Chapter 1034: The Tribulation Crossing Begins

Officials from all departments in the imperial city rushed into the courtyard, staring upward—they didn't know what had happened, only that something heavy pressed upon their hearts.

The clouds hung so low they seemed within reach; one official murmured, "Heaven is bringing great calamity—we must soothe the people at once…"

At these words, officials nearby snapped back to awareness and scrambled toward the palace in panic: "Hurry, hurry—notify the Imperial Guard and the Jingcheng Prefecture! Must keep the people calm!"

Absolutely no unrest can be allowed at this moment.

They had barely reached the gate when they were blocked—imperial guards who had appeared at the ministry's entrance raised their arms: "Your Majesty's order: during the National Teacher's Tribulation Crossing, all officials must remain at their posts and not wander."

The officials froze in unison: "The National Teacher is undergoing Tribulation Crossing? What kind of tribulation? In the palace?"

All turned their eyes toward the Ministry of Works' gate.

Coincidentally, officials from the Ministry of Works were also peering out from the doorway; their gazes met, and they instantly snatched their heads back, looking slightly guilty.

Inside the Ministry of Works, chaos reigned as well—one official was slapping a pillar in anguish: "National Teacher Hu Cheng is mad! Why conduct Tribulation Crossing inside the palace?"

Others patted Hu Cheng's shoulder: "My lord, think of something—go into the palace and persuade the National Teacher! While the thunder hasn't fallen yet, make her run far away—don't let her endanger the palace or civilian homes!"

"Most palace buildings are wooden—if struck by lightning and fire, the blaze will be uncontrollable!"

Another official clung to Kuai Xiang, weeping: "My lord, the Forbidden City is your life's work—please, think of a solution~~"

"If civilian homes are hit, it's even worse—Jingcheng's houses are packed tight; if lightning runs wild and fires break out, that… that's an apocalyptic disaster~~"

Hu Cheng didn't understand Tribulation Crossing, but he understood Pan Yun; as he tugged his sleeve free, he said: "The National Teacher values the people more than she does us—she won't endanger them."

"Waaahhh!" The officials, convinced Hu Cheng trusted the National Teacher too much, burst into tears and clung to him.

Hu Cheng had no choice but to shout: "Stop crying! Given the National Teacher's greed, do you really think she'd let lightning strike the palace and civilian homes?"

The crying halted. Everyone sniffled, thinking—yes, if the National Teacher's Tribulation Crossing destroyed homes, she'd have to pay compensation herself. Not to mention whether she could even afford it—would she ever part with that much money?

The answer was no.

The officials promptly released Hu Cheng's arms, wiped their tears, and fell silent.

Nearby, Kuai Xiang also found relief—the ear-splitting wailing had ended. He exhaled deeply and explained: "I just observed the direction of the dark clouds' churn. Though visibility from within the Ministry of Works is limited, when combined with feng shui calculations here, the National Teacher's Tribulation Crossing must be targeting Coal Hill, directly north of the palace."

"Coal Hill?" The officials relaxed further, relieved: "Coal Hill is perfect! Coal Hill is perfect! The south and east sides are occasionally maintained, but the north and west? Just tangled trees and scattered rocks—the treasury won't fund repairs, and we can't spare manpower—so it's been abandoned. A little lightning won't hurt."

"But with the way those clouds are gathering—could they still spill over into the palace?"

All looked up at the sky again, hearts tightening once more.

The clouds blanketed the entire heavens, leaving only a sliver of light at the horizon.

It was not yet the hour of Shen, yet the sky had turned pitch black—not an eclipse, but resembling one, as dark as night.