Chapter 496: The Dragon Appears
The heavy rain poured down, and the night was so dark that it was almost impossible to dissolve.
Zhao Shu got off the carriage.
The servants, one holding an umbrella and the other holding a lantern, followed Zhao Shu towards the Qi'an Terrace.
In front, there were dozens of people gathered, each holding an umbrella and a lantern.
They looked at Zhao Shu, the candlelight shining on their faces, a little panicked.
"Prince Rui..."
"Your Highness Third Prince..."
These were people arranged by the Ministry of Rites, specifically responsible for arranging the Qi'an Terrace. No one had expected that something like this would happen.
At this moment, they didn't know what to do, and they were worried about whether His Majesty would punish them.
Zhao Shu ignored them and continued walking forward. He saw that the once majestic Qi'an Terrace was now in ruins.
Before coming, Zhao Shu still had some illusions.
How could the Qi'an Terrace collapse?
He didn't see it, so he didn't believe it.
Now I can really see it, it has become a ruin.
He was about to go forward when he was stopped.
"Third Prince, it's dangerous ahead, the ground may sink." said someone from the Ministry of Rites.
However, Zhao Shu acted as if he didn't hear anything. He waved the man away, walked to the ruins, and squatted down.
He looked at the ruins, his mind in a mess.
The day after tomorrow is his enthronement ceremony. He is just one step away from becoming the crown prince.
This feeling is like falling from heaven to hell, falling heavily from a great height. The joy and anticipation of the past few days have turned into needles, piercing my heart.
Zhao Shu pushed away the servant who was holding an umbrella for him, raised his head and let the rain fall on his face.
Naturally, this news also reached Concubine Wang.
"What? The Qi'an Terrace collapsed?"
Concubine Wang felt blood rushing to her brain and fainted.
Princess Liang also received the news, which was delivered to her by the Liang family overnight, which shows how happy the Liang family was.
Princess Liang was also very happy when she heard the news.
She sat there alone in the closed room, laughing silently.
This is a way out given by God to the mother and son.
In a blink of an eye, the news of the collapse of Qi'an Terrace spread throughout the capital.
"The Qi'an Terrace collapsed? What about the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony?"
"Why did the Qi'an Terrace collapse at this time? Tomorrow is the day for the crown prince to be enthroned, right? This timing is too coincidental."
"Why do I feel like this is a bad omen? Does it mean that he is not worthy of being the crown prince?"
"Shh, don't say such nonsense, or you'll get into trouble."
The people did not dare to discuss it openly, but they all felt in their hearts that it was God's will and that God did not want the Third Prince to be the Crown Prince.
Marquis' Mansion.
Tangli was reading a book when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
It was Fourteen who came in and said respectfully, "Madam, the news of the collapse of Qi'an Terrace and the ominous omen it portended has spread throughout the capital."
Tangli nodded.
Since God is helping them and letting Qi'an Terrace fall, she naturally has to help spread the news.
The emperor was very concerned about good and bad luck. When such an ominous thing happened, I wonder what the person in the palace was thinking at this moment.
Imperial Palace.
The Minister of Rites waited outside the door for most of the day, trembling with fear and sweating profusely, before the palace door in front of him was finally opened.
"Minister Zhu, His Majesty is calling." The eunuch's shrill voice sounded.
Minister Zhu hurried inside, but paused when he reached the eunuch.
"Eunuch Deshun, Your Majesty..." Minister Zhu wanted to ask how His Majesty felt.
"Minister Zhu, His Majesty is waiting for you." De Shun said.
Minister Zhu had no choice but to bite the bullet and enter the hall.
Today was not the day for court attendance, and Emperor Zhou sat on the dragon throne, looking a little sleepy.
"Your Majesty." Minister Zhu knelt down in front of Emperor Zhou.
"What's the matter?" asked Emperor Zhou.
"Your Majesty, due to the heavy rain for several days, the Qi'an Terrace has collapsed." said Minister Zhu.
The light in the hall was a little dim, and Emperor Zhou's face was half hidden in the darkness and could not be seen clearly.
Emperor Zhou did not respond for a long time.
After a long time, he said, "It collapsed."
"Your Majesty..." Minister Zhu broke out in a cold sweat, "Should the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony be moved to Chong'an Tower? I'm afraid it will be too late tomorrow. Your Majesty, please ask the Imperial Observatory to calculate an auspicious date."
"Let's cancel it for now." Emperor Zhou said.
Cancel?
Minister Zhu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Back off."
Minister Zhu retreated.
Deshun walked in: "Your Majesty, would you like a cup of tea..."
Emperor Zhou drank a cup of tea, but his head still ached.
In fact, he had known about the collapse of Qi'an Terrace for a long time, and he also knew that the news was spreading everywhere in the capital, which was an ominous sign.
Under such circumstances, if the enthronement ceremony is still held, the people will be unstable.
Moreover, when something like this happened, Emperor Zhou naturally had some thoughts in his mind.
Could it be that fate had destined the Third Brother to be the wrong choice for the Crown Prince? Had he truly made the wrong choice?
Emperor Zhou took another sip of tea and waited to see how the third brother would respond.
…
Prince Rui's Palace.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has canceled the enthronement ceremony. What should we do?" The speaker was Zhao Shu's uncle, Wang Mincai.
Wang Mincai was so anxious that his eyes turned red.
It looked like he was about to be canonized, but then this happened...
This has been cancelled, and I don’t know when the next time will be.
This was the position of crown prince that was almost in his grasp.
Zhao Shu looked normal except that his face was a little pale.
He has calmed down for most of the day.
The more times like this happen, the more he should not panic and the more calm he should be.
"Did mother say anything?" Zhao Shu asked.
"The Imperial Concubine... The Imperial Concubine said that His Majesty was not angry and seemed to be in a good mood. But, if he was in a good mood, why did they cancel the enthronement ceremony?" Wang Mincai couldn't understand.
"My father still wants to give me another chance." Zhao Shu said.
"Your Highness means..." Wang Mincai was a little confused.
"Now that the Qi'an Terrace has collapsed, the people are spreading rumors that it is an ominous sign. At this time, the enthronement ceremony is naturally impossible. If I can change this trend of public opinion and gain the support of the people, then the enthronement ceremony can be held." Zhao Shu said.
Wang Min suddenly realized that this was His Majesty's idea.
The Imperial Concubine didn't figure out what His Majesty meant, but fortunately the Third Prince figured it out.
"How to change public opinion?" Wang Mincai asked.
The Qi'an Terrace collapsed, and even his first reaction was that it was a bad omen.
Zhao Shu fell into deep thought.
"Your Highness, can I say something?" It was Jinse who spoke.
They are husband and wife, sharing honor and disgrace, so there are some things that Zhao Shu did not hide from Jinse.
Zhao Shu looked at Jinse: "Princess, please speak."
"Your Highness, uncle, why did the Qi'an Terrace collapse?" Jinse asked.
"It collapsed because of the heavy rain for several days." Wang Mincai said.
He didn't understand why the princess asked this question. Wasn't it obvious? The rain was falling at such a bad time!
Zhao Shu looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
"I see that the Qi'an Terrace is majestic and magnificent. It doesn't look like it will collapse if it is hit by heavy rain, so it must be due to other reasons." Jinse said.
Zhao Shu immediately understood what she meant.
"Whether it's a blessing or a curse depends on the reason why this Qi'an Terrace collapsed!"
Jinse nodded.
Because of the collapse of Qi'an Terrace, she originally thought that she had made the wrong choice. But now it seems that Zhao Shu was able to remain calm and think about countermeasures in the face of this matter, so she did not make the wrong choice.
Among the many princes, Zhao Shu was the most capable.
The throne must belong to Zhao Shu!
"Last night, after I heard that Qi'an Terrace had collapsed, I rushed to Qi'an Terrace. Then I heard someone present say that he saw a dragon crawling out of the ground and wandering around Qi'an Terrace. The dragon had dead claws, its body was covered in golden light, and it looked majestic. The dragon hovered on Qi'an Terrace for a while, and then dived into the black clouds in the sky." Zhao Shu said.
"A four-clawed golden dragon..." Wang Mincai's eyes lit up. "Five claws represent a true dragon, and a four-clawed black dragon is the symbol of the crown prince. This is a sign of good fortune!"
Zhao Shu nodded.
"Your Highness, I'll do it right away." Wang Mincai turned around and left in a hurry.
The Minister of Rites is their man. He just needs to inform the Minister of Rites and spread this matter, and that's it!
Zhao Shu found a solution and his face looked much better. He looked at the princess standing next to him and scratched her nose.
"The princess is really smart."
Jinse solved a big problem for him, and he developed a slight liking for Jinse.
Jinse smiled shyly, came over and kissed Zhao Shu on the lips.
"I am very happy to be able to share your Highness's worries."
Zhao Shu hugged her and deepened the kiss.
…
The reason for the collapse of Qi'an Terrace quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.
"It turns out that a dragon emerged from the earth, causing the Qi'an Terrace to collapse."
"A dragon appeared? Is this true?"
"Yes, a lot of people saw it, and it made a lot of noise."
"My home is near Qi'an Terrace, no wonder I felt the earthquake."
"The appearance of a dragon is an auspicious sign, and it happens to be on the Qi'an Terrace. The day after the dragon's appearance will be the enthronement ceremony, right? Does this mean that the Third Prince is the chosen heir to the throne?"
Because the appearance of a dragon was more mythical, the topic of discussion among the people quickly shifted from the collapse of the Qi'an Terrace to the appearance of a dragon.
This also became an auspicious sign, and the direction of public opinion suddenly changed.
When Zhao Shu heard the report from his subordinates, a smile appeared on his face.
The emperor is waiting to see how I deal with this matter. I think he should be very satisfied with the way I deal with it, right?
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