Chapter 98

"Speak for the country?"

"Does Gu Jinnian have such great ability?"

"Whew, did I hear that right? Gu Jinnian is actually going to speak for the country?"

"Throughout history, many have spoken for themselves, but to speak for the country? What is he trying to do?"

"Those who speak for themselves are sages, and those who speak for the country are virtuous sages."

As Gu Jinnian's voice echoed, countless people were stunned.

If today Gu Jinnian were to speak, saying something passionate and inspiring, they would not have said anything, nor would they have been so shocked. But what Gu Jinnian was about to do...

Was to speak for the country.

What did that mean?

Even the highest officials in the court dared not speak for the country. There were so many scholars in the world, and many of them were respected and esteemed. Who dared to speak for the country? If they couldn't even speak for themselves, how could they speak for the country?

But Gu Jinnian dared.

Not only did he dare, but he also manifested such a terrifying phenomenon.

At the Daxia Academy, Su Wenjing looked at everything with shock in his eyes.

A few days ago, he knew that Gu Jinnian had developed a mental knot due to the marriage alliance.

That's why he personally went to see Gu Jinnian, hoping to help him overcome this obstacle. But in his view, Gu Jinnian's mental knot was too deep, and it would take time to resolve.

However, he never expected that Gu Jinnian did not choose to resolve the knot but instead broke the rules and lived a different life.

This was beyond his imagination.

Faced with the marriage alliance, Su Wenjing had no solution. He also thought the marriage alliance was inappropriate, but he couldn't find a way to resolve it.

He could only remain silent.

The higher one's position, the more one had to consider. A moment of passion or a moment of anger could not solve these problems, especially since he was no longer a young man.

But Gu Jinnian did what many wanted to do but dared not.

He broke the rules.

Inside the Chancellor's residence.

Hearing Gu Jinnian's voice, Li Shan fell silent.

Today, if Gu Jinnian successfully spoke for the country, it would bring significant changes to the court.

If he were to re-enter the court, who knew what would happen.

He remained silent, pondering countless things.

But at this moment.

In the capital of Daxia.

Everyone stared at Gu Jinnian in a daze.

At the northern gate.

The wedding procession had stopped, and the festive atmosphere vanished instantly.

Onlookers on the high buildings were also in a daze.

The Daxia Dynasty's marriage alliance made them feel oppressed and angry.

Just a small group of Huns marrying a Daxia princess was a disgrace.

But many people knew that if the court chose this path, there must be a reason.

As commoners, they had little to say. They could only complain and curse, but then Gu Jinnian wrote a timeless poem and weakened the Huns' national fortune, which made them extremely excited.

They thought Daxia was about to go to war.

But unexpectedly, the Huns took advantage of the situation, demanding a real princess and even two princesses.

This was a great humiliation.

A true great humiliation.

But the court agreed, and many rumors spread. The people also knew that the Fuluo and Dajin Dynasties had intervened.

This made them angry, but more so, they felt helpless.

The princess's marriage was for friendly development.

But wasn't it also a way of sending women for a marriage alliance?

The Daxia Dynasty faced this dilemma. Emperor Yongsheng knew that if the marriage alliance happened, the people would not agree, and there would be widespread resentment. The people of Daxia would blame him, thinking he was disgracing the country.

But if there were no marriage alliance, the border would be in turmoil, and the people would live in fear. Those in the capital might not feel the panic, but those living on the border knew how terrifying it was. Every night, the sound of hooves would make them tremble, and the whole village couldn't sleep peacefully.

They feared the Huns' iron cavalry would sweep through, burning, killing, and looting.

So, for the sake of the people, Emperor Yongsheng was willing to bear the blame, but if asked whether he was willing, he naturally was not.

But there was no other way.

And now.

Gu Jinnian's appearance broke the deadlock.

The Minister of Rites, Yang Kai, looked at everything.

In the distance, Gu Jinnian was radiant, seemingly drunk, but giving the impression that he was the only sober one in a world of drunkards.

The paper fluttered.

Gu Jinnian held the brush, and his voice was deafening.

"My name is Gu Jinnian. Today, at the northern gate of the capital, I will speak for the Daxia Dynasty."

"With this article, I will enhance the prestige of Daxia, solidify the soul of Daxia, and shape the backbone of Daxia."

"This article, I respect heaven and earth, the netherworld, and all the sages of the past and present."

The sound lingered in everyone's ears.

It spread throughout the capital.

At such a critical moment, the wedding procession had already started, but Gu Jinnian still wanted to turn the tide and change the marriage alliance, which left Yang Kai speechless.

But he did not want to stop him. He wanted to see what kind of national words Gu Jinnian would speak for the Daxia Dynasty.

In the wedding procession.

Qi Qimu's face was extremely dark. At this moment, Gu Jinnian still came to disrupt, and he was about to take the princess away.

Why did Gu Jinnian still come to disrupt?

He was filled with overwhelming anger, but he could not vent it.

As for Muhar, his face was also grim.

His eyes were filled with helplessness and curiosity, curious about what Gu Jinnian was going to do.

Moreover, he finally understood what Yang Kai meant when he said not to provoke Gu Jinnian.

He regretted not stopping Qi Qimu. If he hadn't provoked Gu Jinnian, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

The Huns' national fortune was weakened again.

Gu Jinnian was now speaking for the country.

If he truly spoke for the country, Daxia's national fortune would be strengthened, and the enemy's strength would be weakened.

In front of the wedding procession.

Feeling everyone's gaze, Gu Jinnian was calm.

What he said today was both for Daxia and for his own sense of injustice.

A country.

No matter what problems it faces, it should never solve them through a marriage alliance.

This was not a matter of personal pride but of national destiny.

The Daxia Dynasty did not need a marriage alliance and should not sacrifice women to achieve peace.

The benefit of a marriage alliance was peace on the border.

But after several days of reflection, Gu Jinnian found the key to breaking the rules.

The struggle for heavenly mandate.

Shaping the national soul and casting the backbone of Daxia.

Facing the paper.

Gu Jinnian took a deep breath, then picked up the brush, but he did not write immediately. Instead, he spoke loudly.

"Daxia is the central land of the Eastern Wasteland, rising from the Ten Kingdoms, inheriting the Great Qian Dynasty, and ushering in a prosperous era. The founding emperor saved the people from suffering."

"The soul of Daxia cannot be erased."

"The disgrace of the border cannot be forgotten."

"Today, I raise my brush, looking to the founding emperor, the rulers of the Ten Kingdoms, and the spirits of the Great Qian Dynasty, to manifest the soul of the Central Land."

"The national words of Daxia."

"No marriage alliance!"

Gu Jinnian's voice did not praise the Daxia Dynasty but told the story of this land.

Thousands of years ago, there was the Great Qian Dynasty.

Thousands of years ago, the Ten Kingdoms were in contention.

Seventy years ago, the founding emperor emerged, a commoner who swept through the Ten Kingdoms and saved the people from suffering.

Now, the Daxia Dynasty was considering a marriage alliance to achieve peace?

Wasn't that a disgrace?

A country with a backbone is a great country.

A person with pride is a gentleman.

What does it mean to not have a marriage alliance?

A great country, above all, cannot rely on women to end wars.

Gu Jinnian wrote the article, stating that a weak country needs a marriage alliance, but a strong country does not.

With these words, a beam of light shot up from the imperial ancestral temple, causing the entire temple to tremble.

Everyone looked at it.

At this moment, even Emperor Yongsheng could not sit still. He showed a look of surprise and looked at the ancestral temple.

Above the ancestral temple, a dazzling light appeared, forming a figure.

A commoner emperor.

The founding emperor of Daxia.

A commoner emperor.

Without luxurious dragon robes or a high and mighty gaze, everything seemed very ordinary, but this extreme ordinariness saved a country.

He swept through ten countries.

This was the founding emperor of Daxia.

Emperor Kaiyuan.

"Your son, I pay respects to my father."

At this moment, in the palace, Emperor Yongsheng knelt down and bowed to his father.

As the emperor knelt, everyone in the palace immediately knelt, whether they were officials, concubines, eunuchs, or maids, all kneeling and not daring to look at the founding emperor.

Gu Jinnian's simple three words summoned the founding emperor, a feat only the Confucian path could achieve.

With the appearance of the founding emperor, the people of the capital also knelt, showing respect.

Daxia did not have a kneeling ceremony.

But in front of this emperor, people knelt from the heart because this emperor loved the people like his children and truly cared for them.

He hated evil.

He once issued laws, allowing those who held the Daxia law to appeal to the capital, and no official could obstruct them.

A commoner did this, and an official tried to stop him, even involving a prince.

Everyone thought it was like a fly hitting a rock, impossible to defeat a prince.

It was impossible.

Throughout history, such a thing had never happened. A commoner, after all.

But what was the result?

After the founding emperor learned of this, he was furious, and all the obstructing officials were executed. As for the offending prince, his entire family was executed.

This was what the founding emperor did.

He treated the people like his children, and although some slandered him, the result was clear.

The people's eyes were bright. They knew what the founding emperor had done and respected him.

When the founding emperor passed away, the entire country mourned, and every household hung white cloth, showing true respect.

Now, the founding emperor appeared, and although people knew this was not the real founding emperor but his spirit, they still knelt, filled with genuine respect.

When the words "no marriage alliance" were written.

Gu Jinnian wrote again.

"No indemnity!"

Throughout the Daxia Dynasty's seventy years, and even a thousand years ago during the Ten Kingdoms' contention, Daxia had never paid indemnity. After a defeat, they would rest and recuperate, and paying indemnity was a disgrace.

"No cession of territory!"

This land only had internal strife. Ceding territory was a disgrace, not the soul of a great country. The twelve border cities were a disgrace, and not reclaiming them was not the soul of a great country.

This was the spirit of Gu Jinnian.

"No submission!"

Daxia was a great country. From today onward, it would not submit to any dynasty. The officials of Daxia were above all.

The people of Daxia were above all.

"The emperor guards the national gate!"

"The king dies for the state!"

The emperor guards the national gate, and the king would rather die than surrender.

This was the will of the emperor.

The will of Daxia.

And the national will that Gu Jinnian admired the most in his previous life.

Starting with a bowl, ending with a rope.

Even if it was tragic.

But the spirit remained.

Losing to fate, not to the people.

Gu Jinnian wrote with divine inspiration, expressing his thoughts.

To shape the backbone of Daxia.

To shape the national backbone.

To inspire countless people.

When the article was revealed, it caused a stir.

Countless soldiers watched, deeply impacted.

No marriage alliance! No indemnity! No tribute! The emperor guards the national gate! The king dies for the state!

The officials were also stunned.

They did not expect Gu Jinnian to speak such national words for Daxia, which was truly dominant.

Dominant and unparalleled.

In the palace, Emperor Yongsheng repeatedly pondered these words, his eyes showing a different light.

No marriage alliance.

No indemnity.

No tribute.

No submission.

The emperor guards the national gate.

The king dies for the state.

This was truly shocking.

If a country could achieve all this, it would truly flourish.

This was the backbone of a country.

The people would be inspired.

At the northern gate.

After Gu Jinnian wrote, each word turned into golden ancient characters, floating in the sky.

Then, a powerful voice echoed.

"I am the founding emperor of Daxia. Today, I establish the ancestral rules, and all future emperors of Daxia must follow these rules."

"Daxia will not have a marriage alliance! No tribute! No cession of territory! No indemnity! The emperor guards the national gate! The king dies for the state!"

"Those who violate these rules will lose the people's support and will not be an emperor."

The founding emperor's voice echoed.

Powerful and deafening.

When these words were spoken.

The people of the capital were completely沸腾.

"Long live the emperor!"

The cheers continued, and the people knelt to the founding emperor.

"I obey the imperial command."

At this moment, in the Daxia palace, Emperor Yongsheng had no words.

He did not want the marriage alliance either.

But due to the situation, now that the founding emperor had appeared and established the ancestral rules, he could not disagree.

Moreover, since he ascended the throne, he had strictly followed all the rules established by the founding emperor.

Especially when the founding emperor said it himself?

As Emperor Yongsheng spoke.

The officials also responded.

"We obey the imperial command."

No one dared to complain. They dared not defy the founding emperor or the current public opinion.

The people were already dissatisfied with the marriage alliance. If they did not comply now, the consequences would be dire.

But at this moment.

Qi Qimu's voice rang out.

He looked at Gu Jinnian, his eyes filled with coldness.

"Gu Jinnian."

"Do you know what you are doing?"

"By stopping this marriage alliance, the Daxia Dynasty and the Huns will face war, and there will be mountains of corpses and rivers of blood."

"What is wrong with this marriage alliance? Just because of your words, are you willing to sacrifice so many lives? Are you still a Confucian scholar?"

Qi Qimu roared.

He was truly furious.

He had traveled a long distance to marry the princess.

The princess was not important.

But he knew what the princess meant to the Huns.

If the princess did not go to the Huns, the Huns' national fortune would be weakened twice, which was a huge loss. If he took the princess, the Huns' national fortune would be restored.

This was the most important thing and what the Huns cared about the most.

If this matter was resolved, his position as prince would be secure.

No one would dare challenge his status, but now Gu Jinnian's words had stopped the marriage alliance.