sjar Chapter 318 Sacrifice to Heaven
Chapter 318 Sacrifice to Heaven
Chapter 318: Heavenly Sacrifice
The imperial palace at this time was like a chess game, and the players were Prince Xiang and Luo Mian.
Once brothers, former friends.
They drank from the same pot of wine and walked through the same bloody storm.
But now, they are standing at opposite ends.
……
Three days later, at midnight.
The night was dark and overcast, and Kyoto seemed to be shrouded in a thick layer of black gauze.
On both sides of the street, every household had their doors and windows closed and candles extinguished, as if they were afraid of disturbing something that should not be disturbed.
In this dead and depressing atmosphere, the gate of the palace slowly opened.
A white funeral procession came out of the palace gate, like a winding white snake, quietly and coldly cruising in the silent night.
The sound of the funeral music was so shrill and piercing that it made one's scalp tingle.
Paper money was flying all over the sky like snow.
At the front of the team, two vermilion coffins were particularly eye-catching, one for the queen and the other for the prince.
Two of the most noble people were now hastily buried.
Behind the coffin, the palace servants were dressed in mourning clothes, with their faces covered with white cloth, like faceless walking corpses.
But if you look closely, you will find that there is not only sadness in the eyes of these palace servants, but more importantly, there is unconcealable fear.
What to fear?
No one dares to say.
The palace actually violated the ancestral system of Tianyan Kingdom and hastily buried the deceased three days after his death.
"Keeping the body for seven days" is an ancestral ritual that even emperors are not allowed to change.
But now, the emperor tore all the etiquette and laws to pieces with just one edict.
Who dares to question?
No one dares.
Because in these three days, countless palace maids have disappeared inexplicably.
"They died peacefully." Someone whispered in the funeral procession.
When others heard this, they immediately shouted, “Shut up!”
The man immediately fell silent, shrank his neck, and dared not say anything more.
The funeral procession moved slowly, winding through the streets of the imperial city and heading straight to the royal mausoleum.
It wasn't just two bodies that were buried.
And the emperor's last bit of sanity.
The night wind howled, and the funeral procession slowly disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind only paper money flying all over the sky.
Inside the Yangxin Hall, the lights are brightly lit.
The surroundings were draped with thick yellow curtains, the air was filled with curls of sandalwood, and the smoke from the copper stove enveloped the gloomy and silent hall.
The ground was covered with cinnabar talismans, and in the middle was a bronze altar with a Buddha statue on it. The flickering candlelight made the Buddha's face blurry.
On the dragon couch, the emperor was half leaning on a soft pillow, his face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he had not closed his eyes for several days.
"Unknown abbot, violating ancestral teachings, hastily burying him in three days, is it really... useful?"
In the hall, there stood a monk wearing a grey robe, holding a string of black Buddhist beads in his hand, with a calm expression and normal features.
"Your Majesty, don't worry."
The unknown abbot slowly moved the Buddhist beads and chanted in a low voice, his voice as steady as water.
The emperor tilted his head slightly, and his withered fingertips gently stroked the edge of the dragon couch.
"Really... can I have peace?"
He paused, with barely concealed fear.
"Is this palace of mine really... not clean?"
Hearing this, the unknown abbot smiled lightly.
"His Majesty."
"The Imperial Palace has witnessed the rise and fall of countless dynasties, and swallowed up countless souls and blood and tears."
"Where in this world is there a clean palace?"
An unknown gaze fell on the rising incense stick, and his eyes were dark.
"The day your majesty ascended the throne, you had already stepped into the netherworld. You ruled the world, and you also ruled life and death. Your subjects, mountains and rivers, thousands of bones withered, which inch was not stained with blood?"
"Every brick and stone in the palace is made of bones."
"This place is not clean."
As soon as the words fell, the hall fell into dead silence.
The emperor shuddered suddenly.
“Not clean…”
"Then what should I do?"
The unknown abbot clasped his hands together and lowered his brows and eyes.
"Your Majesty, if you want to purify the palace, you can only use great ceremony to purge the evil."
The emperor frowned, "What is the great gift?"
Ming Ming answered in a low voice.
"The ritual of offering sacrifice to heaven requires offering pure blood to heaven and earth."
"Now that the evil is everywhere, I'm afraid it can no longer be driven away by ordinary rituals. Only sacrifice can suppress it."
After hearing this, the emperor struggled to sit up and seemed very interested.
"What is the sacrifice?"
"What sacrifice?"
His expression seemed to be in a difficult situation.
The emperor couldn't wait.
"talk!"
"No matter what you say, I forgive you!"
It was unclear before he slowly spoke.
"The emperor's wife is destined by heaven and carries the dragon's spirit. If we sacrifice the blood of the concubine to heaven and earth, we will be able to appease the dead soul and clear the darkness."
The emperor was silent for a long time, as if he was weighing the options.
But fear eventually overwhelmed reason, he murmured.
"I don't have many concubines...any more."
Ming Ming seemed to be waiting for the emperor to say this.
"Your Majesty, it is precisely because concubines are rare that they are precious and can move heaven and earth."
Then he thought for a moment.
"Your Majesty can also choose maids who have served in the palace for many years. Although they are not nobles, they have accompanied Your Majesty and may be able to lead the way."
Ming Ming lowered his eyes, but his peripheral vision quietly fell on the emperor's face.
The corners of the emperor's mouth trembled slightly, as if he was trying hard to suppress something.
Fear, hesitation, and struggle were intertwined in those cloudy eyes.
It's not clear, but I can see it clearly.
He was struggling, but he was desperate to break free.
"Your Majesty..." The unknown voice was gentle, like a soothing medicine.
"You can also take kind women from the people and offer their blood to heaven and earth. The people are the foundation of the country, and the people's sacrifice is also to eliminate disasters for the country."
"In this way, the world will be at peace."
The emperor's fingertips slowly stroked the edge of the dragon bed, thinking and struggling.
"Sacrificing human blood to heaven... I have heard of this before."
"But that is a taboo. Every dynasty has a clear order that says you can't mess around with it."
Ming Ming lowered his head slightly with a calm expression. The Buddhist beads continued to turn, making a slight friction sound.
"Your Majesty, this matter is originally a taboo, but if the evil cannot be suppressed, it will be a great disaster for the country."
After a pause, his voice became calm.
"People often say that destiny cannot be reversed and gods cannot be deceived. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, responsible for the lives and deaths of all people. If you mislead the world because of so-called taboos, wouldn't that be a real sin?"
The emperor looked up, his eyes bloodshot.
"But if the method of offering sacrifices to heaven is useless, I..."
"Your Majesty, there is already a precedent for folk blessing rituals."
Ming Ming whispered, as if to appease, "Sacrificing the blood of a kind woman to heaven and earth is what the people want, to pray for good weather and prosperity for their descendants, not to mention..."
Ming Ming paused for a moment, his expression becoming meaningful.
"If it weren't for the filthiness that is so difficult to drive away, why would you do this, Your Majesty?"
The emperor's eyes froze for a moment, as if the words hit home about the pain in his heart.
"But if the world knew, I would be cursed for eternity..."
"Your Majesty, if evil spreads, heaven will be angry and people will resent it, the world will be in chaos, the people will be displaced, and our descendants will wither."
"When that happens, how will Your Majesty bear the resentment and anger of the people?"
"As for the infamy..."
Ming Ming raised his eyes, his gaze was calm but with a hint of coldness.
"The universe is vast, and everything has its cause and effect. Your Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, if you can exchange a momentary 'evil' for eternal peace, it is also compassionate."
"If no one knows, how can the world blame you?"
The emperor was silent for a long time, and the struggle in his eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by a deep-seated madness.
"No one knows..." he murmured.
"Correct."
"No one knows!"