Chapter 15
Lin Nanjie finally returned to the emperor. Seeing that the emperor had calmed down for a while, Lin Nanjie continued to serve as a eunuch with a nervous heart.
Fortunately, the winter solstice arrived soon, and the palace became increasingly busy. Even Lin Nanjie was transferred several times to prepare for the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heavens. Li Chenghuan was also busy with government affairs, so Lin Nanjie felt a lot more relaxed.
Lin Nanjie was so busy every day that the days passed by quickly, and finally the day of the ancestor worship ceremony arrived.
The day of the ancestral worship ceremony was very busy, and the most important thing was to go to the imperial mausoleum to worship. First, one had to worship the heavens, then worship the ancestors, and also go through a series of rituals such as welcoming the emperor and gods, laying down jade and silk, the first offering, the second offering, the final offering, sending off the emperor and gods, and looking at the incense. At dawn, the ancestral worship team in the palace set out, and Li Chenghuan was followed by the ministers, the officials of the Taichang Temple who managed the sacrificial rituals and music, and a group of followers and guards, and they set out towards the imperial mausoleum.
The imperial mausoleum is located in the northwest suburbs of the imperial palace, on Jingren Mountain, with the mountain behind and the water in front. It is a Feng Shui treasure land selected by the founding emperor Taizu himself and Qin Tianjian. The ancestors of Daqi are buried here, and it is the lifeblood of Daqi.
Jingren Mountain is the only high mountain in the imperial capital. It is the extension of the dragon vein and has a very imperial aura.
That’s why it’s also exceptionally high.
The sky was already bright, but it was gray and looked like it was going to rain.
Lin Nanjie followed in the group of followers, standing on both sides of Li Chenghuan, slightly out of breath, and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand.
[Help! No one said that we have to climb such a high mountain to worship our ancestors! ]
[We have already climbed so high, why haven’t we reached the end yet? ]
[Does the emperor like to bury himself in such a high place? ]
[It is so tiring for future generations to worship! 】
Li Chenghuan, who was leading a group of people up Jingren Mountain at great speed, suddenly heard this voice and snorted with extreme disdain.
Is this considered high?
In the first year of the founding of the country, Taizu led his subjects to offer sacrifices to heaven on the top of Mount Tai!
It’s just a Jingren Mountain, what’s so tiring about it?
Lin Nanjie walked up the stairs with a chuckle in his heart:
[Because it was too high, the late emperor tried his best to postpone the ancestor worship ceremony and changed it to once every three years. He was cursed by people all over the world in a roundabout way, hahahahahaha! ]
Lin Nanjie had excellent hearing and could clearly hear the ministers behind him panting and shouting just like him.
Shi Baizhang, the Right Assistant to the Censorate, panted as he supported Prime Minister Feng: "Prime Minister, be careful. This Jingren Mountain is really...really high."
Feng Yuanxiu's hair was half white and his face looked tired. He wanted to say something, but he was powerless and could only wave his hands.
Zheng Yongnian, the chief minister of the Dali Temple, also looked miserable.
"We are all ministers of Daqi. Offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors is the most important thing for a minister to do, but you are complaining all the time."
Suddenly, a discordant voice interrupted them. They looked up and saw that it was Wang Zhongcheng with a dignified look on his face.
Wang Zhongcheng had an upright expression and showed indignation: "As a minister of great importance, if he is like this, won't the people below him follow suit?"
Bai Zhang said quickly, "Your Excellency is right, Your Excellency is right."
Li Chenghuan was slightly satisfied after hearing this.
Lin Nanqi quietly looked back at Wang Zhongcheng and muttered in his heart: "But Lord Wang, didn't you just hurt your knee last month? Can you climb such a high mountain?"
[You are old, don't try to show off. ]
[And Mr. Feng, he is already 65 years old this year. He still has to be dragged up to climb the mountain when he is over 50 years old. He is almost on crutches. How pitiful! ]
[But it seems that they can only show off their prowess. Can the dog emperor let them be his sedan chair? ]
Li Chengqian paused.
Lin Nanjie almost stumbled when he saw Li Chenghuan stopped.
Wang Dehai asked quickly, "What does the emperor want?"
The ministers below also looked at each other, only to see that the emperor had a serious face, and they couldn't help feeling worried.
Could it be that the emperor caught me gossiping just now?
The ministers' faces turned green.
Li Chenghuan took a deep breath and said, "Give it to ministers over the age of sixty."
Master Feng Ge and Wang Zhongcheng were stunned.
Wang Zhongcheng quickly resigned: "Your Majesty, this is such an important matter as the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, we absolutely cannot do this!"
Li Chengqian glanced at Wang Zhongcheng's knee and said, "Sir Wang, your knee is injured, so don't show off. I still need you to lead the Censorate more."
After Li Chengqian said this, Wang Zhongcheng felt the pain in his knees. His face turned pale and he said awkwardly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."
Feng Yuanxiu also expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Lin Nanjie couldn't help but be surprised: [He really let Lord Feng and Lord Wang sit in the sedan chair? When did the dog emperor become so considerate? 】
Li Chenghuan glanced at Lin Nanjie who was climbing the stairs with his head down.
He is not a monster.
Rain began to fall from the sky, thin drizzles that gradually grew heavier. When it reached the Tiantan of the Imperial Mausoleum, the rain became heavier.
The sacrificial ceremony officially began, with Li Chengqian leading all the civil and military officials to kneel, burn incense, and perform the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows. Then the sacrificial text was read, and jade, silk, and other offerings were presented.
The task of holding the jade and silk fell on Lin Nanjie. Lin Nanjie stretched out his hands straight forward, holding the plain white jade and silk respectfully.
At this moment, the sound of reading a sacrificial text rang in his ears. Li Chengqian's voice was deep and far-reaching, and it was filled with a sense of righteousness when he read it. The Minister of the Ministry of Rites and the Grand Tutor all showed expressions of admiration.
Lin Nanqi held the jade and silk in his hands, listening to the voice of the sacrificial text being read. He had to admit that Li Chengqian's voice was very pleasant to the ear. However, as he listened, Lin Nanqi couldn't help but think in his heart:
[This memorial text... seems a bit long? ]
[The dog emperor seems to admire Taizu very much. But does he know that Taizu hates people writing long and boring articles? ]
[During the reign of Emperor Taizu, even in the palace examinations of the imperial examinations, people preferred concise language rather than embellished language.]
【Tsk, tsk, tsk.】
Li Chenghuan's fluent voice suddenly stopped.
Then the ministers discovered that the emperor's voice trembled when he read the sacrificial text.
I couldn't help but look up, but I didn't find anything unusual. However, I found that the little eunuch standing next to the emperor... was surprisingly outstanding?
On the altar in the wind and rain, there was a handsome young man in a green robe, with a pale complexion, wet black hair, and his handsome figure looked thin and gaunt in the bitter wind and rain.
When did a young eunuch with outstanding appearance appear?
He is indeed handsome.
Look twice, and look twice again.
Lin Nanjie didn't realize that he had become the object of attention for some equally bored ministers. He just felt that his hands were almost numb from lifting.
And there's no sign of the rain stopping.
Lin Nanqi glanced at the ministers.
【？ 】
[Why do I feel like I'm being watched? ]
[That's not right. Even if we are just watching, we are watching the dog emperor.]
Lin Nanjie spotted General Qin Fang with his sharp eyes.
Although Qin Fang was punished and confined to his house, he was still a capable general. He was also among the crowd participating in the grand moment of offering sacrifices to heaven, and was looking at the emperor with a worried look.
Lin Nanjie: [Wuhu? General Qin is watching the dog emperor.]
Li Chengqian's voice paused again.
?
Didn’t he put Qin Fang in a corner?
【Huh? His eyes are eager to make a move.】
Li Chenghuan raised his head and glared at Qin Fang warningly, "It's a grand ceremony to worship the ancestors, so don't act rashly."
[Yeah? The dog emperor even gave General Qin a look? ]
[Ah! General Qin has stepped out! What does he want to do! ]
Lin Nanqi's mind was attracted and his voice became more and more excited.
[Ahhhh! He's coming over! He asked the eunuch for an umbrella! ]
[Wow! This is to protect the dog emperor from the rain! ]
【This kind of thought is really touching. 】
Li Chengqian's face turned pale, he was not moved at all!
Do you know what this occasion is?
I ran up to play with an umbrella without respecting God properly. Did he agree?
The ministers were surprised to find that the emperor was reading the eulogy absent-mindedly. His voice was sometimes loud, sometimes weak and wandering, and his complexion was not very good.
Did you find out that they wanted to slack off?
The ministers all looked respectful, and were full of awe even in the rain and wind, but in fact they were concentrating all their energy on observing what was going on.
At this moment, Qin Fang finally reached the edge of the altar.
He held an umbrella, rain splashed on his feet, and his expression was determined.
Lin Nanjie said with great emotion: [Ah! He finally came up! ]
[Three years of hardships at the border, three years of intrigues and deceptions! He has been waiting for this moment - to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor! Even if it is just to hold an umbrella! He is satisfied! ]
Li Chengqian finally finished reading the sacrificial text and said in a sharp voice: "Jade and silk!"
Lin Nanqi was startled suddenly. It was over so quickly?
He did not dare to delay and hurried forward with the jade and silk to hand over to Li Chenghuan.
Who would have thought that the rain would wet the altar? The altar was built in the mountains and was covered with a thin layer of moss, which became slippery after being wetted by the rain. In addition, Lin Nanjie's legs had been stiff from standing for a long time, so when he moved, his feet slipped and he fell straight forward.
The white silk was raised into the air, blocking Lin Nanjie's view.
In a flash, Lin Nanjie only felt that he had fallen on a warm body, with his hands on the person, and fell to the ground in a very public and socially humiliating posture.
【Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!】 Lin Nan’s heart pounded, and the moment Li Chenghuan fell down, he felt like his eardrums were about to pierce.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
At almost the same moment, another voice rang out with the same frequency.
Lin Nanjie: [It’s over, it’s over. Not only did I hit the emperor, I actually screamed out loud! ]
[Hey, wait, it's not me? ]
Lin Nanjie turned his head and met Qin Fang's collapsed and broken sight.
Then, following Qin Fang's shaky gaze, he saw that his right hand was right on the dragon robe where two dragons were playing with a pearl. Under the dragon robe, there was a strange touch that was hard to describe.
Then Lin Nanjie reacted instantly——
【Ah ...
[Help!!!]
Thick black energy emanated from Li Chenghuan's body. He gritted his teeth and said, "Why don't you get up now?"