si-mexico Chapter 506 Heavenly Fire, Warning!
Chapter 506 Heavenly Fire, Warning!
The following morning, all the civil and military officials gathered at the Imperial Palace for the morning court session.
The thunderstorm from last night has stopped, but wisps of smoke are still rising from the Cold Palace, and the smell of burning can be faintly detected in the air.
Zhao Yunci sat upright on the dragon throne, listening to reports from various departments about the grand investiture ceremony of the previous day, when suddenly a censor dressed in the robes of a sixth-rank official stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present," the official said, bowing.
"What is it?" Zhao Yunci asked calmly.
"I believe that the fire caused by lightning striking the Cold Palace last night was a warning from heaven."
The official spoke in a loud voice, “As the ancient saying goes, if a person does not cultivate virtue, Heaven will surely warn them. Your Majesty the Empress comes from a common background and is lacking in virtue; I fear she is not worthy of being a model for the world.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire court erupted in uproar.
Zhao Yunci's face instantly darkened, and he leaned forward slightly on the dragon throne.
"What did you say?"
Seeing the emperor's anger, the official still braced himself and continued, "Everything I have said is true. The investiture ceremony had just ended when the cold palace was struck by lightning. This is clearly Heaven's dissatisfaction with the Empress's birth."
"If Her Majesty the Empress is virtuous enough to hold her position, how could such a celestial phenomenon have occurred?"
The Minister of Revenue immediately stepped forward to refute: "Nonsense! Summer thunderstorms are common occurrences; how can they be related to matters of investiture?"
"Exactly!" The Minister of Rites also stepped forward. "Her Majesty bestowed upon her the title of Empress because of her noble character and virtuous conduct. To claim that a mere thunderstorm was a divine warning is utterly absurd!"
The official retorted, "Your Excellencies are mistaken. The interaction between Heaven and humanity is an ancient and well-known principle."
The investiture ceremony was held yesterday, and thunder and fire occurred last night. Such a coincidence in timing—could it be mere chance?
"Furthermore, although the Empress has been officially appointed, her background is indeed..."
"Enough!" Zhao Yunci slammed his hand on the dragon table, silencing the entire hall.
"What right do you have to comment on my Empress?" Zhao Yunci stood up, his imperial power awe-inspiring.
"A mere sixth-rank official dares to speak ill of the Empress in court? Are you tired of living?"
The official, terrified by the emperor's anger, turned ashen-faced, but still forced himself to speak: "I am only thinking of the nation's well-being. If Her Majesty the Empress is not worthy of her position, I fear..."
"If you dare utter another word, I will drag you out and behead you immediately!" Zhao Yunci's voice was as cold as ice.
"The Empress was personally appointed by me. I know her virtues well. Why should a petty person like you judge her?"
"Let me tell you, Her Majesty the Empress is of noble character and kind heart, a thousand times, ten thousand times better than a petty person like you who only knows how to spread rumors and slander!"
The entire court was terrified by the emperor's anger and all lowered their heads.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the official immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please calm down."
"Calm down?" Zhao Yunci sneered. "My Empress has been insulted by you, and you think you can just calm down like that?"
"Guards, drag this man away and give him eighty strokes of the cane!"
"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!" The official was dragged away by the guards, his voice fading into the distance.
Zhao Yunci surveyed the assembled officials, his voice icy: "Anyone else who has objections to Her Majesty the Empress, step forward, and I will deal with them all!"
The hall fell silent; no one dared to speak.
"Since no one else is speaking, then this morning court session is adjourned." Zhao Yunci turned and left.
After the court session, Zhao Yunci returned to the imperial study, his anger still burning.
Just then, a young eunuch rushed in, knelt down, and reported, "Your Majesty, I have made an important discovery!"
"What is it?" Zhao Yunci asked without looking up.
"Your Majesty, this servant went to the Cold Palace this morning to check on the fire and found this in the ruins." The little eunuch held up a broken pottery jar with both hands.
Zhao Yunci then looked up: "What is this?"
"Your Majesty, this is a jar for storing tung oil," the little eunuch said cautiously. "I smelled it, and it does indeed smell like tung oil."
Zhao Yunci took the pottery jar and examined it carefully: "You mean, last night's fire wasn't caused by lightning?"
“Exactly.” The little eunuch nodded. “Tung oil is extremely flammable. If someone were to pour tung oil into the Cold Palace beforehand and then set it on fire during a thunderstorm, it could be disguised as being struck by lightning.”
Zhao Yunci slammed the pottery jar down on the table, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "What a brilliant Heavenly Thunder Strike Fire!"
"Your Majesty, this servant also found footprints at the scene, it seems there was more than one person," the eunuch continued to report.
Zhao Yunci angrily said, "I want to see who dares to play such tricks under my very nose!"
Zhao Yunci sat alone in the imperial study, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.
First, someone used this as an excuse to slander the Empress in court, and now it has been discovered that the fire in the Cold Palace was actually caused by someone.
These two events seem unrelated, but the timing is so coincidental that it is probably no accident.
"Someone come here," Zhao Yunci called out.
"Your Majesty." The chief eunuch immediately appeared.
"Issue my decree to thoroughly investigate the background of that official in the court and see if he is being instructed by someone behind the scenes."
"Yes, I will do it right away."
"Furthermore, send people to secretly protect the Empress and ensure she is not harmed in any way."
"The slave understands."
Inside the Chaofeng Hall, the morning light streamed into the hall through the window lattices.
Su Wan sat regally on the phoenix throne, dressed in a phoenix robe and wearing a light phoenix crown. Although it was not as magnificent as it was when she was conferred the title yesterday, it still exuded the majesty of an empress.
This was the first time she had received greetings from the concubines since entering the palace as Empress, and she was inevitably a little nervous.
She took a deep breath, trying to appear calm and collected.
"Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
As the eunuch announced the arrival, the concubines filed in and bowed in unison.
Looking at the beautifully dressed women in front of her, Su Wan silently reminded herself to remain calm.
"Please rise, my sisters," Su Wan said gently.
After the concubines rose, they stood in two rows.
Su Wan's gaze swept across the room, noticing several women with beautiful faces and others with a hint of disdain in their eyes, causing her heart to tighten.
Su Wan tried her best to make her voice sound gentle and friendly, "As I am new to the palace and meeting you all for the first time, I have prepared some small gifts."
As she spoke, she gave a wink to the palace maids beside her. The maids immediately brought out a brocade box that had been prepared beforehand, containing various exquisite jewelry and silks.
“Sister Linfei.” Su Wan first pointed to a concubine who seemed to be the most amiable, “This white jade hairpin suits your temperament very well.”
Consort Lin accepted the gift, her face showing a flattered expression: "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty the Empress."
Su Wan then distributed gifts to the other concubines in turn, each one carefully selected to suit everyone's preferences.
Just as the atmosphere was beginning to ease, one of the concubines standing on the right suddenly spoke up.
"Your Majesty the Empress is very kind, but..."
The concubine paused deliberately, waiting until all eyes were on her before continuing:
"But I heard that this morning at court, an official said that the thunder and fire last night were a warning from heaven, implying that Your Majesty the Empress is not worthy of your position."