Chapter 2.002 He broke his promise to give him all the incense offerings under my name...
The little fairy servant didn't even have time to wipe the sweat from his forehead before hurriedly leaving the Qingyuan Divine Palace, preparing to go to the back mountain to report back.
He had just run down the steps of the square in front of the palace when someone called him back from behind.
"Hey, how do you plan to reply?" The person who came was a celestial attendant who followed Immortal Venerable Qingyuan.
The little fairy servant was stunned for a moment.
How should we reply? How else could we reply? Naturally, we should follow the Immortal Venerable's instructions word for word.
How can you presumptuously change God's will?
"Tsk, you're such a dimwit. No wonder you've been cultivating for so many years and still haven't been able to enter the palace."
The little fairy servant was even more confused.
As someone with experience, the senior continued to advise: "The Immortal Venerable said those things because he was in the hall in front of so many worshippers, so he could only say those things, understand? Who is Her Highness the Princess? How could we dare to be negligent?"
"Then... shall I tell Her Highness the Princess that the Immortal Venerable will arrive shortly?" the little fairy attendant asked tentatively.
The senior looked at him with disdain, saying, "With so many pilgrims today, how could the Immortal Venerable possibly ignore them and instead go to the back mountain to secretly meet with the Princess?"
The fairy servant was in despair: "Then how am I supposed to say it...?"
The senior patted him on the shoulder, deciding to be clear and straightforward: "Just tell Her Highness the Princess to wait a moment, nothing else, understand?"
The young fairy servant didn't understand, but since his senior had given such instructions, he would do as he was told.
However, after running breathlessly to the back mountain and seeing the Princess's entourage, and then facing the tall and stern-faced eunuch, he became nervous and blurted out Qingyuan Immortal Venerable's words verbatim. By the time he realized what he had said, it was too late to take it back.
At this moment, Yun Tianjiao had been waiting for almost two hours in a side hall on the back of Yunji Mountain.
"This Qingyuan Immortal Venerable is becoming more and more outrageous!" Fu Man entered with a face full of indignation.
"What? He's not coming?" Chunxi suddenly sensed something was wrong.
"Indeed! I just sent a little fairy attendant to deliver a message, saying that there are too many pilgrims to meet, so I won't be coming to pay my respects to Her Highness. If Your Highness wishes to meet me, please go to the main hall on the front mountain."
"Outrageous!" Chunxi's eyebrows shot up in anger. "If he didn't want to see him, he shouldn't have made our Highness come to the back mountain. Since he delivered the message, how could he go back on his word halfway through and make His Highness wait for so long in vain!"
Fu Man was also furious. He had spent the whole afternoon watching the front and back of the mountain to relay messages, and his face was so hot from the sun that it was oily. He never expected to be stood up in the end.
"Who says otherwise! If it weren't for His Highness, how could Qingyuan Immortal Venerable have his current status? He'd probably still be some remote mountain village doing odd jobs! Now that he's ascended to a divine position, he's become arrogant and dares to treat His Highness so disrespectfully. He's truly crossing the river and burning the bridge!"
"For the past six months, this Celestial Venerable Qingyuan has become increasingly perfunctory in his attitude towards our Highness. Last time, he clearly promised to write a personal letter of blessing and deliver it to the palace in person, but in the end, he kept delaying and only sent a celestial attendant..."
"Alright, if you don't want to see me, then don't. Why are you all so angry?" Yun Tianjiao was used to it.
Whether human, god, demon, or ghost, all have the same emotions and desires. The bond formed when people meet in humble circumstances may not last when they achieve great success.
"Let's return to the palace." Yun Tianjiao stood up.
Chunxi glanced at her with concern, "Your Highness, please... don't be sad. It's not worth it for such an ungrateful person."
Yun Tianjiao raised an eyebrow, glanced at the little palace maid, and then looked at Fu Man, who also had a worried expression. "What, do you all think that I would be troubled by him?"
Neither of them spoke, but their expressions clearly showed that they both agreed wholeheartedly.
Yun Tianjiao lowered his eyes, finding it somewhat amusing.
It's no wonder the two of them thought this way. Everyone thought she loved Qingyuan Immortal Venerable to the point of obsession, spending lavishly on him, building temples for him, and elevating him from a minor Venerable to his current status as an Immortal Venerable.
He was in power for seven years, and she was at the top of his list of worshippers for seven years.
However, only Yun Tianjiao herself knew that the reason she was so "obsessed" with this Qingyuan Immortal Venerable was not because of his otherworldly and outstanding demeanor, nor because of his gentle and considerate personality, but simply because before Qingyuan ascended to immortality, he was a famous fortune teller who was proficient in the art of destiny and fortune-telling.
Yun Tianjiao has a secret: she remembers her past lives, or more precisely, she remembers her two previous lives.
She no longer felt any empathy or connection with the people and things from her previous two lives. It was as if she were watching a storybook or a play, observing someone else's story. She even had no recollection of some of the minor details.
But what she remembered most clearly was that in the previous two times, she had the same unparalleled noble status and enjoyed countless powers and wealth as in this life, yet she died on her nineteenth birthday both times.
Now that she has just turned eighteen, she doesn't know if it's just psychological, but lately she keeps having the nightmare that curses her. She is worried that she will fall into the cycle of fate and die at nineteen again, so she wants to learn some secrets of heaven from Qingyuan and see if she can save her life.
Because he was worried that Qingyuan's divine power was insufficient to see through her fate, he patiently nurtured her step by step over the years to her current state.
Seeing that he had grown powerful and his divine strength was increasing day by day, she was just about to put him to use when she realized that he had become too powerful and no longer cared about her, his former benefactor.
Very well, she never liked to force people to do things against their will. If Qingyuan was not sincerely repaying her kindness, it was not appropriate to entrust her with such a strange and private matter of fate and reincarnation. It would be better to find another way.
"Fine, let's pretend this person never existed." Yun Tianjiao sat in the sedan chair and casually gave the order: "Stop all the incense offerings under my name for him. Also, close down the Qingyuan Temple that I built in my name."
Chunxi and Fuman both looked completely bewildered.
"What, didn't you hear me clearly?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of it right away," Fu Man replied hastily.
...
Although Yunji Mountain is not far from the imperial city, it still takes nearly two hours to get there. Moreover, the procession is slow to begin with, and Yun Tianjiao insisted on sprinkling water on the streets and scattering flowers along the way. After all that trouble, it was already dark when they returned to the palace.
The palace lights were lit; it was time for dinner.
According to the ancestral rules of Yunchi Kingdom, princesses are not allowed to leave the palace to establish their own residences before marriage, so Yun Tianjiao has always lived in the Chang Le Hall of the royal palace.
As soon as I stepped into the gate of Chang Le Palace, a young eunuch rushed over to greet me. It was Lai Shun, who served the emperor.
"Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you for dinner. He has been waiting for a long time!"
"Is today some special day that you had to wait for me to come back?" Yun Tianjiao strode into the hall without stopping, and Lai Shun had no choice but to follow.
"It's not a special day, it's just that His Majesty... misses Your Highness very much."
Yun Tianjiao glanced at him, a half-smile on his face, "Go tell His Majesty that I'm very tired today and won't be going. Let him eat by himself."
Lai Shun, seeing that he could no longer evade the truth, had no choice but to whisper the truth: "It was Prime Minister Shen who brought Miss Shen into the palace. His Majesty held a banquet, saying that there were female relatives present, and invited Your Highness to join them."
Now, the court and the public are urging the emperor to establish an empress as soon as possible, and the prime minister's daughter, Shen Qiongzhi, is the candidate strongly recommended by the ministers.
When Yun Tianqi ascended the throne, he was only eight years old, and she was only eleven. The two siblings were orphaned and helpless. As the minister entrusted by the late emperor, Prime Minister Shen naturally took charge of the court. Now, looking around the court, everyone is either a disciple of the Shen family or a former official of the Shen family.
It's obvious that under these circumstances, Yun Tianqi's empress will inevitably bear the surname Shen. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Shen Qiongzhi will most likely become empress in the future.
"Go and tell His Majesty that I have just returned from offering incense and am covered in dust. I will come after a quick wash."
Lai Shun finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving a definite answer, and quickly bowed and withdrew.
Inside Changyang Palace.
Yun Tianqi, dressed in a black dragon robe, sat at the head of the table, resting his chin on his hand, looking utterly bored.
He looked nothing like Yun Tianjiao. As the ruler of a country, he had almond-shaped eyes, red lips, white teeth, and beautiful eyebrows. Coupled with his childlike, oval face without any sharp features, it wouldn't be surprising to say that he was a male concubine kept by some noble lady.
At the foot of the palace, in stark contrast to the young emperor, sat the solemn and dignified Prime Minister Shen.
As a trusted minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor and the emperor's tutor, this high-ranking official, second only to the emperor, was always serious and rarely smiled, especially in front of Yun Tianqi, where he could be described as somewhat rigid.
The young girl sitting next to Prime Minister Shen had bright eyes and white teeth, and looked quite lively and cheerful. She was none other than the Prime Minister's daughter, Shen Qiongzhi.
Shen Qiongzhi was Prime Minister Shen's daughter born late in life. She was pampered like a precious gem since childhood and often accompanied Prime Minister Shen to and from the palace. She had long regarded such scenes as commonplace and was not reserved. When she saw Yun Tianjiao enter, her eyes lit up and she called out, "Sister Tianjiao!"
"Insolence! No manners!" Prime Minister Shen rebuked from the side.
Shen Qiongzhi stuck out her tongue, rose with her father, and bowed to Yun Tianjiao, saying, "Your Highness, the Eldest Princess."
Yun Tianjiao first bowed to Yun Tianqi and said, "Your Majesty."
"Oh, elder sister, you've finally arrived!" Yun Tianqi jumped up with joy and urged the palace servants to serve the dishes.
He was already extremely grateful that his sister could come and help him deal with that old-fashioned man, so how could he dare to act like an emperor?
Yun Tianjiao excused the Shen father and daughter from their formalities and said with a smile, "We are now family, and tonight is a family banquet, so Prime Minister Shen doesn't need to be too reserved."
"It's only been a few days, and Sister Tianjiao has become even more beautiful!" After taking her seat, Shen Qiongzhi ignored her father's long face and insisted on squeezing in with Yun Tianjiao to whisper to her.
Yun Tianjiao was already strikingly beautiful, and in her finery, she exuded an aura of wealth and beauty, captivating Shen Qiongzhi so much that she couldn't take her eyes off her.
"You're so good with words. Tell me, what do you want from me this time?"
"What, do I have to ask you something before I'll tell the truth!" Shen Qiongzhi said coquettishly, her eyes darting around as she glanced at Prime Minister Shen, lowering her voice even further: "Your Highness, I heard you went to the Qingyuan Temple to offer incense today? How was it, did you see the Qingyuan Immortal Venerable?"
"I didn't see him," Yun Tianjiao said truthfully.
Since Shen Qiongzhi asked this question, she must have already heard some rumors.
Shen Qiongzhi showed no surprise, but sighed meaningfully, "Alas, it's not that I'm saying this, but that Qingyuan Immortal Venerable has long forgotten your kindness in helping him. It's quite meaningless."
"Yes, it's quite boring, so I've decided to stop offering incense to him from now on," Yun Tianjiao said casually, noticing that the banquet today featured her favorite peach blossom wine, and poured herself a glass.
"Really!" Shen Qiongzhi exclaimed with delight. "In that case, Sister Tianjiao, how about I recommend someone even better..."
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