Chapter 86 086 The transfer of funds seems to... Your Highness and this 'old friend'...
"His Majesty came and advised me to kneel and repent before the gods to obtain forgiveness. But I refused, and His Majesty left in anger."
Shen Hengzhen's expression was indifferent, and his tone was calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
Compared to before he left the capital last time, his skin was much darker, and he looked much thinner and more disheveled. He no longer had the refined demeanor of a noble young master, but there was a certain determination in his eyes.
Like a sturdy pine tree rising from the ground, it refuses to be broken by the wind.
Seeing his change, Yun Tianjiao gradually lost his feigned ease and sighed, "Hengzhen, why are you doing this? It's something you can just apologize for and leave. There's no need to worry Prime Minister Shen."
Shen Hengzhen sneered, "I am innocent, why should I submit? I have searched through all the laws and regulations, and which one states that disobeying the will of the gods is a crime that requires going to this prison?"
Yun Tianjiao was stunned by Shen Hengzhen's question. Although his words were plain, they were resounding and left no room for argument.
Yun Tianjiao lowered her eyelashes slightly, no longer daring to look directly into his eyes.
"The gods cannot be insulted. This is the will of the people, and Your Majesty has no other choice."
"Public opinion? If public opinion is the opinion of fools, should we still obey it?"
Shen Hengzhen's lips curled slightly as he stared intently at Yun Tianjiao. Though inside the prison cell, his eyes shone with a chilling light.
“Your Highness, if someone must break this will of the people, let me begin. In the darkness of darkness, there must be a first person to ignite a spark, even if they are killed as an outcast, at least let those who come after them witness the glimmer of a spark.”
Yun Tianjiao was secretly alarmed, vaguely sensing that Shen Hengzhen's words contained a death wish, and couldn't help but think of the prophecy of the God of Ink Sorrow.
Knowing that further persuasion was futile, she turned to leave, taking out the Reincarnation Mirror hidden in her sleeve and looking at Shen Hengzhen behind her through the mirror.
He stood still for a long time without moving.
"Is there anything else, Your Highness?"
Shen Hengzhen turned around in confusion.
Yun Tianjiao hurriedly put away the Reincarnation Mirror, took a deep breath, and said to Shen Hengzhen with his back to her, "Don't worry, as long as I am here, I will do my best to protect your life."
Shen Hengzhen stared blankly at the departing figure of the eldest princess until he heard the sound of the prison gate opening and closing in the distance. He knew then that she was gone for good.
He gave a wry smile and said, "Your Highness, why bother?"
...
After emerging from the Censorate prison, Zhiwei reappeared, observing Yun Tianjiao's expression, and asked, "Your Highness recognized Lord Shen's past life?"
Yun Tianjiao gently stroked the Reincarnation Mirror in his sleeve and nodded: "He is an old friend of mine."
Zhiwei hummed in response, pondering the words "old friend" for a moment with an inscrutable expression, before asking, "Do I recognize him?"
Yun Tianjiao shook his head: "We didn't know each other back then." He paused, as if thinking of something, and glanced at Zhiwei, "You might not have even been born yet."
Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, her peach blossom eyes curving alluringly, but there was little smile in them. She slowly said, "It seems... Your Highness and this 'old friend' have a long history."
Yun Tianjiao finally noticed Zhiwei's unusual behavior, turned his head to look at him, and suddenly realized: "Are you jealous?"
"I am still a junior deity and dare not presume to criticize the past affairs of the gods."
The jealousy was practically bursting forth.
Yun Tianjiao couldn't help but chuckle and reassured him, "Don't worry, even if I had something with my old friend, I don't remember it. In the Reincarnation Mirror, I only saw Yu Meng's experiences, but it's not like I've regained my memories, so I can't empathize with her."
These words were meant to comfort Zhiwei, but Zhiwei looked even more dejected.
He knew that what the princess said was true, but the thought that she wouldn't truly empathize with their past experiences, but would only see the past from a bystander's perspective, still left him with a sense of regret.
However, this sadness was fleeting. Looking at the woman walking beside him, her hair adorned with tinkling ornaments and her ears adorned with bright moon-shaped earrings, her beauty as radiant as the sun, he only wished for her well-being in this life. Even if she only had the memory of being together with him in this lifetime, he would be content.
...
At first, the worshippers were puzzled by Qingyuan's being named the God of Wind and Rain, especially since the autumn harvest season was approaching and ordinary people had limited money for incense offerings, so they didn't know who to offer their incense to.
Most people still chose Gongxin God, after all, he is an old-established god of agriculture with a guaranteed reputation.
As a result, the popularity of Qingyuan Temple on Yunji Mountain has declined rather than increased since Qingyuan was promoted to a god. In particular, the temple is much less popular than before, especially since the Princess was no longer the top worshipper.
However, new rumors soon emerged that Qingyuan Immortal Venerable was personally promoted by the Heavenly Venerable and was highly trusted. The reason he was given the rather useless title of Wind and Rain God was to prepare for replacing Gongxin, the God of Agriculture.
If that's the case, who would dare to slight this future god of agriculture?
Therefore, the Qingyuan Divine Palace was only deserted for a little over half a month before it returned to its former glory.
To curry favor, Yun Tianqi even prepared to build a new temple for this newly promoted God-Emperor, one that would be worthy of his divine authority. After all, the three previous God-Emperors each had their own royal-level temple, so there was no reason for Qingyuan to be short of one.
However, with continuous natural disasters and an empty treasury, and having just held the Ascension Ceremony, where could they find such a large sum of money to build a new divine temple?
After much thought, Yun Tianqi had a sudden inspiration and decided to transfer the wildfire relief funds over.
A group of court officials, led by Prime Minister Shen, immediately and vehemently opposed the proposal, but Prime Minister Shen remained silent.
Since Shen Hengzhen was imprisoned, Prime Minister Shen has rarely spoken at court meetings. Some people who already disliked the Shen family took this opportunity to kick him while he was down, and submitted many memorials impeaching Shen Hengzhen.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider! The wildfires in the southwest have been raging for a long time, and the people are already deeply resentful. How can we possibly divert disaster relief funds at this critical juncture? In the past, there was Lord Shen in charge of disaster relief, but now that he has been ordered to return to the capital, the officials who have taken his place have all been unable to perform their duties. It is said that nine out of ten villages in the southwest are now deserted. We must not make things worse for Your Majesty!"
"How dare you! What are you saying? The wildfires in the southwest have been raging for so long because of the disruption of the natural order. His Majesty's decision to allocate funds to build a temple is precisely to better worship the gods and seek divine blessings! How dare you criticize His Majesty for this?! And what about Lord Shen? In my opinion, it's because of his ineffective disaster relief efforts that he angered the gods, leaving behind a mess and damaging the reputation of subsequent disaster relief officials!"
Ever since that nightmare, Yun Tianqi had been suffering from headaches. Now, the constant chatter and noise from the court officials only made his head throb even more, and he gradually became more irritable.
"Alright, all of you shut up! I have made up my mind on this matter, so there is no need for further argument!" Yun Tianqi said this and then left the court, hurrying to the Heavenly Venerable Temple to burn incense and pray.
The court officials who supported transferring funds to repair the temple all wore smug expressions, looked at Prime Minister Shen's faction with disdain, and left one after another.
"Prime Minister Shen! Why don't you say something to persuade him?"
"Yes, Prime Minister Shen, how can we stand by and watch His Majesty act so perversely!"
The ministers, led by Prime Minister Shen, were all very puzzled.
Prime Minister Shen wanted to speak, but he coughed first, making him look even older and more frail. After he finally calmed down, he sighed helplessly, "Now that His Majesty is unwilling to listen to me, if I speak, I'm afraid it will backfire and make His Majesty dislike me. It's better to remain silent."
"What can we do then? Are we just going to stand by and watch?"
Prime Minister Shen said, "The only option now is to request an audience with Her Highness the Princess. If even Her Highness cannot dissuade His Majesty, then this old man is also helpless..."
Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"Yes! Let's go see Her Highness the Princess together. His Majesty usually listens to her advice the most, so we can definitely persuade him to retract his order!"
Inside the Chang Le Palace, just as the officials decided to come and meet Yun Tianjiao, she was receiving another uninvited guest.
"Immortal Venerable Qingyuan... Oh, no, nowadays, I should address you as Divine Venerable Qingyuan."
That day, Zhiwei had to return to the Ghost Realm to handle some government affairs. Yun Tianjiao sat alone at his desk reading memorials related to the wildfire, wanting to know why the wildfire had not been extinguished for so long. He also wanted to find out Shen Hengzhen's merits and find a reason to get him out of prison.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze brushed my face, the candlelight inside flickered, and a man in green robes appeared gracefully in the hall.
Yun Tianjiao looked up at the newcomer, but did not get up. He only said this sarcastically before continuing to look down at the memorial.
Qingyuan was not annoyed. He walked slowly to Yun Tianjiao's desk and personally adjusted the lamp wick for her, making the dim candlelight bright again.
"Although it is daytime, the palace is dimly lit, Your Highness should still protect your eyes." His voice was gentle and affectionate, as if there had never been any estrangement or displeasure between them.
Yun Tianjiao lifted his eyelids, his expression indifferent. "Qingyuan Divine Venerable, I no longer offer sacrifices to you. It's not appropriate for you to come uninvited, is it?"
Qingyuan seemed oblivious to the disgust in Yun Tianjiao's tone, as if he himself were that unknown little god who humbly served the princess back then.
"Your Highness, have your legs been sitting for a long time? Why don't you let me give you a massage?" He sat down beside the table, rolled up his sleeves, and actually prepared to massage Yun Tianjiao's legs.
Yun Tianjiao, however, was impolite, kicking his hand away and asking warily, "What exactly are you doing here?"
Qingyuan stared intently at Yun Tianjiao and said, "In the past, Your Highness offered me incense and helped me rise to prominence. I thought Your Highness only cared about my appearance, so I was resentful and deliberately distanced myself from Your Highness, hoping to ascend to the position of God-Emperor on my own."
As they spoke, Qingyuan pulled Yun Tianjiao's legs back over, and no matter how much she struggled, it was useless. He then began to massage them slowly and gently.
"Now that I have finally become a god, my magical power has increased many times over, and I have seen clearly many things that I could not see clearly before. Only now do I realize that I have misunderstood Your Highness's feelings for me. It is too late to regret it."
Yun Tianjiao frowned. "I don't understand what you're talking about, but there's one thing: I've never had any feelings for you, so you don't need to overthink it, Divine Lord."
Qingyuan suddenly raised her eyes, looking at her with a half-smile, "No? Your Highness served me back then, wasn't it because you valued my expertise in divination?"
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