Chapter 16 016 Since the court assembly has already caused His Highness trouble...

As the date of the Ascension Ceremony draws ever closer, almost the entire Yunchi Kingdom is paying attention to the event, and naturally, there is no shortage of discussion in the imperial court.

"Sigh, I thought that Qingyuan Immortal Venerable could take another step forward this year through the Ascension Conference and advance to the God Venerable level. I didn't expect that he would be unable to participate this year. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have burned so much incense."

"Lord Zhao is among the top three on the list of worshippers of Immortal Venerable Qingyuan. In any case, he has already left his name with the Immortal Venerable. He will surely receive the protection of Immortal Venerable Qingyuan in the future, so there is nothing to regret."

"Lord Liu was truly prescient, making arrangements in advance and revealing several newly ascended gods. No matter which one of them shines brightly in the Ascension Assembly, they will all receive his protection in the future..."

Before the court assembly began that day, Shen Hengzhen noticed that the court officials were gathered in twos and threes, discussing matters of the gods rather than state affairs, as usual, and he couldn't help but frown.

"Hey, Lord Shen! Which deity did you worship at this Ascension Ceremony?" Several court officials greeted him as he approached.

"I won't provide for anyone," Shen Hengzhen replied curtly, his face sour.

The adults, having been met with a cold shower, found it rather pointless and stopped bothering him.

Yun Tianqi has become less averse to attending court these past few days. After all, the Ascension Conference is imminent, and most of the discussions in court revolve around this matter. It's much more interesting than those dry and boring political and economic issues, so he's particularly interested in it.

"Have the competition rules for this year's Ascension to Immortality Tournament been released yet?" After the court session, Yun Tianqi leaned back on the dragon throne and asked, his posture completely unrefined.

The Grand Master of Ceremonies, who was in charge of matters related to the worship of spirits and deities, stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, the competition rules were just posted at the Incense Lighting Platform yesterday evening. This Ascension Ceremony is divided into three parts: Divine Power of Creation, Purification of Demons and Monsters, and Rescue and Grace."

Yun Tianqi, curious, sat up straight: "Oh? Tell me more?"

"The Creation Divine Might is to allow all participating celestial gods to showcase one of their most powerful divine abilities, so that the worshippers can have a preliminary understanding of them. After all, most of the celestial gods who have been shortlisted this time are new gods below the Immortal Lord level, and many worshippers have not even heard of their divine titles."

"The process of exorcising demons is similar to the last Ascension Ceremony. Both involve the gods going to villages and towns that are besieged by demons to slay them. The difference is that this time, the gods will bring along one of their own pilgrims."

Yun Tianqi immediately became excited, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "This is interesting, quite novel! Has anyone explained how these pilgrims were selected?"

"Your Majesty, it is chosen by the gods themselves, but they will generally be accompanied by the top-ranked deity on the list of worshippers, unless the top-ranked deity voluntarily gives up, in which case the others will be chosen in turn."

"Good!" Yun Tianqi slapped his thigh. "Then I will participate this time too! Taichang, go and select a suitable deity to be crowned the top worshipper in my name!"

This scene terrified all the court officials.

Prime Minister Shen was the first to kneel down: "Your Majesty, please reconsider! Your health is of utmost importance!"

The ministers also knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty, please reconsider! Your health is of utmost importance!"

Yun Tianqi jumped up and down on the spot, "What? I just want to experience fighting demons and protecting the righteous path. I finally have this opportunity, why can't I!"

"Your Majesty!" Prime Minister Shen raised his voice.

Yun Tianqi instinctively shrank back and stopped making a sound after being yelled at.

The court fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Prime Minister Shen bowed respectfully once more, saying, “Your Majesty is the foundation of the nation. How can you easily come into contact with demons and ghosts and put yourself in danger? Even with the protection of the gods, there is no guarantee of safety. I hope Your Majesty will abandon this idea for the sake of the country!”

Yun Tianqi was furious. In a fit of rage, he grabbed the whisk from the eunuch beside him and threw it down, hitting Prime Minister Shen's official hat squarely.

"You stop me from doing whatever I want. Who is the emperor, me or you?"

These words were so harsh that the court officials turned pale with fright and all knelt down, begging His Majesty to calm down.

Prime Minister Shen closed his eyes. His official hat had been knocked askew, but he dared not raise his hand to straighten it. He could only kowtow heavily.

Shen Hengzhen wanted to step forward and say something, but was stopped by his father's gaze.

Yun Tianqi vented his anger, watching the white-haired Imperial Tutor's forehead slowly turn purplish-blue. Thinking of the kindness he had received in the past, he felt a little remorseful, but being too proud, he didn't know how to back down.

Seeing the reluctance on Yun Tianqi's face, Tai Chang quickly said, "Your Majesty, why don't you listen to the rules of the third stage first, and then decide whether or not to go?"

Yun Tianqi sat back on the dragon throne, and said weakly, "Speak."

"This third step is called the Rescue of Grace. It involves hiding the accompanying pilgrims in an illusion, and the gods must overcome numerous obstacles to rescue them. During this time, the pilgrims may be imprisoned anywhere, whether it be the frigid far north, a pitch-black underground cave, or the harsh, arid heart of the desert... Your Majesty... do you really want to go?"

Yun Tianqi thought about it for a moment. Everything else was fine, but if he were really hidden underground, just thinking about how all sorts of maggots roamed in that kind of place made him shudder.

"Enough, enough. I was just joking on a whim. Why are you all taking it so seriously? Prime Minister Shen, you may get up as well."

Thus, the crisis was resolved. Tai Chang then reported that during the Ascension Assembly competition, the process would be displayed on light screens in all the temples of the Three Gods. Worshippers could gather in the temples to watch and offer incense support based on the gods' performance. Changes in the amount of incense offered would be announced on the God Ranking in real time.

"Given this momentous occasion for the entire nation, should Your Majesty allocate a special fund to repair the temples of the three deities?"

Yun Tianqi nodded, "Repairs are a must. Is ten million taels of silver enough?"

Before Taichang could reply, Shen Hengzhen stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty! The funds for disaster relief in the Northwest are still pending. How can we waste so much money on something like this?"

The Grand Master was displeased. "Young Master Shen, please watch your words! How dare you say that matters concerning the gods are a waste?"

Shen Hengzhen sneered, "Living people are starving to death, and the gods aren't intervening. When famine strikes, does the Grand Master of Ceremonies also have to rely on incense offerings to fill his stomach?"

"You! What are you saying?!"

"Alright, alright." Yun Tianqi's head was throbbing from their arguing. He hated it most when these court officials quarreled in front of him, so he tried to appease both sides, saying, "How about we approve five million taels? The remaining five million taels can be used for disaster relief. It's settled then. Court adjourned!"

Shen Hengzhen wanted to say something more, but his father pulled him back.

"Why did Father stop me?! This so-called Ascension Ceremony is absurd to begin with, why spend so much money on it?" The father and son came out of the court hall, and Shen Hengzhen said with dissatisfaction.

“You are still too young and impetuous.” Prime Minister Shen shook his head. “Our dynasty worships gods. Not to mention that this matter is in line with the will of the people, you should not have gone against the Grand Master of Ceremonies today when he helped your father out of a predicament.”

"Does Father know how many refugees from the Northwest are starving to death every day? The living are living like this, yet they are still obsessed with worshipping gods and burning incense. If this continues, Yunchi Kingdom will be doomed sooner or later!"

"Shut up! What treasonous words are these!" Prime Minister Shen shouted sternly, glancing around to make sure no one was there.

"Father, please return to the manor first. I'm going to pay my respects to Her Highness the Princess." Shen Hengzhen turned and left.

Prime Minister Shen called out several times to no avail, and could only sigh before returning to his residence.

...

Since that day of parting, Yun Tianjiao has truly never seen Zhiwei again.

But Yun Tianjiao often thought of him, not only because she was used to his meticulous care, but also because of the words he said to her before they parted—

"Your Highness summoned Miss Shen to Chang Le Palace, but was it to drive me away from here in the first place?"

Yun Tianjiao would never admit it. Sitting in the waterside pavilion, he casually wiped the True Words, saying, "You're overthinking it. I never expected that Qiongzhi would persuade Immortal Lord Zhujing to give me the Reincarnation Mirror."

Zhiwei didn't deny her, but just chuckled, "Your Highness avoids me like the plague, is it because you're afraid of falling in love?"

Yun Tianjiao paused slightly as he wiped the knife, accidentally cutting his finger.

Zhiwei stepped forward and used her magic to soothe her wounds, then tucked the snow-white handkerchief stained with her blood into her sleeve.

Under the moonlit sky, his eyes and brows were as clear as water, brimming with tenderness.

“Your Highness need not be afraid.” He looked at her and smiled. “Since I have already caused you trouble, I will leave willingly. Do you remember what I said to Your Highness?”

Yun Tianjiao stood in the pavilion, looking down at the celestial being a few steps below the stone steps.

"What did you say?"

“At all times, I hope Your Highness will have a choice.”

...

Yun Tianjiao sat idly in the pavilion feeding the fish. Schools of koi swam in the clear pond, but she seemed to see Zhiwei's reflection in the water.

I casually tossed a handful of fish food down, creating ripples that dissipated even the annoying shadow.

Yun Tianjiao couldn't help but curse Zhiwei in his heart. She couldn't even leave in peace, saying such a bunch of nonsense just to annoy people.

The pavilion is connected to both banks by two waterside pavilions. Suddenly, Yun Tianjiao heard a rustling sound behind him, like the hem of a garment dragging across the bluestone ground.

The palace maids and eunuchs walked lightly, while the newcomer's steps were quite forceful, clearly indicating that he was an adult man.

"Didn't you leave? Why are you back?" She threw away all the fish food in her hand and turned around, a smile unconsciously curving her lips, but it faded when she saw who it was.

"Shen Hengzhen? It's you?"

"Who does Your Highness think it is?"

Shen Hengzhen's tone was not friendly, and his face was dark, making him look unlucky in Yun Tianjiao's eyes.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, just finished court? Who has angered our young Master Shen this time?"

Shen Hengzhen walked from the former court to Chang Le Palace and had calmed down. However, he felt depressed and wanted to talk to someone. After thinking about it, it seemed that only the Princess could talk to him.

Do you have any wine?

Yun Tianjiao gestured with his chin to the wine pot on the stone table in the pavilion, "We don't have any fine wine, but we do have a pot of freshly brewed fruit wine. Make do with that."

Shen Hengzhen didn't stand on ceremony and poured himself a cup, drinking it down in one gulp.

Yun Tianjiao watched leisurely, playing with the shawl, without asking any questions, waiting for Shen Hengzhen to speak.

After downing two glasses of fruit wine, Shen Hengzhen finally felt much better and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and unable to persuade Your Majesty to reduce the expenses for repairing the temple. Therefore, I can only humbly request an audience with Your Highness."

After hearing Shen Hengzhen recount what had happened in court that day, Yun Tianjiao laughed dismissively, "I thought it was something serious, is that all?"

The fruit wine wasn't noticeable at first sip, but it had a strong aftereffect. Shen Hengzhen was already slightly tipsy, but his clear eyes were sharp as knives, revealing their undisguised brilliance.

"Isn't this a big deal?" he said self-deprecatingly. "You're all like this, it seems I'm the only fool who doesn't know what I'm insisting on."

Yun Tianjiao finally stopped smiling.

“I know you hate the worship of gods, but now Yun Chi Kingdom relies on the protection of the gods, and the deep-rooted problems are hard to change. The will of the people is like this, and it cannot be changed by the efforts of just one person.”

Shen Hengzhen sneered: "If you don't change, and I don't change, are we just going to let things go like this? You all worship gods, but people's lives aren't much better these days. I thought His Majesty was just a child at heart, enjoying watching the excitement, but I didn't expect even His Highness to be like that... Never mind, let's not talk about it!"

Yun Tianjiao walked from the railing to the stone table and sat down. He poured himself a glass of fruit wine, took a small sip, and then frowned slightly.

This wine is far inferior to Zhiwei's.

“Shen Hengzhen, the gods today rely on the offerings of incense from the mortal world to live. The more incense they offer, the stronger their divine power becomes. What you want to do is not something you can accomplish simply by wanting to,” Yun Tianjiao said casually, putting down his wine cup.

"Are you saying that I've touched the interests of the gods and will be punished by them?" Shen Hengzhen scoffed. "It's alright, I, Shen Hengzhen, am not afraid of that."

Yun Tianjiao shook his head, "I'm afraid that before you suffer divine retribution, you will encounter more obstacles from people."

Shen Hengzhen remained silent, unable to help but recall the confrontation between the court and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices that had taken place earlier that day.

Yun Tianjiao patted him on the shoulder, "For the sake of our childhood friendship, listen to my advice: haste makes waste, it's better to proceed slowly."

Shen Hengzhen's expression shifted slightly. "Does Your Highness also intend to reduce divine authority?"

Yun Tianjiao: "Don't flatter me. I don't think about anything except eating, drinking and having fun every day."

Shen Hengzhen toyed with the empty wine glass in his hand, looking at the girl who was casually leaning against the stone table and enjoying the breeze, unable to tell how much of her words were true or false.

Although they grew up together, Shen Hengzhen felt that he had never truly understood Yun Tianjiao. She seemed arrogant and unrestrained, but looking at the entire court, including his cunning father, no one dared to ignore the existence of this princess.

If she were, as the rumors suggest, a shallow member of the royal family who only knew how to enjoy life, the Kingdom of Yunchi would probably have changed hands long ago.