20demayo Chapter 415 Failure
Chapter 415 Failure
Once someone takes the lead, the others immediately follow suit.
"Your Majesty, I believe that for the sake of Your Majesty's health, Your Majesty should indeed abdicate."
"His Highness the Crown Prince has been overseeing the country for several months, and everything in the court is peaceful. This shows that the Crown Prince is capable of handling things on his own. Your Majesty need not worry. If Your Majesty is still concerned, you can simply keep an eye on things from the rear. If His Highness the Crown Prince does anything improper, Your Majesty, as His Highness the Crown Prince's sovereign father, will naturally restrain him."
"Your Majesty, as the ruler of the country, you should consider the well-being of the nation. If Your Majesty insists on abusing power, I fear that divine retribution will befall you, the people will not live in peace, and the nation will be unable to maintain stability."
The Emperor sat in his chair, whether from weakness, excessive anger, or perhaps because the situation was simply out of his control, it was impossible to tell. He half-closed his eyes, refusing to look at anyone.
The crowd's voices grew louder and louder, turning from a plea into a condemnation.
Feng Ziheng lowered his eyes and endured, but at this point, he finally couldn't hold back any longer, stood up, cupped his hands, and said.
"I believe the abbot is mistaken. Your Majesty is the ruler of the country, a god descended to earth, and in the prime of your life. How could divine punishment befall a god? Isn't that absurd?"
Lord Yan immediately retorted: "Your Highness, you are mistaken. Even if a god descends from heaven, he must abide by the heavenly rules. Going against the heavens deserves punishment!"
Feng Ziheng sneered, "Does Your Excellency mean that His Majesty, as the ruler of the country, is going against the will of Heaven?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not!" Lord Yan quickly stepped back, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I was merely following the master's advice and had no other intentions."
Feng Ziheng pressed him: "The abbot hadn't even finished speaking when Lord Yan was already in a hurry to force His Majesty to abdicate. Does he dare to say he has no other intentions? Could it be that Lord Yan has been impatient all along and thinks His Majesty is complacent about his high position?"
"Your Majesty, I am terrified!" Lord Yan knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I would never dare to act rashly. Everything I have done is for the sake of the country and its people. Does the Crown Prince think that even if Heaven punishes you and the people suffer, it doesn't matter? Or do you think that the Crown Prince is incompetent and unable to shoulder this great responsibility?"
Feng Ziheng looked at him, but he didn't expect that Lord Yan, who was not particularly outstanding, would be able to outmaneuver him so quickly.
But he was not afraid, and said only: "I believe that we should not believe the abbot's one-sided words, but should see the results of the calculations by the Imperial Observatory."
Several officials from the Imperial Observatory were also hesitant and weighing their options. Finally, the Director of the Observatory stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we are concerned with celestial phenomena, but we cannot be said to have missed anything. We are probably not as good as the abbot of Wuxiang Temple."
His excuses were so infuriating that they almost made Feng Ziheng laugh.
These people were like weather vanes, either already in cahoots with the Crown Prince or coerced and threatened by him to obey.
Feng Ziheng sighed deeply: "There's only one mouth left in the court. I'm afraid that if this continues, the 'calling a deer a horse' incident will reappear!"
Lord Yan rolled his eyes and pointed at Feng Ziheng, saying, "Young Master Feng says that only calculations by the Imperial Observatory are valid. Now, even the Director of the Imperial Observatory has said that the Abbot's calculations are the standard, yet Young Master Feng still insists on his own way. Does Young Master Feng really think that the Crown Prince is so incompetent?"
The Crown Prince, who had been standing with his head bowed, looked up at Feng Ziheng upon hearing this. It wasn't that he couldn't tell that Lord Yan was deliberately provoking him; rather, he wanted to see who dared to oppose him today.
Once today is over, these people will all be beheaded.
Just as the Crown Prince was brimming with confidence, the Emperor finally spoke.
"I have been having nightmares lately... What do you think is the reason for this, Master?"
The abbot hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this is precisely a manifestation of divine punishment. If it is not corrected in time, I fear the divine punishment will become even more severe in the future!"
The Emperor said, "Is that so? But... Master Shengtong did not say that."
The abbot was slightly taken aback, and said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, we do not know where Master Shengtong has gone, but if Master Shengtong were to see this scene today, his calculations would surely be no different from those of this humble monk."
Just then, Shengtong walked in from outside and said in a firm tone, "Amitabha, this humble monk's view differs from the abbot's. Your Majesty, according to the celestial phenomena, today is a great calamity for Your Majesty!"
When Eunuch Wu saw Sheng Tong, he was overjoyed and stepped forward, saying, "Master, you are late today. His Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time."
Sheng Tong said, "Your Majesty, I am late because someone deliberately did not want me to appear."
The emperor looked at him and asked, "Why is that?"
“This humble monk observed the celestial phenomena outside the main hall and discovered something unusual. However, it was not some divine punishment, but rather someone using witchcraft at Wuxiang Temple. I fear that Your Majesty's recent nightmares are due to this.”
The practice of casting spells had long been explicitly prohibited, especially in this sacred Buddhist site. The court officials exchanged bewildered glances, realizing that today's events had taken many unexpected turns. They were uneasy, fearing that even their silence might have been interpreted as siding with the Crown Prince.
Now... who knows what the real outcome will be?
The Emperor said, "Master Shengtong, I trust you. Today's matter is entrusted to you."
Shengtong bowed and walked up to the abbot, saying, "The Buddhist temple is pure; how can it tolerate evil spirits? Abbot, you are originally a person with pure senses, yet you have been driven by profit and dared to be so audacious as to disrespect the emperor!"
The abbot was horrified: "You...don't talk nonsense, I didn't..."
He looked at the crown prince in alarm.
The prince had no choice but to say, "Master, what are you doing? The abbot of Wuxiang Temple is a Buddhist monk. How could a monk talk nonsense?"
He couldn't understand why things had changed so drastically just a few days ago when he and Shengtong had agreed to everything.
Sheng Tong put his fingers together with one hand, recited a Buddhist chant, and sighed, "Your Highness, you have been bewitched by this person, which is why you are so deeply involved."
The Emperor asked, "Was today's incident the work of the Crown Prince or the Abbot?"
Sheng Tong turned around and said, "Your Majesty, it was the abbot of Wuxiang Temple who bewitched the Crown Prince, making him believe that he was appointed by the gods and Buddhas, which is why he allowed the abbot to cause trouble."
"Is that so? I want to hear the Crown Prince's side of the story." The Emperor stood up, walked to the Crown Prince, and looked at him: "Tell me, did you do all this, or did he?"
The emperor, who was originally weak and needed help, suddenly stood up on his own and walked with a manner that was hardly that of a sickly person.
The crown prince was stunned for a moment: "Father...Father Emperor?"
The emperor's complexion was rosy, but it did not appear to be the flushed face of someone who had been ill for a long time; rather, it indicated that he was in good health.
“Father…” The Crown Prince was speechless, a fierce glint in his eyes.
He doesn't only have one plan; he has a backup plan.
But before he could speak, the emperor continued, "Where is General Cao?"
Then a guard stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, General Cao has led his troops to surround Wuxiang Temple and ordered us to guard the temple."
The Emperor then asked, "Where is the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards entered, holding a long sword: "Your Majesty, I am here."
The crown prince collapsed to the ground. At this point, he was certain that his father had long suspected him and knew about his secret actions.