Phoenix Shocking Heaven 056 Grand Sacrificial Rite

  At three o'clock in the morning, the sky was just a thin line of pale white, but inside the Huai Wang Fu, the lights were shining brightly like daylight, completely breaking the silence within.

  As King Wu said, time was pressing and there was no opportunity to establish a new inner court for her.

  Worry could only temporarily stay in his residential dormitory room.

  On the surface it seems so, but at this moment the side house is warm as spring, not only not cold and desolate, but also showing endless luxury.

  Exquisite carvings, soft and beautiful silk, the bedroom is decorated with luxurious furnishings, under the light yellow canopy is a jade-inlaid carved flower big bed.

  Inside the palace, there were over a dozen female attendants and maidservants. Each one of them held clothing in their hands, with downcast eyes and solemn expressions, standing on both sides.

  Next door in the ear room came the sound of water, a beautifully decorated bathroom with a large bathtub, carefree lying in the bathtub with his eyes closed.

  A warm mist pervades, water vapor wraps around, faintly visible is the breathtakingly beautiful jade-like body, attended by jade beads and jade hairpins.

  Yu Cui gently massaged the princess's hair and softly asked: "Your Highness, would you like me to add some more hot water?"

  "No need, soaking for too long is useless."

  The princess seemed unwilling to take another bath, so Yu Zhu and Yu Cui hastily got up and pulled open the snow-white fabric, serving her as she stood up.

  Today is the Yuanxiao Festival, which is the first full moon day in the 16th year of the reign. Because of the homophonic relationship between "yuan" and "guoyuan", the Yuanxiao Festival in Da Yuan country is even more grand than the New Year's Eve.

  On this day, the royal relatives and nobles wear formal attire to enter the palace for an audience with the emperor. They follow the emperor to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay respects to their ancestors. This year, there is also an additional ceremony - the changing of the jade certificates.

  The former emperor sympathized with Prince Huai of Weiyang's weak and frail body, so he had exempted him from all duties as a member of the imperial clan since before his departure from the palace, up to this day.

  For fifteen years, except for attending the Winter Solstice ceremony at the palace every year, he had never participated in any clan affairs until today.

  It's not just Wu You who gets up early without worry, but also King Huai.

  Because today is the day when Yuanzheng officially changed his name to Yuannan under the name of Huaiwang.

  The palace maidens unfolded layer upon layer of magnificent clothes.

  Yu Worry stretched out her hands, and the palace people put on layer after layer of magnificent clothes for her. Finally, she sat down in front of a copper mirror, letting them tie up her hair with intricate hairpins and wear a full head of precious jewels.

  Looking at the person in the mirror, Yuan Wuyou smiled lightly. The identity of a junzhu, but with the demeanor of a princess, isn't that the will of heaven?

  As he watched Wu You walk towards him with a carefree expression, King Hua felt a sudden gleam in his eyes. Her presence seemed to overshadow the entire world.

  Yu Wuyou opened his arms wide, and slowly turned around in front of him, with his clothes, makeup, and aura all exuding an unparalleled nobility.

  "What does Father think? Is this attire suitable for me?"

  The Queen smiled: "It's only right that you're carefree." She should be standing on the high palace steps, laughing as countless people kowtowed to her!

  Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City.

  After all officials have paid their respects, those who pay their respects in the hall are the princes and princesses, followed by the imperial concubines, and then the royal relatives.

  After accepting the court visit of these people, Shi Ji, who was standing beside Emperor Qing, loudly proclaimed: "Xuan Huai Wang, Wu You Jun Zhu ascends to the throne!"

  Huai Wang and Wu You had been waiting in the side hall for a long time, listening to the eunuchs' summons. Only then did they get up, allowing the palace staff to tidy their intricately locked clothes.

  After everything was ready, Yuan Wuyou waved goodbye to Little Li and personally came forward to support King Huai up the steps.

  After the grand banquet in the palace, everyone in the capital knew that Princess Worry was a great beauty with stunning looks that could topple cities and states. However, no matter how much one described or portrayed her, only those who had seen her with their own eyes on that day truly understood, while others merely heard rumors.

  But for those who have witnessed it with their own eyes, they thought that kind of stunning was the ultimate, but now they know they were all wrong.

  Her beauty can be described as stunning and captivating, but what words can be used to describe the person who is slowly approaching at this moment?

  No one knows, at least no one can think of it now.

  As they watched the two people entering the hall, everyone suddenly felt that the light golden magnificent attire on Princess Worryfree was even more dazzling than the bright yellow dragon robe on the emperor sitting high up on the throne.

  The three thousand blue silks no longer flowed behind her like that day, but were instead tied up in a delicate flying phoenix bun, with the phoenix spreading its wings and inlaid with six treasures and gold step shake, matching the shallow gold wide sleeve clothes on her body.

  Noble enough to make everyone want to prostrate themselves and kowtow at her feet!

  Qing Emperor, sitting on the high throne of Baojie Long, also flashed a hint of stunned eyes, and a kind of unfamiliar emotion surged in his heart, pride!

  At that time, he had never felt such pride when he first ascended to the throne and accepted the worship of all officials and people.

  Before his eyes, he seemed to have appeared again in the carefree birth of that year, so thin, so fragile, like a small cat, ignorant and nestled in his arms.

  And before her eyes, that small and fragile life, like an ignorant little kitten, suddenly transformed. In her, there were all the merits of him and his mother, beautiful and stunning, elegant and proud, noble and natural, even... dignified and unparalleled!

  He had once been oppressed by his humble origins, but in her, he found a perfect display of pride.

  The emperor was lost in thought and didn't notice the two approaching until——

  "My brother has an audience with Your Majesty, long live the Emperor, may he live for ten thousand years!"

  Upon hearing the sound of Emperor Wu's arrival, Emperor Xian's dazed eyes suddenly cleared up, as if his previous emotions had never existed.

  "Take your seat."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty." King Huai sat down on a chair brought by the eunuchs with Xiao Lizi's support.

  Everyone's eyes moved with difficulty from the carefree princess to King Huai, who wore brocade clothes and a golden crown, exuding an air of nobility as a member of the royal family, but could not hide his thin and frail body and his seriously ill appearance.

  After a glance, many people's eyes returned to the carefree princess standing in the hall.

  The imperial concubines and consorts were green with envy, thinking that if such beauty grew on their own bodies, how wonderful it would be?

  The princes and princesses are almost all jealous to death.

  The three princesses were even more disheartened, with such a noble and dignified aura that was almost on par with the emperor's, why couldn't she have it? She was also a princess, also the daughter of the emperor. Just because Yuan Wuyou had better luck, being born in the central palace?

  The third prince Wu Zhong was staring blankly at Yuan Wuyou, with a sense of loss and melancholy in his heart. Their status also allowed them to dress like this.

  But who dares? Who dares to show off such magnificence with impunity? The three imperial sisters do not dare, he does not dare either. It's not because they don't have the guts, but because they can't afford to lose. They don't have the confidence to enter the emperor's eyes in this way!

  "Worry-free to see Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live!" Yuan Worry bowed down and paid his respects.

  Listening to her words, a hint of something unknown flashed across Emperor Qing's eyes, and it was gone before anyone could catch it.

  "There's no need to change the way you address me, although I have graciously allowed Empress Dowager to let you be adopted by your tenth uncle as his heir, you are my daughter, a princess of the inner court, and that is an unalterable fact."

  The king heard this and looked up at Emperor Xing for a moment before lowering his head and remaining silent.

  It is said that Qing Emperor's release, Yuan Wuyou was shocked to raise his head, and the clear and beautiful eyes stared at him for a long time, as if surprised and bewildered. Then, in the clear eyes, colorful lights suddenly burst forth, red lips curled up into a shallow smile, beauty beyond the mortal world, beauty to the extreme.

  "The son bows his head again: 'Your Majesty, I thank you.'"

  The emperor suddenly felt that perhaps sometimes acting on impulse was not entirely unacceptable, she was his daughter, this was a fact that no one could change, he couldn't either, even if she had already appeared in his game of chess.

  So within his bottom line, he might be able to spoil her a bit and indulge her a bit, because looking at her like this, he thought of the longing and yearning that had been etched in his heart since he was young.

  Wu You won't know, such recklessness, such unparalleled magnificence, such supreme nobility was his past dream!

  Thinking of this, Emperor Qing's expression softened: "Pardon him."

  "Yes, I obey your order." Yuan Wuyou respectfully stood up and stood beside King Huai.

  The emperor ordered Shi Ji beside him: "Pass on my oral decree to the Ministry of Rites, no need to reissue Princess Wuyou's jade certificate." After a pause, he continued: "Just add it under Prince Huai's name."

  Shi Zhi was stunned, why did he not move from the emperor's name to the crown prince's name and instead add it under the Crown Prince's name? This... this... Does the Emperor mean for Princess Wuyou to shoulder two households and inherit them?

  Inside the grand hall, everyone was shocked. If they hadn't known that their two feet were still standing on the ground, many people couldn't help but want to reach up and clean their ears, wondering if they had misheard.

  All the concubines and princes and princesses suddenly turned pale as if their dreams had been shattered.

  The king rose and knelt down on the ground: "Your subject is frightened."

  Yu Worry slightly furrowed his brow as he looked at King Huai, who was kneeling on the ground. He then raised his eyes to look at Emperor Xian, with a puzzled expression evident in his eyes, but he did not speak up.

  She was noble yet quiet and well-behaved, Emperor Cheng's mouth curved into a satisfied smile: "Tenth brother king, don't worry, although I have many children, what Wuyou said is right, the only one born in the central palace is her. If she were to be completely adopted by Tenth Brother King, my heart would also be uneasy. After thinking about it, there's no other way but to make Wuyou work a bit harder."

  "...I thank Your Majesty for your kindness." Prince Huai said gratefully.

  The dull and stagnant kings, officials, and ministers standing on both sides of the grand hall listened to the emperor's words, each burying their heads deep in their chests, with their own thoughts churning inside.

  Look at Prince Huai's frail body, even if he marries a wife and takes concubines, it's unlikely that he will have children. The Empress Dowager is considering Prince Huai's well-being, adopting an heir from among the princesses is completely reasonable.

  Your Majesty... even if the eldest prince, second prince, and third prince all died, there are still three princesses and four princes in the palace. Although they are not born to the empress, Your Majesty can simply establish another empress and naturally will not lack an heir.

  A state cannot be without a ruler for even one day, although the throne has been vacant for five years, the matter of establishing a new ruler has already been on the minds of all ministers, waiting for the right moment to speak up.

  Today I heard what the emperor meant, could it be that the emperor has no intention of establishing a crown prince, so he came up with this method to warn them?

  Otherwise, they really couldn't figure out what the emperor meant by doing so. Was it that the emperor was thinking of the father-daughter relationship between him and Princess Worry-Free?

  That's probably the biggest joke in the world, and the emperor doesn't have the word "deep father-daughter relationship" in his heart!

  So, Your Majesty is indicating that from now on there will be no more emperors?

  Not to mention them, even the emperor himself might not believe it. Tonight, many princesses will probably have a sleepless night. After seeing the noble and dignified Princess Worry-Free, the princes and princesses who have thoughts on their minds will also likely lose sleep.

  The ancestral temple is located in the Tai Temple, and the Qing Temple is very large. The red wall has yellow glazed tiles, consisting of three large halls. The main hall sits on top of a three-tiered jade step, with white jade carved flower stone bricks paved on the jade step.

  Entering the grand hall, everywhere in sight is the imperial family's exclusive color, yellow silk curtains, golden silk nanmu pillars inlaid with jade and pearls, and the floor is paved with gold bricks.

  In the main hall are enshrined the ancestral tablets of emperors of the Yuan Dynasty, and in every aspect, it is majestic and beautiful, showing the dignity of the imperial family.

  The civil and military officials, as well as the concubines, all knelt below the steps. On the three-layered steps, the lowest layer was where the relatives of Empress Yuan and the princesses were kneeling. The second layer was where the princes and Prince Huai were kneeling.

  The third layer, only Yuan Wuyou was left kneeling.

  Only Emperor Xian of Han entered the temple.

  Yu Wu You looked at Qing Emperor kneeling under the imperial throne of Da Yuan, and smiled silently in her heart. In the past five years, she had not been idle in the cold palace.

  She has never underestimated her greatest opponent, categorizing people into three six nine levels, from ancient to modern, and from modern to ancient, without exception.

  All men are created equal is just a myth! Those who believe it are the world's biggest fools.

  Know yourself and know your enemy, you can win a hundred battles. A person's behavior is controlled by reason, but actually it is mainly controlled by mind.

  She wants to defeat Yuan Haotian, attacking his heart is the best strategy.

  Feeling the envy, admiration, scrutiny, speculation and measurement of various gazes on herself, Yuan Wuyou lowered her long eyelashes, and no one saw the indifference in her eyes.

  She never allows herself to be jealous of others, whatever she yearns for, whatever she wants, she will only rely on her own efforts to get it, and even if she doesn't get it after trying her best, it's still more valuable than being jealous.

  Jealousy is just a manifestation of incompetence!

  After worshiping ancestors at the Temple of Heaven, he returned to the imperial palace.

  Outside the Dongzheng Gate, the Ministry of Rites, the Temple of Imperial Ancestors and the Observatory had set up a jade tablet early on, waiting for the Emperor to bathe and change his clothes before writing with the imperial brush.

  From the Golden Throne Hall to the East Palace Gate, both sides were filled with civil and military officials kneeling down to welcome the imperial edict.

  One whole morning was so busy that there wasn't even time to take a sip of water, although I didn't have to walk myself and was carried by others all along. But just the high-density three kneels and nine knocks ceremony had left King Huai exhausted. Fortunately, it was finally the last step.

  Yu Wuyou looked at the pale and slightly greenish face of King Hui of Zhao, who was kneeling beside him in the sunlight, without saying anything. He just glanced at Little Li, who was kneeling behind King Hui, indicating that he should take care of him.

  When Emperor Qing finally changed into a new robe and appeared in the grand hall, he took over the jade certificate from the Zongzheng Temple, added the six characters "Yu Wu Yu's eldest daughter" under the king's name, and it was almost noon with the sun shining brightly.

  As the music played together, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

  It seems that the Emperor took into consideration the King of Huai's ghastly complexion and agreed to let him return to his residence first, without attending the afternoon activities in the palace, but he kept Yuan Wuyou behind in the palace.

  The lunch was a family banquet, with only Emperor Xian and his consorts, as well as the imperial princes and princesses in attendance.

  Delicate dishes and sumptuous feasts are mouth-watering, but only Yu Worry is pleased. Apart from her, everyone else eats the full table of royal dishes without any taste.

  Because it was a family banquet, everyone changed into casual clothes.

  Yu Worry sat beside Emperor Qing, eating very seriously. For each dish, she carefully savored the flavor, which was not bad.

  Watching Yuan Wuyou, who was still elegantly and calmly sitting there wearing a plain silk palace attire after changing out of her luxurious clothes, seriously savoring each dish, people's expressions changed from astonishment to shock.

  The corners of their eyes all seemed to have a subtle gaze towards the emperor sitting in the first place.

  Qing Di looked at Yuan Wu You, his eyes somewhat obscure and difficult to measure, but in his heart, a thread of unspoken accomplishment surged. Wu You's noble elegance and humble decline all originated from him, he was the true master, so even if he couldn't return to his youthful years in the past.

  On Wu You's body, he saw his former self, only with a different identity, and he became the master.

  At this moment, he felt that this daughter filled his past dreams, making him unable to help but want to get close to her.

  "Second sister, are you very hungry?" asked Third Princess Yuanshen with concern.

  Yu Wu You took the handkerchief handed over by Yu Zhu and gently wiped the corner of her mouth, as if she had just realized that everyone hadn't eaten much, but she alone had eaten a lot. Her eyes were slightly dazed: "It's been an entire morning without eating anything, aren't you guys hungry?"

  The fourth prince, Yuan Ding, looked at her with a slightly complicated expression and explained lightly: "We will all have some snacks on the way to Tai Temple."

  Yu Worry smiled and said: "So that's how it is, no wonder everyone isn't hungry!"

  "Has Second Sister not eaten?" Yu Xizhen asked in surprise.

  "Uh, I haven't eaten. I remember when I went to the temple before, my mother would let me eat. I thought it was only me who was secretly eating, so now that I'm grown up, I won't secretly eat anymore."

  Everyone did not expect Yuan Wuyou to be so straightforward and honest, some people's faces were a bit awkward, their eyes flickering.

  The emperor's face turned unpleasant, his cold eyes scanned the crowd, and his gaze at Yuan Wuyou had a hint of nostalgia that was hard to capture.

  "Don't worry, accompany Father Emperor for a stroll in the Imperial Garden."

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  Today's weather isn't exactly sunny, but it's still nice. The sky is high and the clouds are light. There's already some spring atmosphere in the Imperial Garden, but it hasn't reached the point of a hundred flowers blooming together yet.

  The emperor sat down in the pavilion in the imperial garden and looked at the person standing beside him, lightly patting the spot next to him: "Sit."

  Yu Worry sat down quietly beside him, although there was still some coldness in his eyes, but he didn't reject him.

  "The Worry-Free Palace has been redecorated and is ready for occupancy tonight."

  Yu Wuyou hesitated for a moment before saying: "But I heard that there's going to be a lantern festival in the capital tonight, it's supposed to be very lively, I want to go take a look."

  The emperor looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed instinctively, but then seemed to remember something and said calmly: "There are many complex people in the city, bring more people with you, I have arranged a guard team for you, from now on they will protect your safety when you go out."

  Yu Worry nodded: "Yes."

  Soon, a team of guards came over, led by a very young general with armor and a pair of beautiful and stern eyes.

  He led a team of guards in a respectful salute: "Mukyu at your service, Your Imperial Majesty, and to the Princess."

  Digression

  There will be no second update today. From now on, updates will be as follows: Monday to Friday, two updates per day; Saturday and Sunday, one update per day.

  The doll is at home and can't concentrate on typing. He's making a fuss about going out to play and tomorrow he wants to go to his grandma's house.