Monarch of Evernight: Twenty-one signs of resurgence

bsp;Qianye dared to surpass the third level challenge and won. His courage and strength are both commendable. But there is no shortage of geniuses in this world, and it is not always possible to leapfrog challenges. If he encounters other disciples of the three clans who still do this, he will probably fail.

Looking at it from another angle, it is also a strategic mistake to be forced to challenge a higher level even though the level is not high enough.

After talking about Qianye, it was inevitable to mention the other disciples of the Song Dynasty. Prince Rui drank a glass of wine and said calmly: "Zicheng is good, calm-minded, generous, and not lacking in strategic means. I heard that he was good at it before the game. He formed an alliance with Zi Ning, and finally achieved the results of being second in martial arts, first in military strategy, and first in political theory. Now he is the stable first heir. Zicheng's talent is above average, and he works hard. , between generals, it is not high, but it is more than enough to maintain success."

Everyone in the Song clan nodded, and Mrs. An Guogong also felt the same way.

Then Prince Rui frowned, seeming a little difficult to decide. After a moment, he said: "As for Zining, it is difficult to draw a conclusion for him. The 'Three Thousand Floating Leaves Jue' is said to be a divine technique, but in Zining In his hands, his combat power is not weak. He actually entered the country very quickly, but there is no sign of instability, which is really rare. However, I heard from time to time that Zi Ning seems to be addicted to women? Marriage partner? ”

Song Zhongnian and the Supreme Elder suddenly looked a little embarrassed. Speaking of which, this matter was the result of a collective assessment by the elders. In fact, it was also due to the balance of power within the clan.

Any noble family would not want to use their own children to marry into noble families, even if they were from the side branches. Song Zining's father's lineage and mother's lineage were weak, and his talent in cultivation was not highly rated at that time, but he was chosen by the elders just because he was a legitimate son. In order to appease the clan members, Song Zhongnian acquiesced to this result and did not come out to speak for his grandson. Since he is the clan leader, he must make some sacrifices for the clan.

Who would have expected that Song Zining would become such a blockbuster. You must know that the resources he obtained from the clan are incomparable to Song Zicheng, Song Zian and others, yet he can still achieve such achievements. If this is not called talent, then what is talent?

After the big exam, Song Zining is already recognized as the number one genius of the fourth generation. Not only the fourth generation, but also the previous generation will be swept away by him. Ningyuan Heavy Industries, founded by Song Zining, also showed its strength through its set of six-level weapons.

From this point of view, Song Zining has everything from business skills to martial arts talent, and at least he stands out among the younger generation of the Song clan. As long as it does not affect the foundation of cultivation, having a romantic temperament and being fond of miscellaneous knowledge is just a kind of elegance. Doing these things without a foundation is called a dandy.

But the biggest problem now is that the Song clan has pushed Song Zining out to marry the nobles. For the imperial aristocracy, it was absolutely impossible for a noble woman to become the mistress of the family, and with this engagement, no noble girl would be willing to become Song Zining's wife.

Even if the engagement is canceled in the future, it will leave an indelible mark. No matter what the reason is for breaking the contract, she will be criticized by Qingliu, and the status of the noble girl she can marry will be lowered. At least the clan will never consider marrying a girl.

This is Song Zining’s flaw. The marriage of two surnames, the blending of blood, is a reliable and powerful alliance at all times in this world that is not peaceful. Not being able to marry into a powerful family is like losing half of the help out of thin air.

Prince Rui's first wife is the legitimate daughter of Song Zhongnian. He is in charge of the civil affairs in the court and needs the support of the Song clan in many places, so he has no scruples about speaking on such occasions. However, he did not intend to interfere too deeply in the internal affairs of the Song Dynasty. When he saw the situation becoming embarrassing, he deliberately changed the subject.

Prince Rui hesitated for a moment and said: "Speaking of which, there are some recent trends that may be worth paying attention to. First, it is said that Zhang Boqian will challenge King Dingxuan as soon as he recovers from his injury."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked!

Due to ancestral grudges, Zhang Boqian had always been honest with the Song clan, but with Mrs. An Guogong around, he didn't make any big moves. But if Zhang Boqian is successfully promoted to king, even if Zhang Clan continues to stand still, many people in the government and the public may have other ideas. Many neutral observers may turn to Zhang Vale over this.

Everyone in the Song clan looked worried, but Mrs. An Guogong didn't care at all and asked: "What other news is there?"

Prince Rui said: "This time, I and several other royal brothers visited various powerful families and found that in the past few years, a group of young people have made rapid progress in cultivation, and there is no sign of an unstable foundation."

"They did not just rely on potions to achieve success. Almost everyone had practiced secret combat skills at the warrior level to a small degree during the soldier stage. For example, Zhao Junhong, the second son of Zhao Clan Cheng En Gong, was just like Zi Ning. After the Tianxuan Spring Hunt, he has been promoted continuously and has reached the threshold of warrior. In the past year, the eldest son of the Wei family in the Far East has been promoted to four levels in a row! ”

"In this situation, there are a few people in each of the Zhang and Bai families, and there are still one or two from other families. Maybe it won't be long before we can see a group of generals in their early twenties."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was moved again.

As a direct descendant of a wealthy family, as long as they are talented enough, they will not worry about resources, so they attach great importance to a solid foundation. Compared with the nobles and the children of poor families, their leveling speed before the warrior generals was not fast, and sometimes it was actually slower. However, the proportion of breakthrough warriors is much higher, and because of their solid foundation and pure force, once they advance to the next level, there will be a clear gap in combat power.

According to the past practice of the empire, anyone who becomes a general before the age of thirty can be regarded as a genius. For example, Bai Clan's White Dragon Armor was promoted to the rank of War General when he was almost thirty, but as soon as he broke through, he directly surpassed the Brigadier General and had the combat power of the Major General level.

There are two recognized paths for breakthrough warriors. One is to follow a natural path, that is, step by step, practice until you gather energy to form a whirlpool, and then directly advance to the next level. The second is the level of suppression. During this period, the force is repeatedly sharpened, refined and condensed to remove impurities. When the force is closer to the origin of dawn, it will gain more power when it breaks through the warrior.

But not everyone can take the second path. Most people are unable to contain and control the huge force when they gather energy to form a whirlpool, and have no choice but to advance. The children of powerful families have various secret methods that they can try to suppress. Generally speaking, if you can suppress the whirlpool for a year after it first arises, you are a genius. For example, Zhao Jundu stayed there for five years, and he is the only one in the entire empire. Just one person.

But what Prince Rui means now is clearly that there will be a group of warriors in their early twenties. Will they upgrade too quickly and affect their achievements after breaking through the warriors?

Song Zhongnian said in a deep voice: "Is this a sign of the resurgence of the empire?"

Hundreds of years ago, when the empire ushered in the "Guangwu ZTE", heroes emerged in large numbers. The so-called geniuses of the past suddenly dimmed in the ZTE era. At that time, countless famous generals galloped on the battlefield, defeating the dark race and retreating steadily. Not only did the Eastern Continent become part of the empire's territory, but they also occupied one-third of the Fenghuo Continent.

In the later stages of the Guangwu Zhongxing, the empire's clans also grew from three to nine. Since the founding of the Qin Dynasty, the standards of the clans have not changed, so the increase in number also means the surge of strong people and the increase in strength.

Could it be that after hundreds of years, the empire will usher in another renaissance period?

"It seems that's the case." Prince Rui nodded and said, "Most of my brothers and I think so." However, there was not much joy on his face.

Everyone in the Song Dynasty also looked solemn.

The so-called resurgence of the empire also means the arrival of an era of great turmoil, which will not only be reflected on the battlefield facing the dark races, but also in the temples within the empire and between the government and the opposition. And there is another fact that no one can say. Today is different from the past. The strength of the imperial family is far less than it was during the Guangwu period.

Since the founding of the Qin Dynasty, the imperial family and aristocratic families have jointly ruled the world. The cornerstone of the empire is the families who have awakened and possessed powerful force. It is the flesh, blood and lives of their countless children that have laid the foundation for the four continents and provided a world for the human race to recuperate and develop.

For one thousand two hundred years, the clan has enjoyed special rights and at the same time fulfilled its responsibility to defend its territory. In the minds of their children, family, surname, and bloodline are the most important things. The imperial family is in charge of the world and has orders for three hundred provinces, but it is difficult to interfere in the internal affairs of various powerful families. In the eyes of the world, clan laws are often more effective than imperial laws.

In this case, during the ZTE period, strong people emerged in large numbers, and talents would also emerge in the imperial family. However, after all, the imperial family and the aristocratic families have different bases, and their number is far less than that of the entire aristocratic family. In the next ten or twenty years, when these young people grow up, the imperial family's power to control the situation will drop to a dangerous level.

As the power of aristocratic families expands, there will be one or two heroes who want to command the world.

During the last ZTE, Emperor Guangwu was the best in politics and martial arts. He once escaped from the siege of three dark kings, which shocked the world. Therefore, although the empire has nine clans standing side by side, the respect of the imperial family far exceeds that of previous generations, and is second only to the founding period.

However, the current emperor lives in seclusion in Weiyang Palace and rarely appears. The backbone of the empire, Zhang Boqian and Lin Xitang, are shining brightly, and the younger generation, Zhao Jundu, is amazingly talented. However, in the imperial family, the two ancestral kings are still supporting the overall situation. Although Yu Zi also has outstanding talents, they are far from being able to compete with those three.

In the silence, an idea slowly came to everyone's mind: troubled times are coming.

Mr. Lu suddenly said: "In this case, those old rules have long been outdated and can no longer be used. In my opinion, if Zi Ning is established as the heir, and then Zi Yan is married to An Renyi, why not? In my opinion, Song Clan’s resources, the child’s previous fundamental deficiencies are not a problem at all.”

As soon as Mr. Lu said this, everyone was shocked. Even the ancestors frowned and were silent.

The Supreme Elder of the Song Dynasty smiled bitterly and said: "Mr. Lu, this matter is too shocking. What does this make other noble families think of me, the Song Dynasty in Gaoling? To put it bluntly, the King of Jin is very optimistic about Zi Yan when he chooses his concubine this time. , is it possible to leave the ready-made Princess of Jin to marry someone from a poor family or even a commoner? If nothing else, wouldn’t it offend the Prince of Jin to death?”

Mr. Lu sneered: "It's not just that An Renyi's status is not enough, right? After all, you are unwilling to admit the wrongdoing of the past and hand over the position of clan leader to Zi Ning! However, even if Zicheng marries into the clan, , It’s just a matter of keeping the position of Duke and surviving for another generation. Haven’t you thought about what will happen to the Song Dynasty when troubled times come? It’s better to seize this opportunity to rebuild from the ashes.”

Song Zhongnian and the Supreme Elder looked at each other, both smiled bitterly, and did not refute Elder Lu, because there were some words that they really couldn't say. The matter is not as simple as Mr. Lu said. The distribution of power has been stable. Even Song Zhongnian, the leader of the clan, cannot make the people below him obediently appoint a new master with just one word.

Song Zining's foundation is too shallow and his age is too young. If he wants to firmly hold power, he must at least uproot a few branches to establish his power. The lineage of the Great Elder Song Zhongcheng must be among them. In this process, no one knows how much blood of the Song clan's children will be shed. However, the direct lineage of the Song Dynasty has never been prosperous, so how could it withstand such internal strife.

After bathing in the fire, I am afraid that I will turn to ashes before being reborn.

An Renyi is indeed a good knife, but it is too sharp. He has been promoted to the rank of general without falling. No one in the Song clan will be able to master him in the future, and even Song Zining himself will probably have to put in a lot of effort. Under such circumstances, how could Song Zhongnian and the Supreme Elder dare to recruit a legitimate daughter to give him the power to separate a line?

Lao Lu's shocking words touched upon the deep-seated internal affairs of the Song Dynasty. Prince Rui listened to them and could only keep drinking without even raising his head.

Lastly, Mrs. An Guogong sighed and said: "Internal selection of noble families, direct inheritance, and no intermarriage between noble and cold people are the foundation of the family. If these rules are broken for no reason, our Song family will be at odds with the world's noble families. If you are an enemy, you will start civil strife before the trouble comes. Let’s discuss this later.”

Since Mrs. An Guogong said so, it is absolutely impossible. Mr. Lu looked angry and dissatisfied, but he stopped talking.

At this time, the Song Dynasty is in power and the building will collapse. If you move, you will die, if you don't move, you will die. The choice between one and the other is extremely difficult.

While the atmosphere at "Lianxin Xiaozhu" was stagnant, the other courtyard of "Yun Shentang" returned to calm. After everything was said, Song Zining quickly put away his depressed mood for several days and took Qianye to the courtyard for a drink.

The two of them sat opposite each other under the moonlight, with a bottle of wine, four or five dishes of side dishes, and a beautiful woman holding a pot, drinking lightly and singing, which served as a farewell banquet.

Now that the big exam has been settled, the situation in Blackstream City may change a lot in the near future. Qianye did not stay much longer. He left Song Clan the next afternoon and returned to Yongye Continent by airship.

As soon as Qianye returned to Heiliu City, before Qianye could explain the plan proposed by Song Zining to Song Hu, Wei Bainian's personal guards came to the door first.