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Chapter 547
I thought that after saying all of this, Mo Jiuye would ponder for a while, after all, this matter was too incredible to be believed.
However, Mo Jiuye did not. He tightly grasped He Zhiran's hand.
"Ran Ran, I understand now. You must be the celestial being arranged by the heavens to come here and save the Mo Family and me, right?"
He Zhiran dared not accept the title of celestial being, but her arrival had indeed saved the entire Mo Family, which was undeniable.
"My lord, don't forget that I am also a member of the Mo Family. How could I stand idly by when my own family is in trouble? This has nothing to do with whether I'm a celestial being or not."
He Zhiran had originally been worried that after telling the truth, Mo Jiuye would think she was a ghost. Instead, he had directly defined her as a celestial being.
Regardless, He Zhiran had finally managed to be completely honest with Mo Jiuye. When facing him now, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
After chatting with Daoist Priest Yuan Qing for a while, they learned that he had specially rushed to the Capital city.
His purpose in coming to the Capital city was to guide Emperor Shunwu, hoping that Emperor Shunwu would follow the will of Heaven.
Mo Jiuye was quite familiar with Emperor Shunwu. It was no secret that he believed in Daoism, so Daoist Priest Yuan Qing would certainly succeed in meeting him.
Moreover, after interacting with Daoist Priest Yuan Qing, Mo Jiuye clearly understood that the other was not some charlatan Daoist who would deceive others, but a true master beyond the mortal world. The words he spoke were logical and well-grounded, and Emperor Shunwu would definitely listen to him.
He planned to take this opportunity to help push things along, allowing Nan Yu to ascend to that position sooner.
It had to be said that Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran were truly kindred spirits, as they were both thinking of the same thing at that moment.
"Master, since you have already predicted the emergence of the enlightened ruler, how about lending a hand to help push things along during this visit?" He Zhiran earnestly asked.
"What does the patron wish for this poor Daoist to do?" Daoist Priest Yuan Qing asked with great interest.
He Zhiran spoke her thoughts. She firmly believed that by doing so, the path for Nan Yu's ascension would be smoother.
She did this partly out of consideration for their friendship, but also for the sake of the common people. Only with Nan Yu truly becoming the master of Da Shun could the people enjoy better days sooner.
Moreover, it would not be long before the men of the Mo Family would once again take up arms. With Nan Yu's direct support, it would be better than having to seek approval from Emperor Shunwu for everything.
Daoist Priest Yuan Qing agreed to He Zhiran's proposal without hesitation, as it was only a small effort for him as long as it did not go against the will of Heaven.
...
After a long discussion with Daoist Priest Yuan Qing, Emperor Shunwu became even more convinced by his words. That very day, he personally led people to rush to the central part of the Capital city to construct an altar for sacrificial rites.
The altar was no different from those commonly seen, except that there were no offerings placed on it. Instead, scrolls with the names of the three princes were placed there.
Three scrolls, each bearing the names of Nan Rui, Nan Yu, and the fourth prince, Nan Jin, were arranged on the altar by Daoist Priest Yuan Qing in order of their ages, from left to right.
Apart from this, all the candles and other items needed for the sacrificial rites were also properly arranged, waiting for the hour of Zi to arrive so that he could perform the ritual prayer.
Finally, the hour of Zi arrived, but the night sky was not cooperative. Not only were there no stars, even the moon was obscured by dark clouds. Countless palace maids held lanterns to provide light around Emperor Shunwu, but he was still some distance away from the altar, causing the area around the altar to remain pitch black.
A moment later, points of light appeared at the location of the altar, as Daoist Priest Yuan Qing had lit a talisman paper.
The talisman paper, with its fiery light, began to trace a path in the night sky following Daoist Priest Yuan Qing's incantations.
Just as everyone held their breath, waiting for his next move, flickering lights appeared in the dark night sky.
He Zhiran, from a distance, operated an unmanned aerial vehicle that slowly flew towards the altar. Soon, the lights arrived near the altar.
Perhaps to avoid suspicion, Daoist Priest Yuan Qing also swiftly moved to stand beside Emperor Shunwu, observing the scene together with him.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on those lights, and although they could not see clearly, they all knew that it was the location of the altar.
The small points of light hovered around the scrolls bearing the names of the princes for a few circles before slowly rising into the air, much to everyone's astonishment.
Before the lights completely disappeared, they heard Daoist Priest Yuan Qing exclaim loudly, "This is truly the will of Heaven... The will of Heaven has truly descended..."
Emperor Shunwu had a look of bewilderment.
"Please explain what you mean, Daoist Priest. What is the meaning of those lights, and where did they come from?"
The following lines were all taught by He Zhiran, and Daoist Priest Yuan Qing had recited them several times in order to perform this act well.
"Your Majesty, today the sky is obscured by dark clouds, and we cannot see any stars or constellations. It must be the Purple Apogee Star itself descending to the mortal realm as an omen for the ascension of the enlightened ruler and the rise of Da Shun..."
Emperor Shunwu was absolutely convinced by Daoist Priest Yuan Qing's words.
The Purple Apogee Star descending to the mortal realm was something he had witnessed with his own eyes. The flickering lights that had just descended from the heavens, if not stars, what else could they be?
"Are you saying, Daoist Priest, that the enlightened ruler you spoke of has been revealed?"
Daoist Priest Yuan Qing continued the act, his face showing delight as he stroked his beard and pointed towards the altar, saying, "If Your Majesty moves closer to take a look, you will know the result."
Emperor Shunwu had been eager to go and see for himself, but without Daoist Priest Yuan Qing's prompting, he did not dare act rashly, fearing offending the celestial beings.
As soon as Daoist Priest Yuan Qing finished speaking, Emperor Shunwu summoned the princes and officials to head towards the altar for inspection.
With the Emperor taking action, the servants holding lanterns naturally followed closely.
By the time Emperor Shunwu reached the area near the altar, it was no longer pitch black and impossible to see anything.
Although the light could not be described as bright as day, it was still easy to see everything before them.
Emperor Shunwu immediately noticed the object wrapped in a yellow silk cloth on the altar.
This object was all too familiar to him.
"This... this is the Jade Seal..."
Not only was Emperor Shunwu shocked, but the officials accompanying him were also stunned.
The loss of the Jade Seal had already caused a stir throughout the Capital city, but they never expected the lost object to reappear so easily.
And moreover, it was delivered by the Purple Apogee Star...
This was simply too shocking.
Soon, someone knelt down.
"Your Majesty, the lost Jade Seal has been recovered, and it is placed on top of the scrolls bearing the names of the princes. This is the will of Heaven!"
One by one, more people knelt down, simultaneously exclaiming, "Please follow the will of Heaven, Your Majesty..."
"Please follow the will of Heaven!"
Although they said "please follow the will of Heaven," which sounded polite, anyone could hear that these people were actually hoping Emperor Shunwu would voluntarily abdicate in favor of the enlightened ruler.
One would have thought that Emperor Shunwu would be enraged by this, for their actions were tantamount to forcing him to abdicate. Today, they dared to act in this manner because they believed they would not be held accountable for acting as a group.