Yu Xin lowered his eyelids and calculated with his fingers: "Your Majesty, the princes of the royal family do not need to be present!"
"Why?" the emperor asked, puzzled. The princes of the royal family were upright and righteous. Wouldn't it be good to have more uprightness?
“The princes are your sons, the dragon princes. One of them will inherit your throne and become emperor. Your righteousness will clash with that prince's righteousness. If both of you are on the stage, the law cannot be enforced!” Yu Xin explained the pros and cons word by word.
"I see!" Huang Li's eyes narrowed slightly. He invoked the heavens, recognizing the rare opportunity. None of the princes had ever witnessed such a thing before, and it would be a pity to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime chance. However, the princes were still young and would have another opportunity to witness it. Solving the current problem was the key.
"Very well, then I will lead all the civil and military officials to protect you. Have you chosen an auspicious day?"
"Your Majesty, it has been decided, and the date will be set for three days from now!"
Three days later, under a bright and cloudless sky, Yu Xin, dressed in a Taoist robe and holding a whisk, slowly walked up to the high platform. The emperor, along with his civil and military officials, also went up and stood steadily behind Yu Xin, looking at the altar where the ritual was being performed.
Women were strictly forbidden near the high platform. Shen Lixue, curious about the ancient practice, went to the palace, intending to stand at a distance and take a look. However, when she arrived near the high platform, she discovered that she was not the only one curious about this matter.
Li Youlan, the Crown Princess's principal wife and concubines, the imperial concubines, and many young noblewomen stood outside the hall, their beautiful eyes wide with curiosity as they watched the ritual performed in the distance.
The Crown Prince, Dongfang Zhan, the Fifth Prince, and others stood not far from them, their eyelids slightly raised, seemingly looking at the high platform or at the sky.
Shen Lixue already knew from Dongfang Heng that the princes were not allowed to go up the high platform, so she didn't ask any further questions. After standing for a long time, her back started to ache, and she was about to find a seat when she heard Li Youlan's voice beside her: "What's wrong, Consort Li? Are you feeling unwell?"
Shen Lixue glanced to the side and saw that Consort Li's eyebrows were slightly furrowed and her face was flushed, as if she had caught a cold.
"I'm just a little tired, nothing serious." Consort Li's soft words carried an air of indifference and detachment.
Li Youlan was slightly taken aback. Weren't they allies? Even if Consort Li didn't want others to know about their relationship, her attitude shouldn't be this bad, treating them like complete strangers.
Shen Lixue smiled faintly. Consort Li had fallen for her scheme to sow discord, and now she thought that Li Youlan was the one who had harmed her, so of course her attitude towards her would not be good.
"Would Your Highness like to sit down at those seats over there?" Li Youlan kindly suggested.
Consort Li showed no appreciation whatsoever. She glanced at the row of chairs and said indifferently, "I am completely exhausted and will not watch the ritual to consult the heavens. Please make yourselves at home."
Seeing Consort Li turn around, supported by a palace maid, and gracefully walk towards Yonghua Palace, Li Youlan's pretty face turned as black as ink. She thought good intentions were wasted on her, and that Consort Li was truly ungrateful. Did she really think Consort Li cared about her, a concubine?
Shen Lixue looked at the densely packed civil and military officials on the high platform in the distance and suddenly had a feeling that something unusual would happen today.
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... Thank you so much for the flowers, diamonds, and votes, everyone! Mwah!
Chapter 212 The Emperor was furious and killed Consort Li.
When the auspicious time arrived, the ritual began. Yu Xin held a long sword and a Taoist talisman, chanting incantations, and occasionally spewing out bursts of fire. Smoke swirled on the high platform, and Yu Xin, the altar, the emperor, and the civil and military officials were all obscured by the thin smoke, making them indistinct.
Shen Lixue is a modern person who does not believe in ghosts and gods, but she travels to ancient times and experiences strange things. The internal energy and lightness skills of ancient times are mysterious and unpredictable, which makes her more curious about everything in the world.
The emperor dreamt that lightning struck his dragon throne. The dream was peculiar, and the solution was also peculiar. Her intuition told her that there was something strange about the ritual she was performing to consult the heavens, which is why she decided to come and see for herself. However, the place where she was sitting was too far from the high platform, and there was smoke obscuring the view, so she couldn't see clearly how Yu Xin was performing the ritual to consult the heavens.
It was still early, and it was unclear when the ritual would end. Shen Lixue rubbed her aching lower back, slowly stood up, and prepared to take a walk nearby. Just then, Dongfang Zhan's voice rang out from ahead: "When will the ritual end?"
The guard respectfully replied, "Your Highness, according to Lord Yu, it will take at least half an hour."
Half an hour is an hour, and only a cup of tea (ten to fifteen minutes) has passed. There is still a long time before the ritual ends. Her lower back is sore, and she cannot sit or stand for long periods of time.
Shen Lixue, supporting Qiu He, slowly walked out of the crowd, only to see Dongfang Zhan also leave his spot and walk slowly along the bluestone path in one direction.
Where is Dongfang Zhan going if he's not going to watch the ritual? Although you can't see anything from his direction, he is the Azure Flame King Zhan. If he wants to compete for the throne, he should stay here peacefully and wait for the ritual to end so that the civil and military officials can see his sincerity towards the common people.
"Third brother, where are you going?" The fifth prince was puzzled as he watched Dongfang Zhan's figure gradually disappear into the distance. Did he just leave so casually and not want to show his face in front of the emperor?
"Go see the Empress Dowager; it's been a long time since I've seen her," came Dongfang Zhantou's gentle reply on the wind.
Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important. Dongfang Zhan's visit to the Empress Dowager was an expression of his filial piety. He did not attend the entire religious ceremony, so the officials would not say much. Moreover, standing there blankly, staring at the smoke-filled platform, would be much better than going to Yongning Palace to have tea and chat with the Empress Dowager.
The Crown Prince's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said leisurely, "It has been a long time since I have seen the Empress Dowager. Fifth Brother, would you like to come to Kunning Palace with me?"
"I live in the palace and see my mother every day, so I won't go to Kunning Palace." The Fifth Prince said lazily, his eyes gloomy. His mother's attention was all on Dongfang Hong. If he went to Kunning Palace with Dongfang Hong, he would be completely invisible and not valued at all. Why should he humiliate himself by watching the mother and son's affection?
"Then I will take my leave first." Dongfang Hong turned around and walked slowly forward, his blue robes fluttering gently, making him appear even more dashing and handsome.
Qiuhe stared wide-eyed in confusion at the empty seats where the two had been: "Your Highness, even Prince Zhan has left."
The emperor and his officials stood diligently on the high platform to watch the Buddhist ceremony, while the crown prince and Prince Zhan leisurely went to the palace to drink tea and chat. If the emperor found out, he would definitely be furious.
"Don't worry, they will all be back before the ceremony ends." The Crown Prince and Dongfang Zhan are both smart men, trying to find ways to showcase their talents and strengths in front of the Emperor, and would never do anything that would be detrimental to themselves.
It is only natural for people to leave for a short while during religious ceremonies to visit their elders whom they have not seen for a long time, and the emperor would not blame them if he knew.
Besides, this place is dry and hard. If you stand here for a long time, your whole body will ache. Only a fool would leave the comfortable palace and stand here waiting for the ritual to end.
Uh, it seems the Fifth Prince is still standing there, watching the ritual performed on the high platform amidst the clouds and mist!
Shen Lixue rubbed her aching lower back, held Qiu He's hand, and slowly walked along the bluestone path. Occasionally, she would look up at the high platform, where the orange flames were swirling in the smoke, growing stronger with each passing moment.
Yu Xin held a talisman on his longsword, chanting incantations. Flames shot out, and thin smoke filled the air. The bright sky gradually darkened, and patches of dark clouds gathered towards the high platform. Thunderclaps and lightning flashed within the dark clouds.
The emperor's expression changed slightly; the lightning that struck the dragon throne in his dream seemed to look just like this.
The dark clouds gathered more and more, pressing down lower and lower, gradually condensing into a thick black mist that poured down onto the high platform. Yu Xin hurriedly spread out white Xuan paper, assisted by Taoist talismans on both sides, held a long sword in his hand, looked at the black mist, and silently recited incantations.
The black mist rolled in layers, threatening to pour onto the high platform. The emperor and his ministers were all on tenterhooks, wondering what kind of natural disaster such a powerful black cloud might foreshadow.
Suddenly, a bright light appeared in the sky, and the thick black fog dissipated rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing a clear blue sky without a cloud, with golden sunlight pouring down, warming people's hearts. However, the emperor's face darkened: "What happened?" The ritual was about to succeed, how could it suddenly fail?
Yu Xin quickly calculated with his fingers, and his gaze also turned serious: "Your Majesty, there is something unclean in the southwest of the palace, which has disturbed my duties."
The emperor's gaze sharpened. The lightning in his dream also came from the southwest, an ominous direction.