Chapter 346

Early December.

The day of the Winter Sacrifice.

Early morning.

The sky had not yet fully brightened; the window paper of the bedchamber only reflected a hazy, fish-belly white.

The icicles under the eaves hung long, and occasionally, broken snow fell from the tile seams, hitting the window lattice as lightly as feathers.

Yuwen Yan was still leaning obliquely on the dragon bed, the bright yellow brocade quilt draped loosely over his knees. Half a jade hairpin was still tangled in his hair, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes. When swayed by the string of pearls hanging from the top of the bed canopy, he appeared even more weary.

"Your Majesty—" A eunuch's lowered voice came from outside the hall, carrying a cautious probing, "The Grand Chancellor is already waiting outside..."

"Hmm."

It was quiet inside the canopy for a moment, followed by Yuwen Yan's impatient voice, still carrying sleepiness: "Understood..."

His voice was still wrapped in the hoarseness of not being fully awake, the tail end of his words dragged out long.

However, at the thought of what might happen soon, he suddenly hooked the corners of his lips, and the weariness in his eyes was replaced by a cold sharpness.

He lifted the quilt and sat up. The impatience in his voice had faded completely, leaving only a clear, crisp alertness: "Dress me."

The jade belt of the ceremonial robe had just been fastened to the third button when the hall door was suddenly pushed open. The cold wind, rolling with snow foam, rushed in, blowing the candlelight to tilt violently.

Yuwen Hu was dressed in black sacrificial robes, the twelve-chapter patterns glowing with a dull, dark light in the morning sun. When he strode in, his hem swept over the threshold, bringing with it a fierce wind.

"Your Majesty, please hurry!" His voice was not high, but it carried an unquestionable urgency. His gaze swept over the crown held in the palace maid's hands, and his brows furrowed slightly. "We must not miss the auspicious time!"

"Lest the gods blame us and not protect our Great Zhou with favorable weather..."

Hah! You're afraid of missing your own auspicious time, aren't you... Yuwen Yan's fingertips paused lightly on the jade beads of the crown. He had long since been sneering coldly in his heart, but on the surface, he showed nothing at all. He even retracted that faint, almost non-existent aloofness, only nodding slightly, his voice carrying a touch of docility: "I understand!"

As he spoke, he raised his hands to straighten the front of his ceremonial robe, his movements slow but steady.

"Let's go."

The two words were spoken softly, without a hint of emotion, just like a submissive junior responding to an elder's instructions.

The imperial carriage was burning silver-thread charcoal, and it was warm and cozy, yet it could not dispel the invisible barrier between the two.

Yuwen Yan closed his eyes and leaned against the brocade cushion. The beads of the crown collided gently with the swaying of the carriage, making a faint sound.

Yuwen Hu sat opposite him, the dark patterns on his black sacrificial robes appearing and disappearing in the dim light. His gaze fell on the young emperor's side profile, carrying a touch of complex emotion.

"It's the end of another year..." He suddenly sighed lightly, his voice flat, as if chatting about daily life, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade belt hook on his court dress. "Your Majesty and the late Emperor are becoming more and more alike!"

Thinking back to when his uncle entrusted the orphans to him, the country was in turmoil, and those with ulterior motives in the court were stirring...

Now, it could be considered much more stable.

And this cousin was also becoming increasingly heroic, like his father.

"Is that so?"

Yuwen Yan's hand, which was lifting the curtain, paused. The snow particles hit his fingertips, icy and bone-chilling. He asked with interest, "Then, cousin, do you think I look like him in appearance, or in temperament?"

"Both!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Hu slowly turned his jade thumb ring, looked Yuwen Yan up and down, and said decisively.

He paused, then continued: "Your Majesty is still young and needs tempering. Given time, you will surely be a wise and enlightened monarch, and you will definitely be able to fulfill the late Emperor's wish, sweep across the north and south, and unify the mountains and rivers!"

As he spoke, he suddenly smiled, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes were filled with warmth.

Before his uncle passed away, he had called him to his sickbed and given him earnest instructions. Yuwen Hu had not forgotten them for a single moment.

First stabilize the Yuwen family's empire, then plot for the north and south, and unify the world...

Have you given me a chance to be tempered? I'm afraid the one who most wants to raise me to be useless, to be mediocre and incompetent, is you, right? In this way, you can hold power for a long, long time... Yuwen Yan listened to this outpouring of true feelings without the slightest bit of being moved. He sneered coldly in his heart and did not take the bait, but instead suddenly asked: "Cousin, do you believe in destiny?"

"Of course!"

Yuwen Hu replied without any hesitation, enunciating every word clearly.

Immediately after, he asked in return: "Why did Your Majesty suddenly ask about this?"

"I was just speaking from feeling!" Yuwen Yan put down the hand that was lifting the curtain and said calmly.

Yuwen Hu pushed the jade thumb ring toward the root of his finger, and his voice added a touch of passion, as if he were truly holding a sincere heart. He said solemnly: "Destiny lies with our Yuwen family!"

"This King will also do his utmost to assist Your Majesty in creating an immortal achievement!"

He spoke earnestly, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes revealed an eagerness to share in the glory, as if a picture of a prosperous age had already unfolded before his eyes.

Yuwen Yan sat opposite him, the beads of his crown swaying gently with the slight swaying of the carriage. Witnessing this scene, he held a faint smile at the corners of his lips, as gentle as melting snow in spring.

However, deep in the eyes of that gentle smile, a trace of resentment flashed extremely quickly.

The snow in the southern suburbs of Chang'an always fell more fiercely than in the city.

The three-layered square altar was built of bluestone, each layer nine feet high, and the circumference was thirty-six paces wide.

The altar surface was paved with polished black stone, which, when reflected by the snow, gave off a cold, blue light.

Twelve dragon-coiled stone pillars stood along the edges, the dragon bodies entwined with cloud patterns.

On the east and west sides below the altar were the flags of the twenty-eight constellations. The five-colored flags—blue, red, yellow, white, and black—flapped in the wind and snow. The star patterns on the flags were embroidered with gold thread, and although they were dampened by snow particles, they still exuded solemnity.

The sacrificial pyre south of the altar was a full three zhang high, with pine and cypress branches and mulberry wood stacked layer upon layer. At the top were tied the three sacrificial animals. Thin snow fell on the animal fur, appearing miserably white under the gloomy sky.

There were ninety-nine stone steps leading to the top of the altar, each carved with meander patterns. Beside the steps stood imperial guards holding halberds, their black armor covered in snow, yet they remained as motionless as iron men.

At the end of the procession, several minor officials wearing blue robes from the Ministry of Spring were shrinking their necks and rubbing their hands, their noses frozen red.

One of them had sharp eyes and, seeing the bright yellow curtain of the warm carriage approaching, suddenly tugged at his colleague's sleeve, his voice pressed low and urgent: "It's the carriage of His Majesty and the Grand Chancellor!"

"Several old Pillars of State and high court officials have all arrived..."

The other squinted for a moment, then looked around, as if thinking of something. He exhaled a puff of white air, his tone carrying a touch of irrepressible confusion: "Hey! Why is it that only Chen Dudu's figure is missing?"

He stared for a long time, but he couldn't see even a shadow of Lord Chen Yan...

"On such an important occasion, Chen Dudu couldn't possibly not come!" The minor official beside him smacked his lips and said in a deep voice, "Could it be that, just as the rumors say, Chen Dudu has already met..."

"Watch your tongue!"

The words "assassinated and died" had not yet left his mouth when he was interrupted by the minor official in the front row. He glared fiercely and lowered his voice: "Is this the kind of thing that can be said here?"

"Don't you see that there are Embroidered Attire Envoys on guard all around?"

"If this reaches their ears, you'll be in for a world of trouble..."

The minor official suddenly realized, hurriedly shrank his neck, and patted his mouth repeatedly, "Brother Yuan is right to remind me!"

"It was my slip of the tongue!"

As he spoke, he cautiously observed the Embroidered Attire Envoys on the side.

Only when he was sure no one was paying attention did he put down his hanging heart.

Yuwen Yan stepped on the footstool set up by the carriage bearers and landed. The hem of his ceremonial robe swept over the accumulated snow, splashing up a few bits of white.

He raised his hand to press the crown that was swaying slightly in the wind, his gaze slowly sweeping over the court officials below the steps, finally landing on the several old Pillars of State in the front row.

Duke of Chu Zhao Qian leaned on a jade staff, frost congealing on his snow-white long beard. His face was crisscrossed with gullies, and his gaze toward the top of the altar was as calm as a frozen lake.

But the knuckles resting on the head of the staff were stroking the old carvings in a way no one noticed.

Duke of Wei Dugu Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, a thin layer of snow on the shoulders of his black robe. He looked at the stone steps with a half-smile, as if looking at something interesting.

Deep in his eyes, however, hid a trace of sharpness that was hard to fathom.

Yuwen Yan's fingertips paused lightly on the jade belt hook, and he muttered to himself in his heart: "Looking at the expressions of Dugu Zhao and Zhao Qian and those behind them, I'm afraid it's really as Sun Zhi said..."

"Something big is really going to happen today!"

"Where will they strike from?"

Thinking of this, expectation flashed in the young emperor's pupils...

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"The auspicious time has arrived! — Respectfully invite the Grand Chancellor to ascend the altar and sacrifice to Heaven!"

The master of ceremonies' voice pierced through the wind and snow, echoing clearly over the altar in the southern suburbs.

This announcement was like a giant stone thrown into still water, instantly breaking the stagnation below the altar.

The gazes of the officials gathered with a "swish," falling on Yuwen Hu.

Some hid expectation in their eyes, some furrowed their brows, and others lowered their eyelids, their fingers curling quietly in their sleeves...

Yuwen Hu straightened the front of his black sacrificial robe, turned his jade thumb ring lightly on his knuckle, and turned to step onto the first stone step. His black robe hem swept over the accumulated snow, leaving a shallow mark, and the ninety-nine steps slowly unfolded beneath his feet.

"Cousin, how proud do you think Yuwen Hu is!"

Yuwen Yan looked at Yuwen Hu's back and used his elbow to nudge Yuwen Lun beside him, lowering his voice.

Grand Chancellor, are you really not setting up any defenses?... Yuwen Lun's brows were filled with heaviness, and he muttered in his heart, but he did not forget to feign agreement: "Yes! It's easy to fall when you climb high..."

"Let's go!"

"Let's move toward Yuwen Heng..."

Yuwen Yan did not notice anything unusual, locked his gaze on Yuwen Heng on the other side, and moved his feet lightly.

Watching him build a high building, watching him feast guests, watching his building collapse, the little emperor was waiting for this cousin Grand Chancellor to follow in Chen Yan's footsteps...

And he was also looking forward to his own grasp of power in the near future!

"Yuwen Hu, oh Yuwen Hu, we've been fighting for almost a year now..."

Also looking at the Grand Chancellor's back was Dugu Zhao, sharpness flashing in the depths of his pupils, like a cold pool hidden in a deep valley, calm on the surface but with dark tides surging underneath. He secretly thought: "Everything today should come to an end!"

He twitched the corners of his mouth, his gaze falling on Yuwen Ze, who was standing side-by-side with Yuwen Heng, revealing an almost invisible cold sneer: "After you die, my grandson will inherit the title of Prince of Jin, and will inherit everything you have!"

"Your only son will also meet you in the underworld in the near future!"

When Yuwen Hu's boot soles stepped on the last stone step, the accumulated snow was ground out with a faint sound, which was particularly clear in the silence at the top of the altar.

Standing in front of the yellow silk tent, the snow on his black sacrificial robe was mostly rolled away by the wind, with only a few bits of white remaining on his shoulders, contrasting with the tassels on the top of the tent.

The master of ceremonies had long been waiting by the desk, holding a scroll of sacrificial text in his hand. Seeing him stand still, he began to chant loudly.

The words of the sacrificial text were ancient and solemn, echoing in the wind and snow, from "In the first year of Great Zhou's brilliant virtue, the year is Guiyou" to "Pray to the heavens for protection, for the country to be prosperous and the people to be at peace." Every word seemed to be soaked in ice, exuding unquestionable solemnity.

After chanting, the master of ceremonies put away the sacrificial text and turned to take three sticks of sandalwood incense from the desk.

The firelight flickered in the wind, casting his shadow onto the vermilion felt rug, stretching it long and thin.

"Please, Grand Chancellor, offer the incense!" He bowed, handing the incense to Yuwen Hu, his voice carrying programmed respect.

"May the gods protect Great Zhou, and may every year be a bountiful one." Yuwen Hu raised his hand to take it, his fingertips touching the warmth of the incense handle.

After speaking, he inserted the sandalwood incense into the incense burner, and the three sticks stood straight together.

"Hmm?"

"Something's wrong!"

"What is going on!"

Yuwen Hu suddenly sensed something unusual.

The bronze burner body, which had originally exuded a warm luster, now faintly revealed a trace of unusual dark red, and the smoke from the burner mouth was no longer a slow, curling wisp.

Instead, it was as if it were being stirred by something, puffing upward, carrying a scorched restlessness...

——

PS: Nearly seven thousand words in two chapters, asking for a free little gift,? (′? `?).