Chapter 922 Keys and Locks

Nan Yan frowned and looked at the strange birthmark.

After a long time, she let out a sigh.

But this sigh did not mean she was relaxed, but rather she seemed to have tacitly agreed to something in her heart. She reached out and gently held Xiao Xinping's chubby little hand.

"It's okay, it's okay."

She murmured, as if she was talking to her child, or as if she was talking to herself.

"It will be fine."

｜

Because Prince Ning's residence was originally between Peking and Tianjin, the emperor's carriage traveled north for about half an hour before arriving in Peking City.

From afar, the outline of Peking City could be seen on the vast snowfield.

Nan Yan lifted the curtain and looked ahead.

When I left, it didn't seem to be this huge. Now it seems that the city of Beiping is more than twice as big as before, like a crouching lion crawling on the snowy plain. Just one look at it from a distance is enough to make people feel scared.

Peking used to be just a border town, but now as the capital, it should have such grandeur.

Perhaps it was this majestic spirit that gave Nan Yan some strength.

Her heart also calmed down a little.

He lowered his head and held Xiao Ping, who was fluttering excitedly and peeking out the window, in his arms, and whispered softly, "We will definitely get through this."

At the gate of Beiping City, all the officials who had previously performed official duties here and those who later moved to the north gathered here. The ceremony was even grander than the one when Prince Ning welcomed him in Tianjin City.

Colorful flags fluttered on the city walls and outside the city, guards lined up, and the fighting was strict.

Some foreign envoys are also here.

Nan Yan saw at a glance that one of the flags belonged to the Kingdom of Dian.

The people from Dian Kingdom, they are here too! ?

Who is coming?

Of course, as the king of a country, Monk could not come; and from some intelligence received before, a delicate balance and competitive relationship has now formed between Monk and Arslan.

At such an important moment, Arslan would not dare to leave the country.

Unfortunately, it is too far away and there are too many people, so I can’t see clearly.

Nan Yan thought for a moment, then called out through the curtain, "Ye Zheng."

After a while, Ye Zheng rode up and caught up.

"What are your instructions, Madam?"

Nan Yan said, "Go and ask who the envoy from the Kingdom of Neng is among the envoys from various countries who came to celebrate the emperor's relocation of the capital."

"yes."

Ye Zheng agreed, and immediately the sound of galloping horses was heard outside.

After a while, the imperial carriage stopped in front of the city gate.

Nan Yan heard the cheers of "Long live the emperor" outside. It was naturally Zhu Feng who got out of the golden carriage to accept the worship of the ministers and the people.

After the worship was completed, the ministers and the people followed the imperial carriage into the city gate and continued on their way.

They were heading to the great altar in the south of the city. Halfway along the way, the sound of Ye Zheng's horse's hooves resounded as he returned to Nan Yan's carriage.

He whispered outside the window, "Your Highness, I have heard that the envoy sent by the Kingdom of Neng this time is an important official named Mandu."

"Lord Mandu?"

Nan Yan frowned, and a familiar face immediately appeared in her mind.

This man was the one who almost became Princess Tana's husband.

This time, the Kingdom of Neng sent him on a diplomatic mission...

Nan Yan took another deep breath.

After Ye Zheng finished his report outside, he saw that there was no movement inside for a long time, so he asked softly, "My Lady, is there something wrong?"

"Nothing." Nan Yan thought for a moment and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on him."

"yes."

Ye Zheng immediately passed the message on.

All around, there was the sound of horse hooves.

Nan Yan listened to the sound of the wheels hitting the new ground and the dense sound of horses' hooves, and her heartbeat gradually became rapid. Although she kept telling herself to stay calm, she saw the great altar right in front of her.

Who can stay calm?

Finally, their carriage stopped outside the great altar.

Many common people had gathered here to watch the ceremony. When they saw the emperor's golden carriage stop, everyone knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the emperor!"

Zhu Feng walked out of the golden carriage.

He was wearing a bright yellow robe that fluttered in the wind.

The wind here was much stronger than before, probably because there were no tall buildings around to withstand the biting cold wind. However, he didn't feel cold at all.

Especially when you look at the road under your feet, the bluestone slabs are flat and wide, leading straight ahead.

There is the outer altar.

From a distance, you can see the winding corridor leading to the beamless hall of Saigū, and on the other side is the Kagura Office and a large area of ​​connected rooms.

Behind this group of buildings, you can vaguely see several towering halls standing.

From afar, the glazed green tiles on the roof of the hall sparkled in the sun.

Those are the three main halls of the great altar.

They are the main hall where the spirit tablets of ancestors are enshrined, the jade plates of royal family members are placed, and two side halls specially for royal family members who come to worship to rest.

Behind these three halls is the large altar for sacrifices.

There were some other buildings around, and Zhu Feng had only briefly looked at the blueprints. Today, all of this was presented to him for the first time.

He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."

"yes."

The guards on both sides immediately came forward and helped him and the queen get off the golden carriage. The concubines behind them also got off the carriage one after another.

Officials on both sides cleared the way and they slowly moved forward.

After a while, they arrived at the main hall where the ancestral tablets were enshrined.

However, because we have to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth first today, we cannot rush over to offer sacrifices to our ancestors. We can only come here after we go to the grand altar and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.

Zhu Feng just took a quick look and asked everyone to go to the side hall on the other side.

After all, they had set out from Prince Ning's villa early in the morning, and everyone had been quite tired from the bumpy ride. They needed to take a break here and get enough rest so as to avoid making mistakes during the sacrifice later.

Zhu Feng himself went to the Huanggan Palace.

Naturally, they had to change into clothes specially used for sacrifices, and they also had to confirm all the steps of today's sacrifices with the ritual officer.

It’s such a big thing, we can’t make any mistakes.

Nan Yan followed the queen and other concubines to the side hall to rest.

But after a while, she got up and walked out.

Xiao Shunzi, the doorman, whispered, "Where is the Imperial Concubine going?"

Nan Yan said, "It's a bit stuffy in the hall. I want to go out for a walk."

"Your Majesty, please be careful. It's almost time now. Don't miss the time for the sacrifice."

"I know."

Nan Yan nodded, walked out of the side hall, and walked along the corridor.

After a while, they arrived at another hall.

This is where the royal genealogy and jade discs of royal family members are placed.

As soon as I reached the door, the guard here came forward and said, "Your Highness? Meet Your Highness."

Nan Yan raised her hand calmly: "Get up."

The guards stood up and asked in confusion, "Noble Concubine, the Emperor will be offering sacrifices over there soon. Shouldn't you be resting in the side hall with the Empress and the others? Why are you here?"

"Oh, I came to take a look."

"this--"

They hesitated.

Although there was nothing against the rules for the imperial concubine to come in and take a look, it was just that no word had been passed down from above allowing her to enter, which made the guards a little embarrassed.

Nan Yan glanced at them and said with a smile, "You are not going to stop me, are you?"

"I dare not."

"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you," Nan Yan said with a smile, "Don't forget, today is my daughter, Princess Xinping's first birthday. In a little while, her jade disc will be placed here."

Only then did everyone remember.

By the way, today is not just the day when His Majesty the Emperor comes to the Grand Altar to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.

Another important thing is the princess's first birthday.

Like other members of the royal family, her jade disc must also be included.

Nan Yan said, "Nangong just came to check on us early. It's nothing serious. There's no need to make such a fuss."

Everyone looked at each other and stepped aside: "Yes."

Nan Yan then pushed the door open and walked in.

Although there are many guards outside, the interior of these halls is very empty.

Not a single person.

Nan Yan walked in and closed the heavy door behind her. It was so quiet in the room that only her breathing could be heard, and the candlelight around her flickered slightly.

All of a sudden, it was as if I had entered a quiet space.

It seems like it’s a completely different world from the outside world.

The front of the hall is a whole wall that goes all the way to the top of the hall. On the wall is a painting of the landscape, as well as some scenes of soldiers bravely killing the enemy.

Emperor Gaozu spent his whole life in military service, and he even specially commissioned a painting like this to be painted in the hall where the jade plates of the royal family members were placed.

Perhaps he could not forget his past experiences on the battlefield.

However, Nan Yan's attention was not here at the moment. She just took a quick look, walked around the wall and went to the back of the hall.

On the back of this wall are countless cabinets.

It was just like the imperial seal she guarded when she was a female official in charge of imperial ceremonies.

However, these cabinets were not locked, but left open, containing countless boxes wrapped in bright yellow satin.

Inside the box is a jade disc belonging to each member of the royal family.

Under each cabinet, there was a small piece of paper, marking the owners of the jade discs. Nan Yan saw Zhu Feng's name at a glance.

She stepped forward, carefully took down the box, and untied the silk.

The box inside is very exquisite.

Looks familiar too.

It is almost the same as the box that held the imperial seal in the Jinling Imperial Palace in the past, and the wooden box seen in the Jinlou Villa.

Especially, the lock above.

Nan Yan took a deep breath, reached to her collar, and carefully pulled out a rope hanging around her neck.

There was a key hanging under the rope.

It was the key that she had fished out from the mud at the bottom of the lake.

Her hands trembled slightly as she took the key and gently inserted it into the keyhole.

Just heard a click——