Chapter 369 Asking the Heavens for Divination
Unwittingly, Yang Jian had a clear view of all the furnishings in the palace. The Qiankun Palace did not show the extravagance that Ji Fa had described. On the contrary, it exuded a sense of coldness. Judging from the palace, the owner of this palace must be a frugal person by nature.
The king showed no signs of extravagance or debauchery; his features were pure and his aura clean, indicating that he was a ruler of few desires and strict discipline.
A thoughtful look flashed in Yang Jian's eyes. "Your Majesty, I will obey."
Yang Jian had no reason to refuse. The sacrifice to the Goddess Nuwa was of utmost importance, and even if the real Marquis of Xibo were here, he would not be able to say no.
Chang Hao glanced at the sky; it was nearly noon. He then left the Yang Jian 'Ji Chang' plaque in the palace for a meal.
Chang Hao raised his cup in invitation, saying, "I, the King, respectfully invite you, my esteemed minister."
"I dare not, Your Majesty." Yang Jian was glad that he was the one who stayed behind; if it had been the True Man Guangchengzi, he would have been exposed immediately.
"Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; believe only one side and you will be misled. Although there are many criticisms of you from both inside and outside the court, I have always believed that if I doubt you, I will not appoint you, and if I appoint you, I will not doubt you. My father relies on you as his right-hand man, and I also trust you greatly. I have never doubted your wisdom." Chang Hao raised his cup again, his words containing multiple layers of information, leaving it to be seen whether this man could grasp even a fraction of it.
Is it true that listening to both sides leads to enlightenment, while believing only one side leads to darkness? Yang Jian hesitated for a long time before raising his cup and drinking the wine in it. This King Zhou did not seem cruel. Was everything Xiqi said the truth?
"This third cup of wine, I still toast to you, my esteemed minister." Chang Hao raised his cup again. If the person sitting here were the real Marquis of Xibo, he would certainly not receive this treatment.
"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation," Yang Jian said, feigning remorse, though he was once again relieved that it was him sitting there.
"You need not be alarmed, I bestow upon you auspicious clouds to calm your nerves," Chang Hao replied casually.
Yang Jian looked at the auspicious cloud pendant on the tray, hesitating. Should he take it or not, given by the King?
“Marquis of Xibo, this is a gift from His Majesty’s own mouth. You cannot refuse it. You should wear it on your waist to show the King’s favor.” Quan Chang whispered a reminder to the fake Marquis of Xibo.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yang Jian could only express his gratitude and immediately hung the item on his waist.
Chang Hao glanced at the Ruyi Xiangyun Pendant, a hint of pleasure flashing in his eyes. As long as he didn't say anything, no one would know that the Ruyi Xiangyun Pendant was a mother-and-child pendant. Regardless of whether he could eavesdrop on anything, it was always better to be prepared.
"That's right. When I first ascended the throne at a young age, I was once in a dilemma, finding it difficult to advance or retreat. There were nobles above me who accepted bribes and lived extravagantly, without any sense of propriety, and those who were appointed to official positions were not talented."
Below, the burdens of menial labor are numerous, and the common people bear a heavy burden. It is thanks to you, sir, that Xiqi has been kept free from rebellion for many years. Only then could I relentlessly bring order to the realm, enforce clear laws and severe punishments, suppress the powerful, and restore peace to the world… My lord, you deserve this third cup of wine.”
A guilty look flashed in Yang Jian's eyes. If what the king said was true, then this Marquis of Xibo was a bit unethical. Look at how he had deceived this young king.
Furthermore, King Zhou seemed to care for his people quite a bit. Who was telling the truth, the one from Xiqi or the king? Yang Jian was already somewhat confused.
Chang Hao's eyes turned cold. Xiqi was a very special place. The people there only knew the Marquis of Xibo and did not know that there was a king. His spies would find it difficult to integrate into the local Xiqi and would be ostracized and wary at every turn. The people were ignorant and the Marquis of Xibo was despicable.
Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, Quan Sheng entered the hall with his head bowed and eyes lowered. "Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor requests an audience."
"Grand Tutor is here, why don't you quickly invite him in?" Chang Hao raised an eyebrow. Had Wen Zhong sent that troublemaking sect leader back? "Quan Chang, prepare another set of wine and chopsticks."
"Yes, Your Majesty..."
"Greetings, Your Majesty..." Wen Zhonggang bowed, but Chang Hao said, "Grand Tutor, there's no need for such formalities. We're all on the same side. Sit down and have a few drinks with me."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wen Zhong saw that the Marquis of Xibo was sitting in his usual seat, so he sat directly to the lower right of Chang Hao.
"Grand Tutor, you have made great contributions; I respect you greatly." Chang Hao raised his cup.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wen Zhong raised his cup and drank three cups in one go.
After several rounds of drinks, Chang Hao finally asked, "Grand Tutor, what important matter do you wish to see me about?" Don't tell him that the reckless sage is still in Chaoge.
With such a leader, it's no wonder the Jie Sect lost to the Chan Sect.
"Your Majesty, I have come today to discuss this momentous occasion." Wen Zhong could do nothing about his family's grandmaster, so he could only urge the king to hurry up and get married.
"It's too early to talk about this..." Chang Hao's smile vanished. If he had known it was about this, he wouldn't have let the Grand Tutor in.
“This concerns the succession of the throne, Your Majesty must not be careless,” Wen Zhong disagreed. “Your Majesty is of age, and the harem is still empty. I have watched Your Majesty grow up, how can I not care about this matter?”
Wen Zhong remembered the idea his senior uncle had given him. Although he didn't know why the king had made him feel the cultivation of a Taiyi Golden Immortal in an instant, and there was no trace of it afterwards, it was still a huge disaster that he had caused.
Only by having descendants to pass on the throne and quelling this matter as soon as possible can the king attain immortality.
"Years ago, a diviner told my fortune, saying that I am destined to be afflicted by both celestial and terrestrial evil influences, and that I will be caught in a net of heaven and earth, with my children's palace being harmed... Recently, the Empress Dowager has been unwell, and I have some concerns. I really have no intention of getting married." Chang Hao said, quickly devising a plan to delay the marriage.
He was willing to work hard to improve the situation, but that didn't mean he was willing to sell himself out. Besides, the situation was unclear, and if anyone was going to die, it would be enough if he died.
“This is utter nonsense. Your Majesty is blessed with boundless good fortune and will surely be protected by Heaven.” Wen Zhong saw that Chang Hao was considering retreating.
Chang Hao glanced at the fake Ji Chang and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "The Marquis of Xibo..."
"Your subject is here." Yang Jian had intended to quietly observe the clash between the emperor and his minister, never expecting that he would be involved.
"I have heard that the Marquis of Xibo is skilled in divination, and all his predictions have come true so far. Why don't you, Marquis of Xibo, perform a divination for me?" Chang Hao directly shifted the blame.
Fortune telling? Yang Jian panicked. He was not an expert in this art and had never told fortunes for anyone before.
“Lord Xibo, since the King has spoken, you should help the King calculate his marriage prospects,” Wen Zhong said, not finding anything wrong with the King’s fortune-telling. “If you are right, the King will reward you handsomely.”
Wen Zhong knew that the Marquis of Xibo was fond of divination and often helped court officials with fortune telling. When he was in the mood, he would even help ordinary people with their fortune telling. There was no reason why he wouldn't help the King with his fortune telling.
Yang Jian was led to the execution ground with no way out, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and help Emperor Xin calculate his marriage.
Ji Chang always carried tools with him and could tell fortunes anytime, anywhere, but Yang Jian did not have this hobby.
Yang Jian was extremely anxious. Oh no, they were about to be exposed.
"I have heard that the Emperor is different from ordinary people and extremely difficult to predict. Quan Chang, bring me my treasured sword, and I will borrow it from the Marquis of Xibo to ask the heavens for divination." Chang Hao thought of Jiang Ziya, who was quite skilled at fortune telling, and his heart clenched. He thought of Emperor Yi, and his lips turned pale.
Yang Jian took the precious sword that the Human Emperor always wore, raised the sword and looked around, searching for something he could use to destroy.
"Lord Xibo, Grand Tutor, the furnishings in the palace are precious and should not be damaged lightly. Why not move to the West Garden? When I am not busy with state affairs, I often enjoy the scenery in the West Garden. There are many artificial hills and strange rocks in the West Garden. Lord Xibo, just pick a big rock and ask the heavens for a divination." Yang Jian and Wen Zhong understood the meaning behind Chang Hao's words very clearly.
Yang Jian's perception of His Majesty was once again refreshed. The ruler of a country could take the things in the palace seriously and cherish them, which was really unlike the extravagant and wasteful image that was circulated in Xiqi.
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