The sacrificial ceremony is ready.
The concubines in each palace have already arrived at their designated positions.
The Empress Dowager took her seat at the head of the table early on.
Gu Jiangli arrived late and slowly walked to the emperor's side.
The Empress Dowager watched coldly and began to reprimand:
"Imperial Noble Consort, even if you are pregnant, shouldn't you make so many people wait for you?"
Gu Jiangli remained silent, but the Emperor grabbed her hand and addressed the Empress Dowager:
"The time hasn't come yet. I asked the Imperial Noble Consort to come later. The Empress Dowager knows that she is pregnant, so there's no need to be too harsh on her."
This was the first time the Empress Dowager had been challenged by the Emperor in front of so many people, and she immediately lost her temper.
The concubines behind them also looked very strange; it was the first time they had ever seen the emperor and empress dowager appear so distant.
The emperor ignored these glances and whispered in Gu Jiangli's ear:
"The Imperial Wardrobe is delivering the clothes so late?"
His voice was very soft; no one but Gu Jiangli could hear it.
To outsiders, this gesture might just appear to be a bit intimate.
Gu Jiangli also turned her head slightly and answered softly:
"The clothes were sent by the young prince; there must have been some tampering with them."
"What?" The emperor was startled and immediately reached out to take off Gu Jiangli's outer robe.
Fortunately, Gu Jiangli acted quickly and stopped him.
"Your Majesty, please do not be anxious."
The emperor stopped what he was doing. "Would it be harmful to you?"
Gu Jiangli shook his head slightly, "The lotus has been carefully examined and is harmless, so Your Majesty need not worry. Their true intentions will naturally be revealed later."
Upon hearing her words, the emperor ceased his agitation and instead stood beside her, staring intently in Fang Xun's direction.
Gu Jiangli, however, was very interested in the priest and asked in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, what is the background of that priest? Who hired him?"
The emperor glanced at the priest and replied, "The Empress Dowager found him. I heard that the palace had performed a prayer for a flood in the past, and it was this priest who did it. I heard that the flood was quickly resolved after the prayer, and many people trust this priest."
"So, this priest is quite prestigious in matters of blessing?"
The emperor looked somewhat displeased, but still nodded, "Indeed, when it comes to playing tricks, I'm afraid no one can beat him."
Gu Jiangli lowered his head, concealing the smile on his face.
"So His Majesty doesn't believe in supernatural phenomena or strange gods either."
The emperor's expression changed subtly, and a deep voice came from above Gu Jiangli's head:
"I would rather these supernatural phenomena were real, but unfortunately, they are not credible."
Gu Jiangli looked up and met a pair of wandering eyes.
She knew that the emperor was probably recalling some unpleasant past events, so she didn't ask any further questions.
When the time came, the sacrificial ceremony began.
The priest, holding sorghum seedlings, began to dance within the circle.
He began to sing a song that no one else could understand.
The crowd followed with unwavering devotion.
Until the priest finally shouted, "May the god of grain protect my Qi state from the locust plague and help it safely overcome this calamity."
The emperor placed his hands flat on his chest, closed his eyes, and began to pray.
The moment Gu Jiangli closed his eyes, he heard a buzzing sound in his ears.
She opened her eyes, but before she could see what was happening, a gasp reached her ears.
"Ah! Locusts!"
A concubine pointed at the spot where Gu Jiangli was standing and shouted loudly.
In an instant, everyone opened their eyes and their gazes fell on Gu Jiangli.
Several locusts landed on her shoulders and arms.
Several more were flying around her, seemingly not yet having found a place to land.
They are not afraid of people, and even seem quite aggressive.
The emperor hurriedly waved his hand, trying to drive away the locusts, while Lotus and Xiao Anzi rushed over to protect Gu Jiangli.
These locusts seemed to have chosen their master, refusing to go anywhere else and only focusing on surrounding Gu Jiangli.
The concubines all cried out in surprise.
"They really are locusts!"
"Why can't they be driven away? They seem to only want to stay by the Imperial Noble Consort's side."
"No way? It's not like the locusts raised by the Imperial Noble Consort, is it?"
"But how could there be locusts in the inner palace? Is the imperial city also suffering from a locust plague?"
They kept whispering to each other.
At this moment, the priest suddenly spoke, his voice so loud that it attracted everyone's attention:
"Heavens! Evil spirits are here! The locust plague will never be driven away!"
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow and asked with a hint of urgency, "What do you mean by that, Priest?"
Upon hearing their conversation, the emperor immediately sensed that something was amiss.
While protecting Gu Jiangli, she listened to the priest's reply.
The priest knelt on the ground in fear and trepidation, his hands clasped to his chest, tears seemingly welling in his eyes. His voice was filled with sorrow as he spoke:
"Your Majesty, the locust plague in Qizhou is indeed a natural disaster, but it is also caused by evil spirits in the human world that have brought about this calamity! If these evil spirits are not eliminated, the God of Grain will not protect the people of Qizhou!"
"What! Is that so?" the Empress Dowager exclaimed in surprise. "Where is that evil spirit?"
"Right here!"
As soon as the priest finished speaking, the crowd immediately became noisy.
The Empress Dowager quickly asked again, "Who is the evil spirit?"
The priest slowly rose from the ground and pointed in one direction.
All eyes followed his finger.
The emperor took off his outer robe, and the head palace maid Hehua and Xiao Anzi from Jinghe Palace held the emperor's outer robe with both hands, supporting it above Gu Jiangli's head.
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