Gate of God

"Palace? Is there anything fun there?" Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes brightened.

He had been to the palace before. However, he was summoned to the throne room then. He had not had the chance to explore it before.

In all honesty, he had never seen the palace in its entirety.

"Have you heard of the... 3000 beauties?" Ping Yang was rather contented to see Fang Zhengzhi’s interest piqued.

The residence of concubines...

An image flashed in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. Countless beauties walking past him, each with their own unique qualities.

3000 of them!

With 365 days in a year... he could change one everyday and have enough to last him 10 years!

Furthermore, this was just an estimate. In his previous world, the Emperors all had more than 3000 concubines. For some of them, the concubines were virtually uncountable.

"Ahem, I am still young. I can’t be exposed to such things too early!" Fang Zhengzhi replied solemnly.

"What are you thinking about? What do you mean by you are too young? You can’t be exposed to such things so early?" Ping Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi scornfully. "I am just bringing you there to take a look. Are you going?"

"Yes!" Fang Zhengzhi replied without hesitation.

"Yan Xiu, what about you?"

"Nope."

"What a disappointment." Ping Yang’s lips twitched. Then, she turned to look at Wen Dabao.

"I will go, I will go!" Wen Dabao did not even wait for Ping Yang to ask. He was salivating at the thought of it.

"Scram! Is that a place that you can go to? Do you believe that I will get someone to castrate you?" Ping Yang glared at him as she made a chopping motion with her hands.

Wen Dabao crossed his legs as sweat flowed from his forehead.

"Come let’s go, I will bring you to see what 3000 concubines look like!" Ping Yang pulled Fang Zhengzhi away after snorting at Wen Dabao...

...

Inside the library of the palace.

A golden armored member of the Dragon Protection Squad stood in the middle. There was a letter on the table.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping sat beside the table, his expression as calm as water. However, he kept looking at Emperor Lin Mubai, who was at the table.

Emperor Lin Mubai scanned the letter, his expression changing slightly.

"Where is he now?"

Emperor Lin Mubai’s question was quite vague. However, the Dragon Protection Squad member understood immediately. He cupped his fist.

"Your highness, he is rushing to the capital as we speak. Based on his speed, he should arrive shortly."

"Mm... you may leave now." Emperor Lin Mubai nodded.

The Dragon Protection Squad member bowed and left the library.

"Your highness, the implications of this are great. Should we gather all the officials?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied quickly after the Dragon Protection Squad member left.

"What do you think I should do about this?" Emperor Lin Mubai questioned after some hesitation.

"We have already confirmed the identity of the Demon Leader. As such, we only have two options. We can order for her capture. She should not have gone far. If we send the order now, we should be able to capture her. That will give us the upper hand against the demons. The second option is... lockdown the news and let things take their course." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied after some thought.

"I was asking about him." Emperor Lin Mubai shook his head.

"Him?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping’s expression changed as he looked out of the library. He clenched his fists then loosened them. "Your highness, do you plan to use this opportunity to show mercy?"

"What are your views on Nangong Mu?" Emperor Lin Mubai changed the approach.

"Your highness, you have been merciful!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping replied.

"Haha... I’m afraid that you are the only one who would say that I’ve been merciful? I think that Nangong Hao has come to the city because of this."

"This is an opportunity."

"I am worried that we will not be able to grasp this opportunity."

"Based on Nangong Hao’s ability, he could have topped the court examinations four years ago. Four years later, he should be able to do so with no problem. Your highness, all you have to do is wait."

"Mm... you’re right!" Emperor Lin Mubai nodded, then turned to look out the window. "Do you think... that there could be someone else that is the child in the Heavenly Prophecy?"

"Are you referring to Yan Xiu?" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping trembled.

"No, I am talking about Fang Zhengzhi." Emperor Lin Mubai shook his head lightly.

"About this... forgive my stupidity, but I don’t see it." Left Prime MInster Yu Yiping’s expression changed.

"Yes, it is quite the long shot and it’s just a thought I had. Anyways, the Crown Prince seems to be into landscaping?" Emperor Lin Mubai nodded.

"The Crown Prince uses the botany to understand the values required to be a leader."

"It is good to improve one’s values and health. However, he needs to improve his political involvement. As a leader, he cannot continue this way if he wants to be effective."

"Your highness is wise!"

"About the court examinations, the Crown Prince has suggested that I hold the combat examinations at the Southern Mountain Region. I find it refreshing and bold. What is your opinion?"

"I think that this is quite bold, but it would affect the military. I am afraid King Duan..."

"Let King Duan help him from the side. Brothers should work together more often. King Duan made some errors in his last invigilation, I would like to give him a second chance."

"Your highness, you have considered every possibility, I am impressed beyond words."

"Mm, you’ve always been too humble. I’ve had a splitting headache recently. I keep thinking that something bad is about to happen. Why don’t you accompany me for a walk around the gardens?" Emperor Lin Mubai smiled and stood up.

"Yes your highness!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping bowed.

...

The cold wind blew, causing the lake to freeze over.

The mountains were now covered in snow.

It was incredibly cold now. The rivers and lakes were frozen and the lands were covered in snow.

There was a huge mausoleum in the middle of this landscape.

Snow covered the vast limestone. The rock was not blocked by any foliage from the icy wind. This was an eternally icy world.

The entire cemetery was covered in snow.

This was the Nangong mausoleum.

This was the home of the reputable Nangong Family.

This place had existed for aeons. It was established about the same time as the Great Xia Dynasty. The limestone may have aged, but the ice was still the same.

The Nangong Family stayed right next to their ancestors’ tombs.

Many people could not understand it, but the mausoleum was the pillar of this ancient family’s fate.

There was a stone tablet in the middle of the mausoleum.

Each tablet was carved with a name, and under each name was the description of the ancestor’s life. This was the residence of the Nangong Family, and it was also the resting place of the Nangong ancestors.

Today, there were a dozen people by the side door of the mausoleum.

Each person’s gaze was icy, their bodies covered in snow from head to toe. They had clearly been standing here for some time.

However, none of them moved from their spots. They looked like statues by the door.

This was a strange sight. If not for the fact that clouds of mist formed everytime they exhaled, one may be tempted to think that these men were dead.

The snow continued to fall lightly to the ground.

A figure walked out from the snow. The figure wore a green short sleeved shirt and his workaday appearance was complemented by calm, expressionless eyes.

He stopped at the mausoleum.

Then, he fell to his knees and kowtowed to the mausoleum. The snow stained his forehead as he did so.

"You’re back?" The man right at the front of the stone door finally spoke.

This was a slightly plump middle aged man. He wore a single layer, but his collar was lined with fur. He revealed no expression.

His eyes did not blink even as the wind blew against his face. His blood vessels showed through his eyes. He had clearly been in the snow for too long.

"Mm." The figure nodded lightly as he replied.

"Why did you come back?" The slightly plump middle aged man asked again. This time, his tone was icily dangerous.

The figure did not speak. He chose to stand in the snow silently. His expression was as flat as before, almost as if he wasn’t even thinking about the question.

"What is the core value of the Nangong Family?" The slightly plump man raised his head as he looked at the falling snow. Then, he looked at the figure in the snow.

"Break rather than bend." The figure asserted.

"Why did you admit defeat?" The middle aged man’s tone changed.

Silence once again. However, this time, the figure in the snow seemed to be deep in contemplation.

"You can lose, you can die, but, you cannot bend!"

"Yes."

"Kneel to your ancestors!"

"Yes." The figure nodded then walked through the dozen men and towards the stone tablet.

There were a total of 3,478 tablets.

However, his expression did not change. He walked quietly to the first tablet and knelt. Then, he kowtowed once, twice, thrice...

For a total of 10 times.

Only then did he stand up and walk to the second tablet. He kowtowed 10 times there. Then, he moved to the third tablet...

"Master, is this a little too harsh?" One of the figures standing outside the mausoleum felt heartache as he saw the lone figure kowtowing to each grave.

"The Emperor has been kind enough to not put his name on the roll. In all our history, there has been no one who has gotten a first-class roll result. This is humiliation. The Nangong Family has been humliated! After he dies, are we supposed to put imperial examination first-class roll on his grave?"

"Master is wise."

"You can all leave. I will wait for him here by myself."

"I understand."

The snow continued to fall on the two remaining people in the mausoleum. One of them stood by the side door silently. He was just like a statue, unspeaking and unmoving.

The other figure kept kowtowing at the front of each gravestone. However, the determination in his eyes never wavered.

"Dong, dong, dong..."

The sound of his head against the ice and snow rang out, almost like a hammer knocking against the ground.

...

In the palace...

Fang Zhengzhi felt the urge to curse. He felt utterly cheated. Furthermore, he had been cheated in the worst manner.

3000 concubines!

Ping Yang did bring Fang Zhengzhi to the residence of the concubines. However, this palace did not belong to the Emperor.

This was the residence of princesses.

Fang Zhengzhi bowed so much he felt like he had sprained his waist. Crowds of them ran out like butterflies.

Each one of them chuckled to themselves.

More importantly.

They would ask the same question each time.

"Oh? Who is this?"

They were almost like curious babies.

He had no other choice but to introduce himself to each of them. However, he began to grow tired of it after more than 20 times.

"I heard that Official Fang managed to clinch the top spot for the imperial examinations. Can you share with us how you did it?"

"Exactly exactly. Official Fang, please share with us. We always here Sister Ping Yang call you shameless. How shameless are you? Why don’t you try it on us?"

"Why do you ask Official Fang so many questions at one go? Official Fang, ignore them. Tell me how you made everyone fall for your trick at the hunting and racing competition! Also, tell me how you knew they would go one additional round?"

All of them looked at Fang Zhengzhi in anticipation, their dresses flapping in the wind.

"Don’t be so draggy! Get me something nice to eat first!" Fang Zhengzhi could not take it any longer. He slumped into a chair and finished an entire fruit platter on the table.