Chapter Twenty-Five: The River God Appears
The following day, a large group of people gathered at the Luo River.
Before them flowed the surging river after the rainy season, its waters churning and churning. On the bank, towering stone pillars adorned the pedestals, their banners gleaming, their presence imposing. At the central altar lay offerings, while beside it, a heavily made-up, long-haired shaman rang a copper bell, chanting incantations. Around the pedestal, devout citizens of Los Angeles had already gathered, following the shaman's instructions to perform the three prostrations and nine kowtows.
Yin Wenbin, the magistrate of Luocheng, led the crowd to the top of the tower. The people below, seeing the Luocheng military governor arrive in person, were instantly filled with excitement, shouting "My lord!" An elderly man with white hair, his back hunched, tears streaming down his face, squeezed through the crowd, his voice trembling as he cried out, "Lord Liu! It's Lord Liu! It's our Luocheng's upright and just Lord Liu Zhang..."
"Greetings, Lord Liu..."
"Greetings, Lord Liu..."
"Lord Liu is Liu Qingtian..."
The shouts and cheers rose and fell. Those kneeling in the front were just being asked to rise, when those behind them knelt again, and were asked to rise once more. In an instant, the sea of people appeared in layers of waves, orderly and enthusiastic. The sheer scale and volume of the crowd was as if an empress herself had arrived.
Ye Yiqing and Mu Lian exchanged glances, their hearts sinking slightly. It seemed Liu Zhang not only dared to outwardly comply but was also adept at self-promotion and ostentatious writing; his actions were more akin to those of an emperor than an emperor himself. It appeared that the people of Luoyang only knew of Military Governor Liu, but not the reigning Empress. Indeed, Liu Zhang harbored wolfish ambitions, attempting to amass power and dominate the region.
The man lightly stroked the hem of his robe with his long, slender fingers, glancing back at Liu Zhang, who was waving to the people. His eyes held a deep meaning, and his words were tinged with envy: "Lord Liu is indeed a capable minister. It seems the people of Luoyang regard Lord Liu as a god?" He paused, and when he noticed a slight change in Liu Zhang's expression, he added casually, "That must be because Lord Liu often bestows favors upon the people and protects Luoyang, naturally winning their hearts..." This exchange, a mix of praise and sarcasm, displayed the sharp tongue of a seasoned scholar.
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhang's eyes darkened, and a flash of fire seemed to appear in his eyes as he looked back at Ye Yiqing, but he quickly regained his composure: "Lord Ye truly lives up to the name of the third-ranked scholar. He is indeed eloquent and quick-witted. I admire him."
"Hehe, Lord Liu, you flatter me..." It wasn't that Ye Tanhua hadn't noticed Liu Zhang's suppressed anger, but the purpose of this trip was to expose his weakness so that he could seize on him. So Ye Tanhua pressed on, "Compared to Lord Liu, who can be called a god of Luoyang, I, Ye, am truly ashamed of my inferiority..."
Ha. A flash of killing intent crossed Liu Zhang's eyes. After ruling Luo City for so many years, no one dared to act recklessly in his presence.
"Haha, Scholar Ye is truly witty, truly witty..." At the crucial moment, City Magistrate Yin Wenbin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly jumped in to smooth things over: "The people of Luocheng love and respect you, and Lord Liu, as the local official, cannot refuse. However, he is only sharing His Majesty's burdens. His dedication to the country and the people is evident to all. Scholar Ye, please don't make fun of me..."
"Ye Tanhua became famous at a young age, so it's understandable that he's a bit outspoken, but our Lord Liu is magnanimous and won't hold it against him..."
"Yes, yes, Lord Liu is so magnanimous and broad-minded, how could he possibly care about a few childish jokes?"
"This is because Ye Tanhua is new here and doesn't understand our Luo City customs. He'll see more as he gets more familiar with them, and he'll realize that this is a common occurrence in Luo City..."
With the mayor of Luocheng taking the lead, the other officials in Luocheng also chimed in. For a time, there was a clear sense of unity from top to bottom.
Luo City was indeed as impenetrable as an iron barrel. Mu Lian exchanged another glance with Ye Yiqing. It seemed that Luo City was indeed a tough nut to crack.
After another round of elaborate rituals, Ye Yuqing led the officials to the altar to pray for blessings. The long-haired shaman who had been there earlier stepped aside, holding a scepter and still chanting incantations. Mu Lian glanced at him and saw that under the shaman's raven-feather mask was a rough, dark face with high eyebrows and deep-set eyes, resembling that of a foreigner.
Mu Lian's heart stirred slightly. According to secret reports, the military governor Liu Zhang had been in contact with the northwestern tribes two years ago, secretly transporting a large number of warhorses from the northern frontier to Luoyang and hiring people from the northern frontier at high prices to train them. Recalling the shaman's dancing posture just now, with the long whip in his hand swinging and the short pull back, the movement did not seem like a ritual but rather like wielding a whip. It was probably a northern frontier horse trainer who was used to training horses.
Mu Lian glanced discreetly around the altar, then gestured to Meng Yuan beside her. Meng Yuan immediately understood. No matter how eloquent Ye Tanhua was, he was ultimately just a weak scholar with no physical strength; she had to protect him closely.
On the platform, Ye Yiqing was performing a prayer on behalf of the emperor. "South of the great river, in the heart of the nine provinces. The sun and moon traverse the sky, rivers flow. At the foot of the ancestral mountain, the homeland of Xuanyuan. Tracing the great achievements of the dynasty, the magnificent accomplishments. Revealing the gradual perfection of rites and the origin of culture. Demonstrating the prosperity of the nation, the broad and righteous path..."
Listening to the elegant and dignified congratulatory speech on the stage, Mu Lian couldn't help but look up at the man. Dressed in official robes, he was tall and slender, standing out prominently among the officials. It was mid-morning, and the autumn sun was warm but not harsh, casting slanted rays from above, creating layers of light and shadow. The man's skin, reflecting the light, shimmered with a porcelain-like luster, inexplicably reminding Mu Lian of the precious jade artifacts treasured in the judicial office.
What a handsome young scholar! He truly lives up to his reputation as a scion of a prominent family in the capital.
"The ceremony is complete..."
With a resounding "Greetings!" from the announcer, the ceremony of praying for blessings on behalf of the Empress in Luo City was successfully completed.
Ye Yuqing glanced sideways and breathed a slight sigh of relief. The officials on the altar also bowed to each other, preparing to leave in turn.
"Boom..."
Suddenly, accompanied by a muffled, thunderous sound, everyone felt the altar beneath their feet inexplicably shake.
"The river god has appeared! The river god has appeared..." After a moment of silence, an old voice suddenly cried out from the crowd. The onlookers below the tower were instantly terrified, staring into the distance, then their legs went weak and they knelt on the ground, not daring to leave.
Mu Lian's heart sank, and she quickly turned her head to look towards the riverbank. There, in the middle of the Luo River, a huge whirlpool had appeared, churning the water and creating towering waves, causing the riverbanks and the surrounding mountains to tremble violently. Was this an earthquake?
Ye Yiqing looked up at the sky, feeling quite surprised. This day for prayer was supposed to be chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, so such an unusual phenomenon shouldn't have occurred. Moreover, he had observed the celestial phenomena and consulted the almanac last night; there shouldn't have been any unusual signs in the near future.
Just as he was thinking about walking quickly to the foot of the tower, a fierce arrow came flying from the side.
"Lord Ye, be careful!" Meng Yuan, who had been on guard for a long time, leaped up and swung her sword to cleave the glowing arrow.
Ye Yiqing abruptly stopped and, protected by Meng Yuan and her attendant Ye Xun, quickly retreated to the other side.
Chaos erupted on the altar. Below the tower, waves surged and mountains trembled.
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