The little fox couldn’t understand what the imperial astronomer was saying, but when she heard the word ‘demon,’ her eyes widened in fear. Were they referring to her?
Although she was a fox, she was human on the inside. She wasn’t a demon! The little fox grabbed Huo Qing’s sleeve in unease and fear.
“The idea of astronomical phenomenons has always been nonsense. Imperial Astronomer, your job is to keep track of the weather, not to exaggerate and make up things about astrology,” said Huo Qing coldly. “There is no demon by our side. You’re overthinking things.”
“Your Majesty.” The imperial astronomer kowtowed and shouted in a mournful tone, “Your Majesty! You must believe this subject’s words! Venus is currently dim to the point there’s barely any light. Venus is the brightest star and represents Your Majesty! But now Venus is dim. Not only is this harmful for Your Majesty, it might be harmful for the entire country. Your Majesty!”
The imperial astronomer kept knocking his forehead against the ground until his head was completely bruised with an expression of sincere grief. The little fox was so frightened that she held onto Huo Qing’s clothes tightly and hid behind him uneasily.
“Your Majesty, regardless of whether you believe or not, it’s best to let the imperial astronomer check to see if there’s a demon around. That way Your Majesty and the ministers can be at ease,” said Ning Shu gently.
Huo Qing whipped around to bellow at Ning Shu. “Shut up!”
Ning Shu closed her mouth and stopped speaking. Huo Chengwang wanted to speak up to defend his imperial mother, but Ning Shu squeezed his hand and indicated for him not to.
“Your Majesty, Her Imperial Highness the empress is just worried about you. Your Majesty, please forgive Her Imperial Highness.” Marshal Xiao spoke almost imploringly towards Huo Qing despite his old age, causing the people who saw to feel bad for him.
Huo Qing was about to be angered to death by Marshal Xiao’s pretense. They were all treating him like he was an unreasonable, incapable emperor!
“Your Majesty, the most important thing right now is to figure out who the demon is. We must figure out who is the person that’s harmful to the nation of Yan. There were so many buildings in this palace, why was this strange building the only one struck by lightning? It means that this thing shouldn’t have existed in the palace at all.”
“Your Majesty, the woman beside you is a demon.” The old imperial tutor cried out, “Your Majesty, you’ve been bewitched by that woman! She’s a demon transformed into a human! She came to cause the downfall of Yan!”
When Huo Qing heard what the imperial tutor said, he was so angry that he almost passed out. He had clearly hid Hu er’s identity carefully, so how did these people find out that Hu er had been a fox?
Huo Qing’s eyes were red and he gritted his teeth so hard the muscles on his face trembled.
Ning Shu hastily pulled Huo Chengwang back a step and asked in alarm, “Your Majesty, didn’t you say that she was a county magistrate’s daughter? Why is she a demon? Your Majesty, hurry and come over here. Don’t stand with the demon!”
“You malicious wretch, shut up!” When Huo Qing heard Ning Shu repeatedly call Hu er a demon, he bellowed, “She’s not a demon!”
Huo Qing looked around. The empress was hugging Huo Chengwang worriedly and all the ministers were kneeling in the rain in front of him. He had a helpless feeling as if the entire world was against him. Behind him, Hu er was trembling in fear.
“Your Majesty, you’ve truly become muddled. You actually aren’t able to see such a clear reality.” Marshal Xiao then said, “This woman is a fox spirit that turned into a human to cause the country unrest. Could it be that Your Majesty doesn’t know the story of King Zhou of Shang and Su Daji? Is Your Majesty going to abandon this nation?”
>It looks like some of the readers knew the story before I did. Daji is a mythical fox spirit and the concubine of the last Chang Dynasty Emperor Zhou Xin who was a tyrant.
“Ever since this demon entered the palace, so many incidents have occured. She’s killed a member of the imperial family and pays no attention to social ranking. Your Majesty has been bewitched by this demon and pays no attention to the customs anymore. If things go on like this, the nation will fall into turmoil!” The imperial tutor knelt down with difficulty. His body swayed, but the ministers by his side helped steady him. He said in a determined tone, “Your Majesty, for the citizens of Yan, please kill this demon and allow Yan to be at peace again!”
“Your Majesty, please kill this demon and allow Yan to be at peace again!” The ministers cried out simultaneously and knocked their heads against the ground repeatedly.
The little fox’s face turned pale from fear and she shouted, “You obstinate feudalistic old men! You want me to die just because of a star? You all treat human life as grass! You’ll face retribution for this!”
“The demon has brought calamity to the nation of Yan and should be punished by death!” The imperial tutor looked at the little fox with disgust.
The little fox was taken aback. How was she a demon? How had she brought calamity? She was just a woman, how could she have that kind of ability? The little fox was scared and felt wronged. She had no past with these people, so what right did they have to decide her fate like this?
