The palace was finally mostly cleared out. Matters progressed step by step, and the Divine Maiden Grand Ceremony was held as scheduled. However, the matter of the Great Sun Divine Lord remained unsettled. The Left Prime Minister produced a secret edict from the late Emperor, ten years old, arguing that his son was the Great Sun Divine Lord designated by the late Emperor and should be inscribed on the imperial jade registry. This sparked a heated debate between civil and military officials, leaving them in a deadlock.
In times of national turmoil, military officials were more valuable than civil ones, but there were very few capable individuals. Civil officials occupied more than half of the court. Because Xiao Shan was too formidable, the debate ended in a stalemate.
This situation suited Emperor Mingde’s intentions perfectly. He declared that the matter of the Great Sun Divine Lord would be put aside for now, enraging Xiao Shan to the point where smoke seemed to billow from his nostrils.
He came to the capital, pacified the country, and now his wife was being taken away?
Wasn't that humiliating?
No way!
At worst, he would overturn this court again! Let the country continue to be turbulent.
Seeing his ferocity grow, everyone began to fear. The Grand Shaman quickly said, "General, the Divine Maiden has not yet spoken!"
The officials were in an uproar over this matter. Yet, the Divine Maiden sat regally on the phoenix throne. Her sacred Divine Maiden attire made her appear like the moon in the sky, unattainable.
She seemed to be smiling, a mocking smile.
"Imperial Sister?" Emperor Mingde asked nervously, fearing she would agree to Xiao Shan being inscribed on the jade registry.
Although he disliked the Left Prime Minister's opportunistic behavior, Wen Tang was different from her father!
Xiao Shan also looked over, his dark face still etched with anger, glaring at her as if to say, "Give me my rightful title quickly, or else..."
"I do not intend to establish a Great Sun Divine Lord."
"What? What does the Divine Maiden mean by this?" the officials clamored.
Emperor Mingde's eyes brightened. "Since there is an objection to this matter, we shall discuss it another time!"
Xiao Shan's expression froze, his heart tightening. His fierce eyes held confusion. Hadn't she said something different last night?
Hadn't she said she wanted no one but him?
Was she just coaxing him?
Ling Yao watched Xiao Shan's stunned silence and secretly chuckled.
"You insolent man, daring to glare at me. Last night you forced me to say mushy words over and over. Truly shameless."
"I recall saying that General Xiao and I are a legitimate couple. Have your memories failed you? Or perhaps, in these past days, you have all felt that the General and I have been committing adultery without a proper match?"
Xiao Shan's gaze swept over them with fierce intensity.
The officials, startled, all knelt on the ground. "Your subject dares not!"
Emperor Mingde's expression turned stern. "Imperial Sister, you must not speak such nonsense."
Ling Yao stood up. "It is one thing to worry about the Emperor's marriage, but to dare to interfere with mine? When General Xiao and I were wed, we informed the gods. Are you now asking me to break my vows and suffer divine punishment?"
"Your subject dares not—"
The Divine Maiden's mention of gods was not to be taken lightly; they were real gods. How could vows be broken?
"If you dare not, then why are you trying to foist men upon me, are you humiliating me?"
The Left Prime Minister's face turned pale.
This was decreed by the Emperor! Clearly, the Divine Maiden had abandoned his son.
The Grand Shaman was bewildered. What did the Divine Maiden mean by all this?
Emperor Mingde hesitated. "Then what is Imperial Sister's intention?"
Xiao Shan's expression straightened. Yes! After all this talk, what did his wife mean? Was she going to let him onto the jade registry or not?
"On that day, I swore before the gods to marry Xiao Shan as my wife, to share hardships together, and never to abandon him. I said 'marry,' not 'take as wife'! It is not proper for the General to reside in the palace. Since the General's manor has been repaired, I shall move into the General's manor today."
"Impossible!"
"Unacceptable!"
The Emperor and the Grand Shaman spoke simultaneously.
"This... this is not a dignified marriage! You are of Divine Maiden status, this cannot be. When the late Emperor was alive, he had already chosen the site for the Divine Maiden's manor, and construction could begin..." the Grand Shaman said urgently.
"Imperial Sister, I forbid it!" The Emperor's hand clenched tightly beneath his sleeve.
Was she going to leave the palace, leaving him alone in this vast, empty palace? For the sake of a man, she was going to abandon him?
Xiao Shan had not expected this to be her intention. Hadn't she said that confirming his position was enough?
However, Ling Yao now appeared as a Divine Maiden who would not tolerate any objection. Her aura was magnificent, her gaze seeming to penetrate the hearts of all.
The Grand Shaman suddenly realized that she now resembled the Divine Maiden depicted in the ancestral statues.
In recent days, many officials had re-hung the ancestral statues of the Divine Maiden and discovered that the current Divine Maiden, apart from being a bit larger in the belly and younger, had the same divine aura and temperament as the Divine Maiden in the statues.
"There is no need to exhaust the people and waste resources. I have already decided. All officials should focus their thoughts on the common people. Yesterday, I dreamed that a plague occurred in the Xichuan region. His Majesty may send people there, and perhaps prevent this disaster. As for my personal affairs, no one is to interfere."
"Now, follow me to the divine altar to pray for the people."
"Plague?"
"Open the divine altar?"
Exclamations of discussion arose.
The Grand Shaman asked with concern, "The belly... will it be alright?"
"It will be fine," Ling Yao said with a slight smile. Just last night, her divine consciousness had awakened. She now knew almost everything about the Divine Maiden's divine powers. Opening the divine altar was merely a ritual to stabilize the hearts of the people.
Xiao Shan frowned, his eyes conveying protest. Listening to the Grand Shaman, it seemed there was danger. The ritual was so complex, the dance steps so ethereal they were almost invisible. He had seen it before. With such a heavy belly, what if, with the slightest misstep, she was injured like Ling Xi?
No, he disagreed!
"Your subject—"
"Silence!"
Just like that, Xiao Shan's words were rebuked by Ling Yao. Then, all the officials followed the Emperor and the Divine Maiden's sedan chairs to the divine altar located on the south side of the palace, near the mountains.
The divine altar was guarded by soldiers. The officials had participated in opening the divine altar once before. The last time, it was led by the Grand Shaman's renegade disciple, and the steps were somewhat disorganized, but it had been prepared. Today, it was so rushed, with nothing prepared, how would it be opened?
A large divine disc was inlaid on the steps, emitting an ancient, mysterious aura.
Last time, Princess Ling Xi had only taken a few steps before being violently thrown back. The disc seemed to contain a mysterious power.
The Grand Shaman had trained many times in the steps for opening the divine altar, including the passing of palace maids, various rituals, worship, and sacrifices to heaven.
But today, there was nothing?
Ling Yao slowly ascended the steps, the wind making her cloak flutter. Xiao Shan could no longer contain himself and stepped forward to hold her, his dark eyes seeming to demand an explanation.
This place was very dangerous, he could feel it.
Beneath these intricate, ancient patterns, there was a surging, mysterious power. He didn't know what it was, only that it felt very dangerous. If a person were to ascend, they would surely be harmed by what lay beneath.
"Don't go up, please?" his gaze was pleading. "Aren't you worried about the child?"
He brought up the child again.
Didn't he know that he was more important than the child? Ling Yao found it a bit amusing. This man had tormented her with impunity last night, and now his lips were pale with fear.
"Great General, I am very dissatisfied with your performance last night. Tonight, I will make you pay."
Ling Yao whispered, then pried his hand away and walked up.
The Grand Shaman did not know that the things in the records were merely embellishments by the royal family to enhance their prestige. To open the divine altar, only the Divine Maiden was needed.