mtl008 Chapter 227 East Sea Sacrifice Ceremony
Chapter 227 East Sea Sacrifice Ceremony
Cen Jiexiao slowed her pace, tilted her head slightly, and regarded Chen Zigui with a questioning look, her brows furrowed slightly. Normally gentle and unfazed, Chen Zigui was silent and reserved today, a lingering melancholy etched between his brows.
"Big Brother, what's wrong with you?" Cen Jiexiao keenly caught Chen Zigui's emotional fluctuations and asked softly. Her voice was like a clear spring, revealing a hint of worry and concern.
Chen Zigui didn't respond immediately. His deep eyes stared at Cen Jiexiao, a mixture of inquiry and hesitation. He seemed to have a thousand words to say, but couldn't find the words to say. He opened his lips slightly, as if about to reveal his true feelings, but swallowed them back.
"Big Brother?" Seeing his silence, Cen Jiexiao's suspicions grew even stronger, and she called out softly again. This call, like a stone dropped into a tranquil lake, stirred up ripples and pulled Chen Zigui out of his contemplation.
"Oh, it's nothing serious." Chen Zigui forced a smile, trying to hide his inner turmoil, "It's just that I have some distracting thoughts in my mind."
His tone was a little forced, and his smile was mixed with bitterness. Cen Jiexiao saw all of this.
"What kind of distracting thoughts are those?" Cen Jiexiao pressed on. She knew Chen Zigui's character very well. His expression at this moment must have a deep meaning. He must have something to hide.
Chen Zigui avoided the topic and asked instead: "Just now in the imperial study, did you notice anything unusual about His Majesty?" His voice was low and tentative, as if he was trying to find out whether Cen Jiexiao had the same feeling as him.
"His Majesty...what happened to him?" Cen Jiexiao became more and more puzzled. Various scenes in the imperial study emerged in her mind, including Chai Zhen's fatigue, helplessness and reluctance to speak. All of this filled her with doubts and uneasiness.
Chen Zigui was silent for a moment, as if he was weighing his words, as if he was hesitating whether to reveal the truth to Cen Jiexiao. He was torn between the fear that telling the truth would shock Cen Jiexiao, and the fear that hiding the truth would put her in greater danger.
"I always feel that Your Majesty seems to be hiding something." Chen Zigui paused, and finally did not say anything more, but the certainty in his tone made Cen Jiexiao's heart sink.
"Big Brother, you must explain clearly!" Cen Jiexiao pressed eagerly, her uneasiness growing stronger. She hated being kept in the dark, and she hated seeing Chen Zigui in such a difficult situation.
She stared at Chen Zigui, her clear eyes filled with doubt and worry, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart. She trusted Chen Zigui's judgment, and also trusted her own intuition. Chai Zhen must be hiding something important from them.
"Big Brother, do you know the truth?" Cen Jiexiao asked again, a hint of anxiety in her tone. She longed for Chen Zigui to be honest with her.
However, Chen Zigui only shook his head gently, ultimately refusing to utter a single word. "Nothing," he said softly, unwilling to cause Cen Jiexiao to worry about him, and even more unwilling to involve her in this unknown vortex.
"It's getting late. I'll take you home," Chen Zigui said, changing the subject, a subtle hint of fatigue in his voice. He didn't dare voice his suspicions, fearing the unknown would consume Cen Jiexiao's peace. Furthermore, he knew Cen Jiexiao was already exhausted from the sacrificial ceremony, and he couldn't bear to burden her further.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the East China Sea Sacrifice Ceremony has arrived. The sky is a brilliant blue, cloudless, like a vast sapphire set in the heavens, shimmering and radiating a tranquil and peaceful light. The first rays of morning sunlight penetrate the clouds, shimmering across the earth, casting a golden veil over everything, bathing the world in a warm and peaceful atmosphere. Inside the palace, a scene of bustle and activity unfolds. Palace attendants move about in a hurried yet orderly fashion, making final preparations for the impending ceremony.
A solemn and dignified atmosphere permeated the air, and everyone, filled with deep awe, welcomed the arrival of this sacred moment. Shai Zheng, clad in the imperial robes that embodied his supreme majesty and a crown inlaid with twelve strings of jade beads, exuded the extraordinary aura of a king with every step he took.
Surrounded by a throng of civil and military officials and members of the imperial family, he marched with steady and powerful steps, leading the mighty procession towards the shores of the East China Sea. The procession stretched endlessly, its flags fluttering in the wind, showcasing unprecedented grandeur and momentum, like a giant, iridescent dragon, shimmering in the brilliant sunlight, even more dazzling and arresting.
Cen Jiexiao, a distinguished representative of Zhaoyin Academy and a highly respected academic envoy of Yuyang Province, naturally joined the procession. She wore a light blue dress, a refreshing hue that accentuated her otherworldly beauty, like a newly blossoming hibiscus, fresh and elegant, contrasting beautifully with the surrounding azure sea and sky.
Her long, shiny black hair was carefully tied into a simple bun, and only lightly embellished with a warm white jade hairpin, which added a bit of otherworldly temperament, as if she was a fairy who was not of this world, extraordinary and otherworldly.
The altar stood high on a platform by the sea. Looking out, the vast expanse of blue water, the sea and sky blending into one, was a breathtaking sight that was both refreshing and soothing. A gentle breeze, carrying the faint scent of salty seawater, gently ruffled Cen Jiexiao's clothes, seemingly inadvertently disturbing her thoughts and bringing her back to that fraught night.
The scene from that night in the imperial study kept replaying in her mind: Chai Zhen's exhaustion and helplessness, his hesitant expression, and Chen Zigui's equally complex gaze. It all played over and over in her mind like a movie, lingering. Chai Zhen's unusual behavior filled her with doubt and uneasiness, a feeling that lingered like a dark cloud covering the sun.
"Sister Cen, you seem troubled?" A gentle and familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Like warm sunshine, it pierced the haze within her heart. She turned to see Chen Zigui, dressed in a moon-white robe. His figure stood tall, as fresh and refined as a bamboo. His face held an unconcealed worry, and his gaze, gentle, seemed to see through her every thought.
"It's okay, I'm just a little uneasy." Cen Jiexiao forced a smile, trying to hide her uneasiness. She didn't want Chen Zigui to worry about her, so she chose to hide this heavy feeling deep in her heart.
"Are you still worried about the Zhenxi Army?" Chen Zigui asked softly. He knew that Cen Jiexiao cared deeply about the people of the world, and the Zhenxi Army's plight had always been a knot in her heart that she could not let go.
Cen Jiexiao nodded gently, not denying it. The Zhenxi Army's rebellion was indeed a knot in her heart that she could not let go of.