Everyone was stunned by this sudden scene of beasts locked in mortal combat.
Just as the mastiff relied on its size and strength to violently fling Wangcai away, baring its blood-stained sharp teeth once more in an attempt to lunge toward Shen Chaoqing, a dark figure reappeared beside Shen Chaoqing as silently as a ghost.
Xiao Huaiyan appeared out of nowhere, with a swift “clang” reversing his grip to draw the side sword from a nearby guard, his arm executing a fierce sweep.
That steel blade transformed into a silver streak of lightning, tearing through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle as it pierced with absolute precision through the neck of the mastiff that had just broken free from Wangcai and was about to lunge forward.
Blood splattered everywhere.
The mastiff’s massive form abruptly stiffened, its momentum forward coming to an abrupt halt. It let out a short, harrowing whine, the fierce glare in its blood-red eyes instantly scattering as it crashed heavily to the ground, its limbs twitching a few times before falling completely still.
Blood gushed in a steady stream from the wound on its neck, quickly soaking a large patch of the ground.
The entire plaza of the Ancestral Hall fell into absolute silence in an instant.
Wangcai stood beside the mastiff’s carcass, still baring its blood-stained teeth while emitting low, victorious whimpers toward the empty air.
Acting as though he had merely performed an insignificant triviality, Xiao Huaiyan stood quietly at Shen Chaoqing’s side.
Shen Chaoqing felt weak all over, nonchalantly grasping Xiao Huaiyan’s hand to barely manage to steady himself. His complexion was frighteningly pale, though due to his naturally fair skin, it was not distinctly noticeable.
Feeling the skin within his palm, Xiao Huaiyan tilted his head slightly to gaze at Shen Chaoqing, his heart suddenly filled to the brim with a sense of satisfying gratification.
Following the brief silence, the plaza of the Ancestral Hall erupted like boiling oil, instantly swallowed by waves of startled cries, questioning, and panic.
The ecstasy on Li Zecheng’s face had long since congealed, turning into shock and anger. He never imagined that the meticulously prepared “heavenly retribution” would be so cleanly and decisively ruined by a wolf cub that had popped up out of nowhere and that damned Liao mongrel.
Yet, being a seasoned and calculating politician, he regained his composure extremely quickly, rapidly stacking an expression of appropriate shock and patriotic sorrow upon his face.
Stepping out ahead of the others, his voice rang out loud and clear, carrying deep grief and bewilderment to instantly override the chaos at the scene: “Silence! Everyone be silent!”
Once everyone’s gazes focused upon him, Li Zecheng turned toward Shen Chaoqing upon the imperial seat, bowing low in a salute as his tone grew heavy: “Your Majesty has been startled! This is the dereliction of duty on the part of us subjects! Only… the security within this palace is airtight, and the ancestral worship grand ceremony is of paramount importance—where on earth did such a ferocious mastiff come from?! It must be thoroughly investigated! Your Majesty, this matter is definitely no accident; someone wicked must be at work, attempting to disturb the imperial carriage and sabotage the ancestral worship grand ceremony! This subject implores Your Majesty to issue a strict decree for a thorough investigation, with zero tolerance!”
His words appeared loyal to the sovereign and patriotic, pursuing the root cause, yet in reality, they muddied the waters, shifted the blame, and insinuated that the Emperor’s enemies were playing tricks.
A crowd of officials was deeply startled, and whether they belonged to Li Zecheng’s faction or not, they successively stepped forward to echo him: “What the Marquis of Jing’an says is entirely correct! It must be thoroughly investigated!”
“Disturbing the imperial carriage and sabotaging the ancestral worship such a crime warrants the execution of all nine familial relations!”
“May Your Majesty issue the decree!”
Shen Chaoqing watched their performance expressionlessly. Naturally, he knew how the dog had arrived, but he had no intention of speaking out at present.
Fu An’s complexion was ashen as he trotted forward hurriedly, looking up and down at Shen Chaoqing with a trembling voice: “Your Majesty… are you unhurt? You frightened this old slave to death.”
Seeing that Shen Chaoqing was indeed unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief, turning instead to look at the silent Xiao Huaiyan beside him with a gaze mixing gratitude and lingering fear.
Right amidst this clamor demanding a “thorough investigation,” an elderly minister clad in the official robes of the Director of the Astronomical Bureau and with white hair stumbled out from the crowd, dropping heavily onto his knees with a loud thud in the snow before the imperial seat.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty, ah!”
Shen Chaoqing looked at him. This old man was the main driving force of this assassination trap; the original text stated that he had originally not wanted to participate, only to find his wife and children controlled by the Empress, leaving him no choice but to risk his life to ensure his family’s safety. It was just a pity he died anyway, and his family was also exterminated root and branch by the Li family, making it a case of losing both the battle and the troops.
“This old subject has served three successive sovereigns!” That Director of the Astronomical Bureau struck his head against the ground, his voice mournful and tragic, instantly drawing the attention of everyone present: “This is not human agency, this is the will of heaven! It is a warning from heavenly phenomena!!”
An official asked, “Speak clearly! What do you mean by this?!”
The Director of the Astronomical Bureau abruptly raised his head, tears streaming down his face as he pointed a finger toward the mastiff’s carcass and Wangcai, which was baring its teeth and growling low beside it: “The Records of the Grand Historian: Book of the Celestial Offices states: ‘Wherever the heavenly dog stops, the earth tilts completely; its lingering light illuminates the sky as a shooting star, several zhang long, swift as the wind, sounding like thunder, shining like lightning!’ Today, a fierce beast suddenly appears upon the sacrificial altar with blood splattering everywhere—this is an extremely ominous sign! Your Majesty! Heaven is warning you: if you remain tyrannical and arbitrary, enforcing excessively harsh punishments and failing to govern with benevolence, it will surely lead to the shattering of rivers and mountains and the alienation of the common people! The Jin State… the Jin State fears it will perish at the hands of Your Majesty!!”
The words “perishing the state” struck like a thunderbolt, numbing the scalps of every official and sending the entire assembly into an uproar.
These words were simply too severe, too piercing. They directly pinned the responsibility for all natural and man-made disasters, as well as the rise and fall of the dynasty, squarely upon the young Emperor.
In truth, these words were not wrong; the Jin State would indeed perish at his hands. Shen Chaoqing readily agreed with this assessment.
And the person who would annihilate the Jin State was right here at the scene.
Standing by Shen Chaoqing’s side, Xiao Huaiyan looked down upon the officials. Ring linked to ring, clearly aimed at Shen Chaoqing; if the little Emperor failed to handle this well, he would lose his hold on power and completely forfeit the hearts of the people—yet Shen Chaoqing evidently felt no panic.
He suddenly recalled yesterday’s instructions.
Bringing Wangcai to the Ancestral Hall—could it be precisely to break this impasse?
He gazed toward Shen Chaoqing, narrowing his eyes slightly. This trap was meticulous; had it not been for prior foreknowledge, it would surely have been difficult to parry. The little Emperor possessed extraordinary methods.
Next, the palm of Xiao Huaiyan’s hand emptied as Shen Chaoqing loosened his grip, instantly feeling as though something had been left lacking.
Shen Chaoqing lowered his gaze, drawing a long sigh of relief. He absolutely must not show any timidity.
“Go spit your mother’s dog drool!” Duan Zufeng flew into a towering rage. “Old fellow, how dare you spread heresies here and curse the national fortune! I see you as an accomplice to unleashing the dog!” Striding forward, he moved to grab the Director of the Astronomical Bureau.
However, the Director of the Astronomical Bureau seemed long since resolved to die. Seeing Duan Zufeng charge over, he unexpectedly sprang to his feet, mustering all his strength to roar his final words: “The tyrant is devoid of benevolence! This is the omen of a nation’s destruction! I use my blood to remonstrate with the sovereign!!” Roaring thus, he abruptly pivoted his direction, hurling himself savagely toward the cold coiling-dragon stone pillar beside the Ancestral Hall.
Bang! With a dull thud, blood and brain matter splattered outward.
The elderly Director of the Astronomical Bureau’s body slid limply down to the ground, expiring on the spot.
That pair of stubbornly wide-open eyes still retained their final madness and despair, rigidly “staring” in the direction of Shen Chaoqing.
This intensely tragic scene thoroughly stunned every civil and military official present. Dead silence descended once more, heavier than before, suffocatingly intense. The scent of blood mingled with the smoky fire of burning sacrificial offerings hung heavy in the frigid air, bizarre and terrifying.
Proving one’s loyalty with death. The blood of the Director of the Astronomical Bureau seemed to instantly impart a heavy, inescapable weight of conviction to his “perished state” assertions.
Within his heart, Li Zecheng rejoiced wildly, though externally he wore an expression of sorrow and forbearance, letting out a long sigh as he closed his eyes, acting as though he could not bear to look upon the sight.
It was fortunate that his younger sister had thought this through thoroughly; this way, without even needing an investigation, the sovereign could be directly pinned with the charge, and even if an investigation later uncovered that someone had deliberately unleashed the dog, the common people would no longer believe it.