Chapter Forty-Eight: It’s Too Simple!
The next day, Gu Yu didn’t laze in bed as usual. After washing up, he put on clean clothes and went out.
He had to follow the Emperor to the place of sacrifice, so he couldn’t dress too casually.
Although, Gu Yu felt that in a situation where everyone else was wearing official uniforms, he would definitely be the most eye-catching one.
The Iron Certificate of Immunity was currently held by only him.
Therefore, the Emperor had only invited him to participate in this ritualistic practice, leaving Gu Yu no choice but to go and see how ancient people prayed for peace and prosperity.
“Gu Yu, you don’t need to be nervous. Once we arrive at the destination, you can relax.”
“Mm, I know.”
“However, there might be some guys who can’t stand me and will take this opportunity to make things difficult for you… Don’t be afraid. I’ll drive them away for you then! If anyone dares to bother you, just send someone to call me.”
While eating breakfast, Gu Qing first explained some necessary etiquette, then patted Gu Yu on the shoulder, telling him not to be nervous, and that this ritualistic practice was just a small event.
However, as Gu Yu listened to his father-in-law’s words, he didn’t feel it was a small event at all!
Especially the phrase about people who couldn’t stand him made Gu Yu twitch his mouth, thinking that he would probably encounter many troublemakers on this trip.
What’s more, the Wang Clan, whom he had just stolen from, was among these people.
However, this alone wouldn’t make Gu Yu nervous. After all, it wasn’t the first or second time they had clashed.
The number of times the Wang Clan had chased him was already countless.
This time, he could even show off and make the people of the Wang Clan grit their teeth in hatred but be unable to do anything about it.
Gu Yu was quite interested in this development.
“That’s great! Brother-in-law, when you get back, you have to tell me everything that happened! I want to go too, but they don’t allow family members.”
“You should just stay at home. There’s nothing fun to see there…”
As he spoke, Gu Yu thought about how excited he had initially been to see the Emperor’s ritualistic practice, and he couldn’t go on. He could only shrug at Gu Qingheng’s bright, shining eyes, indicating that he would stay home and read books today and not think about going together.
However, he could put Gu Qingheng into the space, but it would not be a simple matter to release him again.
Gu Qing had already said that many enemies would appear this time, and if Gu Qingheng were discovered, it would cause considerable trouble.
Therefore, it would be better to wait until Gu Qingheng obtained his official title before watching the Emperor’s ritualistic practice!
After a hearty breakfast, Gu Yu and Gu Qing quickly got into the carriage and, under Gu Qingheng’s envious gaze, gradually drove away towards their destination.
…
Upon arriving at the destination, Gu Yu looked at the large open space in front of him and did not expect to come to such a place.
He thought it would be a luxurious place like the Imperial Palace, but here, apart from a few trees, there was only a huge stone platform.
It seemed that this stone platform was where the Emperor would perform the ritualistic practice.
It’s too simple!
“Cough cough, this was rebuilt temporarily. The previous altar was destroyed.”
Perhaps because Gu Yu’s expression was too obvious, Gu Qing, standing beside him, couldn’t help but cough twice before explaining to Gu Yu.
When he first saw this altar, he was also greatly surprised that it was so simple.
However, upon hearing that the Emperor did not want to waste too much, Gu Qing was full of admiration. He thought about how many emperors throughout history had been extravagant and indulgent, but Shangguan Ling now had no bad habits at all.
To say something treasonous, he was much better than the previous Emperor!
When Gu Yu heard the word “destroyed,” he immediately realized that there was something hidden within and looked at Gu Qing with great curiosity, wanting him to explain in detail what had happened that led to the altar being destroyed.
“This is a long story, so I won’t waste any more words! You know about the previous Emperor’s ritualistic practice, right?”
“Mm, Qingheng told me.”
“Twenty-five years ago, due to a drought, the previous Emperor performed the ritualistic practice, hoping to pray for rain in Linfeng Kingdom and end the drought… However, the day after it really rained, the previous Emperor fell ill and lay in bed for almost twenty years before he passed away.”
“Twenty years??? I thought…”
Hearing Gu Qing’s words, Gu Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise. He found it very strange that the previous Emperor had lived for such a long time without dying.
Whether it was poison or a natural illness, most people couldn’t endure it for so long!
Especially in ancient times, when surgery or anything like that couldn’t be done. Although Shen Tu was quite skilled with knives, he wouldn’t dare to try it on the Emperor even with a hundred times the courage.
So, how did the previous Emperor endure it!
“With the supply of countless elixirs and miraculous medicines, and rare treasures, he could naturally prolong his life… However, no matter how many of these things there were, the previous Emperor’s body could not withstand it, and he eventually passed away.”
“Then, did the current Emperor ascend the throne?”
“No, the previous Emperor had many children, and Linfeng Kingdom fell into chaos. After they had mutually annihilated most of each other, the situation gradually stabilized… However, at this time, there was no one left in the royal family to succeed, and the Empress Dowager stepped forward at this time, presenting the hidden Emperor to everyone.”
While speaking, because the content was somewhat dangerous, Gu Qing took Gu Yu to a quiet, secluded place and told him all the information he knew.
Gu Yu nodded repeatedly after hearing this, which resolved his doubts.
After transmigrating to this world, Gu Yu had been wondering why there were no royal power struggles. It turned out they had already happened.
And most of them had been killed, causing the royal family’s connections to wither, leaving only the Emperor as a single descendant.
Actually, this wasn’t bad.
At least he didn’t have to worry about anyone threatening the throne, and he could sleep soundly at night!
“However, what does the royal family’s affairs have to do with this altar?”
“Because the previous Emperor’s health deteriorated after the ritualistic practice, some people said that the original stone platform was an inauspicious object and had it smashed directly… Many ministers also disagreed with the construction of this new stone platform and did not want the Emperor to take risks.”
“But, the Emperor did not compromise in the end.”
“Yes, the Emperor paid no attention to these ministers, simply saying ‘my heart is with the people,’ which left everyone speechless.”
When talking about the Emperor performing the ritualistic practice despite the danger, Gu Qing’s face showed excitement. He was clearly full of admiration for the Emperor’s selfless act.
However, Gu Yu remained unmoved… Inauspicious objects, how could they be so uncanny.
At most, it was someone administering slow-acting poison that caused the previous Emperor to be bedridden.
