OBS Chapter 204 The sky has collapsed, but the goddess is holding it up!
Chapter 204 The sky has collapsed, but the goddess is holding it up!
The day before the grand assembly, the stories in the women's newspaper reached their climax!
The story's influence spread explosively, and even in government offices throughout the capital, discussions about it could be heard.
The Crown Prince was in the Eastern Palace, holding a women's newspaper in his hand, and the more he read, the angrier he became.
He then swept the cup across the table, and the teacups and utensils fell to the ground and shattered!
Mei Xingyue was pushed in a wheelchair by Yuan Xing. She looked at the Crown Prince's anger and was somewhat puzzled.
"Your Highness, what has caused you to be so angry?"
The crown prince angrily threw the newspaper on the ground and cursed, "Bitch! That bitch Ning He dared to write such a story in the newspaper."
Yuanxing squatted down to pick up the newspaper, glanced at it casually, his brow twitched, and he exchanged a glance with the Crown Prince, feeling somewhat guilty.
Although the story in the newspaper did not name names, the details were so vivid that it seemed as if the author had witnessed it firsthand.
Having personally experienced everything, Yuanxing couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine!
They thought they could cover up the beast tide incident, but unexpectedly, it was published in the newspaper.
"Father, this..."
Mei Xingyue picked up the newspaper and shuddered when she saw the words "Women's Newspaper".
"Your Highness, you just asked who runs this newspaper?"
The Crown Prince casually said, "Ning He, the daughter of Prime Minister Ning, is also Lu Zhiyan's first wife."
Mei Xingyue's heart pounded wildly; it was a newspaper!
It's still the Women's Daily. Could Ning He also be a time traveler?
She had seen revolutionary women in the city reading this kind of newspaper. How could someone in the Great Zhou Dynasty actually publish a women's newspaper?
Mei Xingyue initially thought that Lu Zhiyan's concubine, Su Yunjin, was a time traveler, but she didn't expect that she had suspected the wrong person. It turned out that Lu Zhiyan's first wife was the one.
Seeing that Mei Xingyue was absent-minded, the Crown Prince said, "Haven't you ever seen a newspaper? This thing is nothing new. The most famous one is Bai Xiaosheng's Jianghu Gazette. This Women's Gazette is just copying what others have said."
Mei Xingyue certainly knew about the Jianghu Gazette, but this was the first time she had ever seen a Women's Gazette!
What kind of place was the Great Zhou? A feudal dynasty, an imperial society—could it tolerate the existence of a women's newspaper?
Even in her own world, women running newspapers were met with criticism and judgment.
"Your Highness, the story in the newspaper is just a lie. Why are you so angry?"
The Crown Prince was furious but could not tell Mei Xingyue that the villain being vilified in the newspaper was him!
Yuanxing asked, "Father, why isn't this story finished? Who is this villain?"
"I heard that the final episode will air tomorrow, revealing the villain's identity."
Yuan Xing's scalp tingled slightly, and he had a feeling that something was wrong, something beyond his expectations.
Tomorrow is the grand court assembly, the moment that will decide his fate!
Only if the Crown Prince retains his position as heir apparent will his points have any hope.
The sudden appearance of this story in the Women's Daily, with the ending set for tomorrow, made Yuanxing sense danger.
The crown prince had already adjusted his mindset. So what if many people knew about the beast tide?
What evidence do these people have to say that he was the one who led the beast tide?
Zhu Zhen's fire destroyed all the witnesses and physical evidence long ago.
If the Women's Daily dares to reveal his identity, it will be completely banned!
Even Ning He won't have a good ending.
Slandering the Crown Prince is a capital offense!
The Crown Prince looked at Mei Xingyue and said softly, "Xingyue, we must not slacken our efforts in benefiting the people. We must not allow any problems to arise before or after tomorrow's grand court assembly."
Mei Xingyue nodded, her face full of confidence.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, there are enough food and charcoal. No one can use this as leverage against us."
As Mei Xingyue spoke, she glanced at Yuanxing.
The charcoal and food were supplied by Yuanxing. The youngest son had promised that there would be no problem supplying all the food and charcoal for a month.
It's not even been seven days yet, what kind of trouble could possibly happen?
Yuan Xing did not respond to Mei Xingyue's gaze, and the hairs on his body began to stand on end.
An immense fear slowly rose from the bottom of his heart, almost shattering his Buddhist resolve!
In his mind, it was as if an invisible hand was about to crush him.
A cold sweat broke out on her back, and Yuanxing suddenly said, "Father, my elder brother's injuries are serious. I will stay in the East Palace to take care of him tomorrow and will not accompany you and Mother to the Fengtian Hall."
The Crown Prince was puzzled: "Xiao Yue, haven't you always wanted to go to the Grand Court Assembly? The Imperial Noble Consort made an exception and allowed you to go to the palace with Xingyue, so why didn't you go?"
Yuanxing roared wildly in his heart!
I'm too scared to go!
I have a feeling that something terrible is going to happen if I go there.
But he remained calm: "My elder sister is missing and my elder brother is seriously injured. I really have no mood to go to the Grand Court Assembly. I'd better stay at the Eastern Palace to take care of my elder brother!"
The Crown Prince was very pleased to hear that Yuanxing was so filial.
Although the eldest son is ruined, the younger son is also quite good. If properly nurtured, he may very well become the next crown prince.
Heaven has been kind to me, bestowing upon me three exceptional sons!
Once the grand court assembly tomorrow solidifies the position of crown prince, the next step will be to rule the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The prince, lost in his daydream, reached out and put his arm around Mei Xingyue's waist, laughing heartily.
Only Yuanxing was tense all over, his heart pounding with fear.
…………
The porridge stall in the south of the city, in the warm pavilion behind the house.
The head palace maid, Peach Blossom, is drinking tea.
Mei Xingyue didn't come today, so leaving her in charge here means Peach Blossom can finally relax and doesn't have to serve anyone.
Before he could even take two sips of tea, a steward hurriedly knocked on the door and came in.
"Aunt Peach Blossom, why are you still drinking tea? Something terrible has happened!"
Peach Blossom remained calm. "What's wrong with it? Even if the sky falls, the Goddess of the Eastern Palace will hold it up. What are you afraid of?"
The steward, however, turned pale. "This...this is something even a goddess might not be able to withstand."
Upon hearing this, Peach Blossom stood up and asked seriously, "What is it?"
"Auntie, we're running out of food and charcoal!"
"Impossible!" Peach Blossom said decisively. "When the charcoal and food were being transported that day, the goddess said that they would last for more than a month. How come they were running out in less than seven days?"
The manager looked bitter.
"Auntie, don't you know about this?"
"On the afternoon of the first day the goddess bestowed her blessings upon the people, she changed the thick porridge to dry rice, and there was no limit to the amount that could be taken."
"When those refugees saw that there was a bargain to be had, they kept queuing up, and our soup kitchen was consuming several times more each day."
Upon hearing this, Peach Blossom's serious expression gradually faded.
"Now that you mention it, I do remember. How long can our food supply last?"
The steward truthfully replied, "I'm afraid we won't even make it past noon today... Aunt, do you think we should quickly inform the goddess?"
"I see..." Peach Blossom pondered for a moment, then calmly said, "Tomorrow is the Grand Court Assembly. Both the Goddess and His Highness the Crown Prince must attend court, so they must not be distracted."
"Such a trivial matter, there's no need to trouble the goddess! How about this, let's change the rice to thin porridge now and get through today before we talk about it again."
The manager, upon hearing this, became somewhat worried.
“But Aunt, even if we get through today, what about tomorrow? I’m afraid there won’t be a single grain of rice left.”
There's nothing better!
But Peach Blossom didn't say that the person in charge wasn't from the Crown Prince's Palace; he was just sent by the Ministry of Revenue to help.
Therefore, he did not understand how much the servants of the Eastern Palace hated Mei Xingyue!
"If it's not there, then it's not there. Tomorrow is the seven-day deadline, and the Goddess has fulfilled her promise to the Imperial Noble Consort. Why do you care so much?"
The steward was still a little worried and continued to persuade her, "But Aunt, when the goddess came to distribute porridge, she said that she would take care of the people to the end, and that she had an inexhaustible supply of food and charcoal."
"If we can't even produce a single grain of rice tomorrow, I'm afraid these refugees will riot!"
It's even better if they cause trouble!
With a smile on her peach blossom face, she said, "You don't need to worry about that. The goddess is an auspicious omen sent from heaven, and she is the crown prince's darling. Even if someone causes trouble, what can they do to the goddess?"
"They're just troublemakers. His Highness the Crown Prince can send the Imperial Guards to suppress them. But can some lowly commoners really cause any big trouble?"