Chapter 91 [VIP]

Gu Zhizhuo barely slept all night.

Since her rebirth, she hadn't had insomnia for a long time. After tossing and turning for a while, she got up and opened the window.

The early summer night was still a bit cool, blowing away her anxiety and restlessness.

Before they knew it, the dawn broke, and Qiongfang's voice rang out from outside. She softly called out, "Miss."

"Come in."

The door opened.

Qiongfang brought in Sishi and Qingwei with warm water to help her wash up and have her meal, and then went to the front yard early.

Just as Chenshi (7-9 AM) arrived, Wuweizi came with two young Taoist boys.

Wuweizi wore a yellow robe embroidered with auspicious beasts and clouds, and a lotus crown on his head. As he walked slowly, his white hair and beard moved with the wind, and his sleeves fluttered, as if the Three Pure Ones had stepped out of a painting, inspiring awe and reverence.

"Master."

Gu Zhizhuo respectfully went to greet him and performed the disciple's salute.

"My good disciple."

Wuweizi smiled, his eyes conveying kindness and gentleness.

After the master and apprentice exchanged a few words, the Grand Madam came over with the others to pay their respects. Apart from Madam Lu, who was still in confinement, and Xu Ge'er, the entire Gu family was present.

The etiquette was extremely thorough.

"Master, the altar is ready, please proceed."

Wuweizi, with his graceful steps, asked, "When will the ceremony begin?"

He was asking about Ziji's initiation ceremony. Gu Zhizhuo replied, "At a quarter past noon."

Wuweizi remembered it and said with a smile, "Go ahead, your master will do his best."

"Master."

Gu Zhizhuo didn't say thank you. She rested her forehead on his shoulder and rubbed against him affectionately, just like in her previous life. Then she left with Gu Yican, while the rest of the Gu family stayed at the mansion.

Entering the Purple Palace Pavilion was an exceptionally grand event, with all members of the imperial family, nobles, and civil and military officials entering the palace and then accompanying the emperor to the Purple Palace Pavilion.

After Emperor Taizu ascended the throne, he established the Ziji Pavilion, located to the right of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Famous ministers who had made extraordinary contributions to the country throughout history could enter the Ziji Pavilion and enjoy the blessings of the nation and the worship of the people.

According to etiquette, Gu Zhizhuo, being a young woman, was not qualified to participate in such a ceremony.

But Gu Zhizhuo came with the emperor and stood calmly in the front row with Gu Yican, as if she was born to be there.

All eyes, both overt and covert, were fixed on her. She wore neither court robes nor men's clothing; even in a simple dress, her sharp gaze remained undiminished. From some unknown point in time, perhaps the moment she stepped into the imperial palace, surveying the assembled officials and facing the emperor with disdain, she had already earned the right to break free from the constraints of the inner chambers and the rigid social norms, to soar above the heavens.

Xie Yingchen gazed at her with a reserved and gentle expression, his eyes, filled with a faint smile, as clear as water.

The prime minister remained silent.

Duke Wei hesitated for a moment but did not speak.

As the two remained still, half of the court officials also fell silent.

Shen Xu glanced with interest at the surprised and uncertain faces of the crowd. He rubbed the red string on his wrist and nodded almost imperceptibly in the direction of Li Deshun. Li Deshun smiled respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, the auspicious time has arrived."

The emperor, expressionless, strode up the high steps.

Since falling ill, he had not attended court for some time, and the bright yellow dragon robe he wore seemed slightly too big for him.

He wore a crown and looked down at the crowd, the dragon patterns on his head gleaming faintly in the blazing sun.

He spoke in a deep, authoritative voice: "Proclaim the imperial decree."

Thump!

The bronze bell in front of the pavilion struck its first note.

Li Deshun agreed and unfurled a bright yellow imperial edict, which granted Duke Zhenguo Gu Taotao entry into the Ziji Pavilion.

Thump!

The second bell rang.

The cigarette smoke rose slowly.

Thump!

Officials from the Ministry of Rites began reciting the achievements of the Duke of Zhenguo.

This book was compiled and edited by scholars of the Hanlin Academy. After today, it will be distributed to various prefectures and counties so that all people can understand it.

Gu Zhizhuo listened silently, his thick eyelashes slightly lowered, an unbearable bitterness welling up in his heart. His father had gone to the battlefield at the age of twelve. With him in the northern frontier, the Northern Barbarians had not been able to set foot in the Central Plains for twenty years.

In the western frontier, he swept across the land, and the people of Liang were terrified at the mere mention of his name.

Throughout his life, he was undefeated and achieved countless military exploits.

"...Duke Gu Taotao, the Duke of Zhenguo, has spent more than 20 years in the military, making immortal contributions and achieving unparalleled merits."

"Unparalleled achievements..." Gu Zhizhuo silently murmured these words. The result of unparalleled achievements was a death without a complete corpse, suppression of the soul, and the theft of one's fortune.

Tears streamed down Gu Zhizhuo's face, soaking her cheeks.

By the time the emperor came to his senses, the Ministry of Rites had already finished reading the memorial tablet, and the emperor himself carried it into the main hall of the Ziji Pavilion.

"younger sister."

Gu Yican called her name.

Gu Zhizhuo nodded and followed him into the main hall.

Other officials were still standing outside.

The grand main hall was extremely solemn, with only twelve memorial tablets, which enshrined the twelve founding heroes of the Great Qi Dynasty. They were all personally placed into the hall by the founding emperor and the previous emperor.

Gu Zhizhuo lifted her skirt and stepped over the threshold. In that instant, it was as if a gentle breeze had swept through her internal organs, and the chest that had been aching for several days suddenly felt much better.

The emperor placed the memorial tablet representing Gu Taotao on the altar and offered incense.

Knock knock knock!

The bell rang again, its deep, thunderous sound echoing throughout the heavens and earth.

One sound after another.

Standing before the altar, Wuweizi seemed to be moved by something. He muttered incantations and suddenly opened his eyes.

Only Wuweizi could see that a dense purple aura was surging towards the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion in the sky. This purple aura was also mixed with wisps of golden light of merit, all of which were surging towards the small vortex in the northeast corner of the sky.

The vortex suddenly grew larger, and the surrounding air currents boiled and surged, as if they were about to completely engulf the purple aura.

Wuweizi held the talisman between his fingers, raised the whisk in his hand, and the silver threads of the whisk fluttered up.

The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was already covered with talismans, which simultaneously, without any wind, flew into the air. This scene astonished everyone in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

"He's a true deity."

The old lady muttered to herself, her girl may be stubborn, but she's quite remarkable, managing to get such a divine master as her apprenticeship.

The old lady couldn't understand what he was chanting at all. She only saw his clothes fluttering, and all the talismans spontaneously combusted without fire, with a small flame suddenly rising up.

"It's glowing?"

The old lady rubbed her eyes and looked again. Yes, she wasn't mistaken! Sparkling silver light appeared around the talisman, like clouds and smoke.

"rise."

The talisman slowly descended, and at the same time, silver light surged towards the northeast corner, merging into the purple aura and being sucked into the vortex.

"...May all evil and filth vanish, and may the Dao's Qi endure forever. So be it!" (Note: Purification Mantra)

The purple aura suddenly surged, transforming into a giant sword that cleaved the vortex in two.

boom.

Despite the absence of sound, the people from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion suddenly felt a deafening roar, a rumbling sound that even shook the earth.

"Second sister, third sister! Look, it's Caixia!"

"What a beautiful sunset."

Gu Zhinan exclaimed in surprise and tugged at his two older sisters' sleeves.

The vortex disappeared.

The lingering purple aura, like colorful clouds, enveloped the Zhenguo Duke's mansion.

Gu Baibai felt both respect and fear. After his injury, his spine ached constantly, especially when he was in the manor. He didn't know if it was because of the dampness, but he would often be in so much pain that he would be drenched in sweat and wish he were dead. Yaoyao had given him acupuncture several times, but it only relieved the pain. Now, a warm feeling, like a gentle breeze, brushed across his aching back, making him feel as comfortable as if he were sleeping under the blazing sun.

"receive!"

The colorful clouds transformed into tiny specks of light, cascading down.

It's done.

Wuweizi smiled, the silver strands of his whisk fluttering down.

Knock knock knock!

The bronze bell struck a full one hundred and eight times. After all the civil and military officials had finished offering incense, they marveled at the rosy glow above the Ziji Pavilion.

After the emperor offered incense, this radiant glow appeared, lingering for a long time alongside the incense smoke.

They had all heard that when the Ziji Pavilion was first built, it was bathed in rosy light for three whole days. They had thought it was just a popular anecdote, but they never expected it to be true.

The bells stopped ringing, and the ceremony concluded.

Everyone had to accompany the emperor back to the palace and perform the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows before they could return home.

"Let's go!"

The Imperial Guards led the way, followed by the Imperial Guards, and everyone else followed the imperial carriage.

"Is it raining?"

Someone murmured, "No, it sounds like hail."

Hailstones, each the size of a thumb, pelted down on everyone.

Dark clouds loomed over the direction of the capital, and some people couldn't help but turn back to look at the Ziji Pavilion, which was still shrouded in the glow of the sunset, with the light and darkness clearly distinct.

The Prime Minister Song's brow twitched slightly as he stared at the sky in astonishment, his expression as vivid as the day he witnessed lightning strike the roof of the Xixiang Tower.

He subconsciously looked at Gu Zhizhuo, who was raising her hand to catch the hail. When she met Song's gaze, she smiled slightly, as if to say: I was right.

The hailstones started out as small as a fingertip, but they grew larger and larger until the imperial carriage returned to the palace. By then, the hailstones were the size of a child's fist and were as dense as raindrops.

It's already the height of summer in July, yet it suddenly started hailing—this is highly unusual.

After the Song Dynasty's chief minister emerged from the palace gates, he stood on the city wall of the Meridian Gate. From afar, it was clear that the common people had all taken refuge indoors or stood under the eaves, and a dark cloud shrouded the capital region.

"In August, an earthquake struck Qingzhou."

The Song Dynasty's chief minister muttered to himself.

Gu Zhizhuo said that if there really was hail in seven days, he would believe her.

From that day until now, it's been exactly seven days.

When he went out in the morning, the sun was shining brightly, and Prime Minister Song was somewhat relieved. Unexpectedly, it actually hailed!

If the hail was real, then could the earthquake in Qingzhou also be real?

If anyone else had said this, Chief Minister Song would have scoffed.

But it was Gu Zhizhuo who said it.

Hailstones shattered the oil-paper umbrella and fell on him. The servant holding the umbrella behind him hurriedly advised, "Sir, Miss Gu said that you need to recuperate for another three to five years. Don't stand there."

The chief minister withdrew his gaze and, amidst the relieved look on his attendant's face, exited through the Meridian Gate.

He rushed back to the Wenyuan Pavilion and immediately drafted a memorial.

Knowing that an earthquake was highly likely in Qingzhou, Chief Minister Song could not remain indifferent. After submitting his memorial, he summoned the cabinet and said, "Daytime thunder and hail in the summer are both ominous omens. Ancient books record that unusual celestial signs foretell a great disaster."

"How can we defend against this?!"

Minister Mo said, "Grand Secretary, there are unusual omens in the heavens... Should we request the Emperor to issue an edict acknowledging our own guilt?"

Minister Mo was not the only one with this idea.

Throughout history, the continuous occurrence of unusual omens has been considered a great omen of misfortune, and the monarch would issue an edict of self-reproach.

For several days in a row, memorials flew into the Imperial Study like snowflakes.

There were impeachments against the eldest princess for her licentiousness and the emperor for allowing his daughter to commit violence.

There were those who impeached the emperor for his extravagance, which had led to an empty treasury.

There were also impeachments against the emperor for disobeying the late emperor's dying wish of not establishing an heir apparent...

Several memorials also claimed that there were rumors circulating that the Duke of Zhenguo died unjustly and went to the late emperor to seek justice as soon as he entered the Ziji Pavilion. The late emperor sent down strange phenomena as a warning. Otherwise, why would it have hailed as soon as the Duke of Zhenguo entered the Ziji Pavilion? The Ziji Pavilion was shrouded in rosy clouds at that time, and even the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was shrouded in colorful clouds that day.

The emperor was overwhelmed by the barrage of impeachment memorials.

He threw away every single one he read, flew into a rage in the imperial study, and in a fit of anger, fainted again.

The imperial study was in complete chaos.

This time, however, the emperor awoke not long after, but when he did, everything was blurry. He rubbed his temples and weakly asked, "What time is it? Why aren't the lamps lit?"

Li Deshun was startled. After a long struggle, he finally found his voice and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this servant is here."

He suppressed a slight tremor in his voice and looked out at the bright sky.

It's just noon!

"Go and light the lamps!"

Li Deshun stood frozen in place, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He didn't know whether he should tell the emperor that it wasn't dark at all. He quickly gestured to a young eunuch to call in the imperial physician, then cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, can you see me?"

The emperor rubbed his aching temples, and the figure before him slowly became clear. The surrounding light was blinding, as if his recent blindness was just an illusion from not yet fully waking from a dream.

However, this is not an illusion.

The emperor could feel that his eyesight was getting worse day by day.

Three imperial physicians entered and took turns feeling the patient's pulse. They gathered together to discuss the matter, while several princes attentively attended to the patient.

Xie Jing arrived in a hurry; he was the last of the princes to arrive.

"Father."

Xie Jing, covered in mud, knelt down as soon as he entered. Meeting the emperor's indifferent face, he quickly said, "Father, I went to Taiqing Temple. I heard that an old immortal had come to Taiqing Temple, so I went there to ask for this peace talisman."

Xie Jing presented a red lucky bag with both hands.

The emperor's displeasure vanished, and he said helplessly, "You..."

Xie Jing leaned over his bed, choking back tears, and said, "It is my fault for being useless and unable to share your burdens."

"Get up quickly."

The emperor leaned back against the pillow, stroking the lucky bag. His fingertips could clearly feel a folded talisman inside, and his expression softened even more.

Xie Jing stared at his movements, her heartstrings twitching.

He was worried about Ke'er staying at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for even one more day. He really couldn't understand why Gu Zhizhuo and Ke'er were so incompatible. If it was because he had fallen in love with her, she had already retaliated. Why was she still holding a grudge?

But whatever the reason, Xie Jing was unwilling to investigate further.

He had visited Taiqing Temple today, but neither Master Qingping nor the legendary old immortal were there; only the abbot was present. He had obtained this peace talisman from the abbot, and he had also specially chosen the lucky bag containing it, with a large "福" (fortune) character on one side and the words "天命" (destiny) on the other.

Xie Jing did not rise; instead, he knelt before the emperor, very close to him. Controlling his wildly beating heart, he said, "Father, why not invite the Master Qingping to perform a divination?"

The emperor patted the back of his hand thoughtfully, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

The eldest prince was a little jealous, but there was nothing he could do. His father had doted on Xie Jing since he was a child, and all his older brothers had to avoid him.

It's highly likely that this position will fall to him in the future. The eldest prince has always acted like his "elder brother" in front of him, but he never expected that the prince would come to ask him for help.

The eldest prince composed himself and said sternly, "Third brother, how can the fate of the nation be decided by a mere Taoist priest?"

“Master Qingping is no ordinary Taoist.” Xie Jing turned to look at him, his gaze deep. “Master Qingping’s Taoist skills are profound. He is an enlightened master, a reincarnation of the Three Pure Ones. Father Emperor also knows this.”

Xie Jing was extremely grateful and thought to himself that he would give his elder brother a generous gift later. He pretended to be indignant and guided him, saying, "Why should you hold a grudge just because Master Qingping was invited by your younger brother?"

The eldest prince snorted repeatedly: "Third brother really trusts Qingping a lot. Ha, I don't know if it's because he's really a wise and virtuous man, or because he said your sweetheart is a woman blessed by heaven."

"Your Majesty, watch your words!" Go on, continue. The Third Prince suppressed the urge to smile and gave a frantic look.

"Third brother, are you perhaps suggesting that the reason the Great Qi is plagued by disasters is because Father Emperor hasn't found you a blessed woman to be your consort?!"

That's enough.

The emperor rubbed his aching temples and impatiently interrupted them, his voice stern.

The eldest prince was terrified of angering the emperor, and no matter how Xie Jing tried to signal him, he dared not say anything more. Unlike his third brother, who had been pampered since childhood and could simply have his father patted on the shoulder if he displeased the emperor, he would be disliked.

"A woman blessed by destiny?"

The emperor looked at Xie Jing expressionlessly, "You want to marry her?"

Master Qingping once mentioned that Ji Nanke was a woman blessed by heaven, with the fortune to bring prosperity to her husband and the country. Whether you believe it or not, since this matter has already spread among the people, it is impossible to leave Ji Nanke in the countryside to marry as she pleases.

"Father," Xie Jing said expectantly, "Yes. Your Majesty, I have long admired Miss Ji and beg you to grant my wish."

...

A sudden, booming sound filled Ji Nanke's ears, and she felt a moment of disorientation. The pen in her hand fell onto the paper, and the ink spread out like a black spot, covering the sketch of a crossbow drawn on the paper.

For some reason, her heart suddenly started pounding, as if a heavy hammer had struck her heart.

She shuddered, a chill running down her spine that filled her with unease.

A note from the author: