Emperor Yuande also realized that he had lost his composure just now. He sat dejectedly on the dragon throne for a long time before finally issuing an edict.
Basically, he asked the government offices and people related to public security in the capital to go and look for the old beggar, and asked them to treat him with courtesy as much as possible after finding him. As for the original Tai Shi Si Tian Jian Jian Zheng Yan Chang, the old emperor finally did not mention him again.
Afterwards, Emperor Yuande felt physically and mentally exhausted and had no interest in staying in the palace any longer. With a somewhat listless look, he said "dismiss the court" to the old eunuch beside him and stood up first.
"Retire~~~~"
After the old eunuch read the decree loudly, he quickly caught up with the emperor. Given the old emperor's current condition, one was really afraid that he would fall.
The court officials below were all talking about the matter after the emperor left, and the magicians looked at each other in bewilderment. The position of "Heavenly Master" that was supposed to be canonized today had not been realized, and no one knew what would happen next.
Anyway, no one raised any objection, not even the officials from the Ministry of Rites and those inferior people who were counting on the position of "Heavenly Master" dared to raise any opinion.
A few mages who had some real skills didn't care, or they were also amazed at the old beggar's resurrection after being decapitated. After all, the old beggar had no interest in mortals before, and they almost all thought he was a liar. It seemed that he was definitely a master with unfathomable Taoism.
"Master Lu, do you think that old beggar is really a god?"
"That's not clear." "Humph, you're just spreading rumors to confuse the public."
"Master Xiao, what do you think of this situation?"
"What are you looking at?"
"Why didn't the emperor release Lord Yan Chang?"
"Why… "
Some court officials either shook their heads or sighed, and left the hall one after another.
The four guards in front of the palace were still kneeling in the palace, as if they had been forgotten by everyone.
Prince Jin took a few slow steps and looked at the four of them. He saw that everyone in the hall was leaving and his eldest brother had already left. He hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke to the four of them.
"You all should go down as well. Father will not blame you."
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Jin!" "Thank you, Your Highness Prince Jin!"
Several guards in front of the palace stood up and saluted towards Jin Wang Yang Hao with gratitude. Only then did they feel truly relieved and felt that their lives were no longer in danger.
Today they felt deeply that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger.
. . .
In the prison of the Ministry of Justice, Yan Chang did not suffer too much abuse. He was imprisoned in a relatively clean cell with a brick bed covered with some straw, a mat and a low table.
Yan Chang had been stripped of his official duties and changed into prison clothes. He sat on the bed with his back against the wall, also with a depressed expression on his face.
"Alas... people's hearts determine right and wrong, but it's a pity that the emperor is heartless... Haha, maybe I am already a sycophant in many people's minds..."
Judging from the time, the old beggar should have been beheaded.
Speaking of complaining, Yan Chang did have some complaints about the old beggar, but if he really wanted to hate him, thinking carefully, it seemed that he had recommended the old beggar, and then he brought disaster upon the other party...
"Why… "
After being locked up in the cell for a whole morning, Yan Chang sighed for who knows how many times.
The candle in the lamp on the low table above the bed had burned down to just a tiny bit. It was not yet dark, but the prison was already gloomy and no one knew what the night would be like.
I looked up at the layout of the cell again. Apart from the iron and wooden railings in front, there were no windows in the back and on the left and right. It was impossible to see the stars at night.
Two jailers with swords patrolled from deep inside the prison and passed by the cell where Yan Chang was.
The jailer still had a deep impression of Yan Chang. After all, he was personally escorted to the Heavenly Prison by the palace guards. There was only one possibility: he was directly convicted by the emperor during the court session. In recent years, this person was often a censor.
Seeing Yan Chang still in a daze, the jailer stopped and asked a question.
"This lord, did you work in the Menxia Province before?"
Yan Chang looked at the two of them. As the saying goes, it is better to offend a prime minister than a jailer. Now he had to look at the face of the guard of the Heavenly Prison, so he forced himself to cheer up and answered with a wry smile.
"I am not an official of the Ministry of Personnel. I am the director of the Imperial Observatory."
"Si Tian Jian? Oh, is it the Imperial Astronomical Bureau that determines the calendar?"
One of the jailers thought for a moment and then suddenly realized.
Yan Chang was not in the mood to agree, so he just nodded.
The other jailer was also very curious.
"This is new. We have imprisoned many former high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Justice, but it is the first time that someone from the Imperial Observatory has come in, especially the head of the Imperial Observatory!"
"Well, now that you mention it, it seems to be true!"
The two jailers found this quite interesting. Normally, the Imperial Observatory would hardly be involved in the messy court affairs, so they began to have some gossipy thoughts in their minds.
"Then, Mr. Imperial Observatory, what crime have you committed? What crime has the emperor convicted you of?"
He was just sitting there doing nothing anyway, and he didn't know whether he could survive or how long he could live. After a morning of decadence, Yan Chang finally felt like talking to someone and wanted to confide in them, so he sat up straighter.
"Do you know about the water and land ceremony held in the capital?"
"How could I not know? The whole capital is buzzing with news."
Yan Chang often showed a smile that was uglier than crying.
"The Water and Land Ceremony is mainly led by some officials from our Tianjian and the Ministry of Rites. They need to monitor and select some mages for the emperor and confer the title of Tianshi. My troubles also came from this..."
Yan Chang spoke slowly and narrated the circumstances why he was convicted. There was nothing hidden from him as there were actually records in the Heavenly Prison Book, but they were rather brief.
After hearing what Yan Chang said, the two jailers looked at each other in bewilderment.
"This old beggar is so bold, saying such things to the emperor, and even asking for death..."
"somebody is coming."
Before one jailer finished speaking, the other one looked outside. The two of them bowed to Yan Chang and walked out quickly.
About half a cup of tea later, an unfamiliar jailer led an old eunuch to Yan Chang's cell.
When Yan Chang saw the person coming, he immediately became energetic, but he didn't know what to say.
The jailer took off the key ring from his waist, picked out a key to unlock the cell, then pushed open the door and extended his hand to lead the way.
"Please, father-in-law!"
After the old eunuch walked into the cell, the jailer locked the door again.
Yan Chang came back to his senses at this time and found that the old eunuch was holding something that looked like a food box in his hand. He hurriedly got off the bed and bowed.
"Eunuch Li, why are you here?"
The old eunuch placed the food box on the bed and respectfully returned a salute to Yan Chang.
"Master Yan, you haven't had lunch yet, right? This is the meal and dishes bestowed by the Emperor. They are all made by the chefs in the imperial kitchen. Please try them while they are hot."
As he spoke, the old eunuch opened the food box, and took out the dishes inside amidst the aroma of food.
Yan Chang stared blankly at the dishes. The dishes were exquisite, with fish and meat. As he watched the dishes being brought out, Yan Chang's face became increasingly uglier and paler. By the time the old eunuch took out the wine, Yan Chang's face had already turned pale.
"The Emperor is going to kill me..."
Although Yan Chang seldom dealt with people from the Ministry of Justice, he had heard a rumor that if an official who had offended someone but had not yet been convicted suddenly ate extremely sumptuous dishes such as fish and meat, it was most likely his last meal before execution.
"Master Yan, Master Yan? You don't look well. Do you want to call the imperial physician?"
"Eunuch Li... Is the emperor going to kill me, Yan Chang?"
The old eunuch looked at the dish and suddenly realized something. He shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Master Yan, you have misunderstood. The Emperor was worried that you would not eat well in the prison, so he specially gave you lunch. There was no other meaning. After the court session, all the officials from the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites jointly went to the Imperial Study to plead for you, Master Yan..."
Yan Chang often feels that this passage is a little unreal.
'They are so nice? No, they dare to do this?'
When the old eunuch said this, he sighed and continued speaking.
"In fact, some things happened after Lord Yan was imprisoned in the prison..."
. . .
In the private room on the second floor of Qingyelou, a teahouse in the capital of Gyeonggi Province, sat Ji Yuan, the old beggar, and the young beggar who came later on his own. There was a pot of hot tea and six plates of cakes and preserved fruits on the table.
"Oh, so Mr. Lu doesn't want to accept this disciple anymore?"
Ji Yuan had just finished listening to some of the events that took place during the Nine Days and Ten Meetings, as well as the cause and effect that occurred in the court this morning.
"I've already died once, anyone who takes me in is a fool!"
The old beggar stuffed two pieces of cake in his mouth and said something with a hum. At the same time, the young beggar put a piece of cake in his mouth and poured water for the old beggar.
"Grandpa Lu, what happened to Lord Yan?"
"Him? Don't worry, as long as you don't do anything stupid, he will be fine. Now you should worry about me, your Grandpa Lu."
The little beggar, who had pastries stuffed in his mouth, was suddenly frightened when he heard this, and nervously ran to the old beggar to touch and look.
"Ah? Grandpa Lu, are you hurt? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"
"No, no... I'm not referring to this, I'm referring to Mr. Ji in front of us..."
The old beggar smiled and looked at Ji Yuan, who was drinking tea and listening with a calm expression.
"This time, I, an old beggar, tried to test the Emperor Dazhen. I guess I violated Mr. Ji's taboo. This is much more dangerous than facing the executioners in the palace! If I had a choice, I wouldn't really want to drink this tea..."
"ah?"
The little beggar looked at Ji Yuan, who was always gentle, and then looked at the old beggar, only to find that Grandpa Lu's expression was unusually serious.
"Mr. Lu's move will inevitably cause some turmoil in the government of Dazhen..."
Ji Yuan put down the teacup, let a trickle of tea flow onto the table, then dipped his index finger in the water and wrote the word "缘".
"But Mr. Lu has misunderstood. Dazhen has its own destiny. The evil and wicked people who cause chaos must be controlled. What you did, sir, is not against your heart and is not against the way. It is also an opportunity for the emperor. I can't say anything. As long as you think it is worth it, it's fine."
"Hey... it's really not worth it..."