Chapter 57: Ascension to the Throne
Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and ten days had passed. Chen Xiyi felt no different; he was just fishing and passing the days comfortably.
Outside, however, the situation was chaotic. With the support of the clan, Wang Li, under Lü Xian’s scheming, had gradually seized the throne and was now about to hold the ascension ceremony.
Chen Xiyi was somewhat aware of this situation. Even though he was a recluse, the continuous supplies arriving daily made it clear that Wang Li’s status was on the rise, with resources being coordinated more efficiently than ever.
It was evident that Emperor Li had hesitated at first, wanting to control Chen Xiyi, but with Wang Li in the picture, there was no possibility of being stingy—Chen Xiyi would be fully supported.
“Today should be the day of the ascension ceremony. They might manage to gloss over Emperor Li’s death, but Wang Li—no, I should say Lü Xian—is truly extraordinary,” Chen Xiyi couldn’t help but exclaim.
With Wang Li’s prior propaganda that Emperor Li had transformed into a divine mandate for eternal glory as a foundation, Lü Xian managed to reframe the narrative, claiming that Emperor Li had successfully achieved enlightenment and ascended.
Indeed, it was not a death but an ascension.
At first glance, it sounded absurd and was hardly believable.
However, the officials and nobles in the court acknowledged this bizarre explanation, while the common people were in an uproar.
Of course, this ‘common people’ referred specifically to the capital, as the feudal and backward Great Li Kingdom lacked developed transportation and communication capabilities. Many matters could take ten days or even half a month to spread, and it could take half a year before the news got out.
Did they really think that something could happen today and everyone would know about it by tomorrow? That was simply impossible; even in a modern world, news doesn’t spread that quickly.
Normally, when a new emperor ascended in the Great Li Kingdom, the declaration would need to be made to the world first for the common folks and officials in other areas to know: Oh, a new emperor has taken the throne.
Otherwise, according to normal dissemination speed, it could take one or two years for most people to be aware of the change in emperor.
Spreading news required a population on the move; in this era, aside from merchants, bodyguards, and students going for examinations, hardly anyone would leave their home seeking success.
So, promoting this news had to rely on the court itself.
Chen Xiyi was unclear about Wang Li and Lü Xian’s strategies; he was aware of his limitations.
Involving himself in political matters, social connections, emotional intelligence, or other domains he wasn’t adept in was best avoided. Each field has its expertise, and meddling might backfire, turning good intentions into bad deeds.
He had a clear understanding of himself: his persona was that of an immortal, replete with superior skills and detached from worldly concerns. If he truly got involved, it might expose his inadequacies.
If things got really dire, there were still solutions.
He could use some flashy effects from the Jianghu and set off some TNT to eliminate those causing trouble.
If he couldn’t solve a problem, could he not handle those creating the problems? Fortunately, Wang Li and Lü Xian were effective, and after various exchanges of interests, he, as Prince Zhuang, had risen to power.
Looking at the map and observing the white dots representing Wang Li and others converging together, he realized that the ascension ceremony was in progress.
The entire residence of Prince Zhuang was exceptionally quiet. Normally, there might be some noise, but now, due to the withdrawal of personnel, it was particularly still.
The Prince Zhuang’s residence was also very quiet; on ordinary days, there might still be a bit of commotion, but today it felt particularly silent due to the removal of personnel.
“Now that Wang Li has taken up a position, he can help me investigate other sects before the end of the magic era. Not to mention prying a little from their inheritance formations would also be excellent; who knows, it might be useful in another world later on.”
Chen Xiyi had been wanting to ask Wang Li, and even the previous Emperor Li, for help, but he found it hard to speak up.
After all, with his immortal persona, it might be easier to ask them to assist in gathering soil, stones, and precious metals for the creation of divine earth essence, which had an understandable reason of inconvenience.
However, seeking out this inheritance as an immortal should have been easy; he could just do some calculations. Why make things more complicated? While he might not say it out loud, there could be doubts in their hearts.
Thus, Chen Xiyi couldn’t find a good reason, and hence, he had always kept silent.
He understood that relying solely on Wang Li wouldn’t suffice; he needed Emperor Li’s support, and now that Wang Li had become Emperor Li, everything would become much simpler.
“Judging from the previous situation, Wang Li’s ability to consolidate the court likely borrowed my Fuyao immortal persona as a guise, along with those food resources to win over people’s hearts.”
“So, I will likely step out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight next. Even if Wang Li and those aware of me don’t openly discuss it, it will become an open secret.”
How should one put it? This situation had both pros and cons for him.
The advantage was that it would increase his reputation and power, making it easier for him to operate and acquire more resources.
But there were also drawbacks: the more people who knew, the greater the attention. If Chen Xiyi inadvertently exposed anything, it could tarnish his persona and lead to various doubts and tests.
“There’s gain with loss; after all, this is merely a world of the end of magic. Once the reincarnation function cools down, I’ll just leave this world, and what follows has nothing to do with me.”
As a player, Chen Xiyi thought, “Once I die, I won’t care if the flood comes.”
The most valuable things left in this world were resources and the possible existence of sect inheritances.
He had been consistently acquiring resources, but concerning the likely existing sect inheritances, without the guidance of the home world game map, he was utterly blind and couldn’t find anything—just a distant thought.
So it would be better to go to other worlds; there might be better opportunities.
“The ceremony is over? It seems Wang Li is looking for me?” Chen Xiyi glanced at the map and noticed the white dot on it beginning to move.
After about half a quarter of an hour, he found himself standing outside the door, greeted by civil and military officials, led by Wang Li, who wore imperial robes and spoke respectfully.
“I hope the immortal will move to the palace for the prosperity of our Great Li kingdom.”
With Wang Li speaking, the civil and military officials behind him naturally also called out loudly, “We hope the immortal will move to the palace!”
Since the emperor had said it, these ministers had to follow suit, even though some felt uneasy; they knew what day it was, and it was best not to show it. Otherwise, the consequences would be theirs to bear.
Hearing this, Chen Xiyi retracted his fishing rod and revealed a faint smile. Such a good opportunity to create some special effects to deepen his immortal persona would be a waste if not used! “Jianghu, let’s make good use of water control and spells (water) effects; let’s act like gods and mystify people together.”
(End of this chapter)
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