Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the dahonglu walked towards Wu Chengsi.
Wu Chengsi was clearly prepared for this. There was no surprise on his face. Perhaps he had already rehearsed the ritual procedure of offering to heaven and earth under the arrangement of the Ministry of Rites. He walked steadily under the guidance of the dahonglu and walked forward step by step from the civil and military officials and the members of the Imperial Family.
If Wu Chengsi was to be the offering, then what about the Crown Prince?
Even though this was a solemn hall, there was still a buzzing sound in the Wanxiang Divine Palace. No one dared to whisper in this place at this time. This was an instinctive reaction of surprise. The heavy breathing of more than a thousand officials gathered together to form a wave of air.
Princess Taiping's face suddenly paled. She hurriedly lowered her head to hide her shocked and frightened expression.
Yang Fan was a fifth-rank official. The lowest rank of the officials qualified to attend the offering was fifth-rank, so he stood in the last row. This unexpected scene caused his eyes to widen. He looked up at the hall and his excellent eyesight allowed him to see Wu Zetian's face clearly.
But he could only see the twelve rows of coronets hanging in front of Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian stood steadily. The twelve strings of pearls and jade hanging in front of her were like a dense curtain that completely covered her face. Yang Fan noticed that the coronets were hanging quietly and motionlessly. Perhaps, Wu Zetian, who was behind the coronets, was using her sharp old eyes to scan the reactions of the officials?
Yang Fan took a deep breath and suppressed the shock in his heart. He also lowered his head. "Is the Empress publicly announcing to the officials and to the world that she wants to change heirs? Or … right, there is still the final offering. Could it be … the Empress wants the Crown Prince to be the final offering? "
A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in Yang Fan's heart. The officials also thought of this. After the offering ended, they quietly raised their heads a little. This movement of raising their heads was very slight. But when countless people did the same movement at the same time, even the slightest movement was spectacular enough.
The civil and military officials, as well as the members of the royal family, seemed to be led by an invisible thread. After Wu Chengsi retreated, they all raised their heads in unison. Wu Zetian, who was standing high above the Alchemy Emperor, slightly raised the corner of her mouth, revealing a cold smile!
After Wu Chengsi retreated, the dahonglu walked forward again and began to guide the person in charge of the final offering.
On the spacious and large Wanxiang Divine Palace, which could be said to be the largest palace in the world, countless pairs of eyes followed his figure and moved … Everyone held their breath to see who he was walking towards. The dahonglu walked step by step and finally reached Liang Wangwu Sansi's side. The officials in the court were all dumbfounded.
Following the guidance of the solemn dahonglu, Wu Sansi took large strides and ascended the Pill Emperor.
When Wu Sansi's clear voice echoed in the golden palace, no one looked at him and no one listened to what he said. When Wu Sansi made the "final offering" ceremony, the civil and military officials all looked at Wu Zetian's son, at the former Emperor of the Tang dynasty, the current Crown Prince of the Zhou Dynasty, Li Dan.
Some of the people standing at the back could see his back, while others could only follow the direction in which the others were looking. They couldn't see his existence at all. However, the people standing beside Li Dan could see him. Li Dan's expression was calm and there was nothing strange.
His throne had been taken away by his mother. The two concubines who had accompanied him day and night and gone through trials and tribulations with him had been beaten to death by his mother. Now, he was being humiliated in front of everyone and his position as Crown Prince was about to be lost. But Li Dan's face didn't show any anger or emotion. Instead, it was the faces of the young princes behind him that were flushed with anger.
The sacrificial ceremony was not just a ceremony. It was a clear political signal.
Back then, when the "indulgent" A Dou ascended to the throne, he announced to the world, "The Ge family will govern, the sacrificial ceremony will be done by me."
Even someone like A Dou knew that some things had to be in his hands. He could hand over all the affairs of Shu Han to Zhuge Liang, no matter how big or small. But the matter of the sacrificial ceremony to heaven and earth, he had to make it clear in the succession edict. This was his right and others couldn't touch it.
Even if he controlled all the affairs, he was only a minister and not the ruler of a country. But the sacrificial ceremony to heaven and earth was different. This was the symbol of a ruler's power.
… …
With the end of the ceremony, the civil and military officials, as well as the members of the royal family, retreated. Once they exited the Myriad Deity Palace, they hurriedly walked out. Today's ceremony had revealed too much information to them. They needed to go back and digest it properly. For a time, they didn't even talk to each other.
The crown prince's family was the most awkward in this crowd. Ever since the emperor decreed that the crown prince was not allowed to see the officials, his family had actually been placed under house arrest in the crown prince's palace. Other than the servants by his side, no one else could see them. And today, even though they were surrounded by so many officials and members of the royal family, they still felt extremely lonely.
Everyone avoided coming into contact with them. When they saw the crown prince and his family walk over, they all lowered their eyes and quickened their steps to avoid them. Li Dan's expression was still calm, but his sons walking behind him were filled with grief and indignation. Li Chengqi and Li Longji were especially agitated. Li Dan had to reprimand them in a low voice and order them to restrain themselves.
At this moment, Princess Taiping walked towards Li Dan. Some of the officials saw this but the only thing they could do was to lower their heads even more and walk even faster, as if they did not see anything. As for the Wu nephews and those who had already sided with the Wu clan, they sneered with disdain.
No one knew what the siblings were talking about. They stood on the spacious ground in front of the Wanxiang Divine Palace for a long time. Li Dan cupped his fists at his sister and turned to walk towards the Crown Prince's palace.
Yang Fan was the first batch of officials to leave the grand hall. However, he had to let the higher ranked officials leave first. Hence, he was the last batch of officials to leave. When he reached the side of Princess Taiping and Li Dan, he did not walk past them hurriedly like those officials who avoided the crown prince's family as though they were snakes or scorpions. Instead, he paused for a moment.
Li Longji saw him and his eyes were fixed on his face. Yang Fan stopped and cupped his fists at him.
This is a form of etiquette. Since he has already met this Prince of Lin Zi, it is only right for him to pay his respects. However, in the entire imperial court, after the Heaven Offering Ceremony, only Yang Fan remained to pay his respects.
Li Longji did not reveal any expression of joy. He recognised Yang Fan. In his memory, this Yang Fan has a close relationship with the Wu family. Li Longji bit his lips and turned his head away coldly.
Yang Fan sighed in his heart and slowly walked past them.
Li Dan led his sons towards the Crown Prince's palace while Princess Taiping walked out of the palace gates and soon caught up with Yang Fan.
In front of Li Dan, Princess Taiping appeared calm and composed. But after parting ways with Li Dan, her face was strangely pale. Looking at her erratic eyes, she seemed to be in a trance. When crossing the Golden Water Bridge, Princess Taiping tripped and fell forward with an 'Aiya'.
"Princess, be careful!"
Yang Fan shot to Princess Taiping's side and stretched out his hand to support her. He quickly retracted his hand and cupped his hands in salute.
Princess Taiping's beautiful face looked gloomily at him, and then she walked with heavy steps toward the bridge. Yang Fan hesitated for a moment, and then he followed behind her.
Princess Taiping acted as if there was no one around, as if she did not see him at all. She walked out of the palace gate alone. Xu Houde rushed to the carriage and put down the steps. Just when Princess Taiping was about to board the carriage, Yang Fan suddenly rushed to her side and whispered: "Your Highness!"
Princess Taiping cast a glance at him and coldly asked: "Yang Langzhong, what can I do for you?"
Yang Fan understood her current mood and smiled faintly: "Can I have a chat with Princess?"
Princess Taiping glanced at him and plainly state: "If you are not afraid of others gossiping, then board the carriage!" Finishing her words, she took the lead and boarded the carriage.
Yang Fan didn't hesitate to board the carriage. Princess Taiping entered the carriage and sat down. She couldn't help but be surprised when she saw that Yang Fan actually followed her.
Yang Fan grinned and smiled with a sunny face: "Anyway, the whole world knows what is going on between you and me. Although we are not like that."
If it was the previous Princess Taiping, she would have bitterly corrected his words. But at this moment, Princess Taiping's heart was in a mess and she didn't have the mood to correct him.
She was silent for a moment and faintly said: "This matter is my fault. The Li Clan … is finished. Maybe the day the Mother Empress dies will be the day my Li Clan will be wiped out by the Wu Clan. I shouldn't have implicated you. I will think of a way … to cut off all relations with you. "
Yang Fan said: "Many years ago, I was a little beggar. I left my hometown and went to a very far place. In fact, I just wanted to stay away from my enemies. It would be safer this way. But I never thought that I would meet something there. If I didn't choose to go south at that time, maybe I would still be a beggar today. "
Princess Taiping's expression suddenly became a little strange. But Yang Fan didn't notice it. He continued to say: "Many years later, I arrived at Luoyang. If I didn't save a person by the canal, if I didn't accept her plan to go to the Luo River to play a game of football, if I didn't decide to rob the execution ground when Maqiao was being escorted to the execution ground … If, if, there are many ifs, then I wouldn't be sitting here right now … "
Princess Taiping slightly frowned and said: "What are you trying to say?"
Yang Fan said: "I want to tell you that every step of a person's life is faced with a choice. Every choice, he thinks that his decision is the most correct. In fact, before making a choice, no one will ever know whether his choice is right or wrong. Moreover, no one knows whether his choice will change again. Because … there are too many things that can affect it in the future."
Princess Taiping sadly said: "Do I still have a choice?"
Yang Fan said meaningfully: "What I am talking about now is not your choice, but His Majesty the Emperor's choice."
…
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