Chapter 75 The Final Sorrow of the Lantern Flower Chaos
The capital city was bustling and lively in the first month of the lunar calendar, but beneath the surface of prosperity, undercurrents were surging.
Just after the Lantern Festival, with colorful paper lanterns still clinging to the eaves of the capital, a chill had already silently seeped into the 108 neighborhoods, and terrifying secrets were spreading more and more intensely in teahouses, taverns, and the backyards of deep mansions.
Bing Shi, who had lived in seclusion in the Zhongnan Mountains for many years and was deeply accomplished in astrology, observed the celestial phenomena at night and saw Mars guarding the heart of Antares, which caused celestial fire to fall upon his thatched hut. Bing Shi escaped death and was able to reveal the secret of heaven.
Mars is the "punishing star," presiding over admonitions. Antares is the celestial palace, a symbol of the emperor. Mars, representing calamity, lingering near the emperor's star—could this be a warning from heaven to the emperor?
The chilling "warning" spread rapidly, like ink dropped into still water. Was it a natural disaster? Or a man-made one? Everyone awaited the emperor's decision.
Fu Sui tossed the astrology book aside, her eyes dazzled by the various star charts on it: "What did the Emperor say?"
In the past few days, all the books about astrology in bookstores have been sold out. There is endless discussion about astrology in the public. Even the brokers who deliver vegetables to people's homes have to "chat" a few words like "I noticed a star that is not right a long time ago".
Fu Sui also found many books on astrology, but after studying them, he still couldn't figure out which planet Mars was, let alone astrology.
Seeing her put down her book, Qin An quickly brought over the nourishing soup that was placed aside and gestured for Fu Sui to drink it while it was hot: "What else can we say? The Bureau of Astronomy is adamant that it will not admit it, claiming that Mars guarding the heart is pure nonsense. Those old guys who are not easily persuaded will not listen, especially Zhou Tao."
Zhou Tao was the one who denounced Fu Sui for "overstepping his bounds" on the last Ghost Festival. He was a rigid, old-fashioned, and superstitious man who believed in gods and ghosts. Even with such a big "trouble" as Mars guarding the heart, he didn't need anyone to provoke him; he would hold onto it and not let it go.
Qin An repeated Zhou Shilang's words: "He said that the Records of the Grand Historian says, 'When the rites are lost, the punishment is the appearance of Mars, which is the case when Mars goes astray.' This star is chaotic, and its appearance means that the emperor has lost his virtue and should immediately blame himself. The emperor was so angry that he suspended court and has not held regular court for two consecutive days."
Fu Sui chuckled. To say that Vice Minister Zhou was rigid was an understatement; he wasn't stupid. There were many interpretations of Mars, but the most common one, "When the ruler leaves his palace, the emperor loses his position, and the ministers rebel and plot against the ruler," was something he never mentioned.
The conjunction of Mars and Antares is not a temporary phenomenon. Since Mars has been stationary, there must have been a traceable path within ten days before and after. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau observed the stars every day without noticing anything, which shows that Bing Shi's claim of revealing heavenly secrets cannot be taken seriously.
Coincidentally, Professor Tao Yunzhong had mentioned astrology several times before the Lunar New Year, and after the New Year, he even included the "Book of Celestial Offices" in his lectures. Influenced by him, students and officials in the capital began to pick up the "Records of the Grand Historian" again. Before they could even get into the "Book of Celestial Offices," Bing Shi's warning reached the capital.
Wang Bochang really went too far. He wanted to use the conjunction of Mars and Antares to imply that the year would bring divine retribution and the emperor's demise. How could he not remember the saying, "Exerting oneself to the utmost will bring misfortune, and ministers should bear the brunt of it"? Wasn't he afraid of becoming the second Zhai Fangjin?
The entire court awaited the emperor's response, but to everyone's surprise, the emperor kept delaying, only summoning the ministers of the three provinces to discuss matters, without mentioning the matter of restoring the court.
Public discussion intensified; what was once just whispered among relatives and friends had now escalated to the point where scholars were openly discussing "divine punishment" in restaurants.
The emperor wasn't in a hurry, nor was Fu Sui. He flipped through history books, played some backgammon, and waited for Xu Zhiyi to arrive.
"The Imperial Observatory deduced celestial phenomena, and the Emperor invited the Princess to observe the stars on the day of the Awakening of Insects."
Xu Zhiyi sent a message, and because of that message, on the night of the Awakening of Insects, Fu Sui specially climbed the highest platform in the mansion, the Star-Picking Platform, and waited in the cold wind, trying to stay awake.
Suddenly, a tiny slit tore open in the northwest corner of the night sky, and a warm white light blazed up in the thick sky, leaving a straight band of light. In an instant, the white light disappeared into the deeper darkness, even the trailing shadow vanished without a trace.
Fu Sui stood on tiptoe and looked around, saying with some disappointment, "Only one?"
Qin An replied from the side, "This is an ominous sign; even one such omen is extremely dangerous."
Fu Sui waited a while longer, but there was no sign of the second one, so he had no choice but to yawn and walk back.
"Bing Shi's astrology skills aren't very good. If he knew there was a comet, why did he pretend it was Mars guarding the heart?"
Qin An disagreed: "Mars guarding the heart is an ominous sign, far more so than a comet."
The night was chilly with dew, and Fu Sui wrapped the blanket around himself tightly, thinking that tomorrow's court meeting would be lively again.
On the day of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects), a comet appeared, and the emperor, who had suspended court for several days, resumed regular court sessions after Jingzhe.
The much-anticipated court meeting lasted only a quarter of an hour before the enraged emperor kicked over his desk and stormed off.
The Liangyi Hall was eerily quiet, with the doors and windows closed. The emperor sat alone in a chair, resting his head on his hand and lost in thought.
"His Majesty."
A soft voice broke the silence, and the emperor slowly raised his eyes, catching a glimpse of a graceful figure.
"What brings you here?" the emperor asked coldly.
Consort Feng seemed not to hear the question in the Emperor's tone, and stepped forward: "I have not seen Your Majesty for a long time, and I miss you dearly."
A sweet, warm fragrance filled the air with her movements. The emperor sniffed and replied coldly, "If it's to plead for the Earl of Yuyang, then there's no need to say anything."
“Your Majesty,” Consort Feng drawled, her tone full of reproach, “can’t I have a casual chat with my husband? I’m full of thoughts, but he’s completely oblivious.”
The emperor lowered his eyes and slowly uttered, "Is that so?"
Consort Feng sensed the softening in the Emperor's tone, so she lifted her skirt, stepped forward, knelt beside the Emperor's knees, and lay prostrate on them, looking up at the man who sat on the throne of the Supreme Emperor.
"I miss my beloved so much, but he refuses to see me. If I hadn't come today, I don't know when I would have been able to see him again."
The emperor reached out and stroked Consort Feng's beautiful hair. Her hair was thick and black, styled in a high bun, adorned with red and green jewels that accentuated her nobility and concealed her hair strands, making it difficult for the emperor to touch it.
I remember the first time I met her, she was just a palace maid who swept and cleaned, not even qualified to serve the emperor. One day, the palace maid who was responsible for making the bed fell ill, and the palace lady temporarily assigned her to serve the emperor water for washing.
She was so nervous when she first met the monarch up close that her hands trembled as she held the water in the basin, causing the water to splash around.
The young king laughed and splashed water on her face, asking her what she was afraid of.
The emperor still remembers that pitiful face from that day. At that time, she wore the hairstyle of a palace maid, only tied with two colorful ribbons, and her jet-black hair was so smooth and silky.
Consort Feng tilted her head and rested it on the Emperor's lap, speaking softly, "What are you thinking about, my lord?"
The emperor's hand fell, but he didn't touch the beautiful hair he remembered; he only touched the cold pearls.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about your hair, it's grown so well."
Consort Feng nestled on the Emperor's lap and giggled, "I've prepared your favorite dishes, my lord. It's been so long since we've eaten together. Would you please keep me company today?"
The emperor's hand stroked from her hair ornaments down to Consort Feng's face. Consort Feng raised her head slightly and rubbed her cheek against his palm.
He gazed at the beautiful face in his hand, which gradually overlapped with the panicked face he once had. A barely perceptible sadness flickered in his eyes, which he had long since learned to conceal his emotions.
He slowly and meticulously stroked Consort Feng's eyebrows, eyes, and nose, tracing all her features, and finally, with a sense of loss yet relief, he replied, "Okay."
The sun is about to set, and in a few quarters of an hour, the street drums signaling curfew will sound.
Yue Shanling, who should have gone home long ago, remained in Nanya. Wang Yuanxing had not yet left, so he did not leave either.
He tidied up the case and then inspected the guardhouse.
"What are you doing?"
When he arrived at the stables, he found a guard feeding the horses. Feeding the horses was perfectly acceptable, but if the guards did not use the horses at night, the saddles and harnesses should have been removed by now. However, all the horses in the stables were fully saddled and harnessed, which was clearly illogical.
The guard feeding the horses was somewhat surprised to see Yue Shanling. He stammered, "Feed the horses."
Yue Shanling glanced at him a few times, asked no more questions, and turned to walk away. He had only taken a few steps when he was surrounded.
Wang Yuanxing, whom he had just been searching for, pushed aside the people blocking his way, walked up to him, and asked him in a friendly tone, "General Yue, what are you going to do?"
Upon seeing this, Yue Shanling replied without hesitation, "Let's go home."
Wang Yuanxing, however, did not believe it. He chuckled and said, "It will soon be dark, and the journey may not be peaceful. Why don't we escort the general for a while?"
What is this? A hostage situation? Yue Shanling narrowed his eyes, his dark pupils as cold as ice: "What does the General mean by this?"
Wang Yuanxing remained unmoved and downplayed the issue, saying, "I meant well, fearing that you might have taken the wrong path late at night and gone somewhere else. Rest assured, General, we will only escort you back to your residence and will not disturb your rest."
"Wang Yuanxing," Yue Shanling laughed in exasperation, "are you trying to put me under house arrest?"
"General, what are you saying? How could I possibly have such a thing?" Wang Yuanxing completely disregarded Yue Shanling's doubts and instead pressed forward. "I am only thinking of you, General. If you return to your residence today and do not come out, you will enjoy boundless glory in the future. You should not miss out on such a good thing due to a moment of impulsiveness."
As he spoke, he leaned close to Yue Shanling's ear and said, "I heard that your fourth daughter's wedding is approaching. General, you should think of your family members, if not for yourself."
Yue Shanling practically spat out the words through gritted teeth: "Wang Yuanxing, aren't you afraid I'll tell General Zheng?"
Wang Yuanxing patted Yue Shanling's shoulder, flicked away non-existent dust, and said casually, "I've said it before, I'm doing this for the general's good, and also for General Zheng's good."
Yue Shanling understood; this was Zheng Zhai's order. He wasn't worried about his own safety; if a fight broke out, these few people couldn't do anything to him. However, he didn't dare gamble on the safety of the other people in the Yue household.
He looked around and asked Wang Yuanxing for a promise: "You said you would only send me back to my residence and would not bother me at all."
"I won't bother you." Seeing that his attitude had softened, Wang Yuanxing's smile became more sincere.
"Just guarding the gate, but not entering the house?"
"No entry." Wang Yuanxing agreed without hesitation. Whether or not they entered the house was not important, as long as they guarded the front and back and ensured that the people crossing the mountains would not come out.
Seeing that Wang Yuanxing agreed to everything, Yue Shanling said no more and walked out.
The people surrounding them followed suit, encircling Yue Shanling in the middle.
Upon reaching Yanxi Gate, perhaps due to the obstruction of the imperial city walls, or perhaps because he was too focused on walking to notice, a man with his head down, biting into a stone cake, stumbled into Yanxi Gate, brushing past Yue Shanling and causing Yue Shanling to stumble.
"Hey, you..." The guard on Yueshan Ridge was about to reprimand him, but remembering his mission, and thinking it was better to avoid trouble, he let the man leave.
Yue Shanling patted his shoulder where he had been bumped, said nothing, and continued forward.
The squad of guards disappeared behind him, and the man biting the stone cake raised his head, his eyes crinkling with laughter. A red mole was hidden in the corner of his right eye, leaving only half a bright red line.
He quickly stuffed the stone cake into his mouth, straightened his clothes, and turned to walk towards Chang Le Gate.
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