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After a moment of hesitation, the Crown Prince tightened his grip on the bamboo painting and strode into the hall.
The atmosphere inside the hall was quite oppressive. Everyone was silent, hastily cleaning up the overturned incense burner.
The Emperor’s face was livid with anger, his eyes wide with fury, “Execute those slaves by lingchi, and throw their bodies into the mountains to feed the wolves!”
Upon hearing these words, the attendants and maids still in the hall shuddered, fearing that any careless mistake could lead to their deaths without a proper burial.
Seeing the Emperor like this, the Crown Prince’s brow furrowed slightly, his voice somewhat low, “Father, please wait.”
“Is the Crown Prince here to plead for those slaves?” The Emperor had been dissatisfied with the Crown Prince for some time due to his disdain for talk of gods and spirits and the concept of fortune. Seeing the Crown Prince’s actions now, his anger flared even more on his face.
“Father misunderstands.” The Crown Prince slightly bowed. “I am not here to plead for anyone else, but to pay my respects to you.”
“Today, I happened to acquire a bamboo painting. Seeing its exquisite craftsmanship and excellent painting, I thought to specially present it to you.”
As he spoke, the Crown Prince slowly unfolded the bamboo painting in his hand.
The image of Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared before the Emperor.
Her face was full of compassion, causing the Emperor’s originally violent heart to calm down somewhat.
Most importantly, the Crown Prince had started to cater to his preferences, indicating that he might also acknowledge the Emperor’s pursuit of divine immortality.
“Indeed, it’s quite good,” the Emperor thought, feeling his mood ease considerably, even his tone of voice softened, “This image of the Bodhisattva is excellent. Hang it in my bedchamber.”
“Yes,” the Crown Prince nodded, then continued, “Today, I happened to acquire this image of the Bodhisattva by chance. I thought perhaps this was also the Bodhisattva’s guidance, meant to inspire Father to be compassionate, so as to receive the Bodhisattva’s guidance.”
“You speak well,” the Emperor nodded. After a pause, he said, “The Crown Prince’s words are very reasonable. Those servants who made mistakes today, I will spare their lives. They will only receive thirty lashes and be expelled from the palace.”
“Yes,” the leading servant, having received the imperial decree, felt a huge weight lift off their chest.
Although for the servants, being expelled from the palace would not be easy, at least they had their lives, and there was still hope for the future.
The Crown Prince had truly saved these people today…
The servants hurriedly went to convey the imperial decree. Seeing this, the Crown Prince bowed, “Father’s compassionate heart will surely move heaven and earth, accumulating merit for you and helping you achieve immortality sooner.”
“Hmm,” the Emperor was increasingly satisfied with the Crown Prince’s words and actions today, even his lips couldn’t help but curl up, and he even reached out to pat the Crown Prince’s shoulder in approval.
“It’s getting late. I won’t disturb Father on your way to Qingxu Hall. I’ll take my leave now.”
With the matter resolved, the Crown Prince didn’t want to stay any longer.
“Go ahead,” the Emperor waved his hand and called someone over to prepare for the incense burning and changing of clothes.
The Crown Prince bowed and slowly retreated out of the hall.
As soon as he stepped out of the hall, he saw a young Taoist priest, who usually accompanied the Emperor in his cultivation, walking over in a hurry, his expression anxious.
After what had just happened, the Crown Prince was somewhat uneasy and instinctively stopped the young Taoist, “What’s the matter?”
“Your Highness,” the young Taoist respectfully bowed, “the Celestial Master asked me to bring a message to the Emperor and told him to follow it.”
“What message?”
“This…” The young Taoist hesitated for a moment before speaking.