Not only was Xiao Jin silent, but the courtiers were also dumbfounded.
The Crown Prince was also slightly stunned, obviously not expecting Xiao Shuang to be so direct.
However, he understood that since it was Xiao Shuang who spoke, he couldn't avoid it.
So he spoke some flattering words for Xiao Jin's non-existent governing talent and smiled at Master Shi Ming, "Thank you, Master."
Master Shi Ming followed with some pleasantries and then handed the Wentianyi to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, please."
The Crown Prince nodded and extended his hand from his sleeve, placing it on the radiant Wentianyi.
Xiao Jin sat in her wheelchair and observed silently, while also counting in her mind based on the law.
One, two, three.
After three seconds, the weather changed, and the world became dark.
In an instant, a strong wind blew, catching the courtiers off guard, causing their hair and ceremonial attire to be disheveled.
The strong wind carried tiny sand particles, making it impossible for everyone to open their eyes.
"What... what's going on? Why did such a strong wind come when the Crown Prince placed his hand on it..."
"No, the Crown Prince has always been benevolent and wise. How could he anger the heavens and bring such a disaster?"
"Could it be because of the incident with Prince Shen? I've said before, it must be because of the rumors in the streets that the Crown Prince became so angry and mercilessly killed his own prince uncle."
The wind and sand made it difficult to open their eyes, and the courtiers' whispers were inaudible amidst the chaos.
Xiao Jin had no time to care about what others were discussing; she simply received the two umbrellas handed to her by Ye Juege.
She gave one to Chu Shao and handed the other to Tang Ling, asking her to support Xiao Shuang.
Tang Ling looked at the umbrella handed to her by Xiao Jin.
Even though she usually remained calm and unaffected, her eyes twitched slightly at this moment.
In such a situation, why did Prince Yan have two umbrellas at hand?
Xiao Jin also noticed Tang Ling's strange expression and calmly explained, "The temperature has been fluctuating recently, so I had Juege carry the umbrellas."
Tang Ling didn't understand what "temperature fluctuation" meant, but she knew she shouldn't delve deeper into Xiao Jin's words. After all, she wasn't the only one who didn't understand what Xiao Jin was saying.
But when Tang Ling opened the umbrella, she probably understood Xiao Jin's meaning to some extent.
Because it started raining.
The rain curtains intertwined, and the sky alternated between light and dark. After several changes, it gradually revealed a golden hue.
The pale golden clouds drifted with the wind, eventually settling smoothly on the tip of the Dali Temple tower, shining like the Buddha statue in front of the hall.
The rain that fell from the clouds was also blown by the wind into a series of broken white pearls, dripping onto the altar, enough to wash away the long-accumulated dust on the stone slabs.
Seeing this phenomenon, the courtiers were speechless.
After a moment, they demonstrated their lightning-fast ability to change their stance. "Heaven bestows sweet rain, truly an auspicious sign! The Crown Prince is worthy of being the Crown Prince of Qi Country, able to summon such a phenomenon with his ability to command wind and rain."
"Minister Lin's words are absolutely right. I have heard that rain is the tears of heaven showing mercy to the world. It shows that the Crown Prince is benevolent and wise, destined by heaven to attract rain and golden clouds, allowing us to broaden our horizons!"
The courtiers spoke eloquently, but Xiao Shuang had no opinion. She just glanced at Xiao Jin, who gave her the umbrella.
Then she reached out her hand and caught a few raindrops falling from the sky.
Seeing the water droplets slipping from her palm, Xiao Shuang smiled indifferently.
"Prince Yan, it's your turn." After the Crown Prince finished, Master Shi Ming walked to Xiao Jin's side and presented the Wentianyi to her.
Xiao Jin looked at the Wentianyi in Master Shi Ming's hand and wasn't worried that she wouldn't evoke any anomalies later, causing the ministers to gossip about her.
With her presence here, it shouldn't be too embarrassing when she achieved results.
Moreover, as someone who only wanted to go home and lie down, she didn't have the desire to be an emperor at all. Even participating in the Wentianyi ceremony wasn't her own wish.
If it weren't for her aunt's forced request, she wouldn't even bother.
As Xiao Jin placed her hand on the instrument without any expression on her face, she thought that she should stay at home with air conditioning during the summer.
That was the greatest pursuit of modern people.
Then, the Wentianyi went dark.
To be precise, the light on the compass disappeared and dimmed suddenly.
Seeing this scene, the courtiers were dumbfounded.
It was the first time they had seen someone place their hand on the instrument and not only have no response, but also completely lose its light.
This was a clear sign of being out of favor with the heavens.
Xiao Jin raised an eyebrow slightly.
Hmm, this Wentianyi is quite accurate.
Compared to the cannon fodder in the original owner's presence, it seems that it couldn't even emit a single ray of light.
Xiao Shuang, on the other hand, was displeased.
She raised her head and cast a cold, piercing gaze at Master Shi Ming, exerting pressure on him.
At this moment, even Master Shi Ming hesitated.
The Heart Lotus Pearl, enshrined in the Dali Temple for a hundred years, was in his sleeve. If he took it out and held it in his hand, it would surely deceive everyone and attract anomalies.
But if he really did that, he would become a criminal of the Qi Country.
Under the altar, the ministers looked at Xiao Jin and discussed among themselves.
"I have experienced three dynasties, and although it's the first time I've seen this Wentianyi, in previous ceremonies, I have never seen anything like Prince Yan... so motionless," said an old minister.
"Alas, my lord, you know that Prince Yan is inherently cruel. Even the maids around him fear her. How can we expect such a person to become the future ruler of Qi Country?" another minister sighed.
"It seems that the heavens are wise. If even Prince Yan can't attract anomalies, won't it plunge our Qi Country into a dangerous situation?"
Xiao Jin didn't pay attention to the discussions of the ministers.
She was just curious about one thing.
The light in the Wentianyi seemed to disappear because she placed her hand on it, but in reality, she noticed that the light... seemed to be afraid of something and slipped into her body along her hand.
Xiao Jin speculated this because as someone who had transmigrated into a fantasy novel, she was experiencing something that could only happen in such novels.
Her dantian surged, and her meridians cleared.
She even had the illusion that she could stand up at any moment.
Could it be... that the Wentianyi just absorbed all the inner energy of Master Yuyang and inexplicably returned it to her?
Xiao Jin fell silent and puzzled.
It seemed like she had never had such extraordinary luck before.
And why was the Wentianyi afraid?
It hid inside her when it saw a person. If it was really caused by the cannon fodder of the original owner, it seemed a bit unreasonable.
Xiao Jin couldn't figure out this matter, but Master Shi Ming figured out another thing.
The Emperor of Qi had repeatedly shown suspicion towards him, and even resorted to sending people to assassinate him.
The Crown Prince, Xiao Yu, followed the Emperor's temper. He appeared gentle on the surface but was quite ruthless behind the scenes, not even sparing his own uncle.
If the Crown Prince ascended to the throne in the future, Master Shi Ming wouldn't necessarily have a good ending.
Considering the pros and cons, Master Shi Ming felt that it wasn't worth it to help the Crown Prince, even if he did.
The earth trembled, and the horse lost its sense of balance, dragging the luxurious carriage forward, swishing its tail and emitting restless cries.
Leaves fell on the surface of the Li River, drifting away in increasingly turbulent waves towards the distance.
The courtiers forgot about the principles they often preached, pushing aside their colleagues in fear.
They didn't even notice when their official hats fell to the ground; all they could do was cry out in panic, "Earthquake! It's an earthquake! Run, run..."
Tang Ling and Tang Yu stood beside Xiao Shuang, ready to protect her and evacuate.
However, Xiao Shuang continued to walk towards the altar, seemingly searching for something with her gaze, showing no intention of leaving.
In a moment of urgency, Tang Yu couldn't help but grab Xiao Shuang's wrist and pleaded, "Your Highness, quickly leave with me!"
But Xiao Shuang forcefully shook off Tang Yu's hand as if she were possessed, mechanically repeating the action of moving forward.
Cracks appeared on the stone slabs she stepped on, yet Xiao Shuang hurriedly moved towards the center of the altar, her voice trembling with an emotion she herself hadn't noticed, "Jin'er, where is Jin'er..."
The banners fell, and the disciples of the Changsheng Sect were nowhere to be seen.
Xiao Jin sat in a wheelchair with Chu Shao standing behind her, holding a bamboo umbrella to shield her.
Even when witnessing the collapsing mountains and rocks, Xiao Jin didn't budge.
She smiled and asked, "Your Highness, do you want to escape?"
Xiao Jin shook her head.
There was no need to run during a minor earthquake, and one couldn't escape a major one. That's how it was.
After receiving the answer, Chu Shao smiled, her lips curving, and she looked up at the sandstorm-filled sky. Her eyes were unusually gentle, as if she were admiring the pouring Milky Way.
She thought that it would be a wonderful thing if she could truly die here with Xiao Jin.
Thinking this, she sighed softly.
Unfortunately, there probably wouldn't be such an opportunity.
Because Xiao Jin reached out and picked up the Wentianyi that had fallen at her feet.
The surrounding stone pillars were on the verge of collapse, yet Xiao Jin stared at the heavy lifeless object, furrowing her brow.
Then she slowly asked, "What are you trying to do?"
....
From complete stillness to a shaking world, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
And no one could have anticipated that the return to calmness would also happen in an instant.
Before the courtiers could run a few steps away from the altar, they found the ground beneath their feet suddenly stabilize.
Even the leaves on the trees stood still, not moving a single inch.
The courtiers at the front were dumbfounded, while those behind couldn't stop in time and accidentally bumped into their colleagues, falling down one by one like clay figurines.
"Ouch, Minister Lin, you stepped on my foot."
"Minister Chen, you really have no empathy. Just now, you kicked me in the face with your shoe! I haven't even had a chance to argue with you, and yet you're already playing the victim!"
The courtiers crowded at the entrance of the altar, bickering, while the Crown Prince, standing on the altar, raised his head and looked towards the eastern horizon where the mountains met the sky.
There, a clearly defined arc meandered.
And above the arc, a mesmerizing purplish color floated.
The color spread along the undulating mountains, like dye dropping into a wellspring, enveloping the heavens and earth in this unreal and yet real mirage.
Although the purple mist didn't catch the attention of the courtiers, the clear and melodious call of cranes that followed snapped them back to their senses.
And it wasn't just one call but many.
A flock of white-feathered cranes with red crowns danced around the center of the altar, flying past Xiao Shuang, who stood between the dilapidated walls, and past the Crown Prince, who looked up at the sky.
In the end, they settled in front of the wheelchair.
Xiao Jin's black clothes contrasted with her white complexion, and as she extended her fingertips from her sleeve, they appeared slightly pale.
However, this didn't hinder her from gazing at the flock of cranes in front of her, falling into silence.
Why did these wild creatures stop in front of her?
Of course, Xiao Jin didn't ask. It was beyond inter-species communication, and asking wouldn't make a difference.
But Xiao Jin knew that their presence in front of her was not only troublesome but would also bring trouble—making everyone mistakenly believe that she had summoned auspicious signs.
However, in reality, it had nothing to do with her.
Even the earthquake that just happened, Xiao Jin felt it had nothing to do with her.
If it weren't for when Chu Shao unexpectedly reached out her hand silently and placed it on her shoulder during the test, she would have believed that everything was fine now, nothing had happened.
But since the event had already occurred, it had to be resolved.
Xiao Jin had no skills in dealing with wild animals. She stared at the flock of cranes for a while, feeling somewhat awkward.
So she casually picked up a dropped bead from the ground and handed it to the lead crane, asking, "Do you want this?"
Xiao Jin asked, but in reality, she didn't hold much hope.
After all, wild animals had their own language and probably couldn't understand Chinese.
However, to Xiao Jin's surprise, the crane stared at her, flapped its wings, bent its neck, and actually picked up the lotus-patterned bead in its own hands.
Then it let out a joyful cry and led the flock of cranes away from the altar, flying towards the end of the purple mist.
Leaving the courtiers standing still, looking stunned and fearful, at Xiao Jin sitting in the wheelchair.
Their gaze was extremely complex, as if they were looking at an evil ghost crawling out of the depths of hell, but at the same time, they were immensely respectful, as if they were looking at an immortal who could control the wind and clouds.
Knowing the truth, Master Shi Ming fell into silence.
At this critical moment, he dared not say that the immortal cranes were attracted by the Heart Lotus Bead.
At the same time, he felt a deep sense of loss.
Where was the bead?
Such a large bead!
After being kept at Dali Temple for a hundred years, it was accidentally given away by the extravagant grandson of Prince Yan.
But at this moment, Master Shi Ming could only silently complain in his heart.
Because a few officials aligned with the Princess Party were adept at observing expressions, seeing the situation had developed to this point, they took the opportunity to excitedly climb the stone steps of the altar and began bowing to Xiao Jin.
"The cranes carrying the bead, the purple aura coming from the east... Not only that, but also stopping the earthquake. Our Qi Country has never produced such a talented individual. It is evident that Her Highness, the Prince Yan, has transcended the five elements and is truly a reincarnation of an immortal."
"In that case, Your Highness, Prince Yan, you have saved my life. Please accept my bow!"
"Please accept my bow!"
Xiao Jin's brow twitched.
Although she didn't know where these individuals had suddenly emerged from, seeing such exaggerated acting, the corners of her eyes began to twitch. "Doesn't the Dali Temple have enough Buddha statues for you to worship? I'm not dead yet. Why are you bowing to me?"
However, sometimes human words were feeble.
In the face of absolute perplexity, the officials who lacked firm beliefs looked at each other, trying to find a reasonable explanation, but it was in vain.
Just as every road leads to Rome on the grand stage, ultimately, all their speculations could only point to one conclusion.
Xiao Jin herself might not be human.
She was a divine being capable of communicating with immortal cranes by her own power.
Even though someone once said that stories of supernatural beings were all false, in the face of sufficiently terrifying facts, their trembling hands stroked their beards as they could only make reasonable conjectures.
Even if the Prince Yan was not an immortal, at the very least, she must have started as a reincarnation of an immortal.
Terrifying, too terrifying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator's note: Sigh... What happened to Princess Zhao Yang?! Did she finally find out that the original owner died? Maybe she sensed something. Let's find out.
TO BE CONTINUE...