Xie Pei didn't say much, but there was something wrong with his eyes.
But the next second I heard him say: "Did I not do well enough?"
What?
Xie Pei lowered his head slightly, and said seriously: "Is it because I didn't do it well, so you need to find someone to help."
Su Wan was speechless for a moment, and then she heard him sigh: "That's right, I always fail in everything I do recently."
!!!
The winter sacrifice is the most important event of the year. Just think about it and you will know that the saint will not let you take a special part in it. It is okay to sacrifice to ancestors, but if you also sacrifice to the country, heaven and earth, only the saintly queen and prince will have this honor.
Even though Concubine Jiang has been active recently because of the winter festival, how could you accomplish this with your status?
If a prince was really allowed to preside over the sacrifice, it would almost directly mean that he is the future crown prince.
With the mind of a saint, I would never choose you no matter who I choose.
But Xie Pei's sadness at this moment was very real.
Yes, as the only son of the late queen and the only legitimate son of the royal family, he should have been able to join in, but now he is almost completely excluded from the winter festival.
Even her participation may be more than Xie Pei's.
This was not Su Wan's guess, but she knew what she was busy with, and she couldn't help but listen to more news about Xie Pei.
In other words, I heard the news about the three princes.
In a grand event like the Winter Festival, the prince who participates most shows who the sage has in mind for the crown prince.
Therefore, the sage did not want Xie Pei to take office in November. It would be a good idea to postpone it to the beginning of next spring, because there is an important event like the winter solstice in November.
But now he is in charge of government affairs, and he is still so arrogant. He almost avoids Xie Pei during the winter festival and doesn't let him get involved at all.
Not only Xie Pei could not get involved, but the other two princes could not get involved either. At most, they could deal with some small matters, but when it came to actual sacrifices, they were not busy.
The selfish motives behind this are obvious without much explanation.
It’s just that when it comes to imperial power, they don’t want to give up even a penny.
But Su Wan always felt uncomfortable when Xie Pei said this.
I had heard people tell the story of the Third Prince before, but it was just a story. But now the protagonist of the story has become the person in front of me, and I always feel a little uncomfortable.
No matter what happened in the previous generation, who let whom down, and who had some conspiracy, Xie Pei was always innocent.
At first, he was in tattered clothes in the Guandi Temple, and no one cared about him. Now, even if he could fight for something, it would be much more difficult and dangerous than for others.
Su Wan coughed lightly: "The main reason is that my aunt has nothing to do, and she comes to pick up things every half a month, so there is no need to send them so frequently."
Now that she had explained it, Su Wan started to talk more: "If it weren't for you, she would have had to suffer more at home."
“So I always thank you.”
There is not a single falsehood in these words; Su Wan truly thinks so.
Xie Pei's help to her cannot be expressed with just a few words of thanks.
Xie Pei's eyes flashed with a smile, but his tone was still low: "No, I am here to thank you. If you hadn't come to deliver meals every day, I would have been afraid that I would not have been full."
Not full?
Su Wan was confused, but felt she couldn't refute it. After all, according to the rumors, Xie Pei's situation was indeed not good.
Xie Pei smiled, raised his head to take something out of his purse, but his brows were furrowed and he hissed softly.
"What's wrong?" Su Wan asked.
"It's okay, just a bruise."
If you hit the knife, it would also be considered a scratch, right?
Xie Pei took out a golden bead from his purse, on which was faintly engraved Sanskrit: "I heard that you might have contacts with the monks in the inner palace. If you are in danger, give this bead to them, and perhaps you will be spared from punishment."
There are only a few Buddhist beads from India in Tianxiang Kingdom.
But he did have a set of golden Buddhist beads in his storehouse. Although he had only taken out one, it was already eye-catching enough.
The main reason is that the monks in the inner palace are arrogant and domineering, and their disciples are almost the same.
I originally thought that I would need to find an excuse to give the beads away, but now it seems that there is no need to say more.
Xie Pei refused to accept Su Wan, and said, "Compared with things, people are always more important."
This sentence actually convinced Su Wan.
She was not a self-deprecating person, but she did not think at all that Buddhist beads were more valuable than herself. After all, they were just objects.
Xie Pei added: "Even if you don't need it, maybe someone around you can use it."
"Okay, then I'll accept it. It would be best if you don't need to use it. I'll return it to you later." Su Wan nodded.
Not to mention her, the people around her are more valuable than this Sanskrit gold bead.
But when Su Wan saw Xie Pei putting away his purse, she realized that his purse was actually the one she had given him before.
Okay.
We're already friends anyway?
Even though he is now attending court and many people have acknowledged him as the Third Prince, it is still the same as before.
It seems like it has never changed.
Xie Pei nodded, and the two were about to leave. Xie Pei looked up at the sky, his eyes seemed a little helpless.
This look made Su Wan subconsciously soften her heart.
Xie Pei's current situation is already difficult. She just wants to stay away from him, but she forgets that everyone in the court wants to stay away from him.
What's the difference between me doing that and others doing that?
This softness lasted only a moment, but was accurately captured by Xie Pei, who said with a smile on his face: "It's great to have you by my side."
Su Wan sighed: "We have known each other for such a long time, he must be here."
After hearing these words, Xie Pei knew that his pitiful efforts were not in vain.
After Su Wan comforted him a few more words, he left.
The secret guards around him had inexplicable expressions.
What happened to the Third Prince?
Are you really that pitiful?
How come we didn't see it coming out?
You are not allowed to interfere in the winter festival, but did you not interfere?
The Imperial Ancestral Temple has already arranged a seat for you! After you worship the saint, it's your turn.
Isn’t that enough!
At this moment, the saint and the two princes are sulking with each other!
Moreover, this matter was not spread widely, so the clever little palace maid did not know about it. But with her cleverness, I'm afraid she won't be able to keep it secret for long.
Xie Pei chuckled and touched his injured arm. He didn't expect that the wound could be used in this way.
However, the more I interacted with Su Wan, the more I realized how smart she was. Just now, her eyes were not on the Sanskrit golden beads, but on her arm. I was afraid that she guessed that the bruise was caused by the knife.
Su Wan did guess it.
The main thing is that the Third Prince has been assassinated more than once. On the surface, it was only once, but after contacting various places, I know that he has been suffering from injuries all the time.
No matter what he thought in his heart, the injury was always innocent.
Now that I think about it, when everyone in the inner palace went to the temporary palace, Xie Pei disappeared for a while because he was injured.
I guess he's recovering from his injuries.
If this is not pitiful, then there is no one to be pitied.
On the way from the West Kitchen to the Imperial Kitchen, Su Wan still thought about Concubine Jiang.
Because it is winter, there are a lot of things to do at the end of the year, naturally including the inner palace. The Ministry of Rites is busy, and the harem also has to take care of many things.
It was inevitable that Concubine Chu, who was in power, would be found guilty of many mistakes since it was her first time to handle the matter. Her position was also low, so she was not able to do many things competently.
So Concubine Jiang was allowed to come out again and take control of some power.
In Su Wan's opinion, the saint probably took advantage of the situation and invited Concubine Jiang out again.
Anyway, no matter what, the powerful noble who had a grudge against the Shangshisi came back, and the Shangshenjian was panicked for a while.
But with the superior officer in his seat firmly in office, the people below will naturally remain calm as well.
This person will come back sooner or later, so there is no point in them worrying. They might as well do their current job well.
If the person who came out of seclusion had any brains, he would not have suddenly come into conflict with the Shangshi Division.
The winter festival is a big event.
It would be fine if other minor things caused some commotion, but if the winter sacrifice failed, there would be a huge uproar from the court to the dawn.
The six grand secretaries will also stand up.
Sacrifice is an extremely important ceremony for both the country and the people.
It also foreshadows the country's fortunes next year, and no one dares to act rashly.
Imperial Concubine Jiang had just come out, so she didn't dare to cause trouble.
This made many people in Shangshisi breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, the Shangshi Division no longer belongs to the inner palace, so everything is easier to handle.
After being busy from the beginning of November to November 20th, Su Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief. The winter festival would begin in six days and everything had been almost coordinated.
Before the incident, she actually had some free time.
Also having some free time with her were Li Rongrong and Aunt Yonglan, the head chef.
The three of them sat in the government office for a while. Aunt Yonglan said, "You know from recent contacts that we have been in contact with various departments."
"We are still in contact now. There will be many things to do before the three-day winter festival."
"Anyway, it's easy for us at the Ministry of Rites to handle. As long as it's not a big deal, we can coordinate it."
"Then there is the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. They will give face to the Ministry of Rites no matter what."
"But it's hard to say what will happen to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I'm sure the inner palace will have some comments, but they won't be too excessive."
"Then there is the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The people in the Imperial Ancestral Temple are the Imperial Household Supervisors. They treat everyone the same way, so there is no need to worry about it. However, it is inevitable that the imperial family members are too arrogant."
"The last point is, don't mess with anyone, including the monks around the saints, even their disciples."
"Remember these points, and you won't make mistakes when following the Winter Festival team."
"We are not allowed to contact the ministers, so we must take these people into consideration."
All of them have to follow the winter festival team, and there are too many people going there. Now Aunt Yonglan said that these places are the ones they can visit most often.
I am explaining it all now so that they can have a clear idea.
Su Wan nodded, and Li Rongrong also nodded.
As the day is getting closer, the Shangshisi has made all the preparations and is just waiting for November 26th.
That night, Su Wan, Xi Youzhizhang, and the palace maids transferred from various palaces did not return to their respective residences. Instead, they packed their simple luggage and went to the packing place, and then stayed directly in the Shangshenjian, waiting to set off the next day.
If you must say, they are in the logistics department, so they don't need to be there so early.
But the noble ladies in the inner palace, as well as the royal relatives, civil and military officials, all got up at five o'clock in the morning. Although these palace servants did not have to perform a series of tedious kneeling, they still had to prepare cakes in advance so that someone could use them at any time.
It's really tiring early in the morning.
The cakes and pastries prepared by Shangshisi are all bite-sized, not easy to fall apart and not too smelly, making them very comfortable to eat.
Soon, many compliments and rewards came.
This is a good start.
Su Wan looked at the sky which was still dark, and then looked at the things at hand.
The winter festival has officially begun.
The official winter festival day is November 29, which is the winter solstice.
We set out on the 27th. It's not even day yet, but the sounds of music and rituals can be heard outside. The sound of drums is deafening, mostly from soldiers, and there are also faint sounds of Buddhist chants.
Su Wan was watching from behind and could see seven elephants marching in their best attire, with dozens of red flags in front of them, as well as various gongs, drums, and so on.
She had never seen such a scene on TV.
From the red flags, gongs and drums in the front row, the sounds of the ritual music are all in a fixed order. The elephants in the back are also dressed in costumes and waving flags in their hands. They are both raising flags and training elephants. They all have thick eyebrows and big eyes, and are very strong and handsome. They look like the face of Tianxiang Kingdom.
The elephant trainer commands the elephant to sing "no", which means bowing to greet the people around them.
These elephants had started to parade like this a few days ago, and the people of Kyoto had a look at them all.
But Su Wan and the others have been in the palace all the time, and this is the first time they have met today.
The elephant led the way, and behind it were five empty carriages, all of which were carriages of various sizes belonging to the saint, but the saint was not here yet.
At this time, the elephant is just clearing the way.
At daybreak, the elephants were already waiting at the Taimiao, and the sage team began their journey.
The sage's carriage moved slowly forward, starting from the inner city of the imperial palace, out of the Huangji Gate, which is the south gate, and arriving at the outer city of the imperial palace. It went straight south. To the west of the outer city of the imperial palace was the West Kitchen where Su Wan and her friends were, and to the east was the office of the Shangshenjian.
And going straight to the south is the ancestral temple.
The temple is divided by the central axis, with the Altar of Land and Grain on the left and the Ancestral Temple on the right.
Both sides first went to the Taimiao to pay farewell to their ancestors, explained the process of this year's grand sacrifice, and then talked briefly about this year's achievements. The Sitianjian also reported on the omissions in this year's calendar customization and that next year's calendar has been completed, etc.
After talking to the ancestors, we have to go to the Altar of Land and Grain again.
This is the worship process of Tianxiang Kingdom.
Who knew that something would happen in the Taimiao?
Anyway, what Su Wan heard was that the Third Prince was causing trouble again!
The Third Prince held the late Queen's relics and worshipped the ancestors on behalf of his mother.
Is it possible?!
Even as the saint finished speaking, the Third Prince stepped forward.
At that time, the people in the Imperial Observatory didn’t know whether they should follow or not!
If I go there, doesn't that mean what the Third Prince said is within the process?
If he didn't go, would he have to wait for the other two princes to pay their respects as well?
But it would be fine to worship according to age.
The Third Prince is the youngest prince. If he bows first and then the other two princes bow, doesn't that mean they are inferior to the Third Prince in front of their ancestors?
Is this ok?
The Sitianjian is about to go bald!
Fortunately, one of the six grand secretaries, the Grand Secretary of Dongge, pushed him and asked him not to disrupt the process and continue to report on astronomy and calendar matters.
But it's still embarrassing.
Anyway, the awkward atmosphere in the Taimiao made it difficult for them to speak, but the Third Prince was calm and composed, with a slight smile on his lips.
Su Wan felt embarrassed when she heard this!
But as long as Xie Pei is not embarrassed, it is others who will feel uncomfortable.
For example, the emperor.
But what else could he do? blame Xie Pei?
Not to mention that it was in the Taimiao, and it was the winter sacrifice time, it was hard to make an excuse to say that Xie Pei was offering sacrifices to the ancestors on behalf of his mother.
Isn't the late queen allowed to pay homage?
Don't think about how much effort the late queen's mother's family has contributed to the Tianxiang Kingdom. Even though she has been gone for many years, her remaining influence can still cause verbal disputes.
If the saint wants this to go smoothly, he naturally shouldn't make a big fuss.
To put it bluntly, those with bare feet are not afraid of those who wear shoes.
Xie Pei's blatant conspiracy was much more efficient.
Anyway, the grand secretaries didn't say a word, and those who could say more, such as Concubine Jiang, were not qualified to enter the Taimiao.
Once we leave the Taimiao and go to the Sheji Altar, I guess Concubine Jiang will start to make sarcastic remarks.
Sure enough, when the winter sacrifice team was finally about to leave the imperial city, gossip came from the front. Concubine Jiang blamed the Third Prince for not knowing etiquette, but the Third Prince gave her a cold look and asked her why a concubine had to worship at the Altar of Land and Grain.
I can only say that there is too much excitement ahead.
The logistics staff can only watch from behind.
Li Rongrong couldn't help but whispered, "Your Highness, aren't you afraid of being hated for doing this?"
Hold a grudge?
Su Wan thought about the injuries on Xie Pei's body and wondered what he had to be afraid of.
With a knife today and a sword tomorrow, he is the least feared person in the entire palace.
Besides, if you want to seize the throne and want power, but are afraid of this and that, what else can you do? It is better to quit early.
But think about Xie Pei’s situation.
How could he retreat?
His background, his identity, and the Ding family blood in his body do not allow him to take a single step back.
I heard that his mother died when he was eight years old, and now he is fourteen. I am afraid he has not had a peaceful day in these six years.
I don’t know how I got through it.
So it is normal for such people to be a little petty and like to act pitiful.
She didn't want to care about it, and even felt a little pitiful.
After all, she had an aunt who looked like her mother in her previous life and was just as gentle.
But he has no mother and his father is like this.
The brothers wished each other to die immediately.
What a poor little thing.
Wait, that’s not the case. She’s just a little palace maid. Why should she feel pity for the prince? She should just watch the show quietly.
Just look at the heater in your hand and touch the Sanskrit gold beads in your purse.
Never mind, it's still a poor little thing, no one can change it.
She is so double-standard.
Fortunately, after leaving the Altar of Land and Grain, the road ahead was smooth, and the elephants stayed in the capital and continued to parade through the streets. If anyone gave them money, they could go over and sing a song of congratulations.
It also caused the children to cheer.
It feels a bit like Chinese New Year.
Su Wan really doesn't like animal performances, but this is also part of religious sacrifices.
Besides, human rights were not protected in ancient times, let alone animals.
Times have changed, so we can't be too harsh.
After completely leaving the imperial city, Su Wan actually felt as if she was in another world.
Since she came to this world, she arrived at the palace in April and it was now the end of November. Apart from visiting her family at Lingtaisi near Lingtai Gate, this was her first time to walk out of the imperial city and onto the Imperial Street of the capital.
This Imperial Street is straight and wide, still running from north to south. Their winter festival team walked all the way south, out of the Kyoto city gate, to worship at the Shanchuantan and Tiantan in the southern suburbs.
The final Temple of Heaven is the most important place for worship.
Both sides of the Imperial Street were filled with onlookers, and there were soldiers guarding on both sides, allowing the winter festival team of five to six thousand people to move forward slowly.
In the front were soldiers leading the way, in the front were the saints, in the back were the princes' carriages, and further back were six university scholars and three generals. Then came the imperial harem, the civil and military ministers, and so on.
The people from the Shangshisi were in the Ministry of Rites team, and the surrounding area was also very large.
Su Wan was walking in the team, wearing the more formal attire of a palace maid, which made her look even more graceful and lovely.
Because she was small in stature, the people from the Ministry of Rites took extra care of her.
Fortunately, it was a winter festival team, so they wouldn't walk too fast, and the drums and music in front would slow down the team's progress, so Su Wan was able to keep up.
Su Wan looked at the onlookers, and then at the shops near Imperial Street. She felt as if she were in another world.
She could come out and walk around at any time and take a look at the capital of Tianxiang Kingdom.
The long team moved forward slowly until noon, when they reached one of the rest stops.
Su Wan looked forward and laughed subconsciously.
This rest stop is actually the Guandi Temple?
But who chose this place? Doesn’t the saint believe in Buddhism?
As expected, the team continued on their journey without taking a break. After a while, gossip came from the front. The saint was really furious, and the monks around him looked even more unfriendly.
If they were in the inner palace, they would have definitely lost their temper long ago, but with six university secretaries present, they had no choice but to keep silent for the time being.
But this fire still needs to be ignited.
Su Wan was eating the melon, but she didn't expect to eat her own people.
The eunuch who was walking slowly in front found the Ministry of Rites team, looked at the people from the Imperial Food Bureau and said, "Everyone says that the food you cook at the Imperial Food Bureau is good, but can you make vegetarian food?"
really.
What is meant to come will come.
Su Wan looked at the chief of the Imperial Food Department and heard him say, "We have prepared a few light porridge and side dishes for this trip. I wonder if they will suit the tastes of the masters."
"This? Congee and side dishes?" The eunuch hesitated, "I'll go back and ask!"
Ask?
There's no point in asking. Saying this will only lower your expectations.
I still have to make vegetarian food later!
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