Chapter 167 - Great Han Royal Dynasty

BOOM!

Accompanied by a thunderclap, Gu Hai slowly walked out of the rubble, pus.h.i.+ng away the rocks around him!

Gu Qin, Shangguan Hen, Chen Tianshan, as well as some of the old managers of Gu Mansion, immediately hurried over to Gu Hai.

"My Lord, are you alright?"

"Father, are you okay?"

"My Lord, how did the Soaring Heaven PaG.o.da collapse?"...

Everyone looked at Gu Hai, worried.

"It's nothing!" Gu Hai turned his head, looking at the Soaring Heaven PaG.o.da.

"It was time, it was time for the Soaring Heaven PaG.o.da to collapse. Well, the new palace that is built will be called Soaring Heaven Palace!" Gu Hai commanded.

"Yes!" Gu Qin answered immediately.

"Clean this up, and make sure to carefully take out all the books inside!" Gu Hai ordered.

"Yes, my Lord!" everyone obeyed at once.

In the blink of an eye, a month pa.s.sed.

Among the territories which once used to belong to the five kingdoms, there were still too many areas to sort out. However, a general framework had been laid. The three thousand former prisoners, as well as another three thousand cultivators recruited by Chen Tianshan, were all placed at various parts of the world, a.s.sisting various cities just for today's founding ceremony, to prevent any mishappenings.

At Tiger Cage Pa.s.s, where once used to be the Gu Mansion, a vast palace stood tall. Although its construction was still rough, the huge palace was incomparably majestic. It was named the Soaring Heaven Palace!

Outside of the Soaring Heaven Palace stood a vast armored army, packed into a vast plaza. As many as three hundred thousand soldiers were standing straight. In the center stood a large group of men wearing scholarly robes, like officials who were yet to be appointed, standing extremely respectfully.

On some mountain peaks father away stood countless cultivators who had not yet left after the tragedy of the Peony Clan. Many had stayed for today's ceremony.

In between the Soaring Heaven Palace and the prospective officials was a huge platform. Something resembling an altar was located at the very center of it.

Just outside the Soaring Heaven Palace stood an army of Royal guards.

"It's time! Gu Hai will come up on the altar, and ask the Heavens and the Earth!" an attendant standing outside the Soaring Heaven Palace shouted in a high-pitch voice.

The three hundred thousand men stood waiting, solemn and respectful. Everything was calm and quiet.

BAM! The gates of the Soaring Heaven Palace suddenly slammed open.

Slowly, Gu Hai walked out from within.

Gu Hai was wearing a mingguan crown on his head, black dragon robes on his body, and a pair of cloud-dragon boots. He slowly walked out from Soaring Heaven Palace. The dragons on the dragon robes were sewn with gold threads. In addition, the long dragon robe was so long that a fair length of it was being dragged on the ground, fanning out behind him.

[TLN: I am not sure what cloud-dragon boots are, that's what in the raws says, but if I have to picture them, it would a pair of boots sewn from silk and had clouds and dragons embroidered on them. As for their length, maybe up to the s.h.i.+n, like standard military boots. A mingguan crown is the flat crown Chinese Kings wear.]

Gu Hai, with a solemn look on his face, walked out step by step, holding the Heaven Suppressing Divine Seal in his right hand, and a golden parchment in his left.

Everyone outside stood respectfully, watching Gu Hai as he made his way up to the nearby altar.

Slowly, Gu Hai mounted the platform and stepped onto the peak of the altar.

A table was laid above the altar, on which Gu Hai placed the Heaven Suppressing Divine Seal and the golden parchment.

Having set down the Heaven Suppressing Divine Seal, Gu Hai spread out the golden parchment, slowly revealing an empty sheet. Afterwards, Gu Hai took a deep breath before bringing his hand forward and taking a ceremonial posture.

[TLN: Something like this - https://p1.pstatp.com/large/31c00003bf49bd97e7c7]

"Today, Gu Hai of Nine-Five Island, located in the Thousand Islands Seas, requests the Heaven above and the Earth below, to bear witness to the founding of my kingdom. I offer my blood as a sacrifice to you, to demonstrate my sincere conviction for this matter. I, Gu Hai, solemnly swear that I will be kind to my people, and kind to my new kingdom!" Gu Hai shouted loudly.

So pledging, Gu Hai took out a golden knife and slowly cut his right palm, spilling his blood out drip by drip.

Using his blood, Gu Hai wrote HAN in large characters over the golden parchment!

Then, he dripped his blood onto the altar.

"The new Dynasty will be t.i.tled as HAN, the Great Han Royal Dynasty. The Heaven Suppressing Divine Seal is its divine tool, representing the nation's fate! The Soaring Heaven Palace will be the center of the Great Han Royal Dynasty, receiving the world's fate! I sincerely request the Heavens accept my country! I sincerely request the Earth to accept my country!" Gu Hai shouted aloud.

So speaking, Gu Hai slowly raised the Heaven Suppressing Divine Seal before stamping it down on the 'Han' character on the golden parchment.

BOOM!

After the royal seal was stamped on the kingdom's t.i.tle, a thunderclap strong enough to shake the lands reverberated across the sky.

Suddenly, dark clouds appeared in the sky, followed by raging gales.

"Three knocks to the Heaven, bow!" suddenly the master of ceremonies shouted aloud.

"We sincerely request the Heavens to accept the Great Han Royal Dynasty!" three hundred thousand men shouted aloud simultaneously.

Immediately after, everyone, together with Gu Hai, kowtowed to the Heavens.

At the same time, in all the cities located in the territories which previously belonged to the five kingdoms...

Under the management of new officials, all the citizens had walked out of their houses and gathered at the squares in the cities.

Whatever Gu Hai had proclaimed to the Heavens earlier at the Soaring Heaven palace, the master of ceremonies in every city started reading aloud at the same time. It was such an important ceremony, naturally Gu Hai's each and every word had long been planned.

At the stipulated time, Gu Hai's words spread throughout the entire country almost at the same time.

"Three knocks to the Heaven, bow!" the officials at the various cities shouted aloud.

"Grandpa Gu is founding a country!? Awesome, thank you very much, Grandpa Gu, our family is alive because of you!"

"No, he should be addressed as His Royal Majesty now!"

"Right, right, His Royal Majesty!"...

Murmuring in low voices, all the citizens kowtowed to the Heavens.

"We sincerely request the Heavens to accept the Great Han Royal Dynasty!" the citizens beseeched the Heavens.

"We sincerely request the Heavens to accept the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"

"We sincerely request the Heavens to accept the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"...

In countless cities throughout Nine-Five Island, countless citizens bowed to the Heavens, their thundering voices seemed to be reaching to the high heavens.

In a higher world, it seemed as if the Heavens could sense it. Under Gu Hai's rule, gales of wind were rising out of nowhere throughout the nation, as if responding to the wishes of founding a nation.

At the entrance of the Soaring Heaven Palace...

Gu Hai kowtowed three times to the Heavens in an extremely solemn manner. His subordinates below also followed suit, extremely respectfully.

The dark clouds in the sky slowly dispersed. In a flash, throughout the world, light breezes seemed to be blowing over from every direction, heading towards the Heaven Suppressing Divine Seal. They then spread out from the Heaven Suppressing Divine Seal, surging towards the towering Soaring Heaven Palace nearby, before finally rising into the sky and swirling around.

Upon looking, Gu Hai noticed that the light breeze swimming over the Soaring Heaven Palace was s.h.i.+mmering with a faint golden glow.

"Karmic fate? This is the Karmic fate coming from the citizens, gathering over the Soaring Heaven Palace! Founding a kingdom can indeed store the Karmic fate!?" Gu Hai's eyes immediately lit up.

However, Gu Hai didn't pay too much attention to it, for the nearby Master of Ceremonies shouted again.

"Three knocks to the Earth, bow!" the master of ceremonies shouted aloud.

"We sincerely request the Earth to accept the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"

"We sincerely request the Earth to accept the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"...

From the Tiger Cage Pa.s.s to countless cities, almost all the citizens shouted at the top of their lungs.

RUMBLE!

In an unseen world, as the citizens' heartfelt wishes spread through the land, the ground started quaking slightly.

As everyone finished kowtowing, the master of ceremonies shouted. "Rise!"

All the people before the Soaring Heaven Palace stood up, looking at Gu Hai up on the altar.

Gu Hai, resplendent in his dragon robes, looked over all the officials below.

"Today, this King has founded the Great Han, as a Dynasty of the virtue of water. Right now, this King will appoint the various officials, to build the Great Han Royal Dynasty with this King!" Gu Hai shouted out.

[TLN: The Yin and Yang School believed that each dynasty was represented by an element. Also, it can also mean five virtues, benevolence, wisdom, righteousness, courtesy, and faith.]

"Long live your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty! Long live the Great Han Royal Dynasty, long live the Great Han Royal Dynasty!" everyone shouted at the top of their voices.

In the distance, the Master of Ceremonies took out a parchment and shouted aloud, "By the Mandate of Heaven and the Order of His Royal Majesty, Gu Qin is named the Crown Prince of the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"

As Gu Qin walked out from the ranks, a servant immediately draped a robe embroidered with pythons over him. "This Subject, Gu Qin, accepts the Crown Prince's position! Thank you, your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty!"

[TLN: Python robe looked something like this: https://i2.read01.com/SIG=2kquka/30435a5943743031.jpg]

"Tang Chu is named as the Minister of Revenue of the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"

A white-haired old man walked out from the ranks as a servant put on an official robe on him. "This subject, Tang Chu, accepts the Minister of Revenue's position! Thank you, your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty!"

[TLN: Official robe looked something like this: https://i.epochtimes.com/a.s.sets/uploads/2008/10/810201335321198.jpg]

"Gao Xianzhi is named as the First General of the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"

Gao Xianzhi walked out from the ranks and said in a respectful and solemn manner, "This subject, Gao Xianzhi, accepts the First General's position! Thank you, your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty!"

"Chen Tianshan is named as the Second General of the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"

Chen Tianshan was slightly taken aback. It never crossed his mind that he would be appointed as the Second General. "This subject, Chen Tianshan, accepts the First General's position. Thank you, your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty!"

"Scar is named as the Minister of War of the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"

"This subject, Scar, accepts the Minister of War's position! Thank you, your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty!"

The nearby Chen Tianshan was taken aback once again, wondering why Scar was not appointed as a General, but rather the Minister of War!? However, since it was Gu Hai's decision, Chen Tianshan did not ask much.

Various officials were named one after another...

When the old managers who had followed Gu Hai donned the official robes, everyone looked happy.

Those old managers had been following Gu Hai for a long time, and Gu Hai knew their abilities very well. Although their duties had suddenly changed from managing a business to managing the country, Gu Hai believed that they could do a very good job.

"Meng Tai is named as the Commander of the Brocade Guards of the Great Han Royal Dynasty!"

This edict shocked Chen Tianshan, Scar, Gao Xianzhi, and the others. Even the countless cultivators who were terrified by Meng Tai at the Peony Clan broke into pandemonium.

"What? Meng Tai!? He wasn't killed in the Weiqi of Death?"

"Gu Hai didn't kill him? Doesn't he has enmity with Gu Hai?"

"Gu Hai even appointed someone as cold-hearted and treacherous as Meng Tai as an official?"

"I am seeing wrong, right?"...

Countless cultivators, with looks of disbelief, gazed towards the group of officials.

Indeed, extremely gorgeous embroidered robes were put on Meng Tai before Meng Tai respectfully walked out from the ranks, a cold look on his face.

[TLN: Brocade guards' dress looks something like this: http://y0.ifengimg.com/a/2014_40/474ec0bd8c9ce56.jpg]

"This subject, Meng Tai, accepts the Commander of the Brocade Guards' position! Thank you, your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty, long live your Royal Majesty!" Meng Tai shouted out.

Hiss! Meng Tai's notoriety still shocked and awed the crowd of cultivators in the distance, they could not help but suck in cold breaths.

"It really is Meng Tai!? Gu Hai, he really has guts!"

"Commander of the Brocade Guards? What position is that?"

"An ambitious man such as Meng Tai actually surrendered to Gu Hai?"...

While everyone was reeling from the shock, officials were still appointed one after another.

Almost everyone who had followed Gu Hai had been named as one official or another. Only Shangguan Hen was sitting in a nearby courtyard, drinking wine alone.

"My Lord, why weren't you...?" a nearby subordinate asked, frowning.

Shangguan Hen shook his head and said, "His Majesty wanted to appoint me as a General, but as I will be following him for only two decades, I asked him not to. I asked him to give me a position in the Ascendant Water Hall, that would suffice!"

"Yes, my Lord!" the man nodded, confused but accepting the explanation.