Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Making the Hot Air Balloon was not difficult. Half a month later, the specially crafted Hot Air Balloon arrived in Hanno's hands, and he then passed it on to Elder Brother Li. With the most important tool in hand, Elder Brother Li and his companions began preparing to implement their plan.
Consort X quickly recovered from her external injuries under the dual treatment of modern medicine and ancient Chinese medicine. Although she still felt some internal weakness, she was now able to move freely. She was placed in a villa in the countryside owned by Prince Qirui, where she was attended to only by an elderly mute woman, with no one else around. It was here that she finally met the fourth, fifth, sixth, and even seventh individuals.
"What is your purpose?" As expected of a palace consort, her calm demeanor earned Elder Brother Li and his companions' admiration. No wonder she had captured the emperor's favor, rising from a low-ranking noble to the most favored consort beneath the Queen in just a few short years.
No one answered her. Mo Yan, the Princess, stepped forward and handed over the information she had gathered to Consort X. Consort X took it with confusion and looked down at the documents, her expression changing drastically. "So that's how it is! How could there be a woman who looks just like me? I thought I was dreaming; is she really my sister? What a surprise, what a surprise about Prince Rui'an!"
After a moment, Consort X calmed her emotions and coldly asked, "What do you mean by telling me this? Are you boasting about your abilities? Boasting that your prince's plan is about to succeed?"
Mo Yan scoffed, "If we were Prince Rui'an's people, would we waste such good medicine to save you?"
In the eyes of these ancient individuals, the Western medicine sent by Hanno was indeed considered excellent! Geng Shi'an had specifically kept some for research purposes.
Consort X realized that she had misunderstood.
"So what is your purpose?"
"Nothing much," Elder Brother Li replied. "We just want you to expose Prince Rui'an's conspiracy so that Da Zhou does not fall into chaos again."
"Me?" Consort X smiled bitterly. "There is already a Consort X in the palace; do you think the emperor would believe me?"
"The emperor will absolutely believe you," Yue Yunfei said. "We will help you make sure he has no choice but to believe your words!"
The Winter Solstice was known as the Winter Festival during the Han Dynasty, where the government held a congratulatory ceremony called 'He Dong.' The Tang Dynasty established this as a time for ancestral worship; during this period, the emperor would hold grand ceremonies in the countryside while commoners would pay respects to their parents and elders. Da Zhou continued this tradition. On this Winter Solstice, Emperor Li Xuan Zong led his court officials to the countryside for festivities, with many commoners gathered outside the sacrificial grounds. However, due to only one high altar surrounding them, they could see very clearly what actions the emperor and officials were taking up above.
Yue Yunfei was responsible for the security of the ceremony. Originally, this duty belonged to Elder Brother Li, but since only Elder Brother Li could operate the Hot Air Balloon, he had taken sick leave a few days prior, leaving the heavy responsibility on Yue Yunfei's shoulders. Yue Yunfei did not find it burdensome; instead, he was excited to see the "Miracle" up close.
The royal ceremony was not much different from the rituals ordinary families performed for their Ancestors. The series of processes were fixed, just on a larger scale with better offerings. Just as the Emperor knelt and bowed before the Altar three times, a sudden uproar erupted among the common people. The Emperor felt a surge of anger, wondering if those unruly individuals were causing trouble during his grand ceremony.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" The voice of the Minister of Rites trembled as he called out to Li Xuan Zong.
Li Xuan Zong had just finished his last bow when he raised his eyebrows and stood up coldly, asking, "What is it?"
The Minister of Rites pointed to the sky. "God, Miracle!"
Miracle? Li Xuan Zong followed the Minister's gesture and looked up, stunned. Even though there had been talk of ancestral spirits manifesting in Aoyama Village, Li Xuan Zong had never witnessed such a thing himself and remained skeptical about the existence of gods and spirits. He believed that the so-called manifestation in Aoyama Village was merely some reclusive masters nearby revealing Sweet Potato seeds and Waterwheel Operator's Well under the pretense of ancestral guidance. However, seeing the "Miracle" appear during this ceremony shook his beliefs somewhat.
Two white clouds floated down from above, shimmering with colorful lights—Hanno had wrapped two strands of Christmas lights around the balloon and basket. The clouds drew closer until they hovered above the altar, revealing two figures standing atop one of them.
Immortals! They must be immortals! How else could they stand on clouds? The crowd bowed deeply, praying for blessings from these celestial beings.
Li Xuan Zong did not kneel but stood there dumbfounded, staring at the sky in confusion. Why had these immortals descended during his ritual? Had they come to grant his request for blessings upon Da Zhou or for some other reason? He felt certain that they came with good intentions; otherwise, they would not have arrived on colorful clouds but would have brought calamities like in previous years.
As Li Xuan Zong pondered the intentions behind the "immortal's" arrival, suddenly one of them flew down from the cloud. Li Xuan Zong focused intently; this "immortal" had a rope tied around her waist. When she landed, the rope retracted, and the cloud gradually drifted away with her still on it. It became clear that this "immortal" had been sent down by another "immortal," but was she truly an immortal? Moreover, why did she look so familiar?
"Your Majesty, it's me, Ruo Lan!" The "immortal" called out to Li Xuan Zong.
"What?" Li Xuan Zong exclaimed in surprise. "Ruo Lan? Consort X? Aren't you in the palace? How did you come down from an immortal's cloud?"
Since this person who had landed was not an immortal but rather one of his consorts, Li Xuan Zong relaxed slightly but still dared not approach her, standing five meters away as he questioned her.
Consort X stepped forward, gracefully bowing as she performed a standard court courtesy. "Your Majesty, I am Ruo Lan, but the one inside the palace is not me; she is an imposter."
"What?" Li Xuan Zong was taken aback.
"Please, Your Majesty, issue an immediate order to arrest Prince Ryan. This is not the place for discussion. Once we are in a more private setting, I will explain everything to you in detail," Consort X said.
Li Xuan Zong narrowed his eyes at her words and commanded, "Yue Yunfei, immediately apprehend Prince Rui'an and bring him to the palace. Ruo Lan, come with me."
Li Xuan Zong realized that regardless of whether this woman was the real Consort X or not, she likely meant him no harm. Besides, she was sent by the heavens!
The emperor took Consort X onto the Dragon Carriage, returning to the palace with a group of bewildered officials and attendants, leaving behind a tale of "a celestial maiden enamored with the earthly emperor, descending to become his wife."
Once inside the Dragon Carriage, he lowered the heavy curtains to create a secluded space and finally asked, "Are you truly Consort X?"
"I am indeed Ruo Lan, Your Majesty. Do you remember..." Consort X recounted several details known only to her and Li Xuan Zong.
At last, Li Xuan Zong believed that the woman before him was indeed his beloved Consort X. "No wonder the Consort in the palace suddenly bumped her head and lost all her memories; it turns out she used this excuse to cover up her lack of memories of you."
Suddenly, Li Xuan Zong's expression changed as he twisted his face in distress. "That woman from the imperial physician is three months pregnant; that child cannot possibly be mine."
Consort X sighed and spoke truthfully. "The child is Prince Rui'an's."
"That woman was brought here by Prince Rui'an." Consort X withheld the fact that the woman was her sister. "Because she resembles me, Prince Rui'an thought to substitute her for me, allowing his son to become your nominal son and then push his own child onto the throne so that he could become the Retired Emperor."
"How naive!" Li Xuan Zong snorted angrily. "Does he really think he can become the Retired Emperor? You're in the inner palace, yet someone has replaced you. There must be someone in the palace colluding with him."
"It's the Empress Dowager!" Consort X replied. "The last time the Emperor cleaned out the Empress Dowager's subordinates, he didn't do a thorough job. The Deputy Chief of the Imperial Kitchen, Li Shanggong from the Wardrobe Bureau, and the Grand Eunuch of the Library are all people of the Empress Dowager."
Li Xuan Zong's face darkened. "Is that old hag still not settling down? But how do you know about her hidden forces?"
"A deity told me. If it weren't for the deity's rescue, I would have been dead long ago." Consort X took out the information that Mo Yan, the Princess, had given her and presented it to Li Xuan Zong—she had removed the paper regarding her background.
Li Xuan Zong looked over the information, his expression growing darker with each passing moment. He pulled back the curtain and ordered Guan De Zhu, "First, send someone into the palace to capture that fake Consort X. Keep a close watch on the Empress Dowager; no news about her is to leave the palace."
"Understood." Guan De Zhu immediately went to carry out the orders.
The Dragon Carriage finally entered the imperial palace, where a grand performance was about to begin. Yue Yunfei and others had no chance to watch, but Elder Brother Li used his exceptional lightness skill to observe everything and then relayed it to Hanno.
"After all, he is the only biological brother. The Emperor didn't kill Prince Rui'an but expelled him from the clan and removed him from royal status, turning him into a commoner. That woman who looks just like Consort X was handed over to Prince Rui'an. However, although she was frightened and didn't lose her child, her condition during pregnancy is very concerning. If things go well, she might give birth, but her health will suffer greatly; if not, it could result in both mother and child perishing," Elder Brother Li explained.
Hanno sighed. "The child is innocent; I hope they can be born safely. What about Consort X and the Empress Dowager?"
"All of the Empress Dowager's subordinates have been eliminated by the Emperor. It is rumored that she is gravely ill; I fear we will hear news of her death within half a year. As for Consort X, she is now the most favored person in the harem, after all, under divine protection even the Queen must keep her distance. However, Consort X is a clever woman; she acts discreetly and shows respect to the Queen without flaunting her divine favor. The Emperor is very pleased with her."
"What a wise woman!" Hanno remarked. "I wonder if the Queen has any children?"
Comment 0 Comment Count