The Imperial Observatory Director took a deep breath and forced himself to speak: "After several nights of observation, I have observed that Mars' trajectory is moving from west to east, and then it stops moving."
The court officials exchanged glances, their expressions becoming somewhat complicated.
At times like these, it's hard not to think that "Dong" might be a reference to the Crown Prince, causing a mix of joy and sorrow among the people.
Emperor Chongde's eyes flickered with unpredictable emotions: "Continue."
There was no turning back once the arrow was released, so the supervisor could only proceed cautiously and boldly: "Through divination, I have discovered that there seems to be some unusual activity in the northeast direction outside Yanjing City."
Emperor Chongde's eyes were cold, and his tone was ambiguous: "Since this discovery was made, why wasn't it reported before?"
The supervisor replied tremblingly, "Since it has not yet been confirmed, I dare not trouble Your Majesty with this matter..."
"You may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment!" Emperor Chongde sternly snorted, his face darkening. "Where is northeast of Yanjing City?"
After a moment of contemplation, the supervisor replied, "Your Majesty, it is Wushan."
——
Shen Tangning learned about what happened in the imperial court from Chi's father.
During dinner, Mr. Chi looked worried and casually complained, "It seems like the weather is about to change again!"
Chi Yan became somewhat interested and asked a few more questions: "You look so miserable as soon as you get back, what happened?"
This wasn't a secret. Chi's father gave a rough explanation. When Wushan was mentioned, Shen Tangning paused in her chopsticks, a strange light flashing in her eyes.
Earlier, when she met the princess, she found a red leaf on the princess and it reminded her of something.
The reason why Wushan made her so sensitive was because this place was somewhat special and also related to her cousin, the Crown Prince.
In the previous life, an accident occurred during the sacrificial ceremony, which greatly angered His Majesty. The statement that Mars was in conjunction with Antares sparked rumors, with the blame pointing directly at the Crown Prince.
However, without evidence, it cannot be taken seriously.
It wasn't until some unusual phenomena were discovered in Wushan that Emperor Chongde became completely suspicious of the Crown Prince.
In reality, there are no such strange phenomena. They are all man-made, using rumors and so-called celestial phenomena to set up an escape route.
However, emperors were wary of such things, preferring to believe it to be true rather than not.
After recalling this incident, she immediately sent a letter to the Crown Prince, hoping that the tragedy of her previous life would not repeat itself.
As for why the Princess went to Wushan, Shen Tangning had some guesses. The red leaves of Wushan have always been exceptional, especially in the early morning when the fog has not yet dissipated, the scenery of viewing flowers through the fog is extremely beautiful.
But the princess had invited her that day, and if it was just to enjoy the scenery, the trip would be too rushed. So she must have been going to meet someone.
Yan Mingyi was intelligent and knew that Emperor Chongde would send people to keep an eye on her secretly. She should not give anyone any leverage over her, so Shen Tangning was not worried.
“His Majesty is furious. Surely many people will be punished this time?” She put down her chopsticks, her expression hesitant.
Without much thought, Chi's father nodded in deep agreement: "Isn't that right? The people in charge of the sacrificial rites, such as those from the Imperial Observatory and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, were all punished! They were even flogged!"
Mother Chi clicked her tongue in surprise and said softly, "So it's better that the official's rank isn't high, so we don't have to worry about him all the time!"
Doing a job well doesn't guarantee a reward, but doing it badly can easily cost you your head!
Chi Yan smiled faintly, not quite agreeing with this statement: "Mother, you've misunderstood. When it comes to being an official, of course the higher the rank, the better. If you're a low-ranking official, you'll not only suffer mistreatment, but if something goes wrong, small fry will take the blame."
Chi's father stared at him thoughtfully, then suddenly laughed and said, "My son has more ambition than I do!"
Shen Tangning lowered her eyes and slightly curved her lips.
Jiang Qingyue's father was the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He messed up his job, so it seems he's in for a rough time.
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