It is indeed not far from Kyoto to Honglin Lake. After two hours of carriage driving, you can already see the sparkling lake.
This time the sacrifice was hosted by the fourth prince.
Since the emperor did not order the people to avoid it, many people gathered around Honglin Lake to watch the excitement.
Qin Rushuang deliberately walked slowly when she dismounted. She wanted to hear what the people thought about this matter, and maybe she could get some useful information.
Since she agreed to Xie Xun to come to see the Honglin Lake sacrifice, she naturally didn't just come for fun. If there was something really fishy about this matter, she would naturally seek justice for the girls who died in vain.
From the discussions among the people, Qin Rushuang quickly sorted out what happened recently.
I don’t know what happened this year. After one person drowned in Hongling Lake from Kaihu Lake, more than a dozen women who were traveling in spring fell into the water one after another.
The bodies of those women were not found after they fell into the water. It was rumored that the river god was dissatisfied with the Spring Festival and wanted to drag young women to sacrifice.
A few days ago, a boat capsized and many people died.
The incident reached the ears of the emperor, who ordered the lake to be closed and the Spring Festival held again.
The emperor attached great importance to the Spring Festival this time and sent the fourth prince to personally supervise it, with Xie Xun assisting.
"Brother and sister-in-law, you are here."
As soon as Qin Rushuang and Xie Xun approached, a man in rich clothes hurried over to greet them.
The fourth prince, Xie Yang.
Qin Rushuang had met the fourth prince before, but they didn't interact with each other and only met a few times from a distance.
Now that I got closer and looked closer, I realized that the fourth prince looked somewhat similar to Xie Xun.
It's just that he is less murderous than Xie Xun and more gentle.
The fourth prince was born to a concubine in the palace. The concubine was originally just a little palace maid, but she had good luck. By chance, she got the emperor's blessing, and the fourth prince was born.
Then the mother got a concubine based on the value of her son. Even so, she was very low-key in the palace in the early years.
The fourth prince was supposed to be an unpopular prince, and he was indeed like this when he was a child.
Until something big or small happened to this concubine.
One time when Xiao Shan, the left prime minister of Da Qi, entered the palace, he accidentally saw this concubine. The more he looked at it, the more familiar she looked. Later, he explained the matter to the emperor and called the concubine to ask about it. He actually told the story.
The mystery of this concubine’s life experience.
This concubine turned out to be the living flesh and blood of Left Prime Minister Xiao Shan.
This story, which seems like a storybook, actually happened in Da Qi's palace.
What followed was a drama of recognizing one's ancestors and returning to the clan, and the fourth prince, who had been ignored by the emperor, finally showed some talent.
It is difficult to tell clearly whether the fourth prince suddenly became enlightened or whether he remained dormant until he had the support of the left prime minister before he dared to compete with other princes for favor.
And whether this concubine is really the flesh and blood of the left prime minister as rumored is worth investigating.
In short, although the fourth prince looks handsome and kind, he is also a bottomless person.
This spring festival was held on the lake. To show the importance, the fourth prince specially ordered someone to bring his own painting boat.
That painted boat was more than twice as big as an ordinary painted boat, with three levels above and below. The bow was painted bright yellow and carved with auspicious animals. It was so majestic.
When Qin Rushuang went to the painting studio, there were pigs, cattle, mutton and other sacrificial items on the bow deck, and several officials from Qintian Prison were checking whether the sacrifices were appropriate.
On the other side, the fourth prince and everyone were waiting for the start.
Although Qin Rushuang brought the Sumei people with him, the Sumei people were of low status and naturally could not board the ship with them to participate in the sacrifice.
Next to the fourth prince was Xie Xun, followed by a group of officials. At the end of the team, Qin Rushuang was yawning.
It was windy on the lake, and she wore a white cloak today, which made her face look even smaller.
The sacrifice began soon, and incense as thick as an arm was lit on the boat. Qin Rushuang also cheered up, wanting to see what was going on in the Red Forest Lake.
The officials of the Qintian Prison began to read the sacrificial scriptures, and after a while, several guards threw the scented sacrificial offerings into the lake.
After all the sacrifices were thrown into the lake, another official from Qintian Prison took out another book and began to chant the names of the sacrifices. After finishing the long list of sacrifices, the official said: "The ceremony is over! May God bless me.
May the weather be smooth and the country and the people be safe!"
Everyone followed him and worshiped the river god. The guards began to clean the deck. The official also came over to ask the fourth prince for instructions. The sacrifice was over and whether he should stop the boat and dock.
The fourth prince waved his hand, come back!
The whole sacrificial process was very short, and the lake was calm and nothing happened.
Qin Rushuang had some doubts about what happened at Honglin Lake, so she stood and waited for a while. The guards had cleaned the deck and were about to leave the boat. Another team of guards went to notify the boatman to turn the helm.
It seems like nothing really happened today.
However, just as everyone was about to return to the cabin, the ship suddenly tilted to the right!
Crash - everyone was shaken by the sudden shock and became a little unsteady.
The guard yelled: "There are noble people on board! Turn slower!"
The boatman's face turned pale: "But, I...I haven't turned the helm yet..."
"Blood! Blood! Look in the lake!" At this time, an official standing on the edge pointed at the lake and said incoherently.
I saw an undercurrent suddenly rising from the originally calm lake surface, bringing with it large areas of dark red. This was followed by an even more violent shaking of the boat's hull, and the people on the boat were almost unable to stand still.
"Quick! Protect the two princes!" All the guards quickly gathered around Xie Xun and the fourth prince.
The officials and entourage who were guarding the shore also saw the movement in the lake. A few good swimmers had already jumped into the water and swam quickly to the boat. If something happened to the two princes, all of them would lose their heads!
The hull of the boat was still shaking violently, and the scene was very strange: the rest of the lake was calm, except for the water centered on the painting boat, where dark red blood kept rising up with the rolling waves.
Qin Rushuang was also shaking unsteadily. She was standing very close to the fence and could only hold on to the handrail tightly.
Wow – Wow –
Qin Rushuang frowned, "No! If this continues, the boat will capsize!"
Boom - there was another surge under the water, and Qin Rushuang's feet were stained with water. With this undercurrent, her feet slipped and she almost lost her balance!
Even though she had great martial arts skills, she couldn't use them on this boat, so she could only hold on to the handrails desperately.
Xie Xun on the other side was surrounded by officials and kept looking anxiously towards Qin Rushuang. Seeing her unsteady feet, Xie Xun's heart also jumped!
"Rushuang!"
[The author has something to say]
Qin Fanghao temporarily went offline to cuckold the prince, and he may open a few new maps next. After all, pregnant Shuangshuang is too boring, so he still has to join in the fun!
