roccoschili Chapter 166 Earth-shattering
Chapter 166 Earth-shattering
Seeing Zhang Rao accept it, Jiang Wanyue's expression relaxed a little, and then she continued.
"If the Heavenly Master needs anything, just come to the East Palace. But now the Emperor is not taking care of state affairs, and everything has to be decided by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness will be very busy and will have no time to see the Heavenly Master. But the Heavenly Master can find Eunuch Wang who is beside His Royal Highness."
"Although His Highness cannot come in person, he has great respect for the Heavenly Master. The Heavenly Master may not know that Buddhism is highly valued in the capital, and most people believe in Buddhism. However, His Highness does not believe in these things, but instead highly respects the Three Pure Ones. His Highness also said that he wanted to go to Yanzhou to see the magnificence of Mount Tai."
Zhang Rao's mind was deeply moved.
He didn't really listen to what Jiang Wanyue said afterwards.
When leaving the Eastern Palace and returning to the Imperial Palace, Zhang Rao felt a little absent-minded, and kept thinking about Jiang Wanyue's words in his mind.
He did not doubt the truthfulness of Jiang Wanyue's words.
It had been some time since Zhang Rao came to the capital, and he had some understanding of the situation in the capital. He knew that Jiang Liangdi was of high birth, as several generations of the Jiang family had produced officials. She was also the prince's favorite concubine, in charge of the backyard of the Eastern Palace, and even the two legitimate children were handed over to her for discipline.
Although she did not have the title of Crown Princess, she was already a Crown Princess in reality.
Such a person would never lie to himself, right?
He returned to his residence, still somewhat excited and unable to control himself, pacing back and forth in the room.
Although the emperor sat on the dragon throne, he was old after all, while the prince was in his prime.
Moreover, although the emperor trusted him, he did not completely abandon the group of bald monks. One was a wavering old grass on the wall, and the other was a steadfast towering tree. The balance in Zhang Rao's heart had already tilted.
But what he didn't know was that what Jiang Wanyue said was really made up.
In fact, Li Ce neither believed in Buddhism nor Taoism. He only believed in himself.
Privately, he didn't have anything good to say about Zhang Tianshi. He felt that he was just a male version of Ling Lan, just a liar who knew some tricks.
So, when it was time for dinner, in order to prevent Li Ce from revealing the truth, Jiang Wanyue told him what had happened today.
Li Ce paused for a quarter of an hour with his chopsticks in his hand, and looked at Jiang Wanyue in shock.
After Jiang Wanyue finished speaking, he felt angry and helpless.
"Why do you have to use my tiger skin to deceive me? You are deceiving the emperor!"
Jiang Wanyue was confident.
"How could I? I only lied to that Taoist priest, not to Your Highness. Haven't I told you the truth?"
The deceiving the emperor that Li Ce was referring to was the emperor.
Jiang Wanyue answered subconsciously, treating him as the "Jun".
Li Ce couldn't help but laugh.
The laughter was particularly happy and refreshing.
After laughing, he nodded at her with a smile.
"It's not the behavior of a gentleman to lie to others like this."
Jiang Wanyue snorted at first, then pulled his sleeve again.
"I am a humble woman, and I am not a gentleman. If Your Highness meets that Taoist priest someday, I will pretend to be courteous to him, Your Highness, okay?"
"Since Wan'er is begging you, I will agree with all my efforts."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
The atmosphere in the house was harmonious. For Jiang Wanyue, these days were quite relaxing and comfortable.
But she didn't know that such days would soon be over.
Zhang Rao didn't do anything after he returned, and continued to act as usual.
But just because there seems to be no change doesn’t mean there is really no change.
On the last day of May, the emperor suddenly appeared at the grand court meeting.
He had not attended court for more than a month, and all matters of the court were handed over to the prince. His sudden appearance stunned all the officials, and they couldn't help but wonder what the emperor wanted to do.
There were those with dark hearts who guessed that the emperor was dissatisfied with the crown prince and intended to support another person to confront the crown prince and balance the court.
Some also speculated: The emperor might want to leave the palace to hunt, escape the summer heat, or tour the south?
But when the emperor opened his mouth, what he said was far beyond everyone's expectations.
That was a groundbreaking statement.
"I intend to abdicate."
These five short words left hundreds of people in the hall speechless.
There was silence in the hall.
No one expected that the emperor would suddenly announce his abdication at this time.
There was no warning at all!
Even the chief eunuch beside the emperor had a look of surprise on his face.
It is said that if the emperor on the throne is replaced, the confidants around him will naturally be replaced. And the first batch of people to be replaced are these eunuchs.
The chief steward wanted to object, but he had no right to do so, so he had to endure it. Although the eunuchs were also officials, they could not interrupt in such matters.
The steward couldn't help but look at the important officials standing at the front, expecting them to speak.
But these old foxes were still thinking about it and did not stand up at the first opportunity.
Unexpectedly, the first person to jump out and oppose was the prince himself.
Li Ce walked to the center of the hall, lifted his robe, and knelt down.
"Father, no, you can't do that. Father is in his prime, how could you have such thoughts? The court cannot do without you, and neither can your son."
The emperor looked at him with relief in his eyes.
"You have handled the affairs of the court well during this period. It is because of you, Crown Prince, that I have no worries and can enjoy my old age in peace."
Li Ce still knelt and did not get up.
"I am only here to share your worries. Your Majesty still needs to make the decisions on important matters in the court. Please take back your order."
As soon as he said this, all the officials seemed to wake up all at once, and they all knelt down and shouted.
"Your Majesty, please take back your order."
The emperor naturally did not agree. After saying a few more words to express his determination, he left with his men.
This court meeting could not continue.
Such big news would take several days for everyone to digest. Who would have the time to care about anything else?
Li Ce also returned to the Eastern Palace early.
He was not sure whether his father really wanted to abdicate or was just testing the waters.
No matter which one it was, he couldn't accept it directly and had to pretend.
Only by asking and declining three times can you achieve a good reputation.
Not only Li Ce, but other court officials also thought so.
However, the emperor's actions once again caught everyone by surprise.
That afternoon, the emperor ordered the Secretariat to draft a document, and the next day, he announced it directly to the world!
No chance for rejection at all!
After the imperial edict was passed down, the emperor left all follow-up matters to Li Ce and moved to the Sanqing Hall in Xilin Garden.
The name of this temple was changed recently and it was converted into a Taoist temple for Zhang Rao, the Heavenly Master, to reside in.
It would have been fine if he just moved, but the emperor actually wanted to worship Zhang Rao as his master and become a Taoist monk!