Chapter 98: The three great priests overpower Yun Zhilan! Li Changan performs a shaman dance at the Temple of Heaven! (13)

Late at night, at the post station.

The envoys from Northern Qi and Dongyi City did not sleep well.

"Master Zhang, do you still remember that you harmed the lives of your eleventh concubine's husband's family in order to force her to marry you?"

"Master Zhong, twenty years ago, you bought the examination questions from the wife of the cousin of the housekeeper of Grand Secretary Zhang's mansion. Am I right?"

"Lord Li, you stole the little emperor's favorite edition of Dream of the Red Chamber, which is not a big deal... We would also like to ask you for a small favor."

……

Much of the negative information that the experts at the Inspection Bureau used to threaten the members of the diplomatic corps had been prepared long ago.

Some of them were sold by Luowang members to the garrison personnel of the Inspection Institutes in various places.

Among the more than 40 members of the Northern Qi delegation, three or five were involved in serious crimes such as murder and cheating in the imperial examinations, while the rest were minor matters.

The situation in Dongyi City is slightly better, but there are still many cases of encroaching on other people's property and violating the rules.

In the valley more than a dozen miles away, Ye Chong and Yun Zhilan had already exchanged hundreds of moves.

Emperor Qing asked Ye Chong to lure Yun Zhilan out in the name of sparring because he was afraid that Yun Zhilan would hear what the people in the Inspection Institute were doing.

After Ye Zhong admitted defeat, when Yun Zhilan returned to the inn, the people from the Inspection Institute had already finished their work.

The next day.

Three miles.

Qing Temple on the edge of Nanqing Kyoto.

Sanlidi does not mean three miles away from the imperial palace, but the place is called Sanlidi.

The main hall of the Qing Temple is called the Temple of Heaven. It has a black wooden structure with two layers of round eaves. It is somewhat similar to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing in Li Changan’s previous life.

Nearly two hundred people were standing in the main hall. The envoys from Northern Qi and Dongyi City were dressed in their best attire, and many nobles and important officials from Southern Qing were also present.

In the Northern Qi delegation, Zhuang Mohan discovered that the chief envoy Wei Bi beside him had an extremely complicated expression.

Regarding the threat he received last night, Wei Bi knew that it must have been done by someone sent by the Nanqing Inspection Office.

However, he couldn't do anything about it because he himself had a dirty trick.

What he was worried about was that the Inspection Bureau asked him to do a small favor today, but in the future they would ask him to do other things, which would be endless.

When Fan Xian entered the main hall of the Temple of Heaven, he discovered that the attendees from Nanqing were extremely grand.

The eldest princess, Prince Yong, the crown prince, the second prince, and officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple above the fourth rank were basically all there.

Fan Xian felt that the foreign envoys and domestic officials present all looked familiar.

The people who looked unfamiliar to him were a dozen or so ascetic monks in black robes and cloaks.

An ascetic is a "monk" who practices asceticism in a temple. There is no Buddhism in this world and monk is just a figurative term.

The ascetics of the Qing Temple were preaching all over the country, and it was surprising that so many of them had gathered this time.

The three priests sitting steadily in the front with their backs to everyone are the three great priests of the Qing Temple.

Fan Xian heard from Fan Jian last night that these three were at least of the ninth rank. They were good at combined attacks, and when the three of them joined forces, the Grandmaster was invincible.

“Brother Fan, come here and stand with Guo!”

Not long after Fan Xian entered the hall, he was pulled over by Guo Baokun to stand together. Fan Xian and Master Guo had always had a very harmonious relationship.

The prince had been trying to win over Fan Xian, and even Fan Xian's role in the negotiations was recommended by the prince. This time the negotiations were successful, and Fan Xian successfully gained some experience.

At the front of the team, the Second Prince and the Crown Prince with dark circles under his eyes were standing shoulder to shoulder, whispering to each other.

"Your Highness, why aren't you the main priest for this sacrifice to heaven?"

If it is the most formal sacrifice to heaven, of course the emperor has to come forward.

The annual ceremonies to reach a post-war agreement and pray for a good harvest were usually performed by the princes.

Because this kind of sacrifice requires kneeling too many times, how could the emperor kneel all the time?

The chief priest this time was, of course, Li Changan, who had colluded with Emperor Qing to perform the shaman act.

Given Emperor Qing’s style, he won’t explain to the Crown Prince, so just let the Crown Prince be in fear.

The prince was indeed terrified. Ever since the imperial decree announced yesterday that Prince Yong would preside over the sacrifice, the prince had not been able to sleep well, so the dark circles under his eyes were particularly obvious.

In the previous few small sacrifices, the Crown Prince performed the sacrifices on behalf of Emperor Qing. What does this change of people mean?

"Second brother, don't be so sarcastic. Who can suppress Zhuang Mohan at the scene?"

"Do you think...Auntie can do it? Can I do it alone?"

This was the reason the prince had thought about all night long, and why Emperor Qing did not allow him to preside over the sacrifice.

The second prince suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Only Uncle Yong's reputation can compete with Zhuang Mohan's."

"After all, my aunt is a woman, and the Crown Prince is not very good either. We still have to work hard!"

Zhan Pianpian, who was standing behind Zhuang Mohan, glanced at Li Changan from time to time, with a mixture of yearning and a hint of regret.

She will be leaving Nanqing tomorrow, and she regrets that she won't have the chance to meet Li Changan alone.

Li Yunrui also frowned. She knew Emperor Qing and always felt that it was not simple for Li Changan to be the presiding priest.

But she couldn't figure out why, no matter how hard she tried.

Soon, the sacrifice officially began.

The court musicians in the back row of the hall began to play a magnificent sacrificial music, and everyone looked solemn.

Fan Xian observed that everyone was very pious when participating in this kind of sacrifice.

As a liberal arts student, he was very clear about the meaning of this sacrifice.

In the history before the time travel, although the religious atmosphere in those feudal dynasties was not strong, offering sacrifices to heaven were also grand events.

The so-called divine right of kings means that your attitude when offering sacrifices to heaven is not towards heaven, but towards the emperor.

The influence of religion in this era is so great that people really have a sense of awe for gods.

The three mysterious high priests finally turned around, and one of them started the sacrificial process.

"Sacrifice and welcome the gods!"

The sacrificial process is very complicated. First, you have to welcome the gods and then offer gifts.

He had to kneel several times during each process, and Fan Xian had become completely numb from it.

After kneeling forty or fifty times, the sacrificial process was finally coming to an end, and everyone walked out of the main hall to the Circular Mound Altar.

The Circular Mound Altar is a three-tiered open-air circular platform, with a square outer layer and a round inner layer, symbolizing the roundness of the sky and the squareness of the earth.

All those who participated in the sacrifice stood on the three levels of the Circular Mound Altar according to their official rank.

The outermost layer is composed of hundreds of guards, as well as eunuchs and palace maids who serve for the sacrificial ceremony.

Li Changan and the three high priests stood on the top floor of the Circular Mound Altar.

Li Changan stood at the highest point and could see the majestic imperial palace in the distance. Looking down, he saw the officials of the Three Kingdoms with solemn expressions.

No wonder the jade seal with the inscription "Mandated by Heaven, May You Live Long and Prosperous" is so popular. Standing in this position, everyone is under your feet. This temptation is simply not something that ordinary people can resist.

"The sacrificial ceremony is complete, send the gods off!"

As the high priest finished singing, the sacrificial ceremony finally reached the last step, and everyone knelt down again.

The prince looked at Li Changan's back with a complicated expression, feeling that something important had been taken away.

However, just when everyone knelt down, something strange suddenly happened!
In full view of everyone, Li Changan suddenly fell to the ground with his back to the sky! Only the few people who looked up saw this scene clearly.

Among them are Crown Prince Li Chengqian and the unruly Fan Xian.

"What happened to His Royal Highness Prince Yong?"

"What happened? Did your highness faint?"

"No, Your Highness is an eighth-rank warrior, how could he not be able to hold on?"

Participants from the three kingdoms stood up one after another and looked toward the top floor of the Circular Mound Altar.

Those who were threatened last night know that they will be required to perform soon.

The person who threatened them said that the high priest had divined last night and found a good sign that the gods were coming to the world!

I hope they respect the gods, be reverent, and don’t make trouble on Nanqing’s territory!

Fan Xian took a deep breath and suddenly had a bad feeling!
A smile appeared on the prince's lips, and then he shouted loudly.

"Uncle Yong, what's wrong with you? Uncle Yong! Are you okay?"

Li Chengze rolled his eyes and was about to rush over to check the situation.

But just as he was about to step forward, he felt a huge force pushing him back.

He looked up and saw that the second priest, Master Sanshi, had stopped him.

"Please be patient, the high priest is checking the situation."

At this time, Li Yunrui looked at Master Sanshi with a puzzled look.

Master Sanshi, a member of the Junshan Society, nodded slightly, indicating that everything was under control.

The three great priests of the Qing Temple only received explicit instructions from Emperor Qing last night, asking them to fully cooperate if a god were to descend to the world.

The three high priests could probably guess what would happen, but they could only obey orders.

Among Nanqing's ascetics, there is no great master like Ku He.

Just when everyone was in a panic, Li Changan suddenly stood up!
His body stiffened and he stood up straight like a zombie!
At this moment, Li Changan had his hands behind his back and his eyes closed, looking as if he was looking down on everyone.

Then, he slowly began to speak. Because of the structure of the Circular Mound Altar, speaking from the center of the top layer would amplify the sound several times.

So, Li Changan's voice was not loud, but everyone heard it.

"It's been two hundred thousand years... Finally, a Heavenly Veined One performed the sacrifice, and I was able to borrow his body to take another look at this world."

"Two hundred thousand years ago, the world collapsed, and all living things were killed or injured... Now it has revived again."

Two hundred thousand years!

After hearing these two sentences, everyone was stunned!

The God of Creation has reappeared in the world through the body of a person with a heavenly vein!
After a brief silence, various whispers were heard.

"His Royal Highness Prince Yong is a person of the Heavenly Vein!"

"What about the Northern Qi Saintess? Are there two more Heavenly Veins in the world?"

"The most respected god in Northern Qi, who would have thought that the god would be born in Southern Qing!"

Fan Xian, who was kneeling on the second floor, slapped himself on the forehead and immediately understood everything.

He doesn't believe in the nonsense about gods descending to earth. Isn't this just what the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom left behind?
That’s not right. There was no Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in this era. Li Changan was the first to do so!
How shameless! It's bad enough that they copied poems, but they even copied the shaman dance!
Suddenly, someone beside Fan Xian fell to his knees and shouted exaggeratedly!
"The gods have come to the world, it is a blessing for the whole world!"

This person is none other than the fourth-rank official in the court, Lord Xin Qiwu, the Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple!
Immediately afterwards, Guo Baokun on the other side also knelt down tremblingly.

"The gods descended on Daqing, but Guo unexpectedly caught up with them..."

Afterwards, the outermost layer of imperial guards and eunuchs knelt down in a mass.

Then, the officials of Nanqing also knelt down and shouted that the gods had come to the world and the world was blessed!

The second prince raised his eyebrows, secretly gave a thumbs up, and then knelt down obediently.

The prince's eyes are burning, and Uncle Yong Wang's acting skills are so superb, we can all be friends!
Moreover, he guessed the reason why Emperor Qing asked Li Changan to preside over the sacrifice, which had nothing to do with the throne.

Finally relieved, the prince knelt down obediently.

Afterwards, the envoys from Northern Qi and Dongyi City fell to their knees!
In addition to those who were threatened, there were also many true believers in gods who truly believed in the trick of possession by gods.

The last three people standing were Li Yunrui, Zhuang Mohan, and Yun Zhilan.

Li Yunrui gritted his teeth and knelt down in front of his brother although he was very reluctant.

By now, she has guessed most of what happened. This must be a trick played by Emperor Qing and Prince Yong!
In the tone of a descended god, it was pointed out that Li Changan was the one with the Heavenly Vein, which was much more authoritative than the one with the Heavenly Vein who was canonized by Ku He in the Northern Qi Dynasty.

The members of the Northern Qi delegation all had sweat on their foreheads. Li Changan was a person with a heavenly vein, so what was the saint girl?
Haitang was canonized by Northern Qi itself, but Li Changan was clearly revealed by the gods!
Zhuang Mohan felt bitter. Li Changan was a genius, but why was he born into the royal family and involved in all these weird things?

However, in order to deal with Fan Xian smoothly later, he knelt down obediently.

Up to now, Yun Zhilan was the only one standing below. “I can’t believe that Qing Country would pull such a trick.”

Emperor Qing, who went out of the palace incognito with Hong Sixiang, eavesdropped on everything in the corner.

"The disciple of Si Gu Jian is really a bit arrogant!"

Emperor Qing always travels incognito when he leaves the palace because he is afraid of Wu Zhu and Barrett.

As soon as Yun Zhilan finished speaking, the three priests jumped up at the same time, and three hands instantly attacked Yun Zhilan.

"Oh!"

Yun Zhilan's true energy surged, and he wanted to fight with these three people.

But after the three of them joined forces, they discovered that their true energy was completely gathered together, as if they were one person!
This weird combined attack martial arts greatly surprised Yun Zhilan!
"Bold lunatic, kneel down immediately!"

The three high priests among the ninth rank shouted in unison, and Yun Zhilan was forced to his knees!

The three high priests subdued Yun Zhilan, then returned to the Circular Mound Altar, and the three of them knelt down around Li Changan.

Li Changan still had his eyes closed and continued to recite his lines.

"I have heard all your speeches. I am very relieved that the fighting has ceased and the world is at peace."

"Of course, the world will eventually unite after a long period of division. Only when the world is unified and the country is united can there be true stability."

After hearing these two sentences, all the ministers of Nanqing understood everything.

This time the gods came to the world to build momentum for unifying the world in the future.

From today on, Nanqing must eliminate Beiqi and Dongyi and unify the world, which is to accept the oracle!
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince secretly admired His Majesty's clever move!

With the help of the gods, neither Northern Qi nor Dongyi can refute it!
Everyone in the Northern Qi delegation was complaining bitterly in their hearts, and the devout ones were even more shaken.

The world is unified? That means Nanqing will have to attack us in the future!

Li Changan's "oracle" continues.

"My spiritual consciousness has just seen the whole world. After 200,000 years, the world has regained vitality and is full of people with lofty ideals."

"The unification of the world is inevitable. You should unite and create a prosperous world. Then I can rest assured and save the world."

"From now on, the only one who possesses me will preach on my behalf. All of us gods will no longer come down to earth!"

After saying this, Li Changan's stiff body fell backwards again.

Immediately afterwards, Li Changan suddenly woke up with a look of surprise on his face.

"Three high priests, my mind went blank just now!"

"What happened?"

(End of this chapter)