Zhou Yu was staying in a peaceful courtyard.
The scenery here was quite elegant, and it was complete with a pavilion. There was a small mountain and a flowing stream with lotus flowers growing on its surface. He also had all the servants that he needed, but there was a restriction placed upon him: he wasn’t allowed to roam the city as he pleased.
He hadn’t left the courtyard since his arrival, and currently, he was standing in silence on the top floor of the pavilion, appraising the scenery outside with a grim expression.
The pavilion wasn’t extremely tall, but it allowed him to clearly see the streets outside, and he was greeted by the sight of a prosperous city. The streets were packed with netherworldly citizens, but order was maintained extremely well, and even in the rare case that the occasional conflict broke out, enforcement squads would quickly arrive on the scene to settle the unrest.
“Gongjin.” Right at this moment, a voice rang out from the staircase.
Zhou Yu didn’t even turn around as he asked, “Has Brother Jinu arrived?”
“No.” The Prince of Lanling, Gao Changgong, was wearing a white jade crown and a dark silk robe with a jade belt around his waist as he made his way into the room in a graceful manner. “He wouldn’t dare to come. Aside from him and Gao Jianli, everyone else has arrived, and they’re all here in this Xiaoxiang Courtyard.”
He slowly made his way over and arrived beside Zhou Yu. “What are you looking at?”
Zhou Yu didn’t reply. He was holding a white wine cup, and only after a long while did he down the contents of the cup in one go before replying with a wry smile, “I’m looking at the end of an era.”
Gao Changgong’s eyelids twitched slightly upon hearing this, and he said in a slightly strained voice, “Surely you’re being too pessimistic.”
A Yin breeze blew forth, causing the white veils throughout the pavilion to sway gently. At the center of the pavilion was a guqin, a table, and several chairs. Zhou Yu made his way over to the guqin, and despite the fact that he was vastly renowned for his proficiency in playing the instrument, he merely strummed the strings of the guqin once in a frustrated manner, but didn’t continue to play it.
“I’m referring to the end of a dynasty.” His hands were resting on the strings of the guqin, and he wore an extremely complex expression. “The second Hell has finally vanished and been replaced by the third coming of Hell; is that not the end of an era?”
Gao Changgong looked down at his wine cup as he replied, “But it’s also a new beginning.”
Zhou Yu gently strummed one of the guqin’s strings as he sighed, “That may be true, but it’s also the end for us.”
“Oh?”
“Brother Changgong, is there really any need for us to exercise such caution against one another?” Zhou Yu turned to him with a cold expression as he said, “Aside from Yu Qian and Yang Jiye, none of the twelve envoys have come here! Do you think that the King Yanluo will just let this slide? No, he’ll only reward those who have been loyal to him, while we’re all in the same boat! My situation is not so bad as I at least have some ties with Hell. However, that’s nowhere near enough to atone for the crimes we’ve committed, where we refused to bow to the King Yanluo and refused to return to Hell!”
His voice suddenly grew louder, piercing through the air like a sharp sword. “At this point, General Ma Fubo is already struggling to sleep at night, and Han Fuhu has visited Lord Qin’s assistant bearing news of a precious mine above A-grade quality, but was refused an audience on four different occasions. Currently, he’s on the way to request an audience with Lord Qin for the fifth time! Guo Ziyi, Ban Dingyuan, Wang Meng, Cha Han… All of them are like hot cats on a tin roof, and they can’t even find someone to accept their gifts!”
He turned to Gao Changgong with a meaningful look as he asked, “If you’re not just as anxious, then why did you come to see me with that glum look on your face?”
He strummed the strings of the guqin once again before continuing, “When I said that this is the end, I meant that it’s going to be the end of the good days for us. In the end, all of us are going to have to pay for our actions…”
An extremely wry smile appeared on his face as he sighed, “The best-case scenario for us would be the confiscation of our military power, following which we’ll be summoned back to the nation to undertake positions in the army headquarters or the ministry of revenue. However, in the worst-case scenario…”
Gao Changgong gulped nervously as a complex expression flashed over his breathtakingly handsome face. “We may be subjected to sky lantern punishment or forced to enter the six paths of reincarnation, right?”
“Can you feel it?” Zhou Yu didn’t offer a direct reply to Gao Changgong’s questions as he rested his hands on the strings of the guqin while looking up into the heavens, and he murmured, “Can you feel the Yin energy of Ashmound?”
Gao Changgong nodded with a bitter expression. “Lord Harken and Lord Zhao Zilong are both there. At this point, General Zhao has most likely already made a breakthrough to that legendary level.”
Zhou Yu’s voice sounded as if he had something stuck in his throat as he sighed, “Who could’ve anticipated that Hell would be able to tame the three daolords and unite the entire nation within the span of just a few years? Six years ago, it was generous to even call the Cathayan Underworld a city. Do you know what I feel now when I look at Ashmound?”
He didn’t wait for a reply before continuing, “I feel nothing but astonishment. How was he able to develop a city to this extent in such a short span of time? Gathering netherworldly citizens, constructing infrastructure, transferring resources… We’ve all governed territories of our own, so I’m sure we’re all aware of just how difficult it is to develop an area, yet this young King Yanluo managed to do all this in just a few short years! And he hasn’t just earned a passing mark, he’s passed with flying colors! The current Hell is already an unstoppable force.”
He closed his eyes momentarily before continuing in a trembling voice, “Brother Changgong, this is the best advice that I can offer you: if you want to live, then you must know your place. Don’t regard yourself as some untouchable character anymore. With the arrival of each dynasty comes a completely different administration. Don’t think that we’re beyond reproach just because we were awarded the title of the twelve envoys by the previous dynasty. Our positions were given to us by Hell, so Hell can take them back at any time, and right now, it has the power to do so.”
“My Lord!” Right at this moment, Lü Meng rushed up the staircase, and he was very out of breath as he frantically waved a newspaper that he was holding. “I have important news!”
Before he had a chance to say anything else, the entire city erupted into a raucous frenzy as countless cries of surprise rang out from the streets.
Countless Yin spirits were reading newspapers all across the city, and their mouths were gaped wide open in shock as the netherfire in their eyes flickered erratically.
“They’re going to found a nation?! I can’t believe this is really happening!”
“That’s not all, they’ve even listed the departments that the new nation is going to have!”
“There are new national laws as well. Ar… Are we going to return to the aesthetic of the past?”
The voices of the netherworldly citizens were so loud that they were audible even in the Xiaoxiang Courtyard, and Zhou Yu hurriedly opened the newspapers before reading its contents with Gao Changgong.
There were three copies of the newspaper, and their pages were packed with text. There was an extremely eye-catching headline that read: “The official founding ceremony of the Qin Dynasty is going to be held on 1st November, and Everburn has been set as the new capital city!”
Both Zhou Yu and Gao Changgong’s hearts jolted in unison upon seeing this, and a myriad of complex emotions, including remorse and shock, flashed through their minds. However, this wasn’t the time to wallow in their emotions, and they immediately continued to read the rest of the article.
Meanwhile, all of the other vassal state officials were also reading this utterly astonishing newspaper.
“One week ago, Yanluo Qin declared the era name of the new Hell as the Qin Dynasty, and this year will be the first year of the new dynasty. The national flag will depict a scarlet dragon holding a red flag, and the designs will be red, while the background will be black. The national flower will be Everburn City’s crimson azalea, and black will be the nation’s primary color. The aesthetic that has been chosen is one that replicates the style of Cathay’s Ming Dynasty…”
After that came the structure of the government and a list of all of the departments.
Zhou Yu refused to ignore even the slightest detail as he carefully read through everything.
“The Qin Dynasty will incorporate modern elements into the original system of three departments and six ministries, rolling out brand new departments. There will be fewer departments than the 26 departments of the mortal realm’s government, while departments unique to the Underworld will be added, resulting in an initial plan of 12 departments.”
“The Qin Dynasty’s foreign exchange department will be overseeing all of the Underworld’s foreign exchange obligations, and its primary duties are as follows… The minister will be Arakshasa, and the vice-minister will be…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s army headquarters will be responsible for national security, implementing appropriate measures according to the state of the international Underworlds. Its main duties will include dealing with terrorist attacks, foreign invasions, civil conflicts, and assessing the international state of affairs. The minister will be Oda Nobunaga, and the vice-ministers will be Oda Nobutada, as well as…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s development and reform committee will be responsible for overseeing the development of the nation and implementing corresponding policies. Its primary duties include… The minister will be…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s ministry of education will oversee education across the nation. Due to the fact that the educational content in the Underworld is completely different from that of the mortal realm, Zu Chongzhi will temporarily undertake the role of minister, and his specific duties will include…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s Department Six will be the equivalent of the mortal realm’s ministry of public safety. The minister will be Yang Jiye, and his specific duties are as follows…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s ministry of civil affairs will oversee matters concerning civil and political conflicts, as well as the issuance of benefits and pensions.”
“The Qin Dynasty’s ministry of rites will be responsible for implementing policies surrounding foreign exchange and national etiquette, as well as overseeing national media. The minister will be Yu Qian, and his duties include…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s treasury will oversee all banks and national finance…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s ministry of works will oversee all major construction projects…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s department of labor…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s ministry of commerce…”
“The Qin Dynasty’s ministry of special affairs…”
The more they read, the more deflated Zhou Yu and Gao Changgong became.
The rise of the new administration was already inevitable, and they didn’t have any hope…
In fact, all hope had been lost for them from the moment Dong Zhuo had been defeated. Now, all they could do was pledge their loyalty to the new administration in exchange for a slim chance at survival.
Thus, even though Qin Ye was refusing to grant them an audience, they didn’t dare to leave.
Only after several minutes had passed did they close the newspapers, and right at this moment, a commotion rang out from the stairwell. All of the twelve envoys with the exception of Gao Jianli, Yang Jiye, and Yu Qian then quickly made their way into the room.
Zhou Yu was the earliest to emerge among the twelve envoys, and he was also the undisputed brains of the group.
The netherfire in Guo Ziyi’s eyes was flickering unsteadily, and he made no attempt to hide his distress. He didn’t even bother to take a seat as he directly made his way over to Zhou Yu and asked, “What do we do?”
“This is a blatant threat from Hell!” Wang Meng’s hands were clenched into tight fists in his sleeves, and he gritted his teeth as he said, “None of us have been summoned even once during the past half a month. All of our requests to be granted an audience have been rejected, and the only instructions we’ve received are to remain calm and wait until the King Yanluo has time to see us!”
“How are we supposed to remain calm? Are we supposed to just sit around and wait for our executions?!” Ma Fubo slammed a palm down onto the table, almost knocking over the nearby teacups.
Zhou Yu stroked a hand through his own hair in a calm manner and asked, “General Han, have you been granted an audience with any of the new administration’s officials?”
“No,” Han Qinhu replied with a grim expression. “All of my requests to be granted an audience were rejected, and no one is accepting my gifts, no matter how valuable they are. On top of that, this Yanluo Qin is very unforgiving to people who accept gifts and bribes. Any who are found to have accepted gifts in secret are immediately subjected to sky lantern punishment, so no one dares to accept anything!”
Deathly silence ensued.
Even Zhou Yu’s expression had become quite strained. He hadn’t tried to offer any gifts, but he had supported Hell’s crusade with a batch of Karmic Fire Divine Crossbows. However, despite this, not a single official had come to see him thus far.
Qin Ye had made his attitude very clear.
Look at Yu Qian and Yang Jiye, they hadn’t even moved from their territories, and they were completely loyal to the administration, so they had nothing to worry about. In contrast, they had come all the way here in person, but they not only had all of their gifts rejected, they were being completely ignored. They were provided with free food and accommodation, but they weren’t able to secure audiences with anyone important in the city.
This was the King Yanluo’s stance.
How had they treated him back when Hell was in dire need of their help? Qin Ye had to attend to them in person, and even though Hell had managed to secure some minor benefits from their meeting, it was still an insult to Hell and the King Yanluo!
This was the price that they were going to have to pay for disrespecting the King Yanluo!
“Let’s go,” Zhou Yu sighed as he rose to his feet. “Help me change.”
“Where are you going?” Han Qinhu asked through gritted teeth, “How are you still in the mood to explore the city at a time like this? Can’t you sense the swords hanging above all of our heads?”
“I don’t want to be subjected to sky lantern punishment! I don’t want to suffer the same fate as Liu Yu! I don’t want to be forced to enter the six paths of reincarnation! I want to live!”
“Who doesn’t want to live?!” Zhou Yu abruptly turned around as he flared up with rage for the very first time. “We have to come together and beg to be granted an audience from Yanluo Qin! Do you still think you’re the untouchable Lord of Sanfotsi?! If you don’t want to become fuel for the sky lanterns, then come with me to kneel outside Reflection Palace now!”
