Chapter 728: Care to Record a Segment?
The crowd glanced at Gao Yiye on the screen, then turned to look at the Gao Yiye standing right beside them, a wave of bewilderment washing over them. "Oh? Saintess," someone piped up, "we thought you were either *in* there, or perhaps standing before another Celestial Mirror!"
Gao Yiye chuckled. "The Heavenly Lord had me record it beforehand, you see! I specifically came to watch what it looked like when it was played. Haha!"
Everyone burst into laughter. "Haha!"
Wu Shen, however, was completely bewildered. "Hold on, what?"
Shi Kefa, on the other hand, was mentally prepared. He, too, had once been recorded and played back, so he felt no pressure at all, none whatsoever.
On the screen, Gao Yiye adopted a very serious expression. "Yesterday evening, a thief broke into a home in Puzhou City. The amount stolen was substantial, so this person has been sentenced to three years in Huanglong Mountain Prison. Now, we will show you the entire process of this criminal act."
As she finished, Gao Yiye vanished, and in the center of the Celestial Mirror, the quiet, pitch-black streets of Puzhou at night appeared. Yet, the Celestial Mirror seemed to possess night vision, capturing everything clearly even in the profound darkness.
A shadowy figure, moving furtively, crept into the frame...
Dressed entirely in black, this figure seemed to melt into the night. They approached the outer wall of the Puzhou Textile Factory No. 1, then, using both hands and feet, scaled it and slipped inside. The camera then shifted, revealing another camera *inside* the wall, now tracking the intruder's every move.
They pried open the lock and pulled out a large sack of silver.
Just as the thief, laden with the heavy sack of silver, retraced their steps and began scaling the wall to escape, a brilliant beam of light suddenly shot down from the night sky, perfectly enveloping the culprit in its ethereal glow.
The thief was startled, looking up at the sky. Only then did they realize the brilliant beam was shooting down from the clouds—this was certainly no earthly light, but divine luminescence!
The thief instantly understood, dropping to their knees with a thud. "Heavenly Lord, Heavenly Lord," they cried, "I was wrong, I was wrong! Have mercy!"
From the sky, a giant golden hand descended.
But the colossal hand did not crush the thief. Instead, it picked them up as if plucking a tiny insect...
The scene abruptly ended.
The screen switched back to Gao Yiye, who was in the middle of weaving. When the scene cut back, she hadn't yet put down her work. She turned to the camera, a surprised look on her face. "Heavenly Lord, is it my turn to speak again? Ah! Alright, alright, I'm coming right away..."
Then the camera shook, the image blurred, and it took a moment to recover. Once again, the dignified and beautiful Gao Yiye appeared, smiling gently at the camera. "The Heavenly Lord did not kill this thief. He decreed that while theft is not a capital offense, the stolen amount was significant. Therefore, this person must undergo labor reform in prison for three years to cleanse their sins."
The onlookers clapped enthusiastically, and a chorus of murmurs and discussions immediately rose.
"Serves him right!"
"What a complete fool, right? To dare commit a crime on the Heavenly Lord's own territory? Well, now he's been caught by the Heavenly Lord's own hand!"
"Three years in prison is far too lenient for someone like that; he should get at least ten."
"I think he should be executed."
The crowd continued to debate animatedly.
On the screen, Gao Yiye was still speaking. "Has the test broadcast ended?"
Then, to everyone's surprise, Li Daoxuan's voice echoed from the large screen. "Alright, that's enough testing for today. Yiye, you can go back to your weaving; don't mind me."
Gao Yiye giggled. "Heavenly Lord, my weaving footage won't be broadcast, will it?"
Li Daoxuan replied, "That's hard to say."
Gao Yiye exclaimed, "Hey? How can you do that?"
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "Let everyone see how adorable our Saintess is, haha! We aren't aloof masters and ladies; we want to share our joy with the common folk."
Then, the screen wobbled, once again showing Gao Yiye weaving...
Although the image had changed, the voice continued to echo. "Alright, alright, I'm not afraid of it being broadcast. Anyway, the old villagers all know what I'm like, hehe."
Then the screen went dark.
Everyone watching the screen was left utterly dumbfounded.
Wu Shen was just as stunned. "This Celestial Mirror," he breathed, "is simply miraculous beyond belief!"
Shi Kefa nodded knowingly. "See? If you do something foolish and it gets recorded and broadcast, you're finished."
Wu Shen immediately felt an immense weight of anxiety. He frantically searched his memory, trying to recall if he had done anything remotely improper recently. After a long moment of contemplation, a broad smile suddenly spread across his lips. "Hahaha," he declared, "I conduct myself uprightly, my conscience is clear, and I've never done anything shameful in my life. A clear conscience fears no midnight knock! Even the Celestial Mirror won't find fault with me, hahahaha!"
Shi Kefa felt a pang of envy for Wu Shen. Unlike himself, he carried the embarrassing black mark of running like a fool on the Dragon Gate Bridge. "Ah," he sighed inwardly, "Minister Wu truly has it good."
"Speaking of which," Wu Shen said, seizing on a crucial point, "this Celestial Mirror is incredibly convenient for announcing important government decrees to the common people. Our official proclamations and public notices simply pale in comparison to this Celestial Mirror's power."
Shi Kefa nodded. "Too bad, this item only belongs to the immortals; we mere mortals shouldn't even dream of it."
Just as the two men were speaking...
Suddenly, Gao Yiye walked up to them, standing directly before the two officials. "Good day, honored sirs," she greeted.
Wu Shen and Shi Kefa clasped their hands in salute. "Greetings, Saintess," they replied.
Gao Yiye smiled. "You both just witnessed the promotional capabilities of the Celestial Mirror. Surely, you must have some insights regarding this function, right?"
Wu Shen nodded. "Indeed, we were just discussing how remarkably convenient this is for announcing important government decrees."
Gao Yiye nodded. "Precisely. And so, the Heavenly Lord has something he wishes to invite Minister Shi Kefa to assist with."
Shi Kefa looked greatly surprised. "Me?"
Gao Yiye continued, "Minister Shi Kefa's official post is currently Judicial Commissioner of Xi'an, correct?"
Shi Kefa's spirits lifted. "By imperial decree, your humble servant now serves as Judicial Commissioner in Xi'an, managing criminal cases and assisting in legal matters," he declared.
Gao Yiye continued, "The Heavenly Lord wishes to ask you: when presiding over cases, do you often encounter those ignorant of the law? People who clearly violate statutes but are completely unaware that their actions are unlawful and disorderly?"
Shi Kefa sighed. "Indeed, there are far too many such people."
Gao Yiye suggested, "Then, Minister Shi, why not consider personally appearing on screen and recording a program titled 'Shi Kefa Explains the Law'? In it, you would explain to the audience which actions are unlawful and disorderly, and thus forbidden. Wouldn't that be a truly benevolent act?"
Shi Kefa's eyes lit up. "Oh? Is that truly possible?"
Gao Yiye laughed. "Of course! As you just saw, I just recorded a segment myself, and the effect was quite good."
Shi Kefa immediately brightened. "This is a matter beneficial to both the people and the nation! Your humble servant is, of course, extremely willing. Please allow me to try. When shall we begin? Can we start right now, immediately?"
Wu Shen interjected, "Hey! You're here to escort prisoners with me to Huanglong Mountain!"
Shi Kefa retorted, "It's only a short distance from here to Huanglong Mountain; Minister Wu can simply send them off casually. But what I'm proposing is a matter of great importance to the nation and its people!"
Wu Shen was left speechless.
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