After calming his mind, Xie Zhao stopped worrying about anything else and began enjoying the song and dance performances at the banquet.
Palace banquets generally followed the same routine—first the Emperor offered his blessings, then the ministers presented their tributes, and then the feast began with song and dance.
The performances were mostly elegant music praising the era of peace and prosperity. The current one, for instance, seemed to be called the "Dance of Ten Thousand Blessings." It was so refined and high-class that in his past life, Xie Zhao couldn't have watched it even if he'd paid. Now, such good fortune had finally come his way! And he'd get to enjoy it for decades to come! The thought alone made Xie Zhao feel this transmigration was absolutely worth it.
As the dance concluded, the dancers slowly retreated, and the music gradually faded in preparation for the next piece.
Xie Zhao withdrew his gaze and reached for a squab. Unlike the braised quail, this one was deep-fried—crispy with every bite, the bones so tender they crumbled. The texture reminded him of modern fried chicken, and he loved it.
Paired with a cup of chilled sour plum juice, it wasn't much different from how he'd celebrated Mid-Autumn in the modern world.
Don't ask why he wasn't drinking.
Everyone else's table had warm yellow wine, but not Xie Zhao's—because the Emperor had decreed with his golden words that he wasn't allowed to drink. The Court of Imperial Entertainments naturally wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
Sigh. If he couldn't drink, what was he supposed to pair with the crab later?
Xie Zhao propped his cheek on his hand, munching on the squab while fretting.
Drumbeats gradually rose, and the music grew melodious—sounding somewhat familiar.
Xie Zhao lowered his head and chewed, chewing, chewing, then took a moment to comment: "They even have violins here? How advanced."
Gasps erupted throughout the hall.
"What is that?"
"Sorcery?"
"Never mind what it is—protect His Majesty!"
To be precise, it was an uproar.
Feng De reacted swiftly, immediately shielding the Emperor with his body—only for the Emperor to ungratefully shove him aside.
Feng De: "Your Majesty…"
The Emperor raised a hand to stop him: "No need. I'm not some little child."
That said, in everyone else's eyes, the Emperor needed even more protection than a child. The Duke of Song and others quietly went on alert, ready to rush forward and shield the Emperor at the first sign of trouble.
Only then did Xie Zhao belatedly realize that the next performance hadn't even started—the music playing wasn't from the Court of Music at all.
The screen standing on the stage had somehow come alive. Rippling water shimmered across its surface with flowing golden light. After a fish painted in ink-wash style swam past, the original scene parted like two doors, and a woman appeared before everyone's eyes—dressed in a red ru skirt with a cream-white sash draped over her shoulders.
[Hello everyone, I'm your dear Uploader Mumu. Did you miss me?]
"A woman?"
"No, perhaps a spirit creature."
The Emperor stared at the screen, hesitating: "Who are you?"
The woman calling herself Mumu didn't answer him, speaking to herself instead.
[Last time we held a poll asking everyone to pick their favorite topic, and surprisingly, 72% chose wanting to see a Tyrant Countdown. The demand was huge, so this episode let's look at the 'tyrants' you all most wanted to see. Don't doubt it—I know exactly what you like~]
The Emperor frowned. Feng De glanced at the screen, then lowered his voice so everyone could hear: "Your Majesty, this woman shows no reaction to the full hall of people. Her true form must not be here—this is merely one of her minor spells, which is why she cannot respond."
It wasn't that she refused to answer the Emperor's question—she simply couldn't see or hear them at all. It wasn't a deliberate slight to His Majesty.
The various dukes chimed in agreement.
"That must be it."
"Yes, otherwise how would she dare show such disrespect to Your Majesty."
"Then wouldn't this spirit creature be difficult to deal with?"
If she could breach the imperial palace with just a minor spell, then no matter how many men they had, they probably couldn't stop her. What if she caused chaos in the palace?
The Duke of Yue mused: "This woman has a peaceful expression and a smile in her eyes. She likely means no hostility toward Dayan. Let's first see what her purpose is."
The Emperor, however, was not at all reassured. He still frowned, his face as dark as water, eyes fixed intently on the screen.
"This 'tyrant'… what does it mean?"
The Emperor's tone was slow, yet filled with the portent of an approaching storm. Merely a screen had provoked even his killing intent to surface.
It seemed he truly cared about this reputation of being a tyrant.
And hearing the Emperor point out the key word, everyone else felt a jolt in their hearts.
Right. At a palace banquet, in the Emperor's presence, a spirit creature suddenly appears, speaking of tyrants again and again—how could anyone not overthink it?
After all, to be branded a tyrant, one would first have to be an emperor. And in this hall, only the Emperor fit that description.
No wonder His Majesty's expression was sour.
"In the seventh year of Shouguang, I rose from obscurity to pacify a chaotic world. It took me ten years to reunify the realm under one rule. After founding Dayan, I spent another seventeen years stabilizing the nation—burning the midnight oil, rising before dawn, never once slacking."
"Am I… a tyrant?" the Emperor asked slowly.
"Of course not!"
The Duke of Lu rose abruptly, his face flushed with anger—though this anger was not directed at the Emperor, but at the suddenly appearing spirit creature screen.
The Duke of Lu said in his deep, booming voice: "In these ten years of warfare, Your Majesty led from the front, eating and sleeping alongside the soldiers, and treated the people with the same care one would show one's own children. It is precisely because of this that wherever the great army went, the people welcomed the imperial troops with food and drink. Your Majesty's acquisition of the realm is the will of Heaven—how could this spirit creature's single word 'tyrant' erase that!"
"Well said!" The Duke of Yue also stood up, cupping his hands in salute. "In the seventeen years since the founding of the state, Your Majesty has attended to countless affairs of state day and night, governing with diligence and vigor, which is how we have achieved today's era of peace and prosperity."
"Toward your subjects, Your Majesty rewards merit and punishes fault, all in accordance with the Laws of Great Yan. You should rightly be called a wise and enlightened sovereign—what does that have to do with the word 'tyrant'?"
The Duke of Yue was now the Right Chancellor, discussing state affairs with the Emperor daily. No one knew better than he how diligently the Emperor handled government matters.
So when the Duke of Yue stepped forward to say this, it carried the most conviction.
With two of his old brothers in arms successively stepping up to support him, the Emperor's expression finally improved considerably.
The Emperor stroked his beard: "I too feel that this 'tyrant' should have nothing to do with me."
Compared to certain emperors of previous dynasties who levied exorbitant taxes and took pleasure in torturing officials and commoners alike, he was a thousand times, ten thousand times better. There was no way he could earn such a title.
"Then why did this spirit creature insist on coming before me to say this?"
If it were truly unrelated, she wouldn't have appeared. But if it were related… if the Emperor wasn't the tyrant, then who was?
The sovereign and his ministers sank into contemplation.
"Pah, since Your Majesty isn't the tyrant, then it must be the future Crown Prince who has the problem—isn't that obvious!"
None of those present were fools; they had already harbored this suspicion, but the topic was too sensitive for anyone to dare broach.
Only the Duke Zheng, Li Yi, blunt as ever, pierced through the window paper.
Everyone froze.
Not cool, big brother—is this something you can just say?!
They glanced at the Emperor, whose expression had darkened further, then cast slightly curious, subtle looks at the various princes.
The princes surrounded by those gazes were none too comfortable.
First and foremost was the First Prince—after all, he had just been rewarded with a plate of braised quail by the Emperor, and his prospects were looking excellent.
When locked onto by everyone's gaze, especially the Emperor's, the First Prince's body stiffened, and he quickly stepped forward to declare his position.
"Father, I have studied propriety since childhood and treat others with leniency. I would never commit such tyrannical acts that endanger the state!"
Before the Emperor could say anything, the Second Prince took offense.
"From what Big Brother says, it sounds like you think the position of Crown Prince is destined to be yours?"
The First Prince stiffened again, cursing the Second Prince a hundred times in his heart, then hastily clarified: "Father, I have no such intention!"
The Emperor: "Enough, I know you don't mean that."
But whether he truly did or not, everyone knew full well.
The Emperor sighed: "I know Eldest's temperament well. That person is certainly not you. Step back."
Receiving the Emperor's trust, the First Prince was first pleased—then it occurred to him: if this person wasn't him, didn't that mean he ultimately failed in the struggle for the succession?
The First Prince's heart sank, and he sat down with a heavy heart.
The 4th Prince toyed with the wine cup in his hand, looked left and right, and smiled.
"Since it's not Big Brother, then it must be Second Brother—after all, among us brothers, you're the only one with the qualifications."
The Second Prince's body stiffened instantly, following in the First Prince's footsteps, hastily clearing himself.
"Fourth Brother, don't talk nonsense! The appointment of the crown prince follows seniority and legitimacy—I'm neither the eldest nor the legitimate son. What qualifications do I have? I'm the least qualified of all!"
Cursing the 4th Prince a hundred times in his heart as well, the Second Prince looked at the Emperor with a panicked expression.
"Father, I…"
The Emperor waved his hand impatiently: "Oh, enough, enough, sit down. Look at you—with that little bit of courage, you don't seem like the type to be a tyrant."
The Second Prince also sat down with a dejected look.
One prince after another stood up to defend himself, and the Emperor grew weary of listening. What could two sentences reveal anyway?
"Enough, enough, all of you sit down. Stop standing up."
"If finding a person were that simple, what would we need constables for? What would we need the Dali Temple for?"
Fortunately, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple wasn't here, or he'd have had to step forward and beg forgiveness.
Under the Emperor's sweeping gaze, the princes all lowered their heads.
"And the rest of you." The Emperor pointed at the imperial clansmen and nobles. "Stop speculating. Keep watching—they're about to say it soon."
That said, gossip was human nature.
The imperial clansmen and nobles were genuinely curious: which prince, upon ascending the throne, would do such unworthy deeds as to become a tyrant, driving a spirit creature to use magic to warn the imperial court?
But at the same time, they hoped this guess was wrong—that no 'tyrant' would be found.
After all, who would want to serve under a tyrant?
Hmm… though given the Emperor's physical condition, they themselves might not live to see that day. But one cherishes one's own children and grandchildren—if the younger generation ran into a tyrant, that wouldn't do either!
But then again, if this spirit creature was willing to expose itself before humans just to warn them of the tyrant's existence, was it even a spirit creature anymore?
Someone ventured to speak up: "This Divine Sign…"
Right, this should be a Divine Sign!
"But this Divine Sign didn't say the tyrant is the future Crown Prince—perhaps he's one of His Majesty's descendants several generations down."
Hmm?
Everyone turned in unison to look at the Duke of Chen, who had spoken.
Fortunately, it was the Duke of Chen—a man who loved fishing and was extremely composed. Even under the gaze of all his old comrades and the Emperor, he could calmly finish stating his speculation.
"The crimes committed by a future emperor, with his subjects unable to bear it any longer, coming to complain to His Majesty, their ancestor—that's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
"Reasonable, reasonable."
"What the Duke of Chen says is absolutely right!"
It had better be so.
Then the Emperor and all of them would be relieved.
[Alright, now let's get straight to the point and count down the most ruthless tyrants in history.]
[First on the list: Yanwudi!]
Author's Note:
Thank you everyone for the nutrient solution.
Reader "Guizi Ya," irrigated nutrient solution +1 2024-02-22 10:42:48
Reader "Answer: Omitted," irrigated nutrient solution +1 2024-02-21 22:15:41
Reader "Yan Hua," irrigated nutrient solution +19 2024-02-21 21:00:57
Reader "Summer (^ω^)," irrigated nutrient solution +2 2024-02-21 20:47:03
Reader "Huai Min Yi Wei Qin," irrigated nutrient solution +20 2024-02-21 19:16:07
Reader "Lazy Lazy Lazy," irrigated nutrient solution +10 2024-02-21 19:02:33
Reader "Xiya's Maiden Heart," irrigated nutrient solution +3 2024-02-21 18:53:00
Reader "Consideration," irrigated nutrient solution +30 2024-02-21 18:15:44