nashuaworldcup Chapter 31 Death Row Scholar
Chapter 31 Death Row Scholar
Kyoto is exceptionally lively today!
All the civil and military officials, as well as wealthy and powerful families, had to go to Qiudao Mountain in the eastern suburbs of the capital to participate in and watch the ceremony. The city was filled with carriages and horses, and all those who came and went were either rich or noble.
Finally, the carriages and horses gathered at the foot of Qiudao Mountain, which had already been decorated beautifully.
Every tree was wrapped in red brocade, and the path up the mountain was paved with white jade. At the top of the mountain, a huge viewing platform that could accommodate 10,000 people was built. At the very front was a five-colored altar, in which incense burned incessantly and cattle and sheep were offered as sacrifices.
At the entrance to the mountain, there was a lot of "pure water". It was the morning dew collected by a thousand maidens at the order of Emperor Xianxian and refined for several days. Everyone who went up the mountain had to drink it first to show that they wanted to cleanse their body and mind. After all, an unclean body would not be acceptable to meet the immortal.
"There are not enough people to use, yet they are abandoned to trees."
When Li Lan followed many prisoners up the mountain, he saw the red silk ribbons wrapped around the trees on both sides and couldn't help but sigh.
The decoration and construction of this Seeking the Way Mountain alone probably cost millions. So much money was taken from the people, truly taking every last penny and using it like dirt!
The civil and military officials had already taken their positions. When they saw the many prisoners lining up, many of them looked over and their eyes fell on Li Lan.
"Hehe, Scholar Li, it's been a long time!"
"Brother Li, you're incredibly lucky! Today the Emperor has granted a general amnesty; you might just escape with your life!"
"What a load of rubbish! A shameless plagiarist!"
Among the officials, several young people stood out, including Xu Ruyu, Zhang Jian, and others.
Xu Ruyu was quite talented, ranking second in the imperial examination. At this moment, he looked at Li Lan with indifference, his eyes filled with disdain and hatred.
The top scorer should have been him, but Li Lan made a mistake, so there was no top scorer this year, and his second place was unchangeable!
With both old and new grudges, how could they not hate each other to the bone now?
Li Lan ignored him. He saw Lin Zheng, Lin Ruobing and others at the front of the group. Lin Zheng also looked over. The two looked at each other and nodded slightly.
He also noticed Lin Ruobing. Today, she was also dressed in a magnificent outfit, and like a peony, she was graceful and stunning, extremely eye-catching in the crowd, and so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes off her.
Seeing him arrive in prison clothes, Lin Ruobing's eyes were fixed on him. She bit her lower lip, seemingly quite reluctant. Li Lan smiled at her.
Aside from the court officials, the members of the royal family were present. The eldest prince, Li Yue, was dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe. His face was handsome and striking. Behind him, Liu Ziwen and others stood silently. Standing shoulder to shoulder with him in front was the third prince, Li Guan!
Li Guan's face looked more effeminate, with a sickly pale complexion. He glanced at Li Lan, a hint of mockery and sarcasm flashing across his eyes.
Li Lan, along with many other prisoners, walked to the other side and stood still.
"Your Majesty and the Empress have arrived!"
With a shout, everyone in the arena immediately knelt down.
At the top of the jade steps leading up the mountain, dozens of warriors carried a dragon-drawn carriage. After stopping, Emperor Xianxian, dressed in a dragon robe, and his empress walked down hand in hand with him.
"May our Emperor live forever, his lifespan as long as the heavens!"
The officials cried out!
Ever since Emperor Xianxian took a liking to Taoist practices, he felt that the term "Long Live the Emperor" was extremely disrespectful. All officials had to say that he was immortal and lived as long as the heavens, or they would be punished.
Emperor Xianxian raised his hand, and only then did the civil and military officials rise.
"Your Majesty, the time is almost here."
A eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial led the emperor to the five-colored altar and whispered a reminder.
Emperor Xianxian nodded and asked, "Where are the death row inmates in the capital?"
The Qingtian Grand Ceremony has three main agendas: first, a general amnesty is granted to demonstrate the emperor's benevolence and to cleanse the world of impurities so that the immortals may descend; second, offerings are presented to the immortals; and third, prayers are burned to invite the immortals to descend.
"Your Majesty, a total of 412 prisoners from various prisons in the capital have been brought to the capital!"
Zhao Tanyue reported.
Emperor Xianxian then said, "Heaven cherishes life. Today, I offer sacrifices to Heaven and welcome the immortals, thus demonstrating my benevolence. Therefore, I hereby grant a general amnesty..."
"Your Majesty!"
At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
Emperor Xianxian's face immediately turned cold. Who dared to interrupt him? They were truly courting death. However, he did not retaliate. He looked at the speaker coldly and saw that it was none other than Xu Ruyu, the newly appointed second-place scholar!
He stepped forward, knelt down, and said, "A general amnesty is a great act of grace from the emperor and father, but I believe that among the prisoners there are those who disrespect the immortals and deserve to die. If such people are also pardoned, it may displease the immortals!"
Emperor Xianxian was slightly moved and said, "Who does not respect immortals?"
Xu Ruyu was initially quite guilty, but when the Emperor asked the question, he felt a surge of relief. He thought to himself that Mr. Zhu and the Third Prince were indeed brilliant strategists. If they wanted to kill Li Lan, they had to start with the charge of "disrespecting the immortals"!
Because welcoming immortals and cultivating the Dao is something the Emperor values highly, anyone who violates this will surely die!
Xu Ruyu said:
"Li Lan, the exam cheater!"
These words caused a slight ripple throughout the room!
Lin Zheng's gaze instantly darkened, and he subconsciously looked towards the Third Prince, Li Guan.
Li Guan smiled slightly, simply watching the show with indifference!
Emperor Xianxian was surprised to hear the name Li Lan, a cold smile flashing in his eyes as he asked, "Oh? Li Lan disrespects immortals?"
Xu Ruyu said, "Yes, Your Majesty, this person harbored malicious intentions in his new examination essay, 'Five Vermin,' which satirized Your Majesty's pursuit of immortality. This shows that this person's intentions are wicked and he will surely be disliked by the immortals..."
He immediately began to explain some of the sentences in Li Lan's article "Five Vermin".
All the officials and scholars in the court were secretly shaking their heads. Although Li Lan was involved in corruption, his article had been widely circulated in the capital and had already amazed the great scholars of the court. Xu Ruyu's explanation was basically far-fetched and a distortion of the meaning.
But everyone remained silent.
After all, no one can be sure what the Emperor is thinking. If he really blames Li Lan for this, and you defend Li Lan, you might be labeled as an accomplice!
"Your Majesty, a general amnesty is hereby granted, but Li Lan must not be pardoned. This man cheated in the examination, which has already shaken the foundation of the country. He has also slandered the immortals, committing a grave crime of disrespect. Before the amnesty is granted, he must be executed first!"
Xu Ruyu spoke heavily.
"Father,"
Suddenly, a voice rang out, and all the ministers turned to look. It was none other than the eldest prince, Li Yue, who stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your subject believes that Xu Ruyu's words were not the original intention of Li Lan's article. If Li Lan had no intention of slandering the immortal, but was falsely accused and died because of it, then the immortal would probably be angry!"
Li Lan was also surprised; he hadn't expected the eldest prince to speak up for him.
He understood, of course, that the Crown Prince was trying to win him over, but at this time, daring to extend such an olive branch to Li Lan was also taking a huge risk.
Not only Li Lan, but everyone else was also moved. Was it worth risking offending the emperor to speak up for Li Lan?
“Father, Li Lan truly deserves to be executed! His 'Five Vermin' essay may not have intended to insult the immortals, but since such rumors are circulating in the world, even if Li Lan did not, he should still be killed. Only in this way can we demonstrate our sincere devotion to welcoming the immortals!”
Li Guan also spoke up: "Li Lan's crime is fabricated, and he deserves to die!"
Even if it's fabricated, he should still be killed!
Upon hearing his words, the officials' expressions changed, and Lin Zheng even raised an eyebrow, realizing that Li Guan's move was the real killer move!
Given Emperor Xianxian's exceptional intelligence, he couldn't possibly be unaware that Xu Ruyu's words were not credible, but the reasons given by Li Guan made it impossible for him to refuse.
Regardless of whether Li Lan has insulted the immortals or not, such rumors are already circulating in the capital. So, does it even matter whether Li Lan has or not?
As the one who welcomed the immortals, the most important thing for the Emperor Xianxian was his attitude.
If Li Lan is not killed, will the immortals perceive his pursuit of the Dao as insincere?
"What the Third Prince says is absolutely right! Since Li Lan has such a bad reputation, he deserves to be executed!"
"If those who cheat in the imperial examinations are not executed, it will be detrimental to the country; if those who insult the immortals and belittle the emperor are not killed, it will not be enough to show our piety!"
"Your Majesty, please execute this traitor immediately!"
Those ministers who had previously criticized Lin Zheng in court seized the opportunity to echo his sentiments, and the room was filled with noise!
Zhao Tanyue's expression changed slightly, and she became inexplicably nervous. She knew that Li Lan's fate was now entirely in the hands of Emperor Xianxian!
Among the ministers, Lin Zheng was extremely anxious, but he couldn't think of a solution!
Lin Ruobing, standing behind him, was slightly lost in thought. Even though she had never experienced the affairs of the court, she knew that Li Lan was probably in grave danger at this moment...
After much deliberation, she repeatedly fastened and loosened the hidden arrow in her sleeve, as if she were extremely conflicted and hesitant!
Emperor Xianxian, however, showed a thoughtful expression for a moment, then glanced at his ministers and said:
Where is Li Lan?
Among the many prisoners, Li Lan, upon hearing this, immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This sinful subject is here!"
Seeing that Li Lan remained composed and unperturbed despite the perilous situation, Emperor Xianxian nodded in agreement and then said:
"Li Lan's talent is astonishing and unparalleled. From this day forward, I hereby appoint you as a Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy, and bestow upon you the imperial inscription!"
He spoke directly!
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone was stunned, shocked, and looked at Emperor Xianxian in bewilderment...
Your Majesty... have you lost your mind??
……