The sky suddenly changed during the Ancestral Worship Ceremony. The strange phenomenon of thunder and lightning came and went quickly. A moment ago, there were flashes of lightning and roars of thunder, but in the next moment, there were no flags and drums. The dark clouds dispersed, and before the crowd could react, the sun appeared again.
This temporary abnormality did not affect the ceremony. Instead, a gust of wind made people feel cool. The sweat on Yu Shu's face dried up and she felt a chill on her back. She followed the emperor and was not far from the group of officials and nobles. Thus, when she heard people whispering about "the spirit of the sacred ancestor", she felt a little strange.
She quietly raised her head and found Xue Rui's figure in the crowd. Her line of sight moved a few times before she met his steady gaze. At that moment, she smiled lightly at him and held up the Eight Trigrams bronze artifact in her hand, hinting to him that she could still hold on.
Next, the book of rites and prayers were sung. The emperor, who was nearly fifty years old, walked around the Temple of Heaven and performed the rites. Then, he led his officials back.
According to Official Ning's instructions, Yu Shu and the others did not need to go back with the emperor. Thus, they stood where they were and respectfully sent the emperor off.
As soon as the emperor left, they could not stand it anymore. Zhan Xueyuan and Cui Yun scrambled to put the bronze artifact in their hands on the ground and sat down on the carpet by the roadside to catch their breath. Yu Shu looked around and saw that the people around her did not have any strange expressions. She tidied up the things that needed to be tidied up and tidied up the things that needed to be tidied up. It seemed that she was used to the delicate behavior of the people holding the bronze artifact. She hugged the bronze artifact and sat down on the ground.
Among the six people, only Wen Shao 'an was still holding the heavy bronze artifact and stood there stiffly.
"I'm so tired. If I stood for a while longer, I would have fallen down." Sun Jun panted like a fool. He used his wide sleeves to make a fan and fanned his face.
Another young man was also so tired that he stuck out his tongue. He looked up at Wen Shao 'an and laughed dryly, "Wen Shao' an, why are you still standing? If you don't sit down and rest, you might not even have the strength to go back later."
Wen Shao 'an glanced at him and then turned his head away, making the young man feel awkward.
"Hey, get up quickly. How can you just put the cultivation artifact on the ground!" With a low cry, Lord Wang appeared out of nowhere with a few Mausoleum Guards behind him, carrying boxes. With an unfriendly expression, he urged them to pick up the bronze artifacts and personally inspect them before putting them back into the boxes.
"Alright, Teacher Xiaoyi, this is the end. There are carriages waiting outside. I will get someone to send you back first." Lord Wang had been worried for many days. Today, he could finally let go. He could not wait to throw the burden away.
"Lord, Lord.
Zhan Xueyuan and the others patted their buttocks and left with the others. Yu Shu lagged a few steps behind. When she turned around and saw Lord Wang still standing there watching them leave, she turned around and walked over to him. She bowed and said, "I have troubled Lord Wang for these few days."
After a few days of observation, Yu Shu felt that the ceremonial officer in front of her was reliable and capable. She didn't know when they would meet again, so it was better to make friends.
Lord Wang smiled. "Yu Suanzi, what are you talking about? This is my duty."
Yu Shu put down her hand and said: "I still have to thank Daren for your care. I will be returning to the capital in a few days. I have no other forte but I do have some skills in seeking fortune telling. I can boast that I am not any worse than the masters in the Great Exchange Hall. If Daren has any difficulties, you can send a letter to Wang Ji Lou at Da Ma Street to look for me."
Lord Wang's expression changed. He looked at the precocious young girl in front of him and compared her to the pampered young masters from the Taishi Library. It was not difficult to see that she would have a bright future. His mind also became active, so he nodded and accepted Yu Shu's good intentions. He extended his hand and took the initiative to send her to the outer circle.
Yu Shu was the last to sit on the carriage back to Huazhen Garden. Even though the people on the carriage were impatient, no one dared to say anything. Yu Shu's fierce and forceful performance last night was still in their minds. Even the two boys were faintly afraid of her, not to mention Zhan and Cui who didn't even have the strength to speak.
The journey back to the side courtyard of Huazhen Garden was silent. The people on the carriage wished they could wash off the sweat on their bodies and comfortably lie on the bed to sleep. Unfortunately, there was still a group of nobles waiting to serve them in the garden. There was no extra manpower to pay attention to them.
Yu Shu didn't care about the others. Once she entered the room, she took off her heavy dress and put on an undershirt. She used the water left in the morning to wipe her body. She took out the medicinal oil that He Fangzhi had given her when she left the house from the wardrobe. She sat cross-legged on the bed and applied it to her arms and legs to prevent any side effects and soreness for a while.
In the blink of an eye, the afternoon passed. Yu Shu lay on the bed snoring. She didn't know that there were people talking about her in another part of the garden.
Zhu Muzhao waved away the attendants accompanying him. He had his personal guards stay downstairs and went upstairs alone.
Jing Chen had already changed out of his Taoist robe. After a bath, he stood refreshed at the window, looking at the scenery of the garden. Between his sword-like brows was a faint cloud of worry, like it was surrounded by fog.
"Jing Chen."
A call brought him back to his senses. He turned his head to look at the approaching Zhu Muzhao and asked, "Uncle, have you seen His Majesty?"
Zhu Muzhao nodded and said, "His Majesty is very happy to know that you found the Fate Breaker."
After a pause, he said with a pleasant expression, "As for the words you said to me in the Emperor's Cave, I will pretend I didn't hear them. When you meet the Emperor, don't mention them again."
The words spoken out of anger referred to the words Jing Chen had said after seeing the Fate Breaker. He had revealed his suspicions about the Disaster of the Da An. This was more or less a sign of fear of the Emperor. The Emperor might not be angry when he heard this, but it was inevitable that he would be estranged from this nephew.
Jing Chen's expression did not change. He was not at all worried that Zhu Muzhao would say that he wasn't the Disaster of the Da An in front of the Emperor. Compared to this, he was more concerned about the problem he was about to face.
Zhu Muzhao did not notice the worry in his heart. He continued to speak, "Since we already know that Yu Shu is the Fate Breaker, we still need you to spend more effort on her so that she is willing to marry you and become husband and wife. But regarding the secrets of the Disaster of the Da An and the fate of our dynasty, you must not reveal them to her. Furthermore, you must not let her know of your identity as the Fate Breaker. Remember this. "
"That is difficult," Jing Chen said with an indifferent expression, "Before this, because of my worry, I broke off all ties with her. The two of us are like strangers. Now, I want her to cultivate the love of Qin and Jin, but I cannot tell her the truth. It will be difficult for her to even pay attention to me, much less agree to become husband and wife with me."
Zhu Muzhao frowned slightly. Originally, when things had progressed to this stage, as long as the Emperor issued an edict, regardless of whether Yu Shu was willing or not, she would have to submit. But the situation now was different —
First, several months ago, Jing Chen had been ambushed on his way to the capital and almost lost his life.
Second, a murder had occurred in Taishi Shu Garden not long ago. An innocent female student had died. The target was Jing Chen.
All kinds of targeting showed that there were people secretly thinking of ways to obstruct the Disaster of the Da An from breaking the Fate Breaker. On the surface, the Emperor had handed over the matter of Jing Chen's death to Ning Wang to investigate. In reality, he had secretly sent out spies to investigate, but to no avail.
What was worth rejoicing was that from the angle of the other party's attack, he could use divination to deduce that they only knew of the existence of the Disaster of the Da An and the Fate Breaker. As for how to find the Fate Breaker and how to break the Fate Breaker, they did not know. Because they could not confirm the identity of the Fate Breaker, they repeatedly probed and killed.
In such a situation, if the Emperor suddenly arranged a marriage for Daozi after worshipping the ancestors, it was clearly telling the other party that there was something fishy going on.
In order to protect the safety of the Fate Breaker and not ruin the important matter, the Emperor discussed with him. Not only could they not arrange a marriage, they had to find another "target" to attract the attention of those people in the dark. Then, they could follow the clues and catch them all.
“.....”
After thinking for a while, Zhu Muzhao raised his head and said to Jing Chen, "There's no hurry to break the Fate Breaker. In short, the person has been found. Don't let her be suspicious and find a chance to get close to her. I have also seen Miss Yu twice. From her appearance, she isn't a short-sighted person. You only need to lie to her that your Fate Breaker has been broken. Since you and she have gone through thick and thin together, it shouldn't be difficult for you to forget about the past.
Moreover … "At this point, he revealed a smile and said," In my opinion, you have a good impression of her. Since you don't have any worries, you might as well learn more about the ways of men and women. This way, you can have the best of both worlds and become a good couple. Isn't that good? "
Hearing this, a suspicious red appeared on Jing Chen's handsome face. He tilted his head to avoid Zhu Muzhao's penetrating gaze and looked out the window again. In a low voice, he mocked himself, "In the end, I still lied to her. What's so good about it?"
Zhu Muzhao looked at the side of Jing Chen's face and fell into a trance for a moment. It was as if he had gone back to twenty years ago and heard the same words. However, the words were still ringing in his ears.
After a moment of absent-mindedness, he quickly regained his composure and sincerely said to the young man in front of him, who had a rough life, "Fate is like this. Since you can't go against it, you have to accept it. If you can't accept it, the world is full of bitterness. Think on the bright side."
Jing Chen didn't say anything and looked into the distance. No one knew what he was thinking. Zhu Muzhao didn't try to persuade him anymore. He gave him a few more instructions and then left.
After he left, Jing Chen called in a servant and ordered, "Where are the people chosen from the Imperial Historian's Library to carry the artifacts? Go and find out."
"Yes, I will go now."
Usually, after the ancestral worship ceremony, the emperor would return to the palace, while some of the nobles would stay in Huazhen Garden for a few days. The nearby forest was dense, and there was a natural enclosure five miles west of here for hunting horses.
Yu Shu had eaten dinner in the evening and was about to pack her luggage when she heard a servant outside the door say, "Miss Yu, there is an official in the front yard who wants to see you."
Yu Shu thought that it might be Official Wang from the Ministry of Rites. Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the front yard, she saw Xue Rui leisurely sitting in the hall waiting for her.
"Eldest Brother, why are you here?"
Xue Rui pointed at a chair and asked her to sit down. He looked her up and down and asked, "Did you rest well?"
"Yes, I slept."
"Do your arms and legs hurt from standing for so long during the day?" Xue Rui knew that the bronze artifacts were not light. When he saw her holding them in her hands, her head covered in sweat and her face red from the sun, it would be a lie to say that he didn't feel bad.
Yu Shu kicked her legs, "I'm not that delicate."
Xue Rui said, "That's good. Tomorrow, we'll walk around the forest and I'll show you the surrounding scenery."
"Eh? Didn't His Majesty say that he's leaving for the capital tomorrow? You're not leaving? "Yu Shu asked curiously.
Xue Rui then told her that every year after the ancestral worship ceremony, with the emperor's permission, the young nobles would stay.
As soon as Yu Shu heard that she would be staying to play with the princes and princesses, she immediately lost interest.
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