novelraw Chapter 145 The Calamity of the Demonic Radiance
Chapter 145 The Calamity of the Demonic Radiance
The night was as dark as ink, and the thin moonlight covered the steps of the Hall of Diligent Governance.
The memorials on the emperor's desk were piled up to a height of half a foot.
Xiao Yan buried his head in it, his back straight as a pine tree.
He was never a pleasure-seeking, extravagant ruler; working late into the night was a common occurrence for him.
Song Shuangning quietly entered, placed the ginseng soup on the corner of the table, and softly advised, "His Majesty has been reviewing memorials for a long time; he should take a break."
Xiao Yan said, "There are too many memorials accumulated; we need to finish approving them within the next two days."
Firstly, for the stability of the court; secondly, for her sake.
The more his ministers tried to make a big deal out of Ningning, the more diligently he governed to silence their gossip.
Song Shuangning silently walked behind him, gently placing her palm on his tense shoulders and neck, kneading them with just the right amount of force.
After a moment, she said, "Your Majesty, I would like to return to Yaohua Palace first."
Xiao Yan abruptly stopped writing, and a drop of ink splattered onto the bright yellow memorial, spreading slightly.
Why?
"Your Majesty knows that the ministers have long been dissatisfied with my prolonged stay in the Zichen Palace. In a few days, they will probably submit a joint memorial impeaching me, or put pressure on His Majesty in public."
"Your Majesty has already worked hard enough and shouldn't be bothered by these trivial matters. Besides, the ancestral rules and regulations are there for you to follow. I really can't stay any longer. Please let me go back."
The candlelight on the table flickered, casting an inscrutable shadow on his face.
Xiao Yan remained silent for a long time before speaking, "Did the Marquis of Zhenbei tell you all of this?"
Song Shuangning nodded slightly.
"I didn't want you to know these things, I didn't want you to be troubled." Xiao Yan put down his pen, raised his hand to stroke her cheek, and said with a hint of guilt, "In the end, it was my fault that I didn't do a good job and made you suffer."
Song Shuangning hugged him, "I'm not wronged, I really am not wronged. For the sake of the future, I'll move back to my own Yaohua Palace tomorrow, okay?"
Xiao Yan pulled her into a tight embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head. After a long while, he uttered a soft "okay".
But I still felt guilty.
It was clearly his selfish desire, yet he expected her to back down and endure all the criticism. How could she not feel wronged?
Ningning should have been well protected by him.
The next morning, Song Shuangning moved back to Yaohua Palace with Tingyu and Tinglu.
Before leaving, she originally wanted to take Ah Liu with her, but Ah Liu, though reluctant, refused.
A-Liu said, "This servant will stay here and wait for Your Highness to come to Zichen Palace for a short stay. This servant can then serve you personally."
Song Shuangning knew her feelings and told her to take care.
Gossip in the palace always spreads quickly, and rumors about her moving out of Zichen Palace had already filled the palace early in the morning.
But these idle words are nothing but dust in the face of the storms in the imperial court.
Furthermore, which of the concubines and palace maids wasn't discerning? They could see her current rank and the unusual way the Emperor treated her. Even if there were many rumors, no one wanted to invite trouble, so they kept them to themselves.
At the time, the emperor announced that he was under house arrest, but who believed him?
*
The willow catkins on the eaves have grown tired of flying, and the pomegranate flowers in front of the steps have already budded. The lingering charm of spring is still there, but the heat of summer has quietly crept in.
Every year at this time, the Empress Dowager would make a trip to Chengtian Temple to burn incense and chant sutras, praying for the well-being of the nation.
This ancient temple, built by imperial decree, has always only welcomed emperors, empresses, and nobles. The temple is filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, and even the rooftops exude a sense of oppressive heaviness.
When the Empress Dowager's imperial carriage arrived at the mountain gate, Abbot Mingzhan had already led all the monks in the temple to bow and greet her.
"Amitabha. This old monk, along with all the monks of Chengtian Temple, respectfully welcomes the Empress Dowager's carriage. Now that the Empress Dowager has personally come to the ancient temple to burn incense and pray for blessings, it will surely bring peace to the ancestral temple and protect the common people. This humble monk has prepared a quiet meditation room and a prayer altar for the Empress Dowager's carriage to rest in the meditation hall."
The Empress Dowager nodded.
*
The Buddhist hall was so quiet that only the sound of chanting could be heard.
The Empress Dowager, dressed in plain clothes, knelt on a prayer mat with her hands clasped together. The scriptures she recited were all for her eldest son, Xiao Ze, hoping that he would rest peacefully in the afterlife and no longer suffer the hardships of wandering.
Lost in her grief, she was completely unaware of the commotion outside the palace until a monk in black rushed in, his face filled with panic, and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have disturbed your peace and quiet; it is truly a sin."
The black-robed monk glanced at the Empress Dowager, whose expression remained unchanged, before continuing, "The abbot has sent me to request that Your Majesty move to the Mahavira Hall, as there are other important matters to discuss with you."
The Mahavira Hall of Chengtian Temple has always been a place of prayer exclusively for the royal family. Even members of the imperial family and nobility were not allowed to set foot inside without special permission.
Abbot Mingzhan sat cross-legged, wearing a patchwork kasaya. In front of him, the divination sticks stood silently in the bronze divination tube.
"Your Majesty, these past few nights I've dreamt of the Buddha's light, as if guided by divine secrets. Upon waking, my mind is unsettled, so I consulted the oracle with bronze divination sticks. The hexagram is ominous, revealing the presence of the 'Radiant Splendor'—a most deceptive omen. On the surface, it appears dazzling and radiant, like countless stars, but in reality, it is a malevolent force, specifically designed to harm emperors, disrupt the state, separate the ruler and his ministers, and plunge the court into chaos. May I ask Your Majesty, has His Majesty been unwell lately? Or are there already undercurrents surging within the court?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager felt a chill run through her body, and her hands, which were holding the Buddhist prayer beads, trembled violently.
The emperor has been suffering from a cold for the past few days and is feeling unwell, and there are also many dissenting voices rising in the court.
This scene is exactly as predicted by the divination!
The demon Zhaohua is a scourge that brings disaster to emperors and disrupts the state. She was terrified when she thought about it, and her fingertips dug fiercely into her palm.
She is Consort Yuan.
For the sake of Consort Yuan, the Emperor had long lost his imperial sense and spoiled her without any limits. Even when she used ghostly tricks to frighten Consort Qing, the Emperor would still protect her in every way and exonerate her.
These actions, each and every one of them, are sufficient to prove—
This Consort Yuan is none other than the "Zhaohua Sha" who wreaked havoc on the emperor's heart!
The Empress Dowager responded hastily, "Yes, the Emperor is indeed unwell."
Abbot Mingzhan nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the bronze divination symbol. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "According to the divination, the evil aura surrounding the emperor is rooted in the inner palace, and is directed at someone very close to the emperor."
The Empress Dowager swayed and staggered to the side of a pillar, feeling a chill run through her body.
Yes, they all match up.
It must be Consort Yuan, it must be her.
The Empress Dowager turned to Abbot Mingzhan, her eagerness barely concealed, and asked, "The current crisis is difficult to resolve; please, Abbot, offer us some guidance."
Abbot Mingzhan sighed deeply and clasped his hands together: "Amitabha, the Buddha's teachings are compassionate and can also vanquish evil spirits. This malevolent spirit is the source of all evil. There are only two ways to eliminate it. First, move the evil spirit out of the inner palace and send it to guard the imperial mausoleum, so that the dragon energy of the mausoleum can suppress it. Second, send this evil spirit to the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas. This place is close to the dragon vein, where the wind gathers and the energy is concentrated. It is the purest place in the palace with the strongest dragon energy. Then, invite a high monk to chant sutras and perform rituals around the pavilion to dispel its evil energy with the Buddha's teachings. After the evil energy is completely eliminated, give it a cup of poisoned wine to sever its ties to the mortal world. Only in this way can the Emperor and the country be safe and sound."