Chapter 781
Chapter 781
Just as the heavens are vast, so too is human nature profound. The heavens are so deep and vast that one dares not study them too closely, for fear of being lost within them. Where do people come from? Where do they go? What is the origin of the universe? Where does it end? Contemplating such esoteric questions can easily make one neglect their present reality. Human nature is just as profound, and thus, one dares not delve too deeply into it. Otherwise, one might fall even deeper into its abyss.
No one is perfect. An angel resides in every person's heart, but so does a demon. When the angel appears, one feels utterly ashamed of their actions. But when the demon emerges, they change to a frightening degree. To explore this corruption of one's nature means to confront one's own heart, to negate the self, and to shatter one's will. Generally, strong people always think the same way, convinced that what they have done is right. But have they truly done the right thing? They simply haven't thought deeply about it, unable to face their own hearts.
In the past, Ning Qi did not explore his own heart. Because he lacked the courage to do so. To explore oneself, one must confront their own heart, and to confront it is to be shaken. The greatest taboo for a ruler is to waver. Once a goal is set, one must strive relentlessly, using all means necessary to achieve it. That was the life he had led. But now, he had no choice but to confront his own heart. He had lost the struggle for the throne, but Ning Yuanxian and Ning Zheng had not killed him. Unwilling to accept reality, he left the capital and went to the Xue clan's Nanzhu City. But the Xue clan was also annihilated, and not only did Shen Lang not kill him, he saved him. He had survived death twice, yet he felt no joy, only pain.
He was not Ning Yi. Ning Yi, fearing death, had spared no effort to survive. Ning Qi had fallen into peril many times, but he always broke free on his own, finding a path to survival even in the face of death. Now, he began to confront his own heart. And it became ever more painful. It was an act akin to shattering his own will, a process of negating his past to build something new. The sky darkened and then brightened again; the sun rose and then set. Clear skies gave way to dark clouds filled with the sound of thunder, and soon the clouds hung low as a torrential downpour began. After the storm passed, the sky cleared once more.
Once, Ning Zheng and Ning Qi had discussed His Highness Jiang Li. Ning Zheng said that His Highness Jiang Li was the sun, and even in death, he continued to illuminate the world. Ning Qi said that Jiang Li was like a fallen star, who had given people hope, but had brought even greater despair. For if there had been no hope, there would have been no cause for despair.
Now, Ning Qi's eyes were fixed, his gaze locked on the sky above him. He soon realized that he could only see the sun at a specific time each day. That time was noon. Since he was only looking at the sky before him, the sun was always outside his field of vision except at noon. But just because the sun was not in his line of sight, did that mean it didn't exist? And even after the sun set, did it cease to exist? No matter how dark the night, the moonlight, though faint, stubbornly illuminated the darkness—and moonlight was merely a reflection of the sun.
In that case, with the sun that was Jiang Li having set, was the entire world now shrouded in darkness? But where there was once perfect darkness, had a moon now risen? And who could be called that moon? After seven days and nights of such contemplation, Ning Qi, with a disheveled beard and matted hair, rose from the ground. He entered the desolate Nanzhu City, and after having a meal, several ships arrived to meet him.
*Did they come from Mount Budao? Well, it doesn't matter.*
He boarded the ship.
"Third Prince, where are you headed?"
"North."
The fleet sailed straight north, aiming for Tiannan Province. A few days later, the ship docked, and a troop of cavalry was waiting for him there. The cavalry leader said.
"Your Highness, we will escort you to Tiannan Province. There, you need only wait for your time to come."
*Whose cavalry is this? The Zhu clan? The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion?*
"I intend to go north."
The cavalry leader replied to Ning Qi's words.
"Your Highness, now that the Xue clan has fallen, going north could cost you your life. Prime Minister Zhu was very clear. You are to remain in Tiannan Province and wait for the world to be upended before heading north to the capital."
"I am going north."
The cavalry leader frowned. A short while later, Ning Qi headed north under the protection of the Yan Blood Guard. A few days later, Ning Qi entered the capital and, dressed as a beggar, went to the royal palace for an audience with the King of Yue. Ning Yuanxian, his hair now completely white, spoke with trembling hands.
"You've returned? Go and see your mother."
Ning Qi looked up at his royal father and saw that in the mere few months since they had last met, he had grown even thinner, his body more stooped. He sat in a wheelchair, unable to even get out of it on his own. This aged appearance made him seem like a completely different person from the youthful, refined man he had been just two or three years ago. Ning Qi bowed his head and then went to see his mother, Consort Zhong.
***
The annihilation of the Xue clan caused a small stir in the capital, but the city soon returned to a state of silence.
*To think that the Third Prince, Ning Qi, has returned to the capital. I didn't think he'd have the courage to come back.*
But the event failed to create any major waves. After his return, Ning Qi quickly disappeared from everyone's sight, adopting a low profile like Zhong Yao of the past, staying at home every day with his gates shut, never stepping outside. Neither Ning Yuanxian nor Ning Zheng killed him. They didn't even reprimand him. Of course, they gave him no rewards either, acting as if he didn't exist.
Everything in the capital proceeded in an orderly fashion, and all of Yue appeared to be developing in an orderly manner. It was frighteningly quiet, like the calm before a great tsunami, a massive earthquake, or a huge explosion. In such silence, even a slightly loud breath could startle others. Everyone was like a small animal just before an earthquake, but they were animals that could not flee, able only to hide under their blankets and tremble.
Ning Zheng acted as if nothing was happening and carried on with his duties. He remained incredibly diligent in handling state affairs, working with a self-punishing harshness. It was as if he was trying to finish all the work that remained. The situation was like the lyrics of a song. Lyrics that speak of living each day as if it were the last.
But was it conceivable for the crown prince of a nation to not produce an heir? To this, Ning Zheng simply smiled and said.
"Why think about the future? We must live in the now."
***
The Great Yan Empire amassed an unprecedentedly large army, as did the new Kingdom of Jian, the Kingdom of Dajin, and the Duchy of Dayang. Every nation in the north dispatched troops, the vassal states sent forces large and small, and even the Dayong Khanate in the far north sent soldiers. Dozens of nations, large and small, all received the Yan Emperor's sacred decree. An astronomical number of troops, stretching out endlessly, marched south. Their momentum seemed capable of shattering heaven and earth, their astonishing might like a great tsunami rising from the southern seas. No person, no nation could stop them. The young King of Wu seemed to struggle for a day before completely compromising.
The King of Wu announced that in response to the Emperor's edict, he would allow the Empire's grand allied army to cross Wu's borders unconditionally, and that Wu would also dispatch one hundred thousand troops to join the imperial coalition. The King of Chu struggled for two days before compromising, similarly announcing that he would respond to the Emperor's edict and allow the imperial army to pass through Chu's entire territory unconditionally. He also declared he would dispatch one hundred thousand troops to join the imperial coalition.
It was a legion of astronomical numbers. An army even larger than the one that fought the decisive battle between the Great Yan Empire and Jiang Li over twenty years ago swept south, like a dense layer of dark clouds, like a towering tsunami. The Emperor mobilized this astronomical army without giving any reason; no one even knew his objective. Wherever the Emperor commanded the army to go, it would follow. But in their hearts, everyone vaguely understood. Only one thing could change the entire world.
Just how large was this astronomical army? It was impossible to know. Besides, the numbers were meaningless. In any case, it surpassed the total number of soldiers mobilized in all the wars fought in this world for hundreds of years. In the previous war that decided the fate of Yue, the four opposing nations had mobilized a total of nearly one million troops. But compared to this, even that seemed like child's play. His Majesty the Emperor advanced with a supreme will and a force that swept across the land; no one could stop him, and anyone who tried would see their nation shattered and disintegrated.
And surprisingly, this astronomical army, comprising nearly half the forces in the world, was marching toward the State of Yue in an endlessly sprawling formation. The Emperor's target was Yue? Ha! This army was large enough to destroy Yue dozens of times over. Perhaps that was why it looked less like a southern conquest and more like a military review, with all the armies of the nations gathered together.
Yet, the targets of this astonishing army, King Ning Yuanxian and Ning Zheng of Yue, had received no sacred decree from the Emperor. The Emperor had not even given them a hint. The State of Yue was as if engulfed by a giant dark cloud, the sun completely obscured from view. Only then did Zhu Hongzhu open his door, step outside, and look at the sun in the sky, saying in a leisurely tone.
"The darkness before the dawn seems to have lingered a little long. But what must come, will come. The sun will finally rise, and the moment of darkness will pass."
As Zhu Hongzhu spoke those words, black clouds just happened to be sweeping in from the north, endlessly covering the sky to the south. Ning Qi stood in a garden, looking up at the sky.
"Zhu Hongzhu, is this the dawn you spoke of? Why does it seem to my eyes that the world has only grown darker?"