"Emperor Taizong?"
Wang Yande froze for a moment. The most recent Emperor Taizong should have been the Khitan emperor, Yelü Deguang.
But the Emperor Taizong Wei Qingping spoke of certainly could not be him. If it was not him, then could it be... Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang?
"Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin?"
"Exactly!"
Wei Qingping nodded and continued leading them forward.
After passing through the corridor, they arrived at a side hall.
The side hall imitated the style of the Central Plains, yet incorporated local features of Kucha, giving it a rather unusual appearance.
Enshrined within the side hall was an Imperial Edict.
The dry climate here had allowed the Imperial Edict to survive for several hundred years.
Even so, it now looked somewhat yellowed and worn.
"This is the Imperial Edict the Goddess brought us all those years ago! It contains Emperor Taizong's command that we of the Pacified West Army defend the Western Regions for generation after generation. Even if the Central Plains descended into chaos, we were not to let the Western Regions break away. It was this Imperial Edict that kept us going."
"You kept going through your own strength."
The Verdant Green Maiden murmured.
An Imperial Edict?
It was nothing more than a sheet of paper!
It could not kill their enemies for them or farm their fields.
They had endured to this day through their own strength alone.
Wei Qingping was briefly taken aback by her words.
He turned to look at the Verdant Green Maiden. Only after a long while did he smile and nod gently.
"Yes..."
Emotion filled his expression.
Wang Yande studied Wei Qingping for a while, then suddenly asked, "By the way, Protector-General, the soldiers I saw guarding the city earlier all seemed elderly. Why is that?"