Under the backlog of anger and public attention, the ceremony of sacrificing to heaven came quietly.
Originally, such a big day to celebrate with the sky and the people was to be held grandly!
As early as a month ago, officials in charge of this aspect were ready.
But as it approached offering sacrifices to the heavens, the emperor cut off most of the red tape and kept the ceremony as simple as possible.
Under the emperor's behest, the ceremony of sacrificing the heavens really became very simple.
But no matter how simple it is, it is carried out in public. Those who want to see the emperor and Xie Linlang gathered around the altar by the Longcheng River early in the morning, waiting for the moment the ceremony begins!
The reason why there will be sacrifices to the sky today is because more than ten years ago, the capital suffered from a drought that was rarely seen in a hundred years!
At that time, all the waters had dried up, and the emperor had been begging for rain without success.
Just when many nobles decided to move out of the capital, one night, there was a sudden thunder, and the next day, a large mouth suddenly opened in the long-dry Longcheng River bed!
There was a steady stream of water coming out of it, and there were lots of big, fat fish jumping around!
Because the river suddenly gushed water, the capital was able to survive the drought.
Later, the emperor believed that this must be the benevolence of heaven and the manifestation of the ancestors, so he designated that day as the day of sacrifice to the sky, and kept this ritual and habit to this day.
He also built an altar dedicated to offering sacrifices to the heavens on the banks of the Longcheng River to show his attention!
This altar is round, with white marble steps below, which are progressive.
Behind the altar, there is a tall semi-circular stone screen. Most people don't know what it does, but those who have participated in the ritual of sacrificing the sky before know that as long as they stand in the middle of the altar and speak, the people below will You can hear it clearly.
Therefore, many people regard this altar for worshiping the sky as a holy place. Usually, even if no one is guarding it, no one dares to go up.
At noon, a beam of sunlight penetrated the center of the city.
After noon, it is the time to sacrifice to the sky. The reason why the time is set at that point is because the water in the Longcheng River happened at that moment.
The emperor and others must rush over in advance to accept the worship of the people.
This made the emperor a little nervous, because he heard that the Shen family was set on fire twice last night, which shows how tense the situation outside has become.
You must know that the emperor is very prestigious among the people, and the commoners do not fight with the soldiers. Under such a clear class situation, they can actually force the people to set fire. Obviously, they are extremely angry!
The emperor did not deliberately inquire about the situation outside the palace, but Xie Linlang knew all about it. Concubine Liu Hui sent someone to tell her.
Right now, those students who have lost their future and have nowhere to go have become the backbone of the rebellion against the emperor. How much they respected the emperor before, how much they hate him now!
So are their families.
As for those ordinary people who did not directly suffer losses, they were also very dissatisfied with the emperor.
After all, who wants to be a commoner all their lives? Especially after there is hope, but hope is destroyed, or for some ridiculous reason, this is unacceptable to most people, and they all hope that the emperor will pay the price!
A good show was about to be staged, but Xie Linlang did not go to the altar with the emperor, but planned to wait.
At this time, she sat in front of the desk and carefully looked at a letter that Concubine Die secretly stuffed her, which was Qin Jue's reply.
Seeing the contents of the letter, Xie Linlang was satisfied but also a little fortunate.
Originally, she wanted to help the emperor and the emperor, but she was afraid that Qin Jue would feel uncomfortable and would not help.
But fortunately, he is still very aware of the overall situation, temporarily put aside his prejudice, and tried his best to help her, making her even more powerful!
Sure enough, the previous Dun Dun teaching was not in vain, this child is a talent!
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On the other hand, after the emperor arrived, he was immediately frightened by the overwhelming posture in front of him!
Not only on both sides of the river, but even the houses on the street next to it, and on the stone bridge above the river, were densely packed with people!
It used to be very lively when the ceremony of sacrificing the sky was held in the past, but compared to today, it was completely two orders of magnitude!
And there are so many people on the scene, but they are not noisy at all. This solemn atmosphere not only makes the emperor nervous, but also the ministers who are accompanying him!
They could even feel many obscure eyes looking at themselves, as if they were looking for someone.
What's even more frightening is that the escorting guards discovered that many ordinary people are secretly holding something in their hands, which is very likely to be a weapon!
This made the commander of the Imperial Army a little worried. He trotted to the emperor, said this, and asked.
"Your Majesty, there is something wrong with the situation. Do you still have to continue today's ritual of sacrificing the heavens?"
The emperor passed the curtain to look at the crowd outside the sedan chair, remembering what Xie Linlang said, he gritted his teeth and said firmly.
"Go ahead and leave them alone!"
With the emperor's order, the guard of honor continued to move forward.
After the emperor's sedan chair passed, it was the concubine's sedan chair.
Not all concubines can attend this kind of occasion, so only Concubine Liu Hui, Concubine Die, and two other concubines came.
Concubine Liu Hui felt this unusual atmosphere, and couldn't help but lift the curtain and take a look.
Seeing those common people who were as weak as quails in the past, she couldn't help showing her unwilling and resentful side at this time. Concubine Liu Hui laughed secretly, thinking that she won't be killed directly when the emperor arrives
Or how about a pariah being a pariah? So stupid, just for her.
After the concubine's sedan chair passed by, all the officials followed.
On such an important day, none of them would sit in a sedan chair, and all those who came today were ministers of the sixth rank or above in the imperial court.
In addition to them, the elders of their family who had already left the court also came, and they arrived at the altar one step earlier than the emperor.
At that time, they will sit on the altar, under the emperor's head, and watch the whole ceremony.
At this time, many officials have reached an alliance or consensus, but what will happen in the future depends on the outcome of today's big drama.
After the ceremony was completed, all the nobles came to the altar under the watchful eyes of all the people.
The emperor took Concubine Die's hand and walked up the white marble steps step by step.
In the process, he regretted a little, and regretted that he had brought Concubine Die out. She should have stayed in the palace.
After waiting on the altar, the whole people kowtowed, long live the mountain, but the anger and resentment hidden in it, the emperor felt it, the ministers felt it, and even Longcheng River felt it!
The emperor calmed down and let everyone stand up majestically. Before he could start the ceremony, he heard a communication coming from a distance.
"—The Emperor is here!"
With just one sound, everyone looked over, and the pace of the swipes made the emperor on the high platform tremble!