- 𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑨𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓 -

𝕺𝖓𝖊

It was February, and there was a chill in the early spring air. The cold, moist air penetrated into the ground, making it even more frigid. Several jailors heated up some wine and sipped it to warm their bodies, but they didn't dare to drink too much. The guards in this prison were all criminals, and didn't dare to be sloppy in important matters.

With wine warming their throats, there must be something to go with the wine for flavor, so the chatterbox was opened. From food and clothing at home to prisoners in the prison, they chatted one by one, and there was no telling who brought up the rumors outside recently.

"Have you heard? Two days ago, there was an abnormal natural disaster. Mount Tai shook and roared like thunder, and some people said it was a punishment from God."

This matter caused a stir in Beijing. The shaking of Mount Tai was a sign of the country's fate, and the new emperor was not a direct descendent. His mother was originally a palace maid without any influence, but he was the one who ascended to the imperial throne. Less than a year after being crowned, his reign had not yet been firmly established, and for such a celestial phenomenon to appear, it was feared that the heavens were dissatisfied.

"It's not good to talk nonsense about this business. Be careful, if it spreads, it will be a matter of losing your head," one person whispered cautiously.

"Did the emperor go to pray for blessings?"

This was the custom. Whenever there was a change in celestial phenomenon, the emperor would go to the altar and pray to heaven to show his sincerity.

"Why not, he just returned to court yesterday. It's just that when the big event was done, there were still some aftershocks, which made people panic outside."

"Then why did the emperor return to court?"

"Because the guoshi[1]* had made a calculation that to solve this problem, they needed –" The man lowered his voice as he spoke, and the others quickly moved their heads closer to hear him say in secret: "This issue is too absurd, they actually needed the Deputy Prime Minister and General Xiao to......"

  *[1] The guoshi is the teacher of the state.*

Before he could finish speaking, the gatekeeper outside suddenly ran in and announced: "Deputy Prime Minister is here."

Several people's faces tensed up, and they quickly hid the jug and looked at the dark entrance with trepidation.

The guard opened the door, a little light fell on the ground, and a pair of white boots stepped through the light to enter the darkness.

The footsteps were neither light nor heavy, but they made everyone present nervous for no reason, fearing that if they breathed too loudly, they would startle this powerful person from the palace.

No one knew the origin of Deputy Prime Minister Wang Yibo. By the time the world discovered his existence, the competition for the throne had reached an intense stage. Several princes showed remarkable ability, but Wang Yibo was hiding behind the third prince, helping him defeat the crown prince and other princes. The details of the bloodbath during this time were no longer studied, but the throne that did not conform to destiny had always been stained with blood. It could be assumed that this person had also done many dirty things behind the scenes.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he made no secret of his favor. He had been promoted to a noble position and been awarded with countless gold, silver, and jewels and was already the most well-known figure in the dynasty.

It should be said that most of the common people just heard about Wang Yibo's notoriety and cursed him in private, not having a chance to see the real person, but to these jailors in the prison, he was already an old acquaintance.