Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 163 What is coming will come (vote request)

The fog is still spreading and visibility is getting lower and lower.

Everyone searched around but couldn't find any trace of Deng Chang'en. They couldn't even get together because it was too dark. Even though they were so close they could only hear his voice but not see him. It felt like being blind and they dared not move forward.

If this guy accidentally gets close to the emperor and offends his majesty, he might die without even knowing how.

At this time, Emperor Chenghua Zhu Jianshen, who was still on the altar, was in great confusion.

He wanted to leave the altar and return to the palace immediately, but then he remembered that the grand sacrifice had not yet ended. Doing so would likely anger the heavens, and not only would he lose his beloved concubine, but he would also suffer.

If we don't leave... given the situation at the scene, we can't even continue with the grand sacrificial ceremony, and standing there is useless.

"Father."

Just as Zhu Jianshen was hesitating, a figure appeared in front of him.

He took a step back cautiously and asked sternly, "Prince, what are you doing here?"

Zhu Youtang was a little puzzled for a moment. As the crown prince, I am standing closest to you, my father. Now you are asking me what I am doing here?
"Your Highness is willing to stay by your side to protect you in case of any accidents."

Zhu Youtang said loudly.

Zhu Jianshen then realized that besides him, there was also a prince on the altar who had no presence at all.

Hearing the prince's words at this moment, for some reason, Zhu Jianshen suddenly felt a different emotion in his heart, and waved his hand and said, "Come here."

Zhu Youtang did not doubt it and walked quickly forward to where Zhu Jianshen could just barely see a vague figure.

Zhu Jianshen reached out and touched the prince's head, sighing, "He is a filial child, but it's a pity..."

What a pity, I didn’t say anything more.

Obviously, in the mind of this father, he did not have any deep hatred for his son. It could even be said that he had no hatred at all. He could only say that Zhu Youtang was too unlike himself. There was no problem with him being his son, but he was worried about letting him inherit the Ming Dynasty.

If Zhu Youtang was just an ordinary son of his and did not have to bear such a heavy responsibility, he would not have to worry at all. He would even often praise Zhu Youtang for his filial piety and good behavior in front of others.

"I'm old."

Zhu Jianshen sighed softly.

Zhu Youtang hurriedly comforted him: "Father is not old, he is in his prime, and he will surely live a long and blessed life."

"hehe."

Zhu Jianshen smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I didn't expect that after so many years, you've grown up like this."

It seems like he is lamenting about life.

Now Zhu Youtang didn’t understand why his father looked so sentimental today. Was it just because of this inexplicable fog?

……

……

Far away in the capital, a thick fog suddenly enveloped the city.

Zhang Yanling looked up at the mist that was like flowing clouds, covering the sky and filling the surrounding space in an instant. He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Zhang Luan with a smile and asked, "Dad, what do you think of this fog?"

Zhang Luan was completely stunned, staring at this strange sight for a long time. He finally came to his senses and looked at his son, whose facial features were no longer clearly visible, and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Father, do you feel that this fog is so powerful? It is like a divine army descending from the sky, instantly covering the entire world. It is also like a god descending from heaven, making it impossible to look directly at it?"

Zhang Luan's voice was trembling as he asked tremblingly, "Is there a fairy in this cloud?"

In the past, Zhang Luan absolutely did not believe in ghosts and gods. A gentleman should not talk about random powers or gods. But after experiencing what happened in the past few months, he could not help but believe...

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It's just a metaphor."

Qin Yun, who was standing next to him, also looked up at the white sky and said in amazement, "Master Zhang, you two are really gods. You can make fog appear just by saying it? Such a strange and bizarre scene really happened right before our eyes... How can we not understand it?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and tried to distance himself from the matter. He said, "Captain Qin, you are wrong. The fog was not told by my father and me. It was predicted in advance by a capable person in the court... Don't misunderstand me."

Tan Yun was a little confused: "Who is that person?"

"Of course it's Li Shilang, the Minister of Lizi Province, who is known as the Heavenly Master in the court."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "It was my fault. I forgot to tell you earlier."

"Then you..."

Qin Yun was about to ask, since he said it, how do you know?
But as soon as he said this, he realized that the question was inappropriate.

“It’s so foggy.”

Zhang Luan sighed, "Don't move, let's go to the side of the road... Son, I'm going to tell you a lesson. Don't go to the middle of the road at this time. If there's a carriage or something running rampant on the road, it will be a disaster. It's okay for my old bones to get hit a few times, but you... you must not get hurt."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad really cares about me. Thank you!"

Zhang Luan said, "Our family will still have to count on you in the future. That... Captain Qin, please help lead the way, and I'll hold your sleeve and walk."

Qin Yun looked around, and at this time, the one meter in front of him was blurry, not to mention the direction, so he could only helplessly say: "Master Zhang, just grab my collar, and I will use my sword to clear the way for you two."

"Thank you, Captain Tan."

Zhang Yanling said from behind.

Then the three of them walked back to the noodle stand where they had eaten noodles, one by one, like blind people crossing the street. But Zhang Luan was still not reassured by this, so he hurriedly said, "Let's go inside. It's not safe outside."

"it is good."

Qin Yun continued to lead the way. "Who, who..."

There were people shouting everywhere on the streets.

"Don't get separated..."

"Be careful, there are children here..."

……

……

The fog persists but is slowly dissipating.

After about another stick of incense, the sky gradually brightened. People could be seen clearly in the area three or four meters in front of me, and the visibility continued to increase.

At the Tiandi Altar, Zhu Jianshen first called Tan Chang to his side, pointed in the direction he had come from, and said urgently, "Go back to the palace."

Tan Chang hurriedly reminded: "Your Majesty, the grand sacrifice ceremony has not yet been completed."

Zhu Jianshen was furious and almost yelled, "I am offering sacrifices to the gods here, and the gods have sent down such a strange phenomenon. How can I express my piety? The sacrifices have been mostly completed, and only the end is left. Now it is finished! Return to the palace!"

Zhu Jianshen's attitude was extremely resolute, and it seemed that nothing could stop him from returning to the palace to visit his beloved concubine.

But Qin Chang was in a very difficult situation.

What will the ministers think if the ongoing grand sacrifice is terminated?
What if God punishes us?

Emperor, are you sure you can withstand the wrath of heaven?
But seeing that the emperor was furious, he had no choice but to rush forward to make arrangements.

"Remember, the ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven has been completed... Let the historian record it like this, and those who disobey the order will be executed!"

Zhu Jianshen looked at Zhu Youtang again and said, "Crown Prince, you go with the ministers. I will go back to the palace first."

Zhu Youtang asked with concern: "Father, what happened? I am willing to share your worries."

"Need not!"

Zhu Jianshen frowned and shouted, "Just follow my instructions. The rest has nothing to do with you."

After saying this, Zhu Jianshen left the altar of the Temple of Heaven and Earth without looking back.

The emperor walked away, but Zhu Youtang still stood there, feeling lost.

Earlier, his father had been very kind to him, which was the kind of father-son affection he had never enjoyed in his 17 years of life... But then his father returned to his original attitude, and the change in attitude was so fast that he couldn't accept it at all.

"Your Highness."

Only after Qin Ji knew that the emperor had left did he dare to come and greet Zhu Youtang.

Zhu Youtang looked up at him and called out in a lost voice, "My dear, you are here too?"

"I've always been there."

Qin Ji replied, "Your Majesty has returned to the palace, you should leave soon, and all the gentlemen below are also preparing to return to the city. This sudden fog is too strange, perhaps there are demons and ghosts at work, so it is best for us to return to the palace as soon as possible. Oh, by the way, Prince, what happened?"

"I don't know. Earlier, I said I would stay by my father's side, and he praised me for being filial and showed that he loved me very much. But after the fog cleared a little, he hurried back to the palace and didn't let me ask."

There was a look of aggrieved look on Zhu Youtang's face.

Qin Ji was relieved when he heard this.

He leaned close to Zhu Youtang's ear and whispered, "Prince, please don't tell anyone else... Something big might happen in the palace..."

"what?"

Zhu Youtang was surprised and asked, "What's going on?"

Tan Ji said: "I heard that Li Zisheng once prophesied to Your Majesty that the Imperial Concubine might have a great disaster in the next two days. If an evil fog rises today, the disaster will be imminent. If it doesn't rise... maybe she can turn the danger into safety.

"It was a good morning this morning, and even I thought Li Zisheng had miscalculated. But the prophecy came true and a heavy fog came. Your Majesty was worried, so he hurried back to the palace. It was not his intention to alienate the Crown Prince."

"Ah? Is there something wrong with the Imperial Concubine's mother?"

Zhu Youtang looked terrified.

It seemed that this was also something that was of great concern to him and made him sad.

Qin Ji could not help but urge him: "Prince, His Majesty and his entourage have already returned to the palace. There are only a few guards left. The people here may not be able to protect you well. You'd better not delay. It's the right thing to do to get on the carriage as soon as possible."

After saying this, he took Zhu Youtang's hand and left without asking for Zhu Youtang's opinion.

Zhu Youtang asked, "My dear, what are you worried about?"

Qin Ji didn't bother to explain.

In his opinion, the situation was very complicated and volatile. What if Concubine Wan had sent someone to assassinate the prince before her death, in order to get rid of the problem once and for all?

It happened to be a foggy day, so if something happened, the cause might never be found.

Or maybe he had to get on the carriage quickly and be well protected by the Jinyiwei, so that he could feel safe.

As the saying goes, you should not have the intention to harm others, but you must be on guard against others.

Of course, there is also an extreme possibility, that is, the emperor also wants to kill the prince.

Otherwise, why would Zhu Jianshen suddenly change his nature and praise his son? Could it be that before killing his son, he suddenly felt guilty and couldn't bear it?
Qin Ji had no way of explaining his complicated state of mind to this young boy who was inexperienced in the world. He could only use his maturity and prudence to find ways to protect the boy.

(End of this chapter)