Uh, what natural disaster can compare to an earthquake? Floods and droughts give people some time to escape, but as for rebels and bandits, those are... not natural disasters...
The Fifth Prince frowned and pondered for a moment, but couldn't figure it out. He blurted out, "What natural disaster?"
"plague!"
Upon hearing Dongfang Zhan's words, the ministers all paled. None of them had ever seen or been infected with the plague. However, the word "plague" itself was a terrifying natural disaster that everyone feared. If someone were to contract the plague, not only the people of the capital, but the entire Qingyan Kingdom could be infected. In that case, Qingyan would truly be doomed.
The Fifth Prince frowned. Dongfang Zhan was even smarter than he had thought, and could always find a suitable reason to refute him. However, he had been patient for many years and had long since learned to read people's expressions and to refute them verbally. He was not easy to deal with: "The appearance of a plague requires certain conditions, right?"
Plagues don't just appear out of nowhere for no reason.
"What I fear is that such conditions might arise unintentionally," Dongfang Zhan said in a low voice, his voice tinged with worry.
The Fifth Prince disagreed: "The area around the capital is surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, free of poison and harm. Within a radius of a thousand miles, even if there are some small poisonous insects or snakes, they cannot cause any trouble. How could there be a plague?"
Several ministers looked at Dongfang Zhan with puzzled eyes. Natural disasters and plagues do not happen suddenly. Is King Zhan being too worried?
"It is true that a plague cannot form near the capital. However, the Lingnan region is full of miasma, and every forest has a large number of poisonous insects and snakes, which are favorable conditions for the formation of a plague. If someone were to pass through the mountains and forests of Lingnan and unknowingly carry the plague, they could infect many people along the way without any deliberate conditions."
The ministers suddenly realized and nodded in agreement. What Prince Zhan said made sense. The plague could spread unnoticed and was extremely deadly. The fact that there were no conditions for a plague to form near the capital did not mean that the plague could not spread to the capital.
"If the lightning striking the throne truly foreshadows a natural disaster, how do you, my esteemed ministers, think we should take precautions?" The emperor's majestic voice slowly echoed in the Golden Palace. The Fifth Prince's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth inwardly. His father had actually disregarded him and listened to Dongfang Zhan's words!
The natural disaster was related to the throne of Emperor Qingyan, so the emperor dared not be careless. Naturally, he would rather believe it was true than not. The fifth prince misjudged the emperor's thoughts and would naturally lose to Dongfang Zhan.
The ministers whispered among themselves and discussed the matter for a long time, but they couldn't come to a conclusion.
The Prince of Huai walked to Dongfang Heng's side and whispered, "Don't you, the God of War of Azure Flame, have any good suggestions?" Whether it's a natural disaster or not, it's just a matter of finding a way to solve it. Dongfang Heng can handle thousands of troops with ease, so finding a way to solve a natural disaster shouldn't be difficult for him either.
"Those who suggested that the throne being struck by lightning was a natural disaster should have already thought of their proposals; there's no need for me to do anything further!"
Dongfang Heng's casual words startled the Prince of Huai. He turned to look at Dongfang Zhan, who indeed stepped out of the crowd, faced the emperor, and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the dream's implication of a natural disaster is a way of informing Your Majesty to take precautions. Perhaps we should invite a highly respected and virtuous Taoist priest to perform a ritual, which might reveal the specific details of the disaster in advance and allow us to take preventative measures."
The Fifth Prince did not refute further. Qingyan would hold a ceremony every three years to comfort the spirits of the previous emperors. If he said that the ritual was useless, wouldn't that be an insult to the emperors of all dynasties for doing useless work?
Prime Minister Li stroked his beard and nodded: "Your Majesty, I think Prince Zhan's suggestion is excellent and perfectly reasonable!"
The Minister stepped forward: "Your subject submits to righteousness..."
The imperial censor also stepped forward: "Your subject also agrees..."
"We also second that proposal..."
One by one, the ministers stepped forward, and almost all of them agreed with King Zhan's proposal.
The emperor's majestic gaze showed a rare hint of kindness: "Performing rituals to consult the heavens is no small matter. Do any of my beloved ministers know any extraordinary individuals capable of undertaking this important task?"
this……
The ministers were once again in a dilemma. They had lived in the capital for a long time and had come into contact with mostly sons of noble families, talented individuals, or people with superb martial arts skills who could perform magic and consult the heavens. Most of them lived in ancient temples and forests in the mountains. They had never actually met such a person before.
Dongfang Zhan took in the expressions of the ministers, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips. He knew that they couldn't find a suitable candidate in such a hurry: "Your Majesty, I have heard that the Imperial Observatory's Minister Yu is skilled in star observation, while his younger brother Yu Xin is skilled in rituals. Why don't we have him perform the rituals to consult the heavens?"
"Yu Xin knows how to perform rituals?" The emperor was focused on state affairs and didn't know much about the affairs of officials' families. Dongfang Zhan was his most outstanding son, so the person he recommended shouldn't be wrong: "Very well, as you say, I order Yu Xin to choose an auspicious day to perform rituals and consult the heavens!"
Dongfang Heng looked at the faint smile on Dongfang Zhan's lips. It was very faint, but it was unsettling. The lightning strike on the throne, the prophecy of natural disasters, and the recommendation of the new method of asking the heavens—these seemingly unrelated things seemed to have a special connection in the dark. He suddenly had a feeling that things were developing in accordance with Dongfang Zhan's plan.
Dongfang Zhan is not a god and cannot control the emperor's dreams, but the prophecy of natural disasters and the rituals to consult the heavens were all his ideas. What did he want to do? Was it simply to prevent natural disasters?
Dongfang Heng couldn't figure out Dongfang Zhan's purpose for the time being, but he knew that Dongfang Zhan had put his mind back on the struggle for the throne. With such strong opponents as the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince, Dongfang Zhan had no time to spare. This time, the ritual to question the heavens was not aimed at him, and he was too lazy to bother. After the ritual to question the heavens, everything would be revealed.
With the matter resolved, the officials left the court, and the emperor, relieved, returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with ease.
The Fifth Prince returned to the palace, his gentle smile vanishing instantly. He punched a lotus lantern beside him, knocking it over. The lantern fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, the crisp sound shocking the eardrums. The palace maids and eunuchs walked far away, not daring to approach the palace.
Looking at the small pond outside the window, his gaze was terrifyingly gloomy. He had endured for many years, thinking he understood Dongfang Zhan well enough, and had even devised many ways to deal with him. But in the end, Dongfang Zhan still managed to steal the spotlight.
He lacked experience in fighting. He could pull off a surprise attack once or twice, but in face-to-face combat, he was no match for Dongfang Zhan or the Crown Prince.
After all, the two of them had fought their way up and their power was deeply entrenched, while he was a rising star, a newcomer. To put it bluntly, he appeared out of nowhere. Although he had power, it was not as stable as theirs.
He needs to obtain more detailed information about the enemy and formulate a more thorough plan.
"What kind of person is Yu Xin?" The emperor has already ordered a ritual to consult the heavens, and this order cannot be changed. No matter how angry or upset he is, it will not help. Only by learning more about the enemy can he formulate the most detailed and effective plan.
"Your Highness, Yu Xin is the younger brother of the Imperial Observatory, born of the same mother. He is currently the supervisor of the Imperial Observatory. In addition to observing the stars, he has a lot of contact with the ministers, but they only do so when there is something to discuss..." The guard stood at the door and slowly reported the information he had gathered.
"What is the relationship between Yu Xin and Prince Zhan?" This was the question that the Fifth Prince was most concerned about. It was Dongfang Zhan who proposed the matter of performing magic to inquire about the heavens. If Yu Xin was related to him, he must have some ulterior motive.
"Your Highness, according to our investigation, the two of them only exchanged nods of greeting, and there is no other relationship between them." The guards had been monitoring Dongfang Zhan since early morning, and they knew his whereabouts almost perfectly. They also knew a great deal about the people he knew and the things he had experienced.
Yu Xin's position at the Imperial Observatory was a sinecure; they were only needed on special occasions. As a prince, Zhan Wang was also ambitious to rule the world and was extremely busy every day, so he didn't have much contact with Yu Xin.
"Keep a close eye on Dongfang Zhan and Yu Xin these next few days, and see if they're secretly in contact." Whether Dongfang Zhan and Yu Xin are connected or not, he must be careful to avoid falling into the trap of a villain.
The auspicious day will arrive soon, and he's curious to see what tricks Dongfang Zhan and Yu Xin are up to.
Yu Xin, who was beginning to have doubts, was summoned to the imperial study by the emperor. He was about fifty years old, with gray hair, and wore a loose-fitting robe for stargazing. He had a very otherworldly air about him. When he saw the emperor, he bowed three times and then stood up. His natural and somewhat detached demeanor made people trust him to some extent.
A hint of satisfaction appeared in the emperor's sharp eyes. If the visitor were a young man in his teens or twenties, he would have considered the matter more carefully. After all, even if a young man is highly skilled in magic, he has little life experience and is not suitable for complex rituals to consult the heavens. The Yu Xin before him was not much different from the expert he had imagined: "Minister Yu, are you confident in your ability to consult the heavens through rituals?"
Yu Xin smiled slightly, calm and composed, neither humble nor arrogant, like a hermit recluse: "Your Majesty, I will do my utmost to relieve Your Majesty's worries and troubles, however..." Yu Xin hesitated.
The emperor's gaze sharpened: "But what?"
"Your Majesty, performing rituals to consult the heavens is extremely delicate. The slightest mistake will render all previous efforts futile. As the Son of Heaven, Your Majesty possesses a strong sense of righteousness, which is precisely the invisible force protecting the ritual. When I perform the ritual, I hope Your Majesty can lead the ministers to watch from the sidelines and protect me. In this way, the success of the ritual to consult the heavens will be greatly increased." Yu Xin said slowly with a solemn gaze.
"Very well, I will personally lead the royal family and all civil and military officials to protect you!" Since it concerns the future of Qingyan, the emperor decided to perform a ritual to consult the heavens. Even if Yu Xin did not say so, he planned to attend in person.