Chapter 41 041 An enemy is unworthy to be emperor! Unworthy to rule a nation…
For Yun Tianjiao, the scenes in the Reincarnation Mirror ended after the demise of Yu Meng's divine essence. All she could see were the things that had happened as Yu Meng's eyes could see. Therefore, she did not know that the boy would die because of the Vajra, nor did she know that he would eventually become a lustful ghost and attach himself to that Vajra.
Emerging from the past life realm revealed by the Reincarnation Mirror and returning to Chang Le Palace, Yun Tianjiao remained stunned for a long time before muttering to himself, "So, it seems I am the reincarnation of the Goddess Yu Meng?"
Then she suddenly realized that Zhiwei was holding her by the wrists, almost hugging her. Thinking of the shameless scene she had seen with that boy in the mirror, her face suddenly burned.
"What did Your Highness see in the mirror?" Zhiwei asked from behind.
Yun Tianjiao broke free from Zhiwei and turned back with some surprise, "You can't see?"
Zhiwei shook her head, "I can only see some things that happened before I ascended to immortality in my youth."
His handsome features were illuminated by the candlelight, appearing gentle and tender. His eyelashes drooped as he looked over, and for a moment, Yun Tianjiao felt that he resembled the boy named Cang Han somewhat.
"Oh, is that so? Then it seems that the Mirror of Reincarnation can only show one's own past life, not others'." Yun Tianjiao breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that if this person really saw that his past life involved doing this and that with a young man, it would be truly shameful.
Next, Yun Tianjiao told Zhiwei about Fu Luo's curse, "It seems that the calamity that I was destined to die before the age of nineteen originated from him. It's just a pity that Fu Luo had already perished a hundred years ago, so I can't find anyone to take revenge on."
Yun Tianjiao was somewhat frustrated. It seemed that the Reincarnation Mirror was of no use at all, and she still didn't know how to get out of her current predicament.
"You say that since all those who were cursed are dead, does the curse still exist? Or is what I'm suffering simply the retribution of Heaven for severing the pillar of Heaven, and that I will never have a good death in all my future lives?"
She was momentarily confused.
"Is Your Highness still troubled by the old fortune teller's prophecy? Such nonsense should not be taken seriously."
"Would you believe me if I said I remember my several reincarnations?"
Zhiwei's breathing faltered for a moment. Yun Tianjiao wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Zhiwei seemed a little nervous.
"In your previous reincarnations, Your Highness did not live past the age of nineteen?"
Yun Tianjiao suddenly chuckled, feigning nonchalance, and said, "Just kidding. How could mortals remember their reincarnations? Do you think Meng Po by the Bridge of Helplessness is just a figurehead?"
Seeing Yun Tianjiao smile, Zhiwei smiled as well and echoed, "Yes, that's true. If we have the chance to go to the Ghost Realm again, we'll take His Highness to ask her personally."
Yun Tianjiao wasn't sure if Zhiwei was serious or just joking. Then he heard him say, "But there's one thing I don't understand."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Since Your Highness is the reincarnation of Yu Meng, why do all the gods seem to completely disregard Your Highness?"
Normally, gods can trace a person's past and present lives, even if their appearance has changed.
Yun Tianjiao hadn't thought of this before. After Zhiwei reminded her, she also felt it was a bit strange. Judging from the past events provided by the Reincarnation Mirror, the three current God Venerables and Heavenly Venerables were all in agreement with Yu Meng back then, and should have known each other very well. If she really was the reincarnation of Yu Meng, why didn't these people show any abnormality when facing her?
Just then, Fuman rushed in in a panic.
"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! You must come quickly! His Majesty and Lord Shen are fighting! They've even drawn swords and guns! His Majesty has even mobilized the Imperial Guards, threatening to kill Lord Shen!"
Yun Tianjiao's mind went blank, and he felt his vision go black.
"How did things get like this?"
Although the two of them often bickered before, it had never gone this far.
"It's all because of Miss Shen..."
Yun Tianjiao didn't dare to delay and rushed to Changyang Palace without even having time to tidy his appearance.
Before even reaching the palace gate, one could see the Imperial Guards surrounding the entire Changyang Palace in layers, their dark presence making one's heart sink.
As Yun Tianjiao ascended the steps, two imperial guards drew their swords to stop him.
Fu Man, who was serving Yun Tianjiao obsequiously, saw this and cursed, "Open your dog eyes and see who's here! How many heads do you have? How dare you stop Her Highness the Princess?!"
"Get out of my way! If anyone in Changyang Palace suffers any harm today, I will exterminate your entire family!" Yun Tianjiao came with a solemn vow, his aura menacing. He deflected the swords of two imperial guards with a single stroke. "Get lost!"
Princess Zhenguo held a position in the court that no one dared to underestimate, especially His Majesty, who listened to his elder sister's every word. In the end, the Imperial Guards did not dare to stop her again.
When Yun Tianjiao rushed into Chang Le Palace, he saw Yun Tianqi holding a long sword to Shen Hengzhen's neck.
Yun Tianqi glared fiercely at Shen Hengzhen, like a black-eyed chicken, while Shen Hengzhen also stiffened his neck, looking at him with a cold and indifferent expression.
"What are you doing! Yun Tianqi, put your sword down!"
Upon seeing Yun Tianjiao, Yun Tianqi seemed to have found his pillar of support and suddenly became aggrieved, "Royal sister, it's not that I wanted to kill him, it's that he wanted to kill me!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Yun Tianjiao was terrified.
If the words of the emperor and the prime minister's son fighting to the death were to spread from Changyang Palace, who knows what kind of bloody storm it would cause in the court.
Yun Tianjiao walked over and knocked the longsword out of Yun Tianqi's hand with a spell. He then looked at Shen Hengzhen and said, "Lord Shen, Qiongzhi's matter was an accident. The Heavenly Realm has promised to give us an explanation. What's the use of you getting angry at His Majesty?"
"Confess?" Shen Hengzhen scoffed. He looked terrible, with dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in a long time. "Your Highness, do you know how Qiongzhi died?"
Yun Tianjiao was slightly stunned. Rumors were circulating that Shen Qiongzhi was raped and murdered by Immortal Lord Zhu Jing after losing control. In order to protect Shen Qiongzhi's reputation, the Heavenly Realm never mentioned her death, which was probably not very respectable. However, judging from Shen Hengzhen's tone, it seemed that he already knew.
“The Shen family has a god with whom they have a good relationship. That god happened to see Qiongzhi’s last moments.” Shen Hengzhen didn’t wait for Yun Tianjiao’s response before gritting his teeth and squeezing out each word almost from between his teeth. “He said that when Qiongzhi was found, all her flesh and blood had been drained, leaving only an empty skeleton and dry skin. She was made into a kite and was floating in mid-air.”
Yun Tianjiao was incredulous, her legs almost giving way. As she imagined the scene through Shen Hengzhen's description, the girl's bright and cheerful smile seemed to reappear before her eyes. She felt as if her heart had been pierced by an awl.
"How... how is this possible..."
Yun Tianqi was also stunned, his mouth opened but he couldn't make a sound.
Shen Hengzhen stared blankly at Yun Tianqi, as if trying to see right through him.
Yun Tianqi couldn't help but take two steps back. "Why are you looking at me like that? Qiongzhi's accident... I... I'm also very upset..."
"Your Majesty, my sister died such a tragic death, yet the Heavenly Realm remains completely silent, attempting to downplay the matter and let it go. As the Emperor, are you simply going to stand by and watch them torment your people like this?"
Yun Tianqi was almost driven to tears. "What can I do? They are gods! What can I do when gods have spoken?"
"How laughable! These days, even the gods live off the offerings of incense from us mortals. If Your Majesty truly wanted to seek justice for my sister, you only needed to issue an edict ordering the people to stop offering incense. You would have no shortage of opportunities to negotiate. But you simply let it go, daring not to disobey those hypocrites who fill the heavens! You... are unworthy to be emperor! Unworthy to be the ruler of a nation!"
"Shut up!" Yun Tianqi was so provoked that he jumped up and down. As an emperor, he also had dignity. Being offended like this, he no longer cared about friendship. He immediately picked up the long sword on the ground and pointed it at Shen Hengzhen again. "You say that I am not worthy to be an emperor, not worthy to be the ruler of a country, then who do you think is worthy? Who is worthy? Could it be you!"
"Enough! You two shut up!" Yun Tianjiao dared not let the conflict between the ruler and his subject escalate any further, and deliberately drew the fire. "Shen Hengzhen, the Ascension Ceremony is held every seven years, and nothing has ever happened in all these years. This is truly something we couldn't have predicted..."
"The Ascension Ceremony should never have existed!" Shen Hengzhen almost roared, interrupting Yun Tianjiao. "It bewitches the people, strengthens divine power, and makes all living beings place all their hopes on praying to gods and Buddhas, no longer focusing on reality. Holding this kind of thing every year misleads people and wastes money. This thing should never have existed..."
"You're crazy, you're crazy, Shen Hengzhen, you're really crazy, you're really crazy..." Yun Tianqi was incredulous and so shocked that he forgot to be angry.
The entire Yunchi Kingdom reveres gods, yet Shen Hengzhen denies the existence of gods, which is tantamount to treason and a rebellion against the Heavenly Order.
For a moment, Changyang Palace fell into a deathly silence, with only the heavy breathing of Yun Tianqi and Shen Hengzhen due to their excitement.
“Shen Hengzhen, now that Qiongzhi has met with this, there’s no point in investigating who is responsible. If you still value our childhood friendship and trust me, then entrust this matter to me for investigation. I will definitely find out the truth about Qiongzhi’s death and give you and Prime Minister Shen a satisfactory answer.”
"I am willing to do my part." Zhiwei, who had been silent until now, also spoke up. "I have some connections in the Ghost Realm. If we hurry, we might be able to catch up with Miss Shen's soul."
Upon hearing Zhiwei say that they might be able to track down Shen Qiongzhi's spirit, a glimmer of light finally returned to Shen Hengzhen's lifeless eyes. He looked at Yun Tianjiao, as if seeking confirmation of the credibility of her words.
Yun Tianjiao nodded to him, "I am willing to go to the Ghost Realm to find the Jade Branch for you."
Shen Hengzhen's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to ask to go with her to find her sister's soul, but after thinking for a moment, he still couldn't speak. Instead, he took a step back and kowtowed to Yun Tianqi.
"Your Majesty, I have offended Your Majesty and deserve to die. I am willing to atone for my sins through meritorious service. I have heard that the wildfires in the Wanxi Mountain area have been raging for several months and are showing signs of continuing to spread. I am willing to personally go there to oversee the firefighting and disaster relief efforts. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission!"
Yun Tianqi was caught off guard by Shen Hengzhen's sudden concession and looked at Yun Tianjiao, seemingly wanting her help in making a decision. Seeing Yun Tianjiao nod, he finally agreed.
Shen Hengzhen accepted the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude. Without saying anything more, he left Changyang Palace directly.
Looking at the dark clouds hanging low outside the palace gates, and watching Shen Hengzhen's solitary figure disappear into the distance, Yun Tianjiao felt as if the storm had only just begun.
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