The Ancestral Worship Ceremony
It was still dark, before dawn.
The cold wind at dawn cut like a knife, Xu Qi'an inhaled the cold air into his lungs to rouse himself.
From a distance of about ten meters, Song Tingfeng said, "After the ancestral worship ceremony, how about we go to the Imperial Academy of Music -run entertainment district)?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Guangxiao on the other side showed interest.
The taciturn Zhu Guangxiao couldn't stand it and angrily denounced it as immoral and scandalous.
Thinking about it afterwards, I became more and more tempted.
"We'll see," Xu Qi'an said.
"That's no fun," Song Tingfeng said unhappily.
"I can be a commander," Xu Qi'an said.
"No, you have to play together. It shows how close we are," Song Tingfeng refused outright.
"He wanted you to invite Fuxiang along too." Zhu Guangxiao exposed his longtime friend's despicable intentions.
While chatting, Song Tingfeng frowned and said, "Why do you keep looking at the lake?"
Xu Qi'an answered truthfully, "I always feel that Sangbo Lake is gloomy and makes me uncomfortable."
"Shut up!" Song Tingfeng said in a low voice, "You've caught a chill from the wind. Sangbo is the holy land of the Great Feng, the place where the founding emperor attained enlightenment. Don't talk nonsense."
Zhu Guangxiao then cautioned, "High-ranking martial artists are sharp-eyed and sensitive. If your words are overheard, you will be punished."
Xu Qi'an immediately fell silent.
At this moment, the deep and resonant sound of bells and drums rang out, echoing in everyone's ears, and a sense of solemnity arose.
The Nightwatchers, who had been chatting casually just moments before, immediately fell silent and turned serious.
Amidst the music reserved for sacrificial rites, a large and imposing group of people departed the imperial city and headed towards Sangbo.
There were no horses, no carts; everyone walked.
The procession participating in the ancestral worship included members of the royal family, members of the imperial clan, and civil and military officials, totaling hundreds of people.
This team almost gathered all the power at the pinnacle of the Great Feng Dynasty.
The leader, Emperor Yuanjing, wore a simple Daoist robe. His black hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin. He was over fifty years old, with a long, flowing beard and a handsome appearance, exuding the air of a Daoist master.
Behind them, on either side, stood the dignified and elegant Empress and the plump and graceful Consort.
Then came the princes and princesses.
Emperor Yuanjing had many children, including twelve princes, but only four princesses. The eldest princess was only twenty-five years old this year, nearly ten years younger than the eldest prince.
This princess, renowned in the capital for her talent and beauty, had eyes as clear as a pool, a fair complexion, and a cool, aloof demeanor. She followed silently in the procession.
As the music played, the sacrificial procession arrived at a bright yellow tent, and the dignified Emperor Yuanjing led two chief eunuchs into the imperial tent.
The rest of the people waited outside.
The ministers in charge of the sacrifices busied themselves, inviting the gods and lining up the processions, preparing for the emperor's subsequent ancestral worship ceremonies.
Xu Qi'an didn't move, but tried his best to turn his head and peek at the sacrificial ceremony out of the corner of his eye.
He saw a procession carrying memorial tablets covered with yellow silk, ascending the high platform along the winding waterway, and placing the tablets on the large table in front of the temple.
After this group returned, another group, under the guidance of officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, brought offerings and sacrificial items of various kinds, numbering at least two or three hundred.
Once everything was ready, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices announced loudly outside the imperial tent, "The pacification is complete; we respectfully welcome Your Majesty."
The princes and princesses, along with civil and military officials, all knelt in worship.
The chief eunuch lifted the curtain, and Emperor Yuanjing, now dressed in a bright yellow imperial robe, appeared solemnly before everyone.
At this moment, he had lost the detached and otherworldly air of a sage, and only possessed the majesty of a human emperor.
"This setup feels even more solemn than the highest meeting in my past life. This trip was definitely worthwhile." Xu Qi'an was enjoying the show when he suddenly felt a pang of anxiety, realizing that someone in the Earth Book chat group had spoken.
He waited a moment, until the patrol passed, then reached into his robes, not taking out the jade mirror completely, but only partially revealing it, and glanced at it.
[Two: I remember today is the day the Great Feng royal family holds their ancestral rites, the 1st and 3rd, right?]
[Four: Judging by the time, today is indeed the ancestral worship ceremony. I also participated in the royal ancestral worship ceremony back then.]
[Two: Back then? Ha, Number Four, you were an official back then, and not a low-ranking one at that?]
[Four: Hmm.]
Number Four had served as an official. Xu Qi'an was taken aback. Wasn't Number Four connected with the female national advisor of the Human Sect?
Well, that makes sense. It was because he had been an official that he became acquainted with the female imperial advisor.
It seems that Number Four also has a story to tell.
Xu Qi'an found it very interesting. The holders of the Earth Book fragments were not ordinary people; they had mysterious identities and strong cultivation.
Interacting with them is like playing a game, gradually unveiling their mysterious veil.
[Second: This is interesting. Number 1 didn't reply, and neither did number 3.]
"Damn, this little bastard has been tricked out of the blue!" Xu Qi'an's lips twitched.
It is obvious that the second person's act of sending a letter at this time was not out of genuine concern for the royal family's ancestral worship, but rather a test.
To probe the identities of Number Three and Number One.
Because of the connection between the book and its holder, even if the person is asleep, they will be awakened, so there is no possibility of missing it due to rest.
Unless there is an emergency, I will not be able to reply.
However, it's impossible for both Number One and Number Three to have an emergency at the same time. If that were the case, it would mean that both of them were participating in a ritual and couldn't take out the Earth Book fragment to reply in full view of everyone.
At this moment, Xu Qi'an's actions caught Song Tingfeng's attention.
He released his grip without making a sound, and the jade mirror, which was already partially exposed, slid back into his pocket.
"Be serious, don't do anything unnecessary," Song Tingfeng warned, frowning.
"I know, I know," Xu Qi'an replied perfunctorily.
This is bad! I'm a disciple of the Cloud Deer Academy; I have no reason or qualification to participate in the royal ancestral worship ceremony. My identity has been exposed. Damn it, those guys from the Heaven and Earth Society are all cunning and scheming.
However, number one didn't reply either. He/She was also there; who could it be?
As Xu Qi'an's thoughts were churning, the members of the Heaven and Earth Society and the holders of the Earth Book fragments were also pondering the same question.
Isn't Number Three a disciple of the Cloud Deer Academy? As everyone knows, Cloud Deer Academy has almost completely cut off career paths, and even if there are any, they are not qualified to participate in the royal ancestral worship ceremony.
Moreover, judging from No. 3's consistent image, he is a student of the Cloud Deer Academy, making it even less likely that he would participate in the ancestral worship ceremony.
Could it be that Number Three isn't a disciple of the Cloud Deer Academy?
No, if that's the case, how do you explain what happened before?
Unless he participated in the royal ancestral worship ceremony in another capacity, yes, the people Cloud Deer Academy planted in various departments of the court?
What kind of government office would that be, and what would their status be?
They weren't surprised by Number One's identity, because they already knew that Number One was a member of the imperial court and held a very high position.
[Number Two: Number Four, you've been an official before, you analyze the situation. Number Three is the case.]
[Four: I do have a suspicion in my mind, but why should I tell you?]
[Six: Number Two, you're not in the capital. Even if you knew the identities of Number Three and Number One, what could you do?]
Number Four and Number Six are both subtly speaking on behalf of Number Three.
Xu Qi'an suppressed his excitement and didn't check the message.
After observing the ancestral worship ceremony for a while, Xu Qi'an felt a strange feeling welling up in his heart again.
He always felt that Sangbo was gloomy, and there was an inexplicable sense of crisis about it.
Suddenly, Xu Qi'an heard a strange sound amidst the sacrificial music.
The voice was saying:
"Help me, help me!"
Xu Qi'an was stunned for a moment, then listened carefully, but the sound disappeared.
"Tingfeng, Guangxiao, have you heard any strange noises?" Xu Qi'an asked his two colleagues who were not far away.
"You mean the music used in the rituals? It is indeed a bit deafening." Song Tingfeng quickly changed his tune, trying to save face. He wanted to say it was awful.
Zhu Guangxiao shook his head.
Just as Xu Qi'an was about to speak, the eerie sound came again. This time he heard it clearly; it was coming from Sangbo Lake.
"Help me, help me!"
The sound was shrill and suppressed, incredibly eerie, like a demon whispering in your ear.