The princess arrives and the prosperous Tang Dynasty begins

Not long after Lin Xiao and Li Yi returned to the palace, one night, a strange light suddenly appeared in the sky, and a purple comet tail streaked across the sky. The comet tail was like a burning sword, splitting the dark sky and instantly illuminating the entire night sky as bright as day. The palace and the people immediately fell into panic, and they all thought it was a warning from heaven and an ominous sign.

The next morning, the atmosphere in the court was as heavy as if a huge rock was pressing down on it. The ministers were dressed in gorgeous court robes, but they all looked nervous, whispering to each other and discussing things.

"Your Majesty, this is a warning from heaven. It must be because you have governed improperly and have angered God. We must hold a sacrificial ceremony and pray for God's forgiveness!" An old minister in his sixties was the first to step forward. His voice trembled, his face was full of fear, and his gray beard trembled slightly as he spoke.

"Humph! Ridiculous!" Another minister immediately retorted, "Your Majesty has been working hard to govern the country, how can you say that you are not governing properly? In my opinion, this may be a natural phenomenon, and there is no need to make a fuss."

"A natural phenomenon?" The old minister's eyes widened. "Such a rare and bizarre celestial phenomenon, how could it appear if the heavens were not dissatisfied with our Tang Dynasty?"

"Enough!" Li Yi sat on the dragon throne with a solemn expression. He swept his eyes over the ministers who were arguing, and said in a majestic and low voice, "My dear ministers, please stop arguing and listen to what I have to say."

The court fell silent instantly, and all eyes were focused on Li Yi. Li Yi took a deep breath and said slowly: "This strange celestial phenomenon is indeed shocking, but we cannot jump to conclusions before finding out the truth. Since I ascended the throne, I have worked diligently and wholeheartedly for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. I have never made any major mistakes. However, the matter of celestial phenomena cannot be ignored. I will definitely work with you, my dear ministers, to find the truth."

At this time, Lin Xiao, who had been silent all this time, frowned slightly, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you should not believe in superstition. Perhaps there is another mystery behind this strange celestial phenomenon. I think we cannot simply conclude that this is a punishment from heaven based on traditional concepts, but should use rational thinking to explore its real cause."

As soon as Lin Xiao finished speaking, it immediately caused an uproar.

"Your Highness, you are wrong!" A minister stepped forward and said, "Since ancient times, celestial phenomena have been regarded as the will of heaven. How can you easily deny it?"

"That's right! Your Majesty, please don't mislead His Majesty with your womanly views." Another minister echoed.

Lin Xiao responded calmly and neither servilely nor arrogantly, "My Lords, I am not denying tradition. I just think that when facing the unknown, we cannot blindly rely on old ideas, but should be brave enough to explore and seek the truth. This strange celestial phenomenon may be a natural phenomenon, or it may be caused by humans. If we don't investigate, how can we easily draw a conclusion?"

"Empress, although you are extremely intelligent, you must not make rash judgments on matters such as those concerning the will of heaven." An old minister shook his head and said.

"Sir, can we solve the problem by simply blaming your majesty for his improper governance or blindly holding the sacrificial ceremony?" Lin Xiao looked at the old minister with a firm gaze. "If this is really a warning from heaven, then we should reflect on our own behavior, find out the problem, and correct it, rather than just begging for forgiveness. Otherwise, wouldn't we have wasted our time and energy in vain, and might even miss the opportunity to solve the real problem?"

"This..." The old minister was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to refute.

"Your Majesty is right." A young minister stood up. "We can't just stick to the old ways. We should try new ways to solve the problem. Perhaps this strange astronomical phenomenon is an opportunity for us to reform and innovate."

"Humph! What do you know, you little brat?" A conservative minister snorted, "The laws of our ancestors cannot be changed, and traditional concepts cannot be violated. If we change them easily, it will surely lead to disaster."

"My lord, times are changing. If we don't keep pace with the times, how can we make the Tang Dynasty continue to prosper?" The young minister did not back down.

The debate in the court became increasingly fierce, and the ministers were divided into two factions. One faction advocated following tradition and holding a grand sacrificial ceremony; the other faction supported Lin Xiao's point of view and believed that the truth should be investigated.

Li Yi looked at the ministers who were arguing and felt very annoyed. He stood up and shouted, "Shut up!"

The court fell silent again. Li Yi swept his eyes across the crowd and said, "I have decided to send someone to investigate the cause of this strange astronomical phenomenon. During this period, the sacrificial ceremony will be put on hold. If anyone dares to use this to cause trouble and disrupt the government, I will not let them off easily!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" The ministers who supported investigating the truth said in unison.

"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate!" The conservative ministers looked worried.

Li Yi waved his hand, signaling the ministers to leave the court. Lin Xiao followed Li Yi and returned to the imperial study.

"My beloved, today in the court, thanks to you for speaking up for justice." Li Yi sat on the chair tiredly, rubbing his brows.

Lin Xiao smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I just said what I had to say. This strange celestial phenomenon is indeed strange, and we cannot be bound by superstition."

Li Yi nodded and said, "I also think there is something else going on. It's just that those conservative ministers who blindly follow the old system give me a headache."

"Your Majesty, don't worry. As long as we find the truth and speak with facts, they will have nothing to say." Lin Xiao comforted.

"Well, I have ordered people to collect relevant information, hoping to solve this mystery as soon as possible." Li Yi said.

Meanwhile, the debate in the court did not stop. Conservative ministers gathered together to discuss how to stop Li Yi and Lin Xiao's investigation.

"The Queen is so nosy that she even proposed to investigate the celestial phenomena. This is simply treasonous!" said a minister indignantly.

"Yes, if it is not stopped, it may shake the foundation of our Tang Dynasty." Another minister echoed.

"We must find a way to make His Majesty change his mind and hold the sacrificial ceremony again."

"But, His Majesty has already issued an order, what should we do?"

"We can unite with other ministers and put pressure on His Majesty."

"That's a solution, but we need to think about it carefully and don't rush it."

Ministers who supported the investigation of the truth were also actively taking action. They collected information from everywhere, consulted scholars, and tried to find out the real reason for the astronomical phenomenon.

In this tense atmosphere, the fate of the Tang Dynasty seems to hang by a thread. Whether Lin Xiao and Li Yi can uncover the mystery behind the strange celestial phenomena and restore peace to the Tang Dynasty is still unknown.