I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 297 The Empress Leaves the Palace! What a magnificent Purple Star!

The night was quiet, and Chu Yanli's voice sounded exceptionally clear.

The imperial guards and their riders lowered their heads, pretending not to hear anything. Lü Huaiyu turned his head and looked at the two of them with a strange expression.

Chen Mo's lips twitched, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "This humble servant has missed Your Highness terribly..."

"Me too."

Chu Yanli smiled and said, "Luckily you helped me heal my injuries yesterday, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to attend the ceremony. But you were a little too rough, and it still hurts a bit..."

"Ahem, Your Highness!"

Lu Shuangge, standing to the side, whispered, "With so many people around, be careful with your words and actions."

Chu Yanli knew that business was more important, so she stopped there and didn't say anything more.

Before long, a luxurious palanquin slowly emerged from the palace, with Eunuch Jin, dressed in a python robe, leading the way.

Upon approaching, he raised his hand to signal, and the palanquin came to a steady stop beside the elephant carriage.

The Crown Prince rose and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

The sedan curtain was lifted slightly, and the Empress's calm voice came through: "The Crown Prince is acting on behalf of the King today, so there is no need for further formalities."

"My son understands."

The crown prince slowly sat back down.

With the Empress accompanying him, his nervousness eased considerably, and he even secretly winked at Chen Mo through the beaded curtain.

"Is Her Majesty the Empress also going to participate in the grand ceremony?" Chen Mo frowned slightly.

Logically speaking, the sacrifice to Heaven is a yang sacrifice, and women are not allowed to participate, even if they are empresses.

Chu Yanli noticed his confusion and transmitted her voice, saying, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The Crown Prince is still young, and it is normal for the Empress to be in charge of the court and issue edicts to the officials, and for her to accompany the Emperor."

"As long as you don't enter the core area of ​​the ritual, it's not considered a taboo."

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then why is Your Highness following along?"

Chu Yanli shook her head and said, "The journey is bumpy, and someone needs to take care of us. I have to protect the Empress well. If something happens to her, you'll be heartbroken."

"..."

This woman really dares to say anything.

Chen Mo ignored her and stood silently to the side, no longer saying a word.

One quarter of the morning.

thump—

Accompanied by the clear and melodious sound of bells, a bright lamp lit up in the darkness in the distance.

Then came the second, the third... and so on, spreading upwards until all fifty-nine lamps lit up in succession, reaching straight into the sky and illuminating the towering building, which was a hundred feet tall, with unparalleled brightness.

"Stargazing platform..."

Chen Mo looked closely and saw that the entire platform was built of pure white stone, layer upon layer, like a ladder to heaven. The surface was polished smooth as a mirror, with intricate cloud patterns faintly visible.

Looking into the distance, at the very top of the observatory, a blue figure is climbing towards the top.

With his hands behind his back and his clothes fluttering in the wind, he could cover several meters with each step, soaring upwards through the sea of ​​clouds, looking quite ethereal and otherworldly.

"Who is that...?" Chen Mo asked curiously.

"Qi Chengze, Director of the Imperial Observatory," Chu Yanli said. "He is proficient in the art of observing qi, able to foresee good fortune and avoid misfortune, and predict the fate of the nation. Like Lü Huaiyu, he is also an old... cough cough, old gentleman."

"..."

Chen Mo glanced at Chu Yanli, "You mean you wanted to say 'old geezer'?"
However, the Imperial Observatory has always kept a low profile, and he didn't know much about this director, only that he was the only master diviner in the capital city.

Chu Yanli shrugged and said, "Don't look at me like that. Divination is just for psychological comfort. The Great Yuan Dynasty is in such a mess, yet we still observe the stars every year and every year is auspicious... So I never believe in fate, I only believe in myself."

Chen Mo neither agreed nor disagreed with such outrageous remarks.

To become the Director of the Imperial Observatory, he certainly couldn't be a charlatan.

Even if they figured something out, they probably wouldn't dare say it outright, otherwise it would definitely cause a commotion and could easily backfire...

……

……

tread--

Qi Chengze ascended to the fifty-ninth floor.

The bright moonlight shone down, and the jade-like ground reflected the sea of ​​clouds.

In the very center of the platform, there is a bronze mirror about half the height of a person. It has an ancient and simple design, and the mirror surface is covered with black lacquer. The edges of the mirror frame are engraved with the Eight Trigrams of the Primordial Era using cinnabar mixed with gold powder.

Qi Chengze raised his hand and pressed it into the void, and densely packed seal characters lit up.

After dismantling all the interlocking formations, he lifted his leg and walked towards the bronze mirror.

Upon approaching, he first bowed to the four cardinal directions, then bit his right thumb, pressed it against the mirror, and began to draw with his blood as ink.

The movements were extremely slow, each stroke seemingly carrying immense pressure.

With the final stroke completed, the enormous characters "乹坤" were fully formed.

Qi Chengze breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and, not daring to delay, muttered to himself:

"The Supreme Emperor's Throne, the Purple Extreme Supreme, the Three Palaces and the Constellations all serve your divine authority..."

"The celestial signs of Qian are revealed, the spirit of Kun is manifested; I beseech the Big Dipper to inscribe them, and grant me permission to observe the heavens!"

call--

The wind suddenly picked up.

The platform trembled instantly!
Starlight-like rays flowed along the patterns on the building's surface, continuously pouring into the Sky-Gazing Mirror.

The black lacquer on the mirror was covered with cracks and peeled off little by little, bursting out with intense and dazzling light that shot straight into the sky!
Chen Mo only realized what was happening when he saw this scene.

It turns out that this entire observatory is actually an enormous spirit-gathering array!
Just how powerful would a magical artifact, requiring such a massive amount of energy to operate, be?
chap——

The night seemed to have been torn open.

Through the crack, one can see the boundless galaxy in the vast universe.

It is not a static painting, but a surging torrent, with countless stars moving slowly along an unchanging trajectory, drawing delicate streaks of light on the inky background.

Everyone looked up, their breathing becoming rapid.

No matter how many times you experience this scene, it will still feel incredibly awe-inspiring.

This was the first time Chen Mo had witnessed it in person, and he figured that this strange phenomenon could only be seen within the range of the observatory's function.

Just then, as if sensing something, he focused his mind into his sea of ​​consciousness and saw the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations shining brightly, as if being pulled by some kind of force.

"what's the situation?"

……

……

Qi Chengze stood on the edge of the high platform, the silver vertical line between his brows slowly splitting open as he gazed at the starry sky.

One purple star stands out in particular, located in the center of the Milky Way, making the surrounding stars appear somewhat dim.

"The rise and fall of the imperial star foretells the rise and fall of the mountains and rivers."

"When the Purple Star shines brightly, all people live in peace; when the Purple Star dims, even the most desolate bones feel the chill of winter..."

Gazing at the bright imperial star, Qi Chengze broke into a smile and proclaimed loudly, "The imperial star shines alone! This is an omen of a prosperous era! Great fortune! Absolutely great fortune!"

The sound echoed in the night sky, reaching everyone's ears.

wow-

The Imperial Guards knelt on one knee, pounded their right fists on their chests, and shouted in a resounding voice:

"Our King is wise! Heaven blesses the Great Yuan!"

"Our King is wise! Heaven blesses the Great Yuan!"

Looking at the incredibly excited crowd, Chu Yanli curled her lips and commented sharply, "The emperor is barely breathing, and he's still shouting slogans. It's not the heavens that protect the Great Yuan, but the soldiers who fought bloody battles... The Imperial Observatory may not have any other skills, but it's good at whitewashing the truth."

Lu Shuangge broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, wishing he could cover that foul-mouthed little mouth.

"Wait, something's really not right, Your Highness, please take a look..."

"What's so interesting about it..."

Chu Yanli was getting impatient. She looked up in the direction Lu Shuangge was pointing, and her expression suddenly froze on her face.

The sky was filled with countless stars, each trailing a tail of light as they spun around. The star in the very center shone brighter and brighter, growing from a speck of dust to the size of a fist, and the distance between them kept closing!

"This is……"

Everyone stood frozen in place. In the blink of an eye, the Imperial Star was already suspended in the sky.

Two moons seemed to hang in the sky, their silvery white and deep purple colors reflecting each other, radiating an overwhelming and imposing aura!
What a huge Ziwei star!
?

Qi Chengze was also a little confused.

Even the most skilled diviner in the capital city, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, had never witnessed such a scene.

Could it be that the Crown Prince is truly a dragon favored by Heaven, causing such an extraordinary phenomenon on his first participation in the festival?

Sensing the commotion below, Qi Chengze snapped out of his daze and realized that he had to calm people down first.

He cleared his throat and said, "This is... uh, the omen of the Seven Stars Facing the Palace, with purple aura coming from the east. It's truly an auspicious sign, very lucky... very lucky... right?!"

Halfway through his sentence, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, and his throat felt like it was being choked, his face turning bright red.

Among the crowd below, a man named Chen Mo was gazing at the starry sky. He looked no different from the others, but in his third eye, one could clearly see that he was surrounded by purple aura, which connected with the giant imperial star to form a pillar of light that stretched across the sky!

The Imperial Star has come for Chen Mo!

"Are you... joking?"

"The Emperor Star suddenly descended, and it had nothing to do with the Crown Prince, but was caused by a military officer?!"

Qi Chengze swallowed hard.

He quickly realized what this meant.

If this gets out, countless people will lose their heads, and I myself will suffer the consequences!

"That damn Ling Yishan! I knew something was wrong. That old bastard was definitely setting a trap for me!"

"No, if this continues, we're afraid a disaster will strike!"

He stepped back, went to the Sky-Gazing Mirror, and reached out to wipe away the blood-red words on it.

The mirror suddenly dimmed, covered by black paint once more, and the opening in the night sky closed, the purple jade disc disappearing from sight.

The world returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

"it is finally over……"

Chen Mo's tense body relaxed a little, his back already soaked with sweat.

When that purple star appeared, the dragon energy began to surge violently within him, rampaging through his body. He struggled with all his might to suppress it, almost revealing his true form...

Chu Yanli seemed to have sensed something, frowning as she looked at Chen Mo with a thoughtful expression.

Lu Huaiyu narrowed his eyes slightly, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, and spoke in a booming voice: "With the arrival of Ziwei, the nation's fortune will surely prosper! Heaven blesses our Great Yuan! All soldiers, heed my command! Set off immediately for the southern suburbs to offer sacrifices to Heaven!"

"Here!"

The Imperial Guards responded with a resounding roar, clearing a path with golden maces and escorting the elephant carriage toward the south gate.

Lu Huaiyu rode up to Chen Mo on his tall horse and asked, "Lord Chen, would you like to come along?"

"Ok?"

Chen Mo was taken aback upon hearing this, then shook his head and said, "This humble official still has to patrol near the palace..."

Lü Huaiyu waved his hand and said, "What problems could possibly arise in the palace? On the contrary, the Empress and the Crown Prince are both at the altar, so there's no room for the slightest mistake... I've said all I need to say. You can decide for yourself."

Having said that, he rode away without waiting for a reply.

Chen Mo frowned. Although these words were somewhat nonsensical, they only intensified his unease.

Watching the imperial sedan chair gradually disappear into the distance, he hesitated slightly, then mounted his horse and said to Li Yuan, "Yuan'er, stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."

"it is good."

Li Yuan didn't ask any further questions, and nodded, saying, "Be careful, my lord."

"drive!"

Chen Mo raised his hand and cracked his whip, chasing after the departing honor guard.

Seeing this, Chu Yanli looked at Lü Huaiyu with a puzzled expression, "Why is Chen Mo here too? What did you say to him?"

Lü Huaiyu said calmly, "I only did what I should do. As for the outcome, let fate decide."

"Old man, just say what you want to say. Why are you beating around the bush with me?" Chu Yanli said impatiently.

Lü Huaiyu's eyelids twitched. "Your Highness, please be mindful of your demeanor and lest you become a laughingstock."

Chu Yanli stretched her muscles and bones, her joints cracking, and sneered, "Wait until my fist hits your face, then you'll know who's the joke."

"..."

Lü Huaiyu took a deep breath, trying hard to control his emotions.

Even with his composure, there were times when he couldn't hold back in front of this woman.

Lu Shuangge tugged at Chu Yanli's sleeve and whispered, "Your Highness, that's my father."

"So what? With all the messes your dad's made, beating him up is too lenient." Chu Yanli said coldly, "If you're unhappy, you can go beat up my dad too, I have no objection."

"..."

Lu Shuangge silently lowered his head.

Alright, I guess I'll just keep playing dead...

……

……

A restaurant in the city.

The bedroom was dark, and the little monk was fast asleep, hugging his pillow.

Huineng sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes slightly closed, his thumb pushing the prayer beads, and he murmured scriptures.

Suddenly, the chanting stopped.

Huineng opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing across them.

I got up and went to the window, gently pushed it open a crack, and saw dragon flags flying in the distance, accompanied by the sound of synchronized footsteps.

"The time has come..."

"Shiyi, it's time to get up and get down to business."

……

……

The Imperial Guards traversed the capital, exiting the city through Anyang Gate and heading towards the southern suburbs.

As the surrounding houses gradually thinned out, the view opened up, and a huge palace could be vaguely seen in front of us, with towering red walls and majestic palace gates. Civil and military officials were already waiting in front of the gate.

The temple is divided into two parts: the altar and the fasting hall.

Before holding the Yang sacrifice, the emperor had to first enter the fasting palace to purify himself.

After a short rest, witnessed by his ministers, he ascended the altar to burn firewood and offer prayers to Heaven.

The imperial guards lined up in separate formations, the imperial carriage slowly came to a stop, and the crown prince lifted the beaded curtain and stepped down.

"Meet His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The officials knelt and kowtowed.

"All of you, rise," the Crown Prince said.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The ministers all stood up.

The prince, with a serious expression, said in a childish voice, "I have been ordered by my sovereign and father to temporarily perform the rites bestowed by Heaven. I dare not overstep my bounds and will only respect Heaven and follow the example of my ancestors to uphold the state."

Having said that, he turned to look at the imperial sedan chair and asked, "Does Mother have any further instructions?"

The Empress did not appear, but spoke calmly through the sedan curtain: "His Majesty has not yet assumed personal rule. The Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, is acting as the ruler. All ministers should treat him with the highest national honors and participate in the grand ceremony."

"The minister obeys the order."

The officials bowed their heads in respect.

"It's getting late, let's go to the palace first, lest we miss our important business."

"Yes."

Surrounded by a group of palace servants, the Crown Prince entered the Zhai Palace.

The Empress's palanquin followed them inside.

As he passed by Chen Mo, Eunuch Jin stopped and whispered, "Lord Chen, His Highness requests that you also come in."

……

……

P.S.: I feel terribly unwell. I've vomited until there's nothing left in my stomach, and I think I need to go to the hospital. I'm posting this early in case it's too late tonight.
(End of this chapter)