RPAGF Chapter 414 The Assembly of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Chapter 414 The Assembly of Ten Thousand Buddhas
Song Yin wasn't dissatisfied; she was just tired and didn't want to talk anymore.
The Crown Prince stood up and said coldly, "My feelings for you have never changed. Ah Yin, you should think about whether you are asking for too much."
He was angry.
After leaving, he was somewhat stunned. After the wedding, Gui Shan lived in the main palace, while he usually lived in the study. For convenience, he let Song Yin also live in the study.
Now that Song Yin is in the study, he doesn't want to go there anymore.
The Crown Prince took a detour and went to Gui Shan's place after all, since he had no intention of favoring either of his two concubines at the moment.
However, upon arriving at the bedchamber, he found that Gui Shan had already tidied up and showed no intention of waiting for him.
The crown prince felt a tightness in his chest and came over to let the palace maids help him change his clothes.
Gui Shan hurriedly put on her coat and came over, taking his belt as she asked, "Your Highness, did you not go to see Miss Song Yin when you returned to the palace?"
The Crown Prince said calmly, "You are my Crown Princess, so you really want me to visit other women?"
Gui Shan said, "Miss Song Yin has just lost her child; Your Highness should show her some compassion."
"What more do you want me to do?" The Crown Prince was already furious and didn't want to pretend anymore. "I am the heir apparent. Am I supposed to bow down for a lowly beast-taming daughter?"
These words were truly jarring.
Gui Shan thought to herself that it was a good thing Song Yin hadn't heard it, otherwise Song Yin would have been so upset.
She hurriedly advised, "Your Highness, I believe that lovers should not distinguish between high and low status."
Just as the palace maid was about to take away the prince's outer robe, the prince reached out and grabbed the robe, coldly looking at Gui Shan.
"The Crown Princess is indeed magnanimous!"
He put on his robe and left, deciding to simply leave the palace. Even though it was late, he was the crown prince, and entering and leaving the palace was not difficult for him.
He hadn't gone far when he caught a whiff of perfume, which made him somewhat distracted.
The Crown Prince was not interested in women. Besides Gui Shan and Song Yin, he also had two palace maids in his household, but he did not keep them with him. He only stayed outside when he went to the Crown Prince's residence to handle state affairs.
Therefore, there were no palace maids outside the palace to serve the emperor, and I have been busy lately and have not had the mind to look for one outside. So now that I have a little free time, I do have some thoughts about it.
Now that they've entered the palace, they're his people.
The prince turned and walked towards the courtyard where the fragrance was overflowing.
It is Zuo He's courtyard.
Zuo He had removed her makeup, her hair flowing freely, giving her a natural, fresh beauty. Upon seeing the Crown Prince, she was overjoyed, and how could she not serve him with utmost care?
After they had enjoyed themselves to the fullest, the Crown Prince touched Zuo He's smooth face and said with a smile, "You are prettier than your sister."
Zuo He replied obediently, "Sister is so dignified; I cannot compare to her."
Thinking of Zuo Xiangwan, the Crown Prince snorted coldly: "She's still more obedient than your sister."
He lowered his head and kissed her again, kissing Zuo He so passionately that she felt it was all worth it to be able to enter the palace and serve the Crown Prince.
But it only lasted one night. The next morning, the Crown Prince left the palace again, leaving Zuo He waiting with a rather sad feeling.
On the first day of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Assembly, the Emperor, accompanied by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Imperial Physician, and guarded by the Imperial Guards, arrived at Wuxiang Temple.
I will stay here tonight, and the Dharma assembly will begin tomorrow.
The court officials would get up in the middle of the night and rush to the Dawuxiang Temple before dawn to participate in the Dharma assembly.
This kind of religious ceremony could only be attended by male members of the royal family and court officials; women were not allowed to participate. Therefore, it was impossible for my younger sister to come along.
With tears in her eyes, she urged the Emperor to be careful and not to act rashly, adding that she would be waiting for him in the palace and that he must return safely.
This amused the emperor, who put his arm around his younger sister and said, "I'm going to purge the dissidents. They're all my people, what are you worried about?"
The younger sister clung to his arm: "How can I not worry? His Highness the Crown Prince is coming with great force. I really... I would rather you stay in the Zichen Palace for the rest of your life and not go anywhere else."
"That's just childish talk."
The emperor feigned anger, but in reality, he felt as sweet as if he had eaten honey. He felt that his younger sister loved him so much that she couldn't bear to be separated from him even for the slightest time.
Just as the Dharma assembly was about to begin, the "weak" emperor was carried by his guards to the main hall and sat down.
The Crown Prince and his courtiers stood below, watching as the Emperor was helped up to offer incense. But the incense sticks broke off as soon as they were lit, and the same thing happened when they were lit again, and the same thing happened a third time.
The Emperor, extremely weak, turned around and asked, "Master Shengtong, what is the cause of this?"
No one answered.
Eunuch Wu hurriedly stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, Master Shengtong has not yet arrived."
"Why... haven't they arrived yet?"
The emperor was unsteady on his feet, and the guards quickly helped him sit down.
Not only was the Emperor anxious, but the Crown Prince was even more so. Sheng Tong had been following the Emperor; he'd seen him yesterday, so why was he nowhere to be seen today?
The key point is that everything is ready, and the time has come.
The Emperor murmured, "The time has come, but Sheng Tong hasn't arrived. Who... will preside over the ceremony?"
The prince's eyes lit up. Yes, if Sheng Tong wasn't there, there were others. The abbot of Wuxiang Temple was also one of his men and knew what was going to happen today.
He hurriedly bowed and said, "Father, I think it would be better to let the abbot of Wuxiang Temple preside over the Dharma assembly on his behalf?"
The Emperor looked at him and said, "The Crown Prince can make the arrangements."
The prince quickly winked at the abbot.
The abbot understood the prince's meaning and stepped forward to carefully examine the incense that the emperor had burned three times. He pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Your Majesty, this is a celestial warning."
Grandpa Wu hurriedly asked, "Master, how should we give the warning?"
The abbot said, "The celestial signs indicate that only those appointed by the gods and Buddhas can offer incense and pray for blessings to ensure peace and prosperity for the world."
Everyone's expression changed drastically. The emperor was the Son of Heaven, a person sent down by the gods to protect the nation, and naturally, he was the one who received the mandate from the gods and Buddhas.
But now the abbot of Wuxiang Temple is saying that the emperor is not a divinely ordained being.
Eunuch Wu dared not speak, while the Emperor squinted at the abbot, showing no intention of responding.
The abbot thought that the emperor would ask him why he was not the one appointed by the gods or Buddhas, or ask who the real one appointed by the gods or Buddhas was, and then he could continue speaking.
But no one spoke; he…
The abbot restrained himself from looking at the crown prince and forced himself to say, "This is a celestial warning. Your Majesty, this humble monk has calculated for Your Majesty that the reason Your Majesty is weak and frail is precisely because Your Majesty is no longer the one destined by Heaven, yet you have not abdicated and yielded the throne to a worthy successor. This is why there is a warning."
The Emperor smiled faintly: "Does the Abbot mean that I should abdicate? What would be the consequences if I didn't abdicate?"
"If Your Majesty goes against the will of Heaven, there will be divine punishment. Disasters will strike first in various places, the people will suffer, and Your Majesty's health may not be able to withstand it."
He had a long, white beard and had grown up at Wuxiang Temple. He had been the abbot for over ten years, and the nobles of the capital were very familiar with him and naturally trusted him quite a bit.
Moreover, there were people among the court officials who were close to the Crown Prince, so they immediately knew what to do.
So, with Lord Yan at the head, ever since his daughter angered the Crown Prince and was sent back, Lord Yan was eager to make a name for himself. Now that the opportunity was in front of him, he naturally wanted to seize it.
"Your Majesty, since the Empress Dowager passed away, you have been bedridden for nearly five months without any improvement. The imperial physicians are all at a loss, which shows that it is indeed due to the celestial phenomena."