klisemfg Chapter 87 Sacrifice
Chapter 87 Sacrifice
Before dawn, there was a rapid knocking on Li Yang's door.
Bearing the resentment that could resurrect the Evil Sword God, Li Yang opened the door to find several young women in red dresses. She glanced uncertainly at the sky behind them.
Before dawn.
She muttered in confusion, "Ghost marriages aren't supposed to happen at this time..."
Several women quickly covered her mouth, "Princess, have you forgotten that today is a sacrificial ceremony? We've come to change you into your sacrificial robes."
"oh oh."
Li Yang yawned and was half-dead as they dragged her onto the dressing table.
After a series of blinks and a few moments of commotion, Li Yang saw a strange woman reflected in the bronze mirror.
She blinked and tilted her head, and the woman in the mirror did the same. The birthmark under her eye added to her innocent face.
Several maids exclaimed in admiration, "Her Highness is so adorable!"
The bronze mirror depicts a woman wearing a dark blue cross-collar robe. Her hair is styled in two fox-ear-like buns, and her bangs are styled up and adorned with a cloisonné enamel headdress. Two lifelike dark blue butterfly hairpins are placed on either side, with two long ribbons hanging down to shoulder length. The intricate cross-collar is embroidered with complex patterns, and she wears a gold lock necklace. At her waist, there is a gold sash with alternating dark blue tassels.
Extremely elaborate and extremely ornate.
Rou Sheng and Dong Xiu Bei were waiting for her in the courtyard. As soon as Dong Xiu Bei met her gaze, his ears turned red and he knelt down, saying, "Princess."
When Rou Sheng saw her come out, she first looked her up and down, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Yangyang looks so beautiful today. If that brat Ji Cang were here, he probably wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her."
"Has Mother made all the arrangements?" Li Yang smiled and gestured for Dong Xiubei to go about his business, while she took Rou Sheng's hand and walked out.
Rousheng gazed into the distance. "Of course."
A dark light appeared in Li Yang's eyes. Yes, she wondered how the arrogant ghost was doing now, and whether he had encountered any evil people.
After they left, Dong Xiubei walked out, his eyes filled with coldness.
So what if you destroyed five hundred of my soldiers? After today, the entire Fengyang Kingdom will be mine!
When they arrived at the altar again, it was no longer a desolate place. Deep blue and red silk cloths adorned the area, making it sacred and solemn. The tall sacrificial furnace was polished to a shine, and ancient knife marks could still be seen on it. The lid of the sacrificial furnace was tightly closed, and Li Yang knew that there were a hundred demonic beasts inside.
She had informed Shiratori about this beforehand, and Shiratori, having undergone several rituals, immediately said she would handle the matter.
Then, regarding the sacrificial ceremony, firstly, the emperor and empress offered incense to their ancestors. Secondly, they lit the sacrificial furnace containing the demon beast and offered it as a sacrifice to the ancestral gods. The officials then paid homage to the ancestral gods and invited them to enjoy the offerings. Finally, everyone offered incense to the ancestor Fengyang and asked for his protection.
In short, it's actually quite simple, but going through the whole process isn't so easy. At least standing in that heavy, elaborate costume for a whole day is already a challenge for her.
Li Yang was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. She and Rou Sheng were arranged to stand next to the sacrificial furnace, while the other ministers stood below the altar. The common people could only stand outside the outer fence to watch the ceremony from afar.
The solemn ritual music played on the altar. Rou Sheng squeezed her hand, then walked heavily toward the altar.
After bowing three times, Li Yang offered incense. He lowered his head, yawned, and then immediately raised it again.
Li Yang glanced furtively at the audience below the stage. The ministers, led by Rou Hong, stood in five rows. Li Su, Zeng Xu, and Mo Yixing were among them, but they, like her, had droopy eyelids.
Li Yang looked into the distance again. Last night, she analyzed the resumes of the ministers that her father had given her. Now, looking at the faces again, she already knew how many more evil clan spies there were.
After ravaging the evil race's lair a few days ago, she thought the evil race would be enraged and cause trouble in the next few days, but the evil race was surprisingly calm. It seems that they are saving their big move for the priest.
Among the ministers, a man with a strange smile quietly raised his head.
"The ceremony is complete. Your Majesty, please light the sacrificial furnace and invite the gods to enjoy the offerings!"
The loud voice pulled Li Yang back to reality. She looked up at the sacrificial furnace and saw Feng Mo leading Rou Sheng, calmly holding torches as they walked towards it.
Li Yang withdrew her gaze. A hundred demons! She was truly an incompetent demon queen. How could she calmly watch a hundred dying demons lying in front of her?
"Boom!"
Just then, a thunderclap suddenly rang out in the sky, followed by a violent tremor of the ground, and the lid covering the sacrificial furnace slipped off in the blink of an eye.
boom!
The sound of the bronze objects hitting the ground after rubbing together was even more jarring than thunder. Feng Mo, who was closest to the sacrificial furnace, quickly reacted and went to help, but at that moment, Rou Sheng tripped over her skirt and cried out in surprise.
Caught in a dilemma, Feng Mo turned around to help Rou Sheng, and the overturned sacrificial furnace exposed its contents to everyone's view.
The crowd erupted in uproar after they saw what was inside.
Although the ritual was supposed to involve sacrificing one hundred demonic beasts of any kind, emperors throughout history had always specifically chosen to capture the most ferocious ones, while Feng Mo's chosen demons...
"Gaga gaga gaga gaga..."
The solemn ceremony was interrupted by the cries of the monsters. Li Yang was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped. A large flock of white ducks flew out like white ribbons to all corners of the world. She even tried to convince herself that this was natural selection and survival of the fittest. She never expected that her father was even more talented, as he actually captured a hundred meat ducks raised by the common people to make up the number.
If it were burned according to the normal ceremony, no one would know. But the problem is that now everyone has seen that the emperor used meat ducks for sacrifice. If this causes a commotion, how will he face his subjects?
"Your Majesty, why is this the demonic beast being sacrificed?"
"Your Majesty, aren't you angering our ancestors by doing this?"
"Your Majesty, please give us an explanation!"
"Now that the sacrificial rites have been destroyed, our Fengyang Kingdom is doomed!"
"Heaven is going to destroy my Fengyang Kingdom!"
Rou Sheng glanced at Feng Mo, wanting to explain something, but at that moment, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky and thunder rumbled, as if a great disaster was about to befall them.
One of the ministers withdrew his hand, watching the chaos on the stage as if it were a theatrical performance.
"Oh dear, look! It's as if our ancestors and the gods are both angry!"
"Heavenly lightning has appeared; it seems our Fengyang Kingdom is truly doomed!"
The people, blocked by the iron bars, could not enter, but their curses and shouts carried far. The accusations from the officials and the curses from the people caused the chaotic scene to spiral out of control for a time.
Li Yang frowned, yanked the heavy necklace off her neck, and the jarring sound of it hitting the ground finally brought a moment of silence. She shouted angrily, "What are you all arguing about? If anyone calls my name again, I'll snap their neck!"
Her eyes were sharp, and the deep red mark under her eyes added to her fierceness. Her long hair, which fell behind her, fluttered gently as the thunder rolled in.
Li Yang turned to look at Feng Mo, "Father Emperor stood on this throne by force, why bother with those dissenting voices, those who are not convinced—just kill them."
"And...who said this is a reduction in punishment?"
Feng Mo stared at her in shock. The little girl squinted, licked her lips, and then flew towards the altar.
"Watch closely, this princess will only perform once!"