In the capital city, countless citizens rushed through the streets, cheering joyously.
Jiang Si returned in the rain, once again witnessing the grand spectacle of deserted streets as everyone gathered to celebrate.
“Look, it’s the rain prayer procession!”
People dancing in the rain spotted Jiang Si’s group and frantically surged towards them. As they drew near, they all knelt before Jiang Si in unison.
“The Crown Princess is a divine maiden incarnate! Heaven blesses the Great Zhou!”
Even after the procession passed, the people remained kneeling in the rain, reluctant to rise.
When the first thunderclap sounded, Emperor Jingming quickly walked out of the great hall and looked up at the sky.
As the rain fell, despite his decades on the throne and his ability to remain unperturbed even if Mount Tai were to crumble before him, at this moment he couldn’t help but shed tears, letting out a long sigh of relief: “It’s raining!”
Pan Hai opened a bamboo umbrella beside him and advised, “Your Majesty, the wind is strong and the rain is cool. You should go inside.”
“No, let’s go to Kunning Palace.”
At this moment, Emperor Jingming wanted to share his excitement with the Empress.
As Emperor Jingming hurried along, Pan Hai, seeing he couldn’t persuade him otherwise, quickly followed, trying his best to shield the Emperor with the bamboo umbrella.
The Empress stood under the eaves, watching the rain with bright eyes, just in time to see Emperor Jingming approaching through the rain.
“Your Majesty, why have you come out in the rain?” The Empress quickly went to meet him.
The palace maid with the umbrella was a step too slow, and fine raindrops immediately fell on the Empress’s hair and shoulders.
But who cared about that now?
The imperial couple ignored everyone else and entered the hall side by side.
The April rain carried no chill, only freshness, much like the couple’s current mood.
Taking the hot tea offered by a palace maid, Emperor Jingming blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface and sighed, “I never imagined the Crown Princess would succeed in praying for rain!”
The Empress’s eyes were full of smiles: “Yes, my heart has been in suspense all this time, but now I can finally relax. With this heaven-sent sweet rain, the people can be at ease.”
She could be at ease too.
Thinking back to seven days ago when the Crown Princess burst into Yangxin Hall, even now she still felt waves of fear.
How could she have been so bold? If the rain prayer had failed, wouldn’t she have placed herself in an irredeemable position?
Fortunately, it succeeded!
With the Crown Princess acknowledged by the people, the position of the Crown Prince would be incredibly stable, and her position as Empress would be secure. She wouldn’t have to worry about the future.
“Empress.”
“Yes?”
“We should keep the incense burning in the small Buddha hall. We mustn’t neglect the Bodhisattva.”
The Empress couldn’t help but smile: “Rest assured, Your Majesty. The small Buddha hall’s incense burns continuously every day. We will certainly not neglect the Bodhisattva.”
“That’s good.”
In contrast to the imperial couple’s joy, the atmosphere in Cining Palace was as heavy as the rolling dark clouds in the sky.
The Empress Dowager squeezed her prayer beads forcefully, and after a long while, she spat out two words: “Demon!”
Crown Princess Jiang was indeed a demon. How else could she have prayed for wind and rain?
Encountering such a demon, no wonder she had been outmaneuvered at every turn.
The Empress Dowager thought about her recent pressure on Emperor Jingming and felt her heart sink.
With the Crown Princess’s success in praying for rain, all previous rumors had become a joke. At this moment, if anyone on the street dared to speak ill of the Crown Princess, they would likely be beaten by anyone who heard.
The Empress Dowager lowered her gaze to the prayer beads in her hand, a thought flashing through her mind: Perhaps it was time to lie low and enjoy her golden years.
Come to think of it, she had cut off her connection with the Wu Miao, and some of the instructions from the Great Elder of the past no longer needed to be carried out.
She was the Empress Dowager. As long as she withdrew, what could the Crown Prince and his wife do to her?
As Empress Dowager thought this, the image of Jiang Si’s enigmatic smile suddenly flashed through her mind, and her resolve to lay down her arms instantly vanished.
No, the Crown Prince and his wife were still young, and they would eventually ascend to the throne. If she were no longer around by then, it wouldn’t matter, but if she were still alive, wouldn’t she be at Jiang Si’s mercy?
But she had already revealed many of her cards, and it wouldn’t be wise to make any rash moves now…
For a moment, the Empress Dowager’s mind was in turmoil.
With the Crown Princess’s success in praying for rain and the people rejoicing, the officials and nobles began to tread carefully, no longer daring to criticize the Crown Prince and his wife in the slightest.
As for the official who died by hitting a pillar, if the Crown Princess had failed in her prayer for rain, that official’s sacrifice for the sake of the country’s stability might have earned him a place in the history books. But now, heh, who would even remember who that unfortunate soul was?
He was nothing more than a clown who had tried to manipulate the emperor by risking his own life.
At the Gu residence.
Madam Gu directed the maids to prepare a bed in the study, then coldly told Minister Gu, “From today on, my lord will sleep in the study.”
Minister Gu was alarmed: “My lady, I’m not used to sleeping in the study!”
In his younger years, long hours of study had injured his neck and shoulders. When it flared up, it was unbearable. Only his wife had mastered a technique of massaging it, often kneading it for him before bed, which made him feel much better the next day.
How could he sleep in the study?
Madam Gu gave Minister Gu a cold look and sneered, “I’ve long advised you to stay out of the imperial family’s affairs, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look what’s happened, you’ve lost all face.”
Minister Gu looked embarrassed: “Women should just manage household affairs. You don’t understand matters outside the home—”
Madam Gu patted the hard bed: “Household affairs are my domain, and you’ll sleep here.”
With that, Madam Gu turned and left, slamming the door behind her.
Minister Gu fumed, stroking his beard: “The old woman’s temper gets worse with age, it’s improper. This time, I’ll make you beg me to come back to bed!”
In the middle of the night, the old minister stood outside the bedroom holding his bedding, pleading pitifully: “My lady, I was wrong. Please let me come back to sleep.”
“Will you meddle in other people’s affairs again?”
“No, I won’t.”
Only then did Madam Gu’s expression soften: “Is your shoulder pain acting up again, my lord? Let me massage it for you.”
The old fool should have known better. Was the Crown Princess an ordinary person?
Back when the Crown Princess and Prince Qi’s wife went to offer incense and encountered a startled horse, Prince Qi’s wife was frightened out of her wits, but the Crown Princess emerged unscathed. That was because the Crown Princess had given a grand offering to the Bodhisattva at Baiyun Temple.
Giving grand offerings wasn’t unusual, but what was remarkable was that the Bodhisattva had accepted it. How else could the Crown Princess have received such divine protection?
If she didn’t stop her husband from opposing the Crown Princess who had received the Bodhisattva’s blessing, wouldn’t she be inviting disaster upon the entire household?
To think that as the wife of a minister, she still had to worry about such things—all because the old fool didn’t know better.
The officials had become as meek as quails for a time, and the hidden dangers of an unstable heir apparent had dissipated. Emperor Jingming rarely enjoyed such peace of mind and was deeply moved.
Then one day, Pan Hai reported: “Your Majesty, Minister Zhen has come to the palace requesting an audience.”
Emperor Jingming had the urge to cover his ears, but under Pan Hai’s inquiring gaze, he still nodded: “Let him in.”
When old Zhen sought an audience, it was always for important matters, and important matters meant trouble—great, here comes trouble again!
Soon, Zhen Shicheng entered, carrying a large wicker box.
“Your humble servant greets Your Majesty.”
Emperor Jing Ming’s gaze fell on the wicker box: “Minister Zhen, what is this—”
Zhen Shicheng set down the wicker box and cupped his hands: “In response to Your Majesty, these are the case files for a lawsuit.”
Emperor Jingming’s eyes widened when he heard this: “So many?”
Zhen Shicheng lowered his eyes: “Your humble servant didn’t expect there to be so much when compiled.”
“What kind of case is it?” Emperor Jingming didn’t really want to ask, but how could he not when such a large box was sitting there, big enough to serve as a small stool?
“It’s the defamation case against the owner of Lushengxiang.”