True Dragon (4)
The Emperor was thrilled and proud to see such a magnificent dragon lantern being made in order to show his might. It also reflected his people’s loyalty toward him.
When the eunuch who had earlier praised the lantern saw that the Emperor was quite pleased, he came forward and said, “Presenting to his majesty this dragon lantern which represents the Son of Heaven, his majesty, himself. Right now, it still lacks its spirit. When it is lit later, it will be incredibly lovely and have a very lifelike appearance.”
When the emperor heard the eunuch’s words, his good mood heightened even further. There were many people praising his glories around the city gate. However, Jiang Mingwei remained silent and frowned as she stared at the large and powerful dragon lantern the entire time.
Jiang Mingwei clearly remembered the events of the book. After the dragon lantern was brought into the Xuande Gate, the Emperor and the others greatly appreciated it. They eagerly waited to watch it lit while being unaware of the fact that the forbidden palace was caught in the fire.
Later, the people in the Empress Dowager’s Palace had hurriedly run to the tower to inform the Emperor about the fire. After hearing the unexpected news, everyone on the tower was shocked, and they rushed downstairs without caring about the dragon lantern. The lights of the dragon lantern were never lit.
The dragon lantern had already entered Xuande Gate, which meant that the forbidden palace would be on fire soon enough.
‘This is the best time to make an appearance and be the heroine.’ Jiang Mingwei felt smug about having the knowledge of the future and immediately excused herself to run up to the Empress: “Mother Empress, please forgive this concubine for the rudeness but this concubine got something very important to report to the Empress. Please give me your few minutes.”
At the start, the Empress didn’t take Jiang Mingwei’s words seriously, but when she saw her serious expressions, she became suspicious.
Jiang Mingwei said something in a low voice, causing the Empress’s expression to change: “What? Is it true?”
“It’s true, Mother Empress. This concubine heard someone plotting to set fire, but it was dark and I couldn’t see his face. The royal family members, the Mother Empress and the Empress Dowager were all on the tower, so this concubine hurriedly came up to report this matter. Mother Empress, Xuande Gate is no longer safe. I beg you to move to the carriage as soon as possible.”
Jiang Mingwei’ words made the Empress’s blood run cold, so she hurriedly went to inform the Emperor and the Empress Dowager about it.
When the other concubines and female relatives saw the empress’s expression going pale, they immediately became worried. In a panic, they suddenly rushed downstairs.
“What the hell is going on?” The Emperor and the Empress Dowager questioned Jiang Mingwei.
Jiang Mingwei expected that the fire would occur soon, so she was not in a hurry to explain. She just repeated what she said to the Empress. When the Emperor heard these words, his expression became unsightly.
Jiang Mingwei didn’t explain more. After all, once the Emperor saw the disaster, he would naturally understand her words.
The tower had turned chaotic, and the guards were running everywhere. Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang entered the Xuande Tower through the doorway, only to be met with such a mess. They hurriedly asked what had happened from guards, but failed to get an answer.
“What’s wrong?” Puzzled, Mu Mingtang questioned Xie Xuanchen.
“I don’t know.” Xie Xuanchen said calmly, “Let’s go up and have a look.”
Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang went up the tower and found that there were no royal family members present there. Looking at the traces on the ground, it seemed that they all had left in a hurry. It was actually strange that there was a majestic dragon lantern parked outside the city wall, but there was no one sitting on the platform to look at it.
Xie Xuanchen grabbed a eunuch and asked, “What’s going on here? Where is the Emperor and the rest of the royals?”
“Your Highness, this humble servant doesn’t know either. The only thing I know is that the Emperor and the royal family suddenly went to a safe area,” the eunuch answered Xie Xuanchen while trembling non-stop.
As they were still conversing, the surrounding area was suddenly illuminated by the bright and colourful fireworks. Surprised, Mu Mingtang quickly turned around, only to see that the dragon lantern had been lit up, and it was about to soar into the sky with a majestic and aloof appearance.
At this moment, the commoners who were still downstairs began to applaud and cheer: “The true dragon has descended to earth. God bless the Ye dynasty. Long live Your Majesty.”