The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 453 Strange Phenomenon from Heaven, Blame and Punishment

The Five Poison Months are a time when dragons bring abundant rain, but this particular Five Poison Month has caused great alarm among the people in the palace, because they have discovered that rain has suddenly and without warning fallen above the palace.

Rain is normal and nothing to be afraid of, but what was unusual about this rain was its color. It was black when it fell and smelled sour and foul, like the stench of something that had been rotting for a long time, which made people nauseous.

Some people were caught off guard and got soaked, and then developed a fever in the middle of the night. Others suffered from severe body aches and pains. Still others collapsed in the palace alley, completely drenched, with strange, purplish lividity, as if they had drowned.

What's even more unusual is that this black rain, like a passing shower, only fell inside the palace, while the area outside remained clear.

After the sudden downpour of black rain, when the officials went to court, they all looked in horror at the plaque above the Golden Palace, where blood seeped out and dripped down, forming two large characters.

Blame and banishment.

The officials were terrified.

This is a warning from the heavens, caused by the monarch's lack of virtue.

The current monarch, Emperor Anhe, awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat. He had just dreamt of his ancestors, who held whips and harshly rebuked him, scolding him for being blinded by greed, derelict in his duties, incompetent and wicked, and unfit to be emperor. They even lashed out at him with their whips.

The whip seemed to carry a rebuking Daoist aura as it lashed at him, causing him excruciating pain that shook his very soul, leaving behind purple welts all over his body.

So real!

The pain felt so real that it made his body convulse uncontrollably.

Emperor Anhe gasped for breath, brushed aside the delicate hand of the beauty beside him, ripped open his clothes, looked down, and his eyes widened in fury.

How could this be?
His lean upper body was covered with crisscrossing purple whip marks that went deep into his skin, as if he had been whipped on the spot.

"Your Majesty... Ahh!" the beauty cried out coquettishly, but upon seeing the whip marks on his back, she screamed in fright.

Emperor Anhe was startled by the scream and turned to look at her coldly. The beauty was kneeling naked on the dragon bed, trembling.

"His Majesty?"

The head eunuch rushed in from outside and happened to hear the scream. He immediately asked what was wrong.

"Consort Liu has disrespected the monarch. Drag her away and give her eighty lashes!" Emperor Anhe's voice was violent.

Lady Liu turned pale with fright and begged for mercy, but her pleas were quickly silenced by the eunuch's large hands as she was dragged away.

The chief eunuch then noticed the purple whip marks on Emperor Anhe's body, and his expression changed drastically: "Your Majesty, your imperial health..."

"Shut up!" Emperor Anhe's tone was icy. "What's the matter that you're so panicked about?"

The chief eunuch knelt down, not daring to speak for a moment. Not only had strange phenomena appeared on the plaque in the Golden Palace, but the emperor's body had also inexplicably developed such terrifying whip marks. How could he dare to speak?

"Speak!" The head eunuch trembled and, under Emperor Anhe's cold gaze, stammered out his words.

Emperor Anhe's expression changed, then he flew into a rage: "Useless! Such an unusual phenomenon, and the palace patrolmen didn't even report it sooner! They deserve to die!"

He hurriedly got out of bed and dressed, not even having time to put on his crown properly, and left his bedroom, heading quickly towards the Golden Palace.

Before the Golden Palace, all the officials were already kneeling. When Emperor Anhe arrived, they shouted "Long live the Emperor!" but everyone's voice trembled with fear.

When Emperor Anhe saw the blood seeping from the plaque and the words on the ground, his eyelids twitched, and he shouted sternly, "Who dares to play tricks in the palace? Investigate them thoroughly!"

He quickly issued an edict to suspend court that day and to urgently summon the monks and Taoist elders who served the imperial family.

Could such an omen simply be a warning from heaven? He didn't believe it; surely someone was using some kind of evil magic.
But who, who would dare to use trickery on an emperor like him? If even a plaque can be used for magic, then how did those purple whip marks on his body appear, given that he is a true dragon with the protection of a true dragon?

Emperor Anhe recalled the reprimands from his ancestors in his nightmare, a chill ran down his spine, and a trace of fear arose within him. He rubbed the armrest of the dragon throne hard.

Is it time for someone else to sit on this dragon throne?

There is currently no crown prince in the world. It's not that he doesn't want to appoint one, but that he can't make the decision. No, it's that the crown prince of the Tantai royal family has never been decided by the emperors, but by the imperial advisor.

The Imperial Advisor was the one above all others. He decided the successor of each Tantai clan. He was chosen from among countless Tantai bloodlines in the imperial family. Although he was also from the direct line, he could only be selected through a process of selection.

The Tantai royal family has continued for two hundred years, all thanks to the Grand Preceptor's extraordinary abilities. He knew who could ensure the continuation of the Tantai lineage and never made a mistake.

Emperor Anhe was a diligent and conscientious ruler, but now he is being whipped by his ancestors in his dream. Could it be that his ancestors felt he was no longer fit for the position? If the Grand Preceptor finds out, will he replace him?

Emperor Anhe now only hopes that the Imperial Preceptor is still in seclusion and knows nothing about what is happening, otherwise he really has no way to explain himself, and he is also wronged!

The most important thing right now is to figure out whether this strange phenomenon is man-made or a real punishment from heaven.

Emperor Anhe was unwilling to believe the latter. Even if he couldn't be 100% perfect, with the Imperial Advisor keeping him in check, he wouldn't dare to indulge in such decadent and hedonistic acts. He was more inclined to believe that someone was playing tricks, but ordinary people couldn't do these things, especially the purple whip marks on his body. To be honest, if an assassin came, they would only leave him with some whip marks, and he would probably have already gone to meet his ancestors!
Therefore, he believed that someone was using trickery, but he was also wary and fearful about who the other party was and how they did it. Could such an effect be achieved silently by an ordinary Taoist priest?
This is just an unusual phenomenon; will it take his life next time?

Emperor Anhe ordered all the elders of his clan to come and investigate. If it was a sinister trick, the person behind it must be found. In addition, he ordered the Surveillance Department to investigate thoroughly and summoned all the young masters of the Xuan clans to the palace to discuss the matter.

Fearing that others would think he was incompetent and immoral, he was determined to frame the matter as a sign of evil and chaos in the world, in order to divert attention.

The news from Prince Jing's residence, in particular, that Prince Jing had suddenly fallen into a coma and was being invaded by a ghostly aura, putting his life in danger, gave him even more certainty.

"Investigate! No matter what magic you use, find out the origin of this evil demon and eliminate it!" Emperor Anhe roared, scratching the back of his hand as he fiercely ordered the elders.

What strange phenomenon? It was clearly the work of evil forces, and this was a provocation against the royal family!
Emperor Anhe even cast a suspicious glance at Gong Tinglan, who was dressed in white and looked otherworldly. The young master of the Gong family in this generation was very rebellious and seemed to want to take the lead and challenge the royal family to overthrow the old system of the Xuan family. Could it be that they were behind this?
Then there's the Feng family, who are opportunistic and have always been enigmatic. Could it be that they outwardly submit to the royal family but have secretly sided with the Gong family?
When the young master of the Feng family and Gong Tinglan met Emperor Anhe's gaze, their eyelids twitched involuntarily.

They're shirking responsibility for this huge mess!
(End of this chapter)