On the winter solstice, very early in the morning.

The weather is very nice.

Huan Yue usually gets up early, but today he got up before 2 a.m., earlier than the chickens.

Although the sky was full of stars outside, we still had to turn on the lights.

At this moment, not only Qing'e Palace, but also the East Palace, the Imperial Palace and the entire city of Sheng'an were brightly lit.

The morning breeze was very cold! Although it wasn't cold enough for water to freeze instantly, the lake was covered in ice.

It's only the beginning of the coldest period of winter today, so it's not always very cold. The coldest days will come in the third and fourth nine-day periods.

Anyway, early this morning, the area from Qing'e Palace to Sheng'an was probably bustling with activity!

Huan Yue was dealt with very seriously.

Not only were Chaoyun, Huiqing, and Xiuyun busy, but Di Baose, Guo Bing, and others also came over, and several female officials from the inner palace came to give guidance.

It was a rare privilege for the Crown Princess to participate in the sacrificial ceremony, and she was specially granted a magnificent carriage.

Originally, she should have been given a special carriage, but the status of the Crown Princess was elevated, and she was only half a step away from becoming the Empress.

Or rather, the position of the Crown Princess is basically on par with that of the Crown Prince. Is it possible that without a Crown Princess, there can only be a Crown Prince's consort or Crown Princess?

Although Di Baose, Guo Bing, Ju Zhaoxun, and others could not go, some of the female officials who were to go were busy and nervous.

The attendants were mainly palace attendants.

Wang Jian and his group had a team of people.

At this time, the Crown Prince was busy in the Lizheng Hall.

Sacrificing to Heaven was of course the Emperor's business, and the Crown Prince was a subordinate.

Today, the Crown Prince did not stay in the palace, but Duke Xie Yu of Qi insisted on staying at his residence.

Princess Yongmu and Xie Fufu are both in Qing'e Palace. They are not participating in the sacrificial ceremony, but they are not idle today either.

Yan Boxuan was the most idle, and he was woken up early in the morning.

Xie Fufu has a headache.

Yan Boxuan crawled out of bed and called out, "Your Majesty!"

Xie Fufu scolded, "Auntie is busy today!"

It was my first time participating in a sacrificial ceremony, and I was nervous, especially since I didn't know what might happen today.

Xie Fufu was too young and could only stay quietly in the palace.

Yan Boxuan didn't make much of a fuss, but he called out, "Uncle!" to his two younger uncles.

Xie Fufu reprimanded coldly, "Your uncle is too young."

Yan Boxuan pulled his sister, Qinxiang, and asked, "Shall we bring our uncle?"

The palace maids helped Yan Boxuan get ready. It was early morning and cold, but he was still as cuddly as ever. And he was incredibly enthusiastic.

Children learn by doing.

Seeing that the Crown Prince's family was diligently raising their sons, he wanted to follow suit.

If even the Crown Prince's palace is in such a state of uproar, he will naturally learn something else.

Just like when a child bullies someone, what does the child actually know? They either learn from other children or are influenced by adults.

The two princes have grown up and are now exposed to the harsh realities of life. It's unknown what kind of influence they will have, but they are still young and protected in the Eastern Palace.

Don't bother with the third-day bath. Although it's been raised quite well, it was premature after all.

"Your Majesty!" Yan Boxuan was full of energy and always needed to find something to do.

Xie Fufu saw that he was always causing trouble, so she dragged him to Shicui Palace to farm.

Yan Boxuan wanted to join in the fun!

Princess Yongmu coaxed her nephew, "When you grow up, you'll be able to go if you're capable."

Yan Boxuan looked at his aunt; he's all grown up now!

Princess Yongmu looked at him. How old was he?

Yan Boxuan hugged his aunt and kissed her sweetly. It was really chilly outside. (coocoocoocoo)

Princess Yongmu noticed that he only had his eyes outside, and although he wasn't cold, she still suggested he come inside.

The inner palace, Zhaoyang Palace.

Consort Zhu was also very busy.

You don't need to serve the saint, but you need to keep an eye on your son.

Xie Ji had never been there before, and this year he was even granted the title of Prince. Although he had two older brothers and two younger brothers, Consort De had become the most powerful woman in the harem, and countless people were eyeing Xie Ji.

Although Xie Ji was only thirteen years old, he looked very stylish in his official robes, which were predominantly black.

Zhu was gratified. After all, as a prince and the king of Great Zhao, he would have to bear responsibilities in the future.

Zhu Shi didn't have the ability or the desire to be like the Cui family, always thinking of her son. She believed that the Xie family's sons should be left to the Xie family's discretion.

A female official came to report: "The Bai family has come again."

Mrs. Zhu was surprised: "So early?"

Before dawn, she was so busy and sweating that she didn't even have time to drink a sip of tea.

The lady-in-waiting brought tea, saying as she served it, "They probably want to make it in time for the winter solstice. There are some unpleasant rumors circulating about Your Highness outside."

Zhu laughed, quite magnanimously: "What's wrong with me? What can I do to the Shi family?"

Neither the Empress nor the Imperial Noble Consort, Zhu Shi managed many affairs, but her actual decision-making power was not great, relatively speaking.

She doesn't pursue it, because the greater the power, the more dangerous it becomes.

She had long since lost any desire to vie for the emperor's favor. Although she was still beautiful, could she compare to a teenage beauty? She was too lazy to even try to bribe the emperor with beautiful women. She was busy enough as it was.

Xie Ji comforted his mother, saying, "They just haven't given up their wicked intentions."

No matter how many families are exterminated or how many people are killed, the power is there and cannot be stopped.

The female official thought to herself, "This Shi family is really something..."

After Zhu finished drinking the tea.

Let the Shi family go to their doom. They're not even enough cannon fodder for a small, insignificant family.

It's fair to say the Shi family was unlucky. If Shi Chongyi had lived a few more years and remained in favor, she might have gained even more benefits.

However, given the Shi family's character, unless Consort Shi becomes the most favored concubine in the harem and wields immense power both domestically and internationally, it's unlikely they'll succeed.

The eunuch whispered, "The Shi family and the He family are quite similar."

Actually, there are quite a few like this. Many just didn't have the opportunity, otherwise they would be like the Shi family.

Of course, there are quite a few who care about their reputation. The Han family and the Di family are both considered quite good.

The Bai family was fine at the beginning, but after Empress Wenming passed away, many people became distant from her and had their own ideas.

It was before dawn.

The entire palace was lit up.

Xie Ji should go ahead. He might depart from the Prince Jun's residence next winter solstice.

Zhu Shi pulled him back again. A eunuch brought over some food, urging him to eat quickly. Otherwise, being cold and hungry later wouldn't be easy.

The back seat is not a good seat; serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

Zhu didn't dwell on the dangers of today; that was a man's business.

Xie Ji is still young, and even if he wanted to protect his father, he is really not good at martial arts.

Qing'e Palace.

Xiuyun brought over a large pot of stewed beef with radish.

Huan Yue was already hungry. His official robes weighed about fifty pounds, and the dragon and phoenix iron mace he was carrying weighed about eighty pounds. Wouldn't he be tired carrying that weight for a day?

It's okay for her, but she should still eat more beef.

The female official looked at the oversized ceremonial robe with a slight unease. The iron mace didn't look very big, but the beef in the basin weighed at least three pounds.

Huan Yue ate everything clean, saying it was delicious: "I'll stew more mutton tonight."

Xiuyun smiled and agreed.

The Empress hasn't eaten much yet, so we'll take some more beef patties with us on the way.

Huan Yue felt that she could carry a huge bag on her, like in some scenes where this pancake could be used as half an armor and still be eaten after the battle.

Chaoyun was worried about whether the Empress could learn it properly.

Normally, things are like street fights or brawls, but on the battlefield, they're completely different.

It's only because of the recent situation; otherwise, who knows what kind of chaos would have ensued if the Crown Princess had been forced to participate in the sacrificial ceremony.

Huan Yue felt that she didn't care about such hard work.

But having finished eating, we prepared to leave.

There's still quite a bit to do to get from the palace to the Circular Mound Altar in the southern suburbs.

However, the heavy-duty Zhai car should be more comfortable to ride in.

The officials were all ready; no one could afford to make a mistake in such an important matter, or else they would face dire consequences.