Chapter 53
Although she had Ling Huanchen's assurance, Nanny Zhang was determined to tell everything, but she paused when she mentioned the terrible thing.
Ling Huanchen could clearly feel that Nanny Zhang was full of tension. What kind of terrible thing could have made a bystander feel so nervous when she recalled it? How did Yu Xi endure it?
He suddenly didn't dare to listen anymore...
Nanny Zhang gritted her teeth and continued, "The high priest advised that when they opened the altar to pray for Youcheng, they received instructions from heaven that a sacrifice must be made in exchange for rain. And this sacrifice must be the son and grandson of the dragon, that is, the eldest son of the previous king, who is also the current king."
Ling Huanchen didn't know what mood he was in as he listened to Nanny Zhang's account of the whole incident.
The high priest advised, and the queen at the time also whispered to the late king, saying that the people and the country depended on this, and sacrificing one person would protect the century-old foundation. Tragically, after this advice reached the heavens, the late king agreed just two days later. Thus, on the day of the sacrifice, the eleven-year-old child was escorted by the guards to the sea outside Youcheng, where they opened an altar to offer sacrifices to the heavens and threw a stone into the sea.
Ling Huanchen had never felt so lucky. He had sneaked out of the mermaid palace that day because he was having fun, and accidentally saved Yu Xi.
As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Regardless of the truthfulness of the high priest's advice, did the former king really not hesitate to push his own son to death?
But when he thought about his own situation, Ling Huanchen didn't find it strange anymore. His father had pushed his own children out in exchange for his own peace.
Nanny Zhang sighed, "But fortunately, God has a good heart, or perhaps it was the late queen's spirit who protected him. The king returned safe and sound. Sacrificial offerings have rules. If the gods do not accept the offering, it cannot be performed a second time. Although the queen and the high priest at the time were reluctant, they were helpless and could only watch the king return to the palace and continue to be a thorn in their side. But since the king returned, he has changed completely, becoming taciturn and silent. No one knows what he is thinking. Later, the drought lasted for a whole year before the rain came, and the incident was buried."
Even after many years, Ling Huanchen could still empathize with her. That Yu Xi was not the real Yu Xi, but just the despair after being abandoned.
In the vast secluded city, he had only his younger brother and himself to rely on. As the eldest brother, he not only had to survive in despair, but also shouldered the responsibility of protecting his loved ones. Ling Huanchen couldn't imagine how difficult this must be for an eleven-year-old child.
He remembered that when he was eleven years old, he was still wasting his time in confinement. He had thought about resisting such a fate, but never succeeded. However, Yu Xi did it, which proved that what he paid would be a thousand times more, which was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
After quietly sending Nanny Zhang back, Ling Huanchen stayed quietly in the bedroom without summoning anyone to serve him, let alone meals.
After a few hours of silence, the door slowly opened a crack, and Xiao Qi poked his head out, "Master, do you really not want to order something to eat?"
Ling Huanchen raised his eyes and asked without any context, "Are the peach blossoms still there?"
Xiao Qi exclaimed, "Ah!" and immediately replied, "It seems like there are even more dead branches. This is really weird."
If possible, he hopes to do something for Yu Xi.
"Go prepare some food and we'll eat it together when the king returns."
Meanwhile, the specter of drought persisted, with more memorials submitted. The number of prefectures and counties affected by the drought grew, making it increasingly difficult to divert water from other sources. The constant allocation of grain and appropriations gradually became too much for Youcheng. Disaster relief efforts continued, and Yu Xi discussed several viable strategies with the court officials. While these strategies had some effect, they were far from sufficient.
Seeing the severity of the drought, the flowers and trees in the palace gradually withered. The peach blossom forest that was flourishing a few days ago has now become a sea of dead trees.
During natural disasters, the high priest's duties were particularly demanding, so he took the initiative to ask Yu Xi for permission to open an altar and pray for rain. Yu Xi didn't place his hopes on the sacrifice, so he just let him do it.
"Your Majesty, the High Priest has come to the palace to request an audience."
Yu Xi looked at the Prime Minister and the other ministers and said, "That's all for today. My dear ministers, please go back and carry on with the original plan."
"yes!"
After the ministers had left, the high priest was brought into the Ziyi Palace. The high priest was a respected figure in every city, and therefore enjoyed considerable courtesy from the king. Except during sacrifices, he rarely performed grand ceremonies.
But today, after the high priest entered the room, he kowtowed directly to Yu Xi and seemed to be kneeling for a long time without getting up.
Yu Xi was worried about the drought and had no time to play dumb with him. Since he wanted to kneel, he didn't ask him to stand up.
"What do you have to report, my dear?"
After the high priest kowtowed, he straightened his back and looked at Yu Xi with the courage to face death. "Your Majesty, I prayed to the heavens yesterday evening when the seven stars aligned. May the heavens send down blessings. This natural disaster is not unsolvable."
Yu Xi listened quietly and motioned for him to continue.
"Only by offering a tribute to the heavens can we resolve this urgent problem."
As soon as the word "sacrifice to heaven" came out, Yu Xi's eyes suddenly turned cold, "The high priest has already chosen the person to be the tribute?"
The high priest bowed again and said, "According to the hexagram, to complete the sacrifice, the blood of the sacrifice must be shed completely, and only then can rain come. The sacrifice points to the heart of the dragon, which is... your beloved, Your Majesty."
The study fell into a dead silence, so quiet that it was eerie.
When Yu Xi didn't speak for a long time, the high priest swallowed his saliva and said bravely, "Your Majesty, for the sake of the country, give up your personal feelings and exchange them for peace in Youcheng. Please order His Majesty to sacrifice herself in the palace to the heavens!"
The only sounds left in the study were kowtows. Even though the high priest had a bloody mark on his forehead, he still insisted on asking for mercy.
After a while, Yu Xi said softly, "I understand what you said, my dear minister."
The high priest raised his head suddenly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty! On behalf of the people and the country, I bow to thank Your Majesty for your wisdom!"
Yu Xi's face showed no emotion, and he simply said, "My dear, please return for now. I will give you an explanation in three days. In the meantime, please do not mention today's events to anyone. Please leave."
"Thank you, Your Majesty! I understand." After receiving the tacit consent, the high priest breathed a sigh of relief, thanked the king and left immediately.
Yu Xi remained alone in his study for a long time. Without his permission, the palace servants dared not enter to disturb him. Fu Changshi, noticing that it had already darkened outside, paced back and forth, hands in his pockets, unsure whether he should enter to disturb him. The recent drought had already burdened the king with his worries; if he caused trouble now, he would surely die. But if he didn't go in, he worried that the king's health wouldn't be able to handle it. If something happened to the king now, Youcheng would be doomed.
Just as he was getting anxious, he turned around and saw his savior. Fu Changshi hurriedly pulled Xiao Qi closer and asked, "Did His Highness ask you to come find the King?"
Xiao Qi was a bit flattered by this treatment, as it was the first time he had received it. "Yes, yes, the master asked me to ask if the king has finished his official duties. The master is waiting for the king to have dinner with him in the Jade Luan Palace."
Fu Changshi pushed him to the door of the study and said, "I've been waiting for you." Finally, there was a reason. Anyway, as long as it was about His Highness, the King would always have the patience to listen to it.
"Your Majesty, His Highness sent a message saying that he is expecting you for dinner."
After waiting for a long time without seeing Yu Xi let anyone in, Fu Changshi and Xiao Qi looked at each other, hesitating whether to inform them again.
The door opened with a swish, and when I looked again, Yu Xi was already standing at the door of the study.
The palace servants hurriedly bowed their heads, "Your Majesty!"
Yu Xi glanced at Xiao Qi and said to the head attendant, "Go to Yuluan Palace."
Fu Changshi's eyebrows were filled with joy, and he shouted loudly, "Go to Yuluan Palace!"
At this time, Ling Huanchen had been waiting in Yuluan Palace for a long time. He didn't want to disturb Yu Xi from handling government affairs, so he asked Xiaoqi to wait until dark before going to Ziyi Palace to ask.
The food on the table was all light meals, and he had already asked someone to reheat it twice.
"If the king can't come back for a while, please remove the food."
Yun He couldn't help but say, "But Master, you haven't used it yourself."
"It's okay. It doesn't matter if I skip one or two meals." In order to support the previous dynasty's disaster relief, he had already ordered Fu Changshi to redistribute the expenses in the palace, and the meals were also kept simple.
He secretly learned how to make today's Yangchun noodles from the imperial chef. It was the first time he cooked a meal on his own. He hoped that Yu Xi would eat it properly for his sake.
Just as Yun He was about to clear the meal away, he looked up and saw Yu Xi entering the Yuluan Palace. He quickly bowed and left.
"I've kept Huanchen waiting for a long time." As soon as she saw Ling Huanchen, the indifference on Yu Xi's face melted away in an instant, leaving only a faint smile.
Both of them had their own thoughts and knew that the current problem was difficult, but no one mentioned it.
"If you don't eat the noodles now, they'll get cold."
Yu Xi took the first bite and noticed that it was different from the Yangchun noodles she had eaten before. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "Did the chef change today?"
Ling Huanchen pursed his lips and asked, "Isn't it delicious?" He had tasted it before and it was okay.
"It's delicious, but a little different." You can tell he's a new cook just by taking a bite.
"I made it. If Your Majesty is not used to it, I will ask someone to replace it." As he said this, he reached out to take the bowl.
Yu Xi raised her hand and pulled him back. "I'm not sick of it. It's delicious. It's the best noodles I've ever had."
Ling Huanchen looked at him, unsure, "Really?"
"Of course it's true." As if to prove what he said about the ruins, Yu Xi finished a bowl of noodles in a few bites. It was the most he had eaten in these days.
When the bowl was empty, Ling Huanchen breathed a sigh of relief, "Your Majesty, regarding the disaster..."
Yu Xi put down her chopsticks and took his hand. "Don't worry, Huanchen. I will take care of the drought. There will always be a way. Everything will be fine. Don't worry."
"Is there anything I can do to help the king?" Ling Huanchen didn't mention a word about the past and pretended he had never heard of it. He thought Yu Xi didn't want him to know the truth from more than ten years ago.
Yu Xi curled her lips and looked at him with a calm gaze, "Yes."
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