In the early morning of the next day, King Cheng and Taihao left Xinfeng City with 100,000 soldiers and horses. Taihao did not let Yingyu accompany her, but let her stay in the city.

On the way, Taihao asked King Cheng: "Your Highness, this trip to Lingchuan City is not for war, why do you bring so many soldiers?" ”

King Cheng replied with a smile: "Why didn't you let that girl named Yingyu follow?" ”

Neither of them answered each other's questions, just looked at each other and smiled. Their eyes met, as if silently conveying some kind of message. Although they didn't answer each other's questions, their smiles said everything.

In fact, they have a common answer to their question, which is "to guard against General Miji". Although it can be seen from General Mi Ji's various performances that he is loyal to the monarch and patriotic, "the heart of harming people is indispensable, and the heart of defending people is indispensable." If all the more than 200,000 soldiers and horses were handed over to General Mi Wei, if he had any different intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable. Therefore, King Cheng decided to personally lead a part of the army to Yeongcheon Castle, so he did not hand over the command to Mi Ji in case something unexpected happened. Taihao let Yingyu stay in Xinfeng City in order to play a supervisory role.

It took them three days to reach Lingchuan City.

Because the officials of Lingchuan City were all Xuan Cheng's subordinates, they were very excited and excited when they heard that Xuan Cheng was going to ascend the throne and claim the throne as emperor in Lingchuan City. They prepared the celebration early, ready to offer their warmest wishes for Xuan Cheng's accession to the throne, and had the artisan sew a dragon robe.

On the third day of their arrival in Lingchuan City, a warm ceremony was held for the enthronement of the new emperor.

On this day, the entire Lingchuan Castle was immersed in a celebratory atmosphere.

In the early morning, when the sun had just risen, and the clouds in the sky were dyed golden, a huge guard of honor set out from the palace and walked along the wide avenue towards the outside of the city. In front of the guard of honor was a splendid carriage in which sat the new emperor. Behind the carriage were groups of soldiers and officials, armed with weapons and solemn expressions, looking very formidable.

Along the way, the people stopped to watch, cheers, firecrackers, gongs and drums sounded together. Some people held flowers to express their respect and blessings to the new emperor. Others set off fireworks on the roadside to celebrate this important occasion.

The guard of honor arrived at an altar in the center of the city, which was the place where the heavens were worshipped, and according to the custom of the Eastern Empire, the new emperor needed to sacrifice to the heavens when he ascended the throne, so they chose to perform on this altar.

The ceremony of worshipping the heavens began, Xuan Cheng wore a dragon robe, a crown on his head, and held a jade wat in his hand, and under the leadership of the priest, he prayed to the heavens for the peace of the country and the people, and the wind and rain were smooth. He vowed to work for the welfare of the people and make the country stronger and more prosperous.

Subsequently, Hyun Cheng ascended the throne and received worship and blessings from the officials in Lingchuan Castle. The whole city was immersed in the joy of the new emperor's accession to the throne, and the people sang and danced, tasted the food, and enjoyed the beauty of life.

Prior to this, General Zimi had sent the news that Xuan Cheng wanted to ascend the throne in Lingchuan City to Tianxue City, and after Prime Minister Liang Yu heard the news, he drafted a document to announce it to the world. However, this move was criticized by many ministers, and some of the elders of the court believed that Xuan Cheng's ascension to the throne and title of emperor was a violation of the mandate of heaven, that he had not been canonized by the emperor during his lifetime, and that his coronation ceremony was even more illegal and would not be recognized by the imperial family. However, Prime Minister Liang Yu didn't want things to get out of hand, and he decided to go to Yeongcheon Castle in person to discuss countermeasures with Xuan Cheng.

At the same time, a group of assassins had already arrived in Lingchuan City, and their mission was to assassinate Xuan Cheng.

On this day, Xuan Cheng had just returned to the palace from the altar, and six strangely dressed men wanted to present a big gift to the new emperor in the name of celebrating the new emperor's accession to the throne. The guards were defenseless and brought them to Xuan Cheng.

Xuan Cheng asked them, "Where do you dare to ask where the guest is from?" ”

One of the men responded: "We have come from the Western Regions, and I heard that His Majesty the Emperor of the Eastern Empire has ascended the throne in Lingchuan City, so I have come to congratulate you. ”

After hearing this, Xuan Cheng smiled slightly, but did not show much joy. He knew that it was just a smoke bomb released by General Mi Ji to protect himself, so as not to let those who opposed him discover his true intentions. Therefore, he did not ask too much about the identity and purpose of these men, but only asked them to offer gifts, and then sent them away.

However, at this moment, one of the guards suddenly exclaimed: "Protect the emperor, there are assassins!" ”

All the officials looked over one after another, only to see six men holding sharp blades and rushing towards Xuan Cheng. Their speed was extremely fast, and they had already arrived in front of Xuan Cheng in the blink of an eye. The six men were athletic and fierce, apparently having undergone rigorous training and preparation. Their blades emitted a cold light that made the officials present shudder.

Xuancheng's face sank, and his figure flickered, dodging the attack of one of the assassins. Seeing this, Tai Hao hurriedly drew his sword and stabbed at the six men, and directly stabbed one man to death with just one move. At this time, the remaining five men mingled with the guards, and Tai Hao withdrew his long sword and shouted, "Get out of the way of the guards, I'll deal with them!" Several guards flashed aside when they heard this, only to see Tai Hao display the fourth move of "Snow Cat Fluttering Shadow", "Shocking Shadow", and the five assassins instantly vomited blood and fell to the ground.

Taihao wanted to attack again, but heard Xuan Cheng shouting: "Stay alive!" ”

Several guards obeyed the order and hurriedly stepped forward to hold the five guards down. Xuan Cheng instructed the guards: "Put them in prison first, interrogate them strictly, and let them explain who sent them to assassinate me, and whether there are any of their comrades in Lingchuan City now." ”

The guards sprang into action and escorted the five Assassins to the prison in Lingchuan City. Taehao followed Hyun Cheng, silently thinking about the purpose of the operation. He knew that there must be a more complex and dangerous conspiracy behind this assassination incident, and he must find out the truth as soon as possible in order to protect the safety of Lingchuan City and the stability of the entire country.

Three days after the assassination, the five Assassins still did not confess. Xuan Cheng summoned the officials who were in Lingchuan City to come to the palace to discuss countermeasures, and while they were discussing, a guard hurriedly walked into the main hall and reported to Xuan Cheng with a nervous expression: "Your Majesty, there is an old man outside the door who asks to see you." ”

Xuan Cheng frowned slightly and asked, "Do you know the identity of the old man?" ”

The guard replied, "I don't know, but he claims to be your old friend, named Yan Fang." ”

After hearing this, Xuan Cheng had some doubts in his heart. He and Yan Fang hadn't seen each other for many years, what was the intention of this old man who suddenly came to ask for a meeting? Tai Hao, who was standing on the side, only felt very familiar when he heard Yan Fang's name, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it for a while.

So, Xuan Cheng ordered the guards to invite Yan Fang in. After a while, an old man dressed in plain clothes walked in, with a kind face and a deep sadness in his eyes.

Xuan Cheng stepped forward and said to Yan Fang with a smile: "I haven't seen you for many years, is Mr. Yan Fang okay?" ”

When Yan Fang saw Xuan Cheng, he stepped forward excitedly, and hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty, do you still remember me, an old man!" The old man heard that you had ascended the throne and proclaimed emperor in Lingchuan City, so he specially came from Cangyun City to congratulate you. ”

Tai Hao suddenly remembered that this old man himself had a friend in the general's mansion of Brother Canggu in Luyang City. I remember that Brother Canggu once introduced this Mr. Yanfang to himself and said that Mr. Yanfang is a strategist, who knows astronomy and geography, and has the strange ability to calculate and call the wind and rain. Tai Hao stepped forward and arched his hand: "Mr. Yanfang, do you remember being down?" ”

Yan Fang's gaze fell on Taihao, and he frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he slowly spoke: "Lord Taihao, of course the old man remembers. ”

Xuan Cheng looked at Tai Hao, and there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. He didn't expect that the minister beside him also knew Mr. Yanfang. So, he asked curiously: "Taihao Aiqing, it turns out that you also know Mr. Yanfang." Do you have any friendships between you? ”

Tai Hao smiled slightly, then saluted Xuan Cheng and said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Yan Fang was met by Wei Chen in the General's Mansion of Brother Canggu in Luyang City. At that time, he once gave advice to Brother Canggu and helped him solve many problems. ”

Xuan Cheng smiled slightly and said, "So that's the case, where is that kid in Canggu now?" I hadn't seen him in years. ”

Yan Fang smiled and said, "Canggu is safe now. ”

Tai Hao said: "I heard Brother Gu Sheng say that Brother Canggu disappeared inexplicably after he was captured by the rebels in Luyang City. I wonder what happened to him? ”

Yan Fang said: "Canggu is doing something to fight against the rebels now, and I don't know what it is, but Lord Taihao, please rest assured, he is safe now." ”

Xuan Cheng recalled: "When I was in Cangyun City, I watched the child grow up, and my daughter Diaotang also played with him since she was a child. Years have passed, and the children have grown up, but they will never see each other again. ”

Yan Fang said: "Lao Yu also heard that Princess Diaotang married Tubo, and the children have grown up and know how to dedicate themselves to the country, which is a good thing." ”

Xuan Cheng sighed and continued, "Although the days in Cangyun City are simple, every day there is full of joy and happiness. I hunted, fished, farmed, and often drank and talked with Canggu's father. Now, I have ascended the throne as emperor and become the emperor of the Eastern Empire. However, I will never forget those good memories. ”

Yan Fang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you don't have to be too sad. Time flies, but those good memories will always remain in your heart. Moreover, the old man believes that with your wise leadership and the assistance of many loyal ministers, the Eastern Empire will become stronger and more prosperous. ”

Tai Hao said: "Yes, Your Majesty." We should cherish everything in front of us and work hard for the future of our country. ”

Xuan Cheng nodded and said, "That's a good point." The people of the Eastern Empire must unite and work together for the development of this country. ”

Yeonfang continued: "Your Majesty, the situation between the DPRK and China is still unstable, and the old man is deeply worried. Although you have ascended the throne as emperor, there are still forces operating in the shadows to undermine your rule. If we don't act sooner, it could trigger an even bigger crisis. Therefore, Lao Yu suggested that the class teacher should return to the DPRK as soon as possible and return to the Thousand Winds City to stabilize the situation in the DPRK and China. ”

Xuan Cheng listened to Yan Fang's words, and he also felt a little uneasy in his heart. He knows that the situation between the DPRK and China is indeed complicated and needs to be resolved as soon as possible. So, he asked, "Mr. Yanfang, what do you think we should do now?" ”

Yan Fang pondered for a while, and then said, "Your Majesty, the old man thinks that we should stabilize the situation between the DPRK and China first, and then think about other things. First of all, we need to tighten our grip on the DPRK and China and rid ourselves of the evil forces that seek to undermine His Majesty's rule. Second, we need to strengthen the army and improve the combat effectiveness of the soldiers in order to eliminate the rebels led by Yao Fuji and Na Zugan. Finally, we need to strengthen our external engagement and enlist more support and help. ”