Wei Shuyi still chose to go to the inner hall and took the little princess in the cradle into her arms. She wanted to believe that Xin Xuanshi would be able to live up to her expectations and get things done in front of the Queen Mother.
Xie Yanci sat beside her, observing her silently. He drank cup after cup of hot tea and showed no sign of leaving.
"How long has it been since you last visited Zhaohua?"
"In reply to your Majesty, I have been busy helping the Empress Dowager with her headaches lately, and I have indeed been a little negligent."
He took a deep breath and wanted to say something, but finally swallowed it back: "Yao'er, how long are you going to be angry with me?"
She was stunned: "I didn't, I was just afraid that the emperor would get tired of seeing my face, so I deliberately hid from the emperor in order not to disturb the princess."
"Why do I... dislike you? And why do I want to bring disaster to Zhaohua? In your heart, I am such a petty person?"
Wei Shuyi's movements to coax the little princess faltered slightly, but she still uttered an extremely stiff sentence: "I dare not."
"You always show weakness in words, but your actions are not ambiguous at all! I didn't come to see you, and you didn't go to the Changsheng Palace to ask for an audience. Everyone thought that the entire Lin'an Palace had become a cold palace. Little did they know that I was the one who was exiled to the palace by you."
She had no choice but to place the child back in the cradle, straightened her clothes, and knelt in the direction of the emperor. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I had no such intention. I didn't go to the Hall of Eternal Life because I was not of high rank and I was afraid of embarrassing Eunuch Yang. As for Your Majesty not coming to Lin'an Palace, I don't feel resentful, because I understand... the ominous omen that the Imperial Master mentioned is what you care about."
"Whether I mind or not is not important, but why do you insist on doing this?"
"Your Majesty, look."
Wei Shuyi pointed to the cradle and whispered, "Zhaohua can stay in the palace and be cared for by the Empress Dowager, and I can come to visit her from time to time to ease my longing. But Liangcairen can't do that. I have shared hardships with her..."
"Why can't she?"
"Your Majesty, you should clearly understand this! The unlucky person in Lin'an Palace has also brought a curse upon the heir. When the child is born, it will be regarded as a calamity! How can such a child remain in the palace?" She continued to plead, seeking justice for the talented person. "Your Majesty, don't you think it's extremely inappropriate to give astrological rumors such weight to a child who is your own flesh and blood?"
The emperor didn't get the answer he wanted, so he pounded the table anxiously and pondered for a while: "Then, what do you want to do?"
"Of course, we should get rid of the ineffective Imperial Observatory and recruit new talents!"
The Queen Mother lifted the pearl curtain, walked into the inner room, and blurted out these words.
Xie Yanci suppressed his anger and bowed, "Mother, didn't you have something to discuss with Consort Xin? Have you finished your discussion?"
"This child is my timely help. Not only did he cure my headache, but he also brought in a group of ambitious people from the public." The Queen Mother took the main seat and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Preceptor is indeed talented, but sometimes relying on him too much might damage the bloodline of the Xie family!"
Wei Shuyi knelt on the ground, his heart hanging in the air. Xin Xuanshi had indeed persuaded the Queen Mother! Now, with the Queen Mother's help and intercession, the hope of Liangcairen's stigma being removed was a little greater.
Xie Yanci was hesitant: "My Queen Mother, are you saying that the Imperial Master's prediction was wrong?"
"Most people in the Astrology Department are used to agreeing with others and currying favor with the powerful. I really don't like this. If this continues, the place will become the world of the Imperial Master! If the Emperor continues to listen to them, I'm afraid the throne will change hands!"
When it comes to the country, the emperor also fell into deep thought.
Of course he understood: the officials of the Astrology Department all respected the National Master, but in a short period of time, they had to reorganize the six bureaus, manage state affairs, and summon the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, which was not afraid of power. It was really difficult for them to do both.
"Mother, allow me to make further preparations..."
"No need for that. Consort Xin has already brought the people." The Empress Dowager pointed to the outer courtyard, which was shrouded in dusk. "If the Emperor is uneasy, he can go and choose in person."
"Okay."
Aunt Zijin brought the group of people to the main hall. Xie Yanci took a glance and his eyes fell on the hunched figure at the end.
Compared to the nervous panic of the others, he was quite unique: not only did he glance around the hall with a bold and casual air, but his eyes, exposed beyond his mask, held neither surprise nor any unnecessary emotion. His sunken eye sockets gave him the air of a blind man.
"You, come here."
"..." The people in the front row immediately made way for him to go forward, seemingly of a very high status.
Xie Yanci looked at his attire and felt that he was trying to be mysterious. "Xin Xuanshi said that you are the most experienced Taoist here. What are your real abilities?"
"In the holy ruins of Nirvana, the phoenix's life is hard to bear. Starving people lie on the ground, rain and wind are blowing. Two years..."
"shut up!"
Not only the emperor, but even the empress dowager, who had remained calm, stood up excitedly and fiddled with the Buddhist beads in panic.
Wei Shuyi didn't notice anything unusual, so he just knelt down with everyone else: "Your Majesty, please calm down!"
The eldest brother was the last one to kneel down. His movements were slow, as if time had been slowed down, with each frame staggered.
But Xie Yanci didn't give the other party a chance to salute. He stepped forward and supported his right arm: "Master, please stand up."
"Um."
The progress of the matter was full of twists and turns.
Every step was beyond their expectations.
The Queen Mother gave a few instructions to Aunt Zijin, and those people were taken to the side hall to wait. As for her and Consort Xin, they were also called to the courtyard by Yinzhu.
"Noble Lady Yi, Miss Xin, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor need to speak confidentially with the Taoist priest. You two should return to Lin'an Palace first!"
"How could this happen?" Concubine Xin stood on tiptoe anxiously to peek inside. "Will my senior brother be in trouble? The emperor looked so fierce just now. Will he kill my senior brother?"
"Don't worry, it won't happen." Wei Shuyi blocked her gaze. "The emperor is not a tyrant. They are all good citizens of the capital after all. How could he kill them all for no reason?"
"That's true. Then, Senior Brother, and my other friends, can we return to Lin'an Palace tonight?"
Yin Zhu smiled apologetically: "It's hard to say when exactly. After all, the Emperor wants to test their abilities one by one, so it will take a while to come to a conclusion."
It's not just Xin Xuanshi who is anxious, isn't she the same?
The wound on his left shoulder was itching intensely. The scar had clearly disappeared long ago, so why was it itching now? This was especially noticeable after the Taoist priest said something strange.
She had too many questions that needed answers from that person. Before that, she hoped Xie Yanci wouldn't hurt him!
"Noble Lady Yi? Are you okay?"
"It's okay." Wei Shuyi leaned closer to the silver candle and whispered, "I'll be waiting at Sangyuxuan tonight. If he still has a chance to leave here, let him go directly back to Lin'an Palace."
Before she could respond, a gust of wind blew over!
The candlelight in the hall flickered, and the sound of weapons clashing could be heard faintly!
Concubine Xin was almost frightened: "What is the eldest brother doing?! Is he going to fight with the emperor? This is a capital crime!"
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