Chapter 88 The Chokehold Dilemma 3
The next day, the air in the Imperial Study was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
The old emperor sat upright before his desk, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
The vermilion brush hovered above the memorial, yet hesitated to be used.
Lu Yao stood in the hall, her wide sleeves hanging down, and copper coins silently flipped between her fingers.
"What brings the Imperial Preceptor to this audience?" The old emperor raised his eyes, his gaze sharp and piercing.
Lu Yao bowed deeply, her voice as cold as frost: "I observed the stars last night and obtained an ominous divination, so I have come to report this."
"Oh?" The old emperor put down his pen. "Tell me about it."
"Has Your Majesty ever considered that the Turks' demand for the princess is precisely because their fate is sealed?" Lu Yao flicked her finger, and the copper coins bounced on the table, forming the image of fire burning the sky. "Li represents fire, which signifies punishment and harm. If a fake princess is used for marriage, the fire will be amplified by the wind and burn itself instead."
As he spoke, he unfolded a sheepskin map, his fingertips tracing the Yinshan Mountains: "But observing the wind pattern in the Xun position, if we take advantage of the spring drought to set fire to their grain and fodder, and then use light cavalry to cut off their water supply—"
She looked up and thought, "The Turks will surely collapse without a fight."
The old emperor stared at the divination chart for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Very well! I will follow the advice of the Imperial Advisor and use war to end war!"
Half a month later, military reports from the northern border rushed into the capital.
The Zhenbei Army launched a surprise attack on the Turkic royal camp and captured its crown prince.
The Turkic Khan surrendered, offering a thousand warhorses to ransom his son and promising never to invade the border again.
Below the palace walls, the cherry blossoms have been released from the palace, and the carriage has traveled far to Jiangnan.
Lu Yao stood alone in the rain, letting the rain soak her robes.
Sun Fuxi approached, holding an umbrella, and whispered, "The Imperial Advisor's predictions are truly divine; His Majesty has bestowed upon him another generous reward."
She shook her head and looked at the copper coin in her hand: face up, with a warm luster.
"This divination reflects the will of the people."
...
The glazed tiles of the Golden Palace suddenly shattered, and when they came to their senses, they were already at the foot of Broken Soul Ridge.
The nine human-shaped stone tablets gleamed with a bluish-black luster in the moonlight.
It has been six years since Yingzhi left the palace.
It was also the thirtieth day that the Great Sheng Dynasty, after three years of drought, finally received its first thorough rain.
Sakura's knees were already bleeding from kneeling on the broken stones in front of the monument. Looking at the nine extremely sinister human-shaped stone tablets, her fingernails dug deeply into her palms: "The Grand Preceptor saved the people of the world, but they want her life because of the struggle for the throne."
Yingzhi recalled the days she had spent traveling among the common people with the Imperial Preceptor for the past three years.
Under the scorching sun, she held a copper kettle and offered water to the imperial advisor who was praying for rain. She noticed that his ankle, exposed beneath his Taoist robe, was already festering and oozing pus.
When the torrential rain suddenly arrived, the Imperial Preceptor pushed away the oil-paper umbrella she offered, letting the blood from his broken immortal bones flow down the stone steps of the sacrificial altar, just so that the sweet rain could nourish an inch more of the scorched earth.
Meanwhile, during those three years, those people in the palace continued to fight for the throne, resulting in rivers of blood.
Such a natural disaster as drought provided them with the perfect excuse to strike at the old emperor.
The old emperor was already in poor health, and under the attacks of the entire court, he was exhausted and at his last gasp.
Following the divination of the imperial advisor, the old emperor left an imperial edict, passing the throne to his most benevolent ninth prince.
The divination by the Imperial Advisor indicates that the Ninth Prince is of gentle character and will treat his brothers and sisters and important officials in the court well.
He may not be the smartest, but he is the most receptive to advice, the best at recognizing and utilizing talent, and will lead the country to steady development.
But the seventh prince, Xiao Yuanxiu, was determined to seize the throne.
The popular Grand Preceptor is the Ninth Prince's biggest backer and also the biggest obstacle to Xiao Yuanxiu's succession.
So, when the Imperial Preceptor was at her weakest, Xiao Yuanxiu, in league with the Lu family, wanted her dead and altered the imperial edict.
After suppressing Lu Yao at the foot of Broken Soul Ridge, Xiao Yuanxiu finally succeeded in ascending the throne.
He thought he was safe and sound.
However, three days ago, Yingzhi, carrying Princess Changping's token, conspired with the old chef of the Imperial Kitchen and the female official of the Pharmacy to end Xiao Yuanxiu's life in a side hall with a plate of lychee pastries laced with a drug called "Qianji".
Sakura personally cut off his head to offer as a sacrifice to the Imperial Preceptor.
Princess Changping escorted Yingzhi out of the city.
After all, if it weren't for Lu Yao, she would have long been a wronged soul in the Turkic king's tent.
But it's still not enough.
Sakura wants the Imperial Advisor to come back.
“Grandpa Fuxi said that the nine stone tablets correspond to nine paths of cause and effect.” Yingzhi stared at the throat-locking tablet in front of her. “You saved me from the deadly trap of a marriage alliance back then. Now I will use the nine reincarnations as a guide to save you from this thousand-year imprisonment.”
Sun Fuxi's voice came from behind the stone tablet, his hoarse voice shrouded in the mist of Broken Soul Ridge: "Yingzhi, have you thought this through? The curse of the Throat-Locking Tablet will silence you in every lifetime, subjecting you to injustices you can never defend yourself against..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the sound of a dagger cutting through his skin.
"I do."
Cherry blossoms cut her palm and pressed her bloody mark on the stone tablet, "I only hope to see the Grand Preceptor again, even if she doesn't recognize me."
...
“But now, it’s you who doesn’t recognize people.” Lu Yao murmured softly.
Wang Ziying fell asleep; she was too tired and utterly exhausted.
Lu Yao looked at Wang Ziying's sleeping face, which gradually overlapped with Yingzhi's face.
Nine lifetimes, more than nine hundred years.
This is now the tenth generation.
In every lifetime, one must endure unspeakable suffering...
Lu Yao's eyes welled up with tears.
Sakura did so much for her.
Even in their sleep, they frown; how wronged they must be.
Wang Ziying suddenly let out a suppressed sob, her brows furrowing even more tightly.
The grievances accumulated over nine lifetimes transformed into black mist, faintly appearing between her eyebrows.
Lu Yao could no longer hold back. She gently pressed her fingertips against the center of the woman's forehead, and spiritual energy seeped into her through her fingertips, gradually dissolving the turbid energy accumulated due to the injustice.
She went out and bought a hot meal by card.
I hope that when Wang Ziying wakes up in this life, she can experience the most ordinary warmth in the world.
All injustices will end today, and from now on, it will all be sunny days.
Lu Yao returned to her apartment, where the bedside lamp was emitting a warm yellow glow.
Wang Ziying rubbed her eyes and sat up. When she saw the lunchboxes laid out on the table, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
After finishing the pumpkin porridge and the steamed buns, Wang Ziying's pale cheeks finally regained some color.
"Feeling better now?" Lu Yao put away the lunchbox, her fingertips tapping lightly on the table. "I have a way to make those rumors fall apart on their own."
Looking at the composed expression on the man's face, Wang Ziying suddenly remembered the romance novels she had stayed up all night reading and couldn't help but chuckle: "What, are you some kind of domineering CEO who fell from the sky and is going to pick me up in a limousine and bring a lawyer's letter to crush the anti-fans' supertopic?"
Lu Yao was silent for a moment, then took out a peach wood compass from her cloth bag: "...I am a Taoist priest."
"Pfft—" Wang Ziying's laughter stopped abruptly.
She stared wide-eyed as Lu Yao pulled out one piece of professional equipment after another.
The tortoise shell is covered in verdigris, the divination stick container is smooth and shiny, and there are three copper coins with a warm, lustrous patina.
And that peach wood compass, its needle was spinning in a circle right in front of her.
"Give it a try?"
Lu Yao shook the divination tube, and the copper divination sticks clashed together with a crisp sound.
Wang Ziying hesitated before pulling out a stick; the three characters "Shang Shang Ji" written in cinnabar were dazzlingly red.
"This was specially made by the Heavenly Master," Lu Yao leaned closer to look at the fortune slip, a faint scent of sandalwood wafting from her hair, "This is a lucky charm for the entertainment industry, specially designed to ward off haters and bring good film contracts."
She then solemnly unfolded the tortoise shell, flipped her wrist, and three copper coins jingled. "Look," she said, "this divination indicates that you will have a reliable benefactor appear, as dependable as the earth itself, for example..."
Lu Yao deliberately dragged out the last syllable, playfully tapping the tip of her nose with her fingertip.
Wang Ziying couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling.
She suddenly realized that this girl who called herself a Taoist priest, whom she had only known for a day, made her feel inexplicably close and familiar.
She had a recurring dream since childhood, in which there always seemed to be a figure playing with copper coins, which was now gradually merging with the person in front of her.
“Alright, please tell me, sir,” Wang Ziying said impulsively, deciding to trust Lu Yao without reservation, “What should I do?”
Lu Yao opened the live streaming app, and the camera showed the two of them.
"It's very simple. I'll tell your fortune in front of everyone."
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