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In the spring of the eleventh year of Mingde, at the palace of Changjing….
The young emperor, just ascended to the throne, carried little of the usual imperial gravitas. Instead, he had regained his former elegance, wearing loose, simple robes and sitting on a long couch.
Standing beside him was a young Daoist.
Miaohuazi stood straight, smiling as he said, “Your Majesty, I have two pieces of good news to report.”
“Oh?” The emperor, holding a book, glanced up at him, thinking for a moment. “Is the resettlement in the northern territories going smoothly?”
“It seems Your Majesty is deeply concerned with state affairs,” Miaohuazi said confidently. “But since Your Majesty has already received reports from elsewhere, how could I consider them ‘good news’ to report again?”
“Oh? And how do you know I received reports from officials?”
“I have also inherited some of my master’s insight.”
“Truly a worthy disciple of the State Preceptor,” the emperor said, pausing. Curious, he asked, “Then what is this good news?”
“First, I observed the heavens at night, calculated with my fingers, employed various divination methods, and even used secret techniques passed down by my master to deduce over several months. Finally, I confirmed that the late emperor has indeed met with misfortune.”
“Hmm?”
The emperor immediately put down his book, sat upright, and widened his eyes at Miaohuazi. A faint expression of joy surfaced on his face, only to be quickly repressed. Frowning, he spoke to the quietly standing Miaohuazi, “How can this be considered good news?”
“I simply believe, Your Majesty, that you are wiser than the late emperor. The prosperous era of Great Yan cannot withstand another great turmoil. Hence, I consider it good news.”
“Nonsense!”
“There is another piece of news.”
“Speak!”
“The Imperial Guardian Duke is gravely injured and beyond cure. I visited him yesterday; he will likely not survive more than three days.”
“Truly?”
“Truly.”
“This…”
The emperor hesitated longer this time. Finally, he sighed, “The Imperial Guardian Duke is a general without parallel in history, with achievements unmatched. He has been loyal to Great Yan. The empire’s prosperity owes much to him. Losing him cannot be considered...
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