Chapter 285 The Dragon Falls into the Shallows
This chapter is updated by Novelfree.ml
Heaven and Sea Cultivation Ground.
Hundreds of high-ranking officials and nobles of Heavenly Revelations City were standing respectfully with their heads bowed and their expressions reserved.
Despite how large the cultivation ground was, it was so silent not even the birds were chirping.
Only one person would occasionally yawn lazily, which seemed obtrusive, but nobody dared to oppose him. He was placed in the first row, only after the White Prince Xiao Chong and the Red Prince Xiao Yu, because his title was below that of a Prince, since he was only a Marquis. But, his status was not inferior to these two Princes. After all, when Mingde Emperor was away from the capital, he was the regent of state.
And the person who could discipline him was standing far away on the high altar.
Standing between the high altar and the hundreds of officials were sixty-four people arranged in eight rows and eight columns. There were thirty-two men and thirty-two women. The men were each armed with a shield and battleaxe while the women each held pheasant feathers and a flute.
"Music, rise! Dawn of Peace chapter!" A somewhat sharp voice sounded, and it was Jin Xuan Gonggong who had turned around, walked forward on the high altar, and raised his voice.
Vocal music rose, and the sixty-four people in the courtyard began to dance at the same time.
Majestic and dignified, it could only belong to the Emperor’s Eight Yi Dance.
"Welcome the divine god!" Qi Tianchen stood beside Jin Xuan and called out towards the sky, his voice as clear as a great bell.
All the civil and military officials knelt at the same time, neatly and orderly.
Standing at the highest point, Mingde Emperor also walked forward to ascend the stairs and kneel before the altar to the Supreme Deity and Ruler of Heaven to offer incense. Then, he turned to face the ancestral tablets of the forefathers and ancestors of the Xiao Clan imperial family to offer incense. Finally, he returned to his place, faced the prime position, as well as each coordinate position, to perform the ritual of three prostrations and nine kowtows. His expression was solemn and respectful, his demeanor dignified and stately. Behind him, the four Grand Eunuchs each held onto their treasured item, their faces devoid of expression.
"Offer jade and silk!" Qi Tianchen called out.
"Music, Scene of Peace chapter!" Jin Xuan Gonggong followed.
The annual Ceremony of Offering Sacrifices consisted of nine parts: welcome the divine god, offer jade and silk, offer up sacrifices, first prayer, second prayer, final prayer, withdraw the sacrifices, send-off the divine god, and inspection of the burning of offerings. Each ritual had its own set of protocols, but without exception, the end of each ritual required the Emperor to perform three prostrations and nine kowtows.
Even the ruler of Beili had to worship Heaven respectfully on the stage, what’s more for the hundreds of civil and military officials under the stage, who knelt rooted to the ground. The Ceremony of Offering Sacrifices lasted four hours, during which almost no one dared to speak. Most of the people frowned with a solemn expression on their face, remaining still from beginning to end. Only Lanyue Marquis whispered softly to Xiao Yu, "Look, even the Emperor has times when he’s tired."
Xiao Yu smiled. "Father can still stand up and move around, while we can only kneel the whole time. We’re not having it any easier than him."
"Go try it once and find out." Lanyue Marquis grinned maliciously. Last year, Mingde Emperor caught a cold and was unwell so Lanyue Marquis was the one who stood in his place for the ceremony. Hence, he was qualified to say something like that.
"Huang-shu, the Ceremony of Offering Sacrifices is sacred. Please stop discussing it," Xiao Chong reminded them evenly.
Lanyue Marquis shrugged, flicked his long sleeves and covered his mouth. Then, he discreetly took a bite out of a piece of lotus cake he’d hidden in his hand as he muttered, "I'm a little hungry."
All the civil and military officials who saw him didn’t dare to say a word.
"It's a pity that Ye Xiaoying didn't come today." Lanyue Marquis turned his head to look around. The heads of the three armies could be excused from participating in the annual Ceremony of Offering Sacrifices, and as expected, none of them attended this year. "But I heard that he was all ready to attend. Ah, but there’s still no sign of the Dragon-Sealed Scrolls this year."
Xiao Chong frowned slightly.
Xiao Yu's expression also changed drastically.
But neither of them said a word.
"Oh well, since no one is responding to me, I will take a nap." Lanyue Marquis closed his eyes slightly, and no one could tell if he was really going to doze off or if he was deliberately acting for the two Princes by his side.
The complex and solemn rituals of the ceremony continued, each verse and dance changing along, with each chapter of music played by thousands.
A whole four hours later, Qi Tianchen finally uttered the two words, "Inspect offerings."
A flame suddenly rose, and the silk that were written with words of worship to Heaven were thrown into the large incense burner and incinerated. Mingde Emperor raised his head and looked into Heaven, preparing to prostrate for the last time.
But he stopped suddenly.
All the officials were stunned, and the same question rose in their hearts at the same time, "What's wrong?"
Only Lanyue Marquis, who had been half-asleep and half-awake, opened his eyes and asked out loud the question that everyone wanted to ask, "What's wrong?"
Mingde Emperor was still standing, completely motionless.
In the Heaven and Sea Cultivation Ground, some people finally couldn’t resist whispering amongst themselves.
"Silence!" An angry shout rang out from the crowd, and immediately suppressed those hushed voices. But the person who said this was the one who was least silent earlier, Lanyue Marquis. Lanyue Marquis looked up at the high altar. Qi Tianchen, Jin Xuan Gonggong and the other four Grand Eunuchs had also noticed something was wrong, but none dared to move forward.
Nobody knew what happened to Mingde Emperor.
After half an incense stick, Mingde Emperor's body swayed slightly, and suddenly, he fell backwards and landed heavily on the ground.
The four Grand Eunuchs moved instantly, but someone was even faster than them.
Qi Tianchen and Jin Xuan Gonggong had already passed them and arrived beside Mingde Emperor.
"Assassin?" an official below the stage exclaimed.
"Insolence! There are nine thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army securing this place and on the platform are the State Preceptor and Five Grand Eunuchs protecting him. How could there be assassins!" Lanyue Marquis yelled angrily.
Indeed, there were nine thousand Imperial Army guards and on the platform were several martial experts in the Unfettered Heavenly Realm. Even if the two ranked in the Ultimate Experts List second tier, Baili Dongjun and Luo Qingyang, were to join forces, they wouldn’t even be able to step close to Mingde Emperor here, not to mention getting close enough to assassinate him.
The commotion was calmed down by Lanyue Marquis once again.
Qi Tianchen frowned as soon as he checked Mingde Emperor’s pulse.
"How is he?" Jin Xuan Gonggong asked.
"It's an ailment of the heart," Qi Tianchen replied.
Jin Xuan Gonggong furrowed his brows. Naturally, he knew that Mingde Emperor had an ailment of the heart. Ever since the case of Langya Prince’s rebellion, Mingde Emperor who had always been healthy, was struck with an ailment of the heart. Only a few people in the imperial court knew about this. But, he never thought Mingde Emperor would faint in public today.
No wonder the Dijun star was so dim recently. Qi Tianchen thought to himself silently. Initially, he had thought it was the events at the immortal mountain beyond the sea which had affected the imperial fortune, so he had tried his best to stop it. But, he didn’t expect the actual cause of the premonition to be here.
"Where are the celestial masters from the Directorate of Astronomy?" Lanyue Marquis shouted.
"Marquis." Two celestial masters swept down from the high altar.
"I will trouble you to lead the officials to leave," Lanyue Marquis ordered.
"We have opened the gates of the Cultivation Ground. The Daoist priests from the Directorate of Astronomy are already taking the lead."
"Thank the two celestial masters for your trouble." Lanyue Marquis took a step forward, leaped into the air and swept towards the high platform.
Xiao Chong and Xiao Yu were taken aback for a moment. Then, Xiao Yu immediately prepared to move forward and Xiao Chong also called for his attendant immediately. But the two celestial masters stopped them. "Please return, my two Princes."
"Lanyue Marquis can go there, why can't I?" Xiao Yu retorted angrily.
"The State Preceptor has ordered, do not allow the two Princes to go over."
"I'm a distinguished Prince of Beili. How is he qualified to order me around?" Xiao Yu scolded.
"The annual Ceremony of Offering Sacrifices has yet to end. During the Ceremony, the State Preceptor’s orders are even above that of the Emperor. The Red Prince should understand this."
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