Chapter 357: The Offering

In ancient China, especially during the Tang and Song dynasties, the Lantern Festival might not have been the most important holiday of the year, but it was an extremely special one.

First of all, it fell after the New Year and before spring plowing. At this time, the busy farming season had not yet arrived, but the weather had already warmed up, unlike the bitter cold of the New Year, making it perfect for going out.

At the same time, perhaps due to a common human trait, spring festivals have always been lenient toward women. During the Song dynasty and before, although women always had some status, allowing women of all ages to go out and play freely was limited to only two spring festivals... For the countryside, it was undoubtedly the Shangsi Festival (the third day of the third month) after spring plowing, a good day for outings, bathing, and warding off evil. In the cities, it was unquestionably the Lantern Festival, with lanterns and prayers as eternal themes.

In fact, this extra respect and leniency toward women during spring festivals was likely a product of compromise and integration between basic human desires—sexual urges, fertility worship, free love—and an agricultural society.

This can be clearly seen in many primitive tribes and early civilized societies, following a specific developmental path... Good or bad, it didn't matter; but throughout history, both in China and abroad, this was unavoidable.

Suffice it to say, even a gradually conservative and persistently repressive China could not stop these most basic human desires and needs.

After all, foreign monks also steal lamp oil, and theocratic Central Asian warlords also like keeping catamites. Everyone is human; at the core, it's all the same.

Of course, by the Song dynasty, the Shangsi Festival, recorded in the *Rites of Zhou* and doubly endorsed by the Confucian ancestors, but even more unrestrained, suddenly disappeared in the north and central plains. Meanwhile, the more restrained Lantern Festival received further official promotion... From this perspective, it seemed like a victory for feudal ethics.

The further deepening of sexual repression in traditional Chinese society and the weakening of women's actual social status also seemed to be facts.

However, this meant that during the five days around the Lantern Festival, with "women roaming the streets from night till dawn, men and women mingling," and "all four gates wide open, no curfew day or night," even prison authorities could take the opportunity to display instruments of torture, turning it almost into a Song Dynasty version of Carnival—another form of release.

And among all these, it was widely acknowledged that the Lantern Festival in Dongjingcheng had always been different from elsewhere.

For five consecutive days, from the fourteenth to the eighteenth of the first month, inside and outside the city, in the countryside, truly a million people poured out. Colored lanterns covered the entire city, even extending to Yuetai and Qingcheng outside the walls. At night, the whole city became a sea of lanterns.

Among these, the unique lantern scenery in the west of the city, the dense sea of lanterns in the south, the luxurious lantern market in the east, and the vast lantern field in the north were all famous.

But none of these could compare to the lantern shed and lantern mountain directly opposite the Xuan De Tower, right in the middle of the Imperial Street.

The so-called lantern shed and lantern mountain were large-scale lantern structures built by imperial decree, constructed by artisans starting from the New Year. Their size and shape varied each year; some were nearly as tall as the Xuan De Tower, others as wide as the Imperial Street.

In fact, on the second day of the Lantern Festival holiday, the night of the festival itself, the scholars and commoners of Dongjingcheng would start staking out spots on both sides of the Imperial Street from broad daylight, waiting for the evening lighting of the lantern mountain and shed... It was like the Spring Festival Gala in later generations—whether good or bad, it was always a specific, traditional program, the main event.

However, counting carefully, from the siege of Dongjingcheng by the Jurchens in the second year of Jingkang, also the first year of Jianyan, the city had gone a full seven years without truly erecting a proper lantern shed.

But this time, during the New Year, there were vague rumors that His Majesty was in high spirits and had allocated special funds, summoning artisans to make lanterns... Considering that there had been no major military campaigns the previous year, and His Majesty's authority was unshakable, coupled with the occasion of the Dowager Empress Yuanyou's return to the capital, many people actually believed it.

High-ranking officials also did not refute the rumors, because they had personally heard the conversation between Minister of Revenue Lin Jingmo and the Zhao Emperor, and knew that last year's financial plan had actually been overfulfilled.

Under these circumstances, spending a few tens of thousands of strings of cash to put on a show... and also livening up the Lantern Festival market, collecting more commercial taxes, selling some lottery tickets, and recouping some costs... it might not be impossible!

However, rumors were rumors. Until the start of the Jianyan eighth year Lantern Festival holiday, no one saw any lantern shed being erected in front of the Xuan De Gate. Only lantern riddles were set up in the corridors on both sides of the Imperial Street. Then, as usual, vegetarian meals from the Xiangguo Temple were bestowed upon ministers of the Secret Pavilion and above, leaving people somewhat disappointed with the court and His Majesty.

But disappointment aside, no one would ever bring up the subject... If anyone did, without His Majesty even speaking, other officials would use the excuse of the nation not yet being at peace and the need for frugality to make you lose face.

Of course, as mentioned before, with no major military campaigns for the entire year, a full economic recovery, and an exceptionally stable court, this year's Lantern Festival in Dongjingcheng, despite the lack of large-scale imperial and official participation, still rivaled the scale of the prosperous old days.

In fact, perhaps because of the long pent-up frustration, the level of activity among the common people seemed even higher.

For five consecutive days, not to mention the evening lantern markets and riddles, even during the day, the cuju field in the north of the city held exhibition matches for five straight days. The lottery points near the inner city gates added special Lantern Festival movable-type lotteries, with a ten-cash prize of a hundred strings drawn on-site every day. It was said that the five daily prizes were personally packaged by the three Dowager Empresses and two Imperial Consorts on that day... The first day's draw was at the Zhuque Gate, the second at the Xuanqiu Gate, the third at the Wangchun Gate. On the fourth day, many people flocked to the Lijing, Lühe, and Chongming Gates, buying dozens or even hundreds of tickets for their families, only to find the draw was still at the Wangchun Gate!

On the fifth day, the eighteenth of the first month, just before evening, eunuchs from the Palace Eunuch Bureau simultaneously opened the imperial sealed small boxes in front of the crowd at each gate. Unexpectedly, besides a hundred-string movable-type series designated by Dowager Empress Zheng, there was also a thousand-string movable-type series designated by His Majesty!

By this point, who didn't understand that this was His Majesty's personal compensation for the lack of a lantern shed? One must know that even without doing the math, it was roughly clear that this kind of six-character, six-gate sequential lottery was not large in scale. Even if the court sold out every day, the intake was only six or seven hundred strings, almost all of which went back into prizes.

This thousand strings, for the usually stingy Zhao Emperor, was truly a loss, and could be considered a gesture of sincerity.

Enough digression. Then, the hundred-string prize was drawn at the Chongming Gate, while the thousand-string prize was drawn outside the Lühe Gate... And it was won by a soldier of foreign origin, who had spent only eighty cash to buy eight small paper tickets with auspicious Northern Expedition characters!

Countless people around cursed under their breath, but this kind of six-character sequential lottery, distributed across six gates, was clean, neither too big nor too small. Everyone bought randomly; even His Majesty couldn't cheat. After cursing the foreigner, they could only envy him endlessly.

After all, a thousand strings was enough for a middle-class or lower commoner willing to buy lottery tickets to purchase a family home in the city, set up a family shop, and still have a few hundred strings left for a coffin fund.

This was roughly what financial freedom meant for the citizen class in the feudal era.

But regardless, as the evening of the eighteenth arrived and the lantern market began for the last time, this carnival seemed finally about to end.

However—and this is the "however"—on the morning of the nineteenth, the Zhao Emperor, accompanied by his two Imperial Consorts and several princes and princesses, appeared on the still-quiet Xuan De Tower.

Not only that, but soon, the three Dowager Empresses—the recently returned Dowager Meng, commonly known as Yuanyou; the rarely seen Dowager Zheng, commonly known as Ningde, who enjoyed life in the harem; and Dowager Wei, commonly known as Chengping—were all brought by His Majesty to ascend the Xuan De Tower.

That wasn't all. Below the Grand Councilor Lü Haowen, all the great ministers in the capital also appeared one after another... Lü Haowen had been fetched from the Jingyuan Garden together with the Dowager Empress. The other chief ministers were supposed to start their official duties today and simply ran into this... His Majesty decreed that all chief ministers and important ministers of the Secret Pavilion should ascend the tower with him. If any members of the Public Pavilion happened to be present, they could also ascend. Other officials, whether in office or retired, were to sit quietly along the long corridors on both sides of the Imperial Street according to their final rank.

When His Majesty put on such a display to meet his subjects, who would dare not come? Not only did the important ministers of the Secret Pavilion ascend the tower one after another, but even the monks and Daoists among the Public Pavilion members, ignoring the unfinished sesame oil in their temples and monasteries, all hurriedly changed into new monk's robes and Daoist robes and gathered hastily.

They arrived gasping for breath, but once there, they put on an air of solemnity and otherworldly grace.

After this group arrived, on the terrifyingly wide Imperial Street, directly in front of the Xuan De Tower, a change occurred. Countless artisans, carrying various tools and materials, poured out of the Xuan De Gate from the palace and began publicly assembling a strange, huge object that looked somewhat like a large lantern... but it wasn't certain?

At the same time, the Imperial Bodyguards, fully armed, had long since formed ranks around this object, strictly forbidding anyone from approaching.

Soon, with the Zhao Emperor's unorthodox surprise move, the entire Dongjingcheng seemed to come alive. Countless commoners, ignoring how late they had stayed up the night before, gathered together, so that soon the area before the Xuan De Tower was a sea of people, no less than the scenes at the inner city gates in previous days.

The artisans were still working hard on something, but the commotion was gradually growing louder.

Frankly, at this moment, whether it was the important ministers on the Xuan De Tower or the commoners below watching the excitement, eighty percent of their attention was not on this thing on the Imperial Street... After all, there were "precedents" for this kind of thing. Whether it was some fancy show to share joy with the people, or like last time's Ma La hemisphere experiment to promote the Yuan Xue, everyone was just watching the fun... At this moment, everyone's gaze was more focused on the Zhao Emperor, the three Dowager Empresses, the two Imperial Consorts, the two princes, and the three princesses.

There was too much worth discussing in this combination:

The Zhao Emperor himself, in his large red robe and hard-winged hat, went without saying.

Dowager Empress Yuanyou, who had the greatest actual merit in supporting the Zhao Emperor's ascension and was the source of his legitimacy, was paradoxically the most distantly related to him. Moreover, she had just been involved in the matter of transmitting documents on behalf of the Two Emperors, completely ending their seven or eight years of peaceful coexistence.

Dowager Empress Wei was theoretically a close relative of the Zhao Emperor, but according to gossip, she was the most, most indescribable, almost no different from Imperial Consort Pan... Whether it was the big candle or the big parrot, these were real stupid acts that those with ulterior motives could investigate... But this wasn't her fault. If the Zhao Emperor himself hadn't stood out, she would have been nothing but a low-ranking concubine in the harem of the Retired Emperor Daojun. It was the same as how Imperial Consort Pan, if she hadn't been a fish that slipped through the net and then gotten pregnant early on, wouldn't have had such fortune today.

Dowager Empress Zheng was the most well-known, with the highest popular prestige and harem competence, yet she was the most silent now and had been the quietest before.

The two Imperial Consorts needed no explanation. The reality of no empress, and possibly never having one, was enough to make these two sing opposing tunes for a lifetime... However, today, Imperial Consort Pan was dressed exceptionally splendidly, complementing His Majesty's large red robe. Commoners who didn't know better, seeing her from afar, might think she was the empress!

As for Imperial Consort Wu, perhaps because her pregnancy was showing, it was hard for her to wear form-fitting, luxurious clothes?

The two princes were both still infants this year, their true appearances unseen. After just a brief appearance, they were properly carried back by older palace maids. But these two, who had the shortest "appearance," received the most attention... Some people naturally knew what was going on; others, due to their low level of understanding, inevitably had confused thoughts. This was almost fated.

As for the three princesses, one was betrothed to Yue Pengju's son, one to Wu Jinqing's son, and one to Han Liangchen's son... Of course, they were princesses, so even if they were all clustered around His Majesty at this moment, it didn't matter.

Now, waiting was long and boring. Staring at things for too long became tiresome. But the Xuan De Tower was fated to be a place of many events.

Not to mention other things, just His Majesty sitting upright there for several hours was a rare opportunity to be at a distance that, while actually very far from the common people, appeared very close, and in public... This was a rare chance. Historically, countless commoners had taken this opportunity to jump out and submit imperial petitions, present memorials, or offer treasures.

Among these, submitting imperial petitions had dedicated personnel to handle them, like before at the Imperial Academy gate. The latter two were mostly rewarded and casually dismissed. But there were also negative examples, like when Song Huizong, in high spirits, was urged to be frugal and personally ordered a cruel execution.

"Your Majesty, your servant begs to present a divine object!"

Sure enough, as the tower gradually quieted down, in the long corridors on both sides of the Imperial Street below, an idle official, clearly of the Prefect or Department Magistrate level, seeing a rare opportunity, could no longer restrain himself. He raised an object in his arms high above his head and stepped out from the crowd... and was naturally stopped by the vigilant Imperial Bodyguards.

Zhao Jiu glanced at the man. Although his eyesight was excellent, he didn't recognize who he was, nor was he familiar with his voice. He was about to wave his sleeve and dismiss him.

But at that moment, Imperial Consort Pan, who was at his side, suddenly grabbed hold of Zhao Jiu and interjected: "Your Majesty, that man is a former chief minister. You must not treat him lightly..."

Not only Zhao Jiu, but many people on the quiet Xuan De Tower instinctively looked at this Imperial Consort, and then most of them turned back.

Only the Imperial Majesty continued to appraise the red silk garment on Pan Fei for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "Since the Imperial Consort has spoken, there's no harm in seeing him..."

Since the Imperial Majesty had given an oral order, someone naturally waved from the upper floor to signal permission to pass.

Taking this opportunity, Zhao Jiu turned his head toward Lu Benzhong, who stood behind him: "Minister Lu, do you recognize this man?"

"How could I not recognize him?" Lu Benzhong, ignoring that his own father was not far away, immediately stroked his beard and chuckled, nodding. "Let Your Majesty know, this man is named Cai Mao, indeed a former Grand Councilor, and from a family of Grand Councilors—his father was Cai Que, his father-in-law was Feng Jing... Your servant knows this man all too well."

At this lighthearted remark, Ren Baozhong couldn't help but glance at Lu Benzhong... He had no way to compete with the skill of being born into the right family.

"When did he become Grand Councilor?" Zhao Jiu paid no attention to Ren Baozhong's look, only paused briefly before asking again, and as soon as he finished, he instantly realized. "Was he one of the twenty-six Grand Councilors of the Jingkang era?"

Lu Benzhong nodded again with a smile: "Your Majesty sees clearly."

But Zhao Jiu was immediately puzzled again: "Of the twenty-six Jingkang Grand Councilors, either they were captured and died for the country; among the living, those who advocated peace or surrender were all demoted, and I have never pardoned them; while those who advocated war or defense, I have no reason not to employ them, right?"

Pan Fei beside him grew somewhat nervous, and at that moment, the man hurriedly ascended, panting heavily, and had already quickly climbed to the upper floor... At this, although most of the officials on the upper floor looked somewhat strange at the sight of this man, they still rose one after another to offer a modicum of courtesy.

Seeing this, Lu Benzhong laughed even more heartily: "Your Majesty speaks truly!"

Zhao Jiu's mind was momentarily muddled, but as soon as he turned around, he understood completely—so this Grand Councilor Cai, during the Jin army's siege of the city, had neither fought, nor negotiated, nor surrendered, nor defended?!

Of course, in the end, he definitely fled!

And nine times out of ten, he was stripped of his position by Li Gang for this! More than likely, because he hadn't advocated peace or surrender, he couldn't be stripped all the way down, so he was only demoted to the level of Department Magistrate, which allowed him to extricate himself leisurely, become a man of leisure, and then now follow the Yuan You Empress Dowager back here, sitting there as if nothing had happened.

At this thought, Zhao Jiu couldn't help but turn his head and glance at the fragrant Pan Imperial Consort beside him... He was speechless inside, but somehow he could understand.

"Your Majesty!"

Just as the Imperial Majesty's thoughts were racing, the former Grand Councilor Cai Mao, having finished his greetings with the various Empresses Dowager in the center, hurriedly stepped forward holding a box, his face beaming with joy, and directly knelt in obeisance. "Your Majesty, great fortune for Your Majesty! Your servant, returning north from Yangzhou, traveled through the Huai River region. Mid-journey, I saw a red light blazing in the water, and had men carefully fish it out. From the riverbank, I obtained an ancient seal! The Huai River region is where Your Majesty rose to prominence—is this not the will of Heaven?"

Zhao Jiu wanted to speak but held back. The three princesses and two of the three Empresses Dowager all showed curiosity, while Empress Dowager Zheng, along with the surrounding high ministers including Li Guang, kept their eyes straight ahead—or rather, couldn't be bothered to look. The pregnant Wu Imperial Consort frowned slightly but forcibly restrained herself from looking.

As for Pan Imperial Consort, she was so tense that she gripped the Imperial Majesty's arm so tightly it hurt.

And though Zhao Jiu was in pain from her grip, he still wanted to speak but held back to the former Grand Councilor before him... There was no helping it—this was too crude! So crude he didn't even want to respond!

Only a pampered son from a Grand Councilor family like this, who had hidden in Yangzhou for seven years, would dare to pull such a low-grade crude trick before him! Only someone as foolish as Pan Fei beside him would, in desperation, seek out a fallen Grand Councilor to collaborate with!

But then again, at least Pan Imperial Consort knew that court affairs required someone at the Grand Councilor level to step forward—that was progress, wasn't it? I wonder if her uncle had been giving her advice from afar?

Just as Zhao Jiu was at a loss, Lu Benzhong beside him could no longer bear it and blurted out directly from the upper floor: "Your Majesty, drive this petty man out! This man was once as infamous as the 'Profligate Grand Councilor' Li Bangyan, nicknamed the 'Bootlicking Grand Councilor'! He rehabilitated his own father's case by flattering Emperor Zhezong, became an official by flattering Cai Jing and his son, and finally became a Grand Councilor at the end of the Xuanhe era by flattering Liang Shicheng when the Retired Emperor fled south—thus continuing into the Jingkang era... Even the Abandoned Sage Emperor looked down on him!"

Lu Benzhong spoke recklessly, and the surrounding ministers pretended not to hear. Even the two Empresses Dowager, after a moment of awkwardness, immediately turned away... Only Pan Imperial Consort still clung to Zhao Jiu's arm, refusing to let go.

Interestingly enough, Cai Mao, Grand Councilor Cai, paid no heed to Lu Benzhong's words, quietly listening until he finished, then respectfully presented the wooden box in his hands, as if wiping away spit that had landed on his face: "Your Majesty, Lu Benzhong's intention is merely to accuse your servant of fabricating falsehoods and presenting counterfeit goods. But may Your Majesty consider this: Your servant followed the Yuan You Empress Dowager on her return north from Yangzhou only because Yangzhou no longer needed garrison defense. The difference in time is but a single day... So may I ask Your Majesty, how could your servant, in just one day, manage to create an ancient artifact as a fake? Your Majesty, this jade seal was truly churned out by the waves of the Huai River at the very place where Your Majesty once faced battle."

Zhao Jiu finally grew somewhat irritated and turned his head to signal.

Ren Baozhong understood and immediately stepped past Lu Benzhong to take the wooden box, inspected it, and then respectfully presented the jade seal, which indeed looked like a genuine ancient artifact, to the Imperial Majesty.

Zhao Jiu took the jade seal, casually turned it over, and was instantly stunned. He turned it back, clutching the seal and remaining silent for a long time. After a good while, he turned it over again for a glance, then turned it back once more, and again fell into prolonged silence.

At this point, if not for the two stiff wings on the Imperial Majesty's headdress shaking, proving that his strange movements had actually occurred, everyone might have thought it was a static scene.

But then again, seeing the Imperial Majesty in this state, the surrounding atmosphere gradually reversed. Pan Imperial Consort was momentarily elated, while the surrounding ministers grew increasingly uneasy, to the point that even a few with less composure turned their heads to look—in short, the Imperial Majesty shouldn't be so easily taken in by such a thing, should he?

Especially with Pan Fei being so obvious—it seemed she had, for the sake of her son, arranged some prior communication with certain people.

"Minister Cai." After an unknown pause, Zhao Jiu finally smiled, holding the jade seal in his hand. "You have truly sent me a surprise!"

Almost everyone around was stunned, but Cai Mao could not contain his ecstasy and knelt to kowtow publicly.

As for Pan Imperial Consort, she was clearly filled with both anticipation and tension.

"Give Minister Cai a seat." Zhao Jiu turned to instruct the dumbfounded Lu Benzhong, then looked at the others and spoke slowly. "Just a small trinket. Let us watch and see what happens."

With that, the Imperial Majesty pointed forward, sat upright, and did not move again. Everyone on the upper floor, regardless of who they were, dared not be negligent. Even Cai Mao, who had hurriedly retreated to sit at the edge of the city tower, sat upright and stared intently at the strange object before the Xuan De Tower.

At this moment, the gathered scholars and commoners below were still dazed due to their viewing angle, but many of the empire's elite on the Xuan De Tower, who had forced themselves to focus on the Imperial Avenue, suddenly started and then realized with a shock—so the Imperial Majesty was indeed making a lantern, a giant lantern not displayed at night for the people's enjoyment, but rather shown in broad daylight.

Only this giant lantern was not covered with a paper shade, but with a precious, thick silk shade without a frame. It had already been spread out on the Imperial Avenue, over ten zhang square, and no one knew how it would be lifted, or whether a temporary frame would be needed.

Nor was the base an ordinary tray, but a huge wicker basket, surrounded by sandbags, large enough for several soldiers to stand inside and work a bellows.

And the reason for the bellows was that inside the basket was not a small candle, but a huge, simple stove with its own bellows, filled with fine coal and charcoal soaked in precious oil and wax... with a chimney above to roughly channel the airflow.

When the stove was lit, with the soldiers' vigorous assistance, the manually tiltable chimney was aimed directly at the frameless silk cover, which had been spread open to a certain area.

The next moment, while the onlookers below were still watching the spectacle without understanding, many on the Xuan De Tower had already lost their composure and stood up... much like when they had watched the Magdeburg hemispheres years ago.

Simply put, some clever people had realized what this thing was—just a giant Kongming lantern!

But Kongming lanterns could fly into the sky.

That's right, it was one of the time traveler's trump cards—a hot air balloon... After that illness, the Imperial Majesty had finally realized that he couldn't spend all his time on the proper business of an emperor; he should also attend to the proper business of a time traveler—the emperor's leisure pursuits.

So he had picked up his plan for technological revitalization again.

Actually, Zhao Jiu had wanted to make a hot air balloon back in Nanyang, but every time, even the small-scale experiments failed... The reason was simple: as an engineering graduate specializing in signals and systems, not materials science, not chemistry, and not welding, he simply had no idea how to make fireproof materials. So every experiment ended with the silk catching fire.

As for so-called "fire-washed cloth," i.e., asbestos cloth, it was too expensive and too rare in this era. Once scaled up, it became impractical.

Of course, this time Zhao Jiu had put in great effort. On one hand, he was determined to create a big spectacle for the Shangyuan Festival of the eighth year of the Jianyan era, so he prepared ceramic chimney parts to protect the flame. On the other hand, during his "illness," he had people carefully investigate rumors of fireproof materials other than "fire-washed cloth."

Progress was made on both fronts almost simultaneously. The former was deemed feasible with careful operation, while the latter yielded several accounts. One of them told of a family fire in Shaoxing where a wooden bucket survived. Upon investigation, it was found to be a specialized bucket for water purification... When people later inquired further, they discovered similar cases in many places—the older the wooden bucket used for water purification, the more often it survived fires.

In this era, the chemical used by commoners for water purification was simple: the government-monopolized alum, the same "fan" from which Fan Lou got its name.

The Imperial Majesty, being an engineering graduate, though he didn't know the exact composition of alum, that didn't stop him from soaking silk in highly concentrated alum water for experiments... And the result was that it was indeed fireproof.

Thus came today's experiment, delayed by a full four or five years.

It was also a disgrace to time travelers.

In a daze, amid the gasps of the surrounding scholars and commoners, the silk was rapidly inflated by the hot air, quickly forming a large ball that stood in the middle of the Imperial Avenue, then gradually began to rise upward.

A moment later, the high ministers and imperial family members on the Xuan De Tower were utterly dumbfounded... because they saw with their own eyes that the huge wicker basket, after carefully discarding many sandbags in sequence, gradually began to tremble and stir, like the Kunpeng in Zhuangzi's "Free and Easy Wandering," ready to soar ninety thousand li into the sky.

Finally, with another sandbag discarded, a huge shadow fell over the Xuan De Tower. This number-one Kongming lantern, in a manner that all clever people could "understand the principle of," slowly but steadily flew up.

But the more it did so, the more shocking it was.

This time, it was even more shocking than the Magdeburg hemispheres years ago! Because it was more intuitive and obvious!

One could only say that the Imperial Majesty had truly exhausted every effort for the Yuan School.

The giant hot air balloon had already risen to the level of the people on the Xuan De Tower. Almost everyone on the tower was stunned into silence. The Imperial Majesty did not speak either, but unlike the others who leaned forward to look, he was the only one who sat upright, not looking sideways. The stiff-winged headdress above his red robe, this time, did not tremble at all.

"Don't panic, Captain Bei!"

Yang Yizhong, whose figure was completely invisible from below, shouted vigorously toward the basket above. "There's a rope pulling from below. Just follow the drill we practiced before—don't throw out any more sandbags for now, just mind the fire, add or reduce it, and rise slowly... Once we unhook, you can operate with the sandbags yourselves and drift with the wind. The cavalry will find you."

A reply came from the basket, but the voice was already trembling and distorted.

But at this moment, what choice did the soldiers up there have? Even a man nicknamed One-Handed Lone Dragon, whose hands were steady as iron, could only go with the wind and clouds now... This enormous Kongming lantern rose with a resolute posture, dragging the rope below as it climbed, until the several-dozen-zhang rope ran out, and it paused temporarily at a position more than ten zhang above the Xuande Tower.

This situation lasted less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick before the rope snapped directly. Then the huge hot-air balloon, amid the shock and panic of the entire city, flew farther and farther away, higher and higher, and finally, carried by a slight southeast breeze, drifted slowly northwestward.

The Imperial Personal Guards had already ridden out in pursuit under the lead of several Captains.

At this moment, unlike the chaos elsewhere in the city, it was surprisingly quiet around the Xuande Tower. Those who had witnessed the entire process of the hot-air balloon's ascent had some idea of what was going on... And the result of having an idea was that most people still stood dumbfounded, staring at the black dot in the distant sky. A few whispered among themselves but dared not speak loudly. From the empire's Grand Councilors to famous monks and great scholars, all feared that raising their voices might disturb something or someone.

Zhao Jiu watched for a long while, then suddenly rose, clutched the ancient seal, and left calmly.

His Majesty left in haste and abruptly. The ministers could only hurriedly rise to see him off. The several Empresses Dowager had their own processions, and Imperial Consort Wu, being slightly pregnant, could not easily give chase... Only Imperial Consort Pan hurried after him, managing to keep pace.

The two of them walked quickly without any procession. Zhao Jiu remained silent the entire way, walking with his hands behind his back, surrounded by armored soldiers, eunuchs, and palace maids. He did not stop until he entered the Yiyou Gate.

Imperial Consort Pan looked at Zhao Jiu with a hint of expectation. Zhao Jiu stared at the woman before him, several times tempted to slap the jade seal he held behind his back onto her face to sober her up. But for some reason, after holding back at first, the more he thought about it, the more he felt the woman in front of him was rather pitiful... This woman had become so foolish as to be harmless, which instead inspired sympathy.

In the end, sympathy vaguely prevailed in Zhao Jiu's heart. He suppressed his inner displeasure and put on a smiling face: "Go and rest. I have my own considerations regarding the court's affairs... But this outfit is too conspicuous. Don't wear it when you go out from now on."

Imperial Consort Pan finally breathed a sigh of relief. With a hint of extra expectation, she turned through a side gate into the rear palace, accompanied by several eunuchs and palace maids. Zhao Jiu, clutching the jade seal, continued pacing northward until he reached the Linhua Gate and entered the mulberry-fish-pond area. Only then did he sigh and sit down in the stone pavilion he had not visited for a long time.

At this moment, he finally opened the ancient seal in his hand for the third time and read the inscription on it for the third time.

Four large characters, ancient and outstanding in form, but after seven years of living in this world, Zhao Jiu could easily read them—"Original Blessing, Long and Lasting."

That's right, the jade seal read "Original Blessing, Long and Lasting," not "Virtuous Blessing, Enduring." His eldest son Zhao Yuanzuo, born of Imperial Consort Wu, was truly blessed! At such a young age, a treasure had jumped out of the Huai River on its own to serve as a tribute, declaring him the true lord of destiny!

To be honest, if it had said "Virtuous Blessing, Enduring" or something, he might have just let that flatterer off!

PS: Routine sacrifice of a new book, "I Have a House in the Late Ming," a new work by veteran author Brother tx Chengzhi.