Chapter 463 Fengshan (5k)

As the Son of Heaven, every word, every action, and every gesture will release various signals.

At this moment, the empress deliberately ignored the Shen family's behavior, which was particularly glaring in the eyes of the guests in Jingyuan.

There is no need to explain the reasons, everyone knows it.

The Shen family's recent massive rivalry with Zhao Duan has long been an unspoken "secret", and at this moment, the empress came in person, apparently to restore the face of her "husband".

Zhao Duan was well aware of this, but he did not deliberately target anyone. Instead, he tried to reduce his presence at the dinner party.

As a minister, one should know how to restrain his edge when in the presence of the king.

Under his gaze, Prince Jing sat down and chatted with the empress with a smile, reminiscing about the past and talking about family matters, simply asking each other about their recent situation.

However, the uncle and nephew, who had not seen each other for several years, had limited common topics to talk about, especially if they had to exclude the coup initiated by "Xu Jianwen".

Therefore, after talking for a while, the two sides ran out of topics. As for the verbal battles and open and secret struggles between the Empress and Prince Jing that Zhao Duan had imagined, they did not happen.

The hostile relationship between the two sides is well known to everyone. As the saying goes, there is no need to talk too much if there is no agreement. Moreover, there are many outsiders present tonight. Neither the Empress nor Prince Jing has the idea of ​​letting the royal family fight each other for people to watch.

Therefore, the entire banquet was unexpectedly dull, and no one tacitly mentioned the attack outside the city today.

When the prepared song and dance were over, the empress expressed her tiredness and Prince Jing stood up to say goodbye and leave.

As if she had just remembered something, she finally glanced at the Shen family members who were kneeling on the ground, almost prostrating themselves, and said lightly:

"The Shen family has been going a bit too far these days."

The old lady, crawling on the ground, lowered her eyebrows and said:

"I admit my mistake. The Shen family will fully cooperate with the court's new policies."

So obedient? Submissive?

No... It seems like all my previous efforts have been wasted... Zhao Duan's heart was full of complaints.

Of course he knew that the Shen family nodded in surrender at this moment, largely because the Shen family had already lost in their own war.

"In that case, then retreat."

Xu Zhenguan said calmly with no joy or sadness in his tone.

He immediately stood up and walked towards the room prepared for the empress in Jingyuan. Zhao Duan followed him like a lackey.

Wait for the empress and her entourage to leave.

The Shen family members, including "Red Girl" and "Shen Wuji", who were waiting in the distance, rushed forward in a hurry to support the old lady and the middle-aged head of the family who had been kneeling on the ground for an hour or two.

The head of the family is fine. He is young and strong, and has some martial arts background, so he can handle it.

But the silver-haired old lady was on the verge of exhaustion, and her legs were so painful that she couldn't stand up. The maid rubbed her legs for a long time before she was helped by her family and barely stood up.

He was carried on Shen Wuji's back again, and fled from Jingyuan like a lost dog amidst many strange looks.

Under the night.

The Shen family's carriage was driving along the quiet street, and suddenly stopped at a corner. The old lady in the carriage opened her eyes and heard Shen Wuji, who was driving, say:

"Prince Jing's car is waiting up ahead."

Then, Xu Jinglong got off the carriage of Prince Jing's Mansion, walked straight to the old lady's carriage, and said with a bow:

"Thank you for your hard work, old lady."

The silver-haired old woman stared at Prince Pianran through the opened carriage curtain and said:

"What does the prince have to say?"

Xu Jinglong said calmly: "Wait."

"Wait?" The old lady repeated the word.

Xu Jinglong nodded.

All human wisdom is contained in these five words - wait and hope.

…

…

Jingyuan.

The crowd dispersed and the bustling riverside gardens became quiet.

The room where the empress stayed was still the most prestigious one in Jingyuan.

After Xu Zhenguan stepped through the threshold, he turned his head to look at Zhao, who was following behind him, and raised his eyebrows: "What are you doing following me?"

Zhao Duan remained calm and composed:

"Your Majesty has come alone, without any attendants. I am thinking of anything Your Majesty needs, so please feel free to ask."

Xu Zhenguan curled her lips imperceptibly, and stepped on the gorgeous carpet in the spacious and bright room with her lotus feet. Her delicate hands touched the beautifully trimmed branches in a vase on the round table, and she said suddenly:

"You stayed in this room the last time you stayed at Jingyuan? Did you encounter the assassination attempt by that courtesan?"

? ?

Zhao Duan broke out in a cold sweat, his head buzzing, and he wondered who leaked the news?

Could it be Lao Hai?

Yes, it must be that guy Lao Hai...

He took a deep breath, raised his right hand, pointed his middle, index, and ring fingers toward the sky and swore:

"I was innocent that day and definitely did not sleep with prostitutes. Eunuch Hai knows this."

“Puff…”

Xu Zhenguan was actually amused and said playfully, "I didn't say anything about you, you just look nervous."

At this moment, the empress switched from being dignified and solemn in front of foreign officials to being a little charming and lazy, and the process was extremely smooth.

As she let go of the emperor's demeanor that she deliberately maintained in front of outsiders, the whole room seemed to brighten up.

Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said in a strange voice, "Your Majesty, this will look even better."

Xu Zhenguan pursed his lips, thinking it was just his old habit of deliberately sweet-talking him, so he didn't pay much attention to it. With a wave of his sleeve, two pots of wine appeared on the table out of thin air: "Will you drink with me?"

Just drink some... Zhao Duan strode forward and picked up a pot. He hadn't forgotten the fact that the empress was secretly a drunkard... and her habit of secretly hiding away to drink whenever she was happy...

However, ever since they drank together in the Yuanzu Temple in the imperial palace last year, the emperor and his ministers rarely drank together in private again.

"Your Majesty is very happy tonight? Is it because the Shen family has surrendered?"

Zhao Duan was holding a silver wine jug with intricate and exquisite patterns and was looking for a wine cup when he saw the empress had picked up another jug ​​and walked to the railing at the door in a casual manner.

The door was open, and the light from inside the room spread out along the threshold, illuminating a small area of ​​the doorway.

Outside the railings was a river, quiet and deserted. All the waiters had been deliberately driven away by eunuch Hai and other palace masters.

The empress pulled off the lid of the pot with a "pop" sound, raised her slender white goose neck, put the spout of the silver wine pot to her lips, and drank it wantonly.

The clear wine flowed down her fair chin and graceful jawline. She wiped it off with her sleeve. The empress looked at the river with misty eyes, and said with a drunken smell:

"I'm trying to build up my courage."

Zhao Duan, who followed out, was stunned.

Xu Zhenguan turned his head and smiled faintly: "Don't people say that alcohol makes cowards braver?"

Zhao Duan held the silver wine pot in both hands, took a sip solemnly, and then said:

"Your Majesty is so courageous that he dares to make all men bow their heads. Why does he need wine?"

Xu Zhenguan said self-deprecatingly, "When my ancestor was young and conquering the world, he would drink to boost his courage whenever he faced a life-or-death battle. If he did that, why should I be afraid to say the same?"

Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty is worried about the Fengshan ceremony?"

"kindness."

"How confident are you, Your Majesty?"

"Sixty...seventy percent."

"Not a kid anymore."

"But it's not enough," Xu Zhenguan leaned against the railing, looked at the river, and murmured:

"Believe it or not, countless people across the world are looking at this place right now, anticipating the outcome of the Fengshan ceremony. If I succeed, I wouldn't dare to say that everything will be peaceful, but the Eight Princes might not dare to have any evil intentions. But if I fail."

Zhao Duan took a sip of wine and said, "So what if it doesn't work out? Isn't His Majesty still His Majesty?"

Xu Zhenguan said softly:

"If this fails, it will prove to the world that I have not gained the recognition of the Yu Kingdom's national destiny. Then, the Eighth Prince will probably take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos."

Zhao Duan suddenly realized.

Zhen Bao is a woman after all, and the people of the world are skeptical about a woman becoming emperor. The fate of the country is also related to the people's thoughts. If it fails, the Eight Kings will have the "legal basis" to rebel:

Since the mandate of heaven is no longer with the empress, it is natural that the princes will inherit the throne.

This is a big gamble. If you win, you will be crowned with glory. If you lose, you will be in dire straits.

"Your Majesty is extremely lucky and will surely win the battle. Even if you take a step back, you still have me as a safety net." Zhao Duan said seriously.

"Insurance?" Xu Zhen glanced at him.

Zhao Duan offered himself as a bedmate: "Dual cultivation breakthrough."

"..." Xu Zhenguan rolled her eyes and jokingly said, "You're so concerned about this inappropriate matter. Ha, wait until you step into the world before you talk about it."

There was a sense of disdain in her tone for the "childish little boy".

Zhao Duan was not convinced, but he was too lazy to argue. He just accompanied the empress to drink. After the two pots of wine were finished, the empress threw the silver wine pot into the river, turned around and stretched lazily:

"Okay, I'm going to sleep now. For the next two days, you should speed up your preparations for the Fengshan ceremony. When the dragon boat arrives in two days, you should rush to Luoshan to avoid any more nightmares."

"His Majesty?"

Suddenly a voice came from behind her. The empress looked back in confusion and then froze.

Zhao Duan said seriously, "I will protect your majesty."

Xu Zhenguan was inexplicably touched, but he just smiled and turned to walk towards the room:

"Just protect yourself."

The double wooden doors closed.

Zhao Duan pursed his lips, raised his hand, and the silver wine jug thrown into the water was lightly lifted up by a stream of water.

He put away the pair of small tremella pots and turned to walk towards the room next door that was reserved for him.

After closing the door, Zhao Duan sat cross-legged and meditated as usual.

As he was visualizing, he was in a trance and once again came to the "Six Chapter Sutra", outside the ancient, dilapidated Buddhist temple.

Zhao Duan pushed open the door of the temple along the mountain road, but the "skull-lifting" attack from Pei Niannu that was supposed to appear did not come as expected.

"Senior Pei?"

Zhao Duan looked puzzledly at the center of the dilapidated temple covered with weeds, where a female sorceress in armor and wedding dress was sitting alone on a collapsed alchemy furnace.

Pei Niannu, with a mysterious temperament and most of his face covered by a golden mask, stared blankly at the sky.

After hearing the shout, she looked at him and said:

"I...sense your...call...before."

Yes, I asked you to come out to deal with the "God of Law", but you were isolated and couldn't show up... Zhao Duan was not surprised at all, nodded and gave a brief explanation.

Pei Niannu said: "I am familiar with that person's power... but I can't remember it..."

That person? The "God of Law"? Zhao Duan was stunned, surprised by the reaction of this old senior who was in a strange state and seemed to be in the state of a weapon spirit.

"Senior, do you know the origin of the 'God of Law'?" Zhao Duan asked curiously.

"I can't remember...it's been too long...I can't remember..."

Pei Niannu held her head and spoke, no longer paying attention to him, as if she was talking in a dream.

…

…

To the southeast of Jianning Prefecture, there is a mountain named "Luo".

The mountain is majestic and connects the three mountain veins, so it is known as the "root of the earth veins".

There is a royal garden at the foot of the mountain. The area within a radius of five miles is usually covered by the royal family and ordinary people are not allowed to approach.

Ever since the news spread that the empress was about to perform the Fengshan ceremony, the foot of Luoshan Mountain had become bustling.

In order to please the merchants who were willing to offer money to the court, a large number of laborers were hired and the area around Luoshan began to be renovated two months in advance.

The restricted area was expanded to a radius of ten miles.

When the dragon boat team entered Jianning Prefecture and joined the empress, and a large number of troops arrived at the gardens at the foot of Luo Mountain to settle down, preparations for the Fengshan ceremony began in full swing.

Foreign craftsmen and laborers filled several large towns near Luoshan. At the same time, many people heard the news and gathered around, wanting to witness the emperor's Fengshan ceremony, which was a rare event in a century.

One day, a group of people quietly came to a town near Luoshan and found a desolate hill in the wild.

The mountain wind is howling.

On a remote mountaintop, the second prince "Xu Jianwen", who had died in a coup d'état three years ago, stood in a black robe, his hands behind his back, gazing at the towering and majestic Luoshan main peak in the distance, and said with a smile:

"This is a good place to watch the ceremony."

Behind him, three people followed.

They are:

Qi Yuchun was dressed as a gangster, with a long spear wrapped in cloth on his back.

Ren Kun was wearing a khaki robe, with eyebrows the same color as his clothes, and he was crossing his arms with a frivolous look on his face.

And the "national teacher" demon Taoist dressed in a patched robe, with more three-dimensional facial features than the people of Yu, who bewitched the immortal.

"Your Highness, although this place is far from the main peak of Luoshan, the pseudo-emperor is powerful, and on the day of Fengshan, a large number of troops are on martial law around here. We just want to watch the excitement, and coming here is too risky." Qi Yuchun couldn't help but say.

Ren Kun, who had a personality opposite to his, rarely disagreed and nodded in agreement:

"It's indeed not very safe. Especially if the false emperor advances to the true heavenly realm, it will be even more dangerous."

Only the perverse, resurrected Guhuo Zhenren said "Hey" and laughed strangely:

"Perhaps Your Highness also wants to contribute to the destruction of the false emperor and Fengshan."

Qi Yuchun glanced at him coldly without saying a word.

After Zhuang Xiaocheng's death, the Kuangfu Society almost fell apart. That day, he and Ren Kun found Xu Jianwen and were shocked. After confirming that His Highness Jianwen was not dead, they understood why Master Zhuang dared to sacrifice himself.

Afterwards, Qi Yuchun became the new leader of the Kuangfu Society on the surface, and ordered all branches to enter a "hibernation" state, lying dormant and waiting for an opportunity.

In fact, it was the resurrected Xu Jianwen who was giving orders.

Not long after, the Guhuo Zhenren, who was killed by Zhao Duan at the beginning and resurrected from the underworld with the help of the "Underworld Cult Leader", appeared and reunited with Xu Jianwen.

This time, Xu Jianwen led three core generals of Kuangfu Society to Luoshan alone.

"No," Xu Jianwen shook his head in the mountain breeze, denying Guhuo Zhenren's speculation. He looked calmly at the towering Luoshan Mountain and said:

"While the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. This time, we are only here to watch the ceremony. There is no need to show up. The Eight Kings will take action. We can just watch the fun from here."

Qi Yuchun couldn't help but say:

"If Your Highness wants to watch the fun, why risk your life?"

Xu Jianwen slowly turned around. Under the black hood was a slightly pale, wealthy face.

"My third sister is about to die. How can I, as her second brother, not see her off?"

…

…

The third year of Tianfeng, May 15th, Jiazi day.

It is a good time to pray for blessings, fast and offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.

The day of the Fengshan Ceremony finally arrived. Zhao Duan, following the Empress, had arrived at the royal estate near Luoshan a few days earlier.

Also living in the manor were palace maids from the fleet headed by Mo Chou and Sun Lianying, and a group of civil servants headed by the Minister of Rites.

And a group of palace guards led by Eunuch Hai.

In addition, local officials headed by Governor Ning and the prefect of Jianning, as well as three elite armies of Jiancheng Road, Huaishui Road and Binhai Road have also been stationed in advance.

In order to ensure the smooth conduct of the Fengshan Ceremony, on that day, no pedestrians were allowed to walk on the roads within a radius of 20 miles with Luoshan as the center, and residents were required to close their doors and not go out on the streets.

The army and officials conducted three thorough inspections of Luoshan to ensure that no outsiders were staying there.

The planetary officials of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory made repeated divinations and confirmed that this day was an auspicious day for Fengshan. Early in the morning, Zhao Duan saw that the sky was cloudless and the sun was shining brightly. It was excellent weather.

Zhao Duan changed into a brand new official robe and arrived at the foot of Luoshan Mountain in advance with Eunuch Hai and others, responsible for guarding and patrolling.

The main peak of Luoshan is towering and magnificent. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, you can see the mountain covered with lush greenery and magnificent scenery. With the main peak as the center, starting from the mountainside, there are faint wisps of clouds like silk ribbons flowing and swirling.

"It's strange. There is clearly no cloud in the sky, but why is there fog on this mountain?" Zhao Duan stood in the crowd and asked curiously.

The old eunuch in a dragon robe stood beside him. Hai Chunlin was also dressed up today and said calmly:

"The Luo Mountain is hollow, and beneath it lies a spring, from which water vapor gushes forth, forming clouds and mist."

This is so fucking unscientific... Zhao Duan looked at the old man in surprise, not believing a word in his heart.

But when I thought about the incomprehensible strange natural phenomena that existed in some scenic spots in my previous life, I became skeptical again.

"Today is the Fengshan Festival, but Prince Jing really didn't come?"

Zhao Duan looked around and saw a large group of officials from the Ministry of Rites and local officials gathered around the altar at the foot of the mountain, as well as a large number of elite soldiers blocking off the foot of the mountain.

There were flags with the word "Yu" on them, one every ten feet.

It was early morning, the sky was bright, but there was still a hint of coolness, and the empress's dragon chariot had not yet arrived.

Eunuch Hai gathered his sleeves and said calmly:

"The shadow guards have reported that Prince Jing and his family are all in the Jianning Mansion, claiming illness and unable to leave."

Zhao Duan rubbed his chin:

"He's definitely up to something bad. Where are those magician wizards who escaped? Have you found any trace of them?"

Eunuch Hai shook his head:

"No trace of him has been found, but with the magical power of that 'divine god', he will definitely appear today. Although the core of the Fengshan ceremony is the five-colored altar on the top of the mountain, the altar of the gods at the foot of the mountain is still closely related to the Fengshan ceremony.

If certain people, led by Prince Jing, wish to disrupt the Fengshan ceremony, they will most likely send experts to attack the foot of the mountain and destroy the altar... Today, we are here to protect the foot of the mountain."

So... that group of sorcerers from the Magic God Sect, Duan Shuiliu, as well as a series of masters including the private soldiers and spies under Prince Jing, and even the powerful men who might be secretly sent by the other princes, will lie in ambush and attack the altar today?

Zhao Duan swallowed his saliva and muttered, "Eunuch, can you bear it?"

Eunuch Hai glanced at him calmly and said, "What's there to be afraid of?"

Zhao Duan also laughed, revealing his white teeth: "I am not afraid of those who come."

Suddenly, the sound of deep and powerful bells and drums came from afar, echoing in the ears of everyone at the foot of the mountain, and a sense of solemnity arose spontaneously.

The imperial guards who had been chatting easily before, and the powerful men in the army, all fell silent and looked serious.

Amid the sounds of sacrificial music played by the Ministry of Rites, a group of people left the Royal Villa and headed towards Luoshan.

The Empress has arrived.

(End of this chapter)