"Last night, there was a cot in the northwest, stretching several zhang, resembling a dragon, erging from the east and setting in the west, rushing day and night..."
As Yu Wenquan spoke, his voice grew lower. By the ti he spoke the last few words, that subdued voice nearly pressed the candles in the dining hall down under an invisible pressure, causing everyone’s breathing to involuntarily sink.
Until, he heavily spoke the last four words—
"An ill on."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi sharply inhaled.
She suddenly rembered, last night, when they lay under the sky and rested in the wilderness, just as she was about to sleep, it seed she saw a flash of light across the sky. That light was like a sudden inspiration in her mind. She began to suspect that the villagers who left behind an empty village, really left because of war?
However, that question had no answer.
After all, those villagers had left without a trace, leaving no one for her to inquire, so she let it go. She dismissed that light as simply a fleeting thought and did not pay it much heed.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be true!
But—
The cot appearing indicates an ill on; these words now have a peculiar weight and unease.
What does this "ill on" an for the Da Ye Dynasty at this ti?
At this mont, Yu Wenquan seed to be thinking the sa, frowning as he stated, "If this celestial phenonon appeared so days ago, the ’ill on’ could have referred to Xue Xiandong’s advancent and the battles in Fufeng; but now, Ye’er has returned triumphantly, Xue Xiandong has been slain, and there’s no greater military threat in Longxi. It seems the ill on does not refer to the western matters."
Yu Wenye thought for a mont, then asked, "What’s the situation in the Eastern Capital recently?"
Yu Wenquan replied, "Liang Shide hasn’t made any significant military moves lately, but he’s been implenting several asures that have won the hearts of the people in the Eastern Capital."
"Oh? What are they?"
"After occupying the Eastern Capital, he not only spared the remaining townspeople but redistributed the lands left by the wealthy households who fled, giving them to the poor families left in the city. He also ordered his troops not to invade these lands, training during their spare ti and farming when idle. As a result, the situation in the Eastern Capital is even better than—"
He seed to want to say, better than when the Emperor was present, but the words remained unspoken.
Shang Ruyi’s heart sank slightly.
Noticing her unease, Yu Wenye glanced at Shang Ruyi but said nothing more. However, everyone understood; Chu Yang may have been an extraordinarily intelligent man and a talented and ambitious Emperor, yet nothing could conceal the fact that the Dynasty was riddled with wounds and the common folk living in misery under his rule.
After contemplating, he said, "Clearly, we cannot give Liang Shide too much ti."
"..."
"Otherwise, if this continues, reclaiming the Eastern Capital will be very difficult."
Yu Wenquan nodded heavily.
Yu Wenye continued, "And what about Wang Shaoji and his n?"
Yu Wenquan replied, "While they have begun to move north, after Ru Yi exposed their treachery at Dayan Temple, the court issued proclamations to inform the nation. Consequently, counties along the way have begun deploying troops to intercept them."
"..."
"I’ve heard that throughout this journey, not only have many soldiers from the court scattered, but many from the Imperial Guard have also deserted."
"..."
"However—the late Emperor took many troops to Jiangdu, and even though so have been reduced, tens of thousands remain, not inferior to Xue Xiandong’s forces."
Shang Ruyi’s breath sunk once again.
This ti, her subdued breath contained an ire that had never faded; after all, she still often found herself trapped in the nightmare of Jiangdu Palace’s Bright Hall—a nightmare sea of blood—from which neither Wang Shaoji nor Wang Shaoqiu’s fierce and cunning visages appeared, yet she knew clearly that nightmare was brought upon her by them!
Sooner or later, she will cleanse that nightmare of its blood.
With their blood!
ntion of the two caused Yu Wenye’s expression to darken slightly, but he said nothing more; he rely reflected for a while and then stated, "Which ans they won’t reach the Eastern Capital any ti soon, let alone Daxing."
"That’s right."
"Then, the Historian’s ntion of ’ill on’ does not refer to these uprisings."
Yu Wenquan nodded lightly.
Yu Wenye furrowed his brows slightly, "Then what could it be?"
Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but frown and ponder.
Just as the atmosphere in the dining hall fell into temporary gloom, a low yet tranquil voice echoed amongst them—
"When the cot appears, disaster will ensue."
Upon hearing this voice, Shang Ruyi shuddered slightly.
She looked up to see Yu Wenqian, who had been silent all along, speaking. He raised his clear eyes and slowly said, "If I recall correctly, back in the late Emperor’s waning days, there was also an abnormal celestial event. The people at the Historical Bureau reported nearly identical findings, indicating—when the cot appears, disaster will ensue."
"..."
"Father, isn’t that right?"
Yu Wenquan looked sowhat surprised at him, "How do you know?"
Yu Wenqian replied, "Oh, I heard so guards at the palace talking about it a few days ago."
The guards he referred to were likely Yu Dingxing or soone connected, since only the old staff at Daxing Palace would know about the late Emperor’s matters.
At that mont, an evening breeze suddenly blew in from outside the window, causing the candle flas on the surrounding candlesticks to flicker, casting fluctuating shadows across Yu Wenquan’s deep visage, rendering him montarily inscrutable.
He was silent for a while before saying, "Yes, there was such a thing."
"..."
"However, that was over a decade ago, and I had nearly forgotten about it."
Yu Wenqian stated, "I also heard it from so elders. They said, back then, the late Emperor—Emperor Wen was gravely ill, bedridden, and when the Historian observed the stars at night, he discovered the cot appeared in the southeast and thus reported to Emperor Wen, predicting a calamity was imminent."
"..."
"Emperor Wen was greatly startled and imdiately ordered the people from the Historical Bureau to seek a solution to avert it."
"..."
"However—"
Here, his expression sank and his words stopped; Shang Ruyi reflexively asked, "But what? Was a solution found?"
Yu Wenqian looked up at her, and his clear eyes flickered in the wavering candlelight, forming a faint smile passing beneath them.
Just as he was about to speak, a cold voice suddenly intervened—
"If one had been found, Father wouldn’t have just returned!"
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