Chapter 163: Which Side Should I Stand On?
The festival will be held in three days. Every year on this day, Beimo will offer sacrifices to the Eagle God.
According to legend, a long time ago, the Northern Desert was ruled by the White-Feathered Eagle King. The White-Feathered Eagle King was cruel and bloodthirsty, making the people living on this land miserable. People prayed to the gods all the time, hoping that the gods would give them an omnipotent warrior to defeat the cruel White-Feathered Eagle King.
Later, people’s prayers were answered, and the gods asked the river to send them a son of God.
This Son of God was raised secretly by people and was not discovered by the White-Feathered Eagle King.
A few years later, a warrior led everyone in a counterattack, killed the White-Feathered Eagle Queen, and turned into a black eagle and flew back to the sky. This was the Black-Feathered Eagle God that Beimo had always believed in.
Both the royal family and the major families regard the black eagle as a symbol of honor, representing invincible courage and unbeatable power. Every year, a grand celebration is held to commemorate the black-feathered eagle god.
As in previous years, this year's sacrificial ceremony was presided over by the high priest.
The high priest wore a black eagle mask and a black feather robe. At this moment, he was the incarnation of the black feather eagle god.
A team of a hundred people carried a statue of the White-Feathered Eagle King and placed it on the altar.
While the high priest was performing the blessing ceremony, the people below were very enthusiastic and were waiting to see the most exciting scene next, which was burning the statue with fire.
Qi Wuhan sat in the stands, watching the high priest dancing on the altar like a shaman, which he found a bit funny. He turned his head as if he wanted to talk to the air beside him. Lately, he had gotten used to having Jiang Lan around him, and now that she was not around, he had no one to talk to.
When he looked away, he caught a glimpse of a figure walking towards him.
"Your Highness," An Zhong said as he came over and saluted. "Your Majesty invites you to come over."
When Qi Wuhan followed An Zhong over, he bowed and said, "I wonder what your Majesty wants to see me about?"
"I'm just a little curious about how much you care about that girl."
When Mu Jin looked towards the altar, Qi Wuhan also looked over and his gaze fell on the statue. The pile of firewood surrounding the statue had been poured with kerosene.
He stared at the statue, which was so big that it could accommodate three or four people, and a bad premonition began to grow in his heart.
And he had no time to verify it because the torch had already been passed to the high priest.
The people below were also cheering, and the cheers drowned out all other sounds like a wave.
As the high priest extended the torch toward the pyre, a figure leaped down from the stands, snatched out a guard's sword, and rushed to the altar.
"Your Highness?" The high priest was a little surprised. Before the torch in his hand touched the firewood, the kerosene gas was ignited with a bang.
The next moment, Qi Wuhan raised his sword and chopped the firewood in half before the fire spread, then chopped at the statue with another sword.
The people below were stunned and confused.
The statue was quite thick, and he only cracked it when he chopped it with a knife. Then he kicked at the crack and a hole was made in the statue.
I saw that it was empty inside, there was nothing.
I got tricked...
Qi Wuhan thrust the knife into the statue and turned away.
The people below were still confused and waiting for someone to come out and explain what was going on.
The high priest cleared his throat and said in a majestic voice, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is invincible and brave. He is a blessing to our Northern Desert. May God bless the Northern Desert for thousands of years!"
The people below were also in high spirits, their admiration for His Royal Highness reaching new heights. Not only had he brought back the legendary dragon scales, he had also wiped out the ferocious sand bandits. Now, he had slain the White-Feathered Eagle King. Just like the legendary warrior incarnated as the Black-Feathered Eagle God, he was as valiant and invincible as ever. He would surely lead the Northern Desert towards a brighter future.
"Why is your Majesty teasing me?" Qi Wuhan's face was still a little gloomy when he came back, and he asked directly without any greeting.
"I just want to tell you that once a person has a weak spot, he will be led by the nose and played around like a puppet." Mu Jin came over and patted his shoulder. "You are the prince of Beimo. Don't let me down."
…
Jiang Lan put down her pen and rubbed her aching shoulders. She had finally finished writing and was about to check again to see if she had missed anything when a maid came in and told her that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had returned.
She hid the thing immediately. Whether there were any omissions in the writing was not the most important thing. If there were any inappropriate words, he would definitely laugh at her. It would be safer to check it again before showing it to him.
As soon as Qi Wuhan came in, he saw Jiang Lan walking towards him from the door, and his expression relaxed a little.
"You didn't run around while I was away, did you?"
“.…..”
He really treated her like a child...
"Are you tired? Do you want to take a rest first?" Jiang Lan asked with concern.
Qi Wuhan looked at her attentive little face, curled the corners of his lips, and agreed with a smile, "Okay."
After entering the bedroom, Qi Wuhan opened his arms. Jiang Lan thought he wanted to be hugged, so she reached out and hugged his slender waist. After a while, she heard him say, "Didn't you let me rest for a while? Why didn't you change my clothes?"
“.…..”
So that's what it means...
When Jiang Lan untied his belt, Qi Wuhan saw that she seemed quite skilled and a teasing smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"It seems you've undressed me many times before."
Hearing the last four words, Jiang Lan's face flushed, and she immediately "fighted poison with poison", pretending to be even more shameless than him, "Yes, in the past, I was the only one who could take off your clothes, and sometimes you even thought I was too slow, so I didn't even need to do it."
After she finished speaking, she raised her head and glanced at him secretly. Seeing that he turned his face slightly and seemed to be blushing a little, she felt as happy as if she had won a battle.
Finally she got back a game~
The next moment she realized she had seen it wrong. He was not blushing, but was clearly smirking.
She pinched his waist and heard him hiss softly, then smiled slightly, and then continued to undress him as if nothing had happened.
After Qi Wuhan lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, Jiang Lan considerately lowered the bed curtain for him, then quietly slipped to the bookshelf and took out a stack of manuscripts hidden inside.
She was completely unaware that the curtain had been opened a crack, and her every move was seen by those peach blossom eyes.
After checking it, she put the manuscript back where it belonged, planning to show it to him after dinner.
At this time, someone knocked lightly on the door. Jiang Lan walked over and gently opened the door. The maid outside was about to speak, but she raised her hand and shushed her. After closing the door and coming out, she walked away a few steps with the maid and asked what was the matter. The maid replied that the imperial concubine wanted to see her.
"Imperial Concubine?" Jiang Lan had never heard Ling Feng mention that there was an Imperial Concubine in the palace, so she became alert.
"The Imperial Concubine is the mother of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." The maid explained.
Jiang Lan was stunned for a moment, and it took her a while to realize that this imperial concubine was Princess Zhaoyang, Qi Wuhan's biological mother, who had been brought back to Beimo from the capital by Ye Xuanhe...
When she came out, she found that the person who came to pick her up was the eunuch An Zhong, who had a kind face and a gentle expression. When he smiled, it looked like he wanted to save all living beings.
"Don't be nervous, young lady. The Queen just wants to see you."
“…”
She was suddenly going to meet her mother-in-law, a mother-in-law she had never met before. It would be strange if she wasn't nervous. She was worried about what if she didn't like her, and what if they didn't get along...
Since ancient times, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been a major problem. There are many stories in those stories about vicious mothers-in-law bullying kind daughters-in-law. . .
No, no, Her Royal Highness the Princess must be well-educated, beautiful and intelligent...
Don't scare yourself.
Jiang Lan prepared herself mentally along the way, and after entering Qinglong Garden, she gradually calmed down. However, when she followed An Zhong into a quiet and elegant courtyard, she became nervous again.
An Zhong went in first to report, then came out and led her in.
There was a hint of coolness in the room, with the aroma of fruits and vegetables, which was very pleasant.
Jiang Lan gradually relaxed again.
When she saw the person behind the screen, she tried her best to be polite, but she was still a little reserved. However, the other person was more gentle and graceful than she had imagined, and not at all domineering.
"Come and sit down." The voice was equally gentle and soft, without any airs.
Jiang Lan lowered her head slightly and sat down, thinking about how to improve the relationship.
"Are you going to stay here or go back?"
Jiang Lan was stunned. She hadn't expected the first question to be like this. She pondered the words for a while, but when she was ready to answer, she was at a loss as to what to address. Would calling herself "daughter-in-law" be too abrupt? Calling herself "common woman" was also a bit strange. "My... my..."
"You have relatives in the capital. If... the two countries go to war in the future, which side will you stand on?"
This question is also what Jiang Lan is most worried about. If a war really breaks out in the future, what identity should she use to face her elder brother, and what identity should she use to face him?
"What about the Empress...?" she asked hesitantly.
Princess Zhaoyang sighed softly and replied, "From the moment I decided to leave, I had no intention of going back. But you have to think clearly about whether to go back or stay. If you decide to go back, tell Jue'er as soon as possible. I don't want Jue'er to be hurt again."
Jiang Lan lowered her head and replied, "Okay, I promise you."
"You are a good girl. If Jue'er wasn't the Crown Prince of Beimo..." Princess Zhaoyang shook her head slightly, "Okay, go back."
Jiang Lan stood up and bowed to take her leave. After coming out, she took a deep breath and swallowed back all the bitterness that surged in her heart. When she came out of the yard, she found that the eunuch An Zhong was still waiting outside.
"Is there anything else you need?"
She wanted to be alone for a while.
"I will take you back."
“….No need. I know the way.”
Jiang Lan walked a few steps, stopped, and looked back. Sure enough, the person was still following her.
"Young lady, please be careful these days. When His Majesty heard that you were pregnant, he instructed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to take good care of the baby."
Jiang Lan's face turned red, and after a few seconds she suddenly realized something was wrong. When she saw An Zhong's kind smile, a chill crept up her back and her face turned a little paler.
"Miss, are you okay? I hope you have a miscarriage. Do you want me to call an imperial physician?" An Zhong asked with concern.
Jiang Lan ran away, and waves of chills rose from the bottom of her heart.
Just now she found out who was behind Wei Ping. It turned out to be his father.
When Wei Ping wanted to kill her, she said that she was pregnant and that distracted him, but she did not tell anyone about this, because she was embarrassed and it was not true.
Then the only way his father knew she was pregnant was through Wei Ping.
When Qi Wuhan went to see his father, the queen came back and told her that they wanted a child. He must have heard his father tell her that she was pregnant and was afraid that she would be exposed, so he said that he wanted a child...
wrong!
She stopped suddenly. If he had heard his father say that she was pregnant, shouldn't he have asked her whether it was true or not when he came back? Or did he already know that Wei Ping was his father's man and was afraid that she would know so he didn't ask? If he had asked at that time, she would have been able to figure it out with a little bit of common sense.
So he had always known that it was his father who wanted to kill her...
Her stomach churned, and she felt like retching. Her body was shivering with cold. Only one thought remained in her mind:
go back.
"Why are you here?"
She shuddered in fear when she heard the sound behind her.
"What's wrong?"
Qi Wuhan gently stroked her shoulders and supported her. Jiang Lan shook her head and said it was okay. When she turned around to look at him, there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes, "Why are you here?"
"Why do you look so grim?" He reached out to touch her face. Jiang Lan subconsciously wanted to hide. He gently stroked her face and explained softly, "I heard that Mother wanted to see you, so I came to see if Mother said anything to you."
She shook her head and said, "My queen is very kind. I just had a sudden stomachache, but it doesn't hurt now."
Qi Wuhan turned around, squatted down and said, "Then I'll carry you back."
Jiang Lan was slightly startled, as if she saw him carrying her on his back in the past.
"Don't worry, I won't think you're too heavy."
"Who's heavier?"
She retorted, put her hands on his shoulders, and then he carried her on his back. She leaned on his shoulders, hoping that the journey would be slower, even slower...
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