Under the relentless progress of the convoy day and night, they covered the over two hundred li distance between Mingcheng and the Capital City in just a day and a half.
Finally, on the day before the grand enfeoffment ceremony, Fu Yunyu’s entourage managed to arrive in the Capital City.
As the procession continued, the towering city walls, constructed of reinforced concrete, finally came into view for everyone.
However, before He Heng and his group could catch their breath, at the moment right before entering the city gates, they sensed an unusual atmosphere within the city.
At this moment, everyone could see colorful flags and lanterns hanging high on the city walls. The common people in the streets and alleys all ran to the streets, banging drums and cheering, as if celebrating a grand festival.
Sensing that something was amiss, Fu Yunyu immediately sent someone to inquire of the guards at the city gates about the significance of the day and why there was such a grand celebration.
The soldier on duty appeared surprised and said to the inquirer, “Don’t you know? Today is the grand ceremony for enfeoffing the National Teacher. The ritual is currently taking place in the imperial palace, and the enfeoffment ceremony has been underway for an hour or two. In honor of this occasion, the Emperor has also issued a decree for a general amnesty across the realm, hence the jubilation among the people.”
Fu Yunyu’s subordinate immediately furrowed his brows, “Wasn’t the grand ceremony scheduled for tomorrow? How did it get moved to today?”
The soldier replied, “Last night, the national teacherobserved the celestial patterns and deduced that today is an extraordinarily auspicious day, occurring only once in a millennium. Therefore, he advised His Majesty to advance the enfeoffment ceremony to today.”
Upon hearing this response, Fu Yunyu couldn’t help but think that something was amiss. She hadn’t anticipated being schemed against in secret. The cunning old charlatan had managed to advance the ceremony without her knowledge.
Upon learning of the unexpected change in the ceremony’s schedule, Fu Yunyu immediately led a contingent of trusted aides, galloping towards the direction of the imperial palace. Simultaneously, she dispatched spies to contact the garrison stationed around the Capital City, instructing them to arrive at the palace with the utmost urgency.
Though initiating a military uprising was a last resort and Fu Yunyu lacked complete assurance, she had to prepare for the worst. If Wu Yuansi and Fu Yanwei decided to make a move against her forces in the capital during the enfeoffment ceremony, she couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.
Meanwhile, after settling the little aquatic creature in a nearby inn, He Heng mounted his horse and hurried towards the imperial palace.
Inside the imperial city, on a massive outdoor sacrificial platform, an elderly man dressed in white robes stood at the center, twirling a wooden staff as he performed an eccentric dance.
He alternated between kneeling on the ground, muttering to himself, and standing up to sing loudly, performing a series of erratic rituals on the sacrificial platform.
Around the altar were various deity statues and numerous livestock offerings. Freshly slaughtered cattle and sheep had their entrails displayed beside the deity statues, and the ground was stained with glaring fresh blood.
Directly opposite the altar, a raised platform held the Emperor, adorned in a bright yellow dragon robe, sitting at the highest position. Attendants by his side held sunshades for him while frantically serving tea and water.
The Emperor, supporting his chin with one hand, almost sank into the dragon throne. Despite being under sixty, his bloodless face appeared increasingly withered and haggard. It seemed as if all vitality had been drained from him, resembling a dried-up tree with the impression that half of his body had been buried in the earth.
This lack of enthusiasm from the Emperor throughout the entire sacrificial ritual was related to his obsession with alchemy. In the entire ceremony, he appeared disinterested, his half-closed eyes suggesting he could doze off at any moment.
However, at the instant Wu Yuansi descended from the sacrificial platform, his expression brightened. A rare clarity shone in his clouded eyes.
“May I ask, National Teacher, why the Elixir of Immortality has not been successfully refined? Did the deities issue any instructions just now?”
Emperor Fu Ting’s pursuit of the Elixir of Immortality had reached a pathological level. He spent his days either immersed in alchemical pursuits or consuming elixirs with excessive heavy metal content.
Over time, his health rapidly deteriorated, and Fu Wen was keenly aware of the changes in his body. Realizing that his time in the mortal realm might be limited, his desperation to obtain the Elixir of Immortality intensified. He was even willing to sacrifice everything for this pursuit.
“Report to Your Majesty.”
At that moment, Wu Yuansi approached the base of the elevated platform. He twisted his unkempt beard, sighed repeatedly, and wore an expression of hesitation, adding to the Emperor’s growing anxiety.
Witnessing this, the Emperor decisively rose from the dragon throne, approaching the edge of the elevated platform. He waved his hand, signaling Wu Yuansi to dispense with formalities, and said, “What message did the deities convey to you, sir? When will the Elixir of Immortality be perfected? Speak without reservation.”
This time, Wu Yuansi no longer concealed anything. He pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve and unfolded it dramatically in front of everyone. “Whoosh!” The paper opened up with a flourish.
“Just now, the deities conveyed their will to me and entrusted it in this note.”
Saying so, he walked to the brazier next to the sacrificial platform, placing the paper on the burning coals. To the astonishment of onlookers, black characters appeared on the scorched paper.
“Ah!”
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Wu Yuansi returned to the front of the elevated platform, raising the paper high. He read aloud with a resonant voice:
“Yunyu.”
The moment these words left his lips, a stir swept through the crowd.
On the elevated platform, a buzz of whispered exchanges filled the air.
“Your Majesty,” Wu Yuansi folded the paper and began to speak slowly, “The art of alchemy emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang, aligning with the five elements, thereby transforming one’s yin energy into yang energy. From the princess’s birth chart, I deduced that she has an excessive amount of water and yin energy in her fate. I fear the will of the deities is to contain the excessive yin energy on the princess, hindering the alchemical environment.”
The Emperor immediately picked up on his words, “Are you suggesting that because the princess has been residing in the imperial city for an extended period, her fate clashes with the yin-yang harmony and the alignment of the five elements necessary for refining the Elixir of Immortality, causing the delay in its completion?”
“Your wisdom is unparalleled, Your Majesty.” Wu Yuansi bowed to the Emperor. “In my humble opinion, if we relocate the princess from the imperial city, the elixir should be perfected within half a month.”
After hearing this, the Emperor, lost in thought, absentmindedly rubbed his chin.
“I a…” However, before he could finish saying “agree,” a commotion erupted at the edge of the sacrificial platform. All eyes quickly turned in that direction.
The first thing Fu Yunyu heard upon arriving was the phrase “relocate the princess from the imperial city.” In that instant, the veins on the back of her hand, resting on the hilt of her sword, faintly appeared.
She barely restrained the impulse surging within her, contemplating rushing over to cut down Wu Yuansi, the charlatan of the martial world, right then and there.
The guards and Fu Yunyu’s entourage stood in a tense standoff, while the Emperor’s gaze was fixed in their direction.
Fu Yunyu understood that the Emperor, driven by the desire for the Elixir of Immortality, was willing to spare no expense. No matter what, he would expel her from the capital.
Once she left the city, there would be no obstacles for the Crown Prince in the palace, and the throne would inevitably fall into the hands of Fu Yanwei.
The current situation was like a drawn bowstring, ready to be released at any moment.
Today, Fu Yunyu would not tolerate Wu Yuansi, even if killing him now risked her being accused of disrespecting the emperor and treason. She was ready to disregard the consequences.
However, just as Fu Yunyu was about to draw her sword, her hand was suddenly held back.
Frowning, she raised her head to look at the person beside her. The face was concealed beneath a wide black cloak, but the tall figure and the glimpses of facial features revealed that it was indeed He Heng.
Fu Yunyu was initially surprised, still trying to comprehend why He Heng dressed like a wizard with a black cloak. In the midst of this confusion, she heard his low voice resonating by her ear.
“Don’t act recklessly.”
“The sudden advancement of the enfeoffment ceremony caught your forces off guard. This is their territory now. Killing Wu Yuansi in a fit of anger may give you temporary satisfaction, but if Fu Yanwei’s people retaliate, forcing an accusation of rebellion upon you won’t be worth it.”
Fu Yunyu couldn’t help but understand the logic behind He Heng’s words, but she felt trapped with no other options.
“So, tell me, do I have any other choice today besides this? Am I supposed to obediently follow Wu Yuansi’s advice, leave the capital like a dog, and willingly hand over the throne to someone else?”
Upon hearing this, He Heng shook his head, sighing, “Why do you only know how to rely on brute force and not understand flexibility?”
Hearing his words, veins faintly appeared on Fu Yunyu’s forehead, on the verge of rushing forward to have a showdown with He Heng.
She chuckled, saying, “Flexibility? What do you mean by flexibility? If you were in my shoes, how would you handle this?”
The next moment, He Heng reached up and removed the hood from his head, revealing the three colorful lines just painted on his high forehead and the vibrant patterns on both sides of his cheeks.
In the stunned gaze of Fu Yunyu, He Heng spoke with a confident tone, “In situations like this, you defeat magic with magic.”
Then, under the scrutiny of everyone’s eyes, he walked slowly towards the central position of the sacrificial platform.
He Heng’s appearance immediately caused another commotion in the crowd.
Upon seeing him with his colorful makeup, the Emperor was momentarily dazed and then questioned him, “Why did the Prince Consort not stay in Mingcheng but instead return to the capital without permission, intruding into this enfeoffment ceremony?”
Whispers erupted once again on the elevated platform.
Leaving one’s post without authorization was a serious offense for anyone, and He Heng’s actions indeed seemed unjustifiable.
Just as everyone was collectively holding their breath, they heard the man in the center of the sacrificial platform, with an unchanged expression and a steady heartbeat, say, “I am not your Prince Consort.”
At this revelation, everyone took in a sharp breath. They exchanged bewildered glances, thinking that opposing the Emperor was an even graver offense.
Why would the Governor of Mingcheng choose to defy the Emperor in such a manner?
Had he lost his mind?
The next moment, the calm and composed male voice resonated again at the center of the elevated platform, steady and unhurried,
“Because I am an envoy of the gods,”
“You may also refer to me as the Messenger of Light.”
Although He Heng’s currently “colorful” face did indeed give off a sense of bright sunlight, no one knew how to interpret his words.
After all, what exactly was a Messenger of Light?
Seizing the moment while the crowd was still bewildered, He Heng continued, “Your Majesty, the reason why the Elixir of Immortality has not been perfected until now was made clear to me by the gods in a dream last night.”
“Oh?”
The Emperor suddenly became interested. “How is that explained?”
He Heng pointed directly at Wu Yuansi standing beside him and proclaimed loudly, “It is because of him, this charlatan from the martial world, pretending to be an envoy of the gods and deceiving Your Majesty. These actions undoubtedly angered the heavens.”
“Therefore, today, I, as the Messenger of Light, am here to uphold justice and make this fraudster pay for his actions.”
“Nonsense!”
After hearing these words, Wu Yuansi was so enraged by He Heng that his beard trembled. He pointed shakily at He Heng’s nose and retorted,
“Your Majesty, please don’t casually believe this person’s slander! He clearly wants to confuse your judgment and hinder your success in refining—”
Before he could finish his sentence, He Heng coldly interrupted him with a sneer. He walked slowly in front of Wu Yuansi, looking down on him from a higher vantage point.
In stark contrast to Wu Yuansi’s frustrated and angry expression, He Heng maintained an air of calm indifference.
“Do you think your loud voice makes your words more reasonable?” He Heng asked with a nonchalant demeanor.
“You!” Wu Yuansi hadn’t come up with a rebuttal yet.
He Heng continued, “Words alone are not enough. If you dare, come and challenge me in a duel.”
“Let us, in front of His Majesty, prove who the real Messenger of Light is.”
Author’s note: After losing his eyes, Ran Ran’s only consolation is that he avoided the visual impact of Heng Bao.
