When the prince is reborn, he will only hit me if he doesn't hit the wall!

Xuanli Year 9

April 4th

On the day of the ceremony to offer sacrifices to the heavens, the sky was clear and cloudless.

The emperor's face was gaunt and pale, his lips were bloodless, he wore a crown with tassels on his head, a black and gold-woven crown, and a white silk belt around his waist, all dressed properly and solemnly. With the help of his personal eunuch Fu Xi, he tried his best to keep his body steady and stepped onto the imperial chariot step by step.

Starting from Longxiao Palace, passing through the corridor to the Meridian Gate, the emperor's sedan chair and the empress's phoenix sedan chair, as well as various ceremonial guards and palace maids and eunuchs, marched in a mighty procession along the long street.

After about two quarters of an hour, they reached the altar. The emperor, still supported by Fuxi, stepped down from the royal carriage with great difficulty. The empress, with a look of worry on her face, stepped forward with her arm around him. Together with Fuxi, they supported the emperor on both sides, and together they climbed up the steps from the bottom of the altar, trembling with each step, and walked towards the altar at the top.

The altar is designed in two levels, with the lower square base being 50 feet long and 5 feet 9 inches high. There are white marble steps on all four sides, connecting the top circular altar from wide to narrow.

The emperor and empress walked in the front, followed by the queen, Qin Liexing, and the civil and military officials.

He Xuehuai was on the left of the military officer, and Yu Xingcao was on the right of the civil officer, guarding the rear. Behind the two were civil and military officials, following in order of rank.

On both sides of the stairs leading to the top altar, there are guards holding spears on each step.

At the steps of the altar, all the ministers stopped. The emperor refused Fuxi's and the empress's support and climbed to the top of the platform alone, trembling.

The emperor lit the incense himself. He held the incense in both hands, bowed three times to heaven, and then inserted the incense into the large cauldron.

On the left and right of the large tripod, there is a green jade table. On the left are jade cups, bronze pots, nine-legged tripods, and sacrificial meat; on the right are grains, tin, silver, jade pens, and a bright yellow scroll with imperial seal.

The emperor clasped his hands together and said to himself:

"The Emperor of Heaven is above, and the Empress of Earth is below. As the Son of Heaven, I lead my subjects and the people to pay respect to the heaven and earth."

"I have received the mandate of heaven to govern the people, and I have worked diligently and diligently without any slackness. This year, the weather has been even and the crops have been plentiful. This is the blessing of heaven and the protection of our ancestors."

"I pray to God to protect my country, to bring favorable weather and good harvests, and to keep away from disasters. I pray to God to bless my people, to make them live and work in peace, have enough food and clothing, and have harmonious families and healthy people. I pray to God to make my country strong and powerful, my borders peaceful, the four barbarians submissive, and all nations come to pay tribute."

"May the heavens have mercy on me, protect the crown prince, and ensure that the country is forever strong and the nation is long-lasting."

"I hope you enjoy the meal!"

Every word and sentence was like a dead branch breaking in the wind, squeezed out from a dry throat. The voice was hoarse and rough, and it sounded as if the whole body's strength was exhausted.

The last sentence made the ministers feel moved.

I don't know whether your majesty did it intentionally or unintentionally.

Protecting the crown prince... is that the decision made by someone in your heart?

The ministers looked up at the emperor sitting on the high platform. His black robe embroidered with the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, stars and dragon patterns fluttered in the wind, and the vermilion tassels of his crown rang in the wind.

This old man, wrapped in layers of robes and crowns, prayed sincerely and kowtowed to God, but he looked so weak and vulnerable.

Even so, the emperor still insisted on completing the entire process despite his illness.

Drinking blessing wine, receiving sacrificial meat, removing food, sending off the ancestral gods, and looking at the incense, every etiquette is meticulous.

The emperor would go to the Taimiao to report the completion of the ceremony, and all officials would go to the Longxiao Hall to celebrate the completion of the ceremony.

At this moment, the emperor seemed to be on the verge of reaching the limit of what his body could endure.

He looked pale, weak and exhausted, coughing and wheezing all the time, and couldn't even finish a complete sentence.

It was at this moment that the emperor, holding the golden dragon throne, suppressed his cough and took out a bright yellow scroll with imperial seal from his arms and handed it to the eunuch Fuxi beside him.

This is the bright yellow scroll blessed by the Central God that was placed on the green jade table on the right side of the altar.

The emperor motioned to Fuxi to open it.

Fuxi followed the instructions, carefully unrolled the scroll, slowly unfolded it, and looked at it carefully. A moment of surprise flashed across his eyes, and then he quickly calmed down.

Fu Xi sang in a high and solemn voice without changing his expression:

"It's up to heaven, the emperor decreed.

I have inherited the legacy of my ancestors and received the mandate of heaven to rule the world. Now, considering the foundation of the country, I need to establish a crown prince to ensure the safety of the country—"

He had only read half of it when the ministers below were both surprised and delighted.

Sure enough!

Your Majesty's health has been deteriorating recently. Some court officials have long advised you to establish a crown prince to ensure the stability of the country, but Your Majesty has always prevaricated and delayed it until now.

Many court officials believed that His Majesty favored Prince Rong, and the reason why His Majesty had been holding on until now was simply because he wanted to see Prince Rong return to the capital and be granted the throne.

But right now, Prince Rong's whereabouts are still unknown, and His Majesty is about to die. There is no time to delay in choosing a crown prince. He must now choose one from among the heirs in Kyoto.

All the ministers looked at "Qin Zhaolie" who was following today's ceremony, exchanged glances, and had a rough guess in their minds.

Right now the court is divided into two main factions, the Qi Wang faction and the Rong Wang faction. Now that Rong Wang is not here, the choice of crown prince is self-evident.

At that moment, only He Xuehuai and Yu Xingcao looked straight ahead without even glancing towards "Qin Zhaolie".

Let's listen to Fuxi continue:

"I am old, but now I have a son who is gentle, wise, intelligent, has a broad mind, and lofty ambitions. He has been well-read since childhood, knows etiquette and morality, knows shame, cultivates virtues and self-cultivation, and lives up to everyone's expectations."

We should follow the teachings of our ancestors, work diligently and make every effort to govern the country. In the future, we will inherit the great throne and benefit the people.

I hope he will live up to my expectations and the world.

Specially granted the mandate of heaven to——"

Qin Liexing, who was standing below, raised his chin slightly, stroked his clothes and straightened his hat, raised his arms to his chest, folded his five fingers, pushed his hands and bowed, and was about to lean forward to receive the decree and express his gratitude. He took half a step forward, but heard Fu Xi's last words:

"Eighth Princess Qin Lingruo."

Qin Liexing was shocked as if his head had been struck by lightning. He immediately raised his head, his eyes full of rage and disbelief.

My father must be in his old age, seriously ill, and so confused that he would appoint Qin Lingruo as the crown prince! ?