Chapter 81
Although Lu Hanzhi didn’t know what use a blood-copied sutra could possibly have, given how much effort the female lead put into it, it was clear that the Empress Dowager keeping it wouldn’t be a good thing.
Since it wasn’t something good, then burning it would put an end to it once and for all. Once the item was gone, it couldn’t serve its purpose anymore.
Lu Hanzhi silently praised his own cleverness, but then he saw the female lead across from him struggling to hold back her emotions, looking as though she was about to lose control.
She probably didn’t want to see her hard work go up in smoke. Unable to suppress her reaction, she instinctively stepped forward and said, “No, no! Absolutely not!”
Such behavior was extremely inappropriate—even the Crown Prince found it improper.
She was merely a concubine. What right did she have to speak here?
Even if the item had originally been her offering to the Empress Dowager, once given, it belonged to the Empress Dowager.
How it should be handled was naturally up to the Empress Dowager to decide.
Seeing this, the Empress immediately ordered, “Wan’er, step back!”
Su Wan’ning realized her rashness and quickly composed herself, switching to a gentle, obedient demeanor as she retreated. She explained, “The Ten Thousand Words Sutra was meant to bring blessings to the Empress Dowager. How could it simply be burned just like that?”
Lu Hanzhi cursed inwardly but maintained a cheerful smile.
Putting on an act?
Who couldn’t do that?
Born with a knack for drama, Lu Hanzhi immediately performed his own role as the perfect good elder brother.
He stepped forward and said, “Cousin, you may not be aware, but Ten Thousand Words Sutras are typically either placed on an altar for worship or burned in front of a Bodhisattva’s incense burner. As everyone knows, during grand ceremonies, offerings of paper are burned, and handwritten scriptures are no exception. If you find it difficult to part with, that is understandable. However, now that an auspicious omen has appeared, it won’t be easy to find another appropriate offering.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Hanzhi could tell that Su Wan’ning was barely holding it together.
But she was still desperately maintaining her image of being soft, gentle, kind, and easily bullied. With eyes brimming with tears, she choked out, “It’s not that I am unwilling to part with it. I copied the sutra with my own blood to bless the Empress Dowager with a long and prosperous life. If it is burned now, even though it will bring blessings to the people, my heart still aches. It pains me that the Empress Dowager is sacrificing her own fortune for the sake of the common people.”
The Empress immediately joined in, urging, “Wan’er is right! I also feel that the Empress Dowager’s blessings should take precedence.”
The Emperor looked toward the Empress Dowager, but the Empress Dowager merely smiled and said, “The fortune of the people is my own fortune. Guanyin is compassionate and sees all the joys and sorrows of the world. I am honored to bear witness to this mortal realm on her behalf. Giving up some of my own fortune for the people—what does that matter? Even if it shortens my lifespan, so be it. Besides, Hanzhi has said that offering this Ten Thousand Words Sutra to the Buddha brings only benefits and no harm. This is a divine sign of auspiciousness! Why should it not be burned? I decree—it shall be burned!”
Lu Hanzhi applauded the Empress Dowager in his heart. Truly worthy of being the previous generation’s ruler who had overthrown her own father and brothers—what dominance!
Without delay, he immediately ordered preparations for a fire basin.
Meanwhile, Su Wan’ning’s face had turned as pale as a sheet. She had spent a full half-month preparing this sutra!
And now, with just a few words from Lu Hanzhi, it was to be reduced to ashes!
She couldn’t accept it. The rage within her threatened to erupt.
Her chest heaved with suppressed fury, but she could only force it down.
Before the Emperor, Empress, Empress Dowager, and all the civil and military officials, what did her lowly status count for?
She had no choice but to kneel, swallowing her resentment, forcing a smile, and saying, “Wan’er obeys.”
Lu Hanzhi felt an immense sense of satisfaction.
When you meticulously plotted against others, did you ever consider that one day you might be the one falling into someone else’s trap?
When you schemed against my Ah Chan, did you ever think about what fate awaited you?
Lu Hanzhi sneered coldly in his heart. One day, he would avenge his Ah Chan.
Whether it was Ah Chan’s tragic fate in the original story or how he had been repeatedly manipulated in this lifetime, he would settle every score.
But then, a sudden realization struck Lu Hanzhi—was he… turning dark?
Wasn’t he supposed to be Lu Hanzhi? Why did he suddenly feel like Niohuru Hanzhi?
Shaking his head, he smoothed out his expression and continued smiling as he turned to the Empress Dowager. “Empress Dowager, there is one more matter that requires your personal attention.”
“Oh?” The Empress Dowager asked, “What matter?”
Just then, Ah Chan let out a series of babyish sounds.
Perhaps the dazzling white porcelain Guanyin statue had drawn everyone’s attention, causing them to overlook the small child sitting atop the lotus pedestal.
It was only now that the Empress Dowager noticed Ah Chan still sitting there.
She stepped forward with a smile and said, “Oh, it’s our little Ah Chan! My…. has this child gotten even chubbier?”
Lu Hanzhi was at a loss for words. Instinctively, he glanced at Yuwen Min.
Yuwen Min had ordered Ah Chan to lose weight, yet he had secretly been indulging him. Instead of slimming down, Ah Chan had gotten even rounder.
Clearing his throat, Lu Hanzhi said, “Ah Chan, give the brocade box to the Empress Dowager.”
Though Ah Chan couldn’t speak yet, he understood what was being said.
As soon as he heard his father’s command, he immediately lifted his small hands and handed over the brocade box he had been holding.
The Empress Dowager accepted the box, and Lu Hanzhi asked, “Empress Dowager, do you notice what is missing from Guanyin’s hands?”
Everyone turned their gaze toward the statue. They saw that Guanyin’s hands were positioned as if holding something, yet the signature clean bottle was absent.
The Empress Dowager opened the brocade box, revealing a pure white pure water bottle inside.
The porcelain was smooth to the touch, cool and lustrous, resembling jade yet not quite jade.
Curious, the Empress Dowager asked, “This material… what exactly is it?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “I will explain to the Empress Dowager shortly. But for now, shall we complete the offering to Guanyin first?”
The Empress Dowager nodded and personally placed the clean bottle into Guanyin’s hands.
Then, she knelt down devoutly, not even using a prayer mat.
Before long, a young eunuch brought in a fire basin, and a palace maid presented a hand-copied version of the Ten Thousand Words Sutra.
Right in front of Su Wan’ning, the Empress Dowager burned the Ten Thousand Words Sutra, which had been painstakingly copied by hand.
Watching the sutra turn to ashes, Lu Hanzhi finally let out a breath of relief.
He understood all too well that the higher the status and power of an individual, the greater the benefits they could bring to Su Wan’ning. Because of this, he dared not slack off in front of the Empress Dowager.
The white porcelain Guanyin had a low-level charm on it, and it was time-limited—essentially, a system-granted benefit item.
Lu Hanzhi knew that he was about to complete three missions simultaneously. Once these missions were finished, he would be able to exchange them for new permanent items.
He believed that as long as he guarded against a few key individuals and prevented Su Wan’ning from controlling them again, he could take things step by step and the situation would become much easier to manage.
The Empress Dowager worshipped for nearly half an hour before finally stopping.
Lu Hanzhi stepped forward, helped her up, and then lit an incense stick for Guanyin before speaking. “Empress Dowager, this is white porcelain.”
The Empress Dowager looked puzzled. “Porcelain? How is that possible? Porcelain is always grayish-red—where would you find something this pure, lustrous white?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “That’s exactly why it is considered a divine blessing. I accidentally discovered kaolin clay, which can be used to fire white porcelain. Unlike ordinary clay, this material produces a smooth and delicate texture when fired. As it happens, I have prepared a set of porcelain wares to present to His Majesty.”
Hearing this, the Emperor perked up. A gift for him?
In fact, he had already taken an interest in the material used to create the Guanyin statue. Now that he knew it was porcelain, he was even more intrigued.
Lu Hanzhi gestured to a palace maid beside him, who brought out a brocade box. Inside was none other than the Six Blessings Set.
Placing the box on the table, Lu Hanzhi opened it and said, “Your Majesty, please take a look. This is the Six Blessings Set—a teapot, two teacups, a ladle, a bowl, and one more item: Guanyin’s purification bottle.”
The Emperor picked up the uniquely shaped teapot and examined it for a long time. Being a tea lover, he was naturally delighted to have such fine tea ware.
The moment he touched the teapot, the corners of his lips curved into a smile, and he laughed heartily. “An auspicious omen indeed! Truly a sign of divine favor! Someone, bring the reward!”
Lu Hanzhi immediately knelt down as the Emperor declared, “Lu Hanzhi, Prince An’s Wang Fei, has presented an auspicious treasure. As a reward, I grant him ten thousand taels of gold and permission to select two treasures from my private collection. Additionally, I bestow upon him a gold-inlaid jade waist token, allowing unrestricted access to the imperial palace at any time.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Hanzhi immediately bowed his head to the floor and loudly proclaimed, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace! Long live His Majesty! Long live! Long live!”
Everyone present was utterly stunned. A gold-inlaid jade waist token?
Who in the palace possessed such a token?
The Empress.
However, after the Empress was placed under house arrest, the Emperor had taken her waist token away.
At this moment, there was only one gold-inlaid jade waist token in the entire palace.
Yet now, the Emperor had given it to Lu Hanzhi. What could this possibly mean?
Before long, a eunuch arrived, carrying the token and handing it to Lu Hanzhi.
The moment he took the token, the Empress could no longer remain calm.
Lu Hanzhi himself had no knowledge of the hierarchy of palace tokens, but the high-ranking officials and his own parents certainly did.
Lu Siwei, his father, was immediately baffled upon hearing that the Emperor had given his youngest son a gold-inlaid jade waist token.
Palace servants did not have waist tokens at all. Princes carried jade tokens that allowed them to enter and leave the imperial palace freely, but they could only visit the inner court three times a month.
For noblewomen, the Emperor granted bronze waist tokens, which also permitted them to enter the palace only three times a month.
For instance, Su Wan’ning carried a bronze waist token.
One should not underestimate the bronze token—even County Princess Zhaoyun only had a bronze waist token.
Unless summoned by the Empress Dowager or the Empress, even she was only permitted to enter the palace three times a month.
The only person in the entire imperial harem with unrestricted access was the Empress, who held the gold-inlaid jade waist token.
And now, this sole gold-inlaid jade waist token had been granted to Lu Hanzhi.
It was no wonder that the moment the decree was issued, everyone in the room gasped.
The only one who remained composed was the Empress Dowager, who was busy instructing the young eunuchs to move the porcelain Guanyin statue into the Buddha hall—there happened to be an empty spot on her main altar.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager remained unmoved, the Empress grew even more furious. She abruptly stood up and said, “Your Majesty! I refuse to accept this!”
The Emperor chuckled softly. “Oh? What does the Empress find unacceptable?”
She argued, “Since the reign of Emperor Shengzu, the inner palace has always held the gold-inlaid jade waist token. Why would Your Majesty grant it to a mere Wang Fei?”
As she spoke, her face grew increasingly flushed with anger.
The Emperor glanced up at the gathered civil and military officials before saying, “We’ll discuss this matter tonight.”
But the Empress was relentless. Still kneeling, she insisted, “Your Majesty, you must give me a fair explanation!”
The Emperor withdrew his gaze and looked down at her for a moment before stepping forward. “A fair explanation? Very well, I shall give you one today. Yinshi has proven herself unworthy and lacking in virtue—she is hereby stripped of her title as Empress! From this day forth, she shall leave the Inner Palace and be confined to Lihen Hall for reflection!”
Lihen Hall—the Cold Palace.
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