King of Song

Chapter 602 Chapter [-] Ritual
At the gate of Zheng Guogong's mansion, the hawker selling breakfast left, but Lu Yuan came.

He sat on the teahouse opposite, staring at the gate of the Duke's Mansion opposite without blinking his eyes.

It didn't take long, but I had already drank two cups of tea. Perhaps it was because of my anxiety and nervousness. There seemed to be a fire burning in my heart. Green tea could somewhat stabilize my mind.

Finally, someone came out of Zheng Guogong's mansion!

It was a middle-aged woman first, and Lu Yuan stared wide-eyed, observing intently.The little maid back then was already a middle-aged woman, but her appearance hadn't changed much.

It was her—Concubine Lin!
Seeing Concubine Lin getting into the carriage, Lu Yuan immediately winked, and the other two tea guests went out immediately and followed the carriage.

Lu Yuan followed after him. As an old servant, his speed was really too fast.Even though he tried his best to move his legs, he could only watch the carriage turning at the intersection from afar.

It wasn't until Lu Yuan turned a corner and followed that he realized that the carriage had stopped by the side of the road, and a fight was going on.The assassins who came out from Prince Pu's mansion were surrounded by a group of people, and they were all killed on the spot in an instant.

Lu Yuan was terrified. Years of life experience in the palace told him that the assassination failed and he was fooled.

Fortunately, the assassin has no survivors, so he is not worried about being caught.This matter must be reported to the Queen Mother as soon as possible, and Lu Yuan immediately took small steps and hurried away!

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The palace gate opened early in the morning, and Gao Taotao hurried to Taimiao while sending Lu Yuan to Prince Pu's mansion.

She had thought it over all night, and felt that it must be done on both sides.

Although the authenticity of Lin Zhao's identity has not been confirmed, but judging from various signs, it is almost inseparable, and he dare not be careless at all.

The current plan is nothing more than civil and military!
No matter what, Lin Zhao must die!Back then they sent so many people to chase and kill them, but in the end they all died without a problem.After so many years, she thought that their mother and son were dead, so she let down her vigilance, but she didn't expect it to appear suddenly.

I couldn't kill him back then, so I still can't let it go now, especially when Concubine Lin gave birth to a boy, and it was a promising boy.

On the way from the mansion to the Taimiao, this is their last chance.

It can be seen that the reason why the Empress Dowager requested a grand ceremony was to try every means to disclose Lin Zhao's identity.So before that, no one knew that he was the prince of Song Dynasty.As long as he was killed and he was gone, what threat could there be?
Even if the identity is confirmed, so what?Just chase after a prince and bury him with honor.As long as he is dead, no matter how bad the situation is, the mess will not be difficult to clean up.

She can't command the people of the Imperial City Division, so she can only ask Zhao Zongcheng to take action.After all, they are blood brothers. If Renzong's parents and sons return to the royal family, his mother and son will be both prosperous and in the same line as King Pu. He knows what to do!
There are two assassination targets, one is Lin Zhao himself, and it would be best if he died.If it doesn't work, it would be good to kill Concubine Lin.

If she is dead, how can she prove Lin Zhao's identity?Zongzheng Temple has strict regulations, and the screening of royal blood is extremely strict.

If you can't assassinate with martial arts, you can only come to Wendou!

Trying to prevent Lin Zhao from regaining his status as a prince is the biggest goal.

Gao Taotao came to the Taimiao with anxiety, King Pu Zhao Zongcheng had already been waiting here, when he greeted her, he told her in a low voice that the manpower had already been dispatched, and the result was not yet known.

Gao Taotao was a little relieved, and hurried to meet his son Zhao Xu, so that he could be mentally prepared.At this moment, it's empty talk to be more on guard, and you can only resign yourself to fate.

It's just that even if they are both in Taimiao, it is not so easy to see their son!
As soon as Gao Taotao came, the Empress Dowager Cao stopped her.Also present are the empresses and concubines headed by Zhao Fukang's birth mother Miao.

Zhao Fukang also came up with several princesses under Renzong's knees, as well as famous royal ladies, and stopped Gao Taotao.It made her unable to move away to see her son alone.Among the royal ladies present, Gao Taotao knew that it was Cao and Zhao Fukang's tricks, but he was helpless.

In such an occasion, she dared not and could not turn her face.

Lin Zhao's identity was a big secret, and she didn't dare to order her servants casually. So far, only she, Zhao Baoan and Lu Yuan knew about it.Gao Taotao had no choice but to find an excuse to let his daughter go.

It's a pity that Zhao Baoan never had the chance to meet the emperor.

Zhao Xu was busy with this meeting. Early in the morning, Zhang Zongyi, Minister of Rites, and Chongyi Gong Chai Yong came together, saying that they would discuss with the emperor and rehearse the etiquette of presenting prisoners and offering sacrifices.This is a good opportunity to grow face, Zhao Xu naturally hopes that the more grand the better.So that when the servant came to report that the eldest princess of Shu had something to see, Zhao Xu waved his hand, saying that everything would wait until after the sacrificial ceremony.

Zhao Baoan was very anxious and wanted to rush over, but was stopped by the servants and officials from the Ministry of Rites.How sacred is it in the Taimiao?Zhao Baoan didn't dare to be too arrogant, so he could only leave in despair, looking for another opportunity.

Zhao Fukang saw it from a distance, and smiled coldly in his heart. Lin Zhao sent them a message early in the morning.Today is a big day for father and younger brother, so she naturally has to contribute.As for Zhang Zongyi, if it weren't for Lin Zhao, he would have no chance to become the Minister of Rites.Chai Yong, who succeeded his brother as Lord Chongyi, is Chai Minyan's biological father, so they are naturally willing to help with a little advice.

Gao Taotao and Zhao Baoan had no choice but to think carefully, even if Zhao Xu knew about it, he would not be able to stop it!We can only hope that the assassins on King Pu's side will succeed.

It's a pity that they were a little disappointed in the result!

At three o'clock in the morning, they watched Lin Zhao appear in the square in front of the Taimiao, and then he was directly taken away by the officials of the Ministry of Rites, and went to prepare the prisoner ceremony.

Unable to stop it, Lin Zhao is destined to become the focus of today's ceremony.Gao Taotao smiled helplessly in his heart, and could only pray silently, maybe he was overthinking.

can you?

she does not know!

After a while, the shadow of the sundial and the needle fell on Sishi.All the royal relatives and noble officials arrived, and the bell rang.

Lu Yuan was out of breath and finally arrived, but unfortunately the sacrifice had already begun.The queen mother will not be able to meet, maybe King Pu can still talk.

The etiquette of offering sacrifices to the ancestral temple is very complicated. First, there are three ceremonies: welcoming the gods, laying jade and silk, and entering the zu.

After welcoming Emperor Renzong and the spirits of his ancestors and ancestors, Zhang Zongyi, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, sang: "Lay jade and silk!"

Emperor Zhao Xu first led all the officials to kowtow three times. After kneeling down to worship the ancestor's spiritual seat, he got up and put the jade silk on the firewood in front of the Taimiao hall.As soon as he looked up, he saw all the officials knelt down under the steps, and it was so dark that Zhao Xu's imperial pride began to surge in his heart.This is what it feels like to be high in the mountains and dominate the world.

Then light the firewood and tell the world and ancestors with fireworks!At the same time, after Zhao Xu cleaned his hands, he offered incense to worship his ancestors!

Next is the part of reading the sacrificial text, Zhao Xu read out the sacrificial text written by Ouyang Xiu loudly.Ouyang Xiu's writing style is excellent, and a sacrificial essay is very touching. It first counts the achievements of Emperor Renzong, and then expresses the infinite longing and nostalgia of the subjects of the Song Dynasty for him.

After being read by Zhao Xu with eloquence, the old officials under the steps heard about it and recalled his Zong Zong when Emperor Renzong was in power, and they were full of emotion in their hearts.There were also many people who wept on the spot, almost crying bitterly.

Zhao Xu is very good at acting. He will read the sacrificial oration in front of all the officials. At the beginning, his voice is full of emotion, then he is a little hoarse, and later he has a sad face and a crying voice. His grief and filial piety.

After that, he led all the officials to kowtow three times and worship nine times again, and the part of offering sacrifices began!

Similar to the three sacrifices to heaven, Zhao Xu first offered wine and water sacrifices, and all officials kowtowed three times and worshiped nine times.The entire sacrificial ceremony lasted for a long time, and the number of kowtows increased, and all officials had already prepared for it.

Next, he offered wine for the second time, with the same status as Yaxian.Under normal circumstances, it is generally held by the prince.But Zhao Xu's only son, Zhao Mai, is not yet one year old, and occasionally the empress will be the queen. Wu Zetian did this before, and later usurped the world of Li Tang, a lesson from the past.Therefore, since then, if it is not the prince, the prince of the nearest branch will be in charge.

It was King Yang Zhao Hao who played today. He handed over the wine and sacrifices, and Zhao Xu, the chief priest, took over the offerings.As for the person at the end of the sacrificial ceremony, it was King Pu Zhao Zongcheng, who was the nephew of Emperor Renzong, and also held the position of Zong Zhengqing. He was an important member of the clan, so his status was appropriate.Although Zhao Xu has several younger brothers, they are too young to host such a grand occasion.

Zhao Zongcheng walked over with the wine and offerings, his footsteps seemed a little unsteady, and his body trembled slightly.As he is used to seeing big scenes, he should not be nervous.

Zhao Xu was very surprised, what happened to Uncle Huang today?How did he know that Zhao Zongcheng had just received a report that the assassination of Lin Zhao and Concubine Lin had failed, and he had been caught alive.

Here lies the trouble, what should we do if we finally find out who is behind the scenes?
The crime of assassinating Renzong's parents and sons is not a small one, and Gao Taotao and Zhao Xu will definitely not bear it.In case something happened to the public, the biggest possibility is to push all the crimes on himself.How could Zhao Zongsheng not be nervous?If you are in a hurry, if you are not prepared enough, you will be caught in someone else's trap!
It was quite unexpected that some dead men did not commit suicide by taking poison, and they ended up in such a passive situation.I was so anxious that my body trembled a little.

Zhao Xu went in without knowing it, baffled, and a little unhappy in his heart.On such an important occasion, the performance is too poor?Could it be that Uncle Huang deliberately didn't give face?In the past few years, Zhao Xu has severely cracked down on the clan, and it is possible that King Pu may be dissatisfied.

Zhao Zongcheng was full of worry and helplessness, and he really wanted to tell Zhao Xu when the sacrifice was handed over.However, the time is short, where can we whisper during the ceremony?
Watching Zhao Xu take the sacrifice and present it, Zhao Zongcheng sighed secretly.Thinking in his heart, for the present plan, he can only make good use of his status as Zong Zhengqing to prevent Lin Zhao from returning to the royal family!
　The sacrificial etiquette of the ancestral temple is not very clear, please refer to the procedure of offering sacrifices to heaven.What is wrong, please bear with me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)