Volume 1, Chapter 5: Saint of Confucianism, Dual Sovereigns Ascendant

Emperor Qingli never imagined that Ye Chen, despite being severely injured, would be willing to sacrifice his very life to swear an oath to heaven and prove his innocence.

How foolish. Is innocence truly that important?

Cursing inwardly, the Emperor realized that the Ye Chen before him was a completely different person from the one he once knew. Since when did this boy acquire such backbone, just like his maternal grandfather?

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he glanced at the beams above the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where "Falcon," the leader of his secret guards, was concealed. Falcon was about to strike again, but the Emperor stopped him with a sharp look. After swearing by heaven and earth, Ye Chen was already a dead man.

Almost the instant Ye Chen finished his oath, the strange phenomena in the sky dissipated. The blue sky became as clear and calm as a tranquil sea, without a single trace of discoloration. Immediately following, a power from heaven and earth descended upon Ye Chen, draining a vast amount of his life force. His black hair turned white in an instant, and his breath grew so faint it seemed he would pass away at any moment.

A deathly silence fell both inside and outside the hall. Du Lingfu stepped forward with trembling steps, his thin, withered arms gently supporting Ye Chen as he proclaimed in a resonant voice:

"Your Majesty, the world is clear and calm. The Ninth Prince has proven his innocence; he has not committed treason!"

The officials looked toward Emperor Qingli, eager to see how he would handle this. Ling Aoxue, held in the Emperor's arms, was frozen in place. Before the Emperor could respond, the weakened Ye Chen spoke up:

"The entire heavens and earth have… proven my innocence. Father… your son is innocent!"

"Hmph!"

After a long silence, Emperor Qingli let out a cold snort and enunciated, "So what if you did not commit treason? Conspiring against Consort Ling and defying and insulting me—is that not enough? You rebellious son, while the death penalty may be spared, you shall not escape punishment..."

"Go to hell, are you ever going to stop?"

Ye Chen had not expected the Emperor to remain so relentless. Despite his extreme weakness, he cursed aloud. The officials felt a chill in their hearts. Ye Chen was the Emperor's own son and had even sworn by heaven and earth to prove his innocence, yet the Emperor still would not let him go. If they were to make a mistake, wouldn't the Emperor's methods be even more ruthless? At this thought, every official began to fear for their own safety.

After uttering that curse, Ye Chen suddenly felt a sense of release. He whispered to Du Lingfu in a voice only they could hear:

"Enough! I am going to die anyway. Since I have come this far, I might as well leave my teacher a grand gift!"

Ye Chen spoke weakly. He took a deep breath, looked at the officials, and used every ounce of his remaining strength to declare:

"My teacher once told me that a scholar takes the welfare of the world as his own responsibility, therefore..."

Everyone looked at Du Lingfu, curious to know what he had once said to Ye Chen. In truth, Du Lingfu was just as curious about what this "grand gift" might be. Ye Chen spoke in a weak but resonant voice that fell upon everyone’s ears like a thunderclap:

"We scholars must establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a life for the people, carry forward the lost teachings of ancient sages, and create peace for all generations to come!"

***

A sudden enlightenment!

The officials felt their minds clear; almost every civil servant present entered a state of epiphany in an instant. Deng Qirui, the Minister of the Secretariat, and Wang Daoling, the Chancellor—both already at the second rank—saw their cultivation surge toward the first rank shortly after their enlightenment. For a moment, strange phenomena appeared over the imperial palace, and their cultivation levels finally settled at the sixth level of the second rank: "Sub-Sage"! Many third-rank grand scholars at the scene also experienced an epiphany, their cultivation soaring toward the second rank.

This scene caught Emperor Qingli off guard; these words dealt a massive shock even to him.

Looking at Ye Chen, he had already breathed his last. His white hair swayed in the wind like withered grass, looking incredibly desolate. Seeing this, Emperor Qingli’s eyes suddenly turned red, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. He asked himself: Did I do something wrong? No, I did nothing wrong! I am the monarch of this nation, the ruler of all under heaven! This is all that rebellious son brought upon himself!

Du Lingfu stood stunned. He had certainly never spoken such profound Confucian wisdom. Furthermore, these words had enabled him—a Confucian saint at the sixth level of the first rank—to experience another epiphany. This was the gift Ye Chen had left him; it was too great, and he felt unworthy of it.

"We scholars must establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a life for the people, carry forward the lost teachings of ancient sages, and create peace for all generations to come!"

At this moment, all the civil officials could not help but chant this Confucian motto repeatedly. Listening to their chanting, Du Lingfu’s cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. Suddenly, the heavens shifted, and golden light appeared in the sky, pouring into his body. In the blink of an eye, Du Lingfu’s cultivation reached the ninth level of the first rank—a height never before achieved since the birth of Confucianism. He was now at the pinnacle! The first "Confucian Saint" and "Teacher of All Generations" in the history of the Canglan Realm had been born.

"How is this possible!"

Crushed by the aura of Du Lingfu’s sainthood, Emperor Qingli lost his composure. Little did they know that Ye Chen’s words were the "Four Sentences of Hengqu" by the ancient scholar Zhang Zai from China—the greatest masterpiece of wisdom in all of history, bar none! Ye Chen had spoken them in Du Lingfu’s name to repay his teacher’s kindness.

Above the palace, clouds churned, golden light radiated, and vast power from heaven and earth descended. Du Lingfu, wrapped in purple energy, now shimmered with faint gold. The frail, elderly man visibly became younger, appearing like a man in his forties. A purple halo appeared behind him, making him look like an immortal. Yet, looking at the limp body of Ye Chen in his arms, Du Lingfu was overcome with reluctance and choked back tears. He understood clearly: without Ye Chen, how could he, Du Lingfu, have the merit to become a Confucian Saint and the Teacher of All Generations?

A moment later, a powerful force of heaven and earth permeated the entire palace. Looking at the breathless Ye Chen in his arms, Du Lingfu spoke with a voice like a booming bell:

"My student, the Ninth Prince, Prince of Yan, Ye Chen, is upright in character, humble in conduct, respectful of teachers, and unmatched in loyalty and courage. He is a model of our Confucian school and deserves to enter the first rank!"

***

The crowd was shocked. They never expected that Du Lingfu, having become a Confucian Saint, would use the power of "Words Manifesting into Law" to elevate the cultivation of a dead man! Doing so required a massive consumption of life force; as the words left his lips, Du Lingfu visibly aged, returning to the form of a withered old man.

At the same time, the earth shook, and a gale arose. The sky was filled with auspicious clouds, and a golden dragon formed of light swirled between heaven and earth.

"What is that?" someone exclaimed.

Before the crowd could react, the golden dragon descended from the sky and dived into Ye Chen’s body. Emperor Qingli turned pale with fright. While the officials did not know the origin of the golden dragon, the Emperor certainly did. This was the national destiny of the Great Yu Dynasty, and whoever possessed it could be resurrected from death!

Thinking of this, the Emperor stared at Ye Chen! He saw Ye Chen’s white hair turn black, and he slowly opened his eyes—he had come back to life! Furthermore, at the moment of his resurrection, Ye Chen’s cultivation ascended to the first level of the first rank. For a time, rosy light filled the sky over the palace, stretching for thousands of miles.

Seeing this, the second-rank general Huang Shihu bowed to the Emperor and proclaimed in a loud voice:

"The Ninth Prince has returned from the dead and ascended to the first rank! Congratulations to Your Majesty! With two Confucian Saints at court, the Great Yu shall enjoy a revival!"

The other officials, realizing what had happened, also rushed to offer their congratulations. Ling Aoxue was stunned, never expecting things to reach such a point. Emperor Qingli felt even worse; he had been "cornered" and left in a position where he pleased no one. But for the sake of imperial dignity, he spoke:

"So what if he is first rank? This rebellious son is not worthy of being called a saint. In my eyes, he is nothing but a degenerate who lacks respect for his elders!"

"Pass on my decree! Announce it to the world! The Ninth Prince, Prince of Yan, Ye Chen, has spoken wildly and defied his father."

"Strip him of his title as Prince of Yan and exile him ten thousand miles away. He is forbidden from returning to the capital without an imperial edict!"

"Starting today, he must leave the capital within seven days!"

The officials were in an uproar. The Emperor was actually exiling a Confucian semi-saint! This had never happened since the birth of Confucianism in the Canglan Realm! Before the officials could react, Emperor Qingli waved his hand. "I am tired. Court is dismissed!"

With that, Emperor Qingli took Ling Aoxue’s hand and left the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"As expected, if you are determined to convict, you will always find a pretext. Father, you still refuse to let me go..."

Having just been resurrected and still very weak, Ye Chen watched the Emperor’s retreating figure, gave a miserable laugh, and fainted once more.

An hour later, inside the Prince of Yan's mansion in the capital, Ye Chen woke up in a luxurious bedroom. Grand Tutor Du sat by the bedside, his face full of worry. A frail voice reached them: "Saint Du, although the Ninth Prince is now a first-rank Confucian, his meridians are completely severed, and a vast amount of primordial energy is congested within his body. If his meridians are not repaired in time, he will surely explode and die within a year!"