Chapter 320: Bad Star
The rumbling thunder finally died down.
Everyone was so shocked that they stared with their eyes wide open and were speechless.
Although they were in the scorching heat of summer, they couldn't help feeling cold in their hearts.
The sudden thunder that struck the Temple of Heaven and left it in ruins made them realize that they could not pray for rain.
Not only did the prayers for rain fail, but God was also angry.
Daewoo, I’m afraid its future is uncertain, and it’s hard to predict whether it will be a blessing or a curse!
"Pearl!"
After the emperor came to his senses, he ran towards Princess Mingzhu with an anxious look on his face.
Princess Mingzhu fell to the ground motionless, apparently having fainted.
"Imperial Physician! Where are all the imperial physicians? Why don't you come over here?"
The emperor's voice was filled with anxiety and his face was full of heartache as he gently held Princess Mingzhu in his arms.
The imperial doctors came running over panting, carrying medicine boxes on their backs, and knelt on the ground to start treating the patient.
The palace servants were so frightened that they were out of their wits. Some were holding umbrellas, some were fanning people, some were moving ice cubes... everyone made it look like they were busy working for Princess Mingzhu.
After all, they all knew how much the emperor doted on Princess Mingzhu.
Now that the princess is in trouble and the emperor is furious, any unlucky person will be in trouble at any time.
The imperial doctors worked for a while and came to a conclusion.
"Your Majesty, Princess Mingzhu is currently fine, except for a broken bone in her hand. We have already bandaged her, and she will be healed within a month."
The emperor asked anxiously, "Why is Mingzhu still unconscious?"
The imperial physician said, "The princess is unconscious and it's related to the shock she just received."
The emperor's face was gloomy. He looked up at the sky and said with a flick of his sleeves, "Return to the palace!"
Civil and military officials lowered their heads and exchanged glances with their colleagues.
And among the people, it was as if a gust of wind blew, and the sound of faint discussions arose.
After all, no one expected that this long-awaited prayer for rain would end in such an incredible and embarrassing way. Without rain, how would they survive next?
The palace maids brought a soft couch, and the emperor placed Princess Mingzhu on it. The palace maids then carried the princess down from the Temple of Heaven.
The emperor was worried about the princess and followed her in a hurry.
"Your Majesty, please stay!" The abbot of Lingji Temple regained some composure at this moment and walked quickly to the emperor's side.
The emperor stopped and followed the princess as she walked away, and asked absentmindedly, "What's the matter?"
"Your Majesty, this bizarre incident today is a warning from Heaven to our dynasty! If we don't find the root of the problem, I'm afraid Heaven will continue to bring disaster upon the universe."
The emperor turned his head and looked at the abbot intently. "What does the abbot want to say?"
Lingji Temple is a world-famous temple where monks from all over the world gather. The emperor had to give face to the abbot of Lingji Temple.
The abbot muttered a Buddhist mantra, "I know that what I'm about to say will anger the emperor. But this matter concerns the fate of Dayu, so I must speak."
The emperor's eyes flickered. "Abbot, please speak frankly. I will never vent my anger on you."
The abbot's expression was stern, and his voice was low: "I know that the emperor regards Princess Mingzhu as a treasure, but the thunder just now seemed to be directed at Princess Mingzhu."
The emperor's expression changed, and he stared at the abbot coldly. "For the sake of Zen Master Huineng, I will pretend I never heard what you just said."
After saying that, he left without looking back.
The abbot sighed silently, his face full of worry.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Princess Mingzhu is a demon! The thunderbolt was meant to strike Princess Mingzhu!"
The emperor was furious and roared, "Who is this person who is slandering the princess? Pull him out now, or I will pull out his tongue!"
The guards drew their swords, but they could only pretend to scare people.
There were so many people under the Temple of Heaven that it was blocked and no one knew where the person who just spoke was.
The emperor was very annoyed. He frowned and just walked down two steps when someone suddenly shouted again.
"Princess Mingzhu is not a lucky star at all! Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a severe natural disaster in the capital!"
"We want to see Zen Master Huineng! We hope he can give us an explanation!"
The emperor was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed at the dense crowd and said, "Drive them away! Drive them all away! Anyone who cannot be driven away will be killed without mercy!"
"Your Majesty, please think twice! The Temple of Heaven is the place closest to the gods. You must never kill civilians here! Otherwise, God will surely bring disaster upon you!" The abbot stopped him decisively.
Monks are compassionate and the abbot does not want to see the emperor killing innocent people. What's more, what the people just said was what he thought in his heart.
When the people saw the abbot, their eyes lit up, like drowning people grabbing onto driftwood.
"Abbot, may I ask where Zen Master Huineng is? Could you please ask him to come out and explain to us?"
"Everyone says that Zen Master Huineng has the ability to see into the sky. Because of him, we all believe that Princess Mingzhu is a lucky star, but now..."
Because the emperor was present, he did not continue with the rest of the conversation.
But everyone knows that after today, no one will believe that Princess Mingzhu is a lucky star.
"Dear donors," the abbot said, clasping his hands together. "My senior brother has been traveling outside the temple for two years and has not returned since. No one in Lingji Temple knows his whereabouts. But there is one thing I must clarify for my senior brother. From the beginning to the end, my senior brother never mentioned anyone by name, saying that Princess Mingzhu was the incarnation of a lucky star!"
"What?!"
The common people, civil and military officials, including the emperor, all looked at the abbot in surprise.
The crowd exploded like popping beans!
"How could this happen? On the day the princess was born, Zen Master Huineng clearly said that a lucky star would be born in the palace!"
"And weren't the monks at Lingji Temple lighting sky lanterns to celebrate the arrival of the auspicious star Dayu?"
The abbot said calmly, "On the day the princess was born, my senior brother was indeed overjoyed, saying that a lucky star had descended upon the palace. Sky lanterns were indeed set off that night, but these are two unrelated things."
Everyone looked confused; they didn't understand.
The abbot continued, "The sky lanterns that night were not meant to celebrate the arrival of a lucky star, but to liberate the souls of the dead."
"Rescue the dead?" Everyone asked in surprise, "For whom?"
"I don't know. I only remember my senior brother saying when he was lighting the sky lantern that fortune and misfortune are interdependent, one growing while the other declining. This is an eternal law. Since the lucky star has safely arrived, the evil star's decline is inevitable. So my senior brother asked the monks to pray for the deceased's soul, hoping that he can escape the many sufferings of hell."
Everyone just feels that their brains are not enough.
"To pray for the reincarnation of the Star of Misfortune? Could it be that someone died as the Star of Misfortune that night?"
"Zen Master Huineng said that a lucky star was born in the palace. Is it possible that Princess Mingzhu was not the only one born in the palace that day?"
"Is this possible? A lucky star has indeed appeared in the Dayu Dynasty, but it's not Princess Mingzhu, but someone else!!!"
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