I hurriedly instructed him to bring me everything after the Fengshan ceremony. I also told him that no one was allowed to touch those things. In my era, those things weren’t worth much, but in this ancient society, every single one was a priceless treasure. Especially when I thought of cigarettes—I hadn’t smoked a single one in two days, and it made me extremely uncomfortable.

"Your Majesty, the bath is ready." Claire came over and whispered softly.

"Brian Bolton, go ahead." I patted his shoulder and gave him a look of trust.

Brian Bolton understood everything without words and respectfully withdrew.

I handed all the remaining silver notes to Claire, instructing her to keep them safe. Only then did I feel at ease and head toward the bath curtain.

The life of an emperor is truly fulfilling. No wonder so many people rack their brains trying to become one.

Happy times are always short. That old fox Charles Taylor caught me to attend the Fengshan ceremony the moment I stepped out of the bath. I hadn’t even had lunch yet, but he told me I couldn’t eat anything all day. Speechless...

The entire Fengshan ceremony was extremely depressing for me. I listened to a bunch of monks chanting for ages before the Ministry of Rites people finally led me to the center of the altar.

My task was to sit cross-legged in the center of the altar and meditate. Through meditation, I was supposed to communicate with the so-called heavens, listen to their will, and then accept their mandate.

After just over ten minutes, I almost fell asleep. I kept cursing Charles Taylor in my heart—what about the plan, why hasn’t anything happened yet? I looked over at him in confusion, only to see him gesture at me, as if telling me to be patient.

With all eyes on me, I couldn’t make any excessive moves. In the eyes of people in this era, the heavens are the supreme existence. Even though I’m the emperor, I’m just acting on behalf of heaven.

I sat there motionless for more than two hours, so tired my back ached and my stomach was growling. That damned old fox Charles Taylor—I’d already cursed his ancestors eighteen generations back in my heart. Next, I could only start cursing his descendants.

Just as I was getting drowsy from the monks’ chanting, a strange phenomenon appeared. A thick golden light descended from the sky, enveloping my entire body. I could clearly hear the monks chanting even louder. When I opened my eyes, I saw everyone—including the guards on duty—kneeling and shouting in unison, "By the mandate of heaven, long live the emperor, long live, long, long live!"

I couldn’t help but look at Charles Taylor in surprise. Did this old fox really have such skills? Even cheating could be done with such grandeur? But Charles Taylor looked just as bewildered, at a complete loss. My heart turned cold—this wasn’t something Charles Taylor did?

Chapter Four: Auspicious Signs from Heaven (Part 2)

The golden light grew even more intense, gradually generating a sense of buoyancy. My body felt as if it were in outer space, slowly floating upward. I wanted to struggle, but it seemed some unknown force was holding me down, making me unable to move. I was shocked—could this really be the power of the heavens?

My upward floating gradually slowed. Looking down, I saw that I was already higher than Mount Tai. The whole earth below looked a pale yellow, and the distant horizon formed a beautiful arc.

My heart felt as if it were drifting in midair, completely empty. I couldn’t help but look up, wondering when I would reach the top.

The golden pillar of light I was in suddenly rippled, the radiance drifting before my eyes like beautiful ripples on water. My body seemed to enter another space. The scenery around me changed—it was no longer the blue sky.

The light suddenly faded, and what I saw left me even more dumbfounded. I should be inside a building, but the materials used were all gleaming heavy metals. The lines were so perfectly designed that I almost couldn’t breathe.

Is this... the heavenly court? I looked around and shouted loudly, "Is anyone there?" Actually, by this point, I wasn’t afraid anymore. With such powerful abilities, if they wanted to destroy me, they wouldn’t even need to lift a finger. Why go to all this trouble to bring me here?

"There is someone." An empty voice came from all directions, as if answering my question.

Although I was calm inside, I was still startled by the sudden voice. I opened my eyes wide and looked around, but saw no one.

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" At this moment, my mind was unusually clear, and my reactions were at their sharpest.

"Huh? Just now your intelligence level was only thirty-six, how did it suddenly rise to forty-nine?" The voice was still calm and steady, but now carried a hint of emotion.

"Aliens!" I immediately jumped up and shouted.