sbdcsierra Chapter 1236: Emperor's Sacrifice to Heaven (139 million reward points plus additional content)
Chapter 1236: Emperor's Sacrifice to Heaven (139 million reward points plus additional content)
However, Concubine Liang's fingers on the edge of the paper curled up more and more tightly, and her nails dug deep into the yellowed rice paper, leaving several clear and twisted crescent-shaped indentations.
This volume of the "Jizo Sutra", which carries compassion and salvation, silently crumpled into a ball under her fingers.
The dim light filtering in from the window illuminated Concubine Liang's compassionate face. Only the tense lines of her jaw betrayed the unresolved anger and frustration beneath her flawless mask of compassion...
……
The third year of Jingtai, the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month.
New Year's Eve has finally arrived.
This year's New Year's Eve is more important and grand than previous years.
At three quarters past three in the morning, the night was as dark as ink and the cold was biting.
The entire capital was still asleep, only the imperial city was brightly lit and the sound of armor clanged.
The biting north wind swept across the empty imperial road, blowing the black cloaks of the imperial guards.
The palace gates opened one after another, and the sound of the heavy door hinges turning was particularly clear in the silence.
Nangong Xuanyu was wearing a dark black robe with twelve emblems and a crown with twelve tassels, and was standing on the steps.
The jade ornaments hanging from the crown reflected a cold luster under the light of the palace lanterns, covering up all the emotions in his deep eyes, leaving only boundless majesty!
On the imperial robe, patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountain dragons and insects emit a restrained and heavy golden light under the lamplight, symbolizing the supreme imperial power!
Behind the emperor, members of the royal family, civil and military officials stood solemnly according to their ranks, all in red and purple.
The scene was completely silent, with only the rustling sound of the cold wind brushing against robe sleeves.
Li Changde's shrill yet resonant voice sounded like an order: "The auspicious time has arrived, set out for the Circular Mound—!!!"
The heavy ceremonial music sounded loudly.
Solemn, solemn, and distant, it instantly drowned out the whistling wind.
The emperor stepped down from the red steps and boarded the bright yellow imperial chariot that symbolized the roundness of the sky and the squareness of the earth.
The carriage started and, under the strict protection of the imperial guards, slowly drove out of the palace gate and merged into the thickest darkness before dawn.
The wheel tracks rolled over the bluestone slabs covered with a thin layer of frost, leaving two clear traces pointing directly to the Circular Mound Altar in the southern suburbs outside the city.
The Circular Mound Altar stands tall in the open countryside, with three-tiered round platforms rising from the ground. In the dim morning light, it outlines a magnificent and mysterious outline.
Martial law had already been imposed around the altar, with a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps.
The imperial guards, clad in black armor, stood like cold sculptures, the sharp blades of their halberds gleaming with a chilling light in the fading light. This contrasted with the bright yellow banner atop the altar, symbolizing imperial authority, creating a solemn and murderous contrast.
Nangong Xuanyu stepped down from the imperial carriage and climbed up the stairs.
The cold wind was like a knife, blowing the wide sleeves of his robes and making the tassels and jade ornaments on his crown lightly hit each other, making a crisp and cold sound.
Every step he took on the cold white marble steps seemed to have taken him through five hundred years of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
In the center of the altar, a huge bronze tripod had already been burning with a blazing sacred fire. The orange-red flames licked the cold air, making crackling sounds.
The offerings have been placed in front of the stove.
The most eye-catching ones are the whole cow, whole sheep and whole pig, which symbolize the highest standard of "Tai Lao".
The animal was huge, with clean fur, and it had an oily luster under the firelight.
Five-colored Jiahe are carefully placed around the Tailao.
The plump golden ears of rice, the heavy green ears of wheat, the round red millet, the jade-white sorghum, and the shiny black beans.
A good harvest symbolizes the solidity of the Great Zhou’s foundation and the continuation of its bloodline!
The ritual vessels used to hold sacrificial offerings were also changed from their usual solemn and simple forms to specially made gilded vessels.
The intricate cloud-thunder patterns and Kuilong patterns flowed with brilliant golden light under the firelight, illuminating the core area of the entire altar with golden splendor, demonstrating the supreme glory of the five hundred years since the founding of the country!
The ritual music at the scene transformed into a more grand and ancient movement, as if it came from ancient times, containing the power to connect heaven and earth.
Nangong Xuanyu stood on the top of the Circular Mound, facing the horizon in the east that was about to brighten.
The cold wind blew his robes, but the jade ornaments hanging from his crown remained motionless.
His hands slowly lifted up a scroll with a bright yellow brocade background and a prayer inscribed in black and cinnabar.
When it was unrolled, the scroll looked sacred and heavy in the dim light of the fire and the morning glow.
The emperor took a deep breath of the biting cold air, and his solemn voice echoed clearly above the silent Circular Mound Altar: "In the third year of Jingtai of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the year of Guihai, the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month."
"Nangong Xuanyu, the successor of the Emperor, dares to declare to the Emperor of Heaven and the gods of Hou Tu: I bow down to the Emperor Taizu Gao, who, in accordance with the mandate of Heaven, wielded his three-foot sword, swept away the heroes, and established a great foundation. Five hundred years have passed..."
The content of the prayer traces back the glorious military achievements of Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who swept away numerous enemies with his three-foot sword. It also recounts the glorious moments of the Great Zhou Dynasty in expanding its territory, establishing its rule in the Central Plains, and achieving great success in both civil and military affairs.
Every achievement is like a solid cornerstone, building up this magnificent building that has lasted for five hundred years!
Finally, the emperor's solemn voice, filled with supreme piety and hope, reached out to the heavens: "... I only inherit the great legacy and work tirelessly day and night."
"Now, on the occasion of the five hundredth anniversary of the founding of the country, I respectfully offer jade, silk, wine, offerings, and other goods, respectfully following the old rules, in preparation for this sacrifice."
"I humbly hope that the heavens will look down upon me and that the ancestors will bless me. May this blessing protect my people forever and forever strengthen our great foundation! May the great Zhou Dynasty be blessed by Heaven forever!"
"Enjoy your meal!!!!"
When the last word "Xiang" fell, the lingering sound echoed in the empty Circular Mound Altar for a long time, as if it had really reached the ears of heaven.
At the same time, in the eastern sky, the first golden-red ray of dawn finally pierced through the thick clouds and splashed onto the emperor at the highest point of the Circular Mound Altar, gilding his dark robes with a sacred halo.
The dancing sacred flame, the gilded sacrificial vessels, and the colorful crops were all lit up by the rising sun at this moment, shining brightly!
Nangong Xuanyu solemnly threw the prayer into the burning cauldron.
The bright yellow scroll was instantly engulfed in orange flames, transforming into curling wisps of green smoke. Carrying with it the vicissitudes of the Great Zhou Dynasty over five hundred years, along with prayers for the future, it spiraled upwards into the high, clear, and cold sky.
The embers of the sacred fire at the Circular Mound Altar were still hot, and the rising sun had already coated the capital with a layer of pale gold.
Nangong Xuanyu did not stay in the suburbs. Under the protection of the imperial guards, the heavy imperial sedan chair rolled over the frosty official road and rushed back to the palace.
The majestic Taimiao stands in the southeast of the imperial city, with its red walls and golden tiles, appearing even more solemn and majestic in the morning light.
The heavy main door slowly opened, revealing a deep and long sacred road.
The air is filled with the rich scent of sandalwood, pine, cypress and ancient wood.
Nangong Xuanyu changed out of the dark black robes used for offering sacrifices to heaven and put on a more solemn bright yellow robe with twelve emblems, then stepped step by step onto the white marble sacred road that had been polished by time to be as smooth as a mirror.
The princes and important officials followed closely behind him, their steps solemn and silent.
The main hall of the Taimiao has a high dome and deep light.
The ancestral tablets of emperors and empresses of all dynasties are arranged in order of seniority in a huge rosewood shrine.