Chapter 2#

A Golden Finger?#

Li Zhao walked along, feeling curious. In his past life, he had never heard of a celestial phenomenon like the sky “cracking.”

Prince Fu walked beside Li Zhao, draped an arm over his shoulder, and whispered excitedly into his ear, “Tenth Brother, what do you think is going on? Could it be…?”

Before the rest of the sentence could come out, Li Zhao manually “muted” him. This brat was right in his “chunibyo” phase; it would be troublesome if he said something he shouldn’t.

“Shh. There’s no conclusion yet, so keep your mouth shut.”

Li Zhao placed a forefinger over his lips. His phoenix eyes, inherited from the Emperor, looked at him with a smile. Prince Fu deeply understood why those noble ladies ranked his Tenth Brother first on the list of handsome men; he really was a charmer for both men and women alike.

“Mmph, mmph…” Prince Fu nodded to show he understood and pushed Li Zhao’s hand away, pouting. “Brother, don’t smile like that in the future. It’s easy to lead people astray.”

Li Zhao slapped his stupid younger brother on the head. “Getting bold, aren’t you? Daring to tease your brother.”

Prince Fu said indignantly, “Tenth Brother, you can’t pat my head anymore. I heard that patting the head stops you from growing tall. I’m going to be a Great General in the future.”

Li Zhao acted like a good older brother, pretending to pat him again, but Prince Fu dodged.

“Brother, don’t worry about that. According to my observations, if the parents are tall, the children are generally tall. It has nothing to do with patting the head. You’ll definitely grow taller.” This wasn’t a lie. Their old man was at least 190 cm tall, and their brothers averaged over 180 cm. Prince Fu’s mother was about 170 cm, among the tallest in the harem. Prince Fu was only fifteen now and already 170 cm; with his growth plates not yet closed, he could definitely still grow.

Prince Fu looked suspicious. “Brother, you wouldn’t be tricking me, would you?”

Li Zhao looked sincere. “How could I lie to you? Think about the heights of our siblings, then compare them to the heights of Father and their respective mothers.” Li Zhao waved Prince Fu off—be good and think about it yourself.

By now, the civil and military officials had followed the Emperor out of the hall and gathered on the white marble square. High in the firmament, a small patch of grey sky had emerged. From a distance, the overlapping part looked like a crack, creating a suffocating sense of pressure.

The ministers were astonished and turned pale with fright. Gasps of horror rose and fell as they whispered to one another. Some even swayed, needing to lean on their colleagues to stand firm.

Li Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up. He felt strange: this scene didn’t look like the sky cracking at all. Instead, it looked exactly like the “water mirrors” from the cheap-特效 xianxia dramas he had watched in his past life.

“Could it be that I didn’t travel to a parallel world, but a high-fantasy cultivation world? Did I switch channels from palace intrigue to xianxia cultivation?”

But as the water mirror expanded and gradually stabilized, Li Zhao dismissed the thought. On the water mirror, he actually saw the logo of a very popular short-video app from his past life!

Hamburgers, fried chicken, cola, Wi-Fi, air conditioning… Memories of modern society hit Li Zhao’s nerves like a tidal wave. Case closed! This wasn’t some strange omen; it was clearly his “Golden Finger” that had been lost for eighteen years finally arriving!

But looking at the terror of the surrounding officials and his Emperor father’s face, which was as solemn as iron, Li Zhao felt his scalp tingle. Wasn’t the entrance of this Golden Finger a bit too grand? He wondered if Ming Zhen was also watching right now and if he would be frightened.

He quickly muttered in his heart: “Hello? System? Main God? Customer service brother? Customer service sister? Can we talk privately?”

Watching this scene, the Emperor’s brow was furrowed, his gaze sweeping over the ministers like a torch. He said in a deep voice, “Ministers, who can explain this celestial phenomenon?”

At that moment, Prince Fu suddenly clapped his hands and blurted out, “Ah, I know!”

His exclamation was exceptionally clear and loud among the panicked officials. The Emperor immediately looked over to see his eleventh son with an expression of sudden realization.

In an instant, all eyes were focused on Prince Fu. Li Zhao was also puzzled; as far as he knew, his brother usually only cared about martial arts and military strategy and had never shown an interest in astrology or geomancy.

Prince Fu suddenly snapped out of his imagination about his height, realizing he had misspoke. Moreover, Father was asking about the celestial anomaly, and he hadn’t seen anything or known anything! He couldn’t exactly tell Father he was thinking about how tall he could grow!

The excited flush on Prince Fu’s face quickly faded, replaced by panic and shame. He stepped forward quickly to the imperial presence and knelt without hesitation: “Father, forgive me! I… I don’t know!”

This sudden turn left everyone stunned. Weren’t you just “realizing” something? How could you “not know” in the blink of an eye? The Emperor asked in confusion, “Oh? Then what did you mean just now when you said you knew? What do you know?”

Prince Fu didn’t dare lift his head, his voice full of regret: “In response to Father! I am dull-witted. Just now, my mind was gripped by the celestial phenomenon, and in my panic, I remembered Father’s recent admonishment to be steady in all things. So I stared closely at the crack, and for a moment, I dizzily overlapped this phenomenon with a vision of a chess endgame I couldn’t solve last night…”

He paused, appearing deeply ashamed. “Just then, I suddenly saw the light regarding the chess game. Overjoyed, I forgot where I was and blurted out, disturbing Your Majesty. In truth, I know nothing of the mysteries of the sky. Please punish me severely, Father!” After saying this, he kowtowed deeply again.

The Emperor remained silent, then sighed. “In the middle of the court, your mind is actually on a chessboard. How unseemly! It seems you still haven’t taken my teachings to heart! You are confined to your manor for three days to study. Copy the ‘Records of Careful Thought’ a hundred times!”

Prince Fu breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, I will certainly copy them well.”

“Ministers… is there any explanation?” The Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, throwing the question out again. His low voice broke the suffocating silence.

The ministers looked at each other, their faces filled with difficulty and fear. A few elderly ministers with white hair and beards moved their lips but ultimately swallowed their words and lowered their heads.

Li Zhao saw all this and understood. These ministers didn’t lack opinions; rather, they were caught between the words “auspicious” and “ominous.” Ancient people believed firmly in “resonance between heaven and man,” yet they didn’t realize that so-called disasters or auspicious signs were mostly attributed after the fact. Unusual celestial phenomena follow certain patterns, and good or bad fortune is an unavoidable norm; they just happen to coincide.

Regarding this unprecedented phenomenon, if they called it auspicious and a disaster occurred later, it would be the crime of deceiving the Emperor. If they called it ominous and the world remained at peace, it would be alarmist talk, shaking the foundation of the state. No one dared to carry such a heavy burden.

And his old man on the dragon throne couldn’t personally set the tone right now. Words from the Emperor carry immense weight. If he misjudged, it wouldn’t just be a loss of face. If someone with ulterior motives linked this phenomenon to his overthrow of the previous dynasty, it could cause unrest. For the Sheng Dynasty, which had been established for only twenty-some years and whose foundation was not yet fully solid, it would undoubtedly be a storm.

Li Zhao took a deep breath, stepped out of the ranks steadily, and bowed: “Father, I have a report.”

The most important thing right now wasn’t debating whether the phenomenon was auspicious or ominous, but immediately stabilizing the already wavering hearts in the court. He believed these ministers who had helped his father conquer the world weren’t ignorant; they just needed a way out, an opportunity to break the deadlock.

Hearing his voice, the Emperor’s sharp gaze snapped to Li Zhao. He narrowed his eyes slightly, silent for a moment, before saying: “Speak.”

“Father, I venture to believe that whether a celestial phenomenon is auspicious or ominous depends on where the hearts of the people lie. What matters most right now is not the phenomenon itself, but the hearts of the millions of people in the capital and throughout the world. We should quickly declare this as an auspicious omen and announce it widely, turning unrest into harmony, so that the hearts of the people are more closely tied to the court and to Father! This is the most vital step to stabilize the state and appease the people!”

“Indeed, Prince Rui’s words make sense.” The ministers nodded one after another.

Hearing this, the Left Chancellor immediately held his jade tablet and spoke steadily and swiftly: “Your Majesty, I believe the urgent priority is to immediately draft a proclamation to the people and have the Capital Prefecture post it widely in the streets and thoroughfares to first stabilize public sentiment. At the same time, the Capital Governor should be ordered to deploy more soldiers to patrol the streets and closely monitor movements among the commoners to prevent malicious people from taking the opportunity to cause trouble or riots.”

After the Emperor listened, his furrowed brow didn’t completely relax, but the corners of his tightly pressed lips curled up in a slight arc, appearing quite approving of this response.

“Granted.” His tone wasn’t loud, but it carried unquestionable decisiveness. “Proceed as the Chancellor proposed. Furthermore, quickly determine the extent of this anomaly—whether it is limited to the capital region or has spread throughout the world.”

“Pass my oral command to the Imperial Astronomy Bureau: they are limited to three days to clarify what kind of omen this is and submit a plan of action.”

“The Capital Prefecture must block all news and strictly forbid the commoners from discussing the celestial phenomenon. Anyone who dares to spread rumors or delude the people—” He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the ministers, and said coldly, “—shall be immediately imprisoned and punished severely as a warning to others.”

The officials bowed their heads. “Your Majesty is wise!”

Afterward, the Emperor looked at his son, who usually only cared about cockfighting and horse racing, with a gaze full of scrutiny and inquiry, as if he were meeting Li Zhao for the first time.

He said faintly, “How did you suddenly come out with these words? It doesn’t sound like you.”

Seeing his father’s surprised gaze and the scrutinizing looks from his brothers, Li Zhao knew that what he had said today didn’t fit his consistent “profligate” persona.

“Look at what you’re saying, Father. It’s all because of your good teaching. A brave father doesn’t have a cowardly son.” Li Zhao widened his eyes and looked at the Emperor, trying his best to appear sincere.

“Heh, don’t be glib. Do you think I don’t know what you’re like? Tell the truth!” There was a hint of helplessness in the Emperor’s tone, and his eyes held the insight of “I don’t know how much you’re worth, kid?”

Li Zhao spread his hands. “Alright, Father really has piercing eyes; I can’t hide it from you. Actually, Ming Zhen said it. Previously, I read a storybook with a similar plot. I didn’t understand how celestial phenomena were linked to fortune, so I went to discuss it with Ming Zhen.”

“Anyway, we talked from ‘white rainbows piercing the sun’ to something about the ‘Army Breaker’ star. I was confused by what I heard, but I remembered Ming Zhen’s words that the fortune of an omen lies in the hearts of the people. I thought I’d show off a bit, but who knew you’d see through me.” Sorry, brother, I’m using you as a shield.

Li Zhao acted depressed. “Sigh, you really don’t give me any face at all, Father.”

The Right Chancellor’s heart trembled upon hearing Prince Rui mention his son. He didn’t even know how his son had met this little tyrant Prince Rui. They sounded so familiar; his son wouldn’t be led astray, would he? He was his only child!!

“Ming Zhen? Minister Ming, that’s your boy, isn’t it?” The Emperor’s fingertips moved slightly, and his gaze held a hint of amusement as he turned to the Right Chancellor.

Seeing his nervous state, the Emperor couldn’t help but laugh loudly and patted the Right Chancellor on the shoulder. “Good, good, good! Ming Zhen is young but has unique insights. He doesn’t blindly follow the ancients and knows how to be pragmatic. Truly, like father, like son! He should be rewarded!”

The Right Chancellor was startled by the patting and waved his hands repeatedly. “Your Majesty overpraises him; I dare not accept! It was actually Prince Rui’s intelligence and guidance…”

Before his humble words were finished, they were drowned out by Li Zhao’s clear voice—“Father, what about me! You can’t be biased! Although Ming Zhen said it first, I added fuel to the fire too! You can’t just reward him and not me!”

The Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, looking at this son of his who was best at “climbing up a pole.” Seeing his “I’m very reasonable” expression, a hint of a smile flashed in the Emperor’s eyes, but he deliberately stiffened his face and drawled: “Oh? And what is this? Extorting your old man?”

Li Zhao was wondering why his father was so easy to talk to today. Hearing this tone, he immediately “hit the snake with the stick” (took advantage of the situation), cupped his hands, and said with a smile: “I wouldn’t dare! Father is wise. I want to first ask for that purple jade Duan inkstone that was recently presented as tribute from Duanzhou for Ming Zhen. He will definitely be happy if he gets it. As for myself… I heard a batch of night-luminescent pearls was just sent from the South Seas. They’re quite large, and I want to ask for one to admire.”

This was the truth. He had been eyeing that batch of pearls for a long time. They were big, bright, and very beautiful. But since they were rare tribute items with significant political meaning, he couldn’t easily ask for them without a reason.

Looking at his rascal behavior, the Emperor finally couldn’t help but laugh and scolded: “You brat, you’ll empty my storehouse sooner or later! Granted!”

Li Zhao smiled and bowed. “Thank you, Father.” From the corner of his eye, he looked at his brothers and saw they had returned to their smiling selves. His father was currently in his prime. Li Zhao believed that as long as he didn’t court death, he would live well during his father’s reign—provided he didn’t catch his brothers’ attention.

The current Crown Prince was the eldest son of the late Empress. He had fought alongside his father to win the world and believed in the “Doctrine of the Mean.” He was also capable and treated his siblings fairly.

If the Crown Prince ascended the throne, Li Zhao could take his mother to his fief. The world would be vast, and with leisure and money, he could be a free and easy little prince. It was a beautiful thought, but looking at history, being the Crown Prince of a founding emperor was a high-risk occupation. His other brothers with ambitions for the throne also appeared decent on the surface; he had to keep some back-up plans.