In the following days, Qi Mingyue did all the things that babies should do. What was different was his quietness. Apart from the necessary crying to let people know his needs, he was always quiet. Sometimes watching the busy maids working in and out, there was nothing else but a faint thoughtful look in his eyes.
Who wouldn't love such a well-behaved and clever child? Consort An always hugged him in her arms, singing songs and coaxing, and at this time Qi Mingyue always looked at his consort mother quietly, his pink lips curved into a smile.
With the passage of time, from the maids' talk as well as Consort An's self-talk, Qi Mingyue basically knew about his environment.
This place was called Cang He. It was regarded as one of the great powers of the world. Surrounded by many small countries, there were two other powerful countries - An Yang in the north and Lian Tong in the south. Everything was mostly balanced amongst the three and there had been peace for several generations and no wars.
His Consort Mother's name was An Ruolan, she was General An's daughter. She was famous for her beauty in the Cang He dynasty. She was gentle, quiet, knowledgeable, reasonable, and was always favoured by the Emperor. With the birth of a prince, besides the Empress, her treatment in the palace was unrivalled.
As for his Father, Qi Xutian could be regarded as a wise Emperor of the world. Except for his unpredictable temper and fickleness, there was little to be criticized. Even his military strategies were commendable.
Hearing people talking privately about his Father Emperor, it was always words of praise, but Qi Mingyue noticed some strange things about it. All the praises were after Qi Xitian acquired the throne, nothing was said about the time before that. Before his ascension to the throne, as a prince, what did he do?
Was it that no one knew? Or because no one dared to mention it?
Until a certain day, a quick-spoken maid unintentionally mentioned the words, "In those days... the Grandmaster..." and he was shocked by the change in the countenance of others.
Reminiscent of the "Hundred Day Banquet" mentioned that day, his Father Emperor wanted to invite this Grandmaster. He immediately understood that in Cang He, the Grandmaster was the main cause that made everyone uneasy.
Later, he never saw the maid again, but everyone seemed to be unaware.
Qi Mingyue naturally knew that no matter which Emperor it was, no matter if they were happy or upset, they were merciless. Even though the concubines in the palace appeared kind and docile, that didn't mean they didn't know how to be cruel. His consort mother was one such person...
He knew a lot, but he didn't bother with it. Within the walls of the palace, it was best to focus on self-protection first.
On this day, Consort An lay him gently on the bed and fiddled with the hair in front of his forehead. Her eyes were full of anxiety. "Seeing that the Hundred-day banquet is coming, my son will meet the Grandmaster..." Then, An Ruolan's voice softened and she murmured, "I hope nothing bad happens..."
It was the Grandmaster again, which made Qi Mingyue look forward to the hundred-day banquet.
"Your Highness, Chief Liu has brought two people and they are waiting for you." Zhu Lan came to report in a low voice. Everyone knew that Consort An was very fond of the Second Prince. Everyone who entered the house must be a little more careful than in the past and must not disturb the Second Prince's rest.
The people Chief Liu brought were naturally the ones ordered by the Emperor. Consort An got up and tucked Qi Mingyue under the quilt. "Bring them outside, I will come immediately."
Chief Liu brought two maids who were 10 years old, named Hong Qui and Ying Ran. Hong Qui had an outgoing personality and would talk to Qi Mingyue non-stop, but fortunately, she knew what to say and what not to say, and was very clever. Ying Ran, on the other hand, was calm and gentle, did her duties well, and didn't talk much, but when she took care of Qi Mingyue, her tenderness and meticulousness were revealed. She took good care of him.
Consort An was very satisfied with the two of them. Watching her son grow up day by day, the time for hundred-day celebration was in sight.
Sure enough, the closer to the hundred-day banquet, the more cautious the people in the palace became. All were silent and just bowed their heads to do their duties.
That night, it was finally the hundred-day celebration. Even before the sun rose, Ningxi Pavilion got busy. After bathing, Ying Ran put on the water blue and silver robe as Hong Qui did his hair. Consort An was dressed up gorgeously for the event and looked even more picturesque. The mother and son went to the Chixi Hall after having lunch properly.
In the main hall, all the officials were seated one after another, and all the concubines also sat side by side according to the rank. Qi Mingyue even saw several men among the concubines. They were all his Father's concubines and it was impossible to enter the Chixi Palace if the male pet's grade was too low. The identity of those who could sit here and express their calmness could not be underestimated.
In addition to Qi Mingyue, another protagonist of the day was Qi Musheng, who was born earlier in the day. He saw that Consort Hua, who had caused countless discussions, embracing the Eldest Prince sitting not far from Consort An. With a beautiful red dress, her fair complexion was more crystal-clear and her gorgeous appearance was as eye-catching as her attire. Although Consort An saw her for the first time, she seemed to know the other and greeted her with a smile before she sat down.
Qi Xutian finally appeared when it was time. His gaze swept the positions of Consort An and Consort Hua, and he complained to Chief Liu with dissatisfaction. "Liu Yi, why are my two lovely concubines sitting so far away from me?"
According to the ancestral system and management, there was nothing wrong with their positions, but Liu Yi did not say much. "It was my negligence, does His Majesty want to..." he, of course, knew that the Emperor was playing.
Sure enough, Qi Xutian laughed, "It would be better to sit next to me. My two sons, I haven't seen them in a while."
Qi Mingyue thought to himself that within the past hundred days, his Father Emperor had only seen him on the day of his birth. It seemed that he did not particularly care about the princes. Was there any other intention for today's feast?
As he thought about it, Consort An and Consort Hua had already thanked the Emperor and sat on the left and right sides of Qi Xutian's throne. By this time, Qi Xutian embraced both of them, making both the concubines blush.
Qi Xutian looked at the two children, said some words in concern, and gave talismans representing the identity of each prince respectively. Then the topic changed, "Why hasn't the Grandmaster arrived yet?"
Qi Mingyue had been waiting for this sentence and opened his eyes, but found that the Emperor either deliberately or unconsciously glanced at him. Was he observing himself? With this guess, he no longer dared to neglect, imitated the behaviour of a child and smiled at his Father.
Qi Xutian realized that this child was different from others. At this moment, he saw him with a small smile on his face like the Eldest Prince, but his eyes were trying to hide a trace of emotion.
It seems that his second prince was indeed extraordinary.
Thoughts circulated in his heart and he continued to ask: "Can anyone go and inquire for the Grandmaster?"
Qi Mingyue saw that he no longer paid attention to himself and immediately felt relieved. Trying to hide from this man was not easy.
"I apologise for making Your Majesty worry. I have arrived late, I hope Your Majesty can forgive me." With these words, an old man holding a rattan-shaped wooden crutch, in a loose grey robe and with the friction of metal chains, walked into the palace with difficulty.
On closer inspection, a thick chain was attached to his ankle, it extended into the direction he came from. He didn't know where it started.
"What mistake? Grandmaster was just late for a while, how could I be so pretentious to punish you for a little thing like that?" Qi Xutian said full of joy and instructed Liu Yi to lead the old man to his seat.
"Your Majesty is naturally magnanimous. If not so, how could I still be alive? I'm just chained in the forbidden room."
"It seems that the Grandmaster wants to thank me?" Qi Xutian took the wine cup, slowly drank the liquor from it, and asked gently.
Tan Wu stood up, picked up the long chain and began, "This chain usually only allows Tan Wu to move freely in the room. Today, I discovered that the original creation was so ingenious that it could be stretched from the inside of the wall. Thank you, Your Majesty, for giving me a glimpse of the alien star today. "
Qi Xutian put down the wine in his hand and said emotionlessly, "What do you mean?"
"When Your Majesty was born 20 years ago, I calculated the life of Your Majesty, and the result made the First Emperor furious. I was imprisoned in the underground palace as punishment. Now, His Majesty has ascended the throne for four years, and I have been chained for four years. Today, Tan Wu would like to ask, have the words of that day been fulfilled?" The old man held the cane and a dark smile appeared on his face.
There was a strange silence in the Chixi Hall. Many people did not know what was happening, but they also understood that this matter was regarded as a taboo in the palace and no one could mention it. Now, in front of all the officials, the Emperor invited the Grandmaster to come out and let him speak a little of the past. They wondered if this was the intention of His Majesty, or the Grandmaster did not want to live?
Qi Mingyue secretly confirmed that Qi Xutian's past was all related to the Grandmaster. This matter was indeed complicated.
He saw Qi Xutian close his eyes, there was a cold smile on his lips. When he opened his eyes again, they were cold and sharp, his powerful presence overwhelmed the entire Chixi Hall. No one dared to move, they could only tremble and wish that they were not here. Only Qi Mingyue looked at him and saw that the chill in his eyes was even heavier, "Tan Wu, I let you live to this day, it was not to listen to your nonsense."
His voice was cold with an undisguised murderous intent.
"It seems that Tan Wu isn't jesting..." Qi Xutian continued, "Tan Wu has lived in this world for decades, was it just to say that sentence today to Emperor of Cang He?" As he asked himself, he looked up at the sky again. "So today, what future will there be if nothing is said by you? "
His words seemed to converge with some ominous hints, and Qi Xutian furrowed his eyebrows, "The reason I invited the Grandmaster to come was to bless my sons."
From beginning to end, no matter how ridiculing Tan Wu was, Qi Xutian still called him Grandmaster. It could be seen that he had acknowledged the ability of Tan Wu's astrological calculation quite a lot. Mingyue was more curious. What exactly did Tan Wu say 20 years ago? What was he here to say today?
Tan Wu chuckled, "Even if His Majesty does not summon me, Tan Wu would have asked for an audience with Your Majesty."
"Oh?" Getting a hunch, Qi Xutian looked at Qi Mingyue in Consort An's arms and said to Tan Wu, "Please tell me if you have anything to say."
Tan Wu walked to the front of the hall and knelt to Qi Xutian in front of everyone.
Everyone was very puzzled, the Grandmaster did not have to kneel to the Emperor. With such a move, they do not know what to do. They saw him assume a kneeling posture and look up at Qi Xutian, "Recently, looking at the celestial phenomena these nights, there is an alien star. It came from an inexplicable place... But as time passed, the emperor star has changed its shape... "
Qi Xutian interrupted him, not really caring, "So what?"
Tan Wu shouted his words like thunder, "This alien star is destined to bring calamity! Take the life of its mother! It is destined to have no descendants in the world! And it is in this hall at the moment, born a hundred days ago!"
Each of his words was suffocating, and the last few words made everyone take a deeper breath. Does this mean that one of the two princes is the alien star?!
Qi Mingyue looked at Tan Wu, his eyes were still and calm, but his feelings were quite complicated. It seemed that he was the mentioned 'alien star'. Bringing calamity, he wasn't too sure about. Never having a descendant was just like what Deer foretold. And about killing his mother... aware of the trembling of his consort mother, he could not help but sigh helplessly.
After saying this, Tan Wu saluted Qi Xutian again, as if he was not the one who said those words, he said with a normal appearance, "I have said everything, requesting Your Majesty for dismissal."
Qi Xutian listened to those words, and didn't say anything until Tan Wu asked for dismissal[1], and then nodded lightly, "Go."
The collision of chains rang in the silent hall icily. No one cared about the coming or going of the Grandmaster. Everyone just looked at the two princes, deep in thought.
Qi Xutian filled himself another glass of wine, brought the jade cup on his lips elegantly, looked at everyone's expression, and snorted, "What does everyone think about today's events?"
"We ministers do not dare to speculate, begging Your Majesty for an explanation."
"Tomorrow, the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince will move to Zixia Palace, I will personally teach them." When Qi Xutian was about to leave, Qi Mingyue and his eyes accidentally met. He then realised that his peaceful life was about to end early.
Indus' Notes:
[1] Here, MTL said Tan Wu asked for death? But that wasn't something that came about or made sense, so again, changed to something suitable.
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