Chapter 1535

Emperor Jian Shi sat on the steps with a decadent look, supporting his forehead with one hand, revealing the fatigue that a man of his age should have.

He was no longer young!

A man nearing fifty, still dreaming of living to a hundred and attaining immortality—truly, the older one gets, the more muddled one becomes.

Xie Changling did not move, still standing to the side with a bow, making a gesture of listening.

Seeing that the other party refused to express his attitude for a long time, he reminded him softly.

"I ask Your Majesty to make a decision early!"

"I can't do it!" He wanted to be aggressive, but his energy was exhausted, and he seemed powerless. The gesture of swinging his arm was also slightly soft. However, his wide sleeves, embroidered with gold thread, looked both beautiful and noble when they swayed.

"Does Your Majesty have any objections to Prince Duan and Prince Ning?" Xie Changling simply changed his way of asking.

Emperor Jian Shi was a bit dazed, and it took him a while to react, "What do you mean?"

"If Your Majesty has no objections to the two Princes, then the candidates for the Crown Prince will be these two. In this way, there is no need to create extra trouble, and other Princes do not need to participate in this struggle for the throne. As for whether you favor Prince Duan or Prince Ning, we can continue to observe them for a while."

Emperor Jian Shi did not refute this time, which was rare; instead, he frowned and pondered the feasibility of this proposal.

"Among the other Princes, is there really not one who catches Minister Xie's eye?"

"Please, Your Majesty, be careful with your words!" Xie Changling was extremely serious and solemn, "I do not wish to hear similar words again."

Emperor Jian Shi was suddenly angered to the point of laughter, pointing at the other party and wanting to scold him, but for a moment, he didn't know what to scold.

That's right, he should be careful with his words.

Such words indeed cannot be spoken casually; there is a suspicion of putting Xie Changling on a fire to roast. This is not the attitude of a monarch toward a trusted and important official; it is suspected of being offensive. And once it spreads, it will cause serious consequences.

Offense is a small matter; the meaning within the words is the big matter.

Emperor Jian Shi took a deep breath, "Minister Xie, please understand my difficulties; I spoke without thinking. In Minister Xie's eyes, among my many sons, are there only Prince Duan and Prince Ning?"

Xie Changling was expressionless and said in a business-like manner: "Prince Duan is the legitimate son, and Prince Ning is the eldest son. Unless the two Princes rebel and die, it will not be the turn of other Princes! This is the ancestral rule!"

The implication was that he had no selfish motives, only public interest. His support was not based on who was easy to control, but on the other party's background; everything was done according to the rules, and there was absolutely no overstepping. No one could speculate on his intentions recklessly.

Emperor Jian Shi laughed softly, then laughed out loud, laughing up at the sky.

"You are right, it is all ancestral rules! I have no objections!"

Xie Changling remained expressionless, "I understand! Next, I ask Your Majesty to add some burdens to the two Princes and let them gain more experience."

Emperor Jian Shi did not object and immediately arranged for Prince Duan to go to the Ministry of Revenue and Prince Ning to go to the Ministry of Rites. They would take turns in the Six Ministries, and everyone would have a chance.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Emperor Jian Shi thought about simply balancing the scales and arranging tasks for the other Princes as well. He did not expect that as soon as he said this, he would be met with Xie Changling's firm opposition.

"Since Your Majesty has no intentions for the other Princes, there is no need for them to gain experience. This is to avoid causing suspicion and disputes, triggering unnecessary struggles, and affecting the overall situation of the court."

Emperor Jian Shi narrowed his eyes slightly, "Minister Xie, I cannot help but suspect whether you have received benefits from the eldest and the third, thinking of them everywhere and planning for them. Are you not afraid that the two of them will fight and cause a storm throughout the city?"

"Your Majesty's delay in establishing a Crown Prince is nothing more than being unable to make up your mind, wanting to see the temperaments of the two Princes again. If they really want to fight, it can be considered a good thing, seeing clearly at once who is incompetent and who can inherit the throne."

Emperor Jian Shi was noncommittal, "Minister Xie, you handle this matter; I do indeed want to see their performance. Legitimate and eldest, legitimate and eldest—one legitimate, one eldest; there is finally room for choice."

This was only a temporary compromise.

It did not mean that Emperor Jian Shi had already relented to establish a Crown Prince.

However, if he can compromise once, he can compromise a second time, a third time...

The court officials expressed that they could accept this result. They would force the Emperor step by step until they achieved their goal.

The eleventh year of Jian Shi, spring!

Because of two consecutive years of local drought, the Great Gan state and nation were in a worse situation, with a large number of starving people, refugees, and displaced people pouring into the capital region. Therefore, under the instigation of court officials, Emperor Jian Shi decided to offer sacrifices to Heaven.

The second month, the dragon raises its head—an auspicious day, repeatedly calculated by the Imperial Observatory, the determined great day for sacrificing to Heaven.

The Emperor leaves the palace, and all officials follow!

The capital is under martial law!

No watching allowed!

Obviously, Emperor Jian Shi had learned the lesson of the previous emperor.

The offerings included the three sacrificial animals, as well as human sacrifices!

The living people came from heinous criminals: one from the Heavenly Prison, one selected from the Imperial Prison, and one from the Supreme Court.

On the Heavenly Prison side, the Ministry of Justice personally determined the candidates.

A rebel!

He had once caused trouble in the south and had followed King Gao. Later, he broke away from King Gao and raised his own team. He was captured last year, escorted to the capital, and subjected to severe torture and harsh laws. If it weren't for the fact that the higher-ups named him to be used for the sacrifice to Heaven, he would have died in the Heavenly Prison long ago.

Three sacrificial animals, plus three human sacrifices!

This scene was worth watching.

Chen Guanlou chose a place with a wide view, sat on the roof, and watched the grand ceremony in the distance.

The grand ceremony was jointly presided over by the Minister of Rites and two Vice Ministers of Rites.

The grand ceremony of sacrificing to Heaven is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, a double consumption of physical strength and mental energy. It must be done by the three of them in turns; relying on one person alone would absolutely not be able to support the whole scene.

Various rituals, not a single step could be wrong.

Just these rituals lasted for nearly two hours.

Chen Guanlou yawned straight away.

Got up early in the morning, just for this?

Maybe I should just go back and sleep. It was truly boring and tedious throughout, and everything was rigid; people's knees were numb from kneeling! Even wanting to sneakily relax a little was impossible.

It felt like being punished.

Thank Heaven and Earth, it finally reached the final part of sacrificing to Heaven.

I saw Emperor Jian Shi, under the guidance of the Vice Minister of Rites, offer the three sacrificial animals, then offer the three people, and make the first cut.

Next, the Emperor was not needed; the executioners from the palace would come forward to perform the slow slicing of the three criminals.

Chen Guanlou watched for a while and decided to go home to sleep.

Suddenly...

The roof began to shake!

Heaven and Earth followed with the shaking!

Over at the sacrificial altar, there were roars and shouts; the scene was suddenly chaotic.

Explosion?

No!

This time it was not an explosion!

But an earthquake!

There was an earthquake!

The capital should not be the center of the earthquake, because the shaking was not severe.

More and more people realized it was an earthquake and walked out of their homes one after another, coming to the main streets. For a time, the streets were full of people, dense crowds of people. Martial law was in name only.

The Emperor was surrounded by palace guards and hurriedly returned to the palace.

The court officials also returned to their offices one after another to deploy subsequent disaster relief and investigate the source of the earthquake. They had to deal with the impending disaster and the possibility of local rebellions.

Only the Ministry of Rites insisted on staying at the sacrificial altar to complete all the procedures.

Ominous!

Very ominous!

This day, what was discussed most was not the sudden earthquake, but the ominousness!

When the previous emperor sacrificed to Heaven, an explosion occurred, and he died.

When the current emperor sacrificed to Heaven, an earthquake occurred, affecting the capital.

Two generations of emperors met with accidents while sacrificing to Heaven; what has happened to the Great Gan? Could it be a warning from Heaven?