11.Offering Sacrifices

After the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, for several consecutive nights, Empress Xiao had been plagued by nightmares. In the dead of night,

"Get away, stay away from me, don't come near! I don't have it, I don't!" 

Empress Xiao shouted in terror, jerking awake from her bed, her clothes drenched in cold sweat, strands of hair sticking to her cheeks, her eyes filled with fear, breathing heavily.

"Your Majesty, another nightmare? Shall I summon the imperial physician?" A serving maid rushed in upon hearing the commotion.

"No need."

Empress Xiao waved her hand dismissively, then turned her gaze to the nearby wardrobe.

In the Crown Prince's residence, after the morning lessons,

ChengSangJY's desk was once again piled high with books. LiLuoning casually flipped through a couple of them and asked,

"Has the Crown Prince taken an interest in sacrificial rituals lately?"

ChengSangJY sighed, a hint of helplessness in his tone, "I heard that the Queen Mother is planning a sacrificial ceremony to ward off evil spirits. I'm afraid she might ask questions about it later, so I thought I'd do some research in advance."

"The Crown Prince needs to understand the content of the rituals too?" LiLuoning asked, somewhat puzzled.

ChengSangJY nodded, replying, "The Queen Mother says that a ruler should be knowledgeable in all matters. I should know what others know and have a basic understanding of what others don't. Only then can I become a good sovereign."

LiLuoning pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, thinking, "This Empress Xiao really wants to make ChengSangJY into a jack-of-all-trades."

"JY, JY, look what I've brought you." 

LinHuaichu's voice came from outside the door, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps drawing closer.

LinHuaichu, in his usual clumsy manner, almost stumbled into the room, unaware. The box in his hand flew out, landing squarely in LiLuoning's hands.

"Ah! Mr. Li is still here..." LinHuaichu hadn't realized LiLuoning hadn't left yet, feeling a bit embarrassed as he stood there.

"Master Lin, what precious treasure has made you so happy?" LiLuoning gently smiled as he returned the box to him.

"Hehe, Mr. Li is right, I did come across a treasure. This extraordinary treasure is simply perfect for JY. Would you like to take a look too?" LinHuaichu said proudly.

LiLuoning nodded, "Sure, let's see."

LinHuaichu placed the box on ChengSangJY's desk, his face filled with excitement and mystery, nudging it towards ChengSangJY, gesturing for him to open it quickly. 

"What's this, so secretive?" ChengSangJY shook his head helplessly, accustomed to LinHuaichu's habit of bringing curious and interesting items.

As ChengSangJY opened the box, his expression froze. Inside the mahogany box lay a translucent cloud-shaped jade pendant, its color pure and luminous.

"This jade pendant!" LiLuoning's heart skipped a beat. He was intimately familiar with this jade pendant; memories flooded back,

"Sister, it's your birthday today. This is for you." A young LiLuoning opened his palm, revealing the cloud-shaped jade pendant resting in his hand.

"How beautiful it is. Look at the craftsmanship, the clarity, and especially the shape. It's as if it was tailor-made for you. When I first saw this jade pendant, I felt it was an unparalleled treasure in the world. How about it, am I thoughtful enough as a brother?" LinHuaichu said proudly.

"How did this jade pendant end up outside the palace, and what about JY?" LiLuoning pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where did Master Lin find this jade pendant?"

"In a pawnshop in the city. Hehe, Mr. Li, you might not know this, but JY has a birthmark that resembles a cloud, very special. When I saw that the shape of this jade pendant closely resembled his birthmark, I bought it to give to JY." LinHuaichu explained.

"Huaichu!" ChengSangJY felt a little embarrassed. Although having a birthmark was not unusual, his mother, the queen, seemed to detest his cloud-shaped birthmark. The fact that he had a birthmark was something that few people knew.

"What's there to fear? Mr. Li isn't just anyone." LinHuaichu shrugged.

LiLuoning's pupils trembled slightly, recalling the scene from that day, he inadvertently drifted into thought, "Cloud-shaped birthmark!" The image of that person flashed through his mind again, along with the unique cloud-shaped birthmark on her wrist.

Seeing LiLuoning remain silent for a long time, ChengSangJY thought he was concerned about his birthmark. After all, in the minds of most people, birthmarks were often seen as ominous. Thinking of this, ChengSangJY subconsciously moved aside, muttering softly,

"Does Mr. Li also find this birthmark strange?"

Only then did LiLuoning snap out of his reverie, hurriedly explaining,

"No, I just suddenly remembered someone from the past."

"Remembered someone? Does Mr. Li also have a mark?" LinHuaichu asked.

LiLuoning looked at ChengSangJY's unique eyes with gentle warmth, gently saying,

"Yes, I do."

A few days later, the palace set up an altar,

The sacrificial ceremony proceeded as scheduled, with the priests on the platform wearing ominous ghost masks, chanting incantations while waving their instruments frantically. Soon, a fierce wind rose, dark clouds gathered overhead, and deafening thunder rang in everyone's ears.

LiLuoning stood behind ChengSangJY, feeling that something was amiss. With a discreet movement of his hand inside his sleeve, he muttered incantations under his breath, sensing an invisible spirit lurking around, seemingly searching for something. He couldn't help but think,

"Necromancy! This isn't about exorcism, it's... summoning thunder!"

Realizing the danger, LiLuoning discreetly placed a blade of grass behind ChengSangJY's neck.

"In the night, a mournful cry, at the edge of the clouds. Spirits lament, in life and death."

As the priests chanted, the surrounding wind grew fiercer, the clouds above more tumultuous, and thunder roared louder.

LiLuoning surveyed the surroundings, trying to locate the controller of the spirit. He pondered,

"The one controlling the spirit seems to be using its eyes to scout the surroundings of the altar. But this thunder... who is behind it, and what is their intention?"

As he contemplated, LiLuoning felt the hairs on his hand stand on end. He quickly pulled ChengSangJY down and away, several yards from their original position,

"Be careful!"

At the same time, a deafening thunderbolt struck, barely a few feet away from ChengSangKing and Empress Xiao.

Chaos ensued as everyone panicked. Amidst the confusion, someone shouted,

"Betrayal and treachery, killing one's wife and stealing one's son, all misdeeds shall be punished by heaven."

Protecting ChengSangJY, LiLuoning positioned him in a corner and instructed,

"Stay here and don't move."

About to rush to aid others, LiLuoning felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Master, don't leave, I'm scared."

It was the first time LiLuoning had seen ChengSangJY like this, his face pale, eyes filled with fear, his hand trembling as he clung to LiLuoning's.

ChengSangJY had been afraid of thunderstorms since childhood, but his mother, the queen, always scolded him for being cowardly. At the age of six, he was forced to spend a night alone in a pavilion during a thunderstorm, supposedly to toughen him up. That dark, rainy night, amidst the lightning and thunder, there was no light to be found, only the sound of rain hitting the roof. The young ChengSangJY trembled in fear, huddling under the stone table in the pavilion, terrified through the night.

Since then, ChengSangJY's fear of thunderstorms had only worsened. But to avoid his mother's reprimands, he would huddle alone under his blanket on rainy nights, trying not to make a sound until the emperor built him his own residence, where he dared to ask the steward to leave a lamp burning for him on rainy nights.

Seeing ChengSangJY's pale face and his trembling hand, LiLuoning's heart twisted. He pulled ChengSangJY into his embrace, comforting him,

"Don't be afraid. I'm here, you'll be fine."

The sudden thunderbolt interrupted the sacrificial ritual, throwing the scene into chaos. Eunuchs and palace maids rushed to assist ChengSangKing and Empress Xiao to safety. However, the thunder and lightning seemed to be targeting the royal family intentionally. No matter which direction they fled, the lightning struck a few feet in front of them, as if by design.

Amidst the chaos, LiLuoning, holding ChengSangJY's cold hand, stood up and approached ChengSangKing and Empress Xiao, shouting,

"Don't go near the altar. Go around it and seek shelter inside the building. The dragon pillars can repel lightning strikes."

The eunuchs and palace maids nodded frantically, escorting the distressed ChengSangKing and Empress Xiao into the hall.

From behind ChengSangJY's neck, LiLuoning took out a root of JiaRong grass, whispered an incantation under his breath, and threw it towards the thunderclouds in the sky.

As the JiaRong grass reached the center of the clouds, the thunder ceased abruptly, the dark clouds dissipated, and the sky returned to calm. The priests who had conducted the ritual had disappeared, leaving behind only a sinister mask on the ground.

The next morning, ChengSangKing raged in the court,

"I tasked you with performing a ritual to ward off evil spirits, yet you almost took my life! You even allowed an assassin to escape right under my nose. Guards, arrest the Minister of Rites, Zhu Mian, and execute him along with his entire family!"

"Your Majesty, I'm innocent, I swear! I had no idea why the thunder struck during the ritual. Please spare me, Your Majesty." 

No one dared to intercede for Zhu Mian in court. After all, whether it was a natural disaster or man-made calamity, the occurrence of such a crisis involving the royal family's safety meant certain death for Zhu Mian. Zhu Mian, the Minister of Rites, had been promoted by the Xiao family, and although the Xiao family wielded power and influence, they couldn't openly intercede for him in this matter.

"Father, Minister Zhu is the Minister of Rites after all. It might not be appropriate to execute him just because of a natural disaster," ChengSangMo advised.

ChengSangKing was still furious, but ChengSangMo's words made sense. However, once words were spoken, they couldn't be taken back. Moreover, regardless of whether Zhu Mian was responsible for this incident or not, someone had to take the blame.

"Your Majesty, I believe..." Before Xiao Yongnian could finish, he was interrupted by ShangGuanCY.

"Lord Xiao, it is said that Minister Zhu was promoted by you. How dare he conspire against His Majesty under the guise of a ritual? Tell me, were you the one who instigated him, or were you just blind to his faults?" ShangGuanCY fanned himself lightly, his tone calm yet forceful as he questioned. 

Xiao Yongnian immediately knelt down and pleaded,

"Your Majesty, I have no intention of harming you. I had no knowledge of what Minister Zhu did. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth."

A few days later, in the palace, ChengSangKing looked disdainfully at the kneeling Xiao Yongnian, mocking him, "You knew nothing! The person you promoted almost took my life, and you knew nothing?"

"Your Majesty, I've heard rumors about what happened that day. My daughter is your empress. A tiger doesn't eat its cubs. If I were truly responsible, why would I harm my own daughter?" Xiao Yongnian explained.

ChengSangKing naturally knew this matter had nothing to do with Xiao Yongnian, and his explanation made sense. With a headache, he pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind in turmoil, and said with closed eyes, "CY, draft a list of candidates for the position of Minister of Rites and submit it within three days."

A few days later, at the Drunken Immortal Tower,

ShangGuanCY and MuJinling sat facing each other, staring at each other for a long time.

"Was it you?" ShangGuanCY asked directly.

The incident from the sacrificial ceremony had been spreading throughout the city since the following day, with rumors blaming the Empress for incurring divine wrath. There were even discussions in public about deposing her.

After careful consideration, MuJinling realized that only someone with a deep grudge against the Xiao family could have orchestrated such a clean operation. Perhaps only his Shadow Pavilion could operate so stealthily. However, this incident was too strange. MuJinling's Shadow Pavilion had never been known to command the elements. Could it be that under his leadership, the Shadow Pavilion had become capable of such supernatural feats?

"The rumors circulating in the city? I didn't need to act. There are more than just me who hate the Xiao family. With such a commotion, even with the Xiao family's capabilities, they couldn't suppress the public opinion," MuJinling said calmly, sipping his tea.

"I'm talking about the divine wrath during the sacrificial ceremony!" ShangGuanCY tapped the table with his fingers, emphasizing his point.

MuJinling smiled strangely, "CY, you're overestimating me. I'm no immortal. Where would I get the power to command thunder and lightning?"

ShangGuanCY had anticipated MuJinling's response. Although he didn't know how MuJinling had summoned the thunder that day, he was certain MuJinling wasn't responsible for it.

Approaching MuJinling slowly, ShangGuanCY hooked his collar with two fingers, pulling him closer, and asked in a tone of feigned ignorance, "If it wasn't you who summoned the thunder, then perhaps the incident with the dancer was your doing?"

MuJinling gently lifted his cigarette, pushing away ShangGuanCY's hand, and turned away from the table, his bare feet touching the ground as he spoke casually, "How can you be so sure it was me? Maybe it was an assassin from the Rakshasa Kingdom?"

ShangGuanCY played with the chess pieces in his hand, speaking calmly, "The dancer didn't intend to kill that day. Even if the Emperor hadn't dodged, the hidden weapon wouldn't have harmed him. And that face... and..."

ShangGuanCY hesitated, dropping a white piece lightly, then picking up a black one to continue, "The Emperor was so excited after seeing the dancer that day. There aren't many women in the world who can excite him like that."

MuJinling remained indifferent, sitting down at the tea table barefoot, preparing tea, and scoffing, "ChengSangKing loves wine and flowers, as everyone knows. You also know that. Don't you?"

"Oh? But I heard that there was a maid in the Mu family who looked remarkably like the lady of the house, and she was even adopted because of her resemblance," ShangGuanCY said, turning to watch MuJinling's reaction. Although the Shadow Pavilion had tried to erase all traces of her existence, anything that existed in the world would leave traces, and there was nothing ShangGuanCY couldn't find out if he wanted to.

MuJinling's movements paused for a moment, then he continued, "The Mu family was exterminated nine generations ago, and all the maids and servants were sent to the wilderness. I don't have that ability to find a servant girl in the vast sea of people."

"You may not have that ability, but it doesn't mean the Shadow Pavilion doesn't. From what I know about the Shadow Pavilion, using your shadow guards to find someone isn't difficult at all. I'm just curious why you spent so many years cultivating assassins just to make an appearance at a banquet? That's a losing proposition," ShangGuanCY said.

MuJinling chuckled, "Business transactions involve give and take. ShangGuan Young Master has been in business for many years; surely you understand this principle, don't you? Besides, how do you know my move wasn't effective?"

ShangGuanCY thought carefully and understood the connection between several incidents. Staring at MuJinling in silence for a while, he spoke with a slightly warning tone, "As I said before, no matter what methods you use to retaliate against the Xiao family, you're not allowed to harm a single hair on JY's head."

In the MoLan Prince's residence, ChengSangMo was lost in memories as he held a toy doll.

"Mo, if you become emperor in the future, can I be a prince in the capital?" Young ChengSangJY, with an innocent smile on his face, asked.

Young ChengSangMo put down the book in his hand and affectionately flicked his nose, saying, "Little Cloud, why don't you want to be emperor and instead want to be a prince?"

"Mo, you're good at both literature and martial arts, a hundred times better than Little Cloud. With Mo by my side, the capital will surely prosper in the future. Little Cloud just wants to stay by Mo's side forever and be a leisurely prince who relies on imperial power," Young JY said, shaking ChengSangMo's hand affectionately.

Young ChengSangMo smiled helplessly and shook his head, saying, "Alright, Mo promises you. If I become emperor in the future, I'll let Little Cloud do whatever he wants."

ChengSangMo was the son born of ChengSangNorth and LanShi, the Princess of North Mo, a fact known to all. However, because of his North Mo lineage, his days in the palace were not easy. Without his mother's protection and with the Emperor busy with state affairs most of the time, he grew up being ridiculed and bullied by palace maids and eunuchs. Until one day, Young JY appeared.

In Young JY's eyes, there was never any deliberate alienation because of his half-North Mo bloodline. On the contrary, he was especially happy to have a brother and was particularly close to him in his childhood. It was because of Young JY that ChengSangMo's days in the palace gradually improved.

All this goodness began to change as Young JY grew older. Empress Xiao was especially harsh on Young JY, sometimes inexplicably venting her anger on him. Often,

 she would rage and scold Young JY one night, only to show a kind motherly face the next morning. One moment, she would tell Young JY that she was the only one in the world who genuinely cared for him. The next moment, she would scold him for smiling at a eunuch, berating him for not calling her mother. In his childhood, Young JY was often frightened to tears by Empress Xiao's unpredictable temper and sought refuge in ChengSangMo's arms.

ChengSangMo saw all this, but because of his identity, he couldn't do anything. He could only give Young JY everything he wanted, do things an imperial elder brother could do to comfort and protect him.

Until one day, he heard the killing intent in Empress Xiao's words and noticed that every time Young JY interacted with him, people from Empress Xiao's palace would visit the Crown Prince's residence, and Young JY's smile grew less frequent. ChengSangMo knew that being close to him would only make Empress Xiao's treatment of Young JY worse.

That year during the spring hunt, the Xiao family finally made a move against him. If it weren't for MuJinXB's rescue at the time, he might not have survived. The letter left by MuJinXB that year completely changed his relationship with the entire imperial family.

"Come in!" ChengSangMo put away the toy in his hand and called out.

The door opened, and a servant-like figure walked in, kneeling on one knee.

"What does the Prince command?"

ChengSangMo handed over his personal token and said, "Do it cleanly."

In the Xiao residence,

"What! Kidnapped? When did it happen? Who did it?" Xiao Yongnian stood up excitedly from his chair.

Someone reported that someone had broken into the prison last night and kidnapped Zhu Mian's entire family.

"I don't know, these people silently kidnapped a group of family members from the prison, and we've already sent people to block the city gates and thoroughly check everyone entering and leaving the city gates. They probably haven't left the city yet."

Xiao Yongnian remained silent for a while, pondering, then said, "These people managed to silently rescue a group of family members from the imperial prison, so it wouldn't be difficult for them to slip through the chaos at the city gates. His Majesty just replaced the people in the Ministry of Rites, and there can't be any more mistakes in the Ministry of Justice. It's not the time to make a fuss. No matter what method you use, you must find a person of the same age and build to replace him before tonight."

"I'll go and do it." The guard left to carry out the order.

Xiao Yongnian frowned, his eyes like torches, and said in a low voice, "Who on earth dares to kidnap someone from the imperial prison?"

At the Drunken Immortal Tower,

MuJinXB also heard the news and chuckled after pondering for a moment, "Rather than adding flowers to the brocade, it's better to send charcoal in the snow. Zhu Mian has served in the court for many years, and he must have a lot of leverage over the Xiao family. It's truly a good move."

In the northern suburbs of the capital,

Zhu Mian's family members began to disembark from several carriages.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for saving us. The Zhu family is deeply grateful." Zhu Mian's son knelt before a guard and said.

"Rise, young master Zhu. My prince has instructed me to inform you to hurry and take your family north. If you're stopped along the way, just say you're the family of the troops the Ministry of War sent to the border and that you're going to the border to deliver supplies. My prince has prepared everything you need in the carriage. Although Mr. Zhu once worked for the Xiao family, he was still fair as an official. This matter is just someone causing trouble for the Zhu family. What my prince can do now is limited." The guard said.

"Zhu, take care of yourself on the night journey." The guard took the account book and reminded.

In the palace, the imperial garden, on a fine day,

LiLuoning was about to attend an outdoor morning class with ChengSangJY.

Sitting nearby, waiting for ChengSangJY, LiLuoning heard slow footsteps approaching from a distance, with many people.

LiLuoning was too lazy to deal with the palace's cumbersome etiquette, so he simply leaned against the side of the rockery, waiting for the procession to pass by.

"Madam, some days ago, the Crown Prince's men delivered a plethora of beautiful peonies, now planted here in the imperial garden. Would you care to take a look?" The words came from one of the maids attending to Empress Dowager Xiao.

"Your Majesty, behold the splendid peonies in full bloom. The garden must be even more enchanting now," chimed in another maid, echoing the sentiment.

Empress Dowager Xiao smiled faintly, nodding in agreement. "Very well, let's go and have a look." She enjoyed the garden's scenery, especially on such a clear day, which lifted her spirits even more.