Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 581

Chapter 581: Buddha Statue

“The Xu family did send people to see me twice, but I did not see them either time. It was not Minister Xu who went to the An Mansion personally,” An Xu said. “He’s the kind of person who always leaves room for maneuver in everything he does; he’s the most shrewd of them all. Why were you suddenly asking about him?”

Pei Que shook his head, saying it was nothing. “I just suddenly remembered that there are only two regents now, so I thought of this and asked.”

An Xu did not suspect anything. “Although Minister Xu is a bit shrewd, he is at least relatively law-abiding, unlike the Yun family, who got a little bit of power and then became arrogant.”

Pei Que hummed in agreement, thinking about the Yun family now. He guessed they must be very happy since he had said he would resign, giving them another opportunity.

In fact, Yun Xingbang was indeed very excited. He was about to return to court, and Pei Que had just left, so he saw a great deal of hope. Yun Xingbang sat opposite his father in bed. “Father, Pei Que really acted impulsively this time. Does he think he can return to court after resigning? What a joke! He was taking himself way too seriously.”

Hearing his son’s words, Yun Shengxing was pleased but reminded him, “Pei… Pei Que is very cunning. He… he must have a backup plan. Do not be so happy yet.”

Since his stroke, Yun Shengxing’s health had deteriorated day by day, and he could no longer even finish a sentence.

Yun Xingbang casually said, I know. did not worry; no matter how capable Pei Que is, he cannot make the Emperor apologize to him.”

Yun Shengxing did not think so. “If the Emperor… does not bow his head, what about the Empress Dowager?”

Even if the Empress Dowager returned to the palace now, the Baohua Hall would not finish being repaired. If the Empress Dowager returned, the Baohua Hall could not be used for worship, which would be a huge insult to her.

But right now, the people in the Ministry of Public Works were clearly Pei Que’s men; not a single one of the Yun family members was of any use.

With only five days left until New Year’s Eve, the Empress Dowager was tormented day and night in the temporary palace, wishing she could skin Pei Que alive and boil him alive.

Upon hearing his father mention the Empress Dowager, Yun Xingbang began to worry. He calculated the days and reassured himself, “The Baohua Hall should be repaired in two more days. The Empress Dowager will understand us. Besides, this matter with Pei Que was the Emperor’s own idea. If the Empress Dowager is angry, it will not be our fault.”

“Do you think the Empress Dowager is stupid?” Yun Shengxing frowned. “How could the Emperor’s methods possibly… possibly uncover those things? It was all because you secretly helped him.”

Indeed, Yun Xingbang was feeling stifled at home, with nothing to do all day. Knowing that the Emperor wanted to deal with Pei Que, he secretly helped quite a bit.

Thinking this way, Yun Xingbang still felt it was not a big deal. After all, it was just repairing the Baohua Hall. He had learned his lesson and would not make the same mistake again.

Thinking that as long as he could welcome the Empress Dowager back to the palace before his eyes, Yun Xingbang felt that nothing serious would happen.

However, what Yun Xingbang did not know was that a Buddha statue enshrined in the Baohua Hall, while everyone was busy working on it, suddenly broke off its head, and the golden Buddha head rolled a distance on the white marble bricks.

Those working at the scene were all frozen in shock.

After a while, when someone came to their senses, someone said, “This Buddha statue was sculpted according to the late Emperor’s wishes.”

The moment the words “late Emperor” were uttered, everyone immediately thought of the late Emperor’s edict. After all, in the hundred years since the founding of the Jin Dynasty, the current Empress Dowager was the first to be sent to guard the imperial tomb.