Chapter 707: Chapter 451: Ancestor Worship Begins! Heaven and Earth Change Colors! (Don’t Raise Books)
The next day, early morning.
The first ray of sunlight fell through the window onto the bed, reflecting on Chen Yuan’s face.
His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he opened his eyes, his expression serene as he sat up from the bed and got dressed.
That night, he had had a good sleep for the first time in a long while.
Since last night after Jiang He and the others had left, he had sat in the secret room for two hours. Originally intending to spend the night in cultivation, he unexpectedly felt an overwhelming sense of sleepiness.
He didn’t insist on staying awake and went back to his room to sleep.
After having breakfast, Chen Yuan dressed in the official uniform of the Imperial City Commander and headed in the direction of the Imperial City.
This day marked the eighth year of Jin Jingtai’s reign, the ninth day of the twelfth month, and it was also the day of the Royal Family’s triennial ancestral worship ceremony.
The ancestral worship ceremony, held once every three years, had never been delayed or canceled for over two hundred years, almost becoming a symbol in itself.
In the early years of Great Jin’s establishment, the nation was not yet stable. Every time this ceremony approached, disturbances would arise, and this time was no exception with the recent knocking on the gates by the Northern Barbarians being just one instance.
As far as Chen Yuan knew, there were instigations of revolt within Blood State, manipulated behind the scenes by the forces of Demon Dao.
The site of the ancestral worship was in the West Imperial City, which, being the closest to the Imperial Mausoleum and offering a far-off view of misty mountains, was naturally an excellent location.
It was said before that the Imperial City was vast, even comparable to a Prefecture City.
The Imperial Palace alone naturally did not occupy such a vast area.
The Eastern Imperial City was close to the Harem, the South Imperial City was near the Imperial Palace, the West Imperial City was closest to the Imperial Mausoleum, and the North Imperial City was where the Royal Clan resided.
Indeed, it would have been more advantageous for Chen Yuan to become the Commander of the West Imperial City, but that would inevitably draw too much attention.
Moreover, as the ancestral worship ceremony was approaching, it was crucial to avoid any major disturbances. With the promotion of the Commander of the Eastern Imperial City, it naturally became the prime choice for the Taoist Divine Palace.
And the Commander of the West Imperial City also played a critical part in guarding the ceremony.
Since the morning, the court had begun rapidly preparing for the ancestral worship. Although not ostentatious, the preparations were impressive owing to the sheer scale of the court.
Within the Capital, from seven days prior, all matrimonial and funeral activities were prohibited to maintain solemnity and respect for the ancestral worship.
Upon arriving at the Eastern Imperial City Bureau, Chen Yuan gathered his men and swiftly started mobilizing towards the West Imperial City. This time, the elite forces of the Eastern Imperial City were deployed to ensure the smooth progression of the ceremony.
No matter how well things were done, it was all just for show.
If it really came to defense, the men under his command were mere cannon fodder. Newest update provided by NoveI~Fire.net
On the way there, Chen Yuan subtly mentioned to Tao Qingyuan something about having been given a secret imperial order. After the ceremony began, he would have to leave for a while and would need Tao to take charge.
If anyone else asked, it shouldn’t arouse any suspicion.
Tao Qingyuan’s expression was grave as he expressed his understanding, reassuring Chen Yuan.
After all, Chen Yuan had already entrusted him with such matters habitually, and there were unlikely to be any slip-ups.
Chen Yuan believed that a mere Dan Realm Master like him would not draw anyone’s attention when the upheaval began.
At the designated time, the personnel from the Eastern Imperial City Bureau all arrived at the specified location. Not too early, nor too late; by the time Chen Yuan led his men there, the other Imperial City Commanders had nearly finished setting up.
Guard posts were placed every thirty steps, with thousands of people tightly securing the outer perimeter.
Among the four Imperial City Commanders, two were under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, and the other two were governed by the Imperial Supervision Bureau, with whom his relationships were not very good.
They merely nodded in greeting.
Only the Commander from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau approached Chen Yuan to greet him; his name was Wu Gou, nearly sixty years old, and a veteran True Core Grandmaster.
Having held this position for nearly ten years, he was an old hand.
Yet in Chen Yuan’s presence, he dared not show any arrogance, not only due to Chen Yuan’s previous reputation but also the close relationship between him and the Divine Envoy Zhang Yantong, making it sufficient for him to seek good relations and maintain a very humble demeanor.
Chen Yuan didn’t put on airs either and chatted quietly for a few moments.
Time ticked by, second by second.
The Imperial Palace Guards also began to arrive; they formed the second layer of defense with a number numbering only about a third of those from the four Imperial City Bureaus, amounting to just over three hundred people,
yet they were the elite of the elite.
All were selected from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, the military, or the Imperial Palace Guards, tasked with protecting the Emperor and were more practical than the ceremonial troops.
The lowest rank among them were Gang Condensing Martial Artists, dressed in golden chain mails and holding long spears, standing unemotionally by the side.
The cultivation of the leader of the Guards was also a level higher than the four Commanders, being a Yang Transformation True Master.
Even after scanning the crowd, Chen Yuan noticed no one particularly ugly or significantly shorter; clearly, there were also some requirements regarding appearance.
Following the arrival of personnel from the four Imperial City Bureaus and the Imperial Palace Guards, the preparations for the ancestral worship ceremony also began to proceed. Officials from the Ministry of Rites entered the scene,
on a high platform, a large array of fresh sacrificial offerings was displayed.
And these offerings caused Chen Yuan’s gaze to narrow slightly.
Because the items laid out were not ordinary domestic animals, but ‘demonic creatures’ many times larger in size!
Even just their heads were larger than whole animals.
The bodies had been cleaned thoroughly and were arranged on the sacrificial altar.
In addition to these, there were also fruits.
Without exception, these fruits were not ordinary either.
All contained spirituality and would be worth quite a few Primordial Crystals if sold outside.