Three days later, the sacrificial ceremony began.
It was a bright, cloudless day, and the streets were bustling with people. All the people had gathered around the altar, which was several dozen feet high. They all stood several dozen feet away from the altar, which was heavily guarded, and no one was allowed to get even a little closer.
All the princes and ministers were waiting under the altar. Soon, Emperor Wenxuan, wearing his imperial robe, walked towards the altar step by step with the imperial teacher.
The Imperial Master began to chant prayers and sutras, while Emperor Wenxuan stood by, holding incense and praying devoutly.
After the Imperial Master finished his ceremony, Emperor Wenxuan recited scriptures and burned incense.
Under the altar, the third prince Gu Hanyu looked up at the sky. It was cloudless and the weather was excellent, and his heart sank slightly.
Can they really realize their plan in such weather?
Gu Hanyu was a little uncertain.
"Third brother, are you feeling unwell?" the second prince asked.
Gu Hanyu collected his thoughts and said with a smile, "It's a bit hot today."
The Fifth Prince sneered when he heard this, "Third brother's body is really delicate, comparable to the concubines in my house."
Some of the princes around sneered, some watched coldly, and some frowned slightly.
The third prince has no maternal family and is not favored by Emperor Wenxuan. He has the least sense of existence among all the princes and is often bullied by other princes.
The eldest prince said, "Fifth brother, don't cause trouble. Don't forget what day it is today."
As soon as the eldest prince spoke, the fifth prince, although unhappy, said nothing more.
The eldest prince turned his head to look at Gu Hanyu, "Third brother, don't bother with that brat. You know he's always been this outspoken."
The fifth prince was naturally unwilling to see that the eldest prince was using him as a stepping stone to win over the third prince.
He was about to speak, but was stopped by the Second Prince beside him, so he had to shut up awkwardly.
Bei Yutang stood on the other side of the altar, watching the Imperial Master near the end of his ceremony. He then gave a signal to someone in the crowd. After receiving the command, the person quietly retreated and began sending out signals.
As soon as the Imperial Master withdrew, Emperor Wenxuan took over, looking at the heavens with a sincere face, "I obey the will of heaven and earth and allow the world to..."
Not long after Emperor Wenxuan opened his mouth, a loud voice suddenly came from the crowd.
"Your Majesty, you are holding a ceremony today for the people of the world, yet the people are complaining. Why is there injustice? Could it be that Your Majesty wishes for heaven to bring about redress?"
The man's voice was very loud, so loud that everyone present could hear it clearly.
After being interrupted, Emperor Wenxuan's face darkened slightly and he glanced at the man with displeasure.
Before the Imperial Guards commander could react, another man spoke up, "Nowadays, every household, including many with children, is sleepless nights, and thieves are constantly coming and going. Why doesn't the Emperor do anything about it?"
There were voices of condemnation from below. These people were all families who had lost their children.
These families dared to come out at this time only because five days ago, someone secretly told them that their children were taken away by the emperor to make elixirs. Some of these families believed it, while others did not.
What was strange was that both the couple had nightmares that night. In the dreams, they saw their crying child being pushed into a furnace by Emperor Wenxuan and burned to death.
After this incident, most of the families whose children were missing believed the story, but some still did not believe it and even told the news to the government officials. Unexpectedly, the two families were silenced.
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