On this day, thirty flower - floats were dispatched. Red cloth blankets were laid on the road leading to the square. On both sides of the road, basins filled with fresh flowers were neatly arranged.
On the day of the sacrifice, the people in the palace lined up in an extremely long queue. Led by Su Mu, the other officials and guards followed behind. When they arrived at the venue, everyone took off their official hats and knelt down below the sacrificial altar.
On the sacrificial altar, there were many fruits and snacks. There were also many wishes of the people of Qingyun Country for this year. They knelt devoutly in front of the divine statue.
This year's sacrifice was much weirder than before. The blazing sun in the sky was especially glaring. When the ministers knelt, they felt as if their backs were about to be roasted by the sun. It was so cold last night, but why was the weather suddenly so hot today?
Su Mu knelt there. The sweat on his head kept dripping down, but he didn't care at all.
"May all our ancestors bless the people of Qingyun Country."
"May all the immortals accept our offerings from all the people."
"The people of Qingyun Country will always take the Feng royal family as our faith."
"We will be free from greed and desire, anger and ignorance. We will sacrifice ourselves for others, be lenient towards others and strict with ourselves."
"Please, all the immortals, bless the people of Qingyun Country."
After everyone finished saying the words of faith, they bowed their heads and knelt devoutly. At this moment, the environment was extremely quiet. So any small sound would be magnified greatly.
The discordant voice came at this time.
"Believe in the Feng royal family? What a joke!"
"If they are immortals, how could they care about our livelihoods?"
"All these are fake, they are all fake."
"If the divine beings are truly omnipotent, then what about the floods, locust plagues and droughts we suffered in previous years?"
"What the Feng royal family? It's just a story fabricated by our ancestors to deceive you ignorant officials."
"They don't exist in this world at all. You've all been deceived."
The one who shouted and stood up was a sixth - rank official. A few years ago, due to the flood, the dam in the area he managed was not strong enough and was broken by the flood. His hometown was completely flooded. His wife and daughter also died in that flood. This sixth - rank official blamed all this on the four sons of the Feng family.
According to historical records, it was indeed the Feng royal family that founded Qingyun Country at that time. They had done a great deal. However, as time went by, things that happened a thousand years ago were now impossible to verify.
The official's shouting soon got him under control. As he was being taken away, he still roared hoarsely, "It's all fake! There are no four sons of the Feng family. They are all dead, all dead!"
Although the man was taken away, the negative impact he caused was extremely significant. After what he said, combined with the extremely hot weather and everyone's impetuous mood, doubts began to grow in their hearts.
Su Mu naturally knew their concerns. The flood back then had a great impact. If the Emperor hadn't rushed back in time and led the officials to resist the flood with his own strength and then repaired the dam, Qingyun Country might have become a stagnant pool by now. But because of that flood, the Emperor lost a very precious person around him.
Now some officials, feeling that they hadn't received the protection of the royal family, wanted to vent their anger and destroy these statues. They even wanted to destroy the faith of the people of Qingyun Country.
In the originally calm and solemn venue, small voices began to emerge one after another. These grievances had been accumulating for a long time. Now, being instigated like this, the once - stable hearts of the people began to waver again.
Su Mu stood up. Under the surprised gazes of everyone, he slowly walked towards the high platform. He looked at the crowd, and the officials and common people stared back at him. He raised his right hand and pointed to every corner of the venue.
"You are all the people of Qingyun Country. You are blessed and enjoy the protection of the royal family. It was them who created this era and gave us a place to live.
"When you receive their protection, you don't show much gratitude. But once you suffer losses, you never look for the reasons within yourselves."
Su Mu's voice was calm but extremely penetrating, reaching everyone present.
"Your Highness, we only hear you say that you've seen the Emperor. All these are told by you, but we've never seen him."
"Your Highness, you always say how much protection we've received from the Emperor, but in fact, we've never even seen this person. How do we know if this person is just fabricated by you to appease the crowd?"
Su Mu looked at the officials below. It seemed that this instigation had been pre - planned.
"Your Highness, please give us an explanation."
A smile appeared on Su Mu's pale face. He no longer looked at the officials but turned back to the statues and kowtowed three times heavily.
"Your Majesty, do you see this?"
"Human nature is always cold - blooded.
"You've lost something so precious for the people, but they can't see it. They only know that when they are unhappy, they blame it on you."
Su Mu turned back and glared angrily at those officials. They rarely saw such a fierce look on Su Mu's face. So now, those officials shrank their heads and took a few steps back.
"You want an explanation? Then I, the Lord of the Country, will give you one.
"Here, I'd like to ask you. Do you think your lives should always be smooth and trouble - free? Can't you bear any storms? What do you need? When you are in pain and decline, do you want someone to give you a hand, or do you just want others to bear everything for you?"
"Your Highness, that's not what we mean."
"To be honest, I've only seen the Emperor. I don't know if they are real people. Maybe because of my poor health, all those are just things that appeared in my dreams."
"Your Highness—"
"But you, you are all real people. You should ask yourselves whether you've received the protection of the royal family. Should the royal family bear everything for you? Everyone, your lives are created by yourselves.
"The Feng royal family is the faith of Qingyun Country. It can make our nation more united and make us love our country more. It is a spiritual pillar, not an omnipotent god.
"Now, do you really want to destroy your own faith with your own hands?
"If they really exist, can we just do nothing and hide under their protection, relying on them to nourish us?
"Everyone, faith is a kind of spirit. It doesn't really exist."
At this moment, a careful person among the quiet crowd noticed that behind Su Mu, the statue of Feng Lingtong moved.