10 – Sacrificing to Heaven, Killing Shangguan Qi! (Revised)
Qingyang Hall—
“Physician, how is the Lord of a Thousand Years?”
Wuhuan pressed the imperial physician, who trembled and dared not speak.
Shang Guanqi sat in a chair, already changed into clean clothes, the wound on his wrist neatly bandaged.
“Speak truthfully, and you shall be pardoned.”
Only then did the physician dare to speak. “Replying to the Lord of a Thousand Years, the wound itself is not serious, but the weapon that caused it was coated with poison. The toxin is now spreading toward the heart meridian, which is extremely dangerous.”
“What kind of poison is it?” Wuhuan demanded.
The physician knelt on the ground, bowing his head. “Your humble servant does not know what poison it is.”
“You!”
Enraged, Wuhuan drew the sword at his waist, ready to kill the physician.
“Wuhuan!”
Shang Guanqi stopped him, then turned to ask the physician, “Without an antidote, how much time is left?”
The physician replied, “At most half a year, at least… three months.”
Shang Guanqi was stunned, then after a long while, he waved his hand. “Understood. You may leave.”
The physician felt as if granted a great reprieve and hurried away.
Wuhuan seethed with indignation, angrily saying, “That little Emperor is too treacherous, using a hidden weapon and poisoning it! Why must Nine Thousand Years still save him?”
Shang Guanqi shot him a cold glance, and Wuhuan lowered his head, falling silent.
“Are the preparations for tomorrow’s Sacrifice to Heaven ready?” Shang Guanqi asked.
Wuhuan calmed his emotions and replied respectfully, “Replying to the Lord of a Thousand Years, everything is in order. If anyone makes any suspicious moves tomorrow, the Purple Phoenix Army will immediately cleanse the Sacrificial Altar with blood!”
Shang Guanqi nodded. After a moment, he asked again, “Has he woken up?”
Wuhuan was momentarily stunned before realizing who he was asking about.
What is wrong with Nine Thousand Years? That little Emperor ambushed and injured him, even causing him to be poisoned with a deadly toxin. How can he still be concerned about the little Emperor’s well-being?
Though inwardly resentful, Wuhuan answered truthfully.
“A palace maid reported earlier that he woke once but fainted again. The physician said it’s nothing serious; he just needs to rest for the night.”
“Lord of a Thousand Years, this subordinate will immediately send messages to our contacts everywhere, mobilizing a full search for renowned physicians across the land to detoxify you.”
Shang Guanqi waved his hand. “Keep the matter of my poisoning confidential for now. We will discuss it after the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony concludes.”
“But…”
“You may leave first. I wish to be alone for a while.”
Wuhuan glanced at him with concern, and seeing his expression unchanged, he withdrew.
As soon as Wuhuan left, Shang Guanqi let out a muffled groan. The blood he had been suppressing in his throat broke through his clenched teeth and gushed out.
Could it be that even in this reborn life, he is still destined to die at Jiang Lige’s hands?
He refused to accept it. Even if he must die, he would drag the entire world down with him!
…
“Help!”
Jiang Lige shouted loudly, sitting up from the bed.
“Your Majesty, you are finally awake.”
Jiang Lige turned her eyes in confusion, recognizing Luzhu’s face, and asked, “What time is it now?”
Luzhu replied, “Your Majesty, please get up and change clothes quickly. Today is the Sacrifice to Heaven; you cannot be absent.”
Sacrifice to Heaven?
Jiang Lige’s mind cleared completely, and she remembered everything that had happened yesterday at Longevity Lake.
She had fallen into the depths of the lake, and it was Shang Guanqi who had rescued her.
She had also injured him with a poisoned hairpin.
Remembering that hairpin, Jiang Lige wanted to ask Luzhu about it, but there were other palace maids standing in the room.
“Hurry and help me change. I must attend the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony.”
After dressing properly, Jiang Lige hurried to the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony.
This Sacrifice to Heaven was arranged hastily, with the venue directly chosen as an open-air Sacrificial Altar. A high platform was erected on one side, with three sides open to allow the common people to observe the entire ceremony.
By the time Jiang Lige arrived, the area around the altar was already crowded with common people.
On the high platform, Duke Su and other ministers had also arrived.”Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live.”
“All ministers may rise.”
Jiang Lige sat on the highest Dragon Throne, scanning the surroundings but not seeing Shang Guanqi’s figure.
A minister below worriedly said, “If Shang Guanqi does not appear, what should we do?”
Duke Su laughed, “If the eunuch dares not come, I will lead the army to crush his lair and capture him for the Sacrifice to Heaven.”
Hearing the word “eunuch,” Jiang Lige felt slightly uncomfortable.
“Duke Su,” she called out.
Duke Su turned to look at her.
“Your finger fell in the Golden Luan Hall. I will have someone send it to your residence another day.”
That day, Shang Guanqi publicly cut off half of Duke Su’s finger, and Duke Su dared not utter a word.
Mentioning this, Duke Su’s face turned ugly. He glared at her angrily before turning away and saying nothing more.
All the ministers below fell silent.
As noon approached, the sun grew scorching, yet Shang Guanqi still had not appeared. The watching commoners began to grow restless.
Was his delay due to injury or poisoning?
Perhaps because Shang Guanqi had saved her, Jiang Lige felt a faint sense of worry.
Just then, a loud voice came from afar.
“Nine Thousand Years has arrived.”
Majestic guards flanked him as a Sedan Chair carried by four men slowly approached.
The entire scene fell silent instantly, all eyes fixed on the fiery red robes.
Shang Guanqi leaned to one side, elbow propping his chin, phoenix eyes sweeping the crowd, thin lips curved in a faint, elusive smile—beautiful as a demon, majestic as a king.
The commoners present were all stunned, momentarily forgetting that this person before them was the demon to be sacrificed to heaven today.
Shang Guanqi descended from the Sedan Chair and walked unhurriedly toward the high platform with an air of ease. The surrounding ministers instinctively bowed to him, and even Duke Su unconsciously took a step back.
“May the Emperor be well. I overslept and arrived a step late.”
In front of the commoners, he still left her some face.
“It’s fine.”
Jiang Lige spoke, her gaze following his wrist.
He wore official robes, the narrow sleeves covering his entire wrist.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Shang Guanqi stood beside her with his hands behind his back.
With everyone present, the sacrificial ceremony officially began. As a formal ceremony, there were still some procedures to go through.
While everyone’s attention was on the Sacrificial Altar, Jiang Lige whispered, “Has Nine Thousand Years’ hand injury healed?”
Shang Guanqi sneered, “Since I am to be sacrificed to heaven, what does one more cut matter?”
Jiang Lige was taken aback. Why did his words carry a hint of resentment?
It was true that she had injured him, and Jiang Lige could not deny it.
She also found it strange. In the past, she had wanted to kill him, but now, having hurt him, she inexplicably felt a sense of guilt.
Shang Guanqi added, “After I die, I will surely bless Your Majesty with a long life, free from illness and worry. If Your Majesty has any other wishes, you might as well tell me now while I can still hear…”
His words were not only resentful but also dripping with sarcasm, as if she had wronged him.
Wait, Jiang Lige paused. In a flash of insight, she remembered how Shang Guanqi had held her underwater, breathing air into her mouth.
And the time before that, when she fell into the water, he had also breathed for her.
Could it be that he was truly a cut-sleeve and had feelings for the original host?
“Eunuchs bring misfortune! Holding power in the court, how can the nation prosper? Today, we must kill the eunuch to sacrifice to heaven and earth, or else heaven and earth will not tolerate it!”
“Sacrifice to Heaven! Sacrifice to Heaven! Sacrifice to Heaven!”
The loud cries of the commoners interrupted Jiang Lige’s thoughts. She looked toward the crowd and immediately caught sight of a familiar figure—Xie Shu.Xie Shu gave her a slight nod, then guided her gaze toward the tall buildings surrounding the Sacrificial Altar.
Jiang Lige had exceptional eyesight and could see from afar that figures were moving on the high buildings.
Were they planning to shoot Shang Guanqi with arrows from all sides?
He wouldn’t even need to step onto the altar—just standing up would be enough.
“Kill Shang Guanqi! Offer him as a Sacrifice to Heaven!”
“The eunuch deserves death! The cursed star deserves death!”
The people cursed Shang Guanqi’s name, shouting for him to be sacrificed to appease the heavens’ wrath.
Shang Guanqi stood up expressionlessly and was about to step down from the platform when someone tugged at his robe from behind.