Mountains and rivers pray for peace

Chapter 25 Sacrifice Ceremony

On this day, in the middle of the night, Huo Qi had been in bed for a long time, but he was just tossing and turning. In the end, he couldn't bear the fatigue caused by the fatigue of traveling all the way, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

After Huo Qi had breathed out evenly, the familiar python-patterned corner of the robe quietly approached outside the tent.

The soldier at the door had already started to doze off, only to hear light footsteps coming from his ears.With a chill in his heart, he closed his eyes slightly, clenched the scabbard in his hand, and was about to surprise the thief who appeared in the middle of the night.

Just as he opened his eyes and was about to make a move, he found a beautiful young man standing in front of him. He was so shocked that he didn't dare to move for a while.

This man was a noble man, wearing a black cloak. His eyes were filled with coldness. Under the moonlight in the valley, he looked like he was stepping on the moon.The tall figure was reflected on the ground, sweeping away a touch of late autumn chill.

"It's really unique!" Xiao Bing secretly sighed in his heart, and then spurned himself for making a mistake.

What on earth is this man here for?
In a moment, the man in front of him took out the jade pendant from his waist and waved it in front of the soldier.

It was the Seventh Prince.

The soldier was stunned for a moment, then pulled himself together and was about to salute.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yuning gently put his index finger on his lips, shook his head slightly, and signaled him not to speak.

After a while, Shen Yuning finally asked, "What did Miss Huo's family tell you just now?"

Miss Huo's family?
Is she that nympho girl just now?

"Miss Huo asked Xiao Bing about General Cui's whereabouts." Xiao Bing was honest and dared not lie.

He seemed to be worried that he was not detailed enough, so he added some more details: "Miss Huo seems to admire General Cui. She praises General Cui for his majesty and outstanding appearance. She came here specially to see him today."

"Oh?" Shen Yuning's voice was long and thoughtful.

It's just that this rhetorical question always sounds unpleasant.

Xiao Bing complained in his heart and was speechless for a moment. He could only lower his head slightly and try to avoid Shen Yuning's probing eyes.

Watching the night is a hard job, why should he be tortured by the Seventh Prince in the middle of the night, how can he do it now?
If I knew it earlier, I wouldn't talk too much!

Before Xiaobing could come up with a countermeasure, Shen Yuning asked, "Is there anything else?"

"No, that's all Miss Huo said." Xiao Bing told the truth.

After hearing this, Shen Yuning didn't ask any more questions, but just stared deeply at the tent, and muttered: "You slept soundly."

……

The next day, the sun shone diagonally on the tent through the gaps in the valley.However, the late autumn sun can only coat everything with gold, but it cannot warm people's bodies.

Early in the morning, Ning Hui was already waiting outside Huo Qi's tent, waiting to pick her up and go to Emperor Xiaowen's tooth tent together.

There are two days of hunting in autumn. The first day is mainly for the sacrificial ceremony.The first is to pray for good weather, peace and prosperity for the country and the people, and the second is to pray for God to bless the princes for smooth hunting and success.The second day was the official hunt, with all the princes going deep into the East Yanling Mountains to hunt for animals.

Although the sacrificial ceremony on the first day was just an appetizer compared to the official hunt, Emperor Xiaowen and all the ministers would be there, so they paid full attention to it and could not miss the time.

Ning Hui only waited for a while, and Huo Qi got out of the tent, she couldn't help being a little surprised.The average girl is always concerned about her appearance, and it always takes an hour to wash and dress in the morning.I thought I had to wait for some time, but I didn't want Huo Qi to move so fast.

Today, Huo Qi is still wearing a blue Shu brocade pair-breasted outer garment, with a brocade and feather satin cloak with emerald patterns on the outside, and an emerald gem is inserted obliquely in the flying fairy bun.

Compared with ordinary young girls, Huo Qi can be considered very frugal.But fortunately, she already has a good foundation. Dressing like this will not take away the limelight from her face, but it will make her look a little more charming.

Ning Hui looked around and couldn't help saying: "Why do you have to dress so simple? The little girl should also wear some fresh colors."

"It's not that I'm clean, it's just that I'm lazy, and I'd rather sleep for a quarter of an hour longer." Huo Qi felt a little embarrassed, and closed his cloak.

In fact, she used to love to dress herself up, after all, a woman is someone who pleases herself.Living a new life, instead, I look down on these extraneous things. The clothes are comfortable, and the gorgeousness is only second.If you can't save your wealth and life, no matter how gorgeous your clothes are, it will be nothing but smoke in the blink of an eye.

Ning Hui smiled fondly, and without saying anything else, the two of them walked toward the dental tent with several maids.

Although the tents of the ministers and the tooth tents of Emperor Xiaowen are at the foot of Dongyanling, it takes two cups of tea to walk there.Although Huo Qi and Ning Hui came early today, the dozens of seats outside the tent were almost full.

The sacrifices needed for the ceremony have been placed on the incense table outside the tooth tent, and the mountain wind blows the rustling of the surrounding flags, which makes people feel a little startled.Priests have been displayed on both sides of the altar, waiting for the arrival of the emperor.A circle of soldiers stationed at each gate, scanning every move of the people in the valley.

Ning Hui has always been popular, and soon she was called to talk by friendly ladies, so she had to socialize.Huo Qi couldn't stay with Ning Hui all the time, and he didn't have any friends, so he could only sit on the seat and drink tea boredly.

However, she didn't stop looking for a moment, searching for Cui Xin's figure.Logically speaking, Cui Xin, a general garrison, would definitely show up during the autumn hunt. If he did not arrive for a long time, he must have been caught by something, but what could it be?
Just when Huo Qi was very distressed, he stood beside him silently and whispered in his ear: "Miss, Zhenyuan Hou's family has arrived."

Hearing this, Huo Qi looked towards the left front and found that there were many people in front of him. They were the Zhenyuan Houfu family.Headed by Yuan Xianzhi, next to him is the Jiang family, followed by Yuan Xianhe's family, and behind them are Yuan Shao and Huo Qinglan.

Yuan Shao is still the same, but Huo Qinglan has changed a lot.Her face still looks like a girl's, but she has already dressed up as a woman, which makes people not used to it.Yingruo's body is covered with plain velvet embroidered jacket, ermine waistcoat, coiled bun on his head, full of pearls and emeralds, looks extremely wealthy, it seems that life has been much easier after marrying into Zhenyuan Hou's mansion.

Huo Qi just glanced briefly, then withdrew his gaze, staring at the tea leaves swirling in the teacup in front of him.

This is the first time Yuan Shao has appeared in front of so many people since his marriage.The ministers in the DPRK were all talking about that group of people who had heard a lot of ridiculous things between Yuan Shao and Huo Qinglan. At this moment, everyone secretly exchanged glances, and they were all waiting to see a good show.

But after watching for a while, everyone was a little disappointed.

Huo Qinglan held Yuan Shao's arm, and the two of them looked like a loving couple.

Coincidentally, when Huo Qi discovered Huo Qinglan, Huo Qinglan also saw her at a glance.

Huo Qinglan turned her head as if to say something, then put down her arm holding Yuan Shao, walked towards her, a little surprised and said: "I didn't expect my sister to come here too, doesn't my sister like to join in the fun on weekdays, why did you turn around suddenly?" Have a temper?"

Seeing Huo Qi, Huo Qinglan was a little suspicious at first. This sister never liked to go out, but this time she even wanted to come to Dongyan Ridge alone to join in the fun.But she thought about it again, as the saying goes, there is nowhere to find if you break through the iron shoes, and it doesn't take much effort to get it.She was thinking about how to find Huo Qi's flaws, and it happened that Huo Qi himself came to the door.

"Can't I come?" Huo Qi asked, her eyes slightly raised, and the emotion in her tone was somewhat intriguing.

Huo Qi knew that people from Zhenyuanhou's Mansion would also come today, but he didn't expect to bump into them so soon, and he felt unlucky in his heart.

However, she never dared to forget that she was here to find Cui Xin, and she didn't want to make too much fuss, so she straightened up and wanted to go around, looking for Cui Xin's trace by the way.

Huo Qinglan noticed that Huo Qi was about to leave, and deliberately took a step to the right, just blocking the way: "It's not that sister can't come, but why didn't you tell her in advance so that I could ask the prince to take care of you."

Ever since Huo Qinglan found out that Huo Qi was responsible for what happened at Qiu Ju's banquet, she felt half annoyed and half hateful.

What's annoying is that she thought that she became the princess and stole Huo Qi's lover, which would make Huo Qi uncomfortable, but she didn't expect that this person would see everything and hide behind to watch her jokes.

What she hates is that her life in Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion is difficult. She can't hate Yuan Shao, but can only hate Huo Qi inexplicably.

Even the harmony on the surface couldn't be maintained.

"If Yuan Shao really comes to take care of me, will you really feel comfortable?" Huo Qi smiled, but the smile made people's throats clog.

"You!" Huo Qinglan choked, feeling furious and unable to think of a retort.

Huo Qi stood up and took two steps forward, stopped next to Huo Qinglan, and taunted in a whisper that only the two of them could hear: "The idea of ​​a woman wanting to rob a man from another woman is beyond belief. It’s just self-deprecating. Isn’t it?”

Huo Qinglan didn't seem to understand the meaning of Huo Qi's words. He thought he was mocking her for being jealous, and a trace of hatred flashed in his eyes.Just for a moment, the cruelty in her eyes subsided and turned into a gentle smile: "Sister is still so noble."

Huo Qinglan wanted to say something else, but a eunuch sang with a loud voice: "Your Majesty is here, Empress Empress is here, Concubine Shu is here—"

Everyone at the seats was shocked, and Huo Qi had no choice but to sit back.Seeing this, Huo Qinglan returned to her seat dejectedly, put aside all the evil thoughts in her heart, and held her breath to pay tribute to the empress.

The empress sat in the first place, followed by the five princes and Princess De'an. They took their seats in order of seniority, but there was no one in the last place.

Everyone seems to have been accustomed to this kind of scene. After all, Shen Yuning is elusive and rarely seen on weekdays. Even if he doesn't come to such a sacrificial ceremony, it is still his usual style.

The dragon has nine sons, each of which is different.Emperor Xiaowen originally had seven sons, except for the eldest son born by the empress who died of asthma, and six sons.

The second prince Shen Yu was respected by his elders. He was followed by the third prince Shen Yuxian and the sixth prince Shen Yuhuan, and he was quite prestigious in the court.However, the laws of the world are such that only the weak need to unite. None of these three people have the support of their mother clan.The second prince had some tricks to gain some respect in front of Emperor Xiaowen, but the other two could only be said to have mediocre qualifications.

The fourth prince, Shen Yuqing, was unknown and couldn't see his position clearly, but he also did a few beautiful things in the court.The concubine mother is a virtuous concubine in the palace, but she always hides in the palace, eats fast and recites Buddhism, rarely shows it to others, and it is rare to meet Emperor Xiaowen a few times a year.

The fifth prince, Shen Yu, was the first to attract attention, and his mother concubine, Concubine Shu, was the favorite concubine of Emperor Xiaowen. She was backed by the big tree of the Zhenyuan Hou Mansion, and enjoyed exclusive favor.

Shen Yuning is the emperor's seventh son. He was rejected by the emperor because his biological mother respected his concubine. Although he was honored but not favored, he died of illness early on. Even Emperor Xiaowen didn't pay much attention to him. It can even be said that he was ignored intentionally or unintentionally. this son.

Everyone in the palace said that the mother is more valuable than the son, but how could it be that the son is more valuable than the mother?

It's rare to be able to see the princes in the palace up close, and the people below couldn't help discussing,
Among the six princes, except for the second prince and the third prince, none of the remaining four princes were married.

When the female family members below saw them taking the table, they all blushed a little.In all fairness, Emperor Xiaowen was considered a handsome man when he was young, so the looks of the few princes can be considered outstanding among the crowd.

In fact, there is no shortage of high-ranking women among the female family members below, who have bargaining chips in their hands to discuss marriage with the prince.But now at this juncture, whichever prince is chosen will almost hand over the worth and life of the whole family.

Now it seems that the only ones who have a chance of winning are the second prince and the fifth prince. The second prince already has a wife, and if he marries in, he will be just a side wife.The position of the fifth imperial concubine was vacant, but Concubine Shu was fierce. If her mother's family didn't rely on her, she wouldn't dare to be the daughter-in-law of this royal family.Therefore, although these noble ladies have some admiration in their hearts, few fools actually go to show their kindness.

The people at the banquet were lamenting how beautiful Emperor Xiaowen's sons were when they heard some sharp-eyed people whispering: "The Seventh Prince is here!"

(End of this chapter)