The words of the Minister of Personnel were caught in his throat as sudden darkness enveloped them.
Then, countless terrified cries erupted.
The great hall was plunged into complete darkness, the kind where one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face. This darkness amplified every sound and the fear in people’s hearts.
“Protect the Emperor!”
Screams, collisions, and even more sobbing filled the air.
“It’s a solar eclipse!”
After what seemed like an eternity to those present, the lights finally came on.
Outside the hall, it was still pitch black.
At this moment, the officials didn’t care about looking at each other or even the Emperor’s safety. They crawled on their knees towards the hall doors, weeping as they went.
A solar eclipse was an ill omen, portending great changes.
Emperor Jingming sat on his dragon throne, feeling a chill run through his body.
A solar eclipse? Was this Heaven’s way of warning him of his moral failings and punishing him?
Finally, daylight returned. The hall’s lamps seemed dim compared to the brightness outside.
Outside, the sun shone brightly, as if the terrifying event had never occurred.
Emperor Jingming, having weathered many storms in his decades-long reign, quickly regained his composure.
Looking around at the trembling, bewildered officials, he spoke: “Minister Gu, what were you about to report?”
The officials looked up at their Emperor in confusion.
What was the Emperor saying?
“Minister Gu, I’m asking you,” Emperor Jingming emphasized.
These old fools, were they already eager for him to issue an edict of self-blame?
What was wrong with him giving himself a way out first?
Minister Gu, being called out, snapped back to attention: “Your subject—”
After just one word, he couldn’t continue.
What was he about to do?
Right, he was going to advise the Emperor to reconsider the Crown Prince selection, as the new Crown Prince’s sudden illness on the eve of the investiture ceremony was Heaven’s warning against the Emperor’s hasty decision.
But now a solar eclipse had occurred on what was supposed to be the day of the Crown Prince’s investiture!
What did this mean?
As a pillar of the court, Minister Gu quickly realized: that it meant the new Crown Prince was deeply blessed, having avoided this extremely inauspicious day!
Didn’t this imply that the Crown Prince was Heaven’s favored choice for heir? How else could he have conveniently fallen ill at this time to avoid it?
If he were to advise reconsidering the Crown Prince now, he would be slapping his face, and quite hard at that.
Emperor Jingming favored frugality, so there were no ice basins in the great hall. Embarrassed sweat slowly covered Minister Gu’s back.
“Minister Gu?”
Minister Gu coughed lightly, putting on a righteous face: “Your subject proposes increasing disaster relief efforts in areas affected by drought and floods, so that the people may enjoy Your Majesty’s benevolence…”
The officials with memorials tucked in their sleeves all wanted to roll their eyes.
As expected of the head of all officials, Minister Gu had the thickest skin, if nothing else.
Emperor Jingming swept his gaze over the officials and slowly said: “The solar eclipse shows Heaven’s dissatisfaction with me. Increasing disaster relief and reducing the people’s burdens are indeed necessary. Do any other ministers have matters to report?”
The officials kept their eyes down, and no one made a sound.
Who would be foolish enough to speak up at a time like this?
Emperor Jingming waited for a moment. Seeing no response, his expression suddenly turned cold: “If the ministers have nothing to say, then the court is dismissed. Summon the Head of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to the Imperial Study!”
The Emperor’s heightened tone turned each word into an icy spike, piercing the hearts of the officials and filling them with dread.
The atmosphere in the great hall grew even heavier, and no one dared to move.
Emperor Jingming strode out with a grim face.
After a while, the officials slowly filed out. As they exited the hall, they unconsciously glanced towards the direction of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, sighing inwardly.
The Imperial Astronomical Bureau was likely facing impending disaster.
The Head of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau stumbled as he knelt before Emperor Jingming, prostrating himself and weeping: “Your subject deserves death!”
Emperor Jingming’s face was as dark as storm clouds as he demanded harshly: “What is the Imperial Astronomical Bureau good for? Declaring today an auspicious day, were you treating me like a fool?”
The Head of the Bureau trembled: “Your subject is guilty. I failed to detect such a grave error by my subordinates. I deserve ten thousand deaths!”
Emperor Jingming sneered coldly: “You indeed deserve ten thousand deaths! This was to be the day of the Crown Prince’s investiture, yet a solar eclipse occurred. Imagine if the ceremony had proceeded as scheduled—how could I face my subjects? How would other nations view Da Zhou? You would have made me and the Crown Prince a laughingstock in history, ridiculed by future generations!”
Emperor Jingming shook with anger.
He had never been so furious, and beneath his anger was fear.
Fortunately, Seventh Brother’s illness had caused the investiture to be postponed, or the consequences would have been unthinkable.
“Your subject is guilty, your subject is guilty.” The Head of the Bureau had no defense and could only repeatedly kowtow.
With such a fatal error, no explanation could save him from a death sentence. All he could do was accept his fate and hope the Emperor would grant him an intact corpse and spare his family.
At this moment, Pan Hai reported: “Your Majesty, Commander Han has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
Soon, Han Ran, the Commander of the Jinlin Guard, entered and reported: “Your Majesty, Zhu Duohuan, the Lingtai Lang of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, has hanged himself at home, along with his wife.”
As soon as the solar eclipse occurred, the Jinlin Guard had gone to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to detain all the officials. Upon learning that Lingtai Lang Zhu Duohuan was responsible for observing celestial phenomena and that he wasn’t at the office, they rushed to his home.
Several Jinlin Guard members had just entered Zhu Duohuan’s house when they saw two bodies swinging from the rafters—undoubtedly Zhu Duohuan and his wife.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingming’s expression changed.
None of the unfortunate events in the past two years had been accidents; they were all the result of someone’s secret machinations. He found it hard to believe that Lingtai Lang Zhu Duohuan’s suicide was merely due to dereliction of duty!
Such a massive error couldn’t have been a mistake; it must have been deliberate!
Emperor Jingming gripped a white jade paperweight, pointing at Han Ran and asking angrily: “What about the rest of his family?”
Han Ran eyed the paperweight nervously, breaking out in a cold sweat as he lowered his gaze and replied: “Zhu Duohuan’s parents passed away many years ago. The couple had no children. They mainly associated with colleagues and neighbors, having almost no contact with relatives…”
A white blur flew through the air, crashing heavily into the wall with a loud bang.
The jade paperweight shattered, leaving a dent in the wall and startling the formidable Commander Han Ran into a shudder.
Pan Hai, standing in the corner, remained much calmer.
He was used to it.
“Thoroughly investigate the Imperial Astronomical Bureau for me. Don’t let anyone off the hook!” Emperor Jingming said with a dark face. Glancing at the Head of the Bureau, he added through gritted teeth, “Imprison the Head of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in the imperial dungeon. He will be punished according to his crimes once the matter is clarified.”
Soon, the ashen-faced Head of the Bureau was dragged away.
Emperor Jingming paced back and forth, stepping on the shattered paperweight, his eyes deep in thought.
First the palace, and now outside it. Why had Heaven sent this solar eclipse to punish him?
Couldn’t Heaven just send a bolt of lightning to strike dead those causing trouble?