Chapter 520: The Expectations of All, the Ceremony Completed
Chapter 520: The Expectations of All, the Ceremony Completed
Lu Qi subtly glanced at Lu Zhaoyan and his group.
Lu Zhaoyan's brows were furrowed, his expression grave.
Zi Wu Xian Sheng was counting on his fingers, as if performing some kind of divination.
The Duke of Fu looked utterly puzzled.
The Duke of Jiang was so enraged that he almost leaped onto the altar, but the Duke of Fu held him back in time.
"Let me go! There must be something wrong with the incense!"
"If there was, my Father Emperor would have noticed."
"He can notice—uh, uh, uh—"
The Duke of Fu quickly covered his uncle's mouth, which could have brought the entire Jiang family to ruin at any moment.
The Grand Agricultural Commissioner and Meng Ge Lao exchanged glances.
The Palace Scholar of the Hanlin Academy also squeezed in, eager to find out what was going on.
If it wasn't the incense, could it really be the wrath of the ancestral spirits?
All eyes turned to Zi Wu Xian Sheng.
The Palace Scholar anxiously spoke up, "Zi Wu Xian Sheng!"
Zi Wu Xian Sheng raised his hand, "Calculating, calculating."
Everyone was on edge.
Prince Jin smiled and asked, "Qi'er, are you satisfied with the grand gift from Father Emperor?"
"I am." Lu Qi replied.
Meng Qianqian's gaze remained fixed on Lu Yuan.
Soon, she noticed something was amiss with him.
Lu Yuan began his fourth attempt, but this time, his arm started to tremble slightly, cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his complexion gradually turned pale.
She glanced at Gongsun Yanming on the altar.
Gongsun Yanming was looking at her as well.
Their eyes met, and a flash of white light passed through her mind.
"Destiny."
She whispered.
Lu Zhaoyan asked, "What destiny?"
Meng Qianqian, in a voice only the two of them could hear, said, "Gongsun Yanming is disrupting Huang Changsun's destiny."
Lu Zhaoyan frowned, "Disrupting?"
Meng Qianqian explained, "Disruption is the first step. I suspect he's trying to use the same trick to swap Huang Changsun's destiny with Lu Qi's, but the Wushan Forbidden Art is complex and doesn't always succeed."
A glint of murderous intent flashed in Lu Zhaoyan's eyes.
Under the watchful gaze of the others, he walked coldly to Prince Jin.
Prince Jin smiled, "Second brother, what is it? Qi'er, call me Second Uncle."
Lu Qi said, "Second Uncle."
"Don't act with me." Lu Zhaoyan said coldly, "What did you do to Yuan'er?"
Prince Jin smiled warmly, "Second brother, I don't understand what you're saying."
Lu Zhaoyan glanced at Lu Qi and said seriously, "Stop pretending. You wouldn't dare to do something and not admit it, would you? Afraid I'll expose you to Father Emperor?"
Prince Jin's smile faded, "Qi'er, the people are getting restless. Go calm them down to prevent any trouble and protect the innocent."
"Yes, Father."
Lu Qi walked toward the noisy crowd.
The Rui King and the Qi King tactfully separated the officials, giving the brothers a private space to talk.
Lu Zhaoyan said, "That night, you weren't testing Lu Qi, were you?"
Prince Jin laughed, "My own son, why would I need to test him? I knew he couldn't bear to see you die and would come to save you. And you would come to save him."
Lu Zhaoyan said coldly, "You already suspected it wasn't Lu Qi who returned to the mansion with you."
Prince Jin smirked, "You don't really think I'm that stupid, do you, to not recognize my own son?"
Lu Zhaoyan asked, "What gave it away?"
Prince Jin said lightly, "Too many words."
Lu Zhaoyan was speechless.
Prince Jin continued with a laugh, "I was originally thinking about how to get your son's blood and hair, but he delivered himself. He slept for a night, leaving his hair on the bed. And before that, he insisted on having the injured Qi'er pretend to be him. To avoid being exposed, he naturally hurt himself, giving me his blood."
Lu Zhaoyan's expression darkened, "You have spies in the Crown Prince Manor!"
Prince Jin didn't answer, but his smugness gave Lu Zhaoyan the answer.
Lu Zhaoyan clenched his fingers, "You are indeed a good older brother."
Prince Jin laughed, "I knew you were smart, and your son isn't stupid either. If it were just these, it might not have been enough to stop you. So, I had your woman kidnapped. Lu Lin Yuan would certainly go to save his mother, and I could trap both of them in the mountains."
"But in truth, all this was just to keep you distracted and prevent you from guessing my true intentions."
Lu Zhaoyan laughed in exasperation. "One move after another, Brother, your schemes truly leave me in awe."
Prince Jin relished the feeling of having Lu Zhaoyan at his feet. "Indeed, after all this, who would have guessed that what I truly wanted... was his Kylin Destiny?"
Lu Zhaoyan stared directly into his brother's arrogant eyes. "Brother, have you heard the saying, 'If it is meant to be, it will be; if not, don’t force it'?"
Prince Jin snorted. "I will force it!"
Lu Zhaoyan paused. "That might disappoint you, Brother."
Prince Jin sneered. "Do you have another trick up your sleeve?"
Just as he spoke, Lu Yuan, on the altar, clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The blood splattered into the incense burner and onto the extinguished incense sticks.
"The ancestral spirits are punishing Huang Changsun!"
"Further forced offerings won’t help; the ancestral spirits are enraged!"
"Let the spirits of the former emperor and the Qin family cleanse their lineage and rid Great Liang of this calamity!"
The crowd erupted in fury.
Lu Qi's appearance did not calm them; instead, it gave them a focal point.
They shouted, urging Lu Qi to offer sacrifices to the ancestors to appease the heavens.
Prince Jin smiled sardonically. "Younger brother, let me show you what true heavenly will is."
"Your Majesty, heed the will of heaven!"
"Your Majesty, heed the will of heaven!"
The cries of the people grew louder and louder.
The Imperial Guards were struggling to maintain control.
"Zi Wu Xian Sheng, Zi Wu Xian Sheng, please do something!"
The Palace Scholar urged.
Zi Wu Xian Sheng took a deep breath, opened his old eyes, and sighed. "It's over."
The Palace Scholar, Meng Ge Lao, and the Grand Agricultural Commissioner turned pale.
Duke Jiang fell to his knees, raising his arms in anguish.
Heaven!
Earth!
Are you all blind at the Qin Wang Mansion—
"Brother."
Lu Zhaoyan suddenly lifted his gaze. "Open your eyes and see what true heavenly will is."
Prince Jin's brow furrowed.
In the next moment, Hu Lie's former right-hand man, Liu Yuan, shouted, "Look! The incense... the incense... it’s burning!"
The incense stick that Lu Yuan had inserted into the burner, like a spark, flickered on and off.
Duke Fu was dumbfounded. "It’s really—"
Duke Jiang slapped his forehead. Damn, I kneeled too early!
Prince Jin stepped forward. "What is this—"
Lu Zhaoyan smiled faintly. "Brother, do you know why Yuan'er talks so much? The flaws you see are just what Yuan'er wanted you to see."
Prince Jin said, "Impossible!"
Lu Zhaoyan replied, "Yuan'er isn’t injured; he was deceiving you."
Prince Jin, disbelieving, asked, "What?"
Lu Zhaoyan said nonchalantly, "The blood you obtained was pig's blood, bought for two copper coins. The hair you got was from a brothel attendant."
"You—!" Prince Jin felt a wave of nausea.
"Best to have changed the destiny for your son; if you did it for yourself—"
Lu Zhaoyan glanced meaningfully at his lower abdomen. "I heard that the brothel attendant was also a eunuch."
Prince Jin stumbled backward, colliding with an attendant.
"So what if it’s burning... the people only recognize one Kylin... and that’s Qi'er!"
Slap!
A cold drop hit Prince Jin's head.
Slap!
Another drop.
Prince Jin raised his hand to touch it, then looked up in disbelief.
An old farmer extended his withered hand. "Is it raining? It’s raining..."
Meng Qianqian approached the altar and bowed. "Huang Changsun, with the power of the Kylin, offered his heart's blood to pray for spring rain for Great Liang. Long may Your Highness live!"
The people were enlightened.
No wonder the incense kept going out; Huang Changsun was praying for rain.
Heaven had sent the drought and was reluctant to give Great Liang this rain, rejecting Huang Changsun's pleas and nearly costing him his life...
Huang Changsun did this for the people!
And they had been calling him a calamity... they were truly ashamed!
"It’s raining... the crops are saved..."
The old farmer, overcome with emotion, knelt and bowed, "Long may Your Highness live!"
The people knelt in earnest, "Long may Your Highness live!"
The High Priest declared, "The ceremony is complete!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
