Secrets Unknown to the World

Emperor Yuanjing was the first to be affected, and he fell to the ground amidst the powerful fluctuations in energy. The high platform shook violently, and the ancestral tablets on the table all fell over.

Offerings and ritual vessels were scattered all over the ground, and some of the flying tiles hit Emperor Yuanjing.

The scene instantly descended into chaos, with the imperial guards patrolling the surrounding area quickly regrouping and surging towards Sangbo.

The Nightwatchers by the lake rushed to the sacrificial procession to protect the royal family and officials.

"Assassins are on the move! Protect Your Majesty!"

"Protect the Queen, protect the Princess"

"Protect the Grand Secretary."

With a flash of movement, at least dozens of high-ranking martial artists, including the ten gong-ringers from the Nightwatchers's office, experts from the Five Imperial Guards, and members of the imperial clan, took to the air and landed on the high platform and along the winding corridor, providing tight protection for Emperor Yuanjing.

The commotion lasted only a dozen breaths, as the Sword Qi that pierced the sky quickly dissipated, and the lake returned to calm.

There were no assassins. As the turmoil subsided, everything was stable, with no casualties or suspicious individuals reported.

Wei Yuan, the head of security for the sacrificial ceremony, strode up the high platform along the winding water corridor and bowed deeply.

"This humble servant has failed in his duty; this humble servant deserves to die."

By this time, Emperor Yuanjing had regained his composure, but after this incident, his former detached and otherworldly air had completely vanished from his face.

He was no longer a Daoist who had cultivated for over twenty years, but a majestic emperor wielding power and whose influence was unfathomable.

Emperor Yuanjing said in a deep voice, "Everyone, leave the altar and do not approach."

Including Wei Yuan, all the high-ranking martial artists stood up and agreed.

Emperor Yuanjing straightened his clothes, dusted off the dust on his robes, and solemnly pushed open the temple door and went inside.

Beside the willow tree, Xu Qi'an, who had shouted once, no longer heard the eerie cries for help. As time passed, his mind calmed down. His head still ached from the trauma, but it was no longer as unbearable as before.

Only then did he have the energy to observe his surroundings.

His colleagues had already left, and they surrounded the civil and military officials, as well as members of the royal family and clan, on the shore.

The high platform was empty, but the winding corridor was filled with high-ranking martial artists, with Wei Yuan at the head.

Emperor Yuanjing has disappeared without a trace.

What surprised Xu Qi'an the most was that the roof beam of the temple, which was said to enshrine the divine sword, had broken, leaving a large hole.

A problem arose during the ancestral worship ceremony, and the secrets of Sangbo have resurfaced?

Xu Qi'an's mind raced as he pressed his throbbing head and rejoined the main force.

Because of his status Nightwatchers, he was not stopped.

"What's wrong with you?" Song Tingfeng scrutinized his new colleague. "How are you feeling?"

Song Tingfeng did not connect the strange phenomena at Sangbo Lake with Xu Qi'an's previous unusual behavior.

This is like how you wouldn't associate the roar of a weakling with a magnitude 10 earthquake.

"I've been practicing too diligently these past few days, and it's backfired," Xu Qi'an offered a plausible explanation. He continued, "Fortunately, I've recovered. By the way, what happened just now?"

"I don't know." Song Tingfeng shook his head, glancing around warily as he whispered:

"The Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple suddenly exploded, and a Sword Qi shot out from the temple, causing the entire Sangbo to boil as if an earthquake had occurred. But judging from the current situation, it doesn't seem to be an assassin."

Xu Qi'an looked at the high platform again. Was the hole in the temple roof pierced by Sword Qi? If the divine sword has this power, then what asked me for help just now was definitely not a sword spirit or something like that.

He lowered his eyes for a moment, suppressing all his emotions and calming all his thoughts, then hurriedly went to the vicinity of the Princess, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Is the Princess alright?"

Order has been restored. Although there are whispers here and there, it is generally quiet as everyone waits for Emperor Yuanjing to come out.

Xu Qi'an's shout drew the attention of those around him, including his Nightwatchers colleagues, imperial guards, eunuchs, the eldest princess, and her royal relatives.

The eldest princess possessed strikingly beautiful features, yet her expression was as aloof and cold as frost and snow. She tilted her head, her autumn-water-like eyes reflecting Xu Qi'an's figure, her voice possessing a crisp, clear quality like jade clashing:

"All is well!"

Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm relieved."

He knew when to stop, and after making his presence felt, he immediately retreated, meticulously guarding his surroundings.

"Huaiqing, this little gong admires you greatly." A soft, charming voice rang out; it was the second princess standing behind the eldest princess.

Huaiqing was the title of the eldest princess, but she preferred to be called the eldest princess by outsiders.

Emperor Yuanjing once commented on his eldest daughter. "Her competitive spirit is no less than that of a man, and her domineering nature is no less than mine."

The second princess was extremely beautiful, with a round face adorned with a pair of bright peach blossom eyes and vivid red lips. Every smile and frown exuded a charming and amorous allure.

The two beauties were complete opposites of the eldest princess. Their relationship had always been strained.

The eldest princess said calmly, "It's not a matter of admiration, it's simply a matter of repaying kindness."

Xu Qi'an's preparations at the Bureau of Astronomy, along with his demeanor just now, successfully established an image of "gratitude and repaying kindness" in the Princess's mind.

The second princess covered her mouth and chuckled, "Sister Huaiqing's charm is known throughout the capital. The students of the Cloud Deer Academy are infatuated with you. If scholars are like this, what about the night Nightwatchers?"

The other princes and princesses watched the spectacle with great interest, refraining from commenting on the second princess's subtly barbed words.

Lin'an!

The Crown Prince frowned and ordered, "Silence."

Lin'an was the title of the second princess. Faced with her brother's reprimand, she pouted, lowered her head gracefully, and stood with a dignified and elegant demeanor.

Everyone in the royal family knows that the eldest princess and the second princess are at odds.

The eldest princess was born to the Empress, while the second princess was born to Consort Chen, so their statuses differed. However, Consort Chen was more favored than the Empress.

In her youth, the second princess enjoyed provoking the eldest princess and constantly finding fault with her.

What should have been a routine power struggle within the imperial family turned into something quite different. The eldest princess, being domineering and unconventional, ordered her servants to capture the second princess. When the servants refused, she took matters into her own hands, carrying a bamboo scroll and chasing after the second princess.

They fought from south to north, and from north to south.

The palace maids and guards dared not stop them, and in the end, they disturbed Emperor Yuanjing, who was cultivating immortality.

Consort Chen, accompanied by her bruised and swollen daughter, accused the Eldest Princess. Emperor Yuanjing, intending to severely punish the Eldest Princess, summoned her to the Imperial Study.

The eldest princess was well-prepared, bringing more than a dozen sets of books, including the "Book of Rites," "Comprehensive Institutions," and "Palace Laws," which she laid out one by one in the imperial study, quoting classic passages and expressing her feelings.

In the end, he won the case, and Emperor Yuanjing, feeling frustrated, acquitted the eldest princess and went back to cultivate immortality in silence.

After coming of age, the eldest princess became much more reserved.

Yongzhen Shanhe Temple.

A majestic man in a yellow robe and crown stood leaning on his sword. The temple doors were tightly closed. Emperor Yuanjing stood before the portrait of the founding emperor, silently gazing at the dust-covered bronze sword.

"So what if you're a first-rank official? You should have had a long lifespan, but you're still burdened by the fate of the mortal world, living a few years longer than ordinary people." Emperor Yuanjing seemed to be talking to himself, yet also to this ancestor from six hundred years ago:

"I ascended the throne at the age of twenty, defeated all my enemies, and sat on that throne where no one could stand shoulder to shoulder with me. But in the end, I realized that my greatest enemy was time."

Emperor Yuanjing slowly shifted his gaze, looking down at the ground beneath his feet for a long time. Then, he began to inspect the temple's furnishings, even climbing onto the altar and disrespectfully touching the ancestral statues and the brass sword.

This process was meticulous and lengthy, and finally, Emperor Yuanjing breathed a sigh of relief.

His expression relaxed, he knelt on the prayer mat, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times to the founding emperor, and then left the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple.

Emperor Yuanjing stood on the high platform, looking down upon the civil and military officials and members of the imperial family, his voice as clear as the morning bell and evening drum. "The ancestral worship ceremony continues."

He did not explain the reason for the abnormality just now.

The Imperial Guards and the Nightwatchers dispersed again, orderly restoring order and patrolling the surrounding area.

A line of eunuchs walked briskly with their heads bowed, clearing away the broken tiles on the high platform, sorting out the tribute items and offerings, as well as the ancestral tablets of the imperial family.

Xu Qi'an returned to his post, thinking to himself, "This is strange. Logically speaking, encountering something like this during ancestral worship is an ominous sign, a terrible omens. Emperor Yuanjing should be furious."

However, he seemed to have been somewhat prepared for this, and did not angrily rebuke Duke Wei and the commanders of the Imperial Guards. Well, it wasn't necessarily that he was prepared, but rather that he knew the true source of the anomaly.

Then, this is something that cannot be discussed in public.

Sangbo Lake indeed hides secrets unknown to most.

PS: Requesting first subscription.