Chapter 276 – History Always Repeats Itself
Note: Unedited
The Crown Prince was greatly pleased. He had to spend so much money on making these two gifts, so, of course, they should be the best.
"If Imperial Father likes them, Son will deliver them to your residence."
Before acting all smart, shouldn't you evaluate your own abilities first? What if Qi Zhen opened is damn mouth and asked for the Moon? How are you going to give it to him? What if he opened his mouth and asked for Qujiang and Huyi, are you going to start a frigging war for such a reason? Don't make people laugh!
The Crown Prince bowed with haughtiness. He then lifted his robe and went back to his seat. His posterior had barely touched his seat, and Jing Yi, who sat opposite of him, got up.
Contrary to Jing Hua's boisterous behavior, Jing Yi was quieter. He greeted his father but didn't announce to everyone his gift in order to avoid the last year's tragedy to repeat itself when his gift was swapped by his elder brother.
The brocade box he brought out was small and could be held in one hand. He bowed. "Son knows Imperial Father is busy reading through reports and memorials every day. Hence, I went to Mount Song in search for a millennium beech and carved it into this headrest." He opened the box, and a delicately carved pillow made of beech laid inside.
Compare to the Crown Prince's gifts, Jing Yi's gifts were full of thoughts.
Qi Zhen nodded and smiled from his heart. "These days, we were quite busy and our spirit had become weary. Your gift had came in timely. It is very good."
The eunuch took the gift and delivered to Qi Zhen.
Naturally, Concubine Xiao would not miss the opportunity to praise her son in front of the Emperor. She spoke with affection. "Your Majesty, Yi'er had search Mount Song for many days before finding the right beech in hope this could help you have a good night of sleep."
"Hmm. We understand his heart."
Jing Yi said, "This is something Son should do."
At that moment, Ji Yunshu got curious, so she leaned closer to Jing Rong and whispered, "It should be your turn."
Jing Rong replied, "There is no hurry. Besides, we have to wait for the Sage King."
His gaze fell on Jing Xian who sat not far from them.
Jing Xian wasn't a high-profile man. With the support of a servant, he came to the front to present his birthday gift which was the most common spiritual beads string one could find.
Qi Zhen didn't even cast a glance on him before waving his hand to allow him back to his seat.
No one was surprised by his attitude. Jing Xian had a frail health. It was inevitable that such flaw didn't garner the Emperor's favor.
Finally, it was Jing Rong's turn.
He got up and made his way to the front. He greeted his father and said a few words of blessing before ordering people to bring his gift in.
The size of his gift was as big as the Crown Prince's jade tree. It was around two meters tall.
Ji Yunshu looked at it with widened eyes. What the heck did that man prepared?
Several eunuchs with sweat beading from their brows placed down the gigantic gift concealed under a red cloth. Next, they pulled down the red cloth, revealing to everyone the hidden content. Shock were felt in the venue. The gift wasn't carved from gold or silver neither was it finely sculpted. It was a crude Buddha statue made out of stone.
That's right! It was a buddha statue!
Someone rubbed their eyes then looked again, but no matter how much he rubbed his eyes, the buddhlike statue didn't change. He immediately felt dizzy. In previous years, Prince Rong's gift was neither low-key nor high profile. It was always just right, but this year, he went full power. However, why did he have to choose such a conspicuous thing?
The Crown Prince and Jing Yi were inwardly laughing. Even Concubine Xiao couldn't suppress her smirk and had to hide it with her handkerchief.
Qi Zhen's hand trembled as he pointed at the gigantic Buddha statue. "Jing Rong, what… is this?"
"Imperial Father, this is a buddha statue." Jing Rong answered perfunctorily.
"We know this is a buddha statue! What I mean is why did you give this…" He was in complete disbelief.
"Although this statue is not made of gold or jade, it won't be easily be destroyed as gold can melt and jade can break. Son had decided on a buddha statue since I wish for Imperial Father to be like Buddha, forever as stable as our Great Lin.
Ji Yunshu gave him a thumbs up for his explanations. Stone was stone no matter how he spun it. It made Qi Zhen still felt dissatisfied. Qi Zhen swept the place a glance and noticed Old General Li had left his seat. What a curious coincidence. She also left her place and followed him.
Old General Li walked for a while, but suddenly, he veered to the small entrance of a small palace. Then, he stood there. From his position, he could overlook Chengqing Hall with clarity – the brightly lit lanterns, the crowds in celebration and the cheers intertwined with the songs and music in background.
He brushed his long and white beard. "Come out!" he ordered.
Ji Yunshu popped out from a hidden corner and walked to him. She followed his gaze and looked at the place where there was red and orange lanterns
The silence was suddenly broke by Old General Li. "Teacher Ji, who do you think is suitable to be the emperor?"
The suddenness of the question frightened Ji Yunshu. She observed him with a raised eyebrow.
The old man continued to gaze at a certain place and continued to question her. "Do you think… the current emperor doesn't deserve his title?"
Huh!
"What do you mean by that?"
"Just answer me."
Ji Yunshu had yet to figure out his meaning, but she still pondered on a reply. After a moment of deliberation, she earnestly answered, "Qi Zhen Emperor isn't as good as the previous Emperor. He beheaded chamberlains, neglected close relatives, set up private armies, established an internal force. However, he had pacified the civil unrest within the empire for the past 20 years. He had drove away the barbarians, conquered Huyi and Qujiang. He had ushered Great Lin in an era of prosperity. The common people also live in peace. This could be regard as doing what people asked from a ruler."
He slightly nodded, approving her explanations.
"Then, what if… for his power, he had no scruple slaughtering innocent lives just to gain power, not hesitating pulling the root out?"
"Ah?"
"Have you heard how the late Emperor ascended to the throne?"
Ji Yunshu shook her head. She was ignorant of that period.
Old General Li didn't speak for a long moment. Then, he slowly started to narrate. "Before the late Emperor ascended to the throne, he was a child riddled with illness. At that time, the main candidate to the throne was his other brother, Marquis Chao, a man with great potential to be the emperor. When the late Emperor ascended to the throne, he beheaded the Marquis Chao under the pretense of rebellion in order to consolidate his power."
Ji Yunshu finally understood his meaning.
"The great fire which decimated the whole Imperial Duke's residence was caused under the Emperor's order. So, on that day, you deliberately mentioned the relationship between the King of Peace and the Eighth Prince."
Old General Li didn't directly confirm her. He sighed. "History always repeats itself."
Qi Zhen had perpetuated his father's behavior, eliminating the Imperial Duke for the same reason his father did to Marquis Chao.
"Old General Li, this matter is only your guess. Even if it was the truth, would killing the Emperor with those lanterns amount to anything? Without Qi Zhen, they would still be another one to take over him."
"What if there are none left?"
"What do you mean?"
Old General Li looked at Chengqing Hall with a smile slowly spreading.
Ji Yunshu had a flash. She wrinkled her nose and said in a low voice, "Rust? It’s the smell of rust."
She was shocked.
BOOM!
A loud sound reverberated and a fire suddenly started. Not far from Chengqing hall, non-stop explosions could be heard, and the night became bright. The red of the flames were reflected into Ji Yunshu's dark eyes. Like a thread of dynamite, the iron wire holding the lantern caught on fire, forming a network of fire. Chengqing hall was very quickly surrounded by flames.
Grenn‘s Rants Corner
Burn baby, burn!
Chapter 277 – Can You Take Responsibility?
Note: Unedited
Sparks flew and clung to cloth. They grew into raging flames in the blink of an eye. Thick and dark fumes spiraled upward. The birthday venue was filled with screams which reverberated through the horizon.
Ji Yunshu's pupils shrunk. She could feel endless panic overtaking her. She shook her head to snap out of it. She retreated back in weakness, but with determination, she turned around and wanted to go back to Chengqing hall. However, Old General Li pulled her back.
"It's a sea of flames. You can't do anything even if you go there now."
Ji Yunshu felt her eyes sting with tears. She berated him in despair. "Old General Li is a senior who had experience three generations of emperors. You have campaigned many wars for the peace of the common people. Yet now, you wanted to kill Great Lin's Emperor in the name of stopping history from repeating itself. You should know what will happen if the Emperor and the princes died. Qujiang and Huyi will absolutely launched a military campaign. At that time, Great Lin will turn into a sea of flames like Chengqing Hall today. The common people will suffer and blood spilled will turn into rivers. Can you take responsibility for that?"
Shortly after, Ji Yunshu used all her strength and was able to shake off his hand. Then, she ran toward Chengqing hall. Behind her, Old General Li was lost in thought for a long time. It seemed as if her words was his wake-up call. He raised his strong hand, grabbed the fence near the gate and tightly clenching it.
Ji Yunshu ran like mad. There was only several hundred meters, but it took her more time to reach her destination than she would like.
At that time in Chengqing Hall, the scene was chaotic. The fire was raging, and the visual was low. The iron wire where hanged 40 to 50 lanterns had been smeared with gunpowder. It caused the wire to continue to nurture the flames and burned down the lanterns. The burning lanterns continued to fall down like meteors. Despite the effort of trying to extinguish the spreading fire, the conflagration didn't recede. The fire spat more sparks which fell madly on the ground, floor, tables, humans… Everyone was fleeing everywhere in disarray. Finally, someone fell down, exhausted. It didn't take time for the flames to engulf the body, leaving behind a charred carcass.
When the burning lanterns started to fall down, the imperial guards outside, like a cloud of bees, wanted to rush inside to save people. Unfortunately, the entrance of Chengqing Hall were sealed by debris due to an explosion. The worst, the hall didn't have a second exit for an emergency. Even if the people inside wanted to escape, they had no way. The guards wanted to clear the entrance, but they couldn't remove a big boulder obstructing their way.
Several eunuchs have lost their lives when protecting Qi Zhen from an iron wire in flames which fell down. Their bodies were now buried in the fire. A wooden pillar near the Emperor had caught in fire. Eaten by the flames, the pillar was threatening to collapse at any time. Unfortunately, Qi Zhen was forced to the side as it crumbled to the ground. Within their group, the closest to him was the Crown Prince, Jing Hua. When the pillar was falling down, he did nothing to help his father out of this predicament. Instead, he scrammed far away, cherishing his life more than others.
It was quite a funny sight.
Qi Zhen was hit by disappointment when he saw his son abandoned him. When his life was in danger, he had wanted to say something to his son, but what did his treasured son do? He escaped by himself!
Bastard! Damn bastard!
When the pillar was about to crush Qi Zhen, Jing Rong and Ji Yi sprang out, braving the fire and obstacles to rescue him. Jing Rong kicked out the wooden pillar while Jing Yi protected Qi Zhen and his mother, Concubine Xiao. The smoke rolled. Concubine Xiao whose body was fragile from all those years of pampering couldn't endure much longer. Her breathing became laborious, choking from the smoke. She fainted shortly after. Jing Yi didn't hesitate to carry her and rushed out the room they were hiding in.
Qi Zhen's body was equally not good due to his age, but he had covered his nose with his sleeve. He coughed like no tomorrow while trying to find a way to escape the sea of flames. Yet, how could he have know, misfortune befell him – his shoulder was hit by a fragment of the broken pillar. The momentum of the wooden projectile was enough to floor him. As he hit the floor, he lost consciousness, obvious to the fire ravaging his back.
"Imperial Father!" Jing Yi shouted. His eyes stung from the thick and hot smoke. He could vaguely see the figure of his father laid on the floor.
"Quick! Hurry! Come on!"
At that moment, the imperial guards force timely arrived. They quickly rushed to save the Emperor. They kicked away the wooden debris that had fallen on Qi Zhen. Then, they extinguished the fire cooking Qi Zhen's back and escorted him out of Chengqing hall.
Ji Yunshu finally arrived in running. She saw Jing Yi carrying Concubine Xiao and the imperial guard protecting Qi Zhen. She swept a glance to see some officials and Crown Princess candidates, but there was no shadow of Jing Rong or Jing Xian.
She hurriedly grabbed an imperial guard. "Where is Prince Rong?" she asked in panic.
The imperial guard looked around. "He should still be inside." As soon he finished talking, he realized the urgency of it. He waved his hand to recruit his comrades. "Quick, Prince Rong hasn't come out yet."
Ji Yunshu rushed inside without waiting for him. On the way, she stopped any survivors. "Have you seen Prince Rong?"
However, they all ignored her and continued to escape from the fire.
The conflagration was fierce. She had to cover her nose if she wanted to go on. Everywhere was covered in black smoke. She couldn't see anything in front or around her.
"Jing Rong! Jing Rong!" she screamed.
She was about to go deeper into the fire, but an imperial pulled her back and dragged her outside.
"Teacher Ji, the fire is too fierce. You can't go inside."
"Let me go!"
"You can't go in-"
She continued to struggle madly. Tears pooled in her eyes and fell out with plip-plop sounds. Her strength was too weak and she couldn't stop the imperial from dragging her further away.
Suddenly, she could vaguely see two forms emerging from the entrance. She closely watched. The form gradually became clearer. Her heart finally could calm down.
Jing Rong came out while supporting Jing Xian. Due to his body being wrecked by years of illness, the fire ordeal made him appeared as if he was on his dying breath. He coughed constantly. His complexion was paler than ever.
The imperial guards immediately came forward to help Jing Rong.
Ji Yunshu sniffled with grievance. She quickly wiped her tears and wanted to run to Jing Rong, but…
"People, capture Prince Rong." Jing Yi ordered.
The imperial guards didn't move. They looked at each other, surprise at that sudden turn of the event. Jing Rong also didn't show any reaction.
Jing Yi berated Jing Rong. "The source of the fire is due to the combination of the lanterns and iron wire. This Prince knows that two days ago you stealthily replaced all the lanterns from Fangshui. This thing must be your doing!"
Jing Rong was speechless.
The Commander-in-chief of the imperial guards probed, "Prince Yi, this matter…"
Jing Yi cut him. "Zhang Bo!"
From the crowd of survivors, Zhang Bo stepped forward, trembling in fear. His clothes were riddled with holes and burn. He kneeled on the ground.
Lanterns materials came from the Dispatch Bureau, so he couldn't escape from the responsibility.
Jing Yi interrogated him. "This Prince asks you. Two days ago, did Prince Rong go to the Dispatch Bureau and demand all the lanterns to be replaced?"
Zhang Bo raised his head to look at Jing Rong, but he quickly evaded. He mumbled, "Y-yes… Prince Rong did go. He said there was a problem with the lanterns from Fangshui. He also ordered the news to be sealed."
With Zhang Bo's testimony, Jing Yi was in complete confidence. He questioned Jing Rong impatiently. "Do you still have anything else to say?"
Jing Rong coldly stared at Zhang Bo. "Indeed, I did ask the lanterns to be replaced. However, the cause of the fire today is not the lanterns, but the iron wire."
"Stop denying it! If something happened to Imperial Father, your life would not be enough to redeem it!" Jing Rong ordered the imperial guards once again. "What are you waiting for? Capture him."
The imperial guards immediately complied.
Jing Yi spoke once again. "Send Prince Rong to the prison. Wait until Imperial Father awoke, he will be judged."
Ji Yunshu stepped forward anxiously, but Jing Rong signaled her with a shake of his head.
He didn't want her to get implicate.
Jing Rong was detained. Ji Yunshu was unwilling. She took two steps forward but was pulled back. She looked back and saw Jing Xian.
Grenn‘s Rants Corner
Damn Jing Yi! Even at this time, he wouldn’t a chance to eliminate his rivals to the throne.