latelenovela Chapter 251 Drawing Fortune Sticks
Chapter 251 Drawing Fortune Sticks
Pei Yuanling's pupils suddenly contracted, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, veins bulging.
He gritted his teeth and squeezed out each word slowly and deliberately: "Isn't the Empress Dowager afraid of alienating me by acting like this?"
"It is Your Majesty's behavior that is too absurd. I am merely offering some pointers to prevent Your Majesty from making the same mistake again."
Empress Dowager Wang remained indifferent, unmoved by Pei Yuanling's anger and questioning.
Pei Yuanling stared at the corpse of Little Snowball on the ground, his anger and grief surging like a raging tide.
He stared intently at the Empress Dowager, his gaze seemingly capable of scorching a person: "Mother, do not force me."
Empress Dowager Wang glanced at the assembled officials, her expression unchanged, and said, "I am the Empress Dowager here today. I have merely executed a beast. Does Your Majesty intend to disobey me for the sake of a mere beast?"
Upon hearing the word "disobedience," all the officials knelt down tremblingly: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
This dynasty governs the country based on filial piety, and disobedience is a serious crime.
In ordinary households, if parents accuse their children of disobedience, the children would be punished in the government office.
Now that the label of "disobedience" has been placed on him, Pei Yuanling calmed down for a moment.
He knew that if he were to argue with the Queen Mother in front of all the ministers at this moment, it would be detrimental to him in every way.
Taking a deep breath, Pei Yuanling suppressed his anger and said coldly, "Mother, you are exaggerating. It's just a beast. Do whatever you want with it."
After saying that, Pei Yuanling turned to leave.
Empress Dowager Wang's expression changed, and she quickly gave the eunuch beside her a wink.
The eunuch understood and immediately stepped forward to block his way: "Oh dear, Your Majesty, you have only recently awakened. Where are you going?"
"What kind of lackey dares to stop me?"
Pei Yuanling's face darkened, and he drew a long sword from the waist of the guard beside him, the blade gleaming coldly.
He stabbed the eunuch in the kneecap with a backhand stroke, causing the eunuch to scream and kneel down instantly. Pei Yuanling remained unmoved, his gaze sharp as he stared directly at the Empress Dowager, and said sternly, "I am going to Baohua Temple to pray for the people who suffered in the fire. Is the Empress Dowager going to stop me?"
Empress Dowager Wang's face darkened, and she was secretly annoyed by Pei Yuanling's stubbornness.
However, it was not appropriate to go too far in front of these important officials.
She forced a smile: "It is a good thing that Your Majesty is going to pray for blessings. How could I stop you? Just don't let other things cloud your mind and cause you to lose your composure."
Pei Yuanling ignored the Empress Dowager's sarcastic remarks, put down his long sword, mounted his horse, and led a group of guards at high speed towards Baohua Temple.
Throughout the journey, Chu Qingyin's voice and smile, as well as the lively and agile appearance of Little Snowball, kept appearing in his mind.
Now, Little Snowball has died innocently, and Chu Qingyin's fate is unknown...
All of this was like a series of sharp blades, piercing his heart and intensifying his hatred for the Wang family.
He secretly vowed that as long as he could find Chu Qingyin, he would cut off all escape routes and make the Wang family completely destroyed, paying for their blood debt in blood!
After a whirlwind journey of an hour, the group finally arrived at Baohua Temple.
Upon hearing of the emperor's sudden arrival, the monks in the temple hurriedly donned their robes and lined up in neat rows to greet him.
Pei Yuanling strode into the main hall, where he saw Abbot Xuanyi of Baohua Temple already waiting quietly with his hands clasped together.
Upon seeing him arrive, Master Xuanyi bowed slightly, his expression solemn: "Your Majesty's presence brings honor to our humble temple."
Pei Yuanling was extremely anxious at the moment and had no time for pleasantries. He went straight to the point and said, "Master, I have come here today for two reasons. First, to pray for the people who suffered in the fire. Second, I would like to ask you to cast a divination for me. My Consort Liang has been missing for many days and her fate is unknown. I want to know where she is now."
Master Xuan Yi frowned slightly, his face showing difficulty: "Your Majesty, divination concerns the secrets of heaven and cannot be done lightly, moreover..."
Pei Yuanling's face darkened, and he interrupted, "Master, I am the ruler of a country. Now that Consort Liang's life or death is unknown, I have lost my appetite and cannot sleep at night. I hope that you can lend me a hand, and I will repay you handsomely."
Upon hearing this, Master Xuanyi took several steps back before bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, all encounters and serendipities are preordained in past lives and cannot be forced."
Upon hearing Master Xuanyi's excuses, Pei Yuanling's last bit of patience was exhausted.
His eyes widened, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I have pleaded with you, but you have repeatedly made excuses! If that is the case, if you do not find out the whereabouts of Consort Liang today, this Baohua Temple will never have peace again!"
"Your Majesty, it is not that this humble monk is unwilling to help, but heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."
Master Xuanyi's expression was solemn. He clasped his hands together again and said in a deep voice, "Forcibly spying on us may incur divine retribution and harm the innocent."
Pei Yuanling refused to listen. He stepped forward, his long sword flashing coldly as he pointed it directly at Master Xuanyi's throat.
The sword reflected his face, contorted with rage. He gritted his teeth and said, "Divine retribution? I am the Son of Heaven, what in this world do I have to fear! If you do not find out the whereabouts of Consort Liang today, do not blame me for being merciless with my sword!"
Upon seeing this, the surrounding monks were so frightened that they knelt down and begged for mercy, and some of the more timid young novices even cried out in fear.
In an instant, the once solemn and majestic Mahavira Hall was filled with fear and panic.
The gods and Buddhas high above in the hall still looked compassionate and quietly overlooked everything, as if they did not care about human affairs.
Master Xuan Yi remained calm and composed. He kept his eyes closed, chanting incantations as prayer beads rolled in his aged hands, seemingly oblivious to Pei Yuanling's threat.
Seeing that the old monk was so stubborn, Pei Yuanling's murderous intent intensified.
With a slight twist of his wrist, the tip of the sword pierced the skin on Master Xuan Yi's neck, and a trickle of blood slowly seeped out.
He practically roared, "Master Xuanyi, I'm asking you one last time, are you willing to reveal Consort Liang's hiding place or not?"
"Your Majesty, your fate with Consort Liang has long been over. All that followed was due to the obsession in Consort Liang's heart."
Xuan Yi seemed oblivious to the stinging pain in his neck; he kept his eyes tightly shut, unwilling to look directly at the young emperor before him.
"You bullshit!"
Pei Yuanling's eyes were bloodshot. Just as he was about to deliver the fatal blow, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, please show mercy!"
Lu Zhiheng strode into the main hall, having rushed over. His forehead was still covered with a fine layer of sweat from his journey.
Seeing Pei Yuanling pointing his sword at Master Xuanyi, Lu Zhiheng's heart tightened, and he hurriedly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, please wait!"
Pei Yuanling turned to look at Lu Zhiheng, the murderous intent in his eyes not yet completely faded, his voice full of impatience: "Lu Zhiheng, what are you doing here? This monk is stubborn and refuses to reveal the whereabouts of Consort Liang. I think he deserves to die!"
Lu Zhiheng bowed, his expression becoming even more respectful: "Your Majesty, acting impulsively may ruin everything. The Master has long resided in the Buddhist order, devoting himself to cultivation; he must have his reasons. Perhaps we should listen to his words first before making a decision."
Pei Yuanling snorted coldly, but did not lower his long sword: "He keeps making excuses, what's the point of listening to him?"
Lu Zhiheng looked at Master Xuanyi: "Master, His Majesty is deeply concerned about Consort Liang, worrying day and night, and has lost his appetite. I hope that you, Master, will take into account His Majesty's deep affection and lend a helping hand, even if it is just a little advice, so that His Majesty can feel some comfort."
Upon hearing this, Master Xuanyi slowly opened his eyes.
His aged gaze swept back and forth between Lu Zhiheng and Pei Yuanling, and he sighed, "So be it. Since you two are so persistent, this humble monk will cast another divination for Your Majesty. But whatever the divination result, I hope Your Majesty will not take your anger out on the monks in the temple."
"I agree."
Pei Yuanling then sheathed his sword, his gaze fixed on Master Xuan Yi, as if afraid he might change his mind again.
Master Xuanyi instructed the young monk to bring the divination tube, which he held steadily with both hands and respectfully presented to Pei Yuanling, saying, "Your Majesty, please draw a divination stick."