"His Majesty mourns the past, and the ceremony is augmented. The bells and drums resound, and the banners flutter clearly. The rites are fully prepared, and the ushers announce the end. The music sends off the gods; may the spirits witness this..."
"Clang—"
Shen Yu, dressed in gorgeous sacrificial robes, stood in the center of the altar, surrounded by officials of the Divination Bureau. He intoned the incantation, his eyes half - closed. From afar, Shen Qingfeng watched his elder brother. He saw Shen Yu dance with his sword to the rhythm of the music. The clangor of the sword suggested the descent of a divine being.
The altar was erected on the open space outside the Mountains and Rivers Hall, directly facing King Xia Jie, who sat on his throne inside the hall, and Qi Yan, who sat beside him. Since King Xia Jie was in poor health and they were afraid it might be noticed, the officials were not invited into the hall but were seated in order below the altar.
Shen Qingfeng and Xia Chuli were sitting in the front row.
"Your brother's sword - dancing is truly wonderful," Xia Chuli, sitting beside Shen Qingfeng, seemed spellbound. Although Shen Yu, as the Chief Minister, usually presided over all kinds of sacrifices in the Bian Palace, this was Xia Chuli's first time watching him so closely.
Come to think of it, this was thanks to the small number of guests at this banquet. As a banquet personally arranged by Prince Cheng, the guests were carefully selected. Apart from the important officials who had to attend, most of the others were from Prince Cheng's faction. For example, Shan Chenghuai of the Discipline Gate was not invited.
This was also Shen Qingfeng's first time watching his elder brother preside over a sacrifice so closely. He couldn't help but recall the enmity between his past self and the Shen family. A multitude of emotions welled up in him. After Xia Chuli said "truly wonderful", his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.
"His virtue is so great that he shines upon us. We bow towards the southeast. We await the arrival of good fortune and offer our fragrant sacrifices. We raise our wine cups, and the musicians sing. May the gods enjoy the six musical tones and bestow a hundred blessings..."
On the altar, Shen Yu twirled his sword. The tip of the sword scraped against the ground, sparking a series of flames and sending up pieces of gold foil, which fluttered in the air. Under the golden rain of paper, Shen Yu, in his sacrificial robes, danced even more briskly to the heavy drumbeats.
There was an instant murmur of admiration and sighs from below the altar.
"Truly worthy of being the Chief Minister..."
"This dance could only be from the heavens; how many times can we see it on earth..."
The bells, drums, and music resounded throughout the ancient Bian Palace. The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sky red, like crimson cinnabar spread across the evening sky. Half of the sky was filled with the Milky Way, and the other half with the glow of the sunset.
"Such a wonderful sacrifice, yet it only helps Xia Yonglin curry favor with the king!" Xia Chuli said angrily.
Shen Qingfeng picked up his teacup and took a sip. "The Divination Bureau is the sacrificial institution of Li Xia. As an organization that communicates with the spirits and the gods, the Divination Bureau must remain neutral. It cannot side with any faction or represent any side. It can only be loyal to Li Xia."
"The Divination Bureau is not loyal to any side, but this banquet was not held for me," Xia Chuli propped his head on his hand. "The so - called neutrality you mentioned has been hijacked by Xia Yonglin."
Shen Qingfeng looked at Xia Chuli appreciatively and nodded. "You're right. There's no such thing as true neutrality in this world. Just like the Divination Bureau, which has always claimed to be neutral, it will eventually be exploited by those with ulterior motives. Just like this banquet."
"Neutrality is just a way of evading. But do the beneficiaries of other factions really want it to remain neutral? In the face of the turbulent waves of time, who can truly stay out of harm's way? Humph."
Shen Qingfeng's words were full of implications. He stared intently at Shen Yu, who was dancing with his sword on the altar, his eyes glinting strangely.
Xia Chuli was mesmerized and murmured, "Qingfeng..."
Shen Qingfeng turned to look at Xia Chuli, a smile curving his lips. "Don't worry. The good show is about to begin."
Xia Chuli was stunned. Just as he was trying to decipher the meaning of Shen Qingfeng's smile, a young eunuch suddenly rushed into the Mountains and Rivers Hall from the side door and whispered something in Chen Qi's ear.
Since Xia Chuli was sitting on the edge, he only needed to tilt his head slightly to see what was going on inside the hall. Thus, he clearly noticed the change in Chen Qi's expression.
He watched as Chen Qi trotted up the steps and whispered a few words in King Xia Jie's ear. Then, he watched in disbelief as King Xia Jie rose angrily, shouting and sweeping a row of exquisite porcelain off the table in front of him.
"Get them out of here!" King Xia Jie's angry shout startled all the officials, who immediately knelt down. Even Shen Yu on the altar paused for a moment, then slowly stopped his movements and knelt with the others towards the enraged king.
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health. Calm your anger..." Chen Qi knelt on the ground. Qi Yan, who was sitting beside the king, quickly helped him up and patted his back.
Sure enough, King Xia Jie began to cough violently due to his anger. "Cough, cough, cough... Who allowed them in? Drag them out and behead them!"
"This... Your servant doesn't know... I've already sent someone to stop them, Your Majesty..."
King Xia Jie coughed even more violently. The Mountains and Rivers Hall was instantly in chaos. Xia Yonglin, who had hoped to curry favor with the king at this banquet, was extremely flustered. Ignoring the etiquette, he rushed in directly. Pulled by Qi Yan, he knelt at the king's feet, but no one knew what he was saying.
"Who's here?" Xia Chuli vaguely felt that this matter was related to Shen Qingfeng, so he turned to ask him.
Shen Qingfeng winked at him. "The envoys from the Western Rong tribe."
Xia Chuli was shocked. "How could the envoys from the Western Rong tribe..."
"Report! Envoys claiming to be from the Western Rong tribe have forcefully entered the Mountains and Rivers Hall!" A guard rushed in and reported in a hurry.
"You can't even stop a mere envoy! What are you good for!" Xia Yonglin roared angrily. He had thought this banquet would make the king happier and restore his previous favor, but he didn't expect it to be ruined by these Western Rong envoys. Xia Yonglin was extremely angry and shouted, "Didn't you hear the king's order? Drag out whoever let them in and behead them!"
The guard was so frightened that his body trembled like a sieve. He stammered, "This... this is because the envoy presented a statement of alliance with the Eastern Hu army and threatened General Tian that if they couldn't see the king or if he was killed, the allied forces of the Western Rong and the Eastern Hu would directly attack Li Xia. General Tian knew the matter was of great importance, so he didn't dare to stop them and sent me to report first."
"So what if they attack? Our great Li Xia is not afraid of a small country! Kill those envoys for this palace!" Xia Yonglin was furious.
"Your Majesty, I think it's inappropriate!" Shen Shiqiu clasped his fists. "When two countries are at war, the envoys should not be beheaded. We'd better listen to what the envoy has to say before making a decision."
Qi Shuhuan also stepped forward. "Just because someone forces their way into the palace and threatens to die, the king should agree to see them? Where will the face of our Li Xia be? Where will the king's dignity be? According to you, in the future, should the king see anyone who follows this example?"
Shen Shiqiu said, "So, the Prime Minister means to kill the envoy? Do you take the communication between countries as a joke?"
Qi Shuhuan said, "If we don't kill them, we can't convince the public!"
Sure enough, they started arguing. Shen Qingfeng had guessed it almost right when Yu Shuang found out about their alliance letter with the Eastern Hu. After all, even a cornered rabbit will fight back. He just asked Yu Shuang to provoke them verbally and gave them a little push, and those envoys really forced their way into the Bian Palace.
Shen Qingfeng smiled smugly and gave Xia Chuli a "I told you so" look.