Chapter 403
The space in front of the palace gates was packed with people.
An old monk had brought a large group of people from who knows where, sitting on the ground, saying only that they wanted to petition for the Empress.
"Insolent! The Empress has not yet been officially crowned, where does this Empress come from?" an official from the Ministry of Rites who had just come out of the palace shouted sternly.
The old monk lowered his eyes and pressed his palms together, saying, "Amitabha, although she has not been officially crowned, in the hearts of the people, that lady is already the mother of the nation. Why must Your Excellency be so bound by etiquette and disregard the will of the people?"
After saying that, he added leisurely, "Such an official career will not last long."
The official from the Ministry of Rites immediately turned the color of pig liver and was about to rush over to fight, but fortunately, he was stopped by his colleagues: "Hey, don't be impulsive! This seems to be Master Liaokong from the Huguo Temple?"
Master Liaokong?
That divine monk whose fortune-telling is like a god and whose prophecies never fail?
Thinking of his phrase "such an official career will not last long," the official from the Ministry of Rites shivered and hurriedly apologized.
The Deputy Commander of the Five Cities Military Patrol arrived in a hurry, looking distressed: "Master Liaokong, if you have any instructions, just say so. Why bring so many people here?"
Wouldn't this be labeled as gathering a crowd to mutiny?
However, before Liaokong could speak, an old woman behind him stood up abruptly: "It wasn't Master Liaokong who brought us here, we came voluntarily! If it weren't for the Empress saving us back then, the over three hundred of us would have starved to death on the streets long ago! The Empress is a good person!"
Then a young boy stood up: "Grandma is right! Sister Benefactor even put down the rebellion with the Emperor. Why can't she be the Empress?"
These two were Little Man and her grandmother. Back when General Yan died in battle, their relief grain was cut off, and it was all thanks to Chu Ruoyan's mediation that Cao Yang sent someone to take them in and settle them.
Then someone else stood up: "The Empress is a good person! I heard from my husband that this time when entering the capital, it was she who begged the Emperor not to disturb the people, which is why everyone suffered no harm!"
"Yes! Master Liaokong also said he came down from the mountain because of her guidance. Everyone, think about it carefully. Master Liaokong is already an otherworldly expert. If the Empress can still guide him, wouldn't she be a Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering?"
"..."
Hundreds of mouths spoke one after another, leaving the Deputy Commander unable to get a word in.
Liaokong raised his hand, and the scene immediately quieted down.
"Amitabha. The will of the people is already known to you adults. This old monk will add one more thing. The biological father of the current mother of the nation is the Regent of the Yun family."
A thunderclap on flat ground.
Not only the officials, but the commoners also exploded.
"Who? Which Regent?"
"The Yun family, that's the one from the Great Sheng Dynasty!"
"Heavens, that Prince actually still has descendants alive..."
For a moment, even the commoners watching the excitement put away their smiles and fell silent, kneeling down one after another.
There was no one under heaven who didn't know this Prince. The Murong family was able to gain the world under the guise of avenging this Prince!
But now his descendants are still alive in this world and are about to enter the central palace to become the Empress. This is the mandate of heaven!
The Deputy Commander didn't dare to say anything more and hurriedly ordered someone to invite the Chief Minister.
Cao Yang wasn't going to take on this mess. With a single official document, he got Pei Ji and those old guys over. With guarantees and oaths, it took more than an hour to persuade the commoners to leave...
Not far away, Su Tingyun, who witnessed all this, had an ashen face.
He knew he could never stop her from ascending to the position of Empress anymore...
When the news reached the Yangxin Hall, Yan Zheng raised his eyebrows: "Liaokong changed his nature? Knows how to speak human language?"
Chu Ruoyan burst out laughing: "Isn't this a good thing? At the very least, when I become Empress, no one will oppose it anymore, right?"
Yan Zheng snorted: "No one dared to oppose it in the first place. That old bald donkey just took advantage of it!"
Chu Ruoyan smiled and shook her head. Nanny Zhou came in and said: "Your Majesty, Master Liaokong also sent someone to deliver something..."
As she spoke, she presented a letter. Chu Ruoyan opened it and saw only four words written on it—
Closest yet farthest.
Chu Ruoyan's heart trembled, remembering the words Liaokong had said to her at the Huguo Temple that day.
Will lose the most important thing...
Could it mean closest kin?
"What's wrong?" Yan Zheng saw her expression was off, leaned in for a look, grabbed it, and tore it to shreds. "Playing god and making ghosts, don't take it to heart."
Chu Ruoyan nodded, but her heart was still very chaotic.
Liaokong was not someone who would speak carelessly. Even if his words didn't come true exactly, they were moving in that direction nine times out of ten.
But the problem was that closest kin wasn't a thing either. What could this "farthest" mean?
Yan Zheng frowned and wanted to say something more, but Yin Shun came to report that the Chief Minister and the others had arrived.
This time it was to discuss the matters of the Empress's coronation ceremony, so he could only squeeze her hand: "A-Yan, relax. We'll talk when I get back."
Chu Ruoyan replied with an "mm." After seeing him off, she leaned against the soft pillows to rest.
Because of Liaokong's words, she didn't sleep soundly. While half asleep, Yulu came to report that Lady Jiang the Younger had woken up.
"Really?" Her groggy mind instantly cleared up. Yulu said, "It's true! The Duke just invited Imperial Physician Zhang to take a look, saying there is no longer any serious harm, and she will recover with good rest!"
Chu Ruoyan stroked her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, there was some good news.
"Nanny Zhou, go to the Imperial Hospital and pick some rare medicinal materials, then go to the Internal Affairs Department and select some useful things, and send them all to Father and the others..." She paused as she spoke.
What her father wanted to see most was probably not these things, but...
Her eyes darkened, and after a moment of hesitation, she said: "Go to the Yikun Palace and send the person over too."
Only one person was locked up in the Yikun Palace, Princess Roumin.
Nanny Zhou hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, think twice. This woman has deep schemes. Sending her back will only be detrimental to the Duke's estate!"
Chu Ruoyan's lips twitched, bringing up a bitter smile: "Do you think I haven't considered it? But she is ultimately Father's biological daughter, connected by blood. Even if I stop her from leaving, Father will come and beg."
The scene she wanted to see the least was exactly this.
Nanny Zhou also fell silent. Blood ties were truly strange. How could someone as good as Duke Chu give birth to such a selfish and despicable daughter?
As a result, she went to the Yikun Palace once and came back furiously: "Your Majesty! Don't mind her, just let her die of old age in the palace!"
Chu Ruoyan raised her eyebrows in surprise, turned her head, and asked: "What happened?"
The palace servant who went with her hurriedly knelt down and carefully said: "To answer Your Majesty, Princess Roumin said... said you must personally send her back, and also said... this is what you owe her."