After Xiao Tianchi left, Shen Lingyun completely lost her strength and nearly collapsed to the ground.
Biwu and the sisters Ziyen and Zixi helped her sit down, while one of them rubbed her slightly cold fingers.
It was clearly summer, yet her hands were as cold as in the depth of winter.
...
Today was the day when the new emperor, Xiao Tianchi, held the grand ceremony of ascending the throne and sacrificing to Heaven. As soon as the hour of Mao arrived, the entire palace bustled with activity.
Thanks to Xiao Tianchi's instruction, what had happened last night didn't spread. He returned to the Zichen Palace and took a light nap for two hours. After refreshing himself, he changed into the imperial robe under the service of the palace servants. Then, in the midst of the loud announcements, he boarded the imperial palanquin and set off towards the altar for sacrificing to Heaven.
The altar of the Sheng State was located outside the imperial city. It was heavily guarded on all sides, so strictly that not even a fly could sneak in. However, on the way to the altar, many commoners lined the streets, craning their necks to peek through the armed guards.
Doctor Wang, dressed in a bright red official robe, followed closely beside the imperial entourage.
Now, he was the legitimate chief physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Walking on the road to the altar and looking at the familiar scenery around, Doctor Wang felt a bit dazed.
The last time he walked on this road was almost thirty years ago. At that time, he was just a low - ranking medical official in the Imperial Medical Bureau.
He quietly glanced sideways at Xiao Tianchi sitting high in the imperial palanquin. Doctor Wang's expression was complex.
Back then, this man was just a brilliant young man from the Xiao family, with high - flying eyebrows and imposing manner, not like he was now...
Xiao Tianchi looked in his direction and asked with a faint smile, "My dear official, you're sizing me up so intently. Is there something wrong with me?"
Doctor Wang snapped out of his reverie and said, "Your Majesty has dark circles under your eyes. You probably didn't sleep well last night, did you?"
Xiao Tianchi smiled but didn't answer.
It wasn't the first time he had had a poor sleep. Deep sleep had always been a luxury for him. Especially now, with his current physical condition...
He propped his hand under his chin and, through the gauze curtain, looked at the commoners in the capital kneeling on both sides of the street to pay their respects.
Let him guess when those people would make their move.
If it were him, he wouldn't let the procession reach the altar smoothly.
Only in this way could the commoners across the land be convinced that he, Xiao Tianchi, was unworthy of being the ruler of the world.
Sure enough, the previously cloudless sky suddenly changed. A strong wind rose out of nowhere, whipping up sand and stones. The flags flapped violently in the wind. The sand and dust blinded everyone's eyes, and then raindrops began to fall from the sky, catching everyone off guard.
"It's raining!"
"Why did it suddenly start raining? It was clear just now!"
"Good heavens, look at the sky! The dark clouds are coming so fast!"
The commoners all looked up at the sky. The thick, heavy clouds gathered densely overhead, as if about to crush them down.
At this moment, a shrill cry came from the crowd: "A sudden wind rising from the ground and rain falling on a clear day are signs of great chaos in the world and the onset of disasters!"
As the man spoke, the rain grew heavier. Seeing something was amiss, the Military Commissioner of Lingyang angrily shouted, "Who is spreading such heresy here? Quickly arrest this person!"
Two armed guards immediately rushed into the crowd, trying to seize the man who had just spoken.
Just as the man was about to be caught, the commoners around him stepped in front of him and glared at the guards:
"Speaking a few words of truth is considered spreading heresy? I think you're just feeling guilty and trying to silence him!"
A dispute broke out on the scene, and the noise was incessant. The Military Commissioner of Hexi stepped forward with a solemn expression and said to Xiao Tianchi, "Your Majesty, with the wind and rain and the restless commoners, there's a risk of turmoil. It's not suitable to sacrifice to Heaven today. We should quickly retreat back to the palace!"
Xiao Tianchi looked at the commoners on both sides scurrying to take shelter from the heavy rain and smiled:
"Only those who win the hearts of the people can truly rule the world. Otherwise, all efforts are in vain. Don't be hasty. Let's see what their real purpose is in staging this play."
Another loud shout came from the crowd: "Everyone, do you know that a few days ago, there were continuous heavy rains in Cangzhou. The good - looking Jinning Canal suddenly collapsed, and the flood rushed straight down, washing away most of the houses and fertile fields in the counties and towns of Cangzhou!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the speaker.
Beside Xiao Tianchi, someone's face immediately changed at the mention of "Cangzhou".
The Jinning Canal... Dongli Town was located downstream of the Jinning Canal!
The speaker was a middle - aged man in shabby, simple clothes, covered in mud, with wrinkled face and disheveled hair. He looked extremely disheveled, as if he had just climbed out of the muddy water.
Sensing everyone's gazes on him, he knelt on the ground, stretched out his hands towards the sky, and wailed mournfully, "My entire family was killed in this flood in Cangzhou. No one survived!"
"This flood came suddenly and urgently. We were all in our sleep and had almost no ability to resist. I traveled north all the way to seek refuge with my relatives. After enduring great hardships and finally reaching the capital, I learned that the flood in Cangzhou was because someone had raised an army to rebel, killed his elder brother to seize the throne, and defied the heavens, which angered the sky!"
The man's eyes were blood - red. Pointing at the imperial palanquin standing still in the rain, he shouted, "Today, this evil person who will bring chaos to the world still wants to ascend the throne and sacrifice to Heaven. Look, the sky is angry again. A sudden wind on a clear day and rain falling are the warnings from the heavens! We must never let this person be the ruler of the world!"
"If we don't stop him, the capital will surely become the second Cangzhou!"
Inspired by his words, after the commoners came to their senses, their looks towards the imperial palanquin immediately changed.
"So it's because he became the emperor that such a great disaster happened. He's unworthy to be our emperor!"
"Overthrow him! We'll act on behalf of the heavens!"
Angry shouts rang out one after another in the crowd. At first, the commoners were still a bit afraid. But then, one person started to echo, and gradually, everyone became bolder. The voices of condemnation grew so loud that they even drowned out the sound of the rain and wind.
They rushed towards the imperial procession ferociously, regardless of the armed guards around. They looked as if they were going to drag Xiao Tianchi down from his high position and tear him to pieces.
Seeing the guards raising their weapons to resist the commoners, Xiao Tianchi ordered in a deep voice, "Don't harm the commoners. Those who violate this order will be executed on the spot."
The guards could only struggle to hold their ground with their hands and bodies. Several military commissioners were anxious and said, "Your Majesty, hurry up and leave! It'll be too late if we don't retreat now!"
Xiao Tianchi looked up at the sky. A ray of sunlight broke through the thick clouds and shone down. The heavy rain that had been pouring just now gradually lessened, and the raging wind even stopped.
The commoners' movements paused involuntarily. Everyone looked up at the sky in confusion.
"The rain... stopped?"