I was kicked out of the house, and I was reborn and became the emperor

Time goes by, and in the blink of an eye it is already the beginning of summer in April.

Today, the Great Zhou Empire is immersed in the solemnity of praying for blessings, praying for a peaceful and smooth year.

In the far suburbs of Kyoto, the vast outline of Yongling looks even more solemn in the morning light, and thousands of elite guards have been on high alert since dawn.

Fang Yi, a young talent at the peak of his career, arrived here early in a beautifully carved carriage, full of awe, ready to participate in this grand sacrificial ceremony.

After all, such honor is only reserved for royal nobles, and he happened to be the one who witnessed it and was in the limelight.

During the ceremony, two cautious and meticulous eunuchs stayed close to Fang Yi, whispering reminders of various details while keeping a close watch to prevent Fang Yi, who was participating for the first time, from being disrespectful. Even Emperor Taining was secretly worried and hoped that everything would go well.

The noon bell rang melodiously, the complicated ritual finally came to an end, and the real highlight quietly began.

Following ancient etiquette, the emperor will hold a banquet in the palace next to Yongling to celebrate the successful completion of the sacrifice.

Before the banquet begins, the emperor will take the beauties in the harem and the princes to tour the palace gardens, while important ministers such as Fang Yi will have to stay at the banquet and wait for the emperor's return.

Although he sat at the last seat which was not very prominent, Fang Yi's figure was like a magnet, attracting the attention of countless colleagues.

Over the past few days, many court officials have tried to make friends with him, but were all rejected by Fang Yi. He has his own ambitions in mind and is unwilling to get involved in the game of power easily.

Soon, with the return of the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty with his harem and princes, the banquet hall fell into silence and the air seemed to freeze.

Emperor Taining took his seat, which meant that the Cold Food Festival luncheon officially began.

This is a banquet to commemorate the past and look forward to the future. There are no complicated songs and dances, no luxurious banquets, only cold food and cold wine, and undercurrents of political calculations.

Fang Yi straightened his clothes and calmly returned to his seat, his eyes sweeping over the eight adult princes in front of him.

Among them, the third prince and the sixth prince are particularly outstanding. They are not only the popular candidates to inherit the throne, but also the focus of wisdom and power.

Fang Yi knew very well that this banquet might just be the prelude to the coming storm.

as predicted.

After three rounds of drinks, the banquet was getting better and better.

At this time, a tall and straight-statured general stood up and walked forward steadily, intending to make a speech.

"This must be Lord Duanmu Kang, the Deputy Governor of Yanzhou, right? Is there anything important you need to report to me?" Emperor Taining asked with a gentle tone.

Duanmu Kang bowed and saluted with a respectful attitude, "Your Majesty, I have no urgent business to present. I only present an urgent letter from the Grand Commander. I hope Your Majesty can read it and reply as soon as possible."

After saying this, Duanmu Kang respectfully raised the letter with both hands, his eyes determined.

Emperor Taining took the letter from the eunuch, unfolded it and read it, with a wry smile on his face, "The problem the Grand Commander is facing is indeed a headache. His daughter even threatened to commit suicide in order to refuse the marriage. Is my son really so unbearable?"

It turned out that at the beginning of the year, Emperor Taining had arranged a marriage between Zhuge Jingqi, the daughter of Zhuge Zhan, the Grand Commander of Yanzhou, and the Eighth Prince.

Deputy Governor Duanmu Kang continued, his voice humble but firm, "Your Majesty, the Grand Governor has pleaded many times, saying that a dog girl is not a good match for a dragon descendant, and before Your Majesty granted the marriage, Zhuge Jingqi already had an old contract with the eldest son of the Xingguo Marquisate. I hope Your Majesty will consider the Grand Governor's many years of guarding the border and his loyalty, and allow him to cancel this improper engagement."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Taining frowned slightly, obviously struggling inside.

Yanzhou is strategically located, and we would not feel at ease if we could not marry the Grand Commander's daughter into the royal family.

However, when his eyes swept across the Yanzhou representative, his original dissatisfaction and anger seemed to subside, and his voice returned to calm.

"I have also heard about the eldest son of the Marquis of Xingguo. He is not a good match for Jingqi. So, today I will be willful for once. Since Zhuge Zhan does not want his daughter to marry into the royal family, how about letting her marry the Marquis of Guanjun?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room was in an uproar. Fang Yi was also stunned. He was originally a bystander, but how could he have expected to become the center of the storm in an instant?

Duanmu Kang saw this and knelt down hurriedly, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not possible! How should I explain this to you when I return?"

Emperor Taining's expression was stern. "Explain? Let me ask you, is Yanzhou now Zhuge Zhan's territory, or is it my world?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone understood.

Emperor Taining intended to marry Zhuge Jingqi to someone without a strong background in order to strengthen his control over Yanzhou.

Duanmu Kang was terrified, knowing that any excuses would be unnecessary at this moment.

Shangguan Ba ​​saw this and hurriedly stepped out, "Your Majesty, the Champion Marquis is young, this seems inappropriate!"

"Oh? In that case, the Xingguo Marquis family is more suitable? I remember that Shangguan Qing has a close personal relationship with them!"

Shangguan Ba ​​tried to explain himself, but was interrupted by Emperor Taining, "No need to say more, I have no intention of investigating further."

Emperor Taining waved his hand lazily and continued, "Duanmu Kang, let's put it this way. I agree to this marriage today, but there is a condition - Fang Yi must go to Yanzhou for training. If he can do something, it will prove his ability; otherwise, I will cancel this marriage!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Duanmu Kang kowtowed quickly to express his gratitude, and finally got an explanation.

Emperor Taining nodded slightly, then turned to Fang Yi, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

"Are you willing to accept it?"

"Your humble servant...Your humble servant is willing!"

Fang Yi leaned forward to answer, but his heart was filled with doubts. What exactly did Emperor Taining's secret look imply?

We can only find the answer after the banquet.

"Today's lunch was quite interesting. It's getting late, please follow me back to the palace."

As soon as Emperor Taining finished speaking, the chief eunuch immediately shouted, "Go back to the palace!"

Soon, Emperor Taining led his ministers to leave Yongling. Only Fang Yi and several guards were left in the grand palace, which was empty and silent.

……

At dusk, Fang Yi strolled through the secluded paths of the Yongling Garden. Unfortunately, he was without the company of his pretty maid Xiaorou, so he could not hold her delicate fingers and appreciate the beautiful scenery of the garden together.

Even without Xiaorou's company, Fang Yi's confusion did not decrease. Instead, he fell into a dilemma of being lost.

Even more unfortunate was that they were surrounded by silent woods, and there was not even a patrolling guard to be seen.

As the last ray of sunset disappeared in the sky, Fang Yi became anxious and decided to rush in one direction, but accidentally stepped into a desolate cemetery.

Although this cemetery was built to be as quiet and elegant as a Taoist temple, it became a bit mysterious and eerie under the night. Especially after the officials offered sacrifices, the lingering fragrance in front of several tombs added an unusual atmosphere.

The night wind was mixed with the cries of night owls, like the cry of a baby, which made Fang Yi's hair stand on end.

He plucked up his courage and stepped into the cemetery, hoping to seek help from the tomb keeper, but the moment he stepped through the mountain gate, he seemed to catch a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing by in the corner of his eye.

Then, the blurry black shadow reappeared, like a ghost, following closely behind and lingering.