Quick Transmigration: After Fake Death, All the Protagonists I Flirted With Went Crazy

Gu Yao was the head of the civil officials. Standing at the front, even with his head down, the burning gaze from above felt like thorns in his back.

With a sigh, Gu Yao knew that Xi Yue was definitely up to something.

As expected, the old man, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present. This year, a new emperor has ascended the throne, and last year the south suffered a great calamity, with many people losing their lives. I propose that we invite the monks of Xinyuan Temple to the palace to perform rituals to pray for the souls of the deceased and for our Great Xuan Dynasty to enjoy favorable weather and peace."

Gu Yao raised an eyebrow. So this was where he was waiting for me.

This request is extremely reasonable, after all, this is a common practice in the Great Xuan Dynasty. If a major disaster occurs in the year before a new emperor ascends the throne, a ritual is performed in the year of his ascension to bring him peace of mind.

Xi Yue didn't agree immediately. Instead, he turned to look at Gu Yao with a half-smile, staring intently at Gu Yao, unwilling to miss a single reaction.

"What does Minister Gu think?"

I'll look at it however I want; you're just trying to test me.

Despite his inner grumbling, Gu Yao maintained a respectful demeanor, took a step to the side with the jade tablet in his hand, and bowed deeply. "I think it is feasible. Last year, the great floods in the south caused widespread devastation and the deaths of tens of thousands of people. This year, Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and it is appropriate to hold a ceremony to appease the people."

Gu Yao kept his head down, not letting Xi Yue see any expression on his face.

What he said was simply a rephrasing of the suggestion made by the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, making it impossible to find any fault with it.

Better safe than sorry, just in case you slip up somewhere.

Upon hearing this, Xi Yue's face remained expressionless. Instead, he gave him a deep look before smiling and saying, "Minister Gu's words are reasonable. Grant my request. Let's set the altar for the first day of the sixth month. All officials of the third rank and above in the capital should participate in the prayers for the people's salvation. Do any of you have any objections?"

Everyone kept their eyes down, their noses down, their mouths down, and their mouths down, bowing deeply and saying, "Your Majesty is wise; we will obey your decree."

Xi Yue nodded, quite satisfied, and gave Mu Chun a wink.

Mu Chun received a look from Xi Yue and coughed twice. "If you have something to say, speak now; otherwise, the court is adjourned."

"Farewell to Your Majesty."

*

The first day of the sixth lunar month is auspicious for breaking ground, receiving wealth, releasing water, and offering sacrifices.

Since it wasn't a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, the Ministry of Rites temporarily set up a sacrificial altar in the palace. The monks from Xinyuan Temple sat around it, striking wooden fish and chanting the Rebirth Mantra.

The dense and indistinct incantations were utterly uninteresting to Gu Yao, a Chinese man raised under the auspices of socialist science, and made him drowsy.

Unfortunately, he was the one with the highest official rank, sitting at the very front, with Xi Yue right in front of him, which prevented him from slacking off.

If he were to fall asleep during a ritual to pray for the souls of the innocent dead, those old scoundrels in the Censorate would drown him in their spittle.

Besides, this ritual was specifically aimed at him, so he had to be extra careful. Even if he was just pretending, he had to make it look convincing, since someone was secretly watching him.

Sitting on the futon, Gu Yao's back was ramrod straight, giving him an air of dignified composure to outsiders.

Ying Yi secretly observed Gu Yao. This Prime Minister Gu was truly not the slightest bit out of control. While others relaxed for a moment to some extent, this Lord Gu did not slacken in the slightest during the two-hour ritual.

After this long ordeal ended, the abbot of Xinyuan Temple, dressed in a patchwork robe and holding a nine-ringed staff, walked step by step toward Xiyue. He instructed the boys behind him to collect the prayer flags in everyone's hands, intending to take them back to the temple for worship.

Gu Yao stood behind Xi Yue, watching the abbot slowly approach. He raised an eyebrow, thinking, "This abbot is so young."

He looks so young that he doesn't seem like the abbot of a temple; he looks more like the boy next door. He has a baby face and an unusually fair complexion, like a white dough ball, which is very endearing. If he lived in the 21st century, he would have a lot of female fans.

However, his calm and composed demeanor was genuine, creating a strange chemistry with his face. His gentle smile always made people feel close to him.

Xi Yue showed him great respect, bowing slightly, "Master Jingchen."

Jingchen returned the greeting, but his eyes were fixed on Gu Yao behind Xi Yue. "Your Majesty, this humble monk feels a connection with Prime Minister Gu. Buddhism emphasizes predestined relationships. May I have a private conversation with Prime Minister Gu?"

Xi Yue was somewhat surprised. He hadn't been able to find anything wrong with Gu Yao today, but this born Buddhist disciple seemed to have hit it off with him at first sight.

No matter what he was thinking, Xi Yue always wore a smile on his face, after all, this Master Jingchen had a very high reputation among the people of Da Xuan.

"This is fortunate for Minister Gu, Master, please proceed."

Gu Yao felt uneasy under Jing Chen's ambiguous gaze. Despite his kind and approachable appearance, when those deep, unfathomable eyes fixed on you, you would feel as if he could see right through you.

Unfortunately, he couldn't refuse. It would be fine in private, but now it was in front of so many people, with so many eyes watching, and even the emperor had given his word. He couldn't possibly refuse him.

Besides, this Master Jingchen is no pushover either.

Gu Yao smiled and gestured for them to enter, then walked with Jing Chen to a corner of the garden.

The two stopped in their tracks. Gu Yao, adhering to the principle that whether he sticks his neck out or not, he would still get stabbed, took the initiative and turned to look directly at Jing Chen, "I wonder what Buddhist affinity Master Jing Chen sees in me?"

Jingchen smiled but remained silent, not answering Gu Yao's question. Instead, she looked towards a secluded corner, as if she were looking at something.

"The benefactor hiding in the shadows should leave first. This humble monk wishes to speak with Prime Minister Gu alone."

Ying Yi, hidden in the shadows, was precisely targeted by Jing Chen's gaze, and felt a chill run down his spine.

He considered himself to be one of the best at stealth in the world; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stand out among all the secret guards and become Ying Yi.

But when he met Jingchen's eyes, which seemed to be unmoved by anything, he felt completely uncertain.

Hoping for a lucky break, Ying Yi didn't leave. Jing Chen seemed helpless, sighed, bent down to pick up a pebble, and flicked it lightly with his fingertip. The pebble flew through the air, creating a gust of wind, and struck Ying Yi's face directly.

Ying raised his sword sheath to block, but was knocked back a step by the seemingly ordinary pebble, barely managing to deflect it, which showed how powerful the pebble was.

Yingyi looked at Jingchen with astonishment, her eyes full of wariness. Jingchen still had that same smiling expression, as if she had just casually tossed it aside.

With just one pebble, Yingyi could tell that the gap between the two was too great.

He couldn't beat Jingchen.

He had already shown mercy; there was no point in keeping him alive any longer.

He was completely convinced today, but Jingchen's martial arts were so good that it was still too dangerous, and he needed to inform His Majesty as soon as possible.

Holding his sword, he bowed to Jingchen and then flew away.

Gu Yao only saw the flower branch in the corner tremble, and then there was no more sound.

Jingchen bowed in return to Yingyi's departing direction before turning to stare at Gu Yao and getting straight to the point.

"Prime Minister Gu, if you were given a second chance at life, would you still make the same choice?"