pjbooks Chapter 419
Chapter 419
Emperor Mingxi naturally knew that as long as Yue Fuguang was willing to act, Great Yan would be secure, and he couldn’t help asking, “Fuguang, what do we need to do for the rain prayer?”He wondered if her process was the same as his own, in which case, aside from the dragon robe and what the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites had prepared, those could be given to her use.
Yue Fuguang shook her head. “My rain doesn’t require as much trouble as Your Majesty does.”
[Exactly. Begging Heaven, It won’t send rain anyway. Better we do it ourselves!]
Yue Fuguang and her system had naturally guessed that the world’s Heaven had some request of them, so they grew bolder and bolder, not holding back when ridiculing it.
Besides, they weren’t wrong. Bound by certain rules, Heaven could do nothing at all. The “landlord” truly wasn’t as effective as they were—the monks from afar who found it easier to recite sutras.
When everyone heard this, they understood, but Emperor Mingxi still couldn’t resist asking, “Is there anything we should do?”
Yue Fuguang paused to think. “Your Majesty, with my current limited power, I cannot make rain fall simultaneously across all of Great Yan.”
“So Fuguang means you wish to leave the capital?” Emperor Mingxi immediately guessed her plan. Wasn’t she only taking this on to get out of the city?
“Absolutely not, it’s out of the question!” Ling Yinghua exclaimed in agitation. “Chaos is brewing across states, and they’ve long coveted the Grand Mentor. If they confirm the Grand Mentor has the power to bring rain, they will surely scheme. Far from the capital, how can we ensure the Grand Mentor’s safety?”
Rain was important, but the Grand Mentor was more important! If Heaven wouldn’t send rain, Great Yan could tough it out for two or three years—it wasn’t enough to cripple the state. But without the Grand Mentor, they...
“Minister Ling is right. The Grand Mentor’s safety is paramount. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!” Wu Yuanjing also stepped forward to echo Ling Yinghua.
Minister Wang Shouchen of the Honglu Temple weighed the pros and cons and also stepped forward. “I concur with the two ministers. The Grand Mentor’s safety must be the first priority.”
Because Great Yan had prepared in advance, their situation was far better than that of neighboring states. They had not yet reached a desperate point. The Grand Mentor was one of a kind in the world; lose her and she’d be truly gone. There was no need to risk her.
Yue Fuguang looked around. Only the conservative older faction opposed her, while the younger, more vigorous officials kept their heads down—neither supporting nor opposing, making their stance clear.
“I understand what you venerable ministers worry about. Not only are my personal guards all formidable fighters, but Your Majesty can also dispatch more soldiers to accompany me.”
[Besides, we’re within Great Yan’s borders. What’s there to fear? Those emperors can’t send tens of thousands of troops infiltrating just to grab her, can they?
If so, it only means the emperor and his courtiers are incompetent!]
Emperor Mingxi and his ministers, cursed as incompetent by the divine artifact again, looked aggrieved. They were only worried about the Grand Mentor’s safety. If the drought dragged on for two or three years, those desperate emperors might indeed mobilize armies just for one person!
The Grand Mentor still didn’t realize her own importance!
Emperor Mingxi took one look at Yue Fuguang, whose face clearly read “I want to get out of here,” and knew he couldn’t dissuade her. For the sake of the people and Great Yan, he said no more. With a grand wave of his hand, he declared, “Ministers, say no more. Let it be as Fuguang proposes. As Great Yan commands the nation’s strength, how can it fail to protect one person?”
He swept his gaze over the ranks. “Shen Jian, lead your thousand Feather Forests. Wei Shouyi, lead your fifteen hundred New Army to escort the Grand Mentor, ensuring her full safety.”
“My dear minister Huo, order all regional garrisons to be on high alert. Every place the Grand Mentor passes must guard her with full loyalty. Should any harm befall her, the civil and military officials there will answer with their heads!”
Then he looked toward the civil officials. Feng Tang and Wu Yong almost simultaneously stepped forward, volunteering, “We beg Your Majesty’s permission to accompany the Grand Mentor!”
Emperor Mingxi did not grant permission on the spot. Instead, he turned to Yue Fuguang for her opinion. “What does Fuguang think?”
Wherever Yue Fuguang went, she would inevitably have to deal with local officials. Given her nature, she would surely find such matters tedious, so she needed someone to handle these chores—someone with a rank high enough to keep those regional magnates in line.
Emperor Mingxi could already imagine that once she went to the provinces, those officials, grinning with flattery, would be even more eager than they were for imperial princes and princesses. Feng Tang and the others might not be able to hold them back.
But Yue Fuguang was quite satisfied with the two choices. She nodded. “I find both of them suitable.”
“Your Majesty, rest assured, we will protect the Grand Mentor!” Feng Tang and Wu Yong, delighted at her approval, quickly pledged allegiance to Emperor Mingxi.
Seeing this, Emperor Mingxi decided he would later give Feng Tang a talisman and a sword. With those, no one would dare act rashly.
Shen Jian and Wei Shouyi, standing in the ranks, watched the two officials’ ingratiating faces and gritted their teeth behind smiles. What did they mean by “we will protect the Grand Mentor”? That was clearly their duty! Did these two literati think he and his soldiers were mere decorations?
Yue Fuguang was a woman of action. From deciding to depart to the entourage leaving the upper capital’s city gates, it took only three days.
On the sixth day of the third month, in the eighth year of Yuan Kang—auspicious for travel, relocating graves, and sacrifices.
Yue Fuguang stood atop her carriage, waving farewell to the women of the Yu family. “Grandmother, Mother, go back now. Don’t worry, Cuizhu and the others will take good care of me.”
Yue Fuguang did not claim she would take care of herself. In the eyes of Yu family women, their darling child was perfect in every way except for self-care, which was far inferior to loyal servants like Cuizhu.
The sky had not yet fully brightened, and the morning mist still lingered at the foot of the imperial city wall. Yue Fuguang’s entourage arrived at the city gates, where banners fluttered far into the distance, stretching from the gates to the outskirts beyond.
Yue Fuguang looked out through the window. At the Vermilion Gate, several thousand soldiers in full armor stood silently on both sides of the city road, their light-steel armor and halberds gleaming coldly in the morning light.
Amidst the dark sea of soldiers, the imperial yellow stood out prominently, followed by purple and red robes, while the blue and green robes were lost in the crush of people.
The Yue flag, bearing her surname, unfurled gently in the breeze. Embroidered with golden and silver threads, the moon and rolling clouds glittered in the first light—a fiery gold impossible to ignore.
Yue Fuguang suspected the emperor might come to see her off, but she hadn’t expected such a grand spectacle. She silently grumbled that the emperor was skilled at winning hearts as she adjusted her dress and stepped slowly off the carriage.
“Your Majesty, Honorable Ministers,” Yue Fuguang greeted the crowd with a nod.
Behind the emperor, she spotted her grandfather and father, their faces a mix of pride and infinite worry. So that was why her grandfather hadn’t seen her off at the mansion gate—he had come all the way to the city gate.
“Fuguang, this journey will be long. The road will be hard. Above all, take care of yourself, and never harm your own well-being just for the sake of rain!” Emperor Mingxi exhorted her like an elder.
“Indeed, Grand Mentor, please, put yourself first!”