Chapter 213 The Time Has Come
The atmosphere in the Golden Palace was extremely oppressive.
On the dragon throne, Pei Yan's face was gloomy. The dark circles under his eyes were so thick that it looked as if he had been punched twice. His once handsome face was now distorted by exhaustion and fear, and his lips were pressed into a pale line.
Clearly, the rumors about the fake tiger tally last night had kept him tossing and turning all night.
The courtiers below fell silent, even deliberately holding their breath.
The rumors had already reached their ears through various channels.
Those speculations were both thrilling and intriguing.
Does the Emperor actually possess the genuine Tiger Tally? Is the Emperor... truly the one who succeeded the late Emperor?
To be honest, most officials believed the rumors because when the late emperor passed away, the more capable second prince was still alive. They couldn't understand why the late emperor would give the throne to Pei Yan, who had never been favored.
In the deathly silence, an imperial censor, perhaps out of loyalty to the emperor, steeled himself and stepped forward, bowing as he reported:
"Your Majesty! I believe that the rumors circulating in the capital are utter nonsense! These petty villains harbor ulterior motives! Why doesn't Your Majesty request the Tiger Tally and display it to the world during the sacrificial ceremony? This will set the record straight and let those with ulterior motives crumble without a fight! It will also put the people of the land at ease!"
Upon hearing this, Pei Yan suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely at the imperial censor!
idiot!
If he had the real tiger tally, would he need to be driven to such a state by rumors, like a stray dog?
If he had the real tiger tally, he would have already smashed it in the faces of those gossiping people! Why would he need you bunch of useless fools offering your advice here?
He felt a surge of turmoil in his chest, and wished he could immediately order this utterly foolish censor to be dragged out and torn to pieces!
But he couldn't.
He cannot lose his composure in front of everyone, nor can he show the slightest hint of guilt.
"snort!"
"To display the tiger tally? To set the record straight? My dear minister, you've certainly thought things through for me! If I have to prove myself based on just any rumor, what kind of emperor am I? How about I give you the throne?!"
The imperial censor was so frightened that his knees buckled and he knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This humble subject is foolish! This humble subject..."
"Enough!"
Pei Yan abruptly interrupted him, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall. Wherever he looked, the ministers lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. "Rumors stop with the wise! My legitimacy is ordained by Heaven; how can mere rumors shake it? You, as officials of the court, do not think of sharing the emperor's burdens and suppressing the villains, but instead listen to rumors. Anyone who dares to speak ill of the Tiger Tally again will be considered a traitor! They will be executed without mercy!"
The morning assembly ended abruptly in a suffocating silence.
Pei Yan turned and left, leaving behind a hall full of ministers with their own differing thoughts.
Back in the imperial study, Pei Yan could no longer hold on and slammed his fist hard on the imperial desk!
"Idiots! A bunch of idiots!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down! Take care of your health!" Eunuch Desheng knelt down, his voice trembling with tears.
"Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down? You think you can force me to prove myself with such a trivial rumor? If I were to actually prove myself, wouldn't I be being led by the nose by the person behind this!"
Only he knew that these words could only fool them!
The tiger tally! What did he show them?
With this rumor circulating, it's impossible to hide the truth by producing that fake tiger tally from back then!
Those veteran officials certainly won't just go through the motions like they did at the coronation ceremony; they'll definitely examine things very carefully!
At that time, in order to prevent the lack of the tiger tally from becoming a handle against him, he had already killed the old minister who helped him lie and the worker who made the fake tiger tally for him to silence them!
Without the genuine Tiger Tally, it's a dead end!
But if we don't show it and let the rumors fester, that's a dead end!
He paced frantically in the imperial study like a trapped beast. What to do? What to do?
To whom did Father Emperor give the Tiger Tally?
Why not trust him? Why not rightfully pass the throne to him? What exactly is wrong with him?
He didn't want to kill his father, nor did he want to walk on thin ice!
It's not his fault!
Suddenly, he stopped abruptly!
He remembered the appearance and details of the tiger tally clearly. The fake tiger tally was simply made of a material that was not as good as the real one, so it had turned yellow and discolored over the years. There were still seven days until the sacrificial ceremony.
At that time, he will need to ascend the Circular Mound Altar to offer sacrifices to his ancestors.
That was a sacred occasion, with everyone watching, all the officials present, and the common people observing. Seven days should be enough time to make a new fake tiger tally.
No, it has to be done in time!
If we don't let the senior officials check it at all, we won't be able to clear our name. We need to let them check the tiger tally, but not for too long or too carefully!
The lighting might be dim, and the ritual objects would further obscure the view... Who could tell the difference between the real and the fake? Who would dare to get close enough to take a closer look?
He then coerced one or two veteran officials into testifying on his behalf...
Although it's risky... it's the only solution he can think of right now!
"Yes! That's it! Desheng!"
"This old servant is here!" Desheng replied hastily.
"Immediately! Summon the master craftsman Zhou Mo in secret! Have him come to the Imperial Study immediately. The Empress Dowager's birthday is approaching, and I want to secretly make a screen for her."
"Furthermore!" A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "While Zhou Mo is in the palace, his family... must be properly settled in a certain place! Not a single word must leak out! After it's done... I will reward them handsomely!"
Desheng sneered inwardly, knowing that the emperor was about to take a risky gamble.
He immediately replied, "This old servant obeys!"
Three days later, in Yuanyang City, a thousand miles away, Xie Sangning stood on the sturdy city tower, gazing towards Jinling in the south.
The cold wind howled, blowing her dark cloak like a banner waving.
A jet-black carrier pigeon landed precisely on her outstretched arm.
Xie Sangning skillfully untied the small copper tube from the pigeon's leg and took out the secret message inside.
Unfold, and there are only a few numbers on it:
The fish has taken the bait; the talisman is lit on the sacrificial day.
Xie Sangning chuckled softly.
Pei Yan... you've finally come this far.
What you thought was a clever deception was nothing more than a path I had carefully paved for you; what you thought was a daring victory was actually a death warrant leading you to your doom.
Xie Sangning turned her head, her eyes devoid of any smile:
"Pass on the order!"
"Generals of the Xie family army of the Western Han Guard, proceed to the council hall immediately!"
"The entire army is on high alert! Supplies, weapons, and warhorses must be prepared within a day, and we will depart at nightfall!"
"The day of the Heaven-worshiping ceremony will be the day we march into Nanjing, purge the court of corrupt officials, and restore order to the world..."
"Yes, sir!" The guards' eyes blazed with fervent fighting spirit as they roared in response, their voices so powerful that the city walls seemed to tremble slightly!
Mother, wait a little longer, Sang Ning will come to take you home soon.
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