Gu Yuan covered his right cheek.
At this moment, I only feel a burning pain.
Jiang Quan and others were all smiling.
Feeling those mocking looks.
Gu Yuan's face was gloomy and he was extremely angry. But looking at Ning Que's arrogant look, he couldn't even utter a word of resistance.
Now Ning Que has inherited the title of king!
It’s the prince who is high above!
He was just a defeated general...
So what if Ning Que slapped him twice in public?
Tian Zhongxun also had a gloomy face.
Is Ning Que slapping Gu Yuan in the face?
It's clearly a slap in his face!
"Prince Ning, that's too much!"
"I'm speaking to you, who the hell does he think he is? How dare he jump around in front of me?" Ning Que snorted coldly, "King Qi, keep a close eye on your castrated dog. This time, I'm only giving him a small punishment. If he doesn't understand the rules again, don't blame me for punishing him!"
"Gu Yuan, apologize."
"You want me to apologize to him?"
"Apologize!"
Tian Zhongxun scolded coldly.
"Yeah, why don't you apologize?"
"Didn't you hear what your master said?"
"Haha, could it be that you're hard of hearing?"
Gu Yuan lowered his head and walked slowly to Ning Que.
"Prince Ning, I'm sorry."
"Who can hear you so quietly?"
"Yeah, louder!"
"You're not sincere..."
"sorry!"
Gu Yuan closed his eyes and roared with gritted teeth.
Ning Que smiled contemptuously.
Then he turned around.
His apology was simply ignored.
"Sure!" Jiang Quan stepped forward and laughed heartily, "You're really relieved today. Ever since Gu Yuan was castrated, he's become even more feminine. I've disliked him ever since I met him. And the facts prove that I was right. This bastard is truly disgusting and a complete hypocrite."
"He can't turn the tables."
Ning Que smiled coldly.
In his eyes, Gu Yuan was just a clown.
This time during the Eastern Expedition, he must be killed!
If you don't have the ability, don't get in there.
The Gu family simply failed to understand their place. They were clearly officials in the capital, yet they dared to flirt with the Prince of Qi. Once they had completely exhausted the Emperor's goodwill and patience, they would have no chance.
If they were still as favored as before, Ning Que would give face to Emperor Feng, and at least would not slap Gu Yuan in public.
Unfortunately, they have no chance!
"Good boy, you have some tricks up your sleeve!" Jiang Quan patted Ning Que's shoulder and whispered, "But I still have to warn you. Gu Yuan is clearly out to get revenge on you. Who knows what he might do in the future, even destroying both you and him."
"Um."
Ning Que nodded.
He naturally knew it all.
Although he looked down on Gu Yuan, as the saying goes, the arrogant are afraid of the stupid, and the stupid are afraid of the desperate. Gu Yuan was an extremely conceited man, and now he had lost everything, including his last bit of self-esteem. When a person has nothing, that is the most dangerous time!
…
After a short rest, the team continued on their journey.
This time, Emperor Feng specifically ordered people to slow down.
After all, there are many veteran officials in the court.
They are all older.
Emperor Feng knew that they all cared a lot about their reputation.
You have to climb up by yourself even if it means risking your life.
Even if the Fengshan ceremony is a good one, no one should be killed.
"Master, can you still hold on?"
"Haha, I can even climb Mount Kunlun, so how can Mount Tai be so difficult?" Bu Suanzi waved his sleeves and said nonchalantly, "This Fengshan ceremony is quite a grand spectacle."
"Emperors always like pomp and circumstance."
Bu Suanzi looked at Ning Que, nodded and chuckled.
In the case of this Fengshan ceremony, all the necessary etiquette was observed without a single mistake. Fengshan is not a meaningless event; it is a disguised display of national strength. Managing the food, drink, and defecation of tens of thousands of people is no easy task.
"Do you know how Fengshan is performed?"
"Yes." Ning Que nodded, looking at the imperial chariot in front of him and said, "Feng is to build an altar on the top of Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the heavens. Chan is to offer sacrifices to the earth god on the nearby Liangfu Mountain to thank the earth for its merits. The so-called Feng Chan is that the emperor tells the heaven and earth about his achievements to show his merits!"
"good."
Bu Suanzi nodded with satisfaction.
He followed all the way from Chang'an to Mount Tai.
In his view, this was completely useless and a complete waste of money. As the saying goes, Heaven operates according to its own laws, unrelated to the achievements of the Son of Heaven.
The so-called divine connection between heaven and man was abhorrent to the so-called divine theory, which insisted on deifying the emperor as the son of heaven. If there was a drought or flood, it was always attributed to the emperor. If there was an auspicious sign, it was the emperor's fault.
As for this Fengshan ceremony, many people in Jibei County responded to the emperor's wishes and offered so-called auspicious signs. Some caught a white tiger, while others discovered a jade artifact that had been passed down for thousands of years...
But what practical significance does this have?
Such statements would only make the emperor more ambitious and vain. In order to please him, the court officials would come up with all kinds of auspicious stories!
A waste of time and money!
Of course, Bu Suanzi was just thinking about it.
He won't make trouble for himself.
He had a clear understanding of himself, and many of his ideas were radical. If they were broken down individually, many monarchs would adopt them. But if they were all put together, no emperor would adopt them. It was precisely because of this understanding of reality that Bu Suanzi chose to withdraw from the world.
Noon.
They finally reached the top of the mountain.
There are many bronze tripods placed on the top of Mount Tai.
There are also various things used for sacrifices.
Emperor Feng finally stepped down from the imperial chariot.
He was currently emulating ancient custom, wearing a black dragon robe and a twelve-tassel crown. This attire was quite luxurious, embroidered with black dragons and mountains and rivers in gold thread. He didn't usually dress this way, preferring a simpler robe and crown. However, for a significant sacrificial ceremony like the Fengshan ceremony, imitating the ancient custom was more ceremonial.
With the help of the Ministry of Rites, the Fengshan ceremony officially began. Emperor Feng first recited a sacrificial text, primarily greeting the heavens, and then touted his own achievements, hoping that the heavens would see his achievements and grant prosperity to Dafeng.
The sacrificial text was long and tedious, and in the already hot weather, Ning Que felt drowsy listening to it. And that wasn't the end of it; he also had to take the stage. The main task was to offer three animals as sacrifices.
After offering sacrifices to the emperor several times, he slowly walked to the central altar. He dropped the jade disc he had written into the pit, muttering to himself. Then, he took the wooden shovel handed to him by General Manager Hu and began shoveling the earth himself.
This is just for show.
The wooden shovels used are all new.
The emperor often performed similar services. For example, during the spring plowing season, he would even personally carry the plow on his back. This was similar to the Arbor Day in later generations, when many leaders with large bellies would shovel the soil and plant trees.
And don't assume anyone can act like one. Only Ning Que, Lu Lixing, and Tian Zhongxun were capable of taking the wooden shovel. The others could only watch in envy. After all, the space was limited, and they couldn't really show off their skills.
Ning Que was looking at the deeply buried jade disc.
He really wanted to know what was written on it...
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