Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 307 Sacrifice to the Temple of Heaven

When the three of them arrived at Xiaoying Island on the oil-walled boat, the sky was already as dark as ink.

On the dock, a dozen lanterns were swaying in the wind, and workers were carrying wooden boxes out of the palace and loading them onto the ship.

They obviously knew the power of this thing. Not only did they replace the torches with lanterns, they were also extremely careful and handled it with care for fear of a collision.

The whole dock was busy but silent, which looked very eerie.

The three of them waited patiently for the loading to be completed, and then they saw the big ship activate the formation and disappear out of thin air before their eyes.

On the dark water, a white trail appeared...

Only then did Chen Baxian order his "bones and blood" to follow behind him from a distance.

Ren Yuan and Chen Lingzhi maintained telepathic communication and reported each other's current positions at any time.

The large army of the Gou Chen Si had already assembled and was waiting for the order from General Chen.

~~
The "invisible ship" left Xuanwu Lake, passed through the city along the Qinhuai River, and finally stopped at Zhuquehang.

Zhuquehang is the largest of the 24 floating bridges on the Qinhuai River. It is 90 steps long and 60 feet wide. It is named because it faces Zhuque Gate. It was built using the "Du Yu River Bridge Method", which is to connect several boats to form a floating bridge.

It’s not that a stone bridge can’t be built with a large beam, nor is it because a floating bridge is more cost-effective.

This was purely for military considerations. In case of emergency, the pontoon bridge could be quickly removed to block the enemy's attack. For example, during the Wang Dun Rebellion in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wen Qiao burned this bridge to resist the enemy.

Therefore, the same floating bridge has been maintained in successive dynasties, even though its low traffic efficiency seriously hindered the daily life of the people.

After all, survival in troubled times is the most important thing, and everything else has to take a back seat. Of course, it’s the survival of the royal family, not the survival of the common people…

Next to Zhuque Hang, there is a dock specially prepared for the construction of the Temple of Heaven.

All the stones, timber and earth needed to build the Altar of Heaven were transported here by boat and supplied to the construction site nearby.

It is precisely because of such convenient transportation conditions that this magnificent 99-foot-high platform was built in just half a year.

~~
Ren Yuan saw the invisible ship appear from afar and approach the dock without any hindrance.

As soon as the planks were lowered, the laborers who had been waiting at the dock, under the order of the supervisor, hurried on board to unload the cargo.

"Everyone, be careful!" The shouts of the supervising official echoed throughout the dock. "The things in the box are very valuable. If they are bumped or hit, everyone will die."

"I'll try to sneak in and see where they are." Ren Yuan said softly to Chen Baxian, "You stay here to support the main force."

"Okay." Chen Baxian nodded, knowing that this was not the time to show off.

As for A Yao, Ren Yuan never assigned her any tasks because she was only responsible for one thing and would not listen if he asked her to do anything else.

Ren Yuan disappeared from Chen Baxian's sight out of thin air, and appeared on the dock the next moment, hiding in the shadows.

He saw a laborer carrying a box, who must have been in a hurry to relieve himself, and he trotted to the shore to drain the water.

He then went over with a talisman, fixed the man into a wooden stake, and carried him to a secluded place. When he came out, he had changed into the man's clothes and looked exactly like that man.

"A lazy donkey has fallen into a trap and his shit and urine are everywhere. Hurry up, you lazy bastard!" The supervisor whipped him lightly and glared at him.

Ren Yuan hurriedly nodded and bowed to follow, and together with his companions, they lifted a box and walked down the deck tremblingly.

"Watch your step, don't stagger!"

Amid the shouts of the supervisor, Ren Yuan and his companions carried the heavy wooden box to the base of the altar. In the bright light of the fire, Ren Yuan saw that the base of the altar was built with three layers of huge stones. The main altar had nine layers and was 99 feet high, which means "returning to heaven after ninety-nine".

The bottom floor is 36 meters long and wide, with 36,000 square bricks with dragon patterns inlaid in a nine-square grid, which corresponds to the number of the Zhoutian. It supports the nine-story, three-tiered eaves, hip-and-gable main altar, which looks solemn and luxurious.

It took only half a year to build this, which is really impressive. Of course, it must have cost a lot...

Under the supervision of the supervisor, Ren Yuan and his companions carried the wooden box onto the base of the altar and came to the main altar.

There was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps on the main altar. There was also a secret door, which was open at this time, and there was actually a huge mezzanine inside.

"Carry it in and place it with care." The supervisor ordered again.

The two men carried the wooden box into the mezzanine, only to find that there was no light inside, but it was illuminated by eighteen luminous pearls.

Ren Yuan and his companions placed the boxes neatly on the ground as required. The supervisor shouted outside the door, asking them to come out quickly.

Before leaving, just in case, he used his Yin Shen to open the box at lightning speed and took a look. He saw the big yellow brick lying quietly inside.

Ren Yuan then felt relieved and followed the group down to the altar.

~~
As soon as I got off the altar, I heard a noise outside. A large group of people from the Gou Chen Division surrounded the Altar of Heaven.

The soldiers guarding the Altar of Heaven were from Danyang County, so they naturally refused to let them in.

"What are you doing?" While the two sides were arguing, Xiao Zhengli, deputy general manager of the Temple of Heaven project and Yin of Danyang, appeared behind his officers and soldiers surrounded by a group of entourage.

"Marquis Jian'an is polite. Didn't you spend the New Year with the Emperor in the palace?" Chen Qingzhi also showed up surrounded by a group of ghostwriters.

"It turned out to be Chen Shuai." Xiao Zhengli said indifferently, "Didn't you go home for the New Year too?"

"It's my duty." Chen Qingzhi said with a wry smile: "For people in our line of work, the busier we are during festivals."

"Same here." Xiao Zhengli glanced at the large group of people behind Chen Qingzhi and asked in a deep voice, "Why did General Chen mobilize so many troops?"

"Aren't the Emperor and the Crown Prince going to offer sacrifices to the Heaven tomorrow?" Chen Qingzhi said with a smile, "It is the duty of the Gouchen Division to inspect the scene in advance and make defense arrangements."

"But the altar hasn't been set up yet." Xiao Zhengli frowned and said, "Those valuable furnishings and flags cannot be placed in advance. We have to work all night tonight."

"It's okay, you do your work and we'll check ours." Chen Qianzhi said with a smile.

"No need." Xiao Zhengli shook his head decisively and said, "The emperor has given us the task of guarding the altar to Danyang County. It won't be too late to hand it over to you before the ceremony begins."

"My Lord, I'll tell you the truth." Seeing him being arrogant, Chen Qingzhi frowned and said, "Our spies have learned that someone smuggled a large number of wooden boxes of unknown origin into the Temple of Heaven tonight."

"You're talking nonsense! Stop slandering me like that!" Xiao Zhengli's face suddenly changed color, as if he wanted to eat someone.

"Whether it's nonsense or not, we'll know after checking." Chen Qingzhi said lightly.

"Okay, then you check. If you can't find it, I will report you to the emperor!" Xiao Zhengli waved his hand and ordered his subordinates to make way.

Chen Qingzhi personally led the crowd in. Ren Yuan had already regained his original appearance. He appeared in front of him and reported in a low voice.

Chen Qingzhi sucked in a breath of cold air when he heard this, and ordered the main force to stay under the platform. He took the two guards and went to the main altar with Ren Yuan.

Ren Yuan found the secret door and opened it, and a full wooden box appeared in front of Chen Qianzhi and the other two.

(End of this chapter)