Everyone was still immersed in the shocking scene from before when suddenly their vision became hot again. Upon closer inspection, they were all stunned.
"Why is there fire again..."
It's no wonder everyone was so astonished; the fire was simply too strange to be blamed for, shooting up high in the blink of an eye.
The emperor was also stunned and looked at the monk. To his surprise, the monk also looked panicked. How did the fire start up again?
"What's going on? Is this another ominous sign?"
Someone cried out in panic from the crowd. Upon hearing this, the emperor grabbed the monk and demanded, "Is this an ominous sign? Give me an explanation!"
The monk, having recovered from his shock, thought to himself that it was probably the wind that had reignited the extinguished fire. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "It is not an ominous sign. It is merely the Buddha's way of reminding the Emperor not to disobey his will."
As he said this, it became even more mysterious. The emperor frowned as he looked at the flames and then at his beloved son, sighing inwardly. Could it really be the will of Heaven?
Just then, an even more astonishing scene unfolded: from within the raging flames, several more words shot out: 'Yanluo Changtian, a scourge upon the nation and its people.'
Everyone was stunned. They all looked up at the current emperor, and were so frightened by the unprecedented sight before them that they couldn't utter a single word.
If the previous line, "It would be better to return," referred to having someone sacrifice to the heavens, and according to the monk's explanation, it meant Prince Heng, Huangfu Mi, then the following line, "The jade pendant hangs long in the sky, bringing disaster to the country and its people," completely overturns the previous interpretation.
Because Yan was the nickname of the third prince, Huangfu Qian, and Luo was the title bestowed upon him by the emperor at the time of his birth, now shining brightly in the firelight, the meaning of which is self-evident.
"Your Majesty, this..." The monk was also frightened, stammering for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence.
The emperor ignored him and waved his hand, saying to the eunuchs waiting there, "Go and bring the Third Prince to me."
--
Huangfu Qian was still happily awaiting good news at his residence, but instead, he was greeted by the Emperor's personal guards. He was terrified, but was still taken away to the palace, as expected.
--
"Father Emperor--"
The altar for the religious ceremony was still in the same place, and the emperor stood there with his hands behind his back. Surprisingly, Huangfu Mi was not punished, and he remained standing there unharmed, while the two monks beside him looked flustered.
With a thud, the emperor roared in fury, "You unfilial son, what evil have you done that has brought such calamity upon my Lanling!"
One sentence startled Huangfu Qian, who hurriedly looked up at the two monks, but they turned their heads away, pretending not to see him.
A sudden, ominous premonition gripped him. Recalling the emperor's words and glancing at the extinguished flames on the altar, his eyelids twitched involuntarily. Could it be...?
"High monk, you just said that to avert disaster, we must use him as a sacrifice. Is that true?"
The two men exchanged a glance, clearly hesitant, but could only nod and say, "Yes."
"Guards, seize the Third Prince for me!"
"No! Father, you can't let your son perform the sacrifice!" Even the most obtuse person would understand what was happening by now, and Huangfu Qian couldn't help but shout.
“Brother, the sacrifice is for the common people. Although your life is also important, in comparison, we have no choice but to sacrifice you.” Huangfu Mi stood aside, watching coldly, speaking calmly and unhurriedly.
In contrast, Huangfu Qian appeared even more embarrassed: "What common people? Father, don't listen to their nonsense. There's no such thing at all. If you don't believe me, ask them. Those two monks can testify."
"Can they testify?" The emperor frowned and turned to the two men.
The two men had originally planned to protect themselves, but Huangfu Qian had dragged them into it. Now they could only beg for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare our lives! We know nothing. It was the Third Prince who instructed us."
The word "instruct" was used very cleverly, and the emperor frowned and turned to Huangfu Qian.
Huangfu Qian then realized he had misspoke, his eyes widened, and he remained silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Huangfu Mi's sneer became even more unrestrained: "Brother, you'd better tell Father the truth, or you might be sent to be sacrificed to Heaven."
Huangfu Qian was stunned. He knew he had made a mistake. He looked at Huangfu Mi, then at the emperor, and after a long silence, he could only lower his head and say, "Your subject knows his mistake. Please forgive me, Father!"
"So, you're saying that all of that was your doing?" the emperor asked angrily.
Huangfu Qian lowered his head even further, not daring to even explain. He only knew that this time, he had made a mistake, a mistake worse than any he had ever made before!
"Your Majesty, we were all bribed by the Third Prince. We know nothing. It was the Third Prince who gave us money to get rid of Prince Heng..."
--Thank you so much for the red envelope from 1374324397! It was a huge amount, which surprised and delighted me. And thank you to 18975076030 too! *bows* Thanks everyone! Enjoy reading!--
V29 Wedding (Part 1)
"Your Majesty, we were all bribed by the Third Prince. We know nothing. It was the Third Prince who gave us money to get rid of Prince Heng..."
Seeing that things had come to this, the two monks hurriedly blurted out everything they knew in order to protect themselves.
The emperor was stunned: "You...you want to harm Mi'er? You actually want your own brother to die?"
His whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
He had also experienced the struggle between brothers for the throne, and had even lost his most beloved younger brother in the process. Therefore, what he hated most was brothers killing each other. But unexpectedly, his son wanted his own brother to die!
"Father--" Never having seen the emperor so angry, Huangfu Qian was quite frightened. Looking at the emperor's face, which was as dark as the sky before a storm, he couldn't help but shiver.
Before he could finish speaking, he was kicked away with unprecedented force, straight to the chest. Huangfu Qian couldn't hold on and coughed up a mouthful of blood, collapsing there in agony.
But that wasn't all. The emperor looked down at him, his hawk-like eyes filled with undisguised disgust and contempt: "To be so vicious, you deserve to die a thousand deaths. You wanted to be sacrificed to the heavens? I'll grant your wish! Guards—"
Immediately, guards stepped forward.
"Huangfu Qian is vicious and cruel, and his attempt to murder his own brother is unforgivable. Drag him out and execute him!"
At the sound of the command, Huangfu Qian began to wail incessantly, but the emperor gave him no chance. He turned his head away, not even glancing at him, and his voice was even more stern than before: "Take him away!"