The Slender Waist-Chapter 819 - 579: Establish the Queen and Proclaim the King_3

Chapter 819: Chapter 579: Establish the Queen and Proclaim the King_3

Pei Jue extended his hand to her.

Feng Yun smiled softly and gracefully placed her cinnabar-rouged hand into his warm palm.

With a slight movement, Pei Jue helped her ascend the steps, and together they stood side by side, facing the morning sun.

The chime of the bells echoed, reverberating past the sacred and imposing palace halls, piercing through the clouds.

"Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long live!"

"Long live Her Majesty! Long live! Long live!"

The ceremonial officials chanted, as drums and music resounded solemnly.

The gathered ministers cheered and bowed in unison to offer their congratulations.

The blazing sunlight slanted across eaves decorated with auspicious beasts, casting its golden glow on the jade balustrades and crimson walls of the palace.

Across the vast lands, sturdy warhorses galloped along the post roads, racing to deliver the news across Da Jiang Nan Bei...

Within three days, the news spread throughout the lands of Da Yong.

Even Nanqi, Yunzhong, and the smaller states of Minnan and Beiyue sent envoys to Da Yong’s Xinjing Andu to express their congratulations.

A new Chapter in the history of the Da Yong dynasty had begun.

Centuries later, as future historians and curious readers leafed through the brittle pages of ancient tomes recounting this period, they would have to admit—this marked the most pivotal moment in Da Yong’s prosperity and rise.

The Da Yong Emperor, with extraordinary boldness and wisdom, had implemented sweeping reforms after establishing the New Dynasty. He deliberately weakened the privileges of the Aristocratic Families, vigorously promoted members of the Humble Clans and Commoner Clans, reduced corvée labor, lowered taxes, expanded irrigation projects to ensure farmland irrigation, and emphasized education, building countless schools that allowed even the children of common folk the opportunity to learn and write alongside the offspring of noble families.

The new policies, like spring rains nourishing bamboo shoots, showered blessings upon all the people.

The four seas were at peace, and the era flourished in harmony and prosperity.

In Xinjing Andu, the New Capital of Da Yong, the city had quickly become the grandest in the dynasty. Looking out across the bustling streets, one could see endless streams of carriages, merchants from every direction gathering in prosperity. In the fields and mountains, the scent of ripened rice lingered in the air, and the branches hung heavy with fruit, ushering in harvest after abundant harvest.

Conversely, the Xiao Family’s Nanqi had not been idle during these years either.

Xiao Cheng was a diligent monarch.

For years, he worked tirelessly day and night, with unyielding dedication. He ruled meticulously under the doctrine of "governance through benevolence," implementing kind policies, lowering taxes, prioritizing effective administration, reducing harsh punishments, and showing compassion for the hardships of the people. As a result, he received high praise both in the court and among the common folk.

The sole critique against him lay in his personal affairs. Though he had taken numerous concubines over the years, none bore him children. Despite reigning for many years and bestowing titles upon many Imperial Consorts, he never established an Empress, lavishing favor solely on Lady Huaxi.

The rumors sparked by this unusual circumstance spread like wildfire, yet while Xiao Cheng styled himself as a benevolent sovereign, his methods in governance remained unwaveringly firm. On more than one occasion, he used thunderous means to bring the court to order. Under his leadership, Nanqi thrived, its governance harmonious and its vitality renewed, with national strength rising steadily.

Whether by luck or design, there seemed to be a tacit understanding between Yong and Qi over the years.

They turned their competition from a clash of military strength to a rivalry of national power.

Like a battle between dragon and tiger—trade exchanges, agricultural advancements, metallurgy, and craftsmanship—all pitted against each other. Yet, on the borderlands where their territories met, not a single conflict arose.

Over the years, the two nations coexisted in peace.

No one could have anticipated that the first spark of war would ignite not between Yong and Qi, but from Yunchuan, long known for its neutrality and peaceful stance.

In the Second Year of Jingning, King Chunyu Xie of Yunchuan succumbed to illness in Yun City.

On his deathbed, with the last vestige of strength, Chunyu Xie deposed Crown Prince Chunyu Yan and decreed that Chunyu Ke, the son born of his beloved Sakura Princess, be established as the heir.

The decree was like a stone cast into a still lake, stirring waves upon waves.

The very night the edict was issued, a coup broke out in Yunchuan.

King Chunyu Xie’s death was shrouded in mystery, and for the throne of Yunchuan, his sons and their respective factions turned on one another, dragging their followers into a deadly struggle.

The internal war within Yunchuan dragged on until the Fifth Year of Jingning.

By then, Chunyu Yan’s younger brothers had all met their end.

On that fateful day, the skies over Yun City seemed cloaked in a heavy pall of dark clouds.

The streets were eerily silent; within the Imperial City, cries of despair rose amidst swirling dust.

Warm, viscous blood flowed over the old green brick stones, soaking into Chunyu Yan’s intricately designed ebony boots.

Clad in a magnificent and elaborate brocade robe, the subtle embroidery of golden dragons on his boots glimmered faintly in the dim light, exuding an eerie power. His face, pale to the point of translucency, carried an unnatural delicacy, as if untouched by sunlight for years.

His deep-set eyes, framed by long lashes, made him ethereally beautiful—almost unreal. Though his features were peerlessly handsome, anyone who laid eyes on him was filled with dread, as if facing a malevolent ghost...

Chunyu Yan was not wearing a mask.

The moment the Suiyu Sword plunged into the chest, the muffled sound of breaking flesh echoed.

"Remember my face," he said, voice chillingly calm, "so you don’t come seeking revenge at the wrong door in the afterlife."

"You... are so cruel." Chunyu Yan’s youngest brother, clutching his robes with a venomous glare, gasped his final words, his voice choked with resentment:

"...When your time comes... In the underworld... How will you face Father..."

Ha! Chunyu Yan chuckled softly, gently prying the hand from his robe as he bent down, staring coldly.

"Father won’t question me," he murmured, his tone deliberate, as his dark eyes gleamed. "When he sees my face, he’ll go straight to complain to the King of Hell."

Thud!

The sword drove another inch deeper, and blood gushed from Chunyu Ke’s heart.

Chunyu Yan withdrew the sword, wiping its blood-stained blade, his crimson eyes tranquil, though the smile on his lips seemed like a cursed brand. His piercing gaze swept over the crowd, and one after another, they fell to their knees.

"Hail to the Great King!"

"Hail to the Great King!"

"Hail to the Great King!"

Chunyu Yan said nothing.

On his pale, exquisite face, there was not a trace of joy.

It was as if all of this were irrelevant to him.

Only when his ebony boots, embroidered with golden dragons, stepped onto the Danbi, did he slowly turn his head.

"Quding."

That delicate, handsome face was utterly devoid of warmth, steeped in a lethal air.

Quding knelt on both knees, his forehead pressed to the ground. "Great King."

Chunyu Yan smiled radiantly and spoke with deliberate slowness: "Proceed to Da Yong’s Xinjing, and invite the Da Yong Emperor to personally issue a vermillion decree to formally establish the King of Yunchuan."

Quding felt a surge of emotion in his chest like a river breaking its banks; before his eyes was the majestic landscape of Yunchuan Country, and the valiant figure of the newly ascended King of Yunchuan.

"Your servant accepts the command."