When the first rays of the morning sun once again bathed the earth in its gentleness, the melodious bell and the unhurried but deafening drum did not ring out on the Gate of Heaven as usual.
The fire had not been extinguished. The incomparably tall 'Heaven' and the magnificent Pantheon Palace were no more, but the huge wood and all kinds of exquisite carvings made of hardwood had not been completely burned. The fire was still spewing out, and more places were emitting black smoke.
The three-meter-tall golden phoenix at the top of the Myriad Divine Palace had already been warped by the raging flames. The gold on its surface had already melted away, leaving only a frame of pure iron. It lay on the bonfire in a strange shape, blackened by the smoke. This magnificent, magnificent, magnificent, towering palace that seemed to be able to swallow the heavens and spit out the earth had already turned into a pile of ruins.
Almost no one in Luoyang slept that night. Everyone was watching the unprecedented and unimaginable fire in the imperial palace, and the people in the imperial palace were even more so. The warriors, servants, and maids who had rushed to fetch water and extinguish the fire collapsed to the ground, exhausted. They couldn't even get up to greet their emperor as he walked past them.
Wu Zetian had Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi support her. She trembled as she looked at this place that symbolized her destiny and the destiny of the dynasty. It was the place where the court officials usually gathered and the place where sacrifices were made to the heavens and earth. It was as if everything she had pursued her entire life had been destroyed in a single day.
Several guards, eunuchs, and maids who were in charge of "Heaven" knelt in front of her in fear. The white-haired Wu Zetian acted as if she did not see them. She just looked at the still burning flames and the black smoke in confusion, trying hard to imagine what that place looked like yesterday.
"Your Majesty, the prime ministers request an audience!"
"Your Majesty, King Liang, King Wei, Princess Taiping, and the other members of the imperial family request an audience!"
"Your Majesty …"
"Tell them to wait!"
Wu Zetian trembled as she turned around. Her voice was surprisingly calm. However, it seemed like she couldn't stand still even with Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi's support. The dragon-headed walking stick in her hands was also forcefully propping itself against the ground.
Wu Zetian tried her best to move forward and straighten her back. After just a few steps, she felt as if she had climbed a very high mountain and was out of breath.
Wu Zetian stopped in her tracks and stared at a person. That person immediately walked over and bowed.
Wu Zetian breathed heavily and said carefully, "Subject Ji, you have always been alert and meticulous. Those people … I will leave them to you!"
As Wu Zetian spoke, her eyes drifted to a place not far away. The person in front of her understood tacitly. He bowed slightly and replied softly, "I, Wu Zetian, will not disappoint Your Majesty!"
Wu Zetian looked at him deeply again and nodded. She seemed to gain some strength in her steps. Ji Xu stood where he was, silently watching Wu Zetian walk away, a cold murderous aura slowly rising on his face. He waved his hand, and a fully-armored general of the Yulin army strode in front of him.
That day, Ji Xu fled from Chang 'an in a sorry state to Luoyang and begged to see the Emperor. Shanghai Wan 'er sensed that there was something fishy going on, and this fishy thing was very likely to be harmful to Lai Junchen. She immediately took control of him and went to see Wu Zetian.
The Emperor's close minister was here. Some things that the Emperor could do or not do, which could be allowed or not allowed, could be completely different when an ordinary minister talked to his close minister.
Wu Zetian made an exception and summoned Ji Xu. From this, it became clear that the real instigator of Liu Sili and Liu Lianyao's case was this unlucky man in front of her. But unexpectedly, she did not punish Lai Junchen. Instead, she gave Ji Xu the position of Imperial Scholar and kept him by her side.
Imperial Scholar was in charge of guiding the imperial carriage, writing the five ceremonial notes, monitoring the ceremonies and objects, and deciding on the conferment of titles for princes, dukes, and ministers. His rank was not high, but he was truly the Emperor's close minister. No one understood why Wu Zetian had done this. Although Ji Xu had turned danger into safety, he had not been able to bring down Lai Junchen.
Ji Xu was also a very deep thinker. He wisely did not bring up this matter again, and only obediently became an Imperial Scholar. When Lai Junchen learned of this matter, he was very frightened for a while, but the Emperor did not give any punishment, so he could only shamelessly pretend that he did not know of this matter. However, this beating was more effective than any warning. Lai Junchen worked even harder and more orderly, at least on the surface.
Ji Xu knew that the Empress wanted him to kill everyone who had seen Xue Huaiyi set the fire last night. She could not let others know that the dignified place where she governed the world and commanded her ministers had been burned because of a lover's jealousy. That would cause her to lose face in front of the people.
Once Wu Zetian left, he began to prepare. This was the first task the Empress had given him, and he had to do it well. After whispering in his ear, that general of the Imperial Guards showed a shocked expression, but Ji Xu's icy expression caused him to wake up. Ji Xu gave a few more instructions in a low voice, and that general of the Imperial Guards swallowed with difficulty and hurriedly left.
Soon, a troop of Imperial Guards that had been standing guard outside the perimeter was gathered. Then, all the palace maids, guards, and eunuchs that had been on duty that night in the Hall of Light and Heaven were all tied up. The people who were tied up were all dejected. They knew that such an important place had been destroyed, but they had not thought …
One after another, the people who were tied up like dumplings were thrown into the raging fire. Because the fire was too hot to approach, every person who was tied up was thrown into the fire by four tall and sturdy warriors. Their eyes were filled with fear and panic, but no one cried or cursed because everyone's mouth had been gagged.
The other palace maids and eunuchs that were putting out the fire were stunned by this terrifying scene!
This night, for them, was a day from hell …
…
The officials came to pay their respects to the Empress. The Wan Xiang Divine Palace no longer existed, so the Empress received the officials in the Hall of Proclamation. This was the most miserable court meeting she had since ascending to the throne. The officials were crowded in the hall, and there was not even a place to stand. And the Emperor did not have the Alchemy Emperor, so he could only sit in front of them behind an imperial desk covered with yellow silk.
When Wu Zetian arrived, Shanghai Wan'er was comforting the officials, telling them that the Emperor was well and the fire was under control. Although she only picked out the things that could be said, because the officials came in batches, this kind of repeated explanation made her mouth dry.
It was not until Wu Zetian arrived that the crowded hall quieted down.
Since the matter had already happened, it was time to deal with the aftermath. When it came to dealing with the aftermath, the civil and military officials began to quarrel again. Although the Hall of Proclamation was not small, it was still crowded with so many people. The buzzing sound of quarreling was like a noisy market.
"Her Majesty should issue an imperial edict to ask for the opinions of the people all over the world, and reflect on the mistakes. After all … such a big fire on the night of the Upper Prime, this is the punishment of the heavens!"
Because Shanghai Wan'er did not understand the Empress's intention, she did not announce the cause of the fire. She only said that she did not notice it beforehand, and when it was discovered, the fire was already out of control, so after a discussion among the officials, it was already classified as a fire from the heavens.
The bootlicker Yang Zaisi immediately jumped out, "Nonsense! This is not the punishment of the heavens, this is an auspicious sign! "
As soon as these words left his mouth, everyone was shocked. The market immediately became quiet, and even Wu Zetian was shocked. A huge fire had burned down the 'Heavens' and the 'Bright Hall' where the emperor gave orders and ruled the world. This was actually an auspicious sign?
Prime Minister Yang said with conviction, "When King Wu of Zhou conquered Zhou, when the army crossed the river, there was a fire from the heavens. In the end, King Wu succeeded in conquering Zhou and established the Great Zhou Dynasty for 800 years. His Majesty, the Golden Wheel Emperor of the Ci Family, is the descendant of Zhou Empress Wu. This fire from the heavens on the night of the Upper Prime is clearly an auspicious sign, indicating the prosperity of our Great Zhou Dynasty! "
Luoyang Magistrate Lai Junchen had already consulted his learned subordinates, and at this time, he also chimed in, saying seriously, "That year, when Maitreya became a Buddha, there was a demon burning the palace. This shows that our Majesty is really the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha. In my opinion, this is indeed an auspicious sign. Since it is an auspicious sign, why should we issue an imperial edict to punish ourselves?"
"Hehe …"
Wu Zetian, who had been gloomy, saw that her officials had racked their brains to come up with so many good reasons for her. She could not help but smile, and her gloomy mood also improved a lot.
Gods and Buddhas?
She already hated them very much. Just like when she used the Shandong aristocrats to deal with the Guanlong aristocrats, when the Shandong aristocrats no longer had any value, she abandoned them like a pair of worn-out shoes. Now, gods and Buddhas also had little value to her.
Yang Zaisi's words could probably be …
This idea only flashed through Wu Zetian's mind for a moment before she eliminated it again.
Yang Zaisi could flatter her endlessly, but she, as an Empress, could not lower her IQ so shamelessly. 'Heaven' and 'Ming Tang' were burned, and it was actually a good omen? If this was spread out, she, Wu Zetian, would become the laughing stock of the world.
Wu Zetian chuckled twice and leaned back on the chair tiredly. She said lightly, "This fire is not the Heaven's Fire! It is not a warning from Heaven, nor is it an auspicious sign from Heaven. "
She swept her eyes over the officials and said resolutely, "I have already investigated clearly. The interior of Heaven is being repaired, but the craftsmen did not take good care of it and did not guard it properly. They stacked a few rolls of linen too close to the source of the fire, which caused this great disaster. I have already ordered people to severely punish the culprit. "
The officials looked at each other. Since this matter had nothing to do with the Heaven's Fire, there was no need to talk about Heaven's Punishment or auspicious sign. The debaters of the two sides returned to their positions in embarrassment.
Wu Zetian closed her eyes and sat for a moment. She opened her eyes and slowly stood up. The original decadent and defeated look was swept away, and she became strangely excited. "I want to rebuild Heaven and Ming Tang. Not only that, I also want to build the Nine Continent Cauldrons and the Twelve Zodiac Gods. Ming Tang and Heaven used to be supervised by Master Huaiyi. The construction progress was very fast, and I am very satisfied. This time, Master Huaiyi will still supervise the construction! "
In the past, when Xue Huaiyi built Ming Tang and Heaven, there were twenty thousand daily laborers, harvesting trees in the mountains, and it cost hundreds of millions of yuan. Now, not only did he want to rebuild Ming Tang and Heaven, but he also wanted to build the Nine Continent Cauldrons and the Twelve Zodiac Gods, which had just been completed?
The civil and military officials looked at each other. At this time, there were no officials in the imperial court who dared to speak so bluntly. Such officials were either beheaded or sent to other places. Although someone suggested that the Emperor should issue an 'Edict of Self-Condemnation', it was only in accordance with the rules since ancient times. It was not intended to embarrass the Emperor.
Now that the Emperor had made a decision, no one dared to oppose it.
…
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