The next day,
Just as dawn was breaking, people were already waiting outside the palace where Jiang Hao was staying. A servant knocked open the door, and more than a dozen palace attendants and maids entered at once. Some carried buckets, others held basins, while the maids carried clean robes.
"Imperial Physician Jiang, the Palace Steward has instructed us that the sacrifice will officially begin at the hour of the Dragon. His Majesty is to rise, bathe, and change clothes as usual," a palace attendant said.
Jiang Hao looked at the sky outside. That man really was impatient.
After bathing and changing, Jiang Hao followed the attendants to the rear garden. By then, the garden had already been surrounded by heavily armed guards. An altar had been set up in the pavilion, bearing the Three Sacrifices, four kinds of fruit, five grains, and other offerings. Several prayer cushions lay on the ground.
The First Emperor was already waiting nearby. When he saw Jiang Hao approach, he asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"Your Majesty need only stand respectfully to one side. Once I have completed the prayer ritual, sit cross-legged in meditation with me to demonstrate your sincerity. However, Your Majesty need not imitate me exactly. If you become tired, you may get up and rest," Jiang Hao said.
"I understand. Begin the sacrifice."
Jiang Hao reached into his sleeve, took out the Celestial Master Jade Seal, and placed it on the offering table. He then began the rites used in Daoist worship. Jiang Hao had only attended a Maoshan sacrificial ceremony once before, but he still remembered the rituals.
The rites were quite complicated and took roughly half an hour. Jiang Hao slowly sat down on a prayer cushion. Seeing this, Qin Shi Huang also sat down