Chapter 252 Auspicious Omens
Just a few days before the Lantern Festival, reports of auspicious omens from officials across the country began to flood into the capital.
For example, Zeng Yu, the water supervisor in charge of building the Suzhou canals, unearthed a square piece of bluestone about ten feet in size from the silt at the bottom of the river when he was excavating the canal.
Despite being submerged in river water for a century, the stone remains as smooth as new, with eight seal characters naturally emerging on it: "The Mandate of Heaven is bestowed upon us, the Empress restores the dynasty."
The handwriting is so natural and cannot be carved by human hands.
The news shocked the entire nation.
The bluestone was quickly transported to the capital day and night and placed on a high platform in the center of Zhuque Avenue, where it was admired and worshipped by all people.
People, young and old, crowded both sides of the street, looking at the prophecy on the stone, their voices rising and falling.
“Since ancient times, auspicious omens have accompanied the ascension of emperors to the throne. Now that the stone has revealed the Mandate of Heaven, doesn’t it mean that although Her Highness the Crown Prince is a woman, she is indeed the true chosen one by Heaven!”
"The Suzhou canal was built by His Highness against all opposition, in order to relieve the flood suffering of millions of people in Jiangnan. Such merit moved Heaven, which is why this auspicious omen has been bestowed!"
"Previously, some people doubted that a woman ascending the throne was against the will of Heaven, but now it is clear that His Highness the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne is in accordance with the will of Heaven and there is no doubt about it!"
What's even more astonishing is what happened at the Great Ci'en Temple.
The day before yesterday, a thunderbolt struck, and a bolt of lightning struck the Shakyamuni Buddha statue that had been enshrined in the temple for many years.
When the smoke cleared, everyone was astonished to find that the stone layer on the outside of the Buddha statue had been struck open by lightning, revealing a pure white statue of Prajnaparamita Buddha Mother inside.
This Prajnaparamita is the mother of all Buddhas, because all Buddhas are born from "Prajnaparamita wisdom".
The famous Heart Sutra is an exposition of the wisdom she represents.
Master Kongkong then began to preach, and thousands of believers gathered in the temple to listen to the true meaning of Buddhism.
"Prajna Buddha Mother is a woman, and His Highness the Crown Prince is also a woman. It is no coincidence that the Buddha Mother appeared in the world just before his ascension to the throne."
"This omen indicates that Your Highness is the incarnation of the Prajna Buddha Mother, who will govern the world with supreme wisdom, sweep away chaos, and restore peace and prosperity."
"Although there has never been a woman as a ruler in ancient times, the Great Cloud Sutra prophesied that a 'pure light goddess' in female form would descend to earth and become a Chakravartin King to rule the world."
"Now that all kinds of auspicious omens have gathered, it seems that Your Highness is the 'Pure Light Heavenly Maiden' in the prophecy. Such a person who has both great talent and destiny is about to ascend the throne and become emperor, which is truly a blessing for all people."
The master's sermons spread throughout the capital through his disciples, accompanied by a series of auspicious omens reported from various places.
Double ears of grain appeared in the wheat fields of Longyou, and the fine fruits presented as tribute from Lingnan grew into intertwined branches. Even at night, auspicious clouds shrouded the sky above the Eastern Palace, resembling a phoenix spreading its wings.
All the unusual signs pointed to the same conclusion: Li Yuanzhao's ascension to the throne was the will of Heaven and the will of the people.
For a time, the capital was filled with jubilation, and everyone eagerly awaited the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, hoping that the empress, who was destined by heaven, would ascend the throne.
Liu Jinzhang checked into an inn in the capital and heard the discussions among the people.
He knew, of course, that these so-called auspicious omens were nothing more than a carefully orchestrated drama, creating a theological basis for his upcoming ascension to the throne as "ordained by Heaven," thereby breaking the deep-rooted prejudices of the people that "men are superior to women" and "women cannot ascend the throne as emperor."
Throughout history, emperors have favored this approach.
The people, who believed in destiny, were naturally persuaded by the "miracle" before them and willingly submitted to the empress who was about to ascend the throne.
But for some reason, he always felt a vague unease in his heart.
The common people may be willing to believe these things, but that doesn't mean the officials in the court will.
Which of these ministers was unaware of these methods?
Li Yuanzhao has always been confident and has always been sure of his plans.
Especially her current impatient actions.
Even before she ascended the throne, she had already begun revising the laws, abolishing many restrictive provisions for women.
Two more female officials were promoted exceptionally and placed in central government agencies to oversee affairs such as the Ministry of Justice and military defense.
Even the advance guards were two female officers.
The people had already been secretly discussing it, let alone the officials in the court.
For these male officials, this was a blatant provocation and plunder of their vested interests.
The Great Qi court has always been dominated by men, and power, titles, and resources have long been distributed in a fixed pattern.
Now that Li Yuanzhao wants to break this balance and let women get a share of the profits, it undoubtedly touches on their core interests.
Liu Jinzhang understood the thoughts of these court officials all too well.
They might temporarily endure because of Li Yuanzhao's power, and outwardly submit in order to protect themselves.
But the dissatisfaction and resistance in one's heart will only accumulate over time.
They feared her methods and dreaded her power, but they would never willingly submit to her.
Li Yuanzhao was by no means a person who would compromise.
What she's going to do is definitely to stand on the opposite side of them.
Therefore, he was very worried.
There are concerns that this seemingly calm eve of the coronation may be fraught with undercurrents, and that a slight misstep could lead to an irreparable collapse.
Furthermore, after Chen Yanqing returned to the palace, he completely lost contact with him.
He didn't know if the other party was safe or in danger, and he was even more afraid that in these crucial days, Chen Yanqing's identity as a prince would be accidentally exposed, bringing other hidden dangers.
Only now did Liu Jinzhang realize that he had been too arrogant.
They thought everything could unfold according to their plan, like playing chess.
In reality, all the unknowns and dangers are coming one after another.
But he couldn't do anything at all.
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