Chapter 620: Drums? No, this is Morse code
The Empress Dowager died in the Ghost Month, which was an unlucky omen.
The emperor did not hold the funeral according to the original specifications, saying that it was not easy to hold a large funeral in the Ghost Month.
However, entertainment and drinking are prohibited in the capital for seven days, and all households in the capital must wear white for seven days.
Seven days later, the emperor sent the empress dowager's body to the imperial mausoleum.
During the seven days when businesses were closed, the people were not idle either.
Seven days passed.
The shopkeeper selling steamed buns has a new flavor, the storyteller in the teahouse has found a new script, and the restaurant has updated its signature dishes...
The big man selling pork was still sweating profusely and wielding the boning knife vigorously.
The lady selling vegetables kept muttering about how the heavy rain this year caused the vegetables to not grow well and could not be sold.
The old man selling sweet soup was fanning himself and calling on everyone to come and drink the sweet and cool soup.
The streets were bustling with people coming and going, and the city was gradually becoming lively again.
On the surface, everything seemed calm and no different from usual.
However, those with sensitive intuition have already noticed that undercurrents are surging in the peaceful Shangjing City.
The twelfth day of the seventh lunar month.
At the steamed bun stall on Baishi Street.
Two people are eating buns.
One of them was eating with gusto, while the other one had a frown on his face and looked absent-minded.
"Brother Chen, what's wrong with you? Are the buns not to your taste?"
"No, that's not it." The man called Brother Chen said, "I am..."
"Hey, Brother Wang, we've known each other for many years and you're my best friend. I'm only going to say this to you, so don't tell anyone else."
Mr. Wang said, "Of course. Brother Chen, please speak."
The man surnamed Chen lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, my second aunt's third cousin is on duty at the Imperial Observatory. Last night, my second aunt celebrated her birthday, and my third cousin had a few extra drinks. He said that last year's ghost fog that appeared an hour earlier than expected wasn't an exception, but a precursor to the collapse of the celestial phenomena."
"During this year's Ghost Festival, the thick fog will continue. Whether it will come earlier or later is uncertain, but after the fog passes, a blood moon will appear at midnight on the second day."
"The blood moon hangs high in the sky, a sign of impending disaster. The sky will collapse and the earth will be destroyed. This is a sign of great misfortune."
"What should we do then?" Mr. Wang was shocked and asked hurriedly.
The man surnamed Chen sighed and lamented, "Heaven and earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs."
"If disaster strikes, none of us can escape."
"My third cousin said that the director of the Imperial Observatory is already trying to resolve the situation. Ordinary people like us should hide wherever we can. If there's a cellar, hide in the cellar. If there's no cellar, hide in the house. If there's really no place to hide, hide in a dry well. Cover it with a lid to avoid being illuminated by the blood moon."
"Oh, by the way, it's best to prepare at least three days' worth of food. After the blood moon passes and the world is pacified, the demons and monsters will naturally disappear."
The man surnamed Wang rolled his eyes and said, "Brother Chen, how true is this?"
The man surnamed Chen shook his head: "I don't know."
"My third cousin has always been amazing and has a plan for everything. After he said that, I couldn't sleep and tossed and turned. I felt vaguely uneasy, as if something big was about to happen. Anyway, I'd rather believe it than not."
"Oh, enough talking, boss, prepare twenty buns for me."
"Sesame cake shop owner next door, please prepare ten sesame cakes for me. They should be baked dry so they can last longer."
"Brother Wang, I'm telling you this. It's a matter of great importance. If it doesn't match, I'll be spreading rumors to confuse the public. You'd better not tell anyone." The man surnamed Chen hurried away with the buns and sesame cakes.
People named Wang are big mouths.
He agreed with his mouth, but turned around and told the matter to others.
One person tells ten people, ten people tell a hundred people.
The news spread throughout Shangjing like an explosion.
Most people, like the man surnamed Chen, would rather believe it than not, and they all stock up on some food.
On July 15th.
It was not yet afternoon and there were not many people on the street.
The weather was gloomy and the sun was blocked by thick clouds.
The whole Shangjing was dim and gloomy.
As per tradition, every household is hung with white lanterns.
When the wind blows, only white lanterns and white soul flags are fluttering in the deserted streets.
The temperature in July is not low, it can even be said to be hot.
But today the wind is bitingly cold.
Occasionally, pedestrians who were waiting outside for some reason would wrap up their clothes, quicken their pace back home, slam the door shut, and never dare to go out again.
The night of the Ghost Festival comes earlier than usual.
The thick fog also arrived earlier than usual.
Just after the You hour, thick fog rose all over the capital.
Around 11am, the fog was so thick that visibility was only two or three meters.
Boom... Boom... Boom, Boom, Boom.
Boom... Boom, Boom Boom.
Boom boom boom, boom.
Rhythmic drum beats rang out in the thick fog.
The drum beats may be long or short, or they may come together densely or with long intervals between them.
It was late at night, and in the darkness without any noise, the sound of drums quickly penetrated the streets and alleys and reached Prince Ling's mansion.
In the study.
Yu Lingye's face changed slightly when he heard the drumbeats.
He said to Xie Yingmian, "The Third Prince has taken action."
"I told you before that the Mu Family Army has a special mobilization system besides the tiger talisman. This drum sound is the key to the Mu Family Army's special mobilization system."
"The speed and duration of the drumbeats represent different meanings."
"Back then, the Minister of War, Feng Yankai, was brutally exterminated because he accidentally deciphered the meaning of the drum sounds and learned of the Mu family's evil ambitions."
Xie Yingmian was surprised: "This is..."
"Morse code?"
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