Ten thousand li of mountains and rivers lay before their eyes...0

Yes. With Xia Longyuan dead, everyone now faced a choice.0

Turn away, return to the jianghu, and watch as the Xia dynasty's authority dissolves; leave the nation to fracture and await a new ruler to unify it.0

OR take on the burden of restoring order yourself.0

Would they walk away? If not, they would have to clean up this mess personally.0

Not a single region acknowledged the Xia dynasty anymore. Even the capital had forsaken it. Whether Zhao Changhe or Xia Chichi wished to claim the throne, they would face a near-impossible task: there were no loyal ministers left to summon, no officials who would care.0

Those who once believed Zhao Changhe to be the crown prince? In the face of a universal rebellion, with even the imperial capital in defiance, what crown prince was there to recognize?0

Xia Chichi? Who would acknowledge her legitimacy?0

They had awakened from a commoner’s dream, only to face a shattered empire stretching before them—a vast territory that would only be theirs if they rebuilt it from the ground up.0

There was practically no political legacy left. In fact, trying to restore order under the banner of the Xia dynasty was more difficult than starting anew. The only thing Xia Longyuan left behind was a mess of negative sentiment and disillusionment.0

Figures like Li Shentong, aware of their lack of governance skills and devoid of personal ambition, might have joined a cause led by a reputable rebellion. But if it was the Xia dynasty...0