Chapter 60: Chaos Unfolds
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**Chapter 60: Chaos Unfolds**
Yao Xia, who had been dozing off with her head resting on the small table, could no longer hold herself up and fell asleep completely.
She was still clutching the brush in her hand, and as she lay down, ink smudged across her face. Yet, she remained undisturbed, snoring softly.
Duan Shi chuckled in surprise, "Miss Yao truly can sleep anywhere!"
Chang Suining also smiled.
It wasn’t that she was a sound sleeper; it was more like she was using the heavens as her blanket and the earth as her bed.
Realizing that this kind of sleep could lead to catching a cold, Chang Suining quickly called out to Yao Xia to wake her up.
Yao Xia groggily opened her eyes, taking a moment to understand her surroundings. She instinctively wiped her face with her hand, only to find it covered in ink and drool.
Sitting up abruptly, she looked at the Buddhist scriptures soaked with her saliva and exclaimed in panic, “Oh no! The Buddha is surely going to blame me!”
For others, copying scriptures was a way to accumulate merit.
But for her, it felt like a loss!
Yao Xia was on the verge of tears as she walked back with Chang Suining, repeatedly insisting that she wouldn’t sleep again when they returned. She vowed to beat the wooden fish into pieces that night to make amends, praying for the Buddha’s forgiveness.
…
Whether or not Yao Xia actually smashed her wooden fish that night was uncertain, but the prayer ceremony naturally took place as scheduled the next day.
Inside Dayun Temple, a ceremonial altar had been set up, where officials and their wives were dressed in court attire, standing on either side.
As the official responsible for the prayer approached the altar with the ceremonial objects, the sound of music began to play. the Holy Emperor, adorned in a wide robe embroidered with gold thread, stepped into view, basking in the morning light.
the Holy Emperor walked slowly, her dignified appearance accompanied by the lady-in-waiting Ming Luo, as they approached the solemn altar.
The crowd bowed, chanting, “Long live the Holy Emperor!”
the Holy Emperor faced them, raised her sleeve, and despite the signs of aging on her face, her expression radiated authority—
“Everyone, please be seated.”
She accepted the dark wine presented by the ceremonial officer, holding the wine in one hand and the sleeve in the other, and gradually poured it onto the altar: “In this mid-spring, today I join you in offering prayers to Heaven and Earth. With offerings and rites, and through music, I sincerely honor the divine spirits, praying for the protection of our great empire and its people, for favorable weather, peace, and prosperity.”
The crowd bowed again in response, echoing her call.
As the Holy Emperor bowed with incense before the altar, the ceremonial officer’s chanting harmonized with the music, rising high into the air.
“Bow!”
“Once more!”
Chang Suining stood among the ladies, bowing in unison, her gaze cast downwards.
The ritual was lengthy and intricate, and among the crowd, many young men and women began to falter in their postures as fatigue set in.
However, before the Holy Emperor, no one dared to slack off, mindful of the critical nature of the ceremony and the watchful eyes of their elders, striving to remain attentive and composed.
Yao Xia found it difficult to hold on.
She worried about Chang Suining, thinking about how frail her elder sister was and how difficult it must be for her at this moment. So, she discreetly glanced ahead and saw Chang Suining standing tall and straight, displaying no signs of struggle.
Watching this, Yao Xia felt a surge of astonishment and could only conclude—she was the useless one!
But soon, Yao Xia noticed that her cousin Yao Ran seemed to be losing her strength, her body swaying slightly.
Yao Xia quietly reached out to support her but noticed dark circles under Yao Ran’s eyes, indicating she hadn’t slept well the previous night.
Yao Ran quickly straightened herself up after Yao Xia’s support, glancing anxiously towards Pie shi, who today seemed preoccupied with her father and hadn’t noticed her earlier slip.
Yao Ran let out a sigh of relief instinctively.
As the sun gradually rose higher, midway through the prayer ceremony, two elephants pulling a colorful cart slowly appeared.
On the cart sat a giant tripod.
The tripod was a crucial national artifact, symbolizing authority, and the Holy Emperor had crafted this giant tripod for the ritual, named the “Tripod of Mountains and Rivers,” its body engraved with maps of the great empire, depicting continuous mountains and rivers.
“I offer this tripod to Heaven and Earth, wishing for the eternal prosperity of our great empire—” the Holy Emperor stood before the altar, her back to the crowd, tilting her head slightly and closing her eyes. Her voice gradually lowered, but Ming Luo beside her could still catch a whisper: “I also hope Heaven shows mercy on my child…”
Ming Luo’s gaze dropped.
At that moment, a sudden commotion erupted from the crowd below the altar.
The trumpeting of elephants sounded, and Ming Luo turned to see one of the male elephants that had been pulling the cart suddenly break free from its restraints!
Ming Luo’s expression changed in an instant.
Every step of the prayer ceremony was critical; any mistake could spell disaster for the event!
Moreover, the tripod of mountains and rivers was the centerpiece of this prayer—
“Where are the elephant handlers?!”
“Hurry!”
Several handlers rushed forward, but at this point, they couldn’t calm the rampaging elephant.
The elephant, powerful and wild, quickly broke free from the cart, causing the cart to lose its balance. The massive tripod, weighing a thousand pounds, was about to crash down!
“Get out of the way!”
The crowd erupted into chaos, momentarily forgetting the ceremonial etiquette and fleeing in panic.
“The tripod must not be harmed!” the Holy Emperor commanded sternly.
However, as her voice fell, the precariously tilting tripod finally lost its balance and began to topple to one side.
In that moment, a figure dashed forward, using his hands to brace the tripod. The immense force made him skid back, leaving traces on the ground beneath him.
Ming Luo instinctively took a step forward, “General Cui, be careful!”
“General!” Cui Yuanxiang quickly followed suit, rushing in to help support the tripod.
At the same moment, Chang Kuo also sprinted over.
Soon, the Xuanzhe army surrounded the tripod, working together to stabilize it.
“Bang!”
The bronze tripod landed solidly on the ground, creating a resounding thud.
The Tripod of Mountains and Rivers was saved from harm, a fortunate outcome. However, the crowd couldn’t relax, as a more significant problem had evidently yet to be resolved—the male elephant, having broken free from the cart, was rampaging towards the ladies!
Panic spread among the women, and as they attempted to dodge, a young girl was knocked to the ground. Seeing the enormous elephant approaching, she froze in fear, forgetting to react.
“Cousin!” Upon realizing who the fallen person was, Yao Xia’s face drained of color.
Pie shi, who had stepped aside early on, widened her eyes at this scene: “Ran’er!”
How could she not have moved further away?
Pie shi, having previously raised elephants in her family, knew well that even a mere bump from an elephant could be deadly!
Rescue her!
Someone come to save her daughter!
Pie shi frantically scanned the area but saw that the Xuanzhe soldiers were too preoccupied to notice the finer details, and in the chaos, she didn’t know where Yao Yi had gone—
Everything happened in a mere moment, and just as the massive, tree-trunk-like leg of the elephant was about to stomp down on the girl, many women turned their heads away in terror, unable to bear witness to the gruesome scene!
*Today there is only one update, as my little one at home has started to run a fever… How is everyone doing? I can’t see everyone’s messages, so I’m thinking of you all~*
*(End of Chapter)*
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