Chapter 347: Laba Festival Upheaval

A dark red light seeped from the patterns on the bronze incense burner.

It was like the final searing heat of a red‑hot branding iron before being plunged into water.

"Bad!!"

Yuwen Hu's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively lunged backward.

The dark ceremonial robe's hem brushed the jade cong on the table, and the pale jade vessel clanged to the ground, cracking a fissure.

He could even feel the furnace's heat surge instantly, and a strange odor grew ever stronger.

But there was no time to react…

"Boom—"

The deafening boom ripped through the solemnity of the heavenly sacrifice.

The bronze incense burner was like a clay pot crushed by an invisible giant hand.

It instantly shattered into countless fragments bearing tongues of flame.

The dark red orb suddenly expanded, engulfing scorching gusts and acrid smoke, surging outward like a volcanic eruption.

Yuwen Hu and the master of ceremonies were instantly engulfed by the wave of fire.

The guard's shouts were shredded by the explosion, their long spears glowing red in the heat; someone tried to charge forward but was repeatedly blown back by the gust, their armor coated with scorching furnace slag.

"What's happening up there?"

"What exactly is that disturbance?"

The roar from the altar's summit was like a giant hammer striking ice, shaking the entire sacrificial platform.

The densely packed attending ministers were first stunned, as if an invisible hand had clutched their breath.

The solemn echo of the sacrificial music had barely faded when the explosion tore through the snow curtain, arriving unannounced.

"A crisis!" an official shouted, pointing at the fire soaring upward.

The ministers instantly erupted into chaos, and the once orderly ranks became disordered.

The crisp clatter of ceremonial tablets, the squeak of boots on frozen ground, and the rising and falling chatter spread like a tide beneath the altar.

"The altar's summit has been engulfed by a sea of fire…."

"No!"

Yuwen Ze, as if scalded by the sea of fire, staggered forward two steps and suddenly realized, "Father is still up there!"

"Father, father!"

He shouted, then lunged forward onto the stone steps.

His boots slipped on the icy stone slab, and he hurled forward like a madman.

All he could see was the raging sea of fire, all he could hear was his own drum‑like heartbeat and the obsession "Father is still up there."

"Prince Heir, you mustn't go!" Lu Cangfeng saw this and gripped Yuwen Ze's arm tightly.

"Let go of me!"

Yuwen Ze's eyes were blood‑red, his eyeballs streaked with fierce veins, fixed on the rolling fire, "I'll go save my father!"

He struggled wildly, but Lu Cangfeng held him fast: "Prince Heir, do not act rashly!"

"It's far too dangerous up there…"

Their own Prince Heir had lost his mind due to the sudden change, but Lu Cangfeng had not.

If they truly let the Prince Heir charge forward, it would surely be a certain death…

"Let go!"

Yuwen Ze still struggled, veins bulging on his forehead, hysterically roaring, "No danger outweighs saving my father!"

Could one not know the danger?

But at this very moment, his father was in extreme peril!

"Ah Ze, calm down!"

Yuwen Heng stepped forward, pressed the wildly agitated Yuwen Ze's shoulder, and said gravely, "Second Uncle understands your feelings; I'll dispatch an Embroidered Envoy to search for your elder brother!"

"Quickly!"

Hearing his second uncle's words, Yuwen Ze's emotions steadied, and he ceased struggling, yet still urged urgently, "Father is still waiting for our rescue!"

"You Xian, hurry and lead the men!"

Yuwen Heng's face darkened, he exhaled a puff of foul air, looked at the Zhuque Palm Mirror Envoy You Xian standing at his side, and commanded, "Make sure to rescue the Grand Tomb Steward!"

"Understood."

You Xian heard this, a strange hue flashed in his eyes, and without hesitation he replied immediately.

Yuwen Ze collapsed weakly on the ground, his legs feeling as if filled with lead, unable to lift them at all.

A damp, cold chill seeped along his bone joints, yet he remained oblivious; only his burning eyes stayed glued to the fire atop the altar, "Father, father, you must not get hurt!"

Snowflakes fell on Yuwen Ze's sweat‑damp forehead.

They melted instantly.

They streamed down his cheek, indistinguishable as snow melt or tears.

When the thick smoke, bearing fire waves, surged into the heavens.

"It's done!"

Yuwen Hu that brute was blown up dead on the altar's summit!

Zhao Qian stood within the ranks of the attending ministers.

The hem of his expansive robe rustled as wind and snow blew.

His slightly hunched back suddenly straightened, and a terrifying gleam burst from his eyes.

Like two torches ignited by the wind, they flickered fiercely within the shadows of the thick smoke.

The deafening roar from the altar's summit sounded to him even more melodious than the grandest symphony.

Zhao Qian stared at the soaring sea of flames, then glanced at the grief‑stricken Yuwen Ze, and a barely audible snort of a bitter laugh rolled through his throat.

His face, layered with wrinkles, resembled an old chrysanthemum suddenly in bloom, each furrow hiding an uncontainable exhilaration.

The solemn demeanor he had just upheld had already vanished, and deep in his eyes surged the thrill of overturning the world and the fierce resolve to settle old grudges.

"This power really is massive!"

Gao Bing looked at the altar's summit, where the fire lit half the sky crimson, even the falling snowflakes tinged with an eerie orange; after exchanging a glance with Dou Yi, he couldn't stop sighing inwardly.

"At such a close range, such a terrifying explosion..."

Among the observing officials, Yan Zhi Tui narrowed his eyes, staring unblinkingly at the altar's sea of fire, and thought, "If Yuwen Hu can survive, there must truly be gods or Buddhas in this world!"

He, who had previously observed the explosive power of that gray‑yellow powder.

Yan Zhi Tui knew well that, given the amount in the altar's incense burner, the thunderous roar, and the resulting massive sea of fire...

If Yuwen Hu doesn't get blown to pieces, then there truly is a ghost!

"The powder that Ah Bing supplied is indeed the deadly weapon I saw on duty!"

Dugu Zhao, witnessing the altar's rolling sea of fire, nodded with satisfaction, his eyes full of depth, and thought silently, "Yuwen Hu, the upcoming Great Zhou military and political affairs shall be ruled by me!"

At that moment, with his arch‑enemy dead, he felt an unparalleled exhilaration...

The massive stone that once weighed on his heart, the dread that haunted his midnight dreams, were now burned clean by that sea of fire.

Dugu Zhao seemed to already see the old order collapsing in the blaze, while a new game of strategy unfolded from the ashes.

And he would ultimately be the one holding the pieces!

Yang Qin's gaze burned like a torch; on his otherwise expressionless face, a rare hint of joy appeared, and he thought, "With Yuwen Hu dead, the most crucial and most difficult first step is now..."

"Is this the move of those two old bastards?"

"Truly terrifying..."

Yuwen Yan's gaze lingered on the sea of fire only briefly before sweeping rapidly over the chaotic ministers.

When his sight passed over Yuwen Ze's collapsed, kneeling figure, he instinctively furrowed his brow, and the corner of his eye caught something deep within the crowd.

Those two side‑by‑side veteran ministers, the instigators of all the upheaval.

"Your Majesty..."

Sun Zhi stepped forward, his eyes narrowed into a tight slit, his gaze scanning back and forth between the altar's sea of fire and the turmoil below, his face solemn.

The wrinkles at the corner of his eyes twisted into a knot in the firelight, holding more than mere worry.

He had considered the veteran ministers' method of killing the Grand Tomb Chancellor, but had not anticipated it being like this...

"How heart‑pounding!"

"Fortunately Yuwen Hu chose a solo sacrifice; otherwise I fear I would have perished as well, leaving no bones behind..."

Yuwen Yan shivered violently, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on the back of his neck; a gust made his hair stand on end, as if countless ice needles were drilling up his spine toward his crown.

At this moment, the young emperor felt a surge of dread and relief...

In a sense, Yuwen Hu shielded him from disaster!

Sun Zhi stepped half a stride forward, lowered his voice, his eyes blazing as he said, "This shows that Heaven also watches over Your Majesty!"

"This is a unique, one‑of‑a‑kind opportunity for Your Majesty!"

Saying so, he gave Yuwen Yan a look and handed something to the nearby Yuwen Heng.

"Every link has been meticulously inspected..."

"Why did such a change occur?"

"Where exactly did the problem arise!"

Shang Ting subconsciously clenched his fist, his expression solemn, and mused.

He couldn't understand why, after countless checks of every link, the altar still exploded, leaving the Grand Tomb Chancellor's fate uncertain...

The fire atop the altar still licked the heavens, while the voices below rose like high tide, washing over the initial panic.

"Up there it's all sea of fire!"

A Tian Guan Fu subordinate lowered his voice to a whisper, trembling uncontrollably, glanced left and right, and asked in a hushed tone, "Can a mortal flesh‑bound human truly survive?"

"Shut up!"

The friend and colleague beside him barked loudly, "Can such words even be spoken?"

"Risking your life?"

Immediately, speculation rose among the observing officials:

"Why did it suddenly explode and catch fire?"

"It shouldn't be a coincidence, right?"

A young Tian Guan Fu subordinate rubbed his jaw, analyzing gravely: "The altar... wouldn't explode early or late, yet it detonated precisely during the Grand Tomb Chancellor's incense offering... perhaps..."

He paused, then involuntarily blurted, "Could it be... uh!"

But before he could finish, someone beside him covered his mouth, "We small‑folk cannot..."

"Protect the carriage!"

"Protect the carriage!"

Dugu Zhao didn't linger in his sentiment; while shouting sharply, he and Zhao Qian led their men to encircle the young emperor.

Preparing the next step of the plan:

Seizing control of the puppet young emperor, with the procedure deemed legal...

Yuwen Yan, seeing Dugu Zhao, Zhao Qian and others approaching with hostile intent, instantly grew wary and raised his voice to question, "Veteran ministers, what do you intend to do!"