The Spring Festival is the grandest sacrificial ceremony held at the beginning of the year in Tianzhao Kingdom, where people pray for favorable weather, peace, and prosperity for the country. All the nobles, civil and military officials must attend the ceremony.
As a second-rank princess, Mu Chenshuang was required to attend.
Early in the morning.
Linglong helped Mu Chenshuang dress and wash up, as she needed to dress simply for the sacrificial ceremony.
Linglong picked up the frost flower hairpin from the jewelry box and prepared to put it on Mu Chenshuang, whose attire today was very suitable for wearing this hairpin.
Mu Chenshuang looked at the hairpin on her head, her heart sank, and she subconsciously raised her hand, her fingers pinching the hairpin, as if she was hesitating whether to take it off.
Seeing this, Linglong asked in confusion, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Mu Chenshuang's eyes darkened slightly. Today was the sacrificial ceremony of Tianzhao Kingdom. Logically speaking, Fu Junheng did not need to participate. Thinking of this, she suddenly felt annoyed again. Why did she care about him? In the end, she put her hand down.
"nothing."
After getting ready, Linglong accompanied Mu Chenshuang out of the mansion.
As soon as he stepped out of the Marquis's residence, he saw Shen Nanzhi dismounting.
Mu Chenshuang was not surprised at all by his appearance, but she did not know how to face him. However, there were some things that were not suitable to be said at the moment.
Shen Nanzhi walked up to Mu Chenshuang, his gaze falling on the hairpin on the woman's head. A smile involuntarily appeared on his lips, and his sharp eyes instantly softened.
Let's go!
Mu Chenshuang hummed in agreement.
Shen Nanzhi helped her into the carriage, and he rode alongside her on horseback.
Imperial Palace Altar.
Princes, nobles, and civil and military officials stood on both sides of the altar according to their rank.
Before the sacrifice, there was a rule that everyone, including the emperor, had to wash their hands with water from the Heavenly Spring to show respect to Heaven.
For princes and nobles, their hands were washed by disciples personally taught by the imperial advisor, while for other ministers, palace maids would hold water bottles to wash their hands.
Mu Chenshuang washed her hands.
The Imperial Preceptor's disciple stood respectfully before Mu Chenshuang, holding a basin of cleansing water.
Mu Chenshuang looked at the spring water in the basin, her eyes deep and unfathomable, and slowly raised her hand, placing her slender, white fingers into the basin.
However, the moment she placed her hand in the basin, the originally clear spring water began to overflow with wisps of black water.
With a cracking sound, a crack appeared at the bottom of the basin, and water dripped continuously onto the ground along the crack.
Everyone was astonished.
Xiao Qingyu was the first to speak, utterly astonished, "What happened? Princess Weiyang's hands were clearly clean, so how did the water turn black? And how did the basin crack?"
Her voice was clearly audible to everyone around her, and her worried and anxious demeanor made her seem like a naive and ignorant woman.
The emperor's face instantly darkened, and even the imperial advisor frowned.
This basin is a sacred object enshrined in the royal ancestral hall. It is forged from gold and is extremely hard. How could it possibly crack so easily?
Upon seeing the shattered basin in his hand, the disciple of the Imperial Preceptor hurriedly knelt on the ground, appearing utterly bewildered and uneasy, as if he knew nothing.
"What exactly happened? Princess Weiyang, what did you do to this basin?" Consort Rong questioned.
Such an important item, especially on an important sacrificial day, had its spring water turn black and cracks appeared in the basin. This inevitably made people think it was an ominous sign.
Even the Empress Dowager, who was usually on Mu Chenshuang's side, suddenly became serious with a change in her kind expression.
"Grand Preceptor, in your opinion, is this a warning from Heaven, or is it that Princess Weiyang is destined to suffer a calamity that will have some kind of impact on Tianzhao Kingdom?" Feng Anxue's tone was unhurried, but her voice was exceptionally cold.
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