He had been unconscious for a while and then lingered here for another while. Would the religious ceremony outside still be held?
"I asked Qingcao to dress up as the queen and go there to watch them perform the ceremony. Anyway, with the veil on, Yu Wenshan might not dare to cause trouble again. No one should notice. But you'd better go quickly. What if the Grand Elder goes there to check in a few hours?"
"Hey, since Qingcao has already done half of it for me, why not just let him finish it there?" He didn't want to go and cooperate with them in that farce anymore. As a king from a foreign country, he couldn't stand being manipulated like that. Moreover, there was actually a ritual of making people eat bugs. It was simply crazy.
"Si Junlin, get up quickly and go replace Qingcao obediently. We can't let your moment of laziness ruin our grand plan." Su Wan'er grabbed him like an eagle catching a chicken, changed him into Qingcao's clothes, and stuffed him in on the pretext that the queen was hungry and liked the snacks of the Jin Kingdom, asking him to bring a few plates of Jin Kingdom's pastries.
But it was not until dusk that Si Junlin returned, dejected and furious, and the Grand Elder still hadn't shown up to take a look. For such an important ceremony, the Grand Elder didn't even make an appearance. It seemed that he was now in a difficult situation himself.
"I've already told you. The Grand Elder is busy looking for your Xiao Jiu. Where does he have the time to come and see me?" Si Junlin angrily entered the room and took off all the strange hair ornaments those people had put on him.
Qingcao stood aside, smiling silently. It was obvious that Si Junlin had really suffered this time.
The queen - crowning ceremony arrived as scheduled. Of course, they couldn't produce the real Holy Maiden. Si Junlin deliberately hid in the room and refused to go out. He deliberately made things difficult for the Grand Elder, insisting on making everyone know that the Holy Maiden hadn't come.
Finally, the Grand Elder had no choice but to lead all the civil and military officials of the Southern Border and come in person. Standing in front of the queen's palace, they invited Su Wan'er out. Only then did Su Wan'er go out.
Sure enough, after his intimidation, Yu Wenshan, the fake Holy Maiden without the token, naturally didn't dare to show up.
"Everyone, it's not that I, a little woman from a far - away place, am deliberately making things difficult for you. Two days ago, you all knew that the emperor of our country personally issued an imperial edict, asking the Holy Maiden and all the elders to attend. I can't defy the edict."
"What the queen said is reasonable, but there are still people in our Yu Wen family who can be the Holy Maiden." A person from the Yu Wen family stood up and argued with her.
"Elder, don't be joking. I don't need to point it out as a person from the Jin Kingdom. Everyone in the Southern Border knows that the Holy Maiden must have the sacred object. But the Grand Elder accidentally let it slip the other day that you've been searching for the sacred object for half a year without success. Yet you dare to claim to be the Holy Maiden and come to attend my queen - crowning ceremony. Isn't this not taking the Jin Kingdom seriously and deliberately confusing the public and perfunctory things?!" As soon as Si Junlin said this, everyone naturally fell silent.
"Alright. Since you've sincerely invited me out, today's matter can't be postponed just because the Holy Maiden didn't come." This was exactly the effect he wanted. Since everyone knew, it was time for Long Xiaojiu to show up.
The Grand Elder came over and was about to lead Si Junlin up a few steps to pay homage to the ancestors when suddenly they heard someone shouting from afar that the Holy Maiden was coming.
Si Junlin watched with amusement as the Grand Elder, who ran faster than everyone else and pushed through the crowd to get to the front. He had been so solemn and even a bit bitter - faced when leading him up the steps just now. Why was he so lively now?
Sure enough, the person who came was Long Xiaojiu. Since the Long family had a considerable foundation, now she even brought dozens of insect slaves with her. It was obvious that she had dressed up carefully again. Now she really looked like she was coming to expose a fake. I wonder what Yu Wenshan would think if she saw this scene in the dark.
"Your Majesty, Elders. I'm late." Originally, Long Xiaojiu, a member of the Long family, had long been labeled a fugitive by the Yu Wen family. But now at the queen - crowning ceremony, and with the emperor of the Jin Kingdom insisting on the appearance of the Holy Maiden, no one dared to stop her. Seeing Long Xiaojiu wearing the token on her waist, she calmly walked towards the seat of the Holy Maiden.
The Holy Maiden was the person with the highest status in the Southern Border after the Grand Elder. Naturally, she didn't need to listen to anyone's orders or look at anyone's face. Long Xiaojiu just sat there on her own, picked up a glass of wine, and took a sip.
"The Holy Maiden has finally come. We've been waiting for you for so long." Si Junlin was the first to speak, which meant he recognized her. Moreover, Long Xiaojiu was wearing a bright jade pendant on her waist. Everyone wasn't stupid. If it was in the dark, the Yu Wen family might have been able to quietly get rid of her. But today she appeared in the open. Now that the elders of several major families were all here, how dare they do anything to the Holy Maiden?
"Greetings to the Holy Maiden." Finally, all the women of the several major families, as well as those low - ranking elders and attendants, saluted Long Xiaojiu.
"Get up all of you. Everyone, take your seats. Don't delay the queen - crowning ceremony." At this moment, even Si Junlin couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion looking at Long Xiaojiu's calm and composed manner. The real thing can't be fake, and the fake thing can't be real.
Long Xiaojiu didn't think much of it. She had been worshiped by everyone since she was a child. Now she had just been a tiger that had fallen on hard times and been bullied by dogs for a few days. Now the king of the beasts was back.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but at least on the surface, they were still amiable. The only one who behaved abnormally was the Grand Elder. From the moment Xiaojiu appeared, he stared at her intently.
It was Si Junlin who kindly reminded him: "Grand Elder, is it almost time?"
The Grand Elder could only suppress his anger and confusion and impatiently carry out the various procedures of the queen - crowning ceremony.
"Today is a day of great joy for the queen and me. It is also a witness to the peace and alliance between the Jin Kingdom and the Southern Border, and the eternal friendship between our two countries." Finally, under the reminder of the maid beside him, the Grand Elder read out the congratulatory speech he had prepared, but it was obvious that he was absent - minded.
"The Jin Kingdom and the Southern Border used to be at war constantly. But because the queen condescended to come here, the common people were spared from the suffering of war. I, here, am willing to bow down and submit to the queen." No one expected that Long Xiaojiu, a young girl, could say such a proper thing. She seemed even more majestic than the Grand Elder.
"Exactly. The Holy Maiden and I think alike. But I wonder why the Holy Maiden only arrived today? It's not easy to find a bosom friend in life. The queen still wants to communicate more with the Holy Maiden. The Holy Maiden is as elusive as a divine dragon. I don't know where you will stay in the future so that I can go and pay you a visit." As Su Wan'er had instructed, Si Junlin deliberately said this to try to get Long Xiaojiu to move into the Southern Border's royal palace today. As long as Long Xiaojiu moved in today, in the royal palace, the Grand Elder and the Holy Maiden would be of equal status.