RNP Chapter 31 Don't rush, don't be afraid, trust me!
Chapter 31 Don't rush, don't be afraid, trust me!
"Your Majesty, on this auspicious Dragon Boat Festival, I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's grace and wish to present a gift. Heaven has recognized my sincerity and sent me to find a divine object—a celestial stone, resembling a divine dragon. Only Your Majesty is entitled to possess such an object! I present it to Your Majesty, wishing you a long and prosperous life!"
The story was told in such a fantastical way that both the emperor and his ministers became extremely interested.
"Let me see!"
The four sides of the box were lifted up, and the divine dragon that had descended from the sky appeared before everyone. Upon seeing this thing, a great fear enveloped Shen Shixi's heart.
[Ah, this isn't a divine stone fallen from the sky, it's clearly a deadly stone! So what if it looks like a dragon? It's a poisonous stone that will kill!]
Li Yuanke suddenly looked at Shen Shixi and saw that she was pale and trembling.
She was genuinely scared!
He was still staring intently at the stone.
【What to do? Li Yuanke, get the stone away right now! No, I mean, what to do? That bastard Li Yuanke doesn't know anything about this!】
She stood up, looked at Li Yuanke, and extended her hand, saying, "Your Majesty, this stone, this stone, I... I feel so uncomfortable just looking at it..."
Before he could even utter the word "dizzy," he collapsed to the side.
She originally intended to fall backward, but fearing Bai Ping wouldn't be able to catch her in time, she fell to the side. Lin Guiyou was sitting next to her, and she was getting excited when someone fell down. When she saw it was Shen Shixi, she pushed her to the ground without saying a word.
Shen Shixi's head hit the side table behind her, and she almost cried out in pain.
Seeing that someone was ruining things, Li Yuanjian continued, "Consort Shen must be unlucky to be unable to bear this divine stone that fell from the sky. This is a treasure that only emperors and supreme rulers can enjoy. Ordinary people would naturally feel uncomfortable just by looking at it. She is indeed unlucky and cannot withstand it."
Li Yuanke strode over and scooped Shen Shixi into his arms. His face was ashen as he carried her toward the side hall.
Shen Shixi said urgently in his ear, "Li Yuanke, this is not a divine stone, but a meteorite that fell from the sky. It is highly poisonous. It will release poisonous gas, and if a person gets close and inhales it, they will develop an incurable disease over time."
Believe me, back when I was in Xiling, there was a sacred mountain there, and on that mountain was a huge rock like this. You can have someone investigate it. Wherever there is a sacred rock, vegetation grows wildly within a hundred miles, and both people and livestock perish. Only things like rats can survive, but a single rat can grow as big as a piglet…”
She traveled the world hoping to find a way to return home, and she went to see the sacred mountain because she heard it was strange.
She didn't know how to explain the harmful effects of radioactive materials to the ancients, nor could she explain what radiation was all about.
She gripped Li Yuanke's sleeve tightly, both anxious and fearful. "Tell the Empress Dowager to leave immediately. She's old and can't stay around the stone for long. Or, Your Majesty, have it transported out of the palace, the farther the better!"
"Don't worry, don't be afraid, I believe in you!" Li Yuanke shouted, "Cen Yin!"
"Your subject is here!"
"Throw that stone away, the farther the better!"
Shen Shixi quickly added, "No, we can't throw it away. Bury it deep, in a deserted, unknown place. What if people find out and put it somewhere near the palace?"
Li Yuanke said, "Do as she says. This matter is entrusted to you!"
"Your Majesty, this stone..."
"This stone is highly poisonous. The toxic gas it releases can silently penetrate the skin and enter the body, and can also be inhaled into the lungs. Judging from the size of this stone, no one within a thousand feet is safe. Unless there is a barrier of copper or iron, its toxicity can penetrate walls and pass through houses, making it impossible to defend against!"
Cen Yin gasped.
Fearing he wouldn't believe her, Shen Shixi said, "There's a stone like that on Mount Xiling. If Lord Cen doesn't believe me, you can send someone to investigate!"
"I do not disbelieve!"
He dared not delay and turned to do his job.
When Li Yuanjian saw Cen Yin leading his men to take the stone away, he resisted fiercely. Cen Yin replied with "By imperial decree," and he was speechless. His heart sank. Had things been exposed?
That shouldn't be happening!
It must be that vile woman Shen who's up to her tricks. She's always loved to cause trouble, and the emperor just happens to indulge her.
In the side hall, Li Yuanke placed her on the couch. Shen Shixi sat up, grasped his hand, and said, "I remember now, Your Highness... doesn't Your Highness have a stone like this by your side?"
Li Yuanke's heart skipped a beat. If the eldest prince had one by his side, it meant there was one in the palace. So, who was by his side?
He temporarily suppressed his doubts and asked, "How are you? Stay here tonight."
What a joke! Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. According to custom, Li Yuanke is supposed to go to the Empress's palace.
"I'm fine, Your Majesty, please go about your business. The courtiers are waiting over there. Does Your Majesty have any of those golden silk armor or similar items? If so, please wear one. The most potent toxicity of that poisonous stone is that it seeps into the body through the skin; breathing is fine."
"Is the Prince of Yidu out of his mind? He must know there's something wrong with this stone, otherwise why would he put it in an iron box?"
Shen Shixi was still very nervous. She felt uneasy if the stone didn't leave the city for even a second.
"Don't overthink it. I'm here. Lie down for a bit. I'm going over there now." Li Yuanke summoned Caiying, the head maid of Qianyuan Palace, to serve her, and then went to the main hall.
Li Yuanjian remained standing there, demanding an explanation, but in reality, he wanted to test the waters.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with that divine stone? Is it possible that just because of Consort Shen's words, Your Majesty is going to resist this auspicious omen from heaven? Is the fortune of our Great Zhou going to be ruined by a woman?"
Li Yuanke walked over and patted him on the shoulder. Sure enough, Li Yuanjian was wearing a gold-threaded armor under his single robe.
He understood the situation. "Don't talk nonsense! Throughout history, what auspicious omens have ever existed? They're just tricks played by ministers to fool the emperor. When did my fourteenth brother ever think of deceiving me?"
"Your Majesty, you are wise enough to know! I have gone to great lengths for this stone, and Your Majesty's words have truly saddened me. Just now, Commander Cen had the sacred stone moved away. I would like to ask, what does Your Majesty intend to do with the sacred stone?"
The way that's being asked makes it sound like if the emperor threw away a stone, he would have to pick it up.
If Shen Shixi hadn't said that the area within a thousand feet was poisonous, Li Yuanke would have wanted to place this stone next to Li Yuanjian's pillow.
"Since it is a divine stone, I will naturally handle it properly. I hereby order the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to locate the location of the Dragon Eye of my Great Zhou Dynasty, and this stone shall be buried where the Dragon Eye is located."
Wouldn't that mean moving far away from the palace?
Li Yuanjian said, "Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate! Such sacred objects should be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, or placed in the Emperor's bedroom..."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Yuanke looked over with a chilling gaze that sent shivers down Li Yuanjian's spine.
Has the Emperor discovered something?
"That concludes today's banquet. My beloved ministers, please be careful on your way home!" The Emperor rose and helped the Empress Dowager walk out, as he wanted to escort her back to the palace first.
"Your Majesty need not follow me any longer. It's getting late, and you must be tired after a long day. Go back and rest early!" The Empress Dowager knew her son had something to say.
"yes!"
The Empress knew there was something wrong with the stone just now, so she didn't pay much attention to it.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor said, "Consort De, you will accompany me to escort the Empress Dowager back to the palace."
Why is this?
The concubines seemed to be deep in thought.
Consort Qing smiled and said, "Why does Your Majesty want Consort De to accompany you? Your Majesty is truly considerate of the Empress!"
The meaning behind these words was that the Emperor valued Consort De more than the Empress; everyone understood that.
They're deliberately trying to sow discord!
The Empress smiled and said, "His Majesty and I are husband and wife, so isn't it only right that His Majesty is considerate of me?"
In this imperial harem, no matter how favored a concubine is, she is not qualified to call the emperor her husband.
Consort Qing smiled and said, "Your Majesty the Empress is right. His Majesty has always held Your Majesty in the highest esteem."