Chapter 159 The Prediction of an Earthquake
“Nonsense,” Imperial Concubine Yun stood out firstly, looking extremely angry, “Today is the 60th birthday of Queen Mother. This is her birthday banquet. The guests here are all royal relatives and senior officials. How can there be any evil spirit? You, lying charlatan, are you taking the chance to make trouble?”
“No, no,” Guo Shidong shook his head indifferently with a determined look, “I’m reporting according to what I have seen through my Inner Eye. I am not lying.”
While Guo Shidong shook his head, Queen Mother and the emperor looked solemn. After all, Gui Lingzi’s fame was so big. If the one right before them was really Gui Lingzi’s best student, his ability should not be underestimated. What’s more, he was found by Prince Ray, so he was more or less reliable.
Then the Grand Prince, Sima Ruo, said, “Everyone can talk at random. Before you speak, have you ever considered the consequence?”
“That’s right,” Princess Saichun next to Sima Ruo agreed, “We people on the prairie have never believed in all sorts of evil-doers. We only believed in the sky, the land, and the spring rain. I don’t know what you are talking about, nor do I find it important.”
“Ha-ha,” Guo Shidong lowered his head to smile and saluted, “It doesn’t matter that the Grand Prince’s Wife doesn’t believe me. I have ways to prove my ability.” Finishing his words, he closed his eyes and pinched his fingers again. It was hard to know what he was calculating when his fingertips were moving up and down. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and said, “I daresay that there are two pregnant women at the feast. Tell me if I’m wrong.”
Hearing Guo Shidong’s words, people looked at each other in confusion. They looked around, seeing no female guests in pregnancy.
Imperial Concubine Yun twitched her lips, “It’s ridiculous that when you said, so there must be any.”
“Imperial Concubine Yun, if you don’t believe me, you can ask imperial doctors to diagnose. Although the pregnancy is not obvious, and even the two pregnant women themselves don’t know about the thing, but I promise that one of them is two months pregnant and the other is one month and a half pregnant. They also have something in common,” Guo Shidong lowered his head slightly. His face fully covered by the mask showed no emotion and facial expression, “that is, their family names are both Qin.”
At Guo Shidong’s words, Qin Yunuan felt many eyes staring at her like many bare white knives, making her extremely uncomfortable because of the numerous investigation and plots in them.
The women with the family name of Qin at the feast were only Qin Yuzhao, Qin Yunzhuang, and Qin Yunuan. Therefore, the two people Guo Shidong talked about must be among them. Qin Yunuan rubbed her belly subconsciously, feeling a touch at her heart. However, thinking of the musk everywhere, she was getting perturbed.
Sima Ray helped Guo Shidong in time, “Father, why not listen to the Taoist and have a try? Yunzhuang is also in the Qin Family. I want to know whether I am lucky enough to be a father so soon.”
His words seemed reasonable. The way Sima Ray looked at Qin Yunzhuang was tender and loving, full of emotions. Others thought that Prince Ray and his wife had sincere and harmonious love for each other, making them a rare model couple. However, only Qin Yunzhuang and several people around her knew what kind of life she was having behind it.
It was true that Sima Ray and Qin Yunzhuang had already consummated their marriage. However, it happened one night when Sima Ray was drunk. Sima Ray took Qin Yunzhuang’s virginity by violence. There was no tenderness but plunder and wanton possession. When Sima Ray was at his climax, he called another woman’s name. Although Qin Yunzhuang didn’t hear it clearly, she knew well that there had been someone in Sima Ray’s heart. Someone who was not her.
Hearing Sima Ray’s words, Qin Yunzhuang showed some expectation and delight, “Yes, father. It’s not bad to ask imperial doctors to diagnose. If the pregnancy unknown to the women themselves was calculated by the strange master, it would show that Master Guo has a genuine ability.”
At the same time, Qin Yunzhuang expected in her mind that if she was pregnant, would Sima Ray pay more attention to her because of the child?
At first, the emperor hesitated. Then he asked Queen Mother for permission. She nodded as an agreement.
The several imperial doctors in the Imperial Hospital came quickly. After taking the pulses of Qin Yunzhuang, Qin Yuzhao, and Qin Yunuan successively, they kneeled in front of the emperor and reported.
“Emperor, after our repeat diagnosis, we are sure that Princess Fu’s two months pregnant, while Infanta Ping is one and a half months pregnant. Congratulation to Prince Fu. Congratulation to General Leng.”
The congratulation came out of expectation. Sima Han immediately looked silly, asking the emperor eagerly when Yuzhao could give birth to a child. He wanted to play with the child tomorrow. Qin Yunzhuang’s face darkened right away. Leng Changxi’s facial expression was faint, but he kept watching Qin Yunuan.
Qin Yunuan’s hands hidden under the purdah of the feast held her handkerchief tightly so as to relieve her tension. It was impossible. It was impossible for her to be pregnant. Suddenly, she felt a look with extreme coldness and hostility shooting at her. When she raised her head, she found that all the officials were busy congratulating Prince Fu and Leng Changxi. Nobody noticed her.
Qin Yunuan shook her head at Leng Changxi. She knew that Leng Changxi would understand her.
Finding the proper time, Sima Ray praised, “Master Guo is indeed a master.”
Leng Changxi, who hadn’t spoken before, said slowly, “I’ve heard that the doctors at the south of the Five Ridges have such a feature when they diagnose. They don’t need to take the pulse. They can diagnose simply according to their own experience and the patient’s face. Let alone pregnancy. They can even diagnose hidden diseases clearly and correctly.”
“General Leng still doesn’t believe me?” Guo Shidong faced Leng Changxi, said in a warning tone.
Leng Changxi sneered, “I’m just talking about what I know. Taoist, why are you flustered?”
“Flustered?” Guo Shidong raised his tone, “I never feel flustered. It is said that the secret of ‘Tian’ must not be revealed. However, I reveal it this time only to prove my innocence. Emperor, today I will violate the rule. At a quarter to twelve tonight, there will be an earthquake in the Royal City triggered by the evil spirit at the feast, which is a jinx from a distant place. It will lead to disasters everywhere it reaches.”
Pinching his fingers again, Guo Shidong assured, “What’s more, I already find out that the evil spirit is a high-profile figure. Although there was a dragon’s gas rising up to the sky when he was born, it was only the outer image. What seemed to be a dragon’s gas was actually the gas of Tao Tie, a mythical ferocious animal. It is said that the nine sons of the dragon are all different. Tao Tie, as the fifth son of the dragon, has the feature of swallowing everything, just like the evil spirit does. The moment it is away from his prison, he will swallow everything like a tiger or a wolf.”
When Guo Shidong ended his speech, everyone looked at the Seventh Prince just coming from the Imperial Mausoleum subconsciously. When the Seventh Prince, Sima Qiu, was born, there was a master saying that he had seen the dragon’s gas. Nevertheless, the Seventh Prince ranked fifth among the sons of the emperor. He had just come back from the Imperial Mausoleum, like a ferocious dragon coming out of his cave.
Qin Yunuan squinted her eyes. It was obvious that Guo Shidong came for Sima Qiu, who was the hidden candidate of the crown prince because of the legend when he was born. Every sentence of Guo Shidong was cracking the legend of the dragon’s gas. Although he did not point at Sima Qiu directly, his aim was quite clear.
“Ah! Anyway, whether the prediction is successful or not, or you believe it or not, the answer lies tonight,” Guo Shidong left sweeping his sleeves once he finished his words without courtesy to the emperor and Queen Mother. He disappeared in no time. How mysterious he was! Coming and going without a trace!
The Royal City? The earthquake?
It was important to know that the ancestors chose the treasured land as the capital after careful selection. It was flat, locating at the center of the Central Plains without any record of an earthquake. Guo Shidong reversed the atmosphere of the feast completely with only a few words. People became nervous. Thinking that he found out the pregnancy of Qin Yuzhao and Qin Yunuan with a glance, many would like to assume that his words were true.
“Emperor, it’s better to believe that the prediction is true. We need to have early preparation,” Some officials suggested.
“This is the birthday feast of Queen Mother,” other officials led by Minister Liu suggested, “A Taoist coming from nowhere speaks nonsense about an evil spirit, pregnant women and now an earthquake. It’s not easy to evacuate all the citizens in the city. If the prediction is not true, we will be laughed at. People will say that the emperor of Qi wastes manpower and money simply because of a crazy man’s words.”
“Emperor, it is about the safety of all the citizens in the city. Please think twice before you make your decision,” at once, many senior officials kneeled down, looking loyal and completely for the benefit of the country and the people.
The emperor hesitated and turned to Queen Mother, “Today is supposed to celebrate mother’s birthday, but….”
Queen Mother shook her head kindly and gracefully, “It doesn’t matter. My birthday is celebrated every year, so you needn’t worry.”
“Mother, what’s your opinion on the issue?” the courage of Queen Mother in the past was famous. Even though the emperor had the ability, he would respect Queen Mother’s opinion when she was present.
Without additional thinking, Queen Mother raised herself slightly, “No matter what happens tonight, I will pray for the well-being of the Royal City in the palace.”
It was again for the emperor to make the decision. Pinching the jade ring on his thumb, he ordered decisively, “Give out my order. All the people present at the feast shall be transferred to the temporary imperial palace in the suburbs of the Royal City. The old, the young, the sick and the weak on the royal family tree shall be carried away from the Royal City. Everything else shall go on as usual.”