Su Han's death was very unexpected, but also seemed reasonable.

Many ministers even suspected that it was King Rui who secretly did it to avenge the humiliation he had suffered.

Not long after, Concubine Zheng Shu was found hanging herself in a Buddhist temple. The royal family announced her death and buried her hastily.

Taifu Zheng Rong suffered a serious illness. He finally survived but became very old overnight. He submitted a letter to the emperor, requesting to retire and return home.

Emperor Shao Yuan was also bedridden. He did not have deep feelings for Su Han, and he was at most angry about this incident. However, he did not expect that his anger would trigger his old illness, and he fell ill all of a sudden.

He had no choice but to stop working for dozens of days, but his health did not improve at all, and now he even had difficulty walking.

Emperor Shao Yuan was a little panicked now. Thinking of the plague in Yizhou a year ago, he was a little worried that God was punishing him.

So he quickly issued an order to hold the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven half a month later.

The ministers who received the imperial edict were very surprised. There are many details to pay attention to when offering sacrifices to heaven, and the winter solstice is usually the best time.

It was almost late summer, and there was only half a month to prepare, so the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven was a little too hasty.

However, Emperor Shao Yuan had a tough attitude and the ministers had no choice but to do as he was told.

Due to the tight schedule, the ceremony was held at Lingshan Mountain, the nearest mountain in the suburbs. In addition, Lingshan Temple was well-known, and Emperor Shao Yuan believed that both the gods and the Buddha could see his sincerity.

Just a few days before the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, Emperor Shao Yuan's condition suddenly worsened and he could no longer get out of bed.

However, Emperor Shao Yuan refused to cancel or postpone the ceremony. Even though he could not attend in person, he insisted that the crown prince offer sacrifices on his behalf.

So Su Bi calmly accepted the important task of offering sacrifices to heaven on behalf of the emperor, amid the thoughtful gazes of his ministers.

Ning Xihua was a little worried.

She knew that the ancients were very superstitious about ceremonies such as offering sacrifices to heaven. If there were any mistakes during the offering, Su Bi would inevitably be implicated. Moreover, this offering was related to Emperor Shao Yuan's illness, which was of extraordinary significance.

Su Bi comforted her, "It's okay. Su Xu did intend to tamper with the ceremony, but because the time was too short, he didn't have time to make careful arrangements, and was discovered by Huaichuan and his men."

Ning Xihua suddenly realized that Lingshan Temple could be regarded as Su Bi's secret base, not to mention that his 20,000 private soldiers were hiding at the foot of Lingshan Mountain!

No wonder the boss was so calm. If Su Xu really dared to do anything during the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, the boss could even kill all the ministers including Su Xu!

She turned to look at Su Bi and asked cautiously, "You are not planning to do anything big during the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, are you?"

As soon as Su Bi saw her "No way" expression, she knew what she was thinking.

He tapped her forehead lightly and asked, "Am I a traitor who is plotting to force the emperor to abdicate?"

Ning Xihua: …

Uh... aren't you?

Her big, twinkling eyes clearly revealed a questioning look, which made Su Bi so angry that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"It is said that the teacher has a legitimate reason to do this. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

Ning Xihua understood what he meant. Even if he could kill Su Xu immediately and seize the throne, he would not do it. Seizing the throne in an improper way would only bring him eternal damnation.

Just as Su Bi said, the day of the sacrifice was calm and everything went smoothly.

It is worth mentioning that after Su Bi performed the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven on behalf of the emperor, the sky over Lingshan Mountain was suddenly filled with rosy clouds.

Some ministers who believed in Buddhism knelt down on the spot and shouted, "May God show His mercy and bless our Dali!"

Su Xu, however, looked extremely bad.

He had tampered with the incense in advance, so that when Su Bi offered incense to the heaven, the incense would go out immediately after it was lit and could never be lit again.

The burning of the incense in the offering to heaven was a sign of a great evil. By then, if he could guide them a little, the news that Su Bi's inhumanity had displeased heaven and that he was unworthy of the position of crown prince would spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

But now, not only did the fragrance not stop, but an auspicious sign of gorgeous clouds and mist also appeared inexplicably!

There was no need for Su Bi to bother spreading the news, as people would naturally associate the auspicious omen that appeared today with Su Bi's sacrifice to heaven on behalf of the emperor.

In addition, his father already attached great importance to offering sacrifices to heaven due to his illness. The appearance of such a good omen would only make Su Bi's position as the crown prince more secure.

Even though his father doted on him before, he still chose Su Bi when he offered sacrifices to heaven on behalf of the emperor. This shows that the position of the Eastern Palace in his heart is unshakable for the time being.

Su Xu secretly clenched his fists, thinking that if he continued like this, his chances of becoming the crown prince would become smaller and smaller.

Su Bi, however, had a calm expression on her face, and only said, "Father is kind and virtuous, so Dali will be blessed by God."

All the ministers turned their eyes to Su Bi and spoke in agreement.

However, in his heart, he was weighing the pros and cons of the Crown Prince and Prince Rui, and he secretly put the weight on the Crown Prince's side.

Emperor Shao Yuan was delighted when he heard about the auspicious signs during the heaven sacrifice.

Not only did he receive many gifts from the Linhua Palace, but his health also seemed to have improved.

This is God forgiving his sins!

Thinking that it was Su Bi who quelled the plague in Yizhou, Emperor Shao Yuan was even more convinced that the prince was a blessed man. He would be of great use not only to the country, but also to him.

…

"So are those clouds in the sky really just a coincidence?"

In Linhua Palace, Ning Xihua was dazzled by the various rewards sent from the palace, and couldn't help but ask Su Bi.

Su Bi teased her, "Guess?"

Ning Xihua glared at him. She didn't believe that such a coincidence could happen.

After being glared at, Su Bi smiled and said, "Master Hui Ku knows a little about astronomical phenomena."

Ning Xihua understood. No wonder the time and place were so perfect.

He is indeed the almighty Master Hui Ku.

After getting the answer, she became interested in the rewards and began to pick and choose among the pile of gold, silver and jewelry.

All the things in the palace are good, so don’t miss them.

However, Su Bi picked out a necklace from the pile of gifts.

The necklace was made of oriental pearls and various gemstones, with a jadeite ruyi in the middle. The ruyi was not only bright green, but also warm and translucent, without a single flaw, and it was obviously worth a lot of money.

"No need to choose, the most valuable item here is this necklace."

Ning Xihua took the necklace from his hands and couldn't let go of this gorgeous and luxurious jewelry.

"How do you know that?"

Su Bi smiled and said, "Because this was my mother's possession when she was alive. When I was a child, I asked her for the jade ruyi on the necklace because I liked it, but she refused and said that she wanted to save it for her future daughter-in-law."

Ning Xihua was a little surprised, but she didn't try to comfort him after she realized what was happening. She just patted his shoulder and said,

"It doesn't matter. This necklace is in my hands now. I haven't let her down. It can be considered as returning it to its original owner!"

Then she took his hand and gave him an expression that said, "I'll take responsibility" as if he was doing that to her.

"Don't worry, since you have accepted this necklace, I will treat you well in the future!"

Seeing her like this, Su Bi couldn't help laughing and asked her,

"Why, without this necklace, are you still going to give up on me?"

Ning Xihua immediately became frightened, "I dare not!"

What if she gives up and the boss turns evil? That's what's written in the novel!

Think about your own salted fish fate, forget it, can't afford to offend...