Chapter 128: Xuanwu High Platform, a Chance of Success
"You're lying!"
Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on the little girl who suddenly spoke.
Ajiu put one hand on his waist and pointed at the stunned storyteller with the other, his little face puffed up with anger.
"Uncle, you're a terrible bastard! There are long worms in your mouth, spitting out black air all the time! It stinks! Every word you say is black! You're lying!"
The whole place was in dead silence.
The storyteller's face turned green. He never expected that such a Cheng Yaojin would appear out of nowhere!
"You...you little kid, what nonsense are you talking about!" he scolded in a stern but cowardly manner.
"I'm not talking nonsense!" Ah Jiu's voice became even louder. "I can see it! You're a liar! The air above your head is black and dirty, like the stones in the toilet! If you lie again, your mouth will rot!"
The crowd began to stir.
"Isn't this the little fortune teller from the Imperial Master's Mansion?"
"It's her! I've seen her before! Last time she said Butcher Zhang's pig was going to run away, and it actually did!"
"Children speak without restraint. How could a child tell such a lie?"
"Yeah...and look at that storyteller, his face is pale. He must be feeling guilty!"
"She said she could see qi... Could it be... Could it be that such a thing really exists in this world?"
The common people, though ignorant, were not foolish. They were skeptical of the stories of ghosts and gods, but they trusted their simple intuition even more. It was clear who was more trustworthy: an innocent little girl or a guilty and panicked storyteller!
The storyteller saw that the situation was not good. The crowd looked at him with suspicion and contempt. He dared not stay any longer. He pushed everyone away and tried to escape by crawling.
But just as he took two steps, a leg "accidentally" stretched out from the side.
"Ouch!"
The storyteller fell hard, and before he could get up, two "passersby" who had just been drinking tea nearby had already pinned him to the ground, one on each side.
The crowd roared with laughter.
Ajiu looked at the bad uncle who was held down and nodded with satisfaction.
She felt that she had done another good thing today.
She happily took a bite of the candied haws and said to the maid beside her in a vague voice, "Sister, let's go buy some osmanthus cake!"
This unexpected victory was immediately reported back to the Regent's Palace by the secret guards, the Black Armor Guards.
When Xiao Yu heard the report, he was dressed in military uniform and ready to lead the team. He was stunned at first.
"Good! Well done!" He slapped the leader of the Black Armor Guard next to him on the shoulder, causing the iron tower-like man to stagger.
"Your Highness, the person has been captured and is being secretly detained and interrogated." The commander answered respectfully, enduring the severe pain in his shoulder.
"Trial!"
"yes"
At this moment, in the Imperial Master's Mansion, Chu Xuanyi was standing on the top of the Observatory, leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance. In his hand was a secret report that had just arrived.
A genuine smile played at the corner of his mouth.
"A sharp tongue is worth a million soldiers," he murmured to himself. "She has inadvertently moved the most insignificant piece in Prince Yu's chess game. This game is becoming increasingly interesting."
Behind him, Jiu looked up and said, "Sir, wasn't Jiu very impressive today? I caught that bad guy who was spitting black bugs!"
"Well, Ah Jiu is very capable." Chu Xuanyi bent down and touched her head. "However, there will be a bigger event tomorrow, and I need Ah Jiu to help me with a more important favor, okay?"
"Okay!" Ah Jiu nodded vigorously. "Should we catch more bad guys who spit out black bugs?"
"right."
"We must catch them all in one fell swoop."
The next day, early morning.
The Xuanwu Square in the city center, a massive plaza capable of accommodating a hundred thousand people, was now completely thronged with people. Citizens poured in from all directions, their faces displaying a variety of expressions—curiosity, anticipation, suspicion, and even numbness.
In the center of the square, a massive nine-foot-tall altar had risen from the ground at some point. Constructed of white marble, it was solemn and majestic, surrounded by apricot-yellow flags painted with intricate runes, fluttering in the morning breeze.
Circle after circle of black-armored guards, like black city walls, firmly protected the altar in the center, isolating anyone who tried to approach. Their presence added a solemnity and awe to the already bustling square.
"This... is this the place where the Grand Master wants to pray?"
"What a grand spectacle! Look at those Black Armor Guards, each one of them looks like a demon!"
"Will the Grand Master really come? Can he really solve this earthquake and strange fog?"
"Who knows? Let's give it a try! It's better than listening to that storyteller's nonsense about us all being doomed!"
"That's right! Didn't that little fortune teller say yesterday that storytellers are liars? I still believe in the Imperial Master!"
The crowd was buzzing with discussion. Ah Jiu's words from yesterday had been fermenting overnight. While they hadn't completely changed everyone's opinion, they had successfully torn a hole in the web of rumors carefully woven by Prince Yu.
"The auspicious time has arrived! The Grand Master has arrived!"
Following a long and high-pitched "hello", the crowd instantly quieted down.
Everyone's eyes were directed towards the east of the platform.
Chu Xuanyi was dressed in an elaborate yet holy white ritual robe, his long hair tied up with a white jade hairpin. His face was as cold as jade, his eyes as indifferent as a god. In his hand, he held a white jade compass engraved with star patterns and slowly ascended the nine-foot-high platform.
He didn't look at anyone, but seemed to be looking down on everyone.
At that moment, the sun fell right on him, gilding him with a golden halo. Throughout the square, not a single person among the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians dared to utter a word, as if any sound would be a blasphemy against this sacred painting.
Chu Xuanyi walked to the center of the altar and gently put down the compass.
His cold gaze swept across the dark crowd below the stage. That gaze was calm, yet it carried a power that could see through people's hearts.
"I am the Grand Master of the Great Qi State, Chu Xuanyi."
His voice was clearly heard in every corner of the square and in everyone's ears.
"Recently, the capital's geography has been unstable, with frequent disasters and anomalies, causing panic among the people and spreading rumors."
His voice paused and became sharp.
"Some scoundrels are using the name of natural disasters to mislead the people, slandering me and His Royal Highness the Regent, and attempting to destabilize the nation. This is a path to death!"
As soon as the words fell, the Xuanjia Guards in the audience all slammed their halberds into the ground. With a clang, the sound of metal clashing shook the surrounding area! The murderous aura that soared into the sky made all those with ulterior motives feel a chill in their hearts!
The people below the stage were so frightened by this momentum that they dared not even breathe.
Chu Xuanyi changed the subject, and his voice became calm and compassionate again.
"However, Heaven is merciful. The people are innocent and do not deserve this calamity. So-called natural disasters are also warnings from Heaven. Heaven is warning us that when yin and yang are out of balance, they must be channeled with righteousness; when turbid qi is stagnant, it must be cleared with righteousness!"
He pointed to the platform under his feet.
"Today, I have built this nine-foot-high platform, aligning with the stars above and the earth's veins below. This is not to perform any sorcery, but to use the orthodox Taoist methods passed down through the millennia of my observatory to connect heaven and earth, draw forth the righteous spirit, and pray for the well-being of Da Qi! For the millions of lives in the capital, I will exorcise evil spirits and ward off evil! I will soothe the earth's veins and restore order to the world!"
What he said was powerful and righteous!
The people's blood boiled when they heard this, and the doubts and panic in their hearts were replaced by great hope and reverence!
"Master Imperial Master is benevolent!"
I don't know who was the first to shout out.
Immediately afterwards, shouts like a tsunami resounded through the sky!
"Master Imperial Master is benevolent!"
"Master Imperial Master, bless our Great Qi!"
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