The rain suddenly stopped. Just when everyone in the world thought that the rain would never stop, the rain that had lasted for many days came to an abrupt end on an ordinary autumn day.
At first, no one believed it at all. People walked out of the palaces, out of the fields, under the eaves, and into the small courtyards. They looked up at the sky in confusion until they realized that there was no more water dripping from the clouds. Only then did they realize what had happened. Cheers rang out in every corner of the fields and cities.
However, the entire world had been soaked in this heavy rain for too long. People's clothes and moods seemed to have become moldy. After the surprise and excitement, exhaustion quickly came. The relief workers continued to provide relief, the dazed ones continued to daze, and those who slept turned around and went to bed. Everything seemed so numb.
After the rain stopped, the clouds naturally dispersed. At night, people gathered around the dining table to discuss the rain. After finishing their chores, they returned to their respective rooms to sleep, entering the first dreamland after the rain.
The night clouds that had covered the sky for many days gradually dispersed.
A dog barked in the streets. The black dog's barking seemed very frightened and very uneasy. A dog barked in the fields. The thin yellow dog's barking seemed very confused and afraid.
More and more dogs barked. All the dogs in the world seemed to have received some kind of command. They all barked at the same time. The barking echoed in the cities and the countryside, waking countless people from their dreams.
People rubbed their sleepy eyes and walked out of their rooms. Some people held anti-theft wooden sticks. Some people complained that their daughters-in-law had forgotten to feed the dogs today. They took the food bowls to find their dogs.
Only then did they realize that it was not only their dogs that were barking, but all the dogs were barking.
All the dogs were barking at the night sky.
People curiously followed the eyes of the dogs and forgot about the night sky. The wooden sticks in their hands slipped, the food bowls in their hands slipped, and fell on their feet. However, they did not seem to feel any pain.
Everyone was shocked. Their attention was completely attracted by the object in the night sky. Even if the house behind them caught fire, it would be difficult for them to wake up, let alone their feet being smashed.
After many days, the rain clouds dispersed, revealing the clean night sky. However, in the night sky, there were no stars in the past, only a white round bright object.
What was that?
…
…
There was a strange phenomenon in the sky. The night moon hung high in the sky.
This strange and horrifying scene shocked all the humans, causing them to feel fear and uneasiness. Many people fainted from fright, and even more people knelt in their own courtyards or in front of their windows, worshipping.
The royal families of various countries burned incense and worshipped the night, praying for Haotian's forgiveness for the disrespect of human beings. Many Taoist temples and temples were full of incense, and rumors began to spread in the human world that this was a precursor to the invasion of the Underworld. It immediately caused a disaster even greater than the continuous rainstorm and floods, and many foolish people even chose to commit suicide.
The West-Hill Divine Palace announced to the world as quickly as possible that the object in the night sky was called the moon. It was a divine light bestowed by Haotian who pitied the people of the world for enduring the eternal night.
With the spread of the decree of the Divine Hall and the forceful suppression of the royal families of various countries, the uproar caused by the thing called the moon slightly calmed down. As time passed, the people in the world began to get used to its existence.
People discovered that the moon was different from the stars in the night sky in the past countless years. It was not absolutely silent and solemn. Instead, it moved and changed according to a certain pattern. There was the difference between brightness and brightness, and the change of shape was relatively stable. It was very suitable for calculating time and arranging farming work.
Some people began to use the waxing and waning of the moon to calculate time, and shortened it to the moon.
Of course, this was all in the future.
…
…
There was a Purple Mountain in the southeast of Chang 'an City of the Tang Empire. The terrain was relatively high, and there were relatively few rain clouds. It was convenient for watching the stars and the sky, so the Imperial Astronomer was set up here.
Although the Tang Empire had been using Tianqi for more than a decade, the Tangs were famous for not believing in heaven and fate. Therefore, the Imperial Astronomer became the least important institution in the imperial court, and also the quietest yamen. Usually, there were few visitors, except for young couples who came to the Purple Mountain to enjoy the scenery.
Today, the outside of the Imperial Astronomer was very lively. Dozens of Yulin Royal Guards surrounded several officials, standing below the stone steps, cutting off the connection between the inside and outside. Occasionally, passers-by passed by, but they were not surprised to see this scene, and did not think of other places. There was an extra moon in the night, so of course the imperial court had to ask the Imperial Astronomer for its opinion.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Yulin Royal Guards did not enter the Imperial Astronomer. Instead, it was a chief eunuch and several strong servant eunuchs who entered. Strangely, no one came to greet them.
The chief eunuch looked gloomy and stared at the closed door of the main hall. He said coldly, "His Majesty is waiting for your reply, and the imperial court is waiting for your deduction and comments. You have to give them a reply today."
The atmosphere in the Imperial Astronomer was extremely depressing and tense.
…
…
In the main hall of the Imperial Astronomer, there were many instruments used for stargazing. Walking through the side door and straight up to the balcony, one could even see a huge Sky Telescope that the Academy had just sent over last year.
At this moment, on the small table in the hall, there were only a few plates of very common dishes and several jars of wine. Two very depressed people were sitting there, drinking without tasting anything. One of them was the supervisor Miao Kechi, and the other was the deputy supervisor Xu Liangshou. They were the two most important officials in the Imperial Astronomer.
The cold voice of the eunuch came from outside the door. "You Imperial Astronomer have always thought that you could understand the will of heaven. Back then, you ignored the anger of the former Emperor and insisted on commenting. Now that there is a strange phenomenon today, you can't say anything?"
Miao Kechi looked at the closed door and revealed a gloomy smile. He drank the wine in his cup and looked at Xu Liangshou. "Did you hear that? After all, it is still because of what happened back then."
Xu Liangshou was silent, holding the wine pot and filling up his cup for him.
"That year, I observed the celestial phenomena and learned something, so I wrote eight words on the almanac: Night covers the stars, the country will not be at peace. His Majesty ordered me to erase these eight words for the stability of the court, but I refused."
Miao Kechi sighed and said, "Who would have thought that these eight words would cause such a stir? Countless people died in the palace and in the court. The Princess was forced to marry into the Wilderness, and the Empress has not been involved in political affairs since then. Countless people want me dead. It's only because His Majesty looks after me that I can live to this day."
He picked up the wine cup and stared blankly for a while. Then, he brought it to his lips and slowly drank it. He said with a dull expression, "Now that His Majesty has passed away, who can protect me?"
Xu Liangshou looked at His Excellency's expression and knew that he was ready to die. He felt slightly nervous and sincerely persuaded, "Now that the new Emperor has ascended the throne, Her Royal Highness is still in charge of the country, but the Empress and the Sixth Prince have not returned. Whether it is His Majesty or Her Royal Highness, they are not willing to cause discussion in this situation. If it is light, it will cause opposition. If it is heavy, it will shake the country.
Miao Kechi looked at him quietly and said, "Her Highness has always been virtuous. Of course, she will not force me to die because of what happened in the past. But you should know what she only wants to hear about this bright moon."
Xu Liangshou was silent. As the aide-de-camp of the Imperial Astronomer, he was very clear of Her Highness's intentions. Since in that starless night, the Imperial Astronomer's annotation had been directed at Her Highness, then now that the moon was in the sky, why couldn't the Imperial Astronomer do the same and point at the Empress who had yet to return to the capital?
"In reality, I have watched the stars for so many years. Other than that night when the stars dimmed, I have not seen any other changes in the stars. So the job of stargazing in the Imperial Astronomer is really meaningless."
For some reason, Miao Kechi's mood suddenly improved. He repeatedly raised his cup to persuade and said with a slightly tipsy tone, "But this moon is different. Look at the waxing and waning of the moon in the night sky. It is orderly and has subtle changes in between. Whether it is to study the calendar or to observe the sky, there is great potential. It is a pity that I do not have much chance."
Hearing this, Xu Liangshou couldn't help but feel a wave of nervousness. He repeatedly urged, "Since Her Highness is kind and virtuous, why don't you take advantage of the situation?"
Miao Kechi's eyes widened and stared into his eyes. He said in a low voice, "In the beginning, the Imperial Astronomer was held by the Grand Scribe. It was because the will of heaven and the people's hearts cannot be deceived in the history books! Why did I make that annotation against my will? "
"According to the laws of the Tang Empire and the old rules passed down by the Ministry of Personnel, if I pass away, you will be the supervisor of the Imperial Astronomer. Now I am forced into a corner because I have a good-for-nothing son who has been blackmailed by the siblings in the palace. But you are different. You are upright in body and mind and have no ties. After I pass away, you cannot bring shame to the Imperial Astronomer!"
Xu Liangshou was silent for a long time and gently nodded.
Seeing this, Miao Kechi breathed a sigh of relief and slowly said, "The former Emperor's reign was called Tianqi. Many people don't know the true reason behind it. Even I don't know. Now it seems that the Headmaster of the Academy has passed away, His Majesty has returned to heaven, and all the old ministers and pillars have followed suit. This is probably the original meaning of Tianqi."
"The will of heaven cannot be defied …"
Miao Kechi's voice suddenly became stern. He said, "But the people's hearts cannot be deceived! Even if man cannot defeat heaven, but we can choose not to follow heaven. What can heaven do to us? "
…
…
The door to the main hall of the Imperial Astronomer finally opened.
Looking at the body of Miao Kechi, the supervisor of the Imperial Astronomer who had committed suicide by drinking poisoned wine, the chief eunuch's face became extremely ugly. His voice became more and more shrill and trembling, extremely unpleasant to hear.
"How dare you … how dare you! How dare you commit suicide to escape punishment! "
Xu Liangshou stood at the side and watched the scene expressionlessly. He thought of what His Excellency had said before committing suicide and looked at the furious eunuch. He could not help but reveal a mocking smile.
A person who did not even care about his life was certainly courageous enough. How could a person who was not even afraid of death be afraid of punishment? He did not even care about his life. Even Haotian could not do anything to him. What could the siblings in the palace do to him?
…
…
(Today there are four chapters. This is the first chapter. There are still three chapters to go.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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