Rebirth: The flatterer prince I raised couldn't be so clingy

The weather is gradually warming up, the grass is growing, the birds are singing, the trees are full of spring flowers, and the city of Kyoto is full of beautiful scenery.

In order to deceive the left prime minister and his son and buy time for Gao Ye, Feng Zhanye and Gu Qingzhi stayed in the villa for half a month without leaving the prime minister's residence.

In early March, the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven was held as scheduled.

The air of Yunsheng Temple is filled with the faint fragrance of incense and candles, which is intertwined with the scent of pine and cypress surrounding the Taoist temple.

A breeze blew by, blowing the copper bells on the eaves of the main hall, making clear and melodious sounds. A red carpet extended straight to the altar, like a fairy road leading to heaven.

The Ceremony of Offering Sacrifices to Heaven is one of the most important ceremonies in the entire Yu State, and all royal nobles and court officials must attend.

Watching the emperor and empress's carriage enter the temple, everyone knelt on the ground and kowtowed to greet them with awe and piety on their faces.

Emperor Yu, wearing a golden dragon robe and a golden crown on his head, slowly stepped down from the carriage. His brows were dignified and his eyes were sharp, which made people feel awe.

Queen Zou followed behind him, dressed in a dignified and elegant palace dress, with a phoenix coronet and red hairpins swaying gracefully on her head.

"The heavens respond, and the heavens show their grace. Our emperor is wise, and his virtues are known to the world. The emperor's plan will be forever secure, and the country will never grow old. With the help of the gods, the country will prosper for generations."

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven was presided over by the abbot of the Taoist temple himself. He was wearing a Taoist robe, holding a magical instrument, and his voice was loud and solemn.

The emperor and the empress walked up to the altar, took the incense from the abbot, and prayed to heaven, praying for a good harvest and peace for the country and the people.

The two of them placed incense in front of the statues of the Three Pure Ones and turned around hand in hand.

"May your majesty be wise and powerful, and bless all living beings."

Everyone under the altar prayed devoutly in unison. Emperor Yu and Empress Zou stood side by side, overlooking the ministers and enjoying the congratulations from tens of thousands of people.

The clouds in the sky seemed to be infected as well, gradually dyed with golden sunlight. The sunlight penetrated through the clouds and shone onto the earth. The sky scenery was like a dream and breathtaking.

With the rumbling of drums, the prayer ended and all the ministers stood up. Some of them seemed to have suddenly discovered something and looked up at the sky.

The eunuch beside Emperor Yu also raised his head following their gaze.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's a good omen! Ruilian auspicious omen!"

The eunuch's exclamation made Emperor Yu's expression change slightly. He and Empress Zou looked at each other and turned back.

I saw a cloud of smoke rising inexplicably from behind the main hall not far away.

The smoke was some distance away from the altar, and shaped like a lotus with distinct petals, and was drifting closer and closer towards the main hall.

A minister looked at the smoke suspiciously and was the first to react.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your prayers today have reached the ears of the Heavens. The Heavens have sent down such a good omen, which must be in accordance with your wishes."

Seeing this, many court officials also echoed: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

However, after reviewing it, some royal nobles looked at the Ruilian smoke behind the main hall with suspicion and whispered to each other.

"Why... doesn't this smoke look like it's coming from here?"

"It seems to come from farther away."

"Daddy, look! There's a sword stuck in front of a lotus flower!"

Suddenly, a loud and childish voice was heard from the crowd. I don’t know whose child it was, but the innocent child shouted when he saw something interesting.

The adult behind him hurriedly covered his mouth in panic, lowered his head and dared not say a word.

After these words were spoken, people looked again and could clearly see that in front of the statues of the Three Pure Ones on the altar, the smoke from the incense that Emperor Yu had just burned for blessing was floating in the air, as straight as a sword.

And Ruilian was obviously still behind the smoke.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Emperor Yu had obviously sensed something was wrong. He just looked up at the lotus-shaped smoke without saying a word.

Zuo Fuhong saw this and tried to smooth things over: "Anyway, we have been here several times and have never seen anything like this. Your Majesty's coming today is a good omen, and it must be a sign of good fortune."

At this moment, a man suddenly walked out from among the ministers and knelt down under the altar without saying a word.

When Zuo Fuhong saw the man's face clearly, two cold rays suddenly flashed in his old eyes, and his gaze was fixed on him.

"Your Majesty, I think the auspicious lotus smoke seems to be coming from the direction of the back mountain. Such auspicious signs are rare. Why don't we take this opportunity to go to the back mountain hall to pray and receive auspicious signs?"

This person actually hit the nail on the head of Emperor Yu's mind. He looked at the people under the altar, nodded approvingly and said, "Well, Marquis Yongning's suggestion is good. I also have the same idea."

Seeing Yongning Marquis Gao Han appear, Zuo Fuhong suddenly realized something and hurried forward to stop him: "Nonsense! The mountain behind is steep and dangerous. Your Majesty is a noble dragon. How can you bear such hardship?"

Gao Han had strong brows, a straight nose, a neatly trimmed beard, and a firm look in his eyes. He looked straight at Zuo Fuhong without any avoidance, and his voice was steady and powerful.

"With the royal carriage here, there is no need to work the Holy Body. Lord Zuo Xiang, don't you want Your Majesty to respond to the auspicious signs and ensure good weather and good harvests this year, and the people's health?"

"Your Majesty, please think twice. The back mountain is in chaos, and Marquis Yongning has ulterior motives. It may be dangerous if you go there rashly." Zuo Fuhong did not argue with Gao Han, but just threw dirty water on him secretly.

However, Gao Han just smiled and said, "Lord Zuo Xiang, you are worrying too much. The temple is guarded by the imperial guards. Even if I have great ability, it will be in vain."

Zuo Fuhong's rebuttal was somewhat pale. He already roughly knew Gao Han's intention of leading Emperor Yu to the back mountain. Although he was anxious in his heart, he did not show it on his face.

"Mr. Zuo, even if it means hiking up the mountain, I am willing to do so for the common people and the common people of the world."

Zuo Fuhong wanted to say something but was stopped by Emperor Yu. Now, there was only fascination for Rui Lian in his eyes and there was no room for persuasion.

"Since Marquis Yongning praises me so highly, I will go to the back mountain as you said."

Emperor Yu's decision could not be changed. He turned and signaled to the eunuch beside him, who immediately ordered the guards to prepare for the journey.

Upon seeing this, all the ministers stood up and prepared to follow the emperor to the back mountain.

Zuo Fuhong gritted his teeth secretly, but he had no choice but to follow the large group of people towards the back mountain.

The scenery in the back mountain is beautiful, but the road is rugged and few people set foot there.

Emperor Yu's carriage moved slowly forward on the suspension bridge, and the accompanying officials followed carefully behind.

The crowd stopped at the entrance to the back mountain, and from afar they could see a large hall in the center of the courtyard where many Taoists lived.

"Your Majesty, this is where the Taoist priests in the temple hold their evening classes. The back hall has not been repaired for a long time and may be a little shabby. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The abbot on the side hurried to explain to Emperor Yu, but saw him wave his hands.

"No problem, please lead the way for me, Abbot, to the back hall to receive the auspicious omen."

The back mountain was quiet at this time. All the Taoists were transferred to the front mountain to serve because they participated in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the sky.

They walked through the deserted courtyard and soon arrived at the door of the back hall.

To pray for blessings, others had to be dismissed. Emperor Yu signaled that everyone did not need to follow him, and he walked into the hall alone.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and saw a woman kneeling in front of the statue, with her eyes closed devoutly and muttering something.

The woman's back seemed familiar to Emperor Yu. When she heard footsteps, she turned her head slightly, with a calm and detached temperament between her eyebrows. Her eyes moved and she looked at him with a watery gaze.