Chapter 294 After the Sacrifice
The next morning, Shen Yuexi was taking a stroll in front of the palace when she ran into Mei Dai, who was wearing plain clothes and going to the Mei family ancestral hall to worship their ancestors.
After taking back Yongwei, Mei Dai successively brought back the coffins of Xiliang King Mei Cheng and his wife, as well as Mei Pu, finally allowing the souls of her parents and brother to return to their hometown and be restored in the ancestral hall.
Shen Yuexi had never seen what the ancient ancestral hall looked like, and out of curiosity she wanted to go and see it.
Mei Dai smiled and said, "Originally, only descendants of the Mei family are allowed to enter the Mei family's ancestral hall. But my sister has done a great favor to the Mei family, and the ancestors will not blame her. Mei Dai will take my sister with her."
Shen Yuexi got in the car and said to Mei Dai, "Why isn't the ancestral hall built in the palace?"
Mei Dai said, "The location of the ancestral hall is not chosen arbitrarily. A Feng Shui master must be invited to survey the site. The Mei family ancestral hall is located west of Yongwei City. We will be there soon."
The two chatted for a while, and then the convoy stopped in front of the Mei Clan Ancestral Hall.
Shen Yuexi jumped out of the car and was greeted by a three-tiered archway built of white marble, guarded by the Xiliang Army. Above it hung a horizontal plaque with the inscription "Mei Clan Ancestral Hall." On either side of the main entrance were couplets, written in flowing, ethereal calligraphy, though she couldn't understand them.
Mei Dai also got out of the car and told Shen Yuexi, "I know my sister is quite cheerful, but I hope she can be more steady in the ancestral hall."
Shen Yuexi stuck out her tongue and followed Mei Dai into the main gate of the archway.
The entrance is also a corridor paved with white marble, with lush green pines and cypresses on both sides. A short distance ahead is the main hall of the ancestral hall, with five rooms in a row, bracketed by overhanging eaves, creating a solemn atmosphere.
Mei Dai asked Shen Yuexi to wait here while she went inside to offer sacrifices herself.
Shen Yuexi waited obediently where she was. After Mei Dai came out, she said to her, "Sister Mei, since I'm here, I also want to pay my respects to the King of Xiliang and Prince Mei."
Now that she was here, it would be a shame to leave without doing anything. Besides, Mei Pu was Xiao Zhuo's good friend, so she also said a few words to Mei Pu on Xiao Zhuo's behalf.
Mei Dai smiled and said, "I didn't expect my sister to be so thoughtful. I'll take my sister in, and we just need to pay respect to the tablets of our father and brother."
The two of them came in, and Mei Dai led her to the tablet of Xiliang King Mei Cheng first.
Shen Yuexi bowed three times, muttering silently, "King of Xiliang, although you are a little stupid, it's really not your fault. Your father is so powerful, but God has made you lack that ability. Heaven's will cannot be violated. Now that Sister Mei has become the Queen of Xiliang and governs the four counties, you can continue to enjoy the incense of the sacrifices. You should be happy in the underworld."
Then she bowed to Mei Pu and said, "Prince Mei, although you caused the Xiliang army to rebel, I don't blame you at all, and neither does my husband. You have done nothing wrong. After so much suffering, you finally don't have to suffer from leprosy anymore. I hope you will bless Sister Mei to successfully defeat the Xirong. It is too difficult for her to do it alone."
Mei Dai watched her mumbling to herself with such piety that she couldn't help but smile.
After the worship, the two left the ancestral hall and walked slowly along the white marble corridor.
Shen Yuexi thought of Xiao Beiheng and said to Mei Dai, "Sister Mei, I have a difficult problem. I wonder if Sister Mei can help me solve it?"
"You're welcome, sister. Go ahead."
"My husband has been crowned king, and so has Xiao Beiheng, but Emperor Ming of Qi hasn't appointed a crown prince. I'm always worried that Xiao Beiheng will harm us for the crown prince position. My husband said that he knew they were brothers before, but he still deliberately attacked us. He has the intention to harm us. I'm afraid he will attack us."
Mei Dai looked thoughtful after hearing this, and said to Shen Yuexi, "Sister, tell me what you want."
"I think the first to strike wins, and the last to strike wins," Shen Yuexi clenched her fist and waved it in the air. "Since he's not treating us well, we have to strike first."
Of course, she was just talking. Whether to send troops or not was still up to Xiao Zhuo to decide.
Mei Dai smiled and said to her, "So that's what my sister thinks. It's not wrong, but it's a little inappropriate."
"What's wrong?"
Shen Yuexi felt that she was not wrong. She knew that the other party had malicious intentions, so why was she still in a daze?
Mei Dai saw her puzzled expression and thought for a moment before saying, "Well, let me tell you a story to illustrate this."
"Okay." Shen Yuexi agreed.
At this time, the two of them came to a stop under a cypress tree. The sunlight shone through the dense leaves, sprinkled on the white marble corridor, and the breeze made her feel particularly refreshed.
"There are two villagers, A and B. A knows that B hates him and wants to kill him at all times, so he takes the initiative and kills B. How will the court rule on this case?"
"Needless to say, if A killed B, then of course A was wrong and should be sentenced to death." Shen Yuexi picked up a leaf and turned it between her fingers.
"Why? A obviously knows that B is a bad person."
"A knows, but no one else knows..." Shen Yuexi said halfway when she suddenly realized, "Sister Mei, I understand. We all know that Xiao Beiheng is a bad guy, but no one else knows."
"That's right, my sister is very smart," Mei Dai said with a smile, "Even though Prince An knew that Xiao Beiheng had the intention to harm him, he couldn't take the initiative. This is the reason. You know Xiao Beiheng is evil, Prince An knows it, Miss Ji knows it too...but the government doesn't know."
"The government is the representative..."
"If Prince An launches a preemptive attack, whether it's to kill Xiao Beiheng or imprison him, I'm afraid the whole world will think that Prince An is murdering his brother for the throne. Prince An's moral position is untenable. This is called having no legitimate reason. How can a person who is not supported by the people become an emperor? Even if he does, he will be overthrown quickly and be infamous for eternity."
Shen Yuexi shuddered when she heard this idiom. She thought of a treacherous minister who had been made into a bronze statue and reviled by generations to come.
But what if, as Mei Dai said, we do nothing?
"Then what should we do? Wait for Xiao Beiheng to harm us?"
Mei Dai smiled gently. "We're not just waiting around. You must be wary of him and be careful not to let him harm you. Wait until his evil side is exposed and everyone in the world recognizes his true face. That's when it's time to act."
Shen Yuexi nodded repeatedly: "Sister Mei, I understand."
"What about Prince An? What does Prince An think?" Mei Dai asked.
"When we went to Shengzhou, I asked him about it. He said he just wanted to live a good life with me. Sister Ji also told him about it yesterday, twice. He only replied with one sentence each time: 'He is my brother after all.'"
"Is that so?" Mei Dai smiled. "Maybe he feels he owes you too much and wants to make it up to you. Sister, don't bother thinking about it. Prince An is not the kind of fool who allows himself to be manipulated, and..."
Having said that, Mei Dai paused.
Shen Yuexi was waiting for Mei Dai to continue. When she saw Mei Dai pause, she looked at her and found that her expression had become a little sad.
After a short pause, Mei Dai whispered, "Prince An is right. They are brothers after all, and blood is thicker than water. It would be best if the two of them could live in peace. Once a loved one is gone, they will never come back. Perhaps Xiao Beiheng will slowly change. If that happens, it would be even more wrong for you to take action. Be patient with your loved ones if you can."
Shen Yuexi knew that Mei Dai had lost her parents and brother, and she was particularly concerned about the word "relatives".
"I'm just a little worried." Shen Yuexi said worriedly.
After Mei Dai's explanation, she now fully understood how to deal with Xiao Beiheng. Now that she thought about it, Xiao Zhuo's approach was exactly the most appropriate.
It seems that her husband really doesn't need her to worry about him.
Mei Dai turned and gave her a bright smile. "Don't worry, sister. If that day ever comes, the Xiliang Army will definitely support Prince An with all their might. As long as Prince An doesn't touch the Mei family, Mei Dai's oath will remain unchanged."
As if trying to change the subject, Mei Dai asked about something else: "By the way, sister, I heard you guys are expanding the city. Have you decided on a name for the city yet?"
Shen Yuexi said, "No, but the city is getting bigger and bigger, so it's time to have a name. The village head even came to ask me about it, and I said I'll wait for now."
She said she would wait for the time being, but in reality, she couldn't come up with a name. But the old village head was quite serious and said that only she could name it. So she waited, since the outer city had just started construction, so it would be Princess An who would come up with the name.
Now that I've arrived in Xiliang, I'm faced with the all-knowing Sister Mei Dai...
She coughed and looked at Mei Dai with a smile: "That's perfect, Sister Mei, can you help me pick a name?"
Mei Dai didn't refuse. After a moment's thought, she said to her, "That city has weathered countless wars, yet it remains standing, always victorious and undefeated... Let's call it Shengjing, meaning the undefeated city."
"Shengjing, Shengjing," Shen Yuexi repeated it several times and said happily, "What a good name!"
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