novelraw Chapter 149 Seeing the Imperial Seal is Like Seeing the Emperor
Chapter 149 Seeing the Imperial Seal is Like Seeing the Emperor
A standoff occurs in front of the Yaohua Palace.
Upon hearing the commotion, Song Shuangning quickly traversed the layers of corridors and headed straight for the palace gate.
Through the vermilion palace gates, Song Shuangning's voice was clear and melodious, like shattered jade, each word resounding with conviction:
"Your Majesty, I have been ordered to remain in Yaohua Palace to reflect on my actions. The Empress Dowager has arbitrarily deployed the Imperial Guards to surround my chambers and forcibly break through the palace gates. Is this not an open defiance of Your Majesty's decree?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyebrows furrowed.
"What a silver-tongued Consort Yuan! Even if I openly defy the imperial decree today, I will still smash down the gates of Yaohua Palace!"
The Empress Dowager glanced at the guards who had drawn their swords and said, "Anyone who dares to obstruct me will be punished for disobeying my decree."
The guards standing at the palace gate were all trusted confidants personally selected by the emperor. They were under the ironclad decree to "protect Consort Zhaoyi in her entirety." In their eyes, Consort Zhaoyi's safety was of paramount importance. At this moment, each of them stood ramrod straight, without the slightest room for retreat.
The head guard stepped forward and said firmly, "We are here by order of His Majesty to guard Yaohua Palace. If the Empress Dowager forces her way in, it will be a violation of the imperial decree. We beg the Empress Dowager to reconsider."
The black-robed monk Xuandu behind the Empress Dowager lowered his head and clasped his hands together. He glanced at the sky and whispered a reminder: "Empress Dowager, the auspicious time is approaching. If we delay any longer, we may ruin this important matter."
He lowered his voice again, "Your Highness cannot wait."
The Empress Dowager shouted sternly at the palace servants behind her, "Guards! Today, even if it means staining the palace gates with blood, we will raze Yaohua Palace to the ground!"
Song Shuangning closed her eyes.
Even if it meant defying the imperial decree, the Empress Dowager insisted on taking her away. The Empress Dowager seemed to have gone mad.
Consort Shao and Consort Xu visited late last night, saying that an altar had suddenly been set up in the palace. They later learned that she was regarded as an evil spirit who would bring disaster to the country and was to be sacrificed on the altar.
The Emperor will not return until tomorrow.
Before that, she needs to protect herself and the safety of her unborn child.
Although these guards were the emperor's confidants, even if they could fight off ten men, it was still a drop in the ocean. How could they withstand such a large-scale attack?
Sooner or later, just as the Empress Dowager said, the gates of Yaohua Palace will be stained with blood.
Song Shuangning's eyes darkened, and she turned around to whisper a few words to Tinglu behind her.
Tinglu hurriedly went back to the house to fetch the brocade box.
Song Shuangning looked at the brocade box and said calmly, "Open the palace gates."
"Squeak—"
The heavy palace gates opened from the inside.
The guards panicked, and the head guard immediately said, "Your Highness, you mustn't! We will risk our lives to protect you! Close the palace gates immediately!"
Song Shuangning gently shook her head.
When the Empress Dowager saw that she was willing to come out on her own initiative, she immediately waved to the Imperial Guards behind her: "Guards, seize Consort Yuan for me."
"Who dares to touch me?"
With a flick of her fingertips, Song Shuangning opened the brocade box, revealing a white jade seal with a coiled dragon design.
The four characters "受命于天" (meaning "received the mandate from Heaven") engraved on the seal gleamed under the sunlight.
She slowly raised the imperial seal, her gaze sweeping over the silent imperial guards and the Empress Dowager before her.
"Seeing the Imperial Seal is like seeing the Emperor himself. Do you still dare to disobey the imperial decree?"
Finally, she looked at the Empress Dowager and asked, "Your Majesty, what about you? Do you still intend to defy the imperial decree?"
After a brief period of deathly silence.
It is unclear who was the first to kneel down and shout "Long live the Emperor!"
Immediately afterwards, a sea of palace servants knelt down in unison, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
The Empress Dowager was so startled that she took a half step back, her lower back bumping against the armrest of the imperial carriage.
She stared intently at the jade seal in Song Shuangning's hand.
She never imagined that the Emperor would entrust this jade seal, which symbolized supreme imperial power, to a mere concubine.
It turns out... the Emperor had guessed from the very beginning that she intended to take action against Consort Yuan.
The jade seal in Consort Yuan's hand was proof of the emperor's identity; seeing the seal was like seeing the emperor himself.
It seems unlikely that it would be possible to forcibly bring Consort Yuan to the altar.
Just as she hesitated,
Xuan Du clasped his hands together and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the auspicious time has passed. It is not advisable to stay here any longer. Let us return to the palace first and then discuss the follow-up matters in detail."
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
On an auspicious day in early summer, the morning sun broke through the thin mist.
Imperial Ancestral Temple.
When the auspicious hour arrived, the Jingyang Bell rang nine times, its powerful echo resounding through the sky.
The master of ceremonies, dressed in a scarlet sacrificial robe and holding an ivory tablet, stood on the steps of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and announced loudly: "The auspicious time has arrived, the grand ceremony begins."
Eight officials dressed in black sacrificial robes carefully carried the ancestral tablets of past emperors out of the rear hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The accompanying musicians from the Imperial Music Bureau played "The Music of Zhaoping".
Just as the officials carrying the ancestral tablet reached the center of the steps, a sudden change occurred.
Suddenly, a gust of evil wind swept up outside the hall, knocking the bright yellow silk on the ancestral tablet of the first emperor to the ground.
Even more horrifying, the base of the memorial tablet was inexplicably crawling with black ants, densely packed together, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
The music stopped abruptly, and the officials were in an uproar.
Before Xiao Yan could speak.
Abbot Mingzhan rushed out of the crowd in a panic, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Your Majesty, this is an ominous sign, caused by the malevolent energy of the Zhaohua Sha."
The empress and the officials' expressions changed drastically.
Xiao Yan remained remarkably calm.
Abbot Mingzhan explained, "These past few nights, I've dreamt of the Buddha's light appearing before me, 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 'Zhaohua Sha' (煞). This Sha is extremely deceptive; it appears bright and dazzling, like countless stars, but in reality, it is a malevolent force that harms emperors, disrupts the state, alienates ministers, and plunges the court into chaos. I've heard that His Majesty's health was recently compromised, and given that Consort Yuan has been residing in the Zichen Palace for a long time, constantly by His Majesty's side, all these signs correspond. I dare to conclude that Consort Yuan is the Zhaohua Sha. The strange occurrence at the Imperial Ancestral Temple ceremony is precisely the work of this Sha's malevolent energy, disturbing the peace of the ancestral temple and jeopardizing the prosperity of the nation!"
As soon as the abbot finished speaking, the emperor's brother-in-law led all the officials to kneel down:
"Your Majesty, Consort Yuan is a jinx in Zhaohua, and rumors about her are rampant among the people. Today, as we offer sacrifices to our ancestors, we should eliminate this jinx to appease the world and ensure the stability of our empire."
The voices of the assembled officials echoed throughout the Imperial Ancestral Temple: "We beseech Your Majesty to make a wise judgment, to punish this jinx, and to secure the stability of the nation."
The Empress looked at Xiao Yan, unsure whether she should join in the persuasion.
Abbot Mingzhan was personally appointed by the late emperor as the Protector of the Nation Zen Master. He had used bronze to divine the future of the late emperor many times, and the divination results were all accurate. Now, the abbot has said that Consort Yuan is a curse of Zhaohua. This statement is very likely to come true again.
No wonder the Emperor favored Consort Yuan alone; no wonder the Emperor was unwell recently; and no wonder the once wise and prudent emperor has lost his composure time and time again.
"Your Majesty the Empress,"
The emperor's brother-in-law said in a deep voice, "As the mistress of the harem, how can you sit idly by? You should join me in advising the emperor to eliminate the evil star and secure the country."
The Empress lowered her eyes. The abbot's divination had never been wrong; if it were proven true, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He was a scourge to emperors, a threat to the state, a estrangement between the ruler and his ministers, and a source of chaos in the court—all of which were major taboos for the nation.
Moreover, the Emperor's favor towards Consort Yuan is growing stronger every day. If Consort Yuan gives birth to an imperial heir, her promotion to Imperial Noble Consort will be just a matter of time. Even her position as Empress will probably be handed over sooner or later.
The Empress composed herself, lifted her elaborate phoenix robe, and knelt on the gold bricks.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to ensure the stability of the empire and the well-being of the nation, to execute this treacherous minister and quell the public's scorn."
Xiao Yan frowned, looking troubled.