Although they were both working for the emperor, Song Ting's words just now made it seem as if he had bowed his head in resentment. Zhang Bingzhi felt resentful, but he didn't show it in front of the emperor. He accepted the incense and walked towards the abbot.
The clouds pressed down even lower, and after a moment of silence, a rumble of thunder suddenly came from afar, as if it were exploding right above our heads.
The sky was bright and clear, but in an instant it seemed as if day and night had been reversed.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, accompanied by a fierce wind. The strange light illuminated the bronze Buddha statue, making it appear ghostly. Zhang Bingzhi stopped in his tracks.
But with the Emperor, Song Ting, and dozens of commoners watching behind him, he couldn't possibly back down or show any fear at this moment.
Zhang Bingzhi hesitated for only a moment before continuing forward against the strong wind.
That fake monk Kongxing was a disappointment; not only was he discovered, but he also turned around and accused him, forcing Zhang Bingzhi to keep a low profile for a while. He needed this opportunity to show his loyalty more than Song Ting did.
The man surnamed Song wanted to show off at this time, and he couldn't give him that chance again. He had to turn the tables no matter what. Otherwise, he would truly be forever inferior to the other man in the imperial court.
That was clearly just a dog he kept; he couldn't let it bark and swagger around in front of him all the time.
He has worked tirelessly for many years to get to where he is today, and he absolutely cannot let someone else benefit from his efforts. Especially since that person is Song Ting.
As Zhang Bingzhi walked, he kept telling himself this.
"The weather's changed! It's really changed! With such loud thunder, I hope nothing bad will happen!"
"Is this really fate? Will something go wrong again this time?"
"With such a huge bolt of lightning, won't it strike us...?"
The people below were already buzzing with discussion, their faces filled with fear and apprehension. If it weren't for the Imperial Guards guarding the area, they would probably have all scattered by now.
The emperor and Song Ting exchanged a glance—this time, there couldn't be any more problems, or the world would really change.
Lightning flashed one after another, illuminating half the sky. Poor Zhang Bingzhi, despite his advanced age, was nearly blown away by the gale, making the short distance of a few hundred steps extremely difficult.
But, it hasn't arrived yet.
"Amitabha." Master Kongji bowed to him, and Zhang Bingzhi returned the bow. Then he walked to the incense table and inserted the three incense sticks in his hand.
Next, we walked back to Master Kongji and faced the Buddha statue to receive blessings.
By this time, Zhang Bingzhi had actually breathed a sigh of relief. He had arrived in front of the Buddha statue, and there were guards all around. Even if there were assassins, they couldn't just fly over from the sky.
Moreover... Zhang Bingzhi thought, in a treasonous way, that staying away from the young emperor was actually safer.
His mind raced with conflicting emotions, and then, at that very moment, a sudden change occurred—
The incense table was actually very close to where Master Kongji was, only a few steps away. After Zhang Bingzhi finished bowing and placing the incense, he stood up and bowed to Master Kongji.
"Namo Amitabha Buddha".
"Namo Amitabha Buddha..."
Just as he was about to get up, two bolts of lightning suddenly struck down, accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder.
If the previous thunder and lightning were still some distance from the square, then these two bolts of lightning were indeed heading straight for the square.
The silver light seemed to illuminate the entire sky, followed by rolling thunder and a fierce wind.
The apocalyptic scene terrified the onlookers, and chaos erupted around them.
Song Ting's nerves were involuntarily tense. He had to keep an eye on Huai Xu while also keeping an eye on the young emperor, so he neglected Zhang Bingzhi's side.
"Aaaaaah—people are dying—the ground is collapsing…" someone suddenly shouted, "The sky is falling and the earth is sinking, this is divine punishment! It's divine punishment!"
Song Ting turned around abruptly and saw that one of the bolts of lightning struck the spot where Zhang Bingzhi was standing. The ground exploded instantly, and Zhang Bingzhi fell straight down, his body charred black, with only his body still trembling slightly.
At the same time, the area collapsed at an extremely fast speed, and Zhang Bingzhi sank down along the sunken floor tiles and was buried in it!
Lightning flashed one after another, and thunder rumbled incessantly.
The sudden turn of events plunged the people at the scene into extreme panic. Some screamed, others ran around frantically, and the surrounding area was in chaos, which the guards could hardly contain.
Chu Minghuan was also terrified, clinging tightly to Song Ting's arm, his face as white as a sheet.
“Song, Song Qing.”
Song Ting immediately looked in the direction where Chu Huaixu was, only to find that Huaixu, who had been standing there, had already disappeared.
Where are they?!
Song Ting felt as if his heart had been kicked hard. He instinctively wanted to take a step forward to check, but amidst the chaos of the crowd, someone spontaneously combusted in the heavy rain, laughing and shouting as they lunged at those around them.
"Heavenly punishment is coming! Heavenly punishment is coming! The Chu family's empire is doomed!"
First one, then a second, a third... These people, like moths to a flame, laughed heartily in the firelight.
"Why can't such heavy rain put out these fires? Is this really divine punishment...?"
"Forget about divine punishment, what are you standing there for? Run!"
"Aaaaaah... Help me, help me! I don't want to die!"
The crowd grew increasingly chaotic; some were laughing, some were screaming in terror and calling for help, and even a member of the Imperial Guard was caught in a fireball and burst into flames.
The fire was truly unquenchable; he rolled on the ground, but the fire only grew stronger...
The torrential rain poured down, and Chu Huaixu's figure reappeared. He exchanged a glance with Song Ting through the downpour and the chaotic crowd, revealing a smile that could only be described as delighted.
But the surroundings were too chaotic, and the rain was heavy. Before long, Chu Huaixu's figure disappeared from Song Ting's sight again.
Perhaps because the show had come to an end, Chu Huaixu saw what he wanted to see and no longer lingered for a moment.
Song Ting was worried about Chu Huaixu's safety, but his arm was tightened again. It was the young emperor staring at him in horror.
"Minister Song, I..."
"Guards! Escort His Majesty back!" Song Ting made a decisive decision without further hesitation. "Control the scene, but leave a few survivors!"
Among the people who came to watch the ceremony were members of the Red Lotus Sect, but their purpose was not to assassinate the emperor, but to once again confirm that the emperor was not recognized by Heaven.
"But..." The young emperor was terrified and clearly did not want to leave Song Ting's side.
Song understood this clearly, but still said, "Your Majesty, I wish to go and check on the Grand Secretary's condition. It is not safe here, Your Majesty should return to your room quickly, and leave this to me."
Song Ting gave a signal, and two Imperial Guards stepped forward. Song Ting said calmly, "Escort His Majesty back."
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