sbdcsierra Chapter 341 Bloodshed and Calamity
Chapter 341 Bloodshed and Calamity
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wenjing frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He said in a deep voice, "A wandering Taoist priest?"
"Where did this Taoist priest come from? Why didn't the palace guards drive him away? They're letting him spread his heresy and mislead the public!"
The Zhao dynasty revered Buddhism, and there were not many people who believed in Taoism. Emperor Wenjing was not particularly interested in Taoism either.
The imperial guards immediately knelt down, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads, and replied in trembling voices:
"Your Majesty, the Taoist priest was holding a jade talisman and claimed to be a successor of the 'Zhengyi Dao' sect. He said that this matter concerned the fate of the nation, and the guards dared not act on their own and had to come and report immediately."
Upon hearing the words "national destiny," Emperor Wenjing's gaze turned icy.
His gaze swept across everyone in the hall like a knife, finally settling on the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager's face was pale, and she gripped her phoenix robe tightly with both hands.
However, the Empress Dowager had been immersed in the inner palace for many years, and even though she was quite frightened, she did not lose her composure too much.
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes and met Emperor Wenjing's gaze.
The hearts of everyone in the hall, still shaken, skipped a beat.
With the fate of the nation at stake, this matter is unlikely to end well today...
Emperor Wenjing reassured the Empress Dowager in a low voice, "Mother, this matter is strange. Your son will definitely find out the truth. You don't need to worry."
The Empress Dowager nodded reluctantly, her aged voice trembling slightly, "Your Majesty, this matter is of utmost importance and must be handled with utmost care."
Emperor Wenjing nodded, then waved his hand and said, "Bring that Taoist priest in."
The imperial guards received the order and quickly withdrew.
The people inside the hall looked at each other, their hearts filled with unease.
Yu Wan sat at the table, her brows slightly furrowed, a feeling creeping into her heart that this matter was not simple.
Yun Shang was the main person in charge of this birthday banquet, and he wanted to ensure that nothing went wrong, so this matter was not yet in the main hall.
Crows suddenly appeared outside the palace; Yun Shang was most likely dealing with this matter at that moment.
Yu Wan didn't believe in any gods or ghosts.
There must be a reason why crows suddenly gathered outside this palace. If it's not a natural phenomenon, it can only be man-made.
A short while later, footsteps could be heard outside the hall.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the Imperial Guards leading a middle-aged Taoist priest in a gray robe slowly into the hall.
He had a dignified appearance, held a whisk in his hand, had a thin face, deep eyes, and a gait that carried an air of otherworldly elegance.
The Taoist priest walked to the center of the hall, bowed slightly, and said in a clear voice: "This humble Taoist, Huo Xuanqing, a disciple of the Zhengyi sect, greets Your Majesty and Empress Dowager."
Emperor Wenjing stared coldly at him, his voice authoritative even without anger: "You claim to be a successor of the Zhengyi sect, do you know that trespassing into the palace is a capital offense?"
Huo Xuanqing remained calm and said indifferently, "Your Majesty, I have come here today at the risk of my life because of a warning from Heaven."
“A harbinger of disaster has appeared in the palace. If it is not suppressed in time, it may cause a great calamity.”
"I cannot bear to see the people of the world suffer, so I have come to report this."
Emperor Wenjing frowned, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger: "A harbinger of disaster?"
"Do you know that if these words are untrue, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor!"
Xuan Qing nodded slightly, his expression calm: "Every word I have said is true. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may come with me to observe the celestial phenomena."
Observing celestial phenomena?
There has always been a saying that one can observe celestial phenomena at night. When will it be possible to observe celestial phenomena during the day?
Emperor Wenjing grew increasingly suspicious of Huo Xuanqing's words, but seeing the panic and unease among his ministers, he hesitated for a moment before waving his hand and saying:
"Very well, I will show you. If what you say is false, you should understand the consequences of deceiving the emperor!"
Huo Xuanqing nodded calmly and turned to walk out of the hall.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Wenjing stood up.
There were crows everywhere outside, and the women dared not go out with them.
Some timid officials didn't dare to follow, only some bold officials went out with them.
Yu Wan was about to get up when she was suddenly grabbed from both sides.
Madam Shen: "Yu Niang, don't go. The situation outside is unclear and too dangerous."
Yunxi: "Sister-in-law, don't go. What will happen to my brother if something happens to you?"
Yu Wan almost stumbled from being pulled by the two of them. She quickly braced herself on the table with her hands and turned to look at them.
He chuckled and said in a low voice, "It's alright, I'll just take a look from the doorway."
Seeing Yu Wan's insistence, Madam Shen hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not let go of her hand. Instead, she stood up as well, saying, "Mother will stay with you."
Yunxi nodded hurriedly, "I'll go with my sister-in-law too."
Outside the palace, the sky was still covered by a dense swarm of crows, their mournful cries never ceasing.
Huo Xuanqing walked a few steps to the center of the square in front of the palace, looked up at the sky, waved his whisk, and muttered incantations.
A moment later, he suddenly pointed to a certain spot in the sky and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please look, that is where the calamity star resides!"
Following his finger, everyone looked and saw a faint, dark red star in the sky, moving slowly and creating an eerie echo with the surrounding flock of crows.
Emperor Wenjing's expression changed.
The officials who followed out to see what was going on also had drastic changes in expression.
"W-Is there really a jinx?!"
"A red star! This is an ominous sign!"
Emperor Wenjing stared at the dark red star in the sky, a dark look flickering in his eyes.
He looked at Huo Xuanqing and asked in a deep voice, "Huo Xuanqing, what is the meaning of this star?"
"Why have I never seen it before?"
Holding a whisk, Huo Xuanqing said solemnly, “Your Majesty, this star is called ‘Blood Fiend,’ a celestial omen that warns us.”
"When the Blood Demon Star appears in the world, disaster is bound to befall us."
"If it is not suppressed in time, it may endanger the fate of the nation."
Huo Xuanqing looked at the crows circling overhead and the countless crow corpses that had committed suicide on the ground, and sighed deeply.
"This evil star is extremely powerful. These crows were bewitched, which is why they mysteriously committed suicide."
Emperor Wenjing stared at Huo Xuanqing, as if judging the truth of his words, his voice cold and deep: "Since you know the origin of this star, do you have a way to break it?"
His voice was cold and deep: "Now that you know the origin of this star, do you have a way to break it?"
Huo Xuanqing nodded slightly, his tone respectful, "Your Majesty, the Blood Fiend Calamity cannot be resolved by ordinary means."
"We must find the person in the palace who clashes with the 'Blood Fiend.' This person has a special destiny and is in conflict with the calamity star. If we can suppress him, we can resolve this calamity."
Everyone was startled upon hearing this.
Does Huo Xuanqing mean to say that the jinx is among them?!
Emperor Wenjing's eyes deepened: "How do we find this person?"
Huo Xuanqing's gaze swept over the crowd in front of the hall, and he slowly said, "This person has a special destiny, and there must be unusual signs on him. I need to examine them one by one to confirm."
Emperor Wenjing pondered for a moment, then raised his hand: "Granted!"
Huo Xuanqing then began to move among the crowd.
His eyes were sharp as he carefully examined each person.
It seems they really are looking for a jinx.
The crowd in front of the hall held their breath, their hearts filled with unease, fearing that they might be chosen.
Yu Wan stood at the palace gate, looking up at the red star in the sky, and couldn't help but frown.
She didn't believe in any blood-fiend calamity star.
This red star is not man-made; it is some kind of special astronomical phenomenon that can be explained scientifically.
But clearly, the paper figures in this book don't know science.
She felt a vague unease in her heart.
Just then, Huo Xuanqing walked up to her, Shen Shi, and Yun Xi.
Almost instinctively, Yu Wan felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet and spread throughout her body.
The chill crept up my spine, coiling around my throat like a venomous snake's tongue—
Huo Xuanqing's gaze was fixed intently on her.