At the instant the Heavenly Rift split open, turbid waves surged forth, and the Immortal Emperor opened his eyes.
Before Purple Extreme Hall, Guan Dongchan said not a word. Saber in hand, he turned and left. He paid no heed to the civil and military officials of the entire court who had failed to ascend to Heaven. One step carried him across the long stairs; with another, he was already outside Changle Palace!
White mourning cloth bound around the forehead was for honoring the late sovereign. White cloth wrapped around the right arm was for slaying traitors for the state.
Among the high-ranking officials standing amid the vast, surging crowd today, their attitudes were not entirely the same.
To Qiu Ji, a "household slave of the Son of Heaven," all of this was naturally rebellion.
But in the eyes of Guan Dongchan, the Nation-Suppressing Wisdom King, the line between these two attitudes was clear. The latter could be tolerated; the former could be won over.
Li Zhengshu had been released at the Imperial Ancestral Temple and came again today to honor the late sovereign. The Marquis of Dingyuan had been released at Chongxuan Ancestral Hall, yet still remained upon Chongxuan Family lands. These, too, were two different attitudes.
The former resented the late sovereign yet remained loyal to him. The latter was loyal to his family, loyal to Jiang Shu, the living Son of Heaven of Great Qi. Once the emperor became the late sovereign, he would uphold the duties of a great clan and no longer lightly choose a side... The Chongxuan Family had suffered enough from the lessons of taking sides.
Jiang Wuliang was not correct in terms of Dharma and principle, but his bloodline was beyond question, and in strength he stood supreme beneath heaven.
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