Chapter 241 - Ill Fates~

The Emperor narrowed his eyes at Prime minister Zhao and then shifted his gaze to the Minister of Rites and said in a chilling voice, "Minister of Rites, what is the meaning of this?"

The Minister of Rites inwardly braced himself and stepped forward, bowed, and explained, "Your majesty, it is the truth...We even went to consult with seers outside the palace and it was the same result. No one could divine a date, the match is deemed incompatible..."

"Didn't all the candidates already pass this "test for compatibility"?" The Emperor asked narrowing his eyes at the Minister of Rites, who kept his head down, scared to look up at the Emperor.

"They did." The Minister of Rites hesitantly responded.

"So then explain to me... Why is this an issue today?" The Emperor coldly asked.

"I- I am not sure what is happening..." The Minister of Rites hesitantly responded. The Emperor glared at the Minister of Rites' head, thinking of how he should proceed. 

Prime Minister Zhao then came forward with an explanation, "Your majesty, perhaps it is because a concubine or even a Noble consort is different from an Empress. One might be enough to satisfy one role but not for the other grand role. I am not a seer but perhaps this could be the reason. I recommend - "

"You just said you are not a seer so your input is invalid." The Emperor coldly cut him off, he did not need to be told what his recommendations would be and he did not care for them.

"Since you are all incapable of providing a proper explanation, send for the seers then. Let them explain themselves." The Emperor coldly said. Eunuch Li promptly motioned to an eunuch on the side who swiftly ran out to carry out the task. 

The Emperor did not believe that this problem suddenly cropped up from nowhere, someone must be instigating this trouble and he wanted to see those "seers" lie to his face.

If he did not know Lei Xing then perhaps he would have acquiesced and gone along with this incompatibility claim. But he knew her and it was impossible for them to be anything but perfect for each other.

Moreover, the Emperor also had a divine guide on this issue who promoted their union. The Voice itself told him they were perfect for each other and he knows for a fact that those seers do not hear divine voices, unless they lied to him when he had inquired about it. 

And so, they all waited in pin-drop silence for the seers to arrive. The Emperor fuming, the Minister of Rites sweating, Prime minister Zhao comfortably relaxing while casting gloating eyes in Defense Minister Lei's direction. While Defense minister Lei kept his eyes forward, ignoring Prime minister Zhao, not indulging his gloating with a glance.

After a long while of waiting, the palace seers finally arrived. They bowed to the Emperor and then the leader of the group, a grey-haired old man respectfully said, "How may I be of service, Your majesty?" It was rare for them to be called to the main hall. Their role has always been a crucial but background role. They were responsible for selecting the dates for all major events in the country.

"Where is my wedding date?" The Emperor bluntly asked.

The old man glanced at the Minister of Rites whose face was now dripping sweat, then he bowed and respectfully informed, "Your majesty, as I informed the Minister of Rites we were unable to divine a date...It has never happened before. Your charts match but all dates appear inauspicious...I regret to inform you, but this is a sign of an ill-fated match..." The old man regretfully said with a deep bow.

"So the problem here is your incompetence..." The Emperor coldly commented, "Since that is the issue, it seems you have served the full length of your term here."

The old man knit his brows, slightly offended but it was the Emperor so he had no choice but to swallow the insult so he did not lose his head. But still, his skills should not be brought into question and so he respectfully said, "Your majesty, I have been serving in the palace for fifty years now. I not only divined your ascension date, but also that of your father's and his Empresses. As well as your grandfather's -"

"Even the greatest skills can weather with time." The Emperor coldly interjected. 

The old man nodded, "I agree...This is why I went to consult with other sources during the last few days and the result was the same. Your match reads unclear. I daresay that the result will be the same even if you were to gather all the seers in the world, none will be able to divine a date."

"How pointless." The Emperor scoffed and then said, "Your inability to clearly read the match and find an appropriate date is a result of your own shortcomings, your own failures, your own incompetence...Since you have proven to be useless, there will no need for your divine skills in this matter. Since you have been working hard in the palace for such a long time, you should take this time to rest well. As for the date, I will choose myself, write out the birth charts." 

An eunuch speedily went over to the old man with an open book and a brush. The old man frowned and bowed, "Your majesty, the will of the heavens should not be taken lightly..."

"Write" The Emperor ordered more sternly. The old man's frown deepened but he motioned for one of his disciples to take the brush and write as he said out the words.

Prime minister Zhao frowned and tried to protest, "Your majesty, it would be better to choose someone else as Emrpess and keep Noble consort Lei close. Testing the wil-"

"Be quiet." The Emperor barked and then calmly said, "As the son of heaven, I naturally know heaven's will better than anyone else."

Prime minister Zhao knit his brows and lowered his head. He could not argue with that statement. He honestly did not expect the Emperor to be this smitten over the Lei family's daughter. 

{...Has he lost his head? Does he not understand the gravity of this decision?...}

Prime minister Zhao was disappointed. He had always thought the Emperor was the reasonable, calculating sort, just like his father....But now that he thought about it, even the late Emperor seemed to have lost his mind when it came to one woman. Prime minister Zhao inwardly sighed.

{...Truly like father like son...}

When the old man was reciting the information, the emperor got up and walked down. The eunuch presented the information to the Emperor, he glanced over it and then directed it to be shown to Defense minister Lei to confirm Lei Xing's details. 

Instead of looking at the chart details, Defense minister Lei bowed and said, "Your majesty, you should not put your own interests before that of the people. Proceed with c-"

"Confirm." The Emperor ordered. He was not in the mood to indulge pointless bickering over something he knew was not a problem. He did not need to be told about his compatibility with his wife. He knew better than anyone else how compatible they were.

Defense minister Lei hesitated, this was truly not a good move.

Regardless of whether this compatibility issue was true or fabricated, the Emperor reacting this way will escalate this issue to greater heights. It will inevitably cause trouble down the road. He was not in support of this, so Defense minister Lei tried to caution the Emperor again, "Your majesty, it is best not to make a hasty d-"

"The next person who voices an unnecessary opinion will be imprisoned indefinitely. Regardless of who you are." The Emperor angrily ordered, glancing around the hall. The officials all immediately stood on high alert and kept whatever opinions they had to themselves. The Emperor then narrowed his eyes at Defense minister Lei in a challenge and coldly said, "Confirm."

Defnese minister Lei quietly sighed, looked over the details and informed, "It is correct." 

"Good." The Emperor said and the book was brought back to him. He stared at the information, looking for inspiration.

Naturally, he was not a seer and did not know the first thing about divining auspicious dates, so he stared at it for a while and in the end just went, "The date will be on my birth date, a month from now." He personally never cared for his birthday and no one else seemed to care. So there was never a reason to celebrate, but with this, he will now have a cause to celebrate the day. 

It was a great choice, a perfect choice...Like Lei Xing. 

The Minister of Rites immediately advised, "Your majesty, that is not enough tim-"

"Make it enough." The Emperor cut him off and then menacingly said, "This is the end of this matter. The date has been chosen, make preparations and if anything goes wrong..I will hold each and every one of you here accountable. Is that clear?" The Emperor finished fixing his glare on Prime minister Zhao, who promptly bowed his head and all the other ministers followed suit.

The Emperor gave the room one last sweeping glance and then stormed off.

Prime minister Zhao inwardly sighed in annoyance. This did not go at all as he planned. After the Emperor left the hall, he straightened up and looked at Defense minister Lei's frowning face and felt a bit pacified. 

It was not a total loss and it would not be too bad if they let the Emperor do as he liked. 

After all, the Emperor had a high standing amongst the people, they even considered him to be almost god-like. But the people are fickle-minded and the moment things go bad, they will turn on him. And this decision today will haunt him and in the end, he will have no choice to succ.u.mb to the cries of his people to pacify the heavens by correcting this error he made this day.

And then, the Lei family will fall. The higher they rise, the harder they will fall and it will be a great sight to see.

Prime minister Zhao will naturally make sure to be there to watch. He had almost forgotten his sister's words, patience naturally reaps the highest rewards. Becoming Empress was easy, staying Empress was a problem. 

The moment things go wrong in this country, and they will go wrong naturally or otherwise.  Lei Xing will naturally fall and the position will naturally become vacant again.