The Princess Wei Yang (106+)

Chapter 137 - Throwing Stones Down a Well - Part 1

[1] See note 49 on the following page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astronomy#cite_note-46

[2] Junzhu is a title for the Emperor's niece, daughter of one of his brothers, in other words but it can also be bestowed as an honorary title.[3] Metaphor for: words have power and can play a decisive role. The Nine Tripod Cauldrons are regarded as national treasures and symbols of power; only the Emperor was entitled to use all nine. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Tripod_Cauldrons

Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang. After all, he couldn't let her be sacrificed like this. Despite the Virtuous Consort's efforts to stop him, he went over in front of the Emperor. Everyone's eyes were on him, but he couldn't care less, he was about to ask the Emperor——

At this moment, a eunuch was spotted rushing in and crying out: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Ji Xiang Hall caught fire!"

The Emperor's complexion immediately changed as he stood up from the throne. He could hardly believe his ears and sharply said, "What did you say? Say it again!"

The eunuch's face was grave as if leading a funeral procession: "Your Majesty, Ji Xiang Hall suddenly caught fire!"

Fearful looks appeared on everyone's faces upon hearing this. The Empress Dowager's palace is a remnant of the previous Imperial family, where it is humid in autumn and unbearably hot in summer. The palace itself was also slightly small and old, so the Empress Dowager is worried throughout the day. The Emperor noticed that his mother was unhappy and went to ask about it many times, but the Empress Dowager worried that the Emperor's grand and extravagant construction would deplete the Royal Treasury and insisted on not voicing her thoughts, until one of the Empress Dowager's personal attendants took initiative to share these sentiments with the Emperor, only then did he come to know off the situation. To ease the Empress Dowager's concerns, the Emperor decreed to use his personal funds to build a new palace for the Empress Dowager in the highest grounds north of the Royal Palace, called Chong Yang Palace with the hopes that the Empress will be able to rise like a phoenix and forever enjoy its happiness.

Speaking of Chong Yang Palace, not only did it signify the Emperor's filial piety towards his mother, it was also the first palace built with the Emperor's personal assets since the founding of Da Li. The day that construction for Chong Yang Palace began, the builders were digging for the foundation of the palace when a dazzling golden light suddenly appeared from underground. The builders did not dare to dig any further and went to report to the Emperor. The Emperor was so surprised that he personally came to the construction site and ordered the workers to continue digging and digging until a shining light broke out, nearly blinding everyone in sight, it turned out a phoenix had been dug out, with its golden shimmer, radiance and ancient patterns on the phoenix feathers, not a speck of dust clinging to it. Stunned, the Emperor thought that it was an auspicious sign and officially renamed Chong Yang Palace to Ji Xiang [Auspicious] Palace and enshrined the excavated treasure in the palace and sent people to guard it, and at the same time ordered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau [1] to choose a date and prepare to officially have the Empress Dowager move in.

Ji Xiang Palace was a manifestation of the Emperor's filial piety as well as a symbol of Da Li's glory and prosperity. It held a very special place in the Emperor's heart. On most days, he sent people to guard it, not leaving it for a moment, plus there were no occupants in that palace yet. Without heaters and candles, how could it suddenly catch fire and burn? It was unfathomable!

The Emperor descended the stairs with urgency and walked towards Ji Xiang Palace without a second look back. The ministers felt that there was something amiss with the situation and rushed to follow. They stood and watched from afar as the magnificent gold and jade palace was plunged into a sea of flames. The wind was strong at the moment, stoking the fire, and within moments, flames continuously shot up in the sky in a terrifying manner, black smoke covering the sky as it lingered in the atmosphere. It was truly a terrible sight to behold.

The Emperor looked on with dread and could not believe that the palace he put in so much effort and labor to build would be destroyed. The eunuch beside him urgently said: "Quick! All off you put out the fire! Quickly go!" Many palace maids and eunuchs flocked over as a result, but the Emperor simply stood there, motionless as if he had forgotten how to speak.

Consort Lian glanced at the fire and a sneer flashed across her eyes, but her words became even softer and gentle: "Your Majesty, how could Ji Xiang Palace suddenly go up in flames?"

The Emperor snapped out of his thoughts and shouted: "Zhou Tian Shou, Zhou Tian Shou! Come out here for me!"

Zhou Tian Shou, who had been called out by the Emperor, quickly emerged from the crowd, but there was not the slightest trace of surprise or panic on his face, sharply contrasting with those around him.

"Daoist, Ji Xiang Palace caught on fire all of the sudden, what is the meaning behind this?" The Emperor eyed the flames rising skyward and an ominous feeling emerged. He subconsciously frowned and asked this when he was in fact already quite worried and anxious.

Seeing the situation, Li Yuan Heng felt a bit frustrated. As he was from Mo Bei, he was not aware of the Da Li people's strong fears towards fire. Everyone believed that ghosts and gods originally created fire, the flames spreading for no reason. This is a warning from the Heavens to the common people, especially a fire at Ji Xiang Palace, this was not an ordinary place. The Emperor's first reaction was that he had made a mistake, so the Heavens delivered judgment.

"Your Majesty, this humble Daoist has followed your orders and has been responsible for observing the sky and land for signs, to avoid calamity and deliver warning in advance, but this humble Daoist did not notice any signs of such a big fire in advance, which is rather unusual." Zhou Tian Shou pretended to say.

The Emperor revealed a face of surprise because the other party's words aligned with his own thoughts. He couldn't help but blurt out, "So what is the Heavens telling me?"

Zhou Tian Shou pinched his fingers into a lotus hand sign and closed his eyes and meditated, not answering yet. The people around him grew anxious, but in the crowd, only Li Wei Yang had a small smile on her face.

Sure enough, everyone saw Zhou Tian Shou's eyes fly open, his facial expressions unchanged: "Your Majesty has just bestowed a marriage. According to this humble Daoist, Anping Xianzhu has a rare Eight Characters Birth Weight, which is very precious and cannot simply be matched with ordinary folks, let alone foreigners. Whether it is for Da Li or Mo Bei, this marriage is a big deal!"

Zhou Tian Shou spoke with an air of confidence that made the entire hall fall silent. The Virtuous Consort frowned and immediately spoke her mind: "This old Daoist, always making a big deal out of everything!" She thought of it in this way and couldn't help but smile as she stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Daoist Zhou is merely speculating, Anping Xianzhu is just a girl, what kind of precious Eight Characters would she have? The Mo Bei Prince is a majestic descendant of royalty, why can't he be a match?"

Zhou Tian Shou coldly eyed the Virtuous Consort and said: "Ji Xiang Palace did not catch fire earlier, nor did it catch fire at a later time. It happened right when His Majesty bestowed the marriage. How would Virtuous Consort niang niang explain this?"

Stunned, the Virtuous Consort immediately retorted: "That doesn't mean that this matter must be related to the marriage, it might just be a coincidence."

Zhou Tian Shou's smile became withdrawn, he ignored the Virtuous Consort and spoke to the Emperor instead: "Your Majesty, do you remember the Minglan disaster?"

This so-called Minglan disaster was referring to Minglan Junzhu [2]. Back then, Emperor Chao Ning Yuan personally bestowed a marriage on his niece, Minglan Junzhu, marrying her off to the mighty General Wang Feng of that dynasty. This was a wonderful marriage, but on the second day that the marriage engagement was made, one of the walls of the Imperial Palace gates collapsed for seemingly no reason. Many people said that Minglan Junzhu's marriage was very inauspicious and should not follow through. However, the Emperor thought that the decree had already been made, so there was no reason to take it back. He still married Minglan Junzhu to Wang Feng, but he found an excuse to keep Wang Feng in the Capital by having him guard the granary in the Capital, thinking that nothing would happen by keeping him under his eyes.

However, this Wang Feng became more arrogant and overbearing with the status of his wife's family behind him and didn't even hesitate to withhold military rations to fill his own pockets. When the enemy army reached the Capital, the Emperor opened the granary and discovered that granary wass completely emptied, everything had been reduced to a mixture of rice husks, sand, dirt and tree roots... This was not quite enough to decide complete defeat, but this Wang Feng also happened to open the Capital gates, ushering the founding Emperor of Da Li into the city. The empire of the previous dynasty had fallen, half of it under Wang Feng's hands.

Consequently, their descendants regarded this as something the Heavens had warned Emperor Ning Yuan about, yet he refused to obey the Heavens' will. If he did not marry Minglan Junzhu to Wang Feng, Wang Feng would neither stay in the Capital nor remain a resentful official who had to manage the granary, and everything would not have fallen into such a dire situation later... Perhaps this is just a far-fetched tale in the eyes of others. Even without Wang Feng, there were countless other corrupt officials who would eventually lead to the fall of the former dynasty, but in the Emperor's eyes, Zhou Tian Shou had spoken these words with such conviction and reason, precisely regarding his concerns, leaving him in an uncomfortable position yet a complete believer.

Although Li Yuan Heng did not understand Da Li's superstitions, he also knew that there was something wrong with this situation and quickly looked to Tuoba Zhen. However, Tuoba Zhen seemed as if he didn't see it, his head still bowed in silence. He impatiently looked around for Jiang Hua, but Jiang Hua's official position was low, so he had no place to speak here. Jiang Hua could only whisper a few words into Jiang Xu's ear, but Jiang Xu shook his head.

If it was anything else, the Emperor might still listen to him, but a fire broke out right in front of him. Being a superstitious person, the Emperor will believe that it is a warning from the Heavens. If the Jiang family spoke up against it now, they might encounter misfortune, so they might as well keep their mouths shut. In Jiang Hua's eyes, eliminating Li Wei Yang is more important than anything, but in Jiang Xu's eyes, such a move would be too dangerous and not worth the risk just for a measly Li Wei Yang!

The Virtuous Consort was anxious. If Li Wei Yang was not driven away, then Tuoba Yu would not give up. She looked over at the Empress and Crown Prince and their blank faces and knew that they would put themselves first and refuse to participate in this matter. She couldn't help but grit her teeth before smiling to make peace: "Daoist Zhou, it has been many years since the Minglan disaster. It's simply a legend and obviously far-fetched if you put it like that, Daoist."

Consort Lian coldly scoffed, her eyes beautiful and wavering as she replied: "It's better to believe in it than to not believe. Such a terrible thing happened right under our noses, yet Virtuous Consort can still turn a blind eye? There are many beautiful women in Da Li, the Prince of Mo Bei can choose whoever he likes, must it be Anping Xianzhu? The Heavens have declared that this marriage cannot happen, so how can we proceed? Could it be that Virtuous Consort niang niang insists on destroying the fate of the Da Li empire?"

A waning smile appeared on Li Wei Yang's lips. Consort Lian has made progress indeed, speaking only to exploit weaknesses.

Surely enough, the Emperor coldly jeered: "Virtuous Consort, did you hear that, why haven't you shut up yet! Are you intent on destroying my empire?"

The Virtuous Consort's face suddenly paled as she hastily said: "Your Majesty, this concubine does not dare, this concubine is just—"

The Emperor waved his hand, cutting her off and said coldly: "Enough is enough, I don't want to hear it anymore. Mo Bei Prince, you can choose another beauty, Anping Xianzhu cannot marry you!"

This marriage is a bad omen, a very bad omen, the moment he agreed to it, Ji Xiang Palace was burning. Wasn't this a catastrophe? The Emperor remembered Li Wei Yang's ingenuity, and suddenly came to his senses. If he sent such a clever girl to Mo Bei, wouldn't he be bolstering their strength? If Li Wei Yang turned against Da Li, he might as well have sent Mo Bei a little helper! It would be a different matter if this was any other young ladies in their boudoir, women who didn't understand politics and how to fight for power would be mere decorations once they married over... The Emperor had a tendency to overthink and be overly suspicious. He finally made up his mind and decided to never let Li Wei Yang marry Li Yuan Heng!

Li Yuan Heng's face changed. He understood what the Emperor said just now and quickly said: "No, Your Majesty, I want her!" As he spoke, he pointed to Li Wei Yang in the crowd.

Li Wei Yang slightly lifted her head but merely glanced at him in a distant manner.

The Emperor looked coldly at Li Xiao Ran and said, "My dear subject, you know what I mean. Since Wei Yang is your daughter, I want to hear your opinion."

The Emperor didn't want to speak directly to the Mo Bei Prince who didn't understand how things worked. This was for Li Xiao Ran to express his opinion on the matter. Li Xiao Ran naturally understood the Emperor's intentions. It was a pity that Li Wei Yang could not be sold off, but on second thought, now was not the time to offend the Emperor. He smiled and said: "Mo Bei Prince, the Heavens have given us a warning, this marriage is indeed a bad omen. If you insist on the marriage, I'm afraid it will invite disaster upon both Mo Bei and Da Li. Surely the Emperor of your country will not agree, so I believe that this marriage must be abandoned, please forgive me!"

Li Yuan Heng looked at the Emperor of Da Li with disbelief and looked at Li Xiao Ran again. He heard the people here speak, their words equal to the weight of Nine Tripod Cauldrons [3], regarding the Emperor's decree and unexpectedly continuously overturned, how ironic!

Li Wei Yang looked at the man who was originally going to marry her off with a hint of contempt in her smile. Originally, she had many ways to refuse this marriage, but it would have taken quite a bit of effort and be rather troublesome.The fire broke out just in time. It was like it was custom-made just for her, specifically for the purpose of refusing the marriage... No, wait a minute, the Heavens had never helped in this way, or rather, this matter was intentionally done by someone. Li Wei Yang thought about it and looked around for Li Min De, but he was nowhere to be found.

Where did this man go at such a critical moment?

The Emperor turned back first, and then Li Xiao Ran turned to look around and didn't recognize anyone. This Emperor and minister pair were very similar in this respect, only doing things that were beneficial to him, even if he wanted to be shameless. The Emperor got rid of the ominous marriage and turned to ask, "Has the fire in Ji Xiang Palace been put out?"

The eunuch hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, rest assured that everything has been done." This means that the fire has gone out.

The Emperor looked at the Ji Xiang Palace, where many people were gathered and couldn't help but sigh and turned back: "Return to your seats, the banquet will continue."

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Translator: joeyburbz

Editor: joeyburbz