On the Sky Canopy, Liu Sanqi said with a proud tone: "Comrades, it's not that I have a fan filter for Emperor Jingwu, but whether compared to Yin Wen, who stops at nothing, or to Yin Rui, the Emperor Jingli, our Great Emperor Jingwu's character and talent surpass them by tens of thousands of times! I even think that comparing Emperor Jingwu to these two is a serious insult to her! Look how remarkable she is: when she ascended the throne, the mess she inherited was simply atrocious—enemies harassing from outside, rebellions raging within! Emperor Jingming should count himself lucky to have fathered Emperor Jingwu, otherwise the Yin family's empire would have been lost! The reason Emperor Jingwu is often hailed online as the greatest emperor in history is precisely because at a time when the dynasty was on the brink of collapse, she turned the tide, reversed the course, and even created the Jingwu Era of prosperity!"
On the Sky Canopy, during Liu Sanqi's livestream, the chat did not display subtitles in real time. So when Emperor Jingming heard Liu Sanqi confirm that Emperor Jingwu was indeed his own child, he was overjoyed at first, then quickly began calculating among his other sons, wondering which one was the Emperor Jingwu she spoke of.
Unlike Emperor Jingming, who was in a particularly good mood, Yin Rui in the Imperial Prison was completely devastated and broken. He had always been adamant that Emperor Jingwu was one of his four sons. Although Emperor Jingwu had killed him in history, Yin Rui had thought that since he could no longer contend for the throne with his son, perhaps his son would spare him a chance to live. Moreover, in Yin Rui's view, if the throne passed to his son, it meant the meat was still in his own pot. But now, Liu Sanqi's words shattered his long-held belief. Yin Rui could not accept that his throne would ultimately be snatched by his other brothers.
Modern netizens sometimes joke, 'Afraid of your brother living a hard life, but also afraid of your brother driving a luxury car,' which reveals the complexities of human nature. Not to mention that Yin Rui had always regarded his other brothers as thorns in his side, longing to eliminate them one by one. Yin Rui knew clearly that his last glimmer of hope was utterly extinguished. So, in a fit of desperation, he vented his rage in the Imperial Prison, cursing his other brothers with the most vicious language he could muster, wishing he could condemn them to death with mere words.
Yin Wen, who had not yet finished receiving his fifty strokes, was equally filled with resentment upon hearing Liu Sanqi acknowledge that Emperor Jingwu was Emperor Jingming's child. He did not believe any of the other princes could surpass him. Yin Wen even firmly believed that if he had succeeded in rebelling and usurping the throne from Emperor Jingming, his achievements during his reign would not pale in comparison to Emperor Jingwu's. He felt he lacked only an opportunity to prove himself, and that heaven had been terribly unfair to him. The sudden appearance of the Sky Canopy had thoroughly blocked his path. From now on, Emperor Jingwu would be the undisputed next emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty. Just thinking that Emperor Jingwu could ascend the throne even more smoothly than in history made Yin Wen gnash his teeth with hatred, wishing he could take her place.
Both Yin Rui and Yin Wen shared the same thought: unable to accept reality yet powerless to change it, they could only rage impotently. When they saw the barrage of bullet comments on the Sky Canopy excessively praising Emperor Jingwu, the two brothers were so furious they wished they could smash the Sky Canopy with their fists and make it vanish from their sight.
[bullet comment] If I were Emperor Jingming, I'd kowtow to Emperor Jingwu several times! The heir he picked almost tolled the death knell for the Great Jing!
[bullet comment] Several kowtows aren't enough! He should change his tune and call Emperor Jingwu his ancestor! At that time, the Great Jing's collapse was imminent! If not for Emperor Jingwu's sudden appearance, the history of the Great Jing would have ended at Emperor Jingli!
[bullet comment] When I studied history in middle school, Emperor Jingwu's stories were my favorite! They made my blood boil and filled me with ambition, wishing I could do something as beneficial for the country and people!
[bullet comment] Haha, I totally get that! My classmates and I felt the same way—we were most enthusiastic when learning about Emperor Jingwu, and couldn't help but feel a surge of lofty aspirations!
[bullet comment] LOL, I've noticed long ago: every year when I teach about Emperor Jingwu, even the students in the last two rows occasionally lift their eyes to glance at me!
[bullet comment] Emperor Jingwu's charisma is super strong. When I studied abroad, my bearded advisor was a die-hard fan of Emperor Jingwu! He knew the history of the Great Jing even better than I did! And here's a funny story: our research group had students from various countries, but he seemed to favor me because of Emperor Jingwu, even inviting me to go camping and barbecue with his family during breaks! After I graduated and returned home, I sent him some Emperor Jingwu merchandise from China, and he replied with a super long thank-you email, saying I was his most unforgettable student.
[bullet comment] Hahaha, I had a similar experience studying abroad. The dormitory auntie was obsessed with a domestic TV drama about Emperor Jingwu and even asked me to help find resources.
[bullet comment] I've lived abroad for over twenty years. Emperor Jingwu is incredibly popular overseas. Foreigners see her as a legendary emperor exuding dominance, and her historical legacy still has a profound impact today.
...
The bullet comments covered a wide range of topics, but Empress Xu in Kunning Palace fully focused on the word "she." Among the many bullet comments that flashed across the Sky Canopy, one used the character "她" when referring to Emperor Jingwu. Most people in the Great Jing who saw that comment assumed it was a scribal error, mistaking '他' for '她.' If it had been before today, Empress Xu would not have thought twice. But now, knowing that Emperor Jingwu's true identity might be Yin Ning, she couldn't help but feel thrilled by that bullet comment. In particular, seeing the praises from later generations for Yin Ning, she felt proud of her daughter and honored to be her mother.
She looked at Yin Ning and Shi Qingyuan with deep emotion and said, "No wonder Master Xuan Le once told me, 'Where hills and streams end, there is a village in the dark.' At the time, I thought he was just comforting me and didn't take it seriously. I never expected it to come true here."
The Master Xuan Le she mentioned was a renowned monk of the Great Jing, rumored to be able to divine heavenly secrets. Earlier, when Crown Prince Yin Lin suddenly died of illness, Empress Xu had held a funeral ceremony for him in the palace and specially invited the esteemed Buddhist master Xuan Le into the palace. When Xuan Le spoke to Empress Xu, Yin Ning was standing right beside her, so she clearly remembered the event. She raised an eyebrow slightly and recalled the mysterious faint smile that Xuan Le had often worn when he encountered her before. Yin Ning had always thought that old monk was being cryptic and pretentious, but now, reflecting on it, she realized he might actually have some skill.
"After endless mountains and rivers that leave doubt whether there is a path out, suddenly one encounters the shade of a willow, bright flowers, and a lovely village." This indeed matched the emotional changes her mother had undergone in this period. After learning of the death of her eldest brother, her mother had been as hopeless as if the sky had fallen. But the unexpected appearance of the Sky Canopy had revived her spirits.
However, even though she knew Xuan Le was no charlatan, Yin Ning did not intend to seek him out. She never believed in predestination. The saying 'Everything is fated; not a thing is up to man' was, in her view, utter nonsense. Yin Ning placed more faith in 'Fate is made by oneself; blessings are sought by oneself.' So even if Xuan Le truly understood fate, she didn't care much.
Yet, although Yin Ning had no plans to find Xuan Le, two days later she happened to run into him again.
[Notes: 1. From Lu You's 'A Visit to a Village to the West of the Mountain' (Song Dynasty). 2. From 'Stories to Warn the World'. 3. From 'Liao-Fan's Four Lessons'.]