Chapter 495 A Comet Appears, Disaster Strikes
"Last night, a comet appeared in the northwest, several feet long, resembling a dragon, appearing in the east and setting in the west, galloping day and night..."
As Yuwen Yuan spoke, his voice grew lower and lower. When he uttered the last few words, his deep voice seemed to press down on all the candles lit in the dining hall, making them appear shorter. Everyone's breathing also subsided almost unconsciously.
Until he uttered the last four words in a deep voice—
"This is an ominous sign."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi gasped sharply.
She suddenly remembered that last night, they slept in the open under the open sky. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she seemed to see a light flash across the sky above her. That light was like a flash of inspiration in her mind. She suddenly began to wonder if the people who left the village and left behind an empty village really left because of the war.
However, that question remains unanswered.
After all, the villagers had all left, leaving no one behind. She wanted to ask, but no one could give her an answer, so she had to give up. As for that light, she thought it was just a flash of inspiration that suddenly appeared in her mind, and she didn't take it seriously.
I never expected it to be true!
but--
The appearance of a comet is an ominous sign; these words carry an unusual heaviness and unease at this moment.
For the Daye Dynasty at this time, what was this "ominous sign"?
At this moment, Yuwen Yuan seemed to be thinking the same thing, and said with a deep frown, "If this celestial phenomenon had appeared a few days ago, then this 'ominous sign' might have referred to Xue Xian's eastward advance and the war in Fufeng; but now, Ye'er has returned victorious, Xue Xian has been killed, and there is no longer any major military trouble in Longxi, so it seems that this ominous sign does not refer to the western affairs."
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment and asked, "Then, what is the situation in the Eastern Capital recently?"
Yuwen Yuan said, "Liang Shide hasn't taken any military action recently, but he has started to promulgate several popular measures in Luoyang."
"Oh? What kinds are there?"
"After occupying the Eastern Capital, he not only refrained from killing any of the remaining civilians, but also reclaimed the land left behind by the wealthy families who had left the capital and distributed it to the poor families who remained in the city. He also stipulated that his soldiers must not infringe upon the land of the common people, and that they should train in peacetime and farm in their spare time. As a result, the situation in the Eastern Capital was actually better than—"
He probably wanted to say that it was actually better than when the emperor was alive, but he never said it.
Shang Ruyi's heart sank slightly.
Seemingly sensing her unusual behavior, Yuwen Ye glanced down at Shang Ruyi but didn't say much. However, everyone knew in their hearts that although Chu Yang might be an extremely intelligent person and a brilliant emperor, all of this could not conceal the fact that under his rule, the dynasty was riddled with problems and the people were living a life worse than death.
He thought for a moment and said, "It seems we can't give Liang Shide too much time."
"..."
"Otherwise, if things continue like this, it will be very difficult to retake Dongdu."
Yuwen Yuan nodded heavily.
Yuwen Ye then asked, "And what about Wang Shaoji and the others?"
Yuwen Yuan said, "Although they have begun their northward march, a few days ago, after Ruyi revealed their heinous act of regicide at Dayan Temple, the imperial court issued a proclamation to announce it to the world. Therefore, the prefectures and counties along the way have begun to mobilize troops to intercept their army."
"..."
"I heard that along the way, not only did many of the imperial troops heading south desert, but many members of the Imperial Guard also left."
"..."
"However—the late emperor brought a considerable number of troops to Jiangdu to begin with, and even after reducing those, there are still hundreds of thousands left, which is no less than Xue Xian's troops."
Shang Ruyi's aura deepened once again.
This time, however, her low breath carried an unquenchable anger. After all, even now, she was still often trapped in the blood-soaked nightmare within the Bright Hall of Jiangdu Palace. Although the fierce and cunning faces of the brothers Wang Shaoji and Wang Shaoqiu never appeared in her nightmare, she knew very well that the nightmare was brought upon her by them!
Sooner or later, she will wash away all the bloodshed from this nightmare.
With their blood!
Mentioning these two people, Yuwen Ye's expression naturally darkened further, but he didn't say much. He just pondered for a moment and then said, "In other words, they haven't been able to reach Dongdu yet, let alone Daxing in the short term."
"That's right."
"Then the 'ominous' things mentioned by the Grand Astrologer are not these military disturbances."
Yuwen Yuan nodded slightly.
Yuwen Ye frowned slightly: "Then what could it be?"
Shang Ruyi couldn't help but frown and fall into deep thought.
Just as the atmosphere in the dining hall fell into a moment of gloom, a deep yet calm voice rang in everyone's ears—
"When a comet appears, disaster strikes."
Upon hearing this voice, Shang Ruyi trembled slightly.
She looked up and saw that it was Yuwen Qian, who had been silent all along, who was speaking. He raised his clear eyes and slowly said, "If I remember correctly, there seemed to be some unusual celestial phenomena on the eve of Emperor Wen's death. The people from the Imperial Observatory also reported almost the same thing, saying that a comet would appear and bring disaster."
"..."
"Father, isn't that right?"
Yuwen Yuan looked at him with some surprise: "How did you know?"
Yuwen Qian said, "Oh, I heard it from some guards in the palace a few days ago."
The guard he mentioned should be Yu Dingxing, or someone he associates with, since only the old guard in Daxing Palace would know about Emperor Wen's affairs.
Just then, a gust of evening wind suddenly blew in from outside the window, causing the candlelight on the surrounding candlesticks to flicker. The flickering candlelight illuminated Yuwen Yuan's deep face, revealing a somewhat obscure and unfathomable expression.
He remained silent for a while, then said, "That is indeed the case."
"..."
"However, more than ten years have passed, and I had almost forgotten about it."
Yuwen Qian said, "I heard it from some old people. They said that back then, on the eve of the death of the late Emperor Wen, he was already seriously ill and bedridden. The Grand Astrologer observed the stars at night and found a comet in the southeast. He then reported to Emperor Wen that it was a sign that a great calamity was about to befall him."
"..."
Emperor Wen was greatly alarmed and immediately ordered the Imperial Astrologer to find a way to resolve the situation.
"..."
"only--"
At this point, his expression darkened, and he stopped speaking. Shang Ruyi subconsciously asked, "But what? Have you found a way to resolve this?"
Yuwen Qian looked up at her, his clear eyes seemed to sparkle in the flickering firelight, a faint smile appearing in them.
Just as he was about to say something, a cold voice suddenly interrupted—
"If it had been found, Father wouldn't have just returned!"
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