From this day forward, you shall be the one who rebuilds the Great Song.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Tong Tianbao picked up his engraving knife and personally carved the two characters “Shaoxing” onto the newly made Great Song imperial seal. With one hand, he put away the old seal with its chipped corner, revealing the eight characters in Qin seal script on its underside: “By Heaven’s Mandate, may it endure forever.”
His other hand slipped back into his sleeve, his face expressionless.
When the assembled court officials demanded, “Aren’t you afraid of bearing the curse of countless generations?”
Tong Tianbao planted one foot firmly on Qin Hui, the Great Song’s Left Chancellor, Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, and Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi. Fixing his gaze on Zhao Gou, he suddenly broke into hysterical laughter, laughing until tears ran down his face. Slowly, he drew his blade...
“Your Majesty... Your Majesty? Hmph. I came before you, and without me, there would be no you...” Emperor Zhao Gou of the Great Song knelt in terror, lacking even the courage to raise his head.
Tong Tianbao swept his plain robe aside and sneered. “The realm does not belong to one person. It belongs to all the people.”
Ignoring Zhao Gou, he lifted a child onto his back and slowly walked up to the imperial dais.
He sat on the Dragon Throne, with the child seated on his lap...
