The Wuji Hall of the Protectorate of Southern Border.
With the help of the maids, Ouyang Shuo put on the royal robe and crown for the second time. The Scarlet Night Sword hung on the left side of his waist and the golden Qilin seal hung on the right.
After putting on the robe, he walked out of the Wuji Hall, passed through the pavilions, and arrived at the entrance.
At the entrance, a carriage specially used by the Marquis was already ready. The carriage was pulled by five elite Azure Beetle Horses. Their hair was azure without a trace of other colors. It was the standard carriage of a Marquis.
The entire frame of the carriage was not sealed. Instead, it was open, with only a canopy at the top. Ouyang Shuo boarded the carriage and headed toward the Temple of Heaven. Along the way, the ground was covered in red carpet and the Divine Martial Guards stood guard.
Under the dark blue sky, the marble-paved Heavenly Altar stretched as far as the eye could see, empty and distant.
The Temple of Heaven was guarded by the Divine Martial Guards. There was a sentry every five steps. This Divine Martial Guard unit only had two hundred people. They were the core force protecting Ouyang Shuo and did not go with the army.
The Divine Martial Guards had solemn expressions. Their bright red Divine Martial Cloaks fluttered in the wind.
On the square of the Temple of Heaven, all the important officials of the Protectorate of Southern Border, except for Bai Qi and the others who were out on a campaign, were present. They stood neatly on the left side of the square according to their ranks.
Minister Xiao He stood at the front of the group.
Next to him was the principal of the Military Lecture Hall, War Saint Sun Wu.
Behind him were the four bureau chiefs. Behind them were Honglu Minister Zhang Yi, Shanhai Commandant Zang Wenzhong, and Lianzhou County Chief Wei Ran. Finally, there were the bureau chiefs and the prefectures of Lianzhou County.
The deans of Southwest University China Hall and the section chiefs of the Military Lecture Hall were also invited to attend the ceremony. In addition, there were more than a hundred students from the two great institutions.
All the students wore the same uniform. It was a spectacular scene.
On the right side of the square were the Hundred Clans Children.
The Hundred Clans Grandmaster, Jiang Shang, was also the officiator. He stood at the front of the group.
Behind him were Confucius, Laozi, Mohist, and Han Feizi. Behind them were Zhuang Zi, Mencius, Xun Zi, Lu Buwei, Shen Zhi, Hui Shi, Yan Yan, and Su Qin.
Finally, there were the representatives of the other sects.
Other than that, all the scholars who stayed in Juxian Brothel were invited to attend.
This was also the first time the Hundred Clans Progeny had gathered together.
Such a grand occasion was rarely seen in ten thousand years.
On both sides of the Temple of the Yellow Emperor were more than a hundred ceremonial and musical officials specially trained by the Department of Culture and Education. The ceremonial officer was responsible for arranging the sacrificial site, while the musicians were responsible for playing special elegant music during the sacrificial period.
There were more than four hundred people standing in the huge square, but it didn't seem crowded at all.
All the teams were in an orderly manner and had a strict hierarchy.
Although the Heaven Offering Ceremony had yet to begin, no one made any noise on the plaza. It was extremely solemn.
Without a doubt, the Heaven Worship Ceremony this time would be unprecedentedly grand. Ouyang Shuo wanted to make use of this opportunity to display the strength and resources of Shanhai City to the Hundred Schools of Philosophers.
The carriage stopped at the designated location, and Ouyang Shuo slowly walked down from it.
Under the illumination of the sunlight, the majestic Ouyang Shuo looked even taller. He looked as dignified as a mountain and as imposing as the sea.
The secretary, Lang Bai Nanpu, shouted:
"Lord of Shanhai City, Protector General of the Southern Border, Marquis Lian Province has arrived!"
The title of Protector General of the Southern Border was only an official title. To Ouyang Shuo, the title of Marquis of Lian Province was the most important title, and it was also one of the symbols of his status as a feudal lord.
"Welcome, Marquis!"
Xiao He led the hundreds of officials to welcome him and bowed.
"Welcome, Marquis of Lian Province!"
Jiang Shang and the Hundred Schools of Philosophers also bowed.
Ouyang Shuo was the only one standing on the spacious plaza, looking down at everyone.
The scene made everyone's blood boil.
When Ouyang Shuo saw Confucius and the others bowing to him, an uncontrollable sense of pride rose in his heart.
In the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, the Hundred Schools of Philosophers had to bow to those who were conferred the title of Marquis. Therefore, Ouyang Shuo accepting the greetings of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers wasn't overstepping his boundaries.
The taste of power was indeed intoxicating.
Even if the road ahead was filled with thorns and he had to live alone, Ouyang Shuo had no regrets.
His mentality was slowly changing.
A true ruler was quietly rising in the wilderness. In the future, Ouyang Shuo would be even more ruthless. He would exert his ambition and climb to the peak of power without stopping.
He had no regrets in entrusting his life to his ambition.
Ouyang Shuo nodded and said, "Everyone, please rise!"
"Thank you, Marquis!"
"Thank you, Marquis of Lian Province!"
Under the guidance of the ceremonial officer, Ouyang Shuo took his seat in front of the official seat.
Seeing this, Xiao He sang, "Everyone, take your seats. The ceremony shall begin."
"Welcome, Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan."
As soon as he finished speaking, the musicians started to play elegant music.
The melodious music passed through the Temple of Heaven, through the walls of Monarch City, and spread throughout Shanhai City.
The commoners in the city started to pray at home, worshipping Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan. In an instant, invisible power of incense gathered towards the Yellow Emperor's statue in the Yellow Emperor Shrine.
The officiant, Jiang Shang, bowed deeply and said, "Ancestor, Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, respectfully welcomes the ancestor's return!"
Xiao He sang, "Lay down the coins."
What followed was a set of complicated sacrificial rituals.
The entire ceremony was abnormally strict, without a single flaw.
Whether it was Confucius or Laozi, both of them were extremely proficient in etiquette and could not tolerate any mistakes.
After the three offerings, Xiao He sang, "Read the good wishes."
Jiang Shang faced the divine throne of the Yellow Emperor, knelt on the seat, and recited the prayers.
"Vigaia's second year, the 16th day of the eighth lunar month, the year is Jiashin, the sun is high in the sky, the wind is gentle, and the earth is bright. The people of Shanhai City, as well as the Hundred Schools of Thought, gathered at the Yellow Emperor Shrine in Shanhai City. They drank wine to express their sincerity. I pay my respects to the first ancestor of the human race, the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan.
How illustrious is my ancestor's merit and virtue?
Build the palace and bless the people. Arboriculture helps the common people. Riding on a horse and riding on a cow, the mountain path is clear. Using the Qian Kun to straighten his clothes, creating a book to establish the five elements.
The Nine States would be unified. Teach widely, and the four seas are the same sect. The great cause of a thousand years, the beginning of a civilization of ten thousand years. He laid the foundation of Huaxia, and all the races flourished. Only strength is worship, only virtue is conduct. He was virtuous and meritorious, praised for generations to come.
The majestic China's Dragon's Vein was everlasting.
The Divine Land was continuous, the sun rose and the moon remained constant.
The wilderness was covered with thorns, the hundred schools of thought resonated.
I pay my respects to the ancestors, and bless them with good fortune. The ceremony is complete, and I await you! "
After the ceremony, Xiao He sang, "Drink the blessing and receive the punishment."
It was another set of complicated sacrificial rituals.
Finally, Xiao He sang, "Ancestor Xuanyuan has gone far, the ceremony is complete!"
At this moment, the Heaven-Worshipping Ritual was officially completed.
The moment it was completed, the statue of the Yellow Emperor in the Yellow Emperor Shrine suddenly emitted rays of golden light. The rays of light pierced through the Yellow Emperor Shrine and spread to the entire Shanhai City.
Seeing this scene, the Hundred Schools of Thought and the people of the city cried tears of joy.
It was a miracle!
"The ancestor has shown himself!"
The corner of Ouyang Shuo's mouth curled up into a smile.
The Yellow Emperor's appearance was enough to prove that Ouyang Shuo's governance was recognized by the Yellow Emperor. As a lord, Ouyang Shuo's virtue was also recognized by the Yellow Emperor.
Only in a world of great governance would there be auspiciousness.
The way Confucius and the others looked at Ouyang Shuo also changed. The Marquis of Lian Province's position in their hearts rose by a large margin.
Confucius, in particular, had a smile on his face.
At first, Confucius thought that the Marquis of Lian Province would put Wei Yang in an important position and that there would be complaints in the territory. Who would have thought that it would be such a peaceful scene?
At the same time, Ouyang Shuo heard the sound of a system notification.
"System notification: Congratulations to player Who Says That Has Nothing to Wear. The ancestor's auspiciousness has descended on Shanhai City, increasing the popularity of the people by 2 points, instantly increasing the quality of the people in the city by 25 points. Congratulations!"
Although it was only 2 points, the popularity of the people in Shanhai City was originally 92 points, which was close to the maximum. Every point was extremely precious.
That was not the end. Another system notification followed.
"System notification: Congratulations to player Who Says That Has Nothing to Wear. The Yellow Emperor Shrine has received the worship of the Hundred Schools of Thought, greatly increasing your attributes. Please check for yourself."
[Name]: Yellow Emperor Shrine
[Type]: Hidden Building
[Functions]: Increase resident satisfaction by 50, increase territory popularity by 20
[Characteristics]: Ancestor's blessing (Increase the physical quality of residents by 55), Flourishing Scholarly Aura (Increase the cultural quality of residents by 30)
[Remarks]: The Yellow Emperor Shrine has the reputation of being the number one shrine in the world. It is the main place in southern China where people worship the ancestor of the Chinese people, the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan.
After the worship, not only did the Yellow Emperor Shrine gain a new characteristic, but its original attributes had also increased.
Ouyang Shuo did not expect such a pleasant surprise.
Thinking of this, Ouyang Shuo looked at the Confucian Temple and the Martial Temple on both sides of the Yellow Emperor Shrine. The reason was because the Literary Sage Confucius and the Martial Sage Jiang Shang were gathered here.
Such a scene was also hard to come by in ten thousand years.
Apart from Shanhai City, no other territory could have such a heaven-defying encounter.
After worshipping the Yellow Emperor, the next step was to move to the Southwest University China Hall for the most exciting competition.
Ouyang Shuo hurriedly asked Confucius and Jiang Shang to write new plaques for the Confucian Temple and the Martial Temple to commemorate this rare event.
The two did not refuse when they heard this.
Of course, Confucius might not have agreed if it was not for the previous manifestation. It should be noted that Confucius was a humble man. He would not easily leave behind treasures.
Ouyang Shuo was secretly happy to get the treasures of the two Sages. He immediately asked the Director of Education and Culture, Xu Shuda, to immediately make new plaques according to the treasures of the two Sages.
Ouyang Shuo wanted to see what would happen to the two temples.
After that, Ouyang Shuo led the civil and military officials to the Southwest University China Hall.
At this time, the Hundred Schools Lecture Room was full. The scholars from the Juxian Road were the main seats.
Ouyang Shuo sat in the front row of the hall, ready to quietly be a spectator.
There were only three people on the podium. They were Jiang Shang, Confucius of the Confucian School, and Han Fei of the Legalist School.
The competition between the Confucian School and the Legalist School had entered the second stage.
Strangely, whether it was Confucius or Han Fei, there was no competitive spirit on their faces. Ouyang Shuo had a premonition that this competition might open up a new chapter. (To be continued.)
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