Three days passed in the blink of an eye!
The day of December 11th of the first year of Tong'an in the Han Empire has finally arrived. On this day, the current White Lotus Saint will officially ascend the throne in Yuezhou City and establish the White Lotus Kingdom to compete with the Jinzhou court.
This was a big day for the White Lotus Sect. Before daybreak, rows of White Lotus soldiers with guns pointed and armor shining were already standing in the city streets. All the city residents, house by house, were required to get up, put on their newest and most beautiful clothes, place incense tables at the door, light incense, and kneel towards the direction of the imperial palace in the biting cold wind - to celebrate with the heavens!
In the entire Yuezhou city, the only people who could still move around on the streets at this time, apart from the White Lotus soldiers, were the upper echelons of the White Lotus in the city who were going to the palace to attend this grand ceremony.
The Ghost King also got up early today. He woke up before daybreak and asked the servants in his mansion to clean up and change into formal attire for the ceremony. Then, the Ghost King sat in his luxurious four-wheeled carriage, accompanied by his hundreds of gorgeous ceremonial guards and escorts, and headed towards the "Imperial Palace" in Yuezhou City.
Sitting in the gorgeous four-wheeled carriage, listening to the sound of the wheels turning, holding a gilded stove for warmth in his hands, he looked through the glazed carriage windows at the people in the city wearing new clothes and kneeling at their doorsteps with incense tables lit. He felt so superior and elated that he almost temporarily forgot the unpleasantness of the past few days and the fact that his eyelids had been twitching since he woke up this morning. However, this elated feeling did not last long. As his convoy got closer to the palace and the White Lotus soldiers guarding the streets turned into Qianye Guards, a subtle gloom flashed in the Ghost King's eyes.
Sitting in the carriage with the Ghost King was one of his trusted subordinates, who was now the steward of his mansion and was entering the palace with him to attend the ceremony today.
The Ghost King's housekeeper was a very good observer, but when he saw the gloom in the Ghost King's eyes, he couldn't help but speak up, "I don't know what the Holy Lord is thinking. Now in the Holy Church, no matter the qualifications, prestige, or merit, the one who can be the leader of Qianye Guard is none other than you, sir. However, the Holy Lord arranged for someone he found from nowhere to be the leader of Qianye Guard. Many elders in the church feel sorry for you, sir!"
The Ghost King snorted, his face became even gloomier. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly said, "Don't say this outside. The White Lotus Sect is no longer the White Lotus Sect of the past. If someone hears you say this, I'm afraid I can't save you. Whatever the Holy Lord does is right. Remember that!"
The Ghost King's trusted butler was still smiling, but his voice was involuntarily much lower. "Of course I said this to you, sir. Don't worry, in front of outsiders, my mouth is definitely tighter than sewing it shut. But I have heard a lot of rumors outside these days..."
"Oh, what rumors?"
"Those rumors say that the day chosen by the Holy Lord to ascend the throne this time is not the 28th month, nor the 15th day, and it is not the 6th or 9th day. It is probably unlucky. The Holy Lord is a little too hasty in ascending the throne this time..." The Ghost King's confidant said as he secretly looked at the Ghost King's face.
The Ghost King never believed in these things, so he just sneered after hearing them, "Humph, if choosing a good day to ascend the throne can last for thousands of years, then who can the emperors of the past dynasties who only lost their empires in thirty or fifty years go to for justice!"
"Your Excellency is right, but some of the rumors are quite hurtful..."
"What do you mean?" The Ghost King's eyes narrowed suddenly.
"This, I dare not say..."
"Just tell me, I don't blame you!"
The Ghost King’s confidant first pulled up the curtain of his car window, and then spoke in a low voice, “The rumor says that the Holy Lord doesn’t know where he can find so many powerful masters, and the ultimate goal is to replace all the old people in the church. Even if the Holy Church can conquer the Han Empire in the future, the ones who sit on the throne may not be those who are now fighting for the Holy Church, but the powerful masters the Holy Lord found from outside. Only those people are the Holy Lord’s confidants and can gain his trust. Elders like you who are highly respected in the church may... may..."
"What could it be?"
"It's possible... that he will be sacrificed as cannon fodder by the Holy Lord..."
Snap... The gilded furnace in the hand was crushed into a ball by the Ghost King in an instant. The Ghost King's face turned ashen and murderous, because these rumors just happened to hit upon what he was most worried about and afraid of.
Originally in the White Lotus Sect, although the Ghost King was not second to none, his status in the entire sect was only ranked below three or five people, and he could be regarded as the top boss in the sect. But at this moment, the White Lotus Sect's business was getting bigger and bigger, but the Ghost King felt that he was getting further and further away from the power center of the White Lotus Sect. The number of people standing above him was increasing instead of decreasing. He was increasingly frightened of that Holy Lord, and the powerful masters that the Holy Lord had found from nowhere were gradually squeezing him out of the core circle of the White Lotus Sect. If it were not for his previous status in the sect and the Night Ghost Army that he had trained over the years, he would probably not have a chance to become the Heavenly King in this ceremony. Even if he could become the Heavenly King, there were still ten people in this position, and he would have a prime minister above him. The Ghost King had no confidence in his future.
“Please forgive my sins, sir…” When the Ghost King’s confidant saw the Ghost King’s face, he was so frightened that he dared not raise his head and quickly apologized.
The Ghost King took a few deep breaths, and his expression gradually relaxed. "I don't blame you. I want to ask you, where did this rumor come from, and how long has it been spreading..."
"I don't know where this rumor came from, but I heard that it has been spreading quietly in the church since the Holy Lord found the first batch of masters and strong men to come to the church about half a year ago. I just happened to hear it a few days ago when I was wearing makeup and going out to do something for the adults. Now, except for the adults, all the elders in the church are worried about their own safety. Everyone is worried, but they dare not say it out loud, let alone let you and the Holy Lord hear it..."
The Ghost King's voice was flat, "The Holy Lord is not that kind of person. From now on, no matter inside or outside the palace, you are not allowed to say this to anyone..." At this point, the Ghost King paused for two seconds, "After the ceremony is completed, when you return to the palace, go to the treasury to withdraw some more silver, and arrange a few more spies in the city and the church. If there are any disturbances or rumors in Yuezhou City in the future, I want to know it first..."
"Yes, sir, don't worry!" The Ghost King's trusted butler heaved a sigh of relief and even became a little excited. He knew that he had made the right bet this time. The Ghost King would rely on him more and more, and the resources and power in his hands would become greater and greater.
Not long after, the Ghost King's convoy and guards had arrived outside the "Imperial Palace" of Yuezhou City. At this moment, more than tens of thousands of people gathered here. Almost all the people of status and position in the White Lotus Sect gathered here with their guards. Moreover, each person's guards were more numerous and more magnificent than the other.
The Ghost King's guards almost stopped at the entrance of the palace. The carriage had just stopped and the Ghost King had just got off the carriage and was about to enter the palace. Just as his eyes swept over the crowd, he suddenly saw a figure walking into the palace gate. The Ghost King's heart shrank with shock, and a chill made the hairs on his back stand up. That was...
In a daze, when the Ghost King looked towards the palace gate again, the figure had been mixed in with a large group of guards and could no longer be found. The Ghost King looked carefully at the group of guards who walked into the palace gate, but could no longer find the figure in the crowd that made him feel palpitations again.
Impossible, impossible. That person is now the King of Pingxi, holding great power. I heard that he has been missing for more than half a year. No one knows whether he is alive or dead. How could he appear here? And thinking carefully about the back figure just now, it seems that he is a little different from the person he saw. He is a little thinner and his shoulders are a little narrow. It doesn’t match at all. The Ghost King comforted himself and shook his head in his heart. It seems that his eyelids have been twitching since he woke up today. He is a little suspicious...
"Guo Mingchuan greets you..." General Guangwei Guo Mingchuan suddenly appeared in front of the Ghost King with a smile on his face. His smile was full of intimacy and enthusiasm. "I heard that you were awarded the title of Heavenly King this time. It's really a cause for celebration. My family sent some specialties to you two days ago. I will have someone deliver them to your residence tomorrow. It's a little gift from me. I hope you don't mind..."
"Ah, it's Mingchuan..." The Ghost King turned his gaze back from afar and looked at the Guangwei General Guo Mingchuan in front of him. Thinking of how Guo Mingchuan had been so respectful to him as always since he lost power in the sect, and had always sent gifts and thoughts to his house, he couldn't help but pat Guo Mingchuan's shoulder with some emotion in his heart, "It's really hard for you..."
"What are you saying, sir? This is what we should do!"
"Come on, let's go in together!"
"Your Excellency, please..."
The Ghost King then walked into the "Imperial Palace" with Guo Mingchuan...
Although the palace in Yuezhou City was rebuilt, the atmosphere of the entire palace is extraordinary, a bit like a smaller version of the Imperial Palace in the Imperial Capital. In terms of furnishings, the luxury here is not inferior to that of the Imperial Palace in the Imperial Capital...
The Ghost King and Guo Mingchuan walked all the way, passing through the heavy palace guards, and came directly to the White Lotus Hall where today's ceremony was held.
When the two arrived, most of the people who were supposed to come to the White Lotus Hall had already arrived. At the back of the hall, there were steps made of gold and jade, and a dragon throne was placed at the highest point, shining with golden light...
The people who could enter the hall were all the top members of the White Lotus Sect, and in the square outside the hall, tens of thousands of officials and backbones of the White Lotus Sect gathered outside...
…
ps: Thank you all for accompanying Tiger through 2018 and welcoming 2019 together. Here, Tiger wishes all book friends a happy New Year. In the new year, everything will be renewed and get better and better!
(End of this chapter)