Chapter 59 Carrying an Ominous Sign
"It's all because of my good-for-nothing brother, who dared to take liberties with you," Yan Liqin said through gritted teeth. "He deserves it all."
Everyone has heard about this.
However, because it was the infamous Yan Wenkang, the young ladies present only felt sorry for Jiang Zhi and did not deliberately mention him in front of her.
Yan Liqin deliberately said such things, which was really disgusting.
"Alright, since you've come to pray for blessings, let's not talk about these dirty things," the Queen began to reprimand. "This is not your Lord Zhongqin's mansion."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong." Yan Liqin replied in a low voice, but her sinister gaze remained fixed on Jiang Zhi.
She killed her own brother, and she still has the nerve to participate in the selection of the Crown Princess?
Dream on!
Today I will make sure she loses all face and never sets foot in the palace again for the rest of her life!
The prayer tree in front of the hall is already over ten feet tall, with a thick trunk and lush, layered branches and leaves.
On the tray held by the lady-in-waiting was a jade plaque crafted by the Imperial Household Department. The jade was smooth and lustrous, and engraved with auspicious phrases chosen by the Imperial Observatory. A red string was suspended from a hole at the top of the plaque, making it easy to hang on a prayer tree.
The palace maid distributed the jade tokens on the tray one by one.
Yan Liqin winked at the little palace maid, and when it was Jiang Zhi's turn, the little palace maid handed Jiang Zhi the jade token that Yan Liqin had prepared beforehand.
Jiang Zhi noticed Yan Liqin's gaze on her and carefully examined the jade token she had been given.
The auspicious words on it were correct, and the surface was intact. Jiang Zhi even checked the red rope used for hanging and found nothing wrong with it.
So what exactly does Yan Liqin want to do?
Before Jiang Zhi could think any further, the Empress had already hung the jade pendant in her hand on the prayer tree.
The other young ladies dispersed to find suitable branches to hang their jade pendants.
Yan Liqin squeezed next to Jiang Zhi and said with a smile, "Miss Jiang rarely comes to the palace and doesn't know the rules. You have to be careful about the rules for hanging the lucky plaque. If you accidentally drop it, it will be a serious offense of disrespect."
Jiang Zhi glanced at her and said calmly, "Thank you for the reminder, Third Prince's Consort."
She deliberately walked a few steps away, keeping a little distance from her, and seeing that everyone had finished hanging their jade pendants, she quickly picked a sturdy branch and reached out to hang hers.
Just as she threaded her fingertips through the red string and hung the fortune plaque on the branch, and the fortune plaque fell under the force of the red string, a slight crisp sound was heard.
The crack at the perforation of the "Fu" plaque suddenly burst open, and the entire plaque fell onto the bluestone ground, breaking in two with a "clink".
The extremely soft sound caused a slight change in the expressions of everyone present, who all looked at Jiang Zhi with surprise.
"Oh dear, I've already told Miss Jiang to be careful, why are you still so careless? This is a jade pendant meant to pray for the Crown Prince's well-being, does Miss Jiang not care about it at all?"
Yan Liqin exclaimed in surprise, concealing the schadenfreude in her eyes, and turned to the Empress who was presiding over the blessing ceremony, "Mother, a broken blessing plaque is an ominous sign, what should we do?"
The Empress's face was already quite pale.
The Imperial Observatory issued a statement over a month ago: "Evil spirits have invaded the palace, their intent directed towards the east." This directly points to the Eastern Palace, where the Crown Prince resides.
Only by chanting scriptures and praying for blessings, and exorcising evil spirits, can the problem be solved and the prince's injury be healed.
This young daughter of a high-ranking official was so reckless, ruining the blessing banquet and bringing such bad luck upon herself. She was utterly despicable!
"Jiang Zhi, what is your crime?" The Empress's phoenix eyes were sharp, and her voice was as cold as ice.
Everyone fell silent, too afraid to speak.
Only Yan Liqin continued, "Empress Dowager, the Imperial Observatory previously said that a villain had offended the Grand Duke Jupiter. Now, Miss Jiang has also offended the gods, bringing ominous energy into the palace. If this is not properly resolved, I'm afraid His Highness the Crown Prince's health..."
She didn't say anything more.
The Empress's face was stormy, her eyes dark and brooding.
Yan Liqin felt a sense of relief.
After today's events, Jiang Zhi will never find a good husband in Kyoto.
After all, carrying the stigma of misfortune and displeasing the Empress is not something everyone can bear.
“This woman, surnamed Jiang, has offended the gods and violated proper lady-like conduct. Drag her away and make her kneel and slap herself. This is not to be stopped without my permission.”
The female official immediately obeyed and stepped forward.
Yan Liqin almost clapped and cheered.
Today, she can finally avenge the Earl of Loyalty and Diligence and her brother!
"Wait a minute," Jiang Zhi stopped the female official's actions.
The Empress, enraged, laughed coldly, "You dare disobey my imperial decree?"
Jiang Zhi simply bent down to pick up the broken fortune plaque from the ground, respectfully presented it to her, and knelt down, saying, "This humble woman congratulates Your Majesty the Empress."
The Empress frowned, her anger intensifying. "How dare you spout such nonsense here!"
"I simply feel that the shattering of the jade may not necessarily be an ominous sign," Jiang Zhi said calmly, without the slightest hint of panic.
"It is said that jade possesses spiritual power and can ward off disasters. Today, it shattered at the blessing banquet. I believe that this jade pendant took the calamity for Your Highness and protected you from evil spirits. It is an auspicious omen."
Yan Liqin immediately retorted, "It was clearly you who accidentally broke the fortune plaque. No matter how eloquent you are, you cannot atone for this sin. The Empress Dowager is discerning and will not be deceived by you."
Jiang Zhi pieced together the broken jade pendant and held it above her head. "Your Majesty, please look at the auspicious words on this jade pendant—"
"With the seal of office aligned with the virtue of Heaven, one will be spared from official punishment and will be free from calamity until old age. The fact that the characters for 'punishment' and 'calamity' were broken means that Your Highness will be far from misfortune and will live a peaceful and prosperous life."
"How could this happen..." Now it was Yan Liqin's turn to look pale.
The Empress finally took the fortune tablet and examined it. As Jiang Zhi had said, her anger subsided slightly.
“But Miss Jiang has behaved improperly in front of the emperor, so she should be punished accordingly,” Yan Liqin immediately changed her tune.
Before the Empress could speak, a clear and melodious voice rang out from outside the palace.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty. This morning, I felt a tightness in my chest and my body was not feeling well. But as soon as I came to Your Majesty's place, I felt completely relaxed and the tightness was swept away."
Xiao Xuanyou strode in with a loud voice, his eyebrows and eyes exuding a sense of authority that made people dare not look him directly in the eye.
Everyone immediately bowed.
The Empress looked concerned. "Didn't the imperial physician say you were fine? Why do you still have a tightness in your chest? Has the imperial physician been summoned to examine you?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine once I enter Kunning Palace. Indeed, Your Majesty's palace is the best."
He wore a smile, exuding the dignified and noble air unique to members of the imperial family.
A rare smile appeared on the Empress's face. "Is it really that effective? Don't try to deceive your mother."
"How dare I?" Xiao Xuanyou said as if he had just noticed Jiang Zhi kneeling on the ground. "What happened?"
After being comforted by Xiao Xuanyou, the Empress's last trace of displeasure disappeared. She waved her hand and said, "Get up. I will not pursue your mistake today."
Jiang Zhi immediately expressed her gratitude and looked at Yan Liqin.
We must find a way to eradicate the Earl of Loyalty and Diligence's mansion completely.
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