Chapter 135: 71.1

Chapter 71.1 – It’s Time To Drink After All

Liang State’s Circular Mound Altar was located 50 li outside the capital’s eastern suburbs, neither close nor far. If you set out for the sacrificial offering early in the morning, it was usually possible to return before dark, so it wasn’t too troublesome.

But doing it during the winter solstice was still a bit of a pain, if anything because the weather was terrible.

They set out in the morning and arrived at the Circular Mound Altar around noon. After a short rest and a meal, the auspicious time calculated by the Astronomical finally arrived. The Emperor led his officials to the square in front of the altar, and with the Court of Imperial Sacrifices presiding, began offering sacrifices to Heaven.

The altar was very tall, and only the Emperor may climb to the top. The official from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who presided over the ceremony, as well as the rest of the officials and royal family members only followed him under the tall platform. When the ceremony began, the group of officials were led by the Emperor to worship thrice and kowtow nine times, while the Court of Imperial Sacrifices official recited the sacrificial prayers and offered the sacrifice.

The sacrificial offering ceremony was long and tedious, lasting nearly two hours. Standing and worshipping for two hours under such a cold winter wind, let alone the old ministers, even the young and strong ones almost collapsed.

Every time the sacrificial offering happened, it was always painful. But it was the kind of pain that people were still happy to go through, because it also represented their status and worth.

For example, as a princess, Qi Yang was not normally qualified to join the ceremony to offer sacrifice to Heaven. There hadn’t been a precedent for a princess participating in one before. But this time, the Emperor brought her and her prince consort, so their status in the hearts of the officials would change.

But even knowing the benefits of this trip, it still felt very exhausting at the end of the two-hour ceremony.

As her prince consort, Lu Qipei had been following by Qi Yang’s side. Seeing her face flushed from the cold, she couldn’t help but feel distressed. So when the official in charge of the ceremony announced the ceremony’s end, she quickly reached out to touch Qi Yang’s face and asked, “Ah Ning, are you freezing?”

When her slender fingers touched her skin, it felt cold all the way to the bones. Only then did Lu Qipei realize that her hands were also freezing cold.

She was at a little bit of loss and wanted to take back her hand, but Qi Yang stopped her. The little princess looked at Lu Qipei with a smile, not disliking her cold hands at all. She held those hands with her own, as if to warm Lu Qipei up. “It’s a little bit cold. Ah Pei’s hands are a little warmer.”

When she heard those words, Lu Qipei’s lips pursed, and her eyes sparkled. Both of their hands were actually equally cold, but after holding each other, it felt warmer than before. And as their hands grew warmer, their hearts also grew warmer.

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Several princes passed by them, their eyes flashing with disdain. But before they could say anything, Qi Yang pulled Lu Qipei away.

Qi Yang took her prince consort to meet the Emperor who had just come down from the tall platform. She released her prince consort and touched the Emperor’s hand worriedly, saying, “It’s very cold today. Even when she’s standing under the platform, my prince consort’s hands are freezing. The wind is stronger on the tall platform, Royal Father should be careful so you don’t catch a cold.”

No one else would dare to act like this in front of the Emperor. The eyes of several princes in the distance were wide open, but the Emperor was not angry with Qi Yang’s impudence.

On the contrary, he was very delighted by his daughter’s concern, and a smile appeared on his majestic face. “It’s always like this on every winter solstice ceremony, so you don’t need to worry. But this is your first time here, so you’re less prepared.”

As soon as his voice fell, Zhang Jian had already arrived at his side with two hand stoves. The Emperor took one into his hand and handed the other one to Qi Yang, “Your face is red from the cold. Remember to drink a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold later.”

Qi Yang took the warm stove with a smile and nodded at his instruction, then thanked the Emperor.

Zhang Jian was pretty discerning; seeing that there was still the Prince Consort by the side, he also handed her another hand stove. But alas, he was pushed away by Qi Yang, who took her stove to share it with Lu Qipei. The young couple looked very intimate as they held their hands close.

The Emperor could only watch helplessly. He once again felt his tooth ache and his stomach bloat, and waved them away.

Qi Yang did not stay long. After saying a few words of concern, she left with Lu Qipei. The two shared the same hand stove to keep them warm and gradually drifted away, the sight of their backs looking sweet and intimate.

The Emperor was a bit relieved that the two were very close. When he thought back to it, he laughed and scolded her a bit, “This girl didn’t come here just to ask me for a hand stove, did she?” She had turned around and left her old father behind so easily.

Zhang Jian knew that the Emperor was joking, so he smiled at ease, “Your Majesty is worrying too much. Her Highness must’ve come because she was worried about Your Majesty’s health.” After a while, he added, “Asking for a hand stove was certainly incidental.”

The emperor smiled and shook his head, then left with the stove in his hand.

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