Just as the couple's conversation reached that point, a household servant came charging in, nearly tripping over the threshold, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Your Highness! Prince's Heir! Princess Consort! Dao Xuan Tian Zun has manifested in Xi'an City! Oh heavens—he's manifested in Xi'an again! A colossal Divine Mirror has descended in the central marketplace! A massive crowd is already gathering to see it!"
"What?" Zhu Cunji shot to his feet. "Manifested again?"
His eyes lit up instantly.
"Quick! Quickly! Let's go see it! The Heavenly Lord's manifestations are always incredible. Every single one is worth seeing!"
The Princess Consort also stood up at once, her movement swift and decisive.
"I wish to see it as well."
The couple hurried out together. Outside, their personal guards had already prepared the carriages and horses, sweeping them toward the marketplace at top speed. At the same time, Zhu Cunji's secondary consorts and concubines poured out as well, afraid of missing the excitement, all scrambling to be among the first to witness the spectacle.
Once they exited the princely estate and stepped onto the street, they were immediately confronted by a terrifying sight.
People.
People everywhere.
Countless heads surged in the same direction, flowing like a human tide toward the central marketplace.
Xi'an was no small city. It was an ancient capital that had hosted countless dynasties, with a vast population. The streets were packed so tightly that not even a needle could be inserted. The princely carriages were instantly swallowed by the crowd, unable to move forward at all.
The guards at the front shouted at the top of their lungs, trying to clear a path.
The common people were, of course, wary of the Prince of Qin's estate and wanted to give way—but the street was simply too crowded. Even if they wanted to move aside, there was nowhere to go.
Zhu Cunji and his entourage advanced at a snail's pace.
Hop—stop.
Squeeze—stop.
Push—stop.
Zhu Cunji was hopping mad with impatience.
As they struggled forward, Zhu Cunji suddenly noticed a familiar carriage ahead. He squinted, then burst into laughter.
"That's Lian Guoshi's carriage!"
It was indeed the Governor of Shaanxi. Clearly, Lian Guoshi had also rushed out to witness the Heavenly Lord's manifestation, only to be blocked by the same sea of people.
Zhu Cunji laughed heartily.
"Even if I, this Prince's Heir, don't get to see the Divine Mirror tonight, it's no great loss. I already watched Dao Xuan Tian Zun cast down a celestial bridge during the day!"
He laughed even harder.
"But Governor Lian? He saw nothing during the day, and now he'll see nothing at night either! Hahahahaha!"
It was the pure joy of watching someone else suffer.
Stuck—jostled.
Stuck—jostled.
After an exhausting struggle, Zhu Cunji and Lian Guoshi finally squeezed into the marketplace.
The square was a sea of heads, packed so densely that there wasn't even standing room left.
In one corner of the square stood a colossal rectangular object.
For most of the people present, it was the first time they had ever seen such a thing. Only Shi Kefa, Wu Shen, and a handful of others who had visited Gao Family Village recognized it immediately.
The crowd erupted in amazement.
"Wow! It's huge!"
"What in the world is that thing?"
"I heard Censor-Inspector Wu say not to be afraid," someone shouted. "He said this is a Divine Mirror, capable of showing things happening a thousand li away!"
"Is it really that powerful?"
"Master Wu is a man of great learning! If he says it can do that, then it must be true!"
"Look, Judicial Commissioner Shi is here too—he's saying the same thing!"
In one corner of the square, a large group of officials clustered around Wu Shen and Shi Kefa. The Prefect of Xi'an and many other officials were present as well, chattering endlessly and bombarding them with questions.
Wu Shen and Shi Kefa explained over and over again:
"Don't panic. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a mirror."
"As long as you haven't done anything against your conscience, there's no need to fear what it might show."
While they were still explaining, Lian Guoshi and Zhu Cunji arrived one after the other.
"Greetings, Governor!"
"Greetings, Your Highness, Prince's Heir!"
The lesser officials hurriedly bowed and paid their respects.
After the greetings, another round of explanations was unavoidable. Wu Shen and Shi Kefa once again praised the Divine Mirror's wonders from every angle.
Lian Guoshi listened quietly, then frowned slightly.
"So you're saying this mirror can show events from the past, the future, and even things happening a thousand li away?"
Shi Kefa nodded. "That's correct."
Lian Guoshi said skeptically, "But it looks pitch black to me. I don't see how it can show anything at all."
Zhu Cunji immediately echoed him.
"Yes, yes! Why is it so dark?"
Shi Kefa hesitated. "…I'll go take a look."
As the person who supposedly "understood the Divine Mirror best," he had no choice but to step forward.
He walked around the Divine Mirror in a circle.
Then another.
His brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
This is bad.
Shi Kefa began to panic.
At that moment, someone pushed through the crowd and walked in.
The man at the front was Wang Tang, Deputy Director of the Gao Family Village Office in Xi'an—and the adopted son of Principal Wang.
Wang Tang cupped his hands and bowed deeply to everyone present, smiling as he spoke:
"Everyone, there's no need to panic. I know how to operate this device. Allow me to turn it on for you."
He squeezed past Shi Kefa and went straight to the side of the Divine Mirror, where a very strange, oversized button was mounted.
Bracing himself, Wang Tang shoved it with all his strength.
"Thump!"
The button sank in—then popped back out.
Instantly, the Divine Mirror lit up, flooding the square with brilliant light.
The crowd gasped.
"It lit up!"
"It really lit up!"
"Manager Wang knows even more than Master Shi!"
On the illuminated screen, a row of enormous icons appeared along the bottom, each one as tall as a person.
Wang Tang selected one icon and slapped it decisively with his palm.
The screen flashed.
Gao Yiye appeared.
"People of Xi'an," she said, her face composed, her smile dignified and serene. Years of training had given her a bearing even more refined than that of a crown princess. Only the older generation of Gao Family Village knew that, in truth, she was a playful child at heart.
"My name is Gao Yiye. I am a news broadcast anchor, and also the messenger of Dao Xuan Tian Zun."
The crowd erupted.
"Wow! That means—"
"The Saintess!"
People instinctively tried to kneel, but the crowd was so dense that doing so would likely get them trampled to death.
Gao Yiye smiled gently.
"Since this is our first meeting, let's skip the formalities and allow everyone to experience what the Divine Mirror can do."
With that, the scene changed.
In an instant, the image transformed into an aerial view of Xi'an Prefecture.
It was as if an immortal's eye hovered high above the city, gazing down upon it.
Then the view plunged downward, swooping from the sky to the streets in a heartbeat, racing along a main thoroughfare.
The people of Xi'an exploded with excitement.
"That's me! I saw myself!"
"That's me buying vegetables yesterday!"
"My shop!"
"So this is how immortals see the world!"
The image passed through walls and rooms as if they didn't exist. It flew into the Xi'an Prefectural Yamen.
On screen, Shi Kefa was seated in the main hall, interrogating a prisoner.
The image shifted.
Lian Guoshi appeared, frowning deeply as he reviewed a stack of official documents.
It shifted again.
Zhu Cunji appeared—lounging in a small bamboo pavilion, holding a dancing girl in his arms while drinking wine.
The Princess Consort gasped sharply.
The secondary consorts and concubines all froze.
Zhu Cunji panicked.
"What? What's going on? Has the sky fallen? Why are you all staring at this Prince's Heir like that?"
The screen shifted one final time.
Wu Shen appeared—running across the newly constructed Wei River Bridge, arms spread wide, his expression utterly carefree and childlike, like a complete simpleton.
Everyone fell silent.
Wu Shen: "…Huh?"
He lunged forward, trying to block the screen with his arms.
But when even a single icon on the Divine Mirror was as large as a person, how could he possibly cover it?
The more he struggled, the more ridiculous he looked.
The crowd roared with laughter.
Shi Kefa covered his face with one hand.
"I knew this would happen," he groaned. "I told him not to run on that bridge. I told him it would be mortifying…