The words...were engraved in the sky?
The three thousand Confucian scholars all believed that everything they were seeing at this moment would be eternally engraved in their hearts, never to be forgotten.
Their thoughts were basically correct, it's just that after a brief moment, the scene they would remember had become somewhat different.
"Appointed by Heaven, with eternal prosperity and longevity?"
Xiang Ning was originally also amazed by Emperor Jiajing's methods, he was indeed worthy of being called the number one person of this age!
To engrave words in the sky, and accomplish it so effortlessly. If it were her, even with the Overlord Spear in hand, it would still be impossible. Just barely leaving a mark in the sky was Xiang Ning's limit.
However, right now, she was not surprised at all, instead revealing a strange expression on her face.
Xiang Ning repeatedly confirmed the eight words engraved in the sky, it really was "Appointed by Heaven, with eternal prosperity and longevity", there was no mistake.
'I heard that the national seals passed down in the Chu, Han and Ming dynasties all have unique origins, they aren't the same. But why are the engraving on Emperor Jiajing's seal the same as the traitor's?' She looked towards Fan Li inquisitively, yet the other party ignored her, only an odd smile hanging on his face.
Emperor Jiajing was very satisfied with his own performance. He could clearly feel the gaze of the three thousand Confucian scholars looking towards him, gradually revealing a color of admiration.
"Not bad, forever remember this moment, remember that it is I who is the number one person under heaven!" Emperor Jiajing said inwardly. He looked up at the 'masterpiece' in the sky with satisfaction.
Emperor Jiajing believed that in this age, only he himself could accomplish the feat of engraving words in the sky.
Emperor Jiajing especially loved those eight words!
The national seals passed down in each dynasty all had different versions. The engravings on the seals were usually along the lines of [The Emperor's Treasure], [The Emperor's Personal Treasure], [The Treasure Before the Throne] and so on.
Jiajing felt these engravings were too plain and ordinary, completely unworthy of demonstrating the venerability of the Son of Heaven as the number one person under heaven!
Appointed by Heaven, with eternal prosperity and longevity!
"Only these eight words are worthy of me!" Jiajing said to himself inwardly.
In fact, on the original national seal of Great Ming, only the words [The Emperor's Treasure] were engraved.
But Jiajing was very unhappy about it. He ordered his ministers to search through ancient texts for records of the ruins left behind by the emperors of antiquity, hoping to discover an engraving that truly matched the identity of the Son of Heaven.
After ten long years, someone finally presented these eight words to Emperor Jiajing. He was the student of Minister Xu Jie, Zhang Juzheng.
When Jiajing obtained these eight words, he regarded them as a priceless treasure. He immediately ordered the top-most artifact forgers in the country to gather heavenly and earthly treasures, while using his own unparalleled cultivation to repeatedly forge and refine.
Finally, the new national seal was forged! Yet after Jiajing obtained this treasure, he did not richly reward Zhang Juzheng.
The civil and military officials of the court all believed Emperor Jiajing to be ungenerous and miserly, even Zhang Juzheng himself was dealt a blow.
However, only Emperor Jiajing himself clearly understood in his heart that Zhang Juzheng was still young and possessed the talent of a chancellor. Such a minister is best reserved for the next emperor's inheritance.
As for Emperor Jiajing himself, with Prime Minister Yan Song and Vice Prime Minister Xu Jie managing state affairs, it was already sufficient.
'When I ascends to the Immortal Realm, I will pass the throne to the Crown Prince and promote Zhang Juzheng to the Grand Secretariat. With successors for my Great Ming's rivers and mountains, we can still stand for thousands and tens of thousands of years, hahaha!' The more Jiajing thought about it, the more wonderful he felt it was. The impulse to destroy the Chu and Han states in his heart intensified.
His performance had already come to an end. He merely coldly laughed as he watched Xiang Ning.
"Has the Emperor of Chu been frightened dumb? Or perhaps you are too young and have never seen such astounding scenes before?" Jiajing called out loudly.
Xiang Ning's mouth twitched but she did not speak. There was only one thought in her heart: How can you have the exact same thing as the traitor in my place?
The scholars present did not think highly of the Chu Emperor either. After all, she was so very young, her performance might not even match the recently defeated Han Emperor Liu Xie.
Truth be told, Liu Xie's "Thunderous True Dragon Slash" had been displayed on a grand scale.
It was just his rotten luck that the imperial sword was unable to endure the power of the heavenly thunder when he forcefully attacked Emperor Jiajing, and it snapped apart on the spot. Otherwise, if Liu Xie was allowed to complete that strike, regardless of the outcome in victory or defeat, Liu Xie's strength would still leave a deep impression in everyone's hearts.
As for Xiang Ning, the three thousand scholars simply did not believe she possessed any real strength. Even the super weak Fan Li who could only ascend the platform with great difficulty, that pair of emperor and minister was probably the weakest in history!
"Chu Emperor, please." Jiajing Emperor said lightly.
"Your Majesty, please make your move." Lü Chunqiu also said.
Among the Confucians and Taoists present, he was probably the only one still confident in Xiang Ning.
Xiang Ning revealed an awkward expression. She was self-aware that even if she exerted her full power with the Overlord Spear and struck a blow at the sky, she could barely make a hole at best.
Compared to the eight words "Appointed by Heaven, with eternal prosperity and longevity," it would be like adding an additional punctuation mark at most.
"What should this one do now?" Xiang Ning once again looked to Fan Li pleadingly for help.
Fan Li took out an object and solemnly placed it in her hand. Heavy, like a brick. Xiang Ning lowered her head to take a look, and it was unexpectedly Fan Li's Nation Seal.
"You..." Xiang Ning felt she was caught between laughter and tears. Even if he wanted to rebel, couldn't he at least pick a better time to take out this kind of thing?
"Does the Chu Emperor want to compete over treasures with me?" Emperor Jiajing had extremely good vision. He could make out that it was a Nation Seal and loudly asked while laughing.
Could there be anything better?
A contest between Sons of Heaven with their Nation Seals, the losing side would definitely suffer utter defeat!
Something like this had already happened in ancient times before. Two domineering lords battled with their seals. As a result, one of the seals was crushed into fine powder under the other seal.
With the destruction of the Nation Seal, it signified the termination of a dynasty's destiny, with no more inheritances. Sure enough, the lord who lost that battle had his subjects and officials rebelling and deserting, and the country perished overnight.
'What a pity the Alliance of Three Emperors is a battle of literary talent. I have no chance to truly destroy the Chu Emperor's Nation Seal. But even if she is defeated in the literary battle, it will still only take a few years at most for Chu's destruction!' Emperor Jiajing's heart was filled with joy, and the more delight he felt, the more it showed on his face.
"Traitor, are you trying to get this one killed?!" Xiang Ning was almost driven to tears from anger upon seeing this.
Just what was Fan Li trying to accomplish? At a critical moment, instead of helping her, he harms her and makes her fall into a passive position?!
Emperor Jiajing was already able to engrave words in the sky with his Nation Seal, could your private seal be even more incredible than Emperor Jiajing's?
"Your Majesty, my cultivation is insufficient, only you can use this object," Fan Li said with a smile.
"You..." Seeing his completely straight face, Xiang Ning still felt extremely irritated. She lowered her head to look at the Nation Seal in her hand, she could still feel the residual warmth from Fan Li's palm.
It had to be said that Feng Li's imperial jade seal was dignified and ancient, as if it had undergone billions of years of sedimentation, becoming an eternal and immortal existence like heaven and earth.
In comparison, Emperor Jiajing's imperial jade seal was a completely new item. Although it looked noble and beautiful, it still resembled a clumsy imitation.
"The jade seal passes down the nation, aligning with the will of heaven."
"Heaven has only one sun, and a country has only one ruler."
"Commanded by heaven, this is the only one. May you have a long and prosperous life, with no other division!"
In this world, the rules dictated that the imperial jade seal could not be replicated. Each jade seal, once refined, had to conform to a certain rule or power in the celestial order.
Therefore, throughout the ages, when founding a dynasty, each ruler had to possess their unique imperial jade seal, distinct from those of other nations.
Unless it was an ancient dynasty that had long been extinct for millions of years, and its imperial jade seals had also been destroyed, returning the rule's power to the heavens.
Xiang Ning finally understood the meaning in Feng Li's eyes.
"Two jade seals with the same inscription, one real and one fake? Do you think yours is real, and what Jiajing holds is a counterfeit...?"
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