Chapter Eighty: The Imperial Palace Night Banquet

  The Tongwan City Palace, with its majestic aura, presents a dazzling array of colors, finally breaking through the gray tone that pervades the entire city.

  Northern Wei Emperor Taowu Tuoba Tao held a banquet in the Shengjian Hall for all his disciples. Yangming Shengzi and Tuoba Qiurong walked side by side at the front, while Liangshan was at the back.

  The group of people from the Holy Sword Hall stayed in a prince's mansion on the edge of the imperial city. Before long, an eunuch came to deliver a message, inviting everyone to the Imperial Palace's Tianwang Hall for a gathering.

  After entering the palace gate, there is a vast square, empty and spacious. In the middle of it stands a platform called Yongding Platform, its height reminds me of the 101 skyscraper I've seen before.

  Everyone in the Sacred Sword Hall had excellent eyesight and saw that on top of the platform, four iron chains were binding an old woman with disheveled hair.

  "The princess, this is Uriah, the female shaman of the Great Xia Kingdom, twelve years older than Hao Lianbobo, and it's said that she has a relationship with Hao Lianbobo." The leading eunuch introduced, revealing a faint smile, showing some lewd speculation.

  Tuoba Qiurong looked up and saw Uliya looking down at her.

  Uriah had only one eye. The empty blind socket, cold and dark, stared at Tuoba Qiurong. Tuoba Qiurong suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.

  Yangming Shengzi's expression slightly solidified, the old woman was comparable to a high-ranking golden elixir. The iron chain was rough, but ordinary, yet it firmly trapped the old woman, seemingly due to the powerful Wei State's national fortune suppressing her.

  She is already close to death.

  Uriah glanced at Tuoba Qiurong and began to hum a tune, his voice hoarse and desolate.

  The ox weeps tears at the knife's edge,

  the horse stamps in rage at the slaughter,

  the sheep closes its eyes to await death,

  and the Huns wail by the river with no one to turn to...

  Cattle and sheep are the property of the grassland tribes. Uriah sang about the different performances of cattle and sheep before they died, and when he sang to the last sentence, Uriah's eyes were cast far west. Uriah knew in his heart that the Xiongnu who stayed in the Han land was finished.

  Behind the Yongding Pavilion is a majestic palace, in front of which are large drums, Fei Lian, Weng Zhong, Tong Chi and dragon and tiger statues cast by Hao Lian with huge sums of money.

  Fei Lian is the wind god, with a human face and bird body. Weng Zhong is a powerful warrior, in the past Qin Shi Huang used his might to intimidate the Xiongnu, also known as the Golden Man. The palace mausoleum often sees such giant statues, each over ten zhang tall, cast from thousands of kilograms of copper, with outer decorations of yellow gold. Under the light of lanterns, the golden radiance dazzles the eyes, intimidating all directions.

  Everyone was intimidated by his aura, and one by one they held their breath in silence. Even the wise and virtuous Yangming Saint Son lowered his eyebrows and eyes.

  Inside Tongwang Hall, the smell of wine and mutton wafted through the air as Northern Wei Emperor Taiwu Tuoba Tao led a group of Xianbei high-ranking officials, civil servants from the Ministry of Rites, and local leaders of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism to meet with the crowd at Shengjian Hall.

  Grand Chancellor Cui Hao was not among them; at this moment, he was in the Chenghuang Temple of Tongwan City.

  Unifying the world, all nations come to pay homage, this is the origin of the name Tongwancheng.

  The city is so majestic, and its City God Temple is naturally exceptional as well.

  In the magnificent temple of Chenghuangmiao, Cui Haohao was filled with emotions.

  The Northern Wei Xianbei Eight Departments all opposed the surprise attack on Tongwancheng, only Cui Hao loudly advocated for it, and finally relied on his divination to persuade the Xianbei Eight Departments. This battle was thrilling several times, and finally broke through the world's number one stronghold, such a brilliant achievement in history, must have its own heavy brushstroke.

  Chenghuang Temple enshrines Alixen, the builder of Tongwan City. When Tongwan City was completed, Hao Lian said to Alixen, "This city is built by your family, and I hope your family will have a good beginning and a good end."

  Ali Xing bowed his head and accepted the order, saying that the great king had a decree, and he was willing to sacrifice his life for it.

  Hao Lian asked Ali Xing to be the city god of Tongwan City.

  The city god is helpless against living people, Hao Lian's death was actually a gift, and the so-called "unloading the millstone to kill the donkey" is nothing more than that.

  Cui Haoran lit three sticks of incense, gazing at the mud-plastered golden statue of Ali Xing. The eight-foot-tall statue had a ferocious expression on its face, with a hint of cruelty and hatred, as if the sculptor had captured Ali Xing's dynamic expression just before his death.

  Chui Hao bowed three times.

  Choi Yong stood behind his father. When his father bowed down, the mud-sculpted Ali Xin transformed into a ball of light and rushed towards his father. Choi Yong was not afraid, and indeed, a green glow emerged from his father's body, no matter how wildly Ali Xin struggled, he could not get in.

  That was the spring and autumn light on his father's body. Among the people known to Cui Yong, scholars who had read Confucian classics more or less all had similar spring and autumn light.

  The Confucian attitude towards ghosts and spirits is that if you believe in them, they exist; if you don't believe in them, they don't. Many Confucians do not believe in them. This "non-belief" is also a kind of faith. Once it arises from the depths of one's heart, then there really are no ghosts or spirits. In short, ghosts and spirits will not invade.

  Cui Yong was born with the ability to see auras, seeing the aura of ordinary people and the aura of kings. Cui Yong didn't dare speak out loud. Once when he was young, he did say something, and as a result, he's been missing a front tooth ever since. When Cui Yong doesn't open his mouth, he is a refined and elegant young scholar, charming and suave. But once he opens it, the scene is ruined. However, Cui Yong thinks this is quite good, always keeping himself on guard.

  Before long, Cui Hao led his son out of the main hall and asked: "Yong'er, do you know why your father came to worship Ali Xing?"

  Chui Yong pondered for a moment and said: "Ali can be a model for all of us!"

  Cui Hao nodded, his narrow and long eyes flashing with moving light.

  Chui Yong knew that his father was excited, as Tongwan City fell, the Northern Wei's unification of the North was unstoppable. The Emperor trusted his father, and it was a time when his father had great accomplishments.

  At this time, Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei, Tuoba Jun, put down his wine cup. The wine cup was very peculiar, and Liangshan could see clearly that it was a skull. Tuoba Jun's rough voice echoed throughout the hall: "Imperial sister, how have you been in Shengjian Hall?" Although Tuoba Jun was speaking to Tuoba Qiuyan, his face was turned towards Yangming Shengzi.

  Yangming Holy Son suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure coming his way, as if as soon as Tuoba Qiurong said "it's not going well", Tuoba Tao would immediately draw his sword and slaughter everyone in the Shengjian Hall. Even Yangming Holy Son had a hint of fear deep in his heart. The emperor's anger brings bloodshed, this is exactly what it means.

  "Little sister is doing very well, so please don't worry, imperial brother."

  Tuoba Jiao's gaze withdrew from Yangming Shengzi. Yangming Shengzi felt stifled, but had to endure. Even if the sect leader were here, he would have to lower his head. In any case, the mountain gate of Shengjian Hall was in the secular world, and offending the worldly Son of Heaven would result in their dispersal, no matter how powerful these cultivators were.

  Liang Shan sat at the end of the table, gazing at the officials from the Ministry of Rites and religious figures across from him, lowering his head to drink wine, as if suddenly enlightened.

  The high priest Tuguri had disheveled hair and was nearly two meters tall, with a pale complexion and as silent as stone.

  The monk's eyebrows were kind and his eyes were benevolent, smiling without speaking. He gazed at the roasted mutton on the table as if he didn't see it, seemingly in a state of meditation. Wudunzi was an old man with white hair, his white beard fluttering over his chest. He had a bit of an otherworldly air about him, yet also a hint of worldly comfort.

  They respectively represent the original religion of Northern Wei, Buddhism and Taoism, and have no admiration for Shengjian Hall as originally imagined by Liangshan. Liangshan also noticed that Yangming Holy Son glanced at the three religious leaders with obvious disdain.

  Liáng Shān couldn't help but feel curious. Is there a contradiction between the two sides?

  Liangshan pondered carefully, but couldn't make sense of it, and didn't know what relationship the secular religious world had with the cultivation world.

  Just as he was thinking, Tuoba Qiurong had already introduced him, "Imperial brother, this is called Liang Shanbo, a fellow villager of Song Liu Xin Ye County, who entered the door with my younger sister. On one external mission, if it weren't for Brother Liang, my younger sister would have died."

  "It's not that serious." Liang Shan hastily stood up and smiled awkwardly.

  Everyone in the Holy Sword Hall was looking at him, and Liangshan only realized that Tuoba Qiuyue had introduced Yangming Shengzi Sima Yu and the three of them together, and also mentioned the inner door disciples and outer door disciples as a group. In the end, he was left alone and singled out to be said. Autumn Sister is really giving him face, but this will lead to jealousy.

  As expected, Tuoba Jiao's eyes lit up and he raised his wine cup, saying: "Since you're the one who saved my little sister's life, I should toast to you."

  Liáng Shān hastily raised his cup, his movements somewhat constrained. Seeing Tuòbá Tǎo drink it all in one gulp, he also hastily finished it. Only then did Liáng Shān take a good look at this northern emperor. Tuòbá Tǎo had a broad forehead and nose, a wide face, a pair of narrow and long eagle eyes that were not angry but majestic, an eight-character mustache that was high and curved upwards, exuding an aura of royalty. He wore a coronet and dragon-embroidered robes, with black as the base color.

  "Liáng brothers are indeed a talented family." Tàbá Jiǎo said with a loud laugh, but his eyes were looking at his own sister.

  Tuoba Qiurong's face turned red, fortunately the mask covered it up, no one noticed, she could only glare back at her imperial brother.

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