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.
For seven years, Jillian pursued Bryan with unyielding passion, but he remained distant, his emotions tightly sealed. Disheartened, she left for overseas after graduating from college. Three years later, Jillian, now a successful attorney, sat provocatively on the lap of Bryan's competitor. She flashed Bryan a playful smile and taunted, "What's wrong, Bryan? Are you impotent?" Bryan's restraint shattered in an instant. In a swift motion, he scooped her up and tossed her onto the bed. The next morning, as Bryan woke up, Jillian flashed a mischievous smile. "Let's keep things casual, okay?"
For the sake of their company, Atasha Rae was forced to marry the known heartless billionaire, Lorcan Amadeus. But it only took her a week as his wife because later on, he suddenly wants a divorce immediately. So as he wished, she signed the divorce paper even after admitting to herself that she was somehow starting to fall inlove with him. Heart badly wounded, she ran away from his life. Until she discovers that she's pregnant with his child and as a result, she ends up with no choice but to keep it a secret. Out of Lorcan's awareness, she's keeping a secret that would lead him to an overflowing regret. Because for a week of their fallen marriage beyond repair, she's carrying the billionaire's heir.
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the end of her role as a devoted wife. Within Hannah, a strong woman awakened, vowing never to be beholden to any man again. Embracing her new life, she embarked on a journey to find herself and command her own destiny. By the time she returned, she had experienced so much growth and was now completely different from the docile wife everyone once knew. "Is this your latest trick to get my attention?" Hannah's ever-so-arrogant husband asked. Before she could retort, a handsome and domineering CEO pulled her into his embrace. He smiled down at her and said boldly to her ex, "Just a little heads-up, mister. This is my beloved wife. Keep off!"
Dear readers, this book has resumed daily updates. It took Sabrina three whole years to realize that her husband, Tyrone didn't have a heart. He was the coldest and most indifferent man she had ever met. He never smiled at her, let alone treated her like his wife. To make matters worse, the return of the woman he had eyes for brought Sabrina nothing but divorce papers. Sabrina's heart broke. Hoping that there was still a chance for them to work on their marriage, she asked, "Quick question,Tyrone. Would you still divorce me if I told you that I was pregnant?" "Absolutely!" he responded. Realizing that she didn't mean shit to him, Sabrina decided to let go. She signed the divorce agreement while lying on her sickbed with a broken heart. Surprisingly, that wasn't the end for the couple. It was as if scales fell off Tyrone's eyes after she signed the divorce agreement. The once so heartless man groveled at her bedside and pleaded, "Sabrina, I made a big mistake. Please don't divorce me. I promise to change." Sabrina smiled weakly, not knowing what to do...
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."