When Xia Chuli walked out of the room, Shen Qingfeng had already started asking Shen Yu about the arrangements for the sacrifice in a corner of the hall.
Obviously knowing that Xia Chuli had also walked out behind him, Shen Qingfeng talked to Shen Yu all the time without even sparing a glance at him.
Xia Chuli suddenly felt a pang in his heart.
The news that Shen Qingfeng was in love with Lu Yan hit Xia Chuli like a heavy hammer right in the chest. A perception that he had once regarded as so normal that it had become a habit suddenly cracked, leaving him completely at a loss. Just now, although Shen Qingfeng had said nothing, he had actually tacitly admitted it.
Xia Chuli suddenly felt like laughing, but when the smile reached his lips, he just couldn't curve them up.
It couldn't be true. He and Qingfeng had known each other for so many years, while Uncle Wang had only come to Lige recently. How could Uncle Wang's bond with Qingfeng be deeper than his own!
Qingfeng must have been deceived by Uncle Wang's sweet talk.
It must be so.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince?" Shen Yu found the atmosphere between the two of them rather awkward and felt quite uncomfortable himself. After all, the upcoming sacrifice allowed no room for the slightest mistake. If Xia Chuli's performance was affected by his emotions, it would really be a great loss.
Actually, everyone knew that asking Xia Chuli to take charge of this Golden Peak Sacrifice was like a "Feast at Hongmen". And it was a "Feast at Hongmen" that Xia Chuli had no choice but to attend. If he didn't go, he would be defying King Jie. If he went, although he didn't know what kind of hidden arrows awaited him, there was still at least a glimmer of hope.
Shen Qingfeng also understood that although King Xia Jie seemed to be standing on Queen Qi's side, supporting Xia Yonglin and Xia Yanhe at the moment, he hadn't directly removed Xia Chuli from his position.
Although King Jie didn't like Xia Chuli, nor did he like the fact that Xia Chuli, who had Xirong blood in his veins, might take over the regime of Lixia, there was still a trace of warmth deep in his heart for the late Princess Liuli.
After all, a ruthless man like King Jie would never have allowed the Prime Minister's Mansion to keep opposing him. In the final analysis, although he favored Xia Yonglin, he hadn't completely broken with Xia Chuli.
This Golden Peak Sacrifice hadn't happened in the previous life. The variable should be that Shen Qingfeng hadn't returned to the palace with Xia Chuli. So, was this a deliberate opportunity for Xia Chuli given by King Jie, or a trap set by him? Shen Qingfeng had no idea. He could only feel his way forward.
Xia Chuli's face was a bit pale. The dull pain in his chest came in waves. He supported himself on the table and sat down on one side, taking a few deep breaths. Although he was reluctant, he knew that things had their priorities. He had to calm down and complete this sacrifice. As for Uncle Wang, he could think about it after the sacrifice.
"I'm fine. How's your conversation going?"
Seeing Xia Chuli sit down, Shen Yu walked over to him and put the hat that he had taken off back on his head, saying, "Just now, my brother and I have roughly gone through the procedure of this sacrifice. There are no problems."
Shen Qingfeng also walked to the table and stood beside it. He glanced at Xia Chuli. Their eyes only met for a moment, then Shen Qingfeng lowered his head while bowing and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, have you checked if there are any problems with the sacrificial utensils?"
Another wave of dull pain hit Xia Chuli's chest. He gritted his teeth and said, "There are only people I know well here. Call me A Li!"
Hearing this, both Shen Qingfeng and Shen Yu were stunned for a moment. But Shen Qingfeng quickly came to his senses and repeated, "A Li, have you checked?"
The pain in his chest seemed to ease a bit. Xia Chuli replied stiffly with a pale face, "I've checked. There are no problems."
Shen Qingfeng nodded and then turned to Shen Yu and asked, "Who is the leader of the imperial guards for this sacrifice?"
Shen Yu answered, "It's Tian Che. Don't worry. He and I are a bit acquainted. With him in charge of the security for this sacrifice, there's a high probability that nothing will go wrong."
Shen Qingfeng nodded. He stroked his chin and frowned, as if still thinking about where there might be any omissions.
Seeing this, Shen Yu said, "Don't worry, little brother. I've checked this matter back and forth many times. Nothing will go wrong. Even if Queen Qi has extraordinary abilities, she won't be able to cause any trouble during this sacrifice."
Shen Qingfeng sighed and said, "I hope so..."
Unexpectedly, Xia Chuli suddenly said, "Qingfeng, you're still my reading attendant. During the sacrifice later, walk beside me."
"Absolutely not!" Shen Yu was shocked. "This is against the rules!"
Xia Chuli insisted, "He can just stay within three feet of me. He won't overstep the mark."
Shen Yu hesitated, "This..."
Shen Qingfeng turned to look at him. After a moment of silence, he said, "Okay."
Xia Chuli's character was actually quite extreme. But unfortunately, Shen Qingfeng knew him too well. He wasn't at all surprised by Xia Chuli's request.
Before ascending the throne, Xia Chuli was actually quite easy to understand. Although he didn't seem as aggressive as Xia Yonglin and Xia Yanhe on the surface, his competitiveness was no less than theirs. Due to his young age, Xia Chuli's mentality wasn't very mature yet. He was used to Shen Qingfeng's company, so he became more and more spoiled and didn't take Shen Qingfeng seriously. Now that Shen Qingfeng didn't completely belong to him anymore, he started to panic and began to use all kinds of his privileges to tie Shen Qingfeng down.
People often don't cherish what they have until it's gone. Only when someone leaves or dies do they start to regret. But in this world, how many things or people will wait for you in the same place? Many things, once missed, are missed for a lifetime.
I wonder if Xia Chuli had any regrets when he saw the dead Shen Qingfeng in Lu Yan's arms back then. But whether he did or not, it no longer mattered to Shen Qingfeng.
In the Golden Peak Temple on the Three Holy Mountains, the ancestor of Lixia, Xing Tian, was enshrined. For this reason, this sacrifice was led by the Son of Heaven, who would be the first to offer sacrifices. They would walk out of Lige City along the Wutong Long Street and then climb up the long stairs of the Three Holy Mountains to the Golden Peak Temple for the initial sacrifice. Following them would be the princes and noble families of Lixia, and then the common people in Lige City.
Normally, such a grand sacrificial activity couldn't be completed in one day. So, after the royal family and the important court officials had finished their sacrifices on the first day, the other family sons who hadn't been appointed to official positions only needed to attend on the first day without going up the mountain. They would go up the mountain to offer sacrifices with the common people one after another on the following days.
So, when Shen Qingfeng was busy, Qi Siyu suddenly ran in from outside the door and stood in front of Shen Qingfeng, tilting his head and smiling at him.
Seeing it was Qi Siyu, Shen Qingfeng smiled and said, "Siyu, you're here so early."
Qi Siyu pouted and said, "I thought you must be here, so I came to the Divination Department Hall to look for you first, in case I couldn't see you once the sacrifice started."
Shen Qingfeng smiled, picked up the tea on the table, and brewed a cup for him.
Qi Siyu wasn't polite either. He picked up the teacup and took a sip. Just as the two of them were about to start chatting, Mo Yunchen suddenly came in from outside the door. After looking around the room, he saw Qi Siyu, frowned, and strode over.
Qi Siyu was startled. He jumped up suddenly and scurried behind Shen Qingfeng. He stuck out his head and glared at Mo Yunchen who was chasing after him, scolding, "Why are you so persistent!"
Shen Qingfeng was completely confused.
In the previous life, Qi Siyu and Mo Yunchen didn't seem to have any connection, did they?
Mo Yunchen still had his poker face on. He glanced at Shen Qingfeng out of the corner of his eye and slightly lowered his eyes as if to greet him. Then he shifted his gaze to Qi Siyu and said, "Come with me."