novelhk Chapter 10: The Cannon Fodder Lady: They All Want Her (10)
Chapter 10: The Cannon Fodder Lady: They All Want Her (10)
[Southeast direction, create strange phenomena.]
The short sentence on the note made Pei Jing frown sharply, "Was this handed over by someone from Cui Ci'an?"
"Yes, it was dressed like an ordinary citizen. They gave it to me when I was inspecting the area where the people were gathered outside."
Chi Mo was a little annoyed. "But I didn't see what he looked like. I just stuffed a small piece of cloth at the back to prove his identity. It was the most common uniform for yamen runners."
"He doesn't want to leave any evidence. It's useless even if you see clearly."
Pei Jing thought about it for a moment and understood Cui Ci'an's intention.
Although he intended to sell some benefits to King Rui, King Rui's rise to power has not yet shown any signs. If he were to gamble his entire life and property on one thing, it would not be something a smart person would do.
The best way is to not offend either side now.
Previously, following King Rui's wishes, he successfully let everyone in Shengjing know that the young masters of the Pei and Xie families had also experienced it personally on the night of the Lantern Festival. He made a big deal of the matter, led to the case of the powerful and wealthy, and naturally made King Rui return to Beijing to plead guilty.
This time, regardless of success or failure, Cui Ci'an has already done something practical. It would be better to sell them another one. Then, any major events in the future will have nothing to do with him.
What a good calculation.
"Go and call Zhao Li." Pei Jing whispered the order in Chi Mo's ear, then used his hands to block the sunlight that was pouring in. The gold thread embroidered on his red official robe with a pattern of auspicious tigers reflected a brilliant light.
Today is a rare good day, and the sun is gradually emerging from the clouds.
All the officials knelt on the ground, arranged in descending order of rank, and knelt and kowtowed as they listened to the sacrificial words on the altar.
The officials' wives did not need to perform such arduous worship, they only needed to follow the rituals during the general process.
So the man and woman naturally separated.
Sui Yu used a round fan to block some of the sunlight for her mother. The process on the altar had reached the stage of sending off the gods, and the music became increasingly passionate.
Under the gazes of the crowd, King Rui stood up, bowed toward heaven, and made an impassioned speech: "Today is the day for offering sacrifices to our ancestors and the gods. I didn't want to waste everyone's time because of me, but previously, my brother-in-law, without my knowledge, had done such a beastly thing to the people of Daying."
As he spoke, Prince Rui actually covered his face and wept with great emotion: "I truly feel ashamed of my ancestors. If my father were still alive, he would definitely say that I am dull."
The people watching below were shocked to see that a noble prince actually addressed himself as "I" to them and analyzed his mistakes in public.
He didn't know the reason, but it immediately aroused the people below to speak out for justice.
"Your Highness is right. It was those greedy people who were never satisfied, and in the end they wanted you to take the blame."
"Yes, Your Majesty is right..."
"Your Majesty is right."
Prince Rui's eyes were red, and his handsome face was tinged with tenderness beneath his majesty, as if he was infected by the emperor's subjects.
He bowed to the emperor and said, "Brother Emperor, I dare to call you Brother Emperor again. In order to prevent anyone from taking advantage of my power to oppress the people, I hereby divorce my wife!"
"Princess Rui's family is not good. I don't know how to face her. I beg your Majesty to grant me your consent."
The current emperor, Sheng Yanzhao, watched coldly as his minister brother jumped up and down, acting out his own performance. He even shed a few tears when he was emotionally excited, living up to his father's ability to make the old man smile when he was alive.
Princess Rui's family was only a seventh-rank official in the capital. The late emperor personally arranged the marriage, which put an end to Sheng Yanxun's idea of marrying a noble lady.
Just a few months later, his father passed away and passed the throne to him. In his final words, he earnestly warned: "Your brother should only be a prince who lives a leisurely life of wealth and honor. If you ask him to govern the country, the foundation laid by our ancestors will be destroyed."
The image of a loving father came to life on the paper, a look he had never seen before.
Ever since he could remember, he had been living under one royal rule after another and under the cold faces of his father and his teacher. His father had never given him such a kind smile.
It was because his mother, Empress Xiaoxian, was a good wife and a good mother, but not the woman his father liked.
His father respected his mother, gave her a posthumous title and a grand funeral after her death, and even trained him to be the crown prince. It seemed that he gave him everything except his deep love.
It was ridiculous that his good younger brother received all the love and preferential treatment from his father, but he still dreamed of things that his father had never thought of giving him.
"He has good intentions, but he's easily provoked and a bit foolish. If you two ever have a disagreement, and your father has no other plans, just spare his life."
Sheng Yanzhao thought about the last words his father said when he died. If the old man, who was dying just then, saw the painful expression of the man in front of him, he wondered if he would open the coffin in the imperial mausoleum and crawl out to hug his good son and cry together?
It is indeed a bit stupid. I don't know which new staff member gave him this idea.
Sheng Yanzhao stood tall, and without any expression, he glanced down and saw King Rui kneeling on the ground, which made his heart skip a beat. He lowered his tearful and sincere expression to avoid the actually aggressive gaze.
"This marriage was personally granted by my father, and he has said that it cannot be annulled."
Prince Rui was overjoyed and followed his advisor's lead, saying, "But I'm truly terrified and don't know what to do with the princess and my brother-in-law."
The emperor looked at him coldly, looking at Princess Chen of Rui, who was lying on the ground unable to get up, and her daughter Princess Jiarou, who were both looking at Prince Rui in disbelief.
Prince Rui was completely unaware and said in a distressed tone, "If the Emperor knew what was going on, I'm afraid he would definitely agree with my approach."
As the words fell, a bright light suddenly appeared in front of the altar. Even in the still-sunny day, it was as bright as another sun that gathered all its light.
Prince Rui couldn't stop smiling. He looked over there in shock, paying attention to his own lines: "Is this... a sign from heaven? Does the emperor agree with what I said?"
As his voice fell, the sun gradually stretched out and became a long strip. Its shape could not be distinguished at first, but after two breaths, it turned into a giant golden dragon, accompanied by a dragon roar. It flew high into the sky and then swooped down in front of Sheng Yanzhao, with its tail wrapped around his body.
The dragon head and he looked at the people below at the same time.
The majestic emperor with a golden dragon appeared and shone upon the people below during the ancestor worship, like a miracle.
It instantly ignited the madness of the people below.
"Golden Dragon, it's a golden dragon. Long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"
"Long live my emperor."
"Long live my emperor."
The momentum of tens of thousands of people shouting together was about to break through the sky. It took a full ten breaths for the golden dragon to gradually turn into a point of light and dissipate.
The people below all stretched out their hands to catch the light. "It's hot. The Golden Dragon has blessed me, Your Majesty. The Golden Dragon has blessed me."
Such ecstasy continued to occur.
Sheng Yanzhao frowned slightly, "Don't try to snatch this little bit of golden light. You are all my subjects, just like my own children. Today is a day to celebrate the arrival of the True Dragon. I wish to bestow auspicious blessings upon all of you. This year's taxes can be reduced to 30%."
"The emperor is mighty."
"Your Majesty is wise." The real benefits that befell them ignited the enthusiasm of the people below, and they shouted to express their joy.
As for the things that happened just now, such as Prince Rui and Princess Rui, they were almost completely wiped out by the surging emotions.
King Rui sat on the ground in a daze, temporarily stunned by the sight of the golden dragon.
This is different from what the counselor said. Isn't it a big "accurate"?
Sui Yu knelt on the ground along with everyone else, and turned to look at the corner of a red robe that flashed by in the distance.
The golden light falling on the hands was indeed warm. If the people were caught up in fanatical beliefs, they would naturally regard it as an auspicious blessing.
The sacrificial activity ended successfully.
Naturally, King Rui's wish to divorce his wife was abandoned. However, the punishments that should be imposed were meted out, and the crimes that should be charged were what they were. King Rui was also required to pay money out of his own pocket to appease the suffering family, and it had to be a generous reward.
The night banquet was also carefully arranged amid the busy footsteps of the palace servants.
[Remember, don't just jump around. The more powerful you are, the easier it will seem for the heroine to win. That way, there will be a good contrast.]
Sui Yu followed A Niang and entered the banquet with the other ladies.
Although the seating arrangement was that people from the same government office sat together, they were still separated into two paths for men and women. Officials had to listen to the sacrificial speech and worship the gods again with the emperor before they could come to the banquet behind the officials' families.
The banquet was held on a cruise ship fleet by the moat, and guards were present on the bridge and at the intersections distributing colorful grains, fruits and copper coins.
Although it is not a precious item, the blessing it contains far exceeds its value.
As the fireworks burst into life, the foreign envoys performed the Wuman salute to the emperor, "Your Majesty, please allow our tribe's pearl to perform a dance for you."
"Okay." Sheng Yanzhao leaned casually on the dragon throne, clasped the board with his slender fingertips, and threw it down from the high platform.