In a world full of several hundreds of empires, large and small, when it came to military force on land, the Ning Empire was said to be unequalled. With strong elite troops from all four borders and depositories sweeping across the land in all directions, they were able to stick their flag in the ground, claiming any land they desired. However, inevitably, there were some people who were dissatisfied with their lack of military prowess when it came to the coastal border regions. Hence, a young man stepped forth, brandishing his weapons and led the troops to the seas. Shen Leng: If the day comes that I have to fight hard for my people, I am more than willing.
The Ning Empire had always held Daoism in high regard, ever since it was established hundreds of years ago.
Daoism promoted benevolence and magnanimity. However, not a single emperor of the Ning Empire throughout hundreds of years was truly benevolent or magnanimous. For example, when the current emperor, Li Chengtang, deployed 120,000 elite troops on the southern border to sweep across the Nanyue Empire, he said......"Do you know why the Great Ning Empire is called the Great Ning Empire? That is because as long as the Great Ning Empire is around, everybody would be free from worry."
The reason behind wiping out the Nanyue Empire was because a few of their goats crossed the border and nibbled on three cabbages in one of the vegetable farms on Great Ning Empire's side of the border.
Wasn't it absurd?
Whether it was absurd or not, the emperor of the Nanyue Empire knew best. However, there was no medicine for regret.
Three cabbages, 120,000 elite troops. Just like that, an empire with 300 years of history was wiped out.
If only the emperor of the now vanquished Nanyue Empire, Yang Yu, who was currently confined in a small courtyard in the Eighth District Alley of the capital, could foresee his current predicament, he probably would have slaughtered all the goats in the Nanyue Empire, including sheep and cows.
His Majesty displayed the Li imperial family's unreasonable nature without restraint. In the words of a Daoist spiritual master on Mount Dragon Tiger: A circling dragon reveals its dragon claws from time to time, instilling fear that was hard to forget.
The strange thing was that, a couple of years ago, Zen Buddhism from the western regions started flourishing in the Great Ning Empire. The empress became one of the devout believers. She even tried to persuade the emperor, telling him that Zen Buddhism focused on being merciful, and doing good. She also explained to him about karma, convincing him to listen to what the senior monk preached.
Li Chengtang said, "I know for a fact that Daoism belongs to the Great Ning Empire. If I don't protect it, who would? Anything that comes from outside of the Great Ning Empire......I have absolutely no interest in it. If there is really karma, you should get struck by lightning."
Ever since then, the empress had never stepped foot into the temple; she only burned some joss sticks and candles within her quarters in the palace.
Twelve years ago, for some reason, it was the previous empress' last time stepping into a Daoist temple. Ever since then, she started to become a believer of Zen Buddhism instead.
At that time, Li Chengtang was not the ruler - the person at the throne was his brother Li Chengyuan.
Twelve years ago, on an ordinary day, with nothing peculiar or strange happening, Emperor Li Chengyuan vomited a lot of blood out of the blue. He passed away shortly after, and the entire imperial court of the Great Ning Empire was thrown into chaos. That was because the emperor had no sons.
The senior secretary suggested that since the emperor had no sons, they should pick one of the princes to succeed to the throne. However, the oldest prince was only seven or eight years old. It was extremely clear what his intentions were.
Nonetheless, the senior secretary had substantial power and authority. A third of the officials in the imperial court were his allies. Even the empress did not dare to voice her opinions.
Nobody expected that on the very day that they escorted the selected crown prince from Jiangnan to the capital, the great general Pei Tingshan, who was stationed in Dongjiang, brought 9,000 weapons with him and traversed outside of the capital. This great general, who had been leading the troops for twenty years, and lost count of the number of people he had killed, set up a pavilion outside the city gate. He carried a sword and sat cross-legged. He only said one sentence.
"If Prince Liu is not here, we will not withdraw our weapons."
Prince Liu is the current emperor, Li Chengtang.
80,000 warriors in the capital did not dare to make a move. Were they really afraid to make a move?
Everyone knew that Prince Liu had made a name for himself in the military when he was younger.
Hence, the crown prince ran away, feeling crestfallen. He did not dare to step foot into the city gate.
Therefore, the secret secretary looked up to the sky and sighed deeply before cursing, "What a brute! So crude at handling matters, not refined at all."
Was there anything he could do?
No.
Twelve years ago, on the day that Li Chengtang was about to rush to the capital during the night, his wife had entered the Daoist temple. She met a Daoist devotee and did something that made Li Chengtang extremely furious afterwards. Later on, that very incident cost the empress' originally well-regarded and prestigious clan to meet with suppression for twelve years - not a single member of the clan could become a fourth pin official or higher. They were hard-pressed.
However, the empress had no regrets.
She clenched her teeth and persevered. She was not afraid of getting even the most malicious retribution.
That day, her only son turned one.
That year, the Daoist devotee from the Daoist temple sighed and lamented that the heavens was the one who decided his fate, not him. He lost what the empress had given him on a cold snowy night, and decided to leave the Daoist temple to head back home, reproaching himself every day.
When they met again, Jason cast aside his paranoia and pride, warmly embracing Chelsey. "Please, come back to me?" For three years, she had been his secretary by day and his companion by night. Chelsey had always complied with his requests, like an obedient pet. However, when Jason declared his plans to marry another, she chose to stop loving him and to let go. But life took unexpected turns. His unyielding pursuit, her pregnancy, and her mother's greed gradually pushed her to the brink. Eventually, she endured tremendous suffering. Five years later, when she returned, she was no longer the woman she once was. Yet he had spiraled into five years of chaos.
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
Three years ago, Cecilia was left battered and alone by the man she loved most, Alston, yet she bravely completed the wedding ceremony while pregnant. Three years later, although they were married, they grew apart over time. Cecilia focused on her career, no longer foolishly believing in love. But her transformation instantly threw Alston into a panic... And what is the secret from 11 years ago that Cecilia has always been reluctant to reveal? *** "She went to a law firm, met with a lawyer..." A lawyer? Is Cecilia suing someone? Who? Is there any recent litigation against the company? Alston suddenly chuckled coldly, "Who could she sue? I'm the CEO of this company. How come such a matter doesn't come to me first?" The assistant swallowed nervously, speaking softly, "Sir, there's no litigation against the company. She met with... a divorce lawyer."
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffman—the heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!