change the new sky!"
Zhang Xuansu was stunned for a moment, his expression inexplicably pondering over this brief string of fourteen characters, and after a long time, he clapped in admiration deeply moved, "What a ’For the spirit of sacrifice ignites lofty ambitions, daring to teach the sun and the moon to change the new sky,’ what fearlessness, grand spirit! With such a mindset, even if Cao Mengde were to be reborn, I fear he could hardly repeat the claim ’In all the world, only the lord and Cao are heroes!’"
Yang Ge chuckled and remained silent.
Zhang Xuansu also leisurely continued to drink his tea, saying no more.
Before long, suddenly, there were violent hoofbeats from the street outside the window, and someone cried out in grief, "The imperial tomb has collapsed. The world dons mourning attire; the nation grieves together!"
Upon hearing this cry, Yang Ge was stunned for quite at least a dozen breaths.
It was not until a series of "thumping" heavy footsteps came from the wooden staircase that he finally came back to his senses.
"Erlang..."
Zhao Miao, tears streaming down her face, threw herself into Yang Ge’s embrace and sobbed heavily.
Yang Ge embraced her back, his gaze suddenly turning sharp and fierce toward Zhang Xuansu across from him.
"Don’t look at the old Taoist."
Zhang Xuansu calmly waved his hand, "This matter has nothing to do with the old Taoist, not even a copper coin!"
Yang Ge smashed a square table with a palm, shouting angrily, "I don’t believe!"
Zhang Xuansu smiled helplessly, "Remember the bet we just made? The old Taoist knew you would suspect him of this matter, which is why he traveled thousands of miles to explain it to you in person... Of course, the old Taoist also wanted to go to the capital to see for himself, for fear you might misunderstand, and came in advance to notify you."
Yang Ge stared at him intently, "If you did not cause this, how did you know this matter before me?"
Zhang Xuansu sighed and pointed at the rooftop, "You forgot again, observing the stars at night is our Zhang Family’s expertise."
Yang Ge said, "Still the same words: I, don’t, believe. If you want me not to suspect you, bring forth evidence that makes me trust you!"
Zhang Xuansu was exasperated, "How can you be so unreasonable, you scoundrel? What good would harming him do for me? Even if I really wanted to harm him, when couldn’t I have acted? Must I wait until now to fight to the death with you, Yang Erlang?"
Yang Ge still fixed his gaze on him, "How do I know you aren’t playing the thief shouting ’Catch the thief’?"
Zhang Xuansu laughed in frustration, "Thief shouting ’Catch the thief’? How long could that be hidden? For a year, or ten years? How old are you? How old am I? Other people may not know you, Yang Erlang, but could I not? To harm him would be like an old man eating arsenic."
Yang Ge’s thoughts raced, indeed, he could not figure out why the old man would kill Emperor Xiping.
The throne in Ziwei Palace is undoubtedly tempting to others, but for this old man, it might not be as comfortable as the seat of their Heavenly Master... The imperial lineage flows like water, but the heritage of the Han Heavenly Master is as solid as iron, Qu Fu Yan Sheng Gong indeed.
Furthermore, just as the old man himself said, other people might not know Yang Ge’s depth, but could he not know?
"Then what do you think..."
Yang Ge struggled to suppress the anger in his heart, "Who do you think caused this?"
Zhang Xuansu said, "Why are you so convinced it must be man-made? What if he died of natural causes? He served as emperor for seventeen years, that’s not a short life."
"You’re talking nonsense..."
Zhao Miao lifted her tear-streaked face from Yang Ge’s embrace and wailed, "My father was fine during the New Year celebrations, we even celebrated it together, how could he suddenly die so abruptly!"
Yang Ge stared at Zhang Xuansu, "You heard her, she said you are talking nonsense."
Zhang Xuansu, massaging his temples with a headache, pleaded, "Don’t just look at this old Taoist. I’ve already told you, I found out about the emperor’s demise by observing the stars at night. How could I possibly know exactly how he died? If you must ask me, then all I can say is... it’s the will of Heaven!"
Yang Ge was about to ask further when he heard a series of chaotic hoofbeats rapidly approaching from afar.
He didn’t even need to look to know that it must be Zhao Hong returning...
He sighed deeply, lamenting in his heart, ’Everything was fine, how could it suddenly come to this?’
Even though he had never studied the Twenty-Four Histories, he knew that the transition of imperial power was when a dynasty was at its most vulnerable: at the least, it would cause shocks in the court and chaos in governance; at worst, it could precipitate a rapid decline and widespread turmoil!
This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.
Although he often said Emperor Xiping was miserly and petty, to be fair, the emperor had a strong hand and was indeed intent on getting things done.
And although Zhao Hong’s character had improved over the past year, catching up to his father’s rank would take at least another ten years of cultivation!
The magnificent Tang, from the prosperous peak of the Kaiyuan era to decline, took just over a decade...
At this thought, Yang Ge was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, his mind in turmoil.
Soon, Zhao Hong "thumped" his way up to the second floor, still wearing hemp clothes and shorts, his rolled-up trouser legs covered with mud, and his limbs and face were blackened by the fierce summer sun.
He leaned on the stair railing, also with tears streaming down his face, and hoarsely shouted, "Store Manager!"
Yang Ge, without turning his head, waved him over, his gaze still fixed on Zhang Xuansu across from him, he said solemnly, "At this critical moment, you should not go to the capital to add to the chaos. After this is over, I’ll accompany you on a trip to the capital, and besides..."
"If the emperor died of natural causes from fatigue, then so be it."
"If not... whoever orchestrated it shall die!"
Zhang Xuansu, with his eyelids lowered, was silent for a moment before he sighed deeply, "Young friend, you must understand that the will of Heaven is like a knife; small fates can be altered, but great ones cannot be defied."
"I don’t want to hear your nonsense!"
Whenever he heard him mention the will of Heaven, Yang Ge’s heart grew irritable, feeling like cutting someone down.
But this time, it wasn’t because he thought the old man was spouting nonsense.
It was because he dimly realized that things seemed to be really developing in the direction the old man had indicated.
"Let me make it clear beforehand!"
Yang Ge, suppressing the irritation and helplessness in his heart, said fiercely, pausing between each word, "Just as people began to have hope of having enough to eat, whoever wants to snuff out this hope, their entire family will die out completely! If anyone doubts this, let them come at me, and I, Yang Erlang, will take them all on!"
Zhang Xuansu opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But a thousand words ultimately turned into nothing but a heavy sigh.
Yang Ge did not bother with him and stood up to say to the siblings Zhao Miao and Zhao Hong, "Come, I’ll take you two back to the capital!"
...
Golden sword energy sliced through the sky, crossing half of Luoyang, landing outside Ziwei Palace.
As soon as they landed, Zhao Miao and Zhao Hong tried to break free from his arm and rush into the palace gates. Although the many guards of the Imperial Guard outside the palace gates recognized them and sheathed their weapons to clear a path for them, Yang Ge still firmly held the siblings in place.
Soon, Tang Xiong, dressed in plain clothes, flew out, and upon seeing Yang Ge with the Zhao siblings from afar, he gestured a salute, "Thank you, Divine Monarch!"
Yang Ge released the siblings. Without bothering to greet Yang Ge, they wiped their tears and raced into the palace gates.
Tang Xiong once again saluted Yang Ge and then turned to command a large detachment of the Imperial Guard to escort the siblings into the palace.
Yang Ge stood alone outside the palace gates, aimlessly gazing at the mournful cries emanating from Ziwei Palace, then he turned to look back at Luoyang city, where white silk and papers money were flying in the air, making it feel like the dead of winter despite it being midsummer.
He lowered his eyelids, murmuring softly to himself, "They say Luoyang is as resplendent as brocade of flowers, yet it wasn’t spring when I arrived..."