Chapter 277: Speculation, Flattery Hit the Horse's Hoof
Beigong Shu was banished to Jiangling, a remote place, by his father ten years ago. He thought that this person had been forgotten by the court, but he didn't expect that he still had so many followers.
I don't know what's so good about following an abandoned person.
Compliment? Praise?
Oh, the higher you praise someone, the harder he will fall!
He had received the list of birthday gifts early in the morning and made preparations in advance. I wonder if Prince Shu will still be able to laugh later!
He gave a look and some of his ministers immediately stood up.
"Your Majesty, what His Royal Highness Prince Shu did was inappropriate. It is true that the Jade Unicorn was dug out of the Jiangling Mountains and it was a good omen, but it has brought disaster to our Beiliang!"
"The Jade Unicorn is a symbol of good fortune, how can it be a disaster?"
"Your Highness Prince Shu, you may not know that the Qilin is a good omen and a symbol of good fortune. But at the same time, the Qilin is also a divine beast, the mountain god of Qilian Mountain in Jiangling. How can a mountain god move without permission? It is because Prince Shu dug out the Jade Qilin without permission that Beiliang has suffered disaster!"
"How outrageous!" Beigong Shu pursed his lips.
The hands hidden in his sleeves clenched into fists unconsciously. How dare this bastard Li Zheng talk nonsense? He could hardly suppress the violence in his heart.
He took a deep breath and said, "Master Li, you are from the Imperial Observatory, don't speak carelessly, be careful of the disaster caused by your words."
When mentioning Qilian Mountain, Emperor Ming's expression became serious. "Li Zheng, which mountain were you talking about?"
Li Zheng bowed to His Majesty, "Your Majesty, this Jade Unicorn was produced in the Qilian Mountains, which is where the dragon vein is. When Prince Shu dug the Jade Unicorn out of the mountain, it was not only earth-shaking, but also mountain collapses and rocks cracked, which was bound to affect the dragon vein. I dare to speculate that the smallpox and famine that broke out in Beiliang before may be related to the turbulence of the dragon vein."
Beigong Shu frowned.
This jade Qilin was naturally not created by nature. Instead, he spent three years searching for skilled craftsmen from Dayan, and it took three years to carve it. It then took another three years to weather and become what it is today.
Ten years of hard work are all for this day.
He spread the news that the Jade Unicorn was produced in Qilian Mountain early in the morning, intending to use the gimmick of the dragon vein to build momentum for himself.
The appearance of the auspicious jade unicorn on Longmai Mountain, his fiefdom, means something that goes without saying.
Unexpectedly, this was also the biggest failure.
Li Zheng continued, "Before the smallpox epidemic, I observed the sky at night and noticed that there was a change in the northwest direction. Now I think it must be because King Shu dug up the Jade Unicorn and disturbed the dragon vein."
"Your Majesty, I know very well that the Qilian Mountains are the dragon vein and I dare not move them without permission. I have specially hired skilled craftsmen to carve the Jade Unicorn out of the mountain in its entirety. I am not trying to shake the mountain." Beigong Shu took a deep breath and immediately stepped forward to explain.
His brothers are not difficult to deal with, except Beigong Yu, who is arrogant. Once someone crosses him, he will be like a mad dog and bite whoever he catches.
He remembered that this Li Zheng was his man.
If he were to bite me, I would probably be accused of shaking the foundation of Beiliang.
He thought that his father would be relieved by what he said, but he didn't expect that Ming Huang didn't even look at him and asked Li Zheng: "In your opinion, how should this matter be resolved?"
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Jade Unicorn should be returned to its original position as soon as possible to protect the dragon vein."
"Father, I think what you said makes sense. We should not be careless about the dragon vein."
After Beigong Yu spoke, many court officials in the hall echoed, "The dragon vein is the foundation of the country. It has protected Beiliang's prosperity for many years. But this year, there was a strange phenomenon. There was a sudden plague and famine under the emperor's feet. It's really strange. It must be that the dragon vein was damaged, which led to such a disaster."
“It is better to believe it than not to believe it. The smallpox epidemic is a warning.”
"Your Majesty, you must put the country and the people first, and the dragon vein first!"
“…”
At this point, Beigong Shu still understood that even if he brought witnesses and evidence, there would be no room for maneuver regarding the birthday gift.
The only option now is... to confess!
He immediately lifted his robe and knelt down, "I deserve to die. I shouldn't have dug the auspicious sign without permission. Please punish me, father."
He only admitted the crime of taking the auspicious sign without permission, but he could not admit the crime of shaking the dragon vein!
At this moment, in addition to the fear of the impending emperor's wrath, he was also filled with horror at Beigong Yu.
I didn't expect that as many as half of the people in the court supported this idiot!
Emperor Ming narrowed his hawk-like eyes.
He glanced at Beigong Shu who was kneeling on the ground and Beigong Yu who was holding his head high, his eyes sharp and cold.
These two idiots actually ruined his birthday party for such a thing, and destroyed the peace and prosperity that Beiliang had finally achieved.
They would damage the dragon veins at any time and shake the foundation of Beiliang.
Is this a curse on him or on Beiliang?
He retracted his gaze, suppressed the disgust in his eyes, and said coldly: "Prince Shu has disturbed the dragon vein without permission. Considering that he has no intention, I will not pursue the matter. After today, seal the Jade Unicorn back to the mountain and do not move it again."
"Your Majesty is wise." Beigong Shu breathed a sigh of relief.
When the gaze of the superior just now swept over him, his breathing almost stopped and sweat broke out all over his body.
Beigong Yu felt a little regretful.
He even revealed the foundation of the dragon vein, but his father did not punish Beigong Shu.
Could it be that my father has other ideas about this eldest son?
Tsk tsk.
Lin Miaoyin couldn't help but feel sorry for Beigong Shu.
I wonder how much manpower and resources were spent in private to come up with such a jade unicorn. It's a pity that I failed to guess the emperor's intention.
The flattery hit the horse's hoof.
Not only did I lose the lady, I also lost my soldiers!
No one knows what Emperor Ming is thinking. That's why we say that the emperor's mind is unpredictable.
But Lin Miaoyin thought that Emperor Ming was the kind of person who loved his son and hated his son. Even if that person picked the moon from the sky and gave it to him, he would still find it lonely.
As for the fact that he only favors Beigong Yu?
Not necessarily.
Otherwise, wouldn’t it be better to just make him the crown prince?
It also saves him from jumping around like a grasshopper and trying to get involved everywhere.
Disgust unconsciously flashed across Lin Miaoyin's eyes.
Soon, she set her sights on the King of Qi who was about to present the gift.
After eating, she stroked her belly and watched everyone celebrate the birthday. This was her first time to attend a birthday festival.
The palace dramas she watched in her previous life were mostly about palace fighting. In the dramas, the emperor's birthday celebrations usually revolved around the concubines in the harem. When she really went to ancient times, she found that it was completely different.
The concubines would naturally give gifts to Emperor Ming, but they would not give them at the dinner. Usually, they would have been sent to the Empress a few days in advance. Except for the ones that Emperor Ming particularly liked, all the others would be given to the Empress, who would organize them into a book and then seal them all in the warehouse.
The palace banquet in the evening is dominated by men, and women are just a foil.
Not to mention using the birthday banquet to win favor, these concubines didn't even have a chance to speak.
Otherwise, it would be considered impolite in front of the palace and would damage the reputation of the royal family.
So, no matter how flamboyant Concubine Chen is, the palace banquet tonight is also very formal.
"Father, I have nothing valuable to offer you. The birthday gift I send you is ten thousand dan of grain." With the precedent of Beigong Shu's mistake in presenting the gift, King Beigong Xian of Qi seemed nervous when presenting the gift.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
