Chapter Thirty-Four
She suddenly raised her head. Although her vision was blurred by tears that had appeared out of nowhere, she still recognized the person in front of her from the familiar outline—Zhou Yanqing.
Upon seeing the King of Qin injured, Qi Muchen was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand, while Si Yanmo, who hadn't reacted yet, was still holding the hilt of her knife in a daze.
A gentle light appeared in her sharp, phoenix-shaped eyes. Zhou Yanqing gently pried open her hand that was gripping the dagger and said softly, "Leave it to me."
Looking into those eyes, she knew that the Zhou Yanqing she knew had returned.
She exhaled, relaxed her body, and let him take the dagger from her hand.
Zhou Yanqing then used a dagger to make two slashes on the bound woman, causing the ropes binding her to fall off instantly. The woman collapsed to the ground.
This startled everyone present, and even Mo Wenzhong frowned and stood up.
Wei Jingzhong also hurriedly came over, "Your Highness, this..."
Zhou Yanqing ignored him and turned to the people below the altar, loudly proclaiming, "I believe that the divination ceremony using human sacrifices to consult the gods is too cruel, and I intend to abolish it and replace it with animal sacrifices. What do you all think?"
Si Yanmo didn't expect him to say it so bluntly. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes shining, as if the ending was no longer so important.
She knew that someone was standing with her.
An uproar immediately erupted below the altar, with a constant stream of discussions, mostly driven by fear.
The practice of human sacrifice to consult the gods has existed since ancient times. Even though people find it cruel, no one dares to actually think about abolishing it.
If you displease the gods, you may be punished.
Nobody wants to gamble.
Wei Jingzhong stepped forward. "Your Highness, the practice of offering sacrifices to the gods has been a custom since Emperor Wu of the Southern Kingdom ascended the throne. Abolishing this ritual may incur divine punishment. I urge you to reconsider!"
After he finished speaking, Qi Muchen also knelt down, and the officials next to him followed suit, all looking as if they were thinking about the people's livelihood.
Si Yanmo found it both hypocritical and laughable.
She had already seen Wei Jingzhong's fate. This man appeared aloof, but secretly he bought beautiful orphaned girls from human traffickers to train as his shadow guards. On the one hand, they helped him curry favor with other high-ranking officials and businessmen, and on the other hand, they helped him eliminate his rivals.
The woman who was sacrificed was once his shadow guard, but now she has become a pawn, chosen as a sacrifice in the shamanistic ritual.
He claimed that the other woman was a jinx, but that was just an excuse he made up to eliminate a minor official who knew he had accepted bribes, after the woman was successfully killed.
She was about to expose the other party's ugly face when Zhou Yanqing stopped her.
Si Yanmo raised her eyes to look at him, thinking that he had been persuaded by this guy again, but unexpectedly Zhou Yanqing curled his lips slightly and said, "Wei Lishi, I ask you, what is the purpose of human sacrifice?"
"...I pray that the gods will descend to earth to give me a reply." Wei Jingzhong felt that this kid was digging a hole for him, but he didn't know what he wanted to say, so he could only answer honestly.
"Then tell me, if I don't offer sacrifices and pray for Emperor Gu to descend to earth, will Emperor Gu still know?" he asked again.
Wei Jingzhong hesitated for a moment before saying, "Of course... of course I know."
"That means even if Qin doesn't offer sacrifices, Di Gu will still know what happened here, so why should we ask the gods for human sacrifices?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Jingzhong was stunned, and everyone else stopped discussing.
Si Yanmo realized what was happening and almost burst out laughing.
He's setting a trap!
After a long while, Wei Jingzhong came up with another reason: "But human sacrifice is to show our clan's sincerity. If we abolish it, I'm afraid that even if Emperor Gu knew about it, he would not be willing to respond and would instead bring down punishment."
These words caused another stir in the audience. Everyone was afraid that the gods would punish them and implicate them.
Zhou Yanqing gave a mysterious "Oh," and said, "If that's the case, then let's cast the divination. Let's see if Emperor Gu will agree?"
“If Emperor Gu is displeased,” he turned to the crowd, “then my words today shall be null and void, and I shall atone for my sins with my death in this Emperor Gu Temple, what do you say?”
Wei Jingzhong dared not say it was good or bad, so he could only slowly retreat to the side with the others.
Zhou Yanqing ordered the master of ceremonies to bring over the divination cups. After picking one up, he turned to Si Yanmo and asked, "How about the diviner and I join together?"
Si Yanmo smiled, showing no sign of worry, and calmly picked up another divination cup.
She will naturally be with him.
Some people were squeezed at the back, confused and could only crane their necks to look.
The two took off their shoes, clasped their hands together, held the divination cup in their palms, and walked barefoot around the incense burner in front of the Emperor's statue three times before throwing it out together.
Yin and Yang, the Holy Grail, signifies permission.
The game of throwing the jacks requires three attempts.
The two then threw twice more in the same manner, each time resulting in a yin and a yang.
After Zhou Yanqing and Si Yanmo knelt down to express their gratitude, Zhou Yanqing stood up and turned to the crowd, saying, "Emperor Gu cares deeply for the people and is willing to abolish human sacrifice so that innocent people can be spared from suffering."
Everyone immediately knelt down, and the high-ranking officials who were sitting also quickly stood up and knelt down, saying, "Thank you, Emperor Gu, we will obey the divine decree."
Among the crowd, a middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes kowtowed heavily in the direction of Zhou Yanqing, his eyes filled with tears.
Those around him also covered their faces and wept, looking up at the sky, murmuring words of solace for their loved ones lost through human sacrifice.
This was unprecedented, and it was thought to be a great act of rebellion, but instead, three Holy Grails were won in succession.
The past may be a joke, but it can also bring peace of mind for the future.
The dark clouds that had been hanging over the Digu Temple slowly dispersed, revealing the fiery red sun. The sunlight shone on the entire altar, making it gleam golden.
A woman's voice rang out from the crowd: "The King of Qin is truly righteous!"
The crowd echoed, "The King of Qin is truly righteous! The King of Qin is truly righteous!"
Zhou Yanqing's smile shifted from sarcasm to relief.
He looked down at the audience and seemed to see himself from many years ago, wanting to rebel but unable to do anything.
The boy smiled back at him.
Gradually, the boy's figure transformed into Si Yanmo. He met the eyes of the person in front of him and had so much to say to her, but he knew it wasn't the right time yet.
He handed the divination cup in his hand to Si Yanmo and said, "Master Mo, please."
Si Yanmo took the divination cup and threw it three times, all of which resulted in a positive result.
At this moment, Wei Jingzhong's expression froze completely, and Qi Muchen, who was not far away, also looked solemn.
When he threw the coin, he smiled slyly.
Even though he was extremely unwilling, he could only kneel down with the others and say to Si Yanmo, "Mo Wubu."
Despite having experienced so much, Si Yanmo felt no joy at this moment; her mind was completely blank.
Before she could react, Zhou Yanqing had already handed her the wind feather and divination seal, symbols of the shaman's status, in front of everyone, and bowed to her.
"Please, the shaman Mo, in the future, convey divine pronouncements to our people and bless our Qin land with prosperity and enduring strength."
Si Yanmo responded with a "yes," and was then draped in a black cloak by the master of ceremonies.
When the light shone on her cloak, it reflected a rainbow of colors, making her seem as if she were truly a messenger of the gods.
After another round of tedious incense offerings and social obligations, she finally returned to her carriage to get some fresh air.
Si Yanmo lowered her head, opened her hand, and saw that the divination cup was not returned in her palm. She laughed sarcastically.
It's all fake...
——
Last night, Lin Niang came to her room and gave her two divination cups.
At first she didn’t understand, but Lin Niang told her that the divination cup was specially made and that no matter how it was thrown, it would always be a yin-yang holy cup.
"But isn't this cheating?" Si Yanmo's eyes widened.
Although she was worried that if she failed in her divination, not only would the woman lose her life in vain, but she would also lose the opportunity to reform the ritual, which would be a complete failure.
But she certainly couldn't bring herself to cheat openly.
Lin Niang frankly told her that every divination attempt at the shamanic ceremony was actually fake.
Otherwise, how could it always be the Holy Grail? Even if Emperor Gu manifested himself, it wouldn't be possible. Every diviner had already changed the divination cup before casting the divination, even Mo Wenzhong did so back then.
This was a truth that Si Yanmo had never known when she had previously examined her destiny. At that moment, she finally realized that the practice of human sacrifice to consult the gods was a lie told by the powerful and wealthy throughout history.
Before she and Zhou Yanqing played the divination, Lin Niang secretly switched the divination cups for her.
Since it was all a lie, let's give them a taste of their own medicine and end this colossal lie.
As the sun gradually dimmed outside the carriage, Si Yanmo felt the carriage shake and saw Zhou Yanqing lifting the curtain and looking at her with a somewhat nervous expression.
"Um, are you... going back to the Marquis's residence today?"
Si Yanmo looked at him with some embarrassment.
The two had seemed very in sync on the altar, but now that their eyes met, they realized they were still in a cold war.
She shifted her body, subtly making room for Zhou Yanqing to sit down, then nodded, "Go back."
Upon hearing this, the man's knuckles, which had been gripping the curtain until they turned white, finally relaxed. He straightened the hem of his clothes and sat down next to Si Yanmo.
The coachman raised his whip to urge the horse forward. The two men sat on either side of each other, not daring to look at each other, and neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the clatter of the horses' hooves and the creaking of the carriage.
Si Yanmo: "That..."
Zhou Yanqing: "I..."
After a long while, the two spoke at the same time, but stopped when they heard each other's voices.
In the end, Si Yanmo couldn't help but say, "I'm sorry."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqing felt even more guilty. "I should apologize. You were right before. Human sacrifice protects the powerful and harms too many ordinary people. It should have been abolished long ago. I shouldn't have said those nonsense things like 'it has always been this way' to you."
Hearing him berate himself like that, Si Yanmo couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Zhou Yanqing is always like this. When she admits her mistakes, she is so sincere that it's unbelievable. It's like a proud wolf that has been replaced by a domesticated puppy, looking at you pitifully, making you feel all you can do is soften your heart.
She smiled, then said seriously, "No matter what, I shouldn't have just left. You are the King of Qin, and you must have more to consider than I, a mere subject. You just saved my life, and I would treat you like that... I..."
“No, you can do whatever you want to me,” Zhou Yanqing said. “You are not only my subject, you are also… my wife. You can do whatever you want to me.”
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