allonlinenovel Chapter 340 Disaster Star
Chapter 340 Disaster Star
Yu Wan taught Princess Changning for about half a month. However, due to the upcoming birthday of the Empress Dowager, the palace was placed under martial law, so Yu Wan temporarily stopped going into the palace to teach Princess Changning.
The Empress Dowager came from the powerful Xie clan. After handing over the power of the six palaces to the Empress, she rarely appeared in public.
This year marks the Empress Dowager's 80th birthday, a momentous occasion. Emperor Wenjing instructed the Ministry of Rites to begin preparations six months ago.
Originally, this matter was to be handled jointly by Wang Ling and Yun Shang, but after Wang Ling was ordered to be executed by Emperor Wenjing, the matter was taken over by Yun Shang.
As a result, Yun Shang has been increasingly busy lately.
On the occasion of the Empress Dowager's 80th birthday, Emperor Wenjing ordered the Ministry of Rites to hold a grand celebration, as she enjoyed lively gatherings. The Ministry of Rites invited officials of the fifth rank and above, along with their female relatives, to the palace to attend the birthday banquet.
Yun Shang was naturally among those invited.
On the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday, Yun Shang entered the palace early. Yu Wan, Shen Shi, and Yun Xi also entered the palace by carriage after they had dressed up in their finest attire.
The carriage slowly entered the palace gate. Yunxi looked through the carriage window at the familiar and majestic palace walls and couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
This was her first time visiting the palace.
Shen was visibly nervous.
After Yu Niang nearly encountered danger twice in the palace, Shen Shi felt that the palace was a place where people could be devoured and was extremely dangerous.
Yu Wan noticed Shen Shi and Yun Xi's nervousness, so she took one of their hands in each and smiled, which made them feel relaxed: "Mothers-in-law, don't be nervous. Our seats won't be too far in front. Just treat it as a normal banquet and eat and drink quietly."
Madam Shen took a deep breath and forced a smile: "There are many rules in the palace, so we can't afford to make any mistakes."
Yunxi secretly took a breath, then secretly clenched the hem of her clothes and then let go.
The carriage came to a steady stop, and Yu Wan got off first, then turned around to help Shen Shi and Yun Xi.
The three of them stopped and looked up at the tall, vermilion palace gate. The glazed tiles shimmered in the sunlight, exuding an aura of majesty and solemnity.
At the palace gate, palace maids and eunuchs led the way. A palace maid dressed in a green palace dress walked towards them, bowed and said, "Honorable ladies, the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet is being held at Yongshou Palace. This servant will now lead the way for you."
Yu Wan politely returned the greeting and continued walking inside with Shen Shi and Yun Xi.
Along the way, the red walls reflected the sunlight, and the glazed tiles shone brightly.
The palace lanterns lining both sides of the palace road are exquisitely carved and painted with auspicious patterns symbolizing good fortune and longevity, swaying gently in the wind.
Yunxi and Shen Shi both forced themselves to keep their eyes straight ahead, not wanting to embarrass Yunshang and Yuwan.
The palace maids and eunuchs who came and went all walked quickly but quietly and orderly. When they occasionally met, they all lowered their heads and stepped aside to give way.
All the guests' seats were arranged in advance. After the palace maids asked about Yu Wan and the others' identities, they led them directly to their seats.
As Yu Wan expected, it wasn't too far forward or too far back; it was somewhere in the middle.
Yu Wan helped Shen Shi and Yun Xi sit down. As soon as they sat down, a young eunuch brought over an exquisite teacup and served fragrant tea.
Shen took a small sip, and the warm tea slid down her throat, dispelling some of her tension.
As more and more guests arrived at the hall, it remained quiet, with all the officials and women speaking in hushed tones.
Yunxi leaned close to Yu Wan and whispered, "Sister-in-law, the people in this palace look quite different from the ones we usually see."
Yu Wan smiled and replied softly, "This is royal land, with many rules, so everyone is naturally careful with their words and actions, afraid of making the slightest mistake."
As they were talking, the melodious sound of string and wind instruments suddenly rang out, and the originally noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Everyone stood up, and the Empress Dowager, surrounded by the Emperor, Empress, and a group of royal relatives, slowly entered the main hall.
The Empress Dowager was dressed in a dark blue phoenix robe embroidered with gold longevity characters. Her hair was white and her face was covered with wrinkles, but she had a kind smile on her face and looked like an easy-going old lady.
The crowd knelt down in unison and shouted, "May the Empress Dowager enjoy good health and longevity!"
The sounds of birthday greetings resounded throughout the main hall, echoing for a long time.
With a kind smile on her face, the Empress Dowager raised her hand slightly to signal everyone to rise, and then slowly sat down in the main seat.
Seeing so many younger people celebrating her birthday, she was filled with joy and said with a smile, "Today is my birthday. Seeing that we are all healthy and happy makes me happy."
"Please sit down, please sit down, don't be shy."
Everyone thanked them in unison before sitting down.
The birthday banquet began with a song and dance performance.
After the performance, the eunuchs began serving the dishes.
The table was laden with exquisite dishes, each one beautifully presented and emitting a delightful aroma.
Just as everyone was raising their glasses in celebration, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the hall.
Emperor Wenjing frowned, and was about to send someone to check what was going on, when suddenly a mournful bird cry came from outside.
The next instant, a large number of black crows seemed to fly in from all directions, circling above the palace and emitting shrill and piercing cries.
This unexpected turn of events stunned everyone in the hall.
After a suffocating silence, everyone in the hall panicked and looked up at the sky with fear on their faces.
"How is this going?"
"Why are there so many crows?"
"So many crows appearing at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet is hardly a good omen..."
Inside the hall, the crowd was buzzing with discussion. When these whispers reached the Empress Dowager's ears, the old lady, whose face had been rosy and full of joy, turned deathly pale, and she nearly dropped her teacup.
Emperor Wenjing suddenly stood up, his expression stern, and shouted, "Guards, go and find out what has happened!"
All the concubines in the harem paled and instinctively moved closer to where Emperor Wenjing was.
At this moment, more and more crows gathered in the sky outside the hall, their shadows blocking out the sunlight and dimming the light inside the hall.
The mournful cries of birds echoed throughout the palace, as if it were an ominous sign.
The hall was in chaos.
The women screamed in terror, the eunuchs and maids looked around in bewilderment, and the ministers whispered among themselves, their expressions panicked.
The Empress Dowager sat beside Emperor Wenjing, her face as white as frost and snow.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"
Suddenly, a heavy thud was heard outside, as if something had hit the ground.
The next moment, a eunuch stumbled in from outside the hall, his face pale and his eyes filled with terror.
He scrambled in, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, those crows have gone mad, they're all crashing to the ground..."
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the hall smelled a strong stench of blood.
Some of the more vulnerable women even started gagging, their faces turning pale.
Just as everyone was in a panic, a member of the Imperial Guard suddenly rushed in and said urgently, "Your Majesty, a wandering Taoist priest in a Taoist robe has come to the palace gate. He says that a calamity has appeared in the palace, and if it is not suppressed, it may cause a great disaster!"