Chapter Eighty-Four: Stirring the Imperial City

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In truth, Qin Huaiyu and his two companions worried needlessly, for the city of Chang’an had long been firmly under Li Shimin’s control; not a single disturbance escaped his watchful eyes.

From the moment the hot air balloon soared over Chang’an, the fate of the four was sealed.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony!

“What’s happening? Has the commotion in Chang’an been investigated?” Li Shimin sat steadily upon the imperial throne, his voice grave.

Pang De immediately bowed and replied, “Your Majesty, according to reports from the guards, a giant sphere has appeared in the skies above Chang’an, glowing with flickering fire within, and accompanied by the plaintive cries of a sheep.”

A collective gasp swept through the assembled ministers; everything about this event seemed uncanny. A flying object appearing in broad daylight was as astonishing as the flying saucers filmed by people in later ages—no wonder it caused a sensation throughout the city.

“Grand Eunuch Pang, have you determined what it is up there?” Wei Zheng stepped forward.

“We know nothing yet, but the citizens of Chang’an are spreading word that it is the manifestation of the Sheep Immortal. However, there is another story circulating,” Pang De hesitated, casting a glance at the ranks of military officers before continuing, “The young masters of the Dukes of E, Lu, and Yi, along with the Mo family’s scion, were seen chasing this object in the streets, claiming it was their sky lantern that had flown away.”

“Sky lantern?” Li Shimin felt a pang in his teeth. Could a sky lantern be so enormous? And with the cries of a sheep atop it?

“Our sons!” Qin Qiong and his fellows grew restless. It had never occurred to them that their three sons might be involved in this affair, yet upon hearing that Mo Dun was present, they knew in their hearts it could not escape the three of them.

“Your Majesty, please pardon us! I will bring those unruly boys here at once, so they may offer Your Majesty a proper explanation,” Qin Qiong said, his face dark, bowing quickly before hastening away.

Not long after Qin Qiong’s departure, a sudden commotion arose outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

“Your Majesty, the Sheep Immortal has appeared southwest of the Imperial City!” a guard rushed in to report.

“There is no Sheep Immortal; that’s a sky lantern!” Cheng Yaojin corrected, his face stern.

Now that their own children were implicated, they could not allow the matter to be attributed to supernatural causes.

“Whether it is the Sheep Immortal or a sky lantern, let us see for ourselves.” Li Shimin swept his sleeve and strode out of the hall, followed by his ministers.

Southeast of the Imperial City—

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A crowd of ministers stared in astonishment at the enormous sphere floating in the sky. By now, most of the charcoal in the furnace had burned away, and the hot air balloon was descending. The black sheep was hoarse from its cries, only occasionally uttering a feeble wail that echoed down.

The scene was remarkable; belief in spirits and deities was widespread in this era, and ascending to the heavens was every man’s dream. What they witnessed shattered their worldview—if even the Sheep Immortal appeared, surely it was a celestial being!

A celestial being visiting the glorious Tang dynasty—was this not a sign of Heaven’s favor, an auspicious omen?

“Ahem! This sky lantern is indeed enormous!” Only Cheng Yaojin, thick-skinned as he was, dared to speak.

The others rolled their eyes in silence. They had seen it with their own eyes: the thing drifting in the sky truly resembled an enlarged sky lantern. Yet what was the meaning of those anguished sheep cries?

All the ministers knew of sky lanterns; they were worldly and well-informed. They understood that, if a sky lantern were enlarged enough, perhaps such a feat could be achieved.

“Your Majesty, the object in the sky is now within range of the Eight-Ox Crossbow. We can shoot it down!” Commander Li Junxian reported.

The Hundred Riders were the palace guards, responsible for the safety of the Imperial City. With an unidentified flying object overhead, Li Junxian’s first instinct was to bring it down.

Li Shimin, seasoned and resolute from countless campaigns, hesitated only briefly before approving Li Junxian’s proposal. Even celestial beings could not fly unchecked above the palace—anything overhead was a threat.

The Eight-Ox Crossbow was the Tang army’s mightiest weapon, with a massive base and strong cords requiring eight soldiers to operate. It was a heavy weapon, used only for defense.

Due to its bulk, it could only be used for city defense. Each gate of the Imperial City was equipped with ten Eight-Ox Crossbows, enough to tear apart any invading enemy.

Thumb-thick arrows were set in the slot; the crossbows were ready.

“Fire!”

At Li Junxian’s command, with a buzzing roar, a giant arrow shot skyward—but missed.

“Adjust aim! Fire the second!” Li Junxian ordered calmly.

Soon, the second and third arrows followed.

One arrow tore through the basket, ripping open part of it and startling the exhausted black sheep, which cried out even more pitifully.

Finally, the fifth arrow grazed the balloon, tearing a huge gash. Cold air rushed in, and the balloon descended rapidly.

As the balloon came into view, its huge basket, a gas bag as large as two rooms, and the flickering furnace made clear to all that this was indeed a giant sky lantern—far larger than any they had ever seen.

“So it really is a sky lantern!”

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Li Shimin’s expression was conflicted; he felt both relief and disappointment.

An emperor is a peculiar creature—he commands the fate of all, yet is never satisfied. He yearns for achievements, for fame that will last through the ages, for all the world to bow before him, for three thousand beauties in his harem. When he has tasted every delight, his mind turns to greater dreams—immortality.

The massive hot air balloon was hooked and hauled by soldiers, slowly drawn to Li Shimin’s side.

At the same time, the chief culprits were brought before Li Shimin: Mo Dun and the three sons of Qin Huaiyu.

“Bang!”

The giant basket hit the ground, the furnace’s fire fading, the balloon losing heat and deflating, sprawling across a vast stretch of ground.

“Crack!”

The basket, battered by the Eight-Ox Crossbow, finally collapsed. A trembling black sheep staggered out, bleating miserably, clearly still terrified.

The ministers looked left and right, finally confirming that it was indeed an ordinary black sheep.

“Your Majesty, your servant has apprehended all four culprits!” Qin Qiong bowed.

He had left and returned in less than fifteen minutes—not due to efficiency, but because he found the four frantically circling at the foot of the palace as soon as he stepped outside.

With a single command, a large group of soldiers bound them and brought them to the palace. Mo Dun never imagined he would fulfill his dream of entering the palace in such a manner.

All the ministers focused their gaze on the four—more precisely, on Mo Dun.

They were already familiar with the three mischievous sons of Qin Huaiyu, but Mo Dun, the young man who had stirred up Chang’an in recent days, intrigued them.

Who would have thought that the famed Mo family scion was such a refined youth?

“I say, this really has nothing to do with me! Do you believe it?” Mo Dun laughed awkwardly.