The next day, early morning.

The first ray of sunlight streamed through the window, landing on Chen Yuan's face.

His eyelashes twitched, and he opened his eyes, calmly sitting up in bed and getting dressed.

He had enjoyed a good night's sleep for the first time in a while.

Ever since Jiang He and the others had left the night before, he had sat in the secret chamber for two hours, originally intending to spend the night cultivating, but for some reason, a long-lost drowsiness washed over him.

He didn't resist it and returned to his room to sleep.

Everything was peaceful.

After breakfast, Chen Yuan donned his official uniform as commander of the Imperial City and headed towards the Imperial City.

This day was the ninth day of the twelfth month in the eighth year of Jingtai of the Great Jin Dynasty, and also the triennial ancestral worship ceremony of the royal family.

......

......

The ancestral worship ceremony was held every three years. For over two hundred years, no matter what happened, it had never been postponed or canceled, and had become almost a symbol.

In the beginning, when the Great Jin Dynasty was founded, it was not stable. Whenever this time of year arrived, there would be unrest in the world, and this time was no exception. The Northern Barbarians attacking the border was just one example.

As far as Chen Yuan knew, there were people inciting rebellion within Xue Province, manipulated by the forces of the Demonic Path.

The ancestral worship ceremony was held in the Western Imperial City, the closest place to the Imperial Mausoleum, with a distant view of the misty mountains, making it a perfect location.

As mentioned before, the Imperial City was vast, comparable to a prefecture-level city.

The Imperial Palace alone naturally didn't need such a large space.

The Eastern Imperial City was close to the Imperial Harem, the Southern Imperial City was close to the Imperial Palace, the Western Imperial City was closest to the Imperial Mausoleum, and the Northern Imperial City was the location of the Imperial Clan.

In fact, it would have been more advantageous for Chen Yuan to become the commander of the Western Imperial City, but that would have inevitably attracted attention.

Moreover, the closer to the start of the ancestral worship ceremony, the less movement there could be. With the promotion of the commander of the Eastern Imperial City, it naturally became the Tao Divine Palace's primary choice.

And the Western Imperial City's commander was also an important part of the guard during the upcoming ancestral worship ceremony.

From the morning onwards, the court began to rapidly prepare for the ancestral worship ceremony. Although it couldn't be described as ostentatious, with the court's scale, even if it wasn't ostentatious, it was still shocking enough.

Within the capital city, all weddings, funerals, and other events had been prohibited since seven days prior. The ancestral worship ceremony had to be solemn and dignified.

After Chen Yuan arrived at the Eastern Imperial City Division, he mustered his men and began to quickly assemble towards the Western Imperial City. This time, the elite of the Eastern Imperial City were all dispatched to escort the smooth holding of the ceremony.

Except...

No matter how well it was done, it was just a superficial effort.

If it really came to defense, the men under his command would just be cannon fodder.

On the way, Chen Yuan vaguely mentioned some things to Tao Qingyuan, saying that he had been secretly summoned by the Emperor and would leave for a while after the start of the ancestral worship ceremony, at which point he would need Tao Qingyuan to take control of everything.

If anyone else asked, don't let them notice.

Tao Qingyuan solemnly expressed that he understood, telling Chen Yuan to rest assured.

Anyway, Chen Yuan was used to leaving these things to him, and there wouldn't be any slip-ups.

He believed that a mere Dan Realm Grandmaster like Tao Qingyuan wouldn't attract anyone's attention when the chaos started.

At a quarter past Chen Shi (around 7:15 AM), the men of the Eastern Imperial City Division had all arrived at the designated location. They arrived neither too early nor too late. Before Chen Yuan led his men, the other Imperial City commanders had already begun to deploy.

About thirty steps apart, there was a guard. Several thousand people firmly guarded the outermost layer.

Among the four Imperial City Commanders, two were under the jurisdiction of the Sky Patrol Division, and the other two were under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Surveillance Division. Their relationship wasn't good.

They simply nodded as a greeting.

Only Wu Gou, the commander belonging to the Sky Patrol Division, stepped forward to greet Chen Yuan. He was nearly sixty years old and considered a veteran Solid Core Grandmaster.

He had been in this position for nearly ten years, a seasoned veteran.

But he didn't dare to put on any airs in front of Chen Yuan. Not to mention Chen Yuan's previous reputation, just his close relationship with the Mysterious Character Divine Envoy Zhang Yantong was enough for him to curry favor and keep a low profile.

Chen Yuan didn't put on airs either, and had a few discreet conversations.

Time passed by, minute by minute.

The Imperial Guards in the palace also began to arrive gradually. They were the second layer of defense, with a number only about one-third of the four Imperial City Divisions, only three hundred or so.

But they were the elite of the elite.

All of them were selected from the Sky Patrol Division, the military, or the Imperial Guards. Their duty was to guard the Emperor, more practical than ceremonial guards.

The lowest was also a Ning Gang martial artist, wearing golden chain mail armor and holding a long halberd, standing expressionlessly on the side.

The cultivation of the Imperial Guard Commander was also a level higher than the four commanders, being a Transformation Yang True Person.

Chen Yuan even glanced around and didn't find anyone who was ugly or relatively short, obviously there were some requirements regarding appearance.

After the arrival of the men from the four Imperial City Divisions and the Imperial Guards, the preparation process for the ancestral worship ceremony also began to gradually proceed. Officials from the Ministry of Rites entered the scene.

On a high platform, a large number of fresh sacrifices were placed.

And these sacrifices made Chen Yuan narrow his eyes slightly.

Because what was placed out was not ordinary poultry and livestock, but 'demonic creatures' that were many times larger!

Even if it was just the head, it was bigger than a whole livestock.

The whole thing was processed very cleanly and placed on the altar.

In addition, there were also melons and fruits.

Without exception, these melons and fruits were not ordinary things.

All of them contained spirituality, and if placed outside, they would be worth quite a few Yuan Crystals.

As expected of the imperial family's ancestral worship, they were indeed rich and powerful.

In front of the altar, a giant furnace was carried out of the ancestral temple by martial artists, and then three sticks of high incense were inserted by officials from the Ministry of Rites.

In the cumbersome preparation process, a lot of time also passed.

In the blink of an eye, it was Si Shi (around 9:00-11:00 AM).

Around nine o'clock in the morning.

The preparation for the ancestral worship was almost complete. Chen Yuan fixed his gaze and keenly saw a large group of people coming from not far away, led by Jingtai's dragon carriage.

Jingtai wore a golden dragon robe, embroidered with nine lifelike dragons.

At his side were princes such as Sima Qian, Sima You, and Sima Ke, but there was only Princess Pingyang as a woman, for some unknown reason.

Even Jingtai's sons, even if they were children, were now standing respectfully behind him.

Further out were the officials from the Ministry of Rites.

As soon as Jingtai arrived, the civil and military officials who had been prepared, the court nobles, and the imperial clan members also began to enter in succession from the other directions, and soon gathered a large group of people.

The four Divine Envoys of the Sky Patrol Division, the Superintendent Cao Zhengxian of the Imperial Factory, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Grand Secretary, and the nobles of all levels all made their true appearance on this day.

It was also the most complete one that Chen Yuan had ever seen.

At a rough glance, there were as many as hundreds of people gathered behind Jingtai.

Originally, Chen Yuan should also be in the crowd of nobles, but because of his duties, he could not abandon his position as commander to follow and worship.

But he had no regrets.

If possible, he would avoid paying respects to these ancestors of the Sima family.

As soon as these people came out, the entire vast venue began to be surrounded by a solemn and respectful atmosphere. No one dared to make a loud noise. Chen Yuan's gaze kept flickering.

Suddenly, he noticed several gazes fixed on him.

His eyes narrowed, first focusing on Princess Pingyang. The two stared at each other for a moment, smiled and nodded, and then looked away.

Then came the other two princes, Sima Qian and Sima You.

They had faint smiles on their faces, greeting Chen Yuan.

He also smiled back.

Finally... there was the gaze of the Fourth Prince, Sima Ke.

Although he had been punished by Jingtai to copy Buddhist and Taoist scriptures, and quietly meditate in the palace for a period of time, such an imperial sacrifice could not be missed and had to be attended, but his gaze was somewhat complicated.

There was hatred, there was fear, and there was also inexplicable irritability.

Especially when he saw Chen Yuan and his imperial sister Pingyang flirting with each other, he felt a burst of inexplicable awkwardness in his heart. He didn't want to think about it from another perspective, the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became.

Imperial Consort, Imperial Sister, Chen Yuan...

These three names kept swirling in his mind.

Looking at his gaze, Chen Yuan curled the corner of his mouth and moved his lips.

Sima Ke's face suddenly changed drastically, and he abruptly shifted his gaze. He saw Chen Yuan's lip movements.

It was the words "Consort Shu".

At this moment, he suddenly realized that he might be finished.

With such a handle in Chen Yuan's hands, wouldn't he be eaten for life?

Was he going to be completely controlled by him?

As long as he didn't ascend the throne, once any news came out of Chen Yuan's mouth, then he would basically be finished. The imperial clan and court officials would not allow someone who could disrupt the harem to become the emperor.

At the same time, he also felt extremely aggrieved.

He was controlled by Chen Yuan, his imperial consort was intimate with Chen Yuan, his imperial sister was in love with Chen Yuan...

Why the hell were they targeting his family?

Wasn't it just because he offended this guy before?

But his uncle was also severely punished for this!

Seeing Sima Ke's face constantly changing with an uncertain expression, Chen Yuan's mouth also curled into an imperceptible smile.

This secret...

He would eat it for life!

Unfortunately, Chen Yuan didn't know Sima Ke's thoughts, otherwise he would definitely provoke him.

For example, he could glance at him calmly, and then say softly:

"Your mother is very moist!"

"What's wrong?"

Jingtai frowned and turned his gaze to Sima Ke.

"No... it's nothing, I just thought of something."

With a light humph, Jingtai ignored Sima Ke, causing the corners of Sima Qian and Sima You's mouths to curl up.

Among those civil and military officials, Chen Yuan also discovered Guo Peng's figure. He was not in the ranks of the Ministry of War officials, but stood behind several great Confucian scholars.

Seeing Chen Yuan's gaze sweeping over, he smiled kindly at him.

In addition, Chen Yuan also discovered a problem.

The current National Teacher, that Puxian Bodhisattva, and the Divine Martial True Monarch, whom he had never met, did not appear on this occasion. Also, he knew that the imperial clan also had True Monarch experts.

But now, for some reason, they had not shown up.

Could it be that True Monarchs didn't have to participate in the ancestral worship?

Or was there some scheme?

However, quite a few Transformation Yang experts from the court had arrived. Just within his perception, he had discovered no less than ten Transformation Yang True Persons appearing here.

While Chen Yuan was pondering this matter, the time was also approaching around noon. The ancestral worship ceremony was about to begin, and four figures slowly walked out.

All four of them were wearing Taoist robes, holding whisks, and standing in the four directions of the altar.

Then, the four of them waved the whisks in their hands in unison.

In the next moment, the originally cloudless sky instantly began to surge with clouds.

In the eyes of the crowd, they transformed into beautiful scrolls.

Golden dragons danced, and fire phoenixes spread their wings.

Two mythical beasts transformed from clouds hovered in the sky above the imperial city.

Just this one hand was a miracle for the ordinary people in the capital, and the people who saw this scene knelt down and saluted.

And this one hand also made Chen Yuan's expression serious.

Such skillful control of Yuan Qi was not something that could be done casually. It had to be meticulous, at least, he couldn't do this at the moment.

But he didn't feel any dangerous aura from these four Taoists.

It could only be said that these guys had this unique skill.

Dan Realm Grandmasters were not as good.

At the same time, a series of ancient horns began to sound. Those sturdy men held their breath and blew hard, the sound spreading nearly ten thousand meters...

At this moment, in Qingyun Temple in the capital.

An old man in a Taoist robe was lying leisurely on a chair, gently shaking the fan in his hand, looking at the golden dragon and fire phoenix in the void with narrowed eyes.

"Abbot, look quickly, a miracle!"

The little Taoist children next to him were extremely excited to see this scene.

They were not very old, and although this was not the first time they had seen such a scene, they were still extremely excited.

"I see..."

The old abbot nodded with a smile.

"Abbot, why didn't you go to the benefactor's house nearby to practice medicine today?"

One of the Taoist children asked casually.

Although the imperial family's ancestral worship prohibited weddings and funerals, it did not prohibit normal activities.

"I feel a little uncomfortable today, I want to take a day off."

"Oh."

"Abbot, do you think this is a divine immortal's method?"

"Almost..."

"I'm really envious, immortals must be able to live forever."

"That's not necessarily true, it depends on what kind of immortals."

"Abbot, you're not feeling well today, why didn't you let the junior brothers go out?"

"The old man observed the celestial phenomena last night, today may not be very peaceful, it's better to be safe in the temple."

Time passed by minute by minute, and the sound of the horns gradually began to stop, but the golden dragons and fire phoenixes in the void did not disappear. An official from the Ministry of Rites looked at the sky, took a deep breath, and said loudly:

"The auspicious time has arrived, please... ancestors!"

The loud voice echoed in everyone's ears. One by one, the officials from the Ministry of Rites began to walk out successively. After a series of cumbersome ceremonies, several officials bowed and held white jade tablets, gradually placing them on the altar.

These were the tablets of the Great Jin Dynasty's past emperors, and they were the ones who were sacrificed during the ancestral worship.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath, calmly surveying the surroundings.

Peaceful, solemn, it seemed that everyone's gaze was attracted by the ancestral worship.

There were no abnormalities.

And in the end, an old man of the imperial clan held a jade box with both hands, approaching the high platform step by step, his face extremely solemn.

The jade box was opened, and inside was a palm-sized, ancient stone cauldron.

And when he saw this cauldron, Chen Yuan suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable throbbing in his heart. He didn't know where it came from, but it just felt very special.

Could it be ambition?

Chen Yuan had heard something about the origin of this stone cauldron.

Others didn't know because it was a secret, but Chen Yuan had heard Chu Changfeng mention it yesterday, saying that this thing... was very likely to be the treasure that the court used to suppress the national fortune.

It was rumored that there were a total of nine of these cauldrons. They were treasures refined by the ancient Human Race Martial Emperor after establishing the world. After thousands of years, they had mostly been lost.

Only Chu Taizu had found one.

After the Sima imperial clan usurped the throne, they inherited this treasure cauldron, which symbolized orthodoxy.

But it was only a possibility. If it was really a treasure for suppressing the national fortune, why would it be taken out casually?

Were they really not afraid of someone snatching it?

And in Chu Changfeng's mouth, Chen Yuan also heard a sentence about the connection between that Chu Taizu and a cauldron. History books recorded that Taizu was brave, unparalleled throughout the ages, and had the strength to lift a cauldron.

He didn't know if it was referring to this one.

But as he thought about it, he quickly abandoned the idea.

This cauldron was only palm-sized and could be picked up by a member of the imperial clan. How could it be the legendary divine cauldron?

Wouldn't that mean that anyone could lift it?

As for this one, Chen Yuan himself felt that it should just be a symbol.

After all, since ancient times, cauldrons had been important objects.

The ancient stone cauldron was respectfully placed on the altar by the old man of the imperial clan.

Then, he quickly retreated.

A great Confucian scholar with white hair and a white beard, wearing an official robe, strode forward and stood on one side, saying solemnly:

"The ancestral worship ceremony begins!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone around immediately looked solemn.

After the old man finished speaking, he began to recite the sacrificial text.

It was very cumbersome and convoluted.

However, Chen Yuan understood the general meaning, which was roughly that Jingtai inherited the aspirations of his ancestors, worked hard to govern, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. The Great Jin Dynasty would last for ten thousand generations.

And by the way, he asked the ancestors of past generations to bless them...

But this was just for show. Even the Human Race Martial Emperor, the pioneer of martial arts, could not make the dynasty last for ten thousand generations. Even Chu Taizu, who appeared once every thousand years, could only make the former Chu Dynasty last for eight hundred years.

What kind of virtue and ability did the mere Great Jin Dynasty have?

What kind of virtue and ability did the mere Jingtai have?

It should be known that the current court was plagued by internal and external troubles, and the situation had long begun to show signs of decline. Outside of Zhongzhou, how many Jianghu forces in other prefectures regarded the court as an object of awe?

Chen Yuan, who had gradually risen from humble beginnings to the present, was most aware of this.

Otherwise, he would not have developed ambition.

It was because he saw hope that ambition burst forth.

After that scholar from the academy finished reciting the sacrificial text, Jingtai calmly took a few steps forward, surrounded by a great aura, the aura unique to the emperor.

He was incomparably noble and made people look up to him.

Chen Yuan clearly saw the meaning of submission and respect in the eyes of the surrounding officials, and the meaning of longing in the eyes of several princes.

The monarch of a country, the supreme ruler of the world.

When he spoke, the world was shocked, millions of corpses were laid, and blood flowed for thousands of miles.

How could such a high position not make people submit and be respectful? How could it not make people yearn?

Chen Yuan was like that.

Looking at the figure that made everyone present feel submissive and respectful, a surge of ambition burst forth in his eyes. He said to himself in his heart:

"One day, I will take his place!"

——————

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