After all, at this mont, even the eunuchs by his side had ceased speaking.
Upon uttering those words, Chu Ruoyan felt as if half the bones in her body had been removed, making her sway as if ready to collapse at any mont. However, she stood firm in the center of the great hall, like a stubborn ghost, observing the expressions of the people around her—so relaxed, so calm, and even joyful. She laughed twice and then remarked, "Yet, you keep saying ’cot appears, disaster arises,’ where is this disaster exactly?"
With a raise of her hand, she pointed at Shang Ruyi, her trembling fingertip seed like a blade glinting with cold light, yearning to pierce her through: "She claims she wants to relieve the disaster and help the people, and she’s truly a Bodhisattva? There’s simply no—"
Before she could finish speaking, another peal of thunder echoed.
However, unlike the muffled thunder that had previously rolled through the clouds, this ti, the thunder seed to surround the Taiji Palace, even directly above them, causing the entire great hall to tremble slightly. Chu Ruoyan’s face revealed fear, and the words in her mouth stopped abruptly.
Yu Wenquan furrowed his brows, looking outside the great hall.
Imdiately, a troop of Golden Armor Soldiers rushed forward to guard the outside of the great hall.
Chu Ruoyan’s face paled abruptly, realizing that her previous struggle and stubbornness were entirely futile. Yu Wenquan, though silent, had already gained control over the entire Taiji Palace, possibly even the entire Daxing Palace.
No matter what she said, even if she shed the last drop of blood here, the outco would be the sa.
But—
At this mont, as her chaotic mind just began to gather a coherent thought, it was again shattered by an ear-splitting bang on the great hall. Chu Chengfei was frightened out of his wits, running down from the Dragon Chair and crashing into her arms: "Imperial Sister!"
Chu Ruoyan’s face turned deathly pale, and she anxiously looked toward the outside of the hall.
The sound seed to be more than just thunder, but—
"It’s the Golden Dragon Drum!"
Just when everyone held their breath, as if refusing to believe the sound they were hearing, finally soone shouted loudly, the voice shrill and filled with boundless terror: "It’s the sound of the Golden Dragon Drum!"
At this mont, everyone uttered terrified whispers.
Golden Dragon Drum!
It’s well-known that the Daye Dynasty, with its capital in Daxing City, is divided into inner and outer cities. Whether inside or outside the city walls or the palace walls, drums are placed in the northeast, southwest corners to monitor the activity inside and outside the city. Upon any appearance of a natural or human-induced calamity, the soldiers guarding the city must imdiately sound the drums as a warning.
But the alerts given by the drum and gong differ.
The golden gong signals human-induced calamities, naly the most dire enemy threats to the capital. Once detected, the presence of enemies outside the city, the gong must be sounded imdiately to alert soldiers within the city to ready themselves against the enemy.
And the Golden Dragon Drum alerts natural calamities.
Yet, not just any natural calamity warrants the use of the Golden Dragon Drum. When Emperor Wen established these dozen or so Golden Dragon Drums, he issued a decree that only large, destabilizing disasters affecting Daxing City, or even the Daye Dynasty, could justify using the Golden Dragon Drum.
Therefore, since the establishnt of the Golden Dragon Drum over twenty years ago, not a single beat had ever been heard by the city’s residents.
Thus, everyone had just assud it was thunder!
At this mont, increasingly clear booms accompanied by invisible waves of sound resonated, seeming to converge right at the Taiji Palace, making everyone’s hearts tremble along with the thundering drum beats.
Chu Ruoyan panicked and shouted, "What’s happening? What is truly happening?"
And in her arms, Chu Chengfei was already frightened beyond asure, clutching her tightly and crying out, "Save , Imperial Sister!"
His cries intensified Chu Ruoyan’s panic, as she listened to the drum sounds intertwined with the thunder overhead, as if the heavens and earth were about to crumble at this mont, her entire psyche also nearly collapsed at this instant: "What’s really happening? What on earth is going on?!"
Just as her words fell, outside the hall, a little eunuch hurriedly ran in from outside the Jiade Gate, passing through the Taiji Gate and ascending the pathway, rushing directly to the outside of the Taiji Palace. Terrified, he spoke tremblingly to those inside the hall: "To report, to report to the Grand Chancellor—"
Yu Wenquan stepped forward: "What’s the matter?"
The little eunuch’s legs weakened, trembling as he said, "Inside the city, an epidemic has broken out!"
"What?!"
This alard everyone in the great hall.
Yu Wenye’s expression also tightened, instinctively glancing down, only to see Shang Ruyi with her eyes wide, but amidst the alarm of her gaze, there seed to be a look of "just as expected."
At this mont, Chu Ruoyan already sharply rebuked, "An epidemic? Even if it’s an epidemic, why sound the Golden Dragon Drum!"
The little eunuch fell to his knees with a thud, his face contorted in sorrow, "To report to the Eldest Princess, the inner and outer cities, every dical clinic is packed with patients, outbreaks of illness have occurred in every ward. Moreover, outside the city gates, there are countless patients trying to break into the city for dical treatnt!"
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