After Transmigration, I Snag a Stunning Bigwig as My Husband-Chapter 660 Sacrificial Ceremony

"Who would be interested in your birthdate?!" Xie Jinyu said angrily.

If the Empress hadn’t asked, why would she care about when her birthday was?

It would be best if she never celebrated her birthday in this lifetime!

Su Jin was speechless.

This mother and daughter must be oddities.

They’re not interested in her birthdate yet called her over to interrogate her.

And they’re unhappy when she doesn’t tell them.

Since they’re uninterested, Su Jin decided to take her leave.

Princess Nanzhang’s face was gloomy.

Mrs. Zhao advised, "Princess, don’t be angry. The family genealogy surely records the Princely Heir’s wife’s birthdate and eight characters."

"Go check," Princess Nanzhang ordered.

Mrs. Zhao went to check it herself.

Because the genealogy is kept in the ancestral hall, it’s not easy to enter, so she had to sneak in secretly.

However, the genealogy also did not have it recorded.

This time, even Mrs. Zhao was puzzled.

The Empress suddenly took an interest in the Princely Heir’s wife’s eight characters, the genealogy even changed the Third Master’s status to that of a concubine’s child, yet it doesn’t record the Princely Heir’s wife’s birthdate, which is truly strange.

The Prince shouldn’t have made such a blunder.

Afraid of delaying the Empress’s matters, Princess Nanzhang sent someone to the palace to report.

The message didn’t go directly to the Empress, but reached Nanny Zhou. Frowning, she asked, "It’s just a rough birthdate, and you couldn’t even find out?"

"The Princely Heir’s wife wouldn’t say, and the genealogy didn’t record it either," said the maid.

Nanny Zhou felt even more troubled.

Such intentional concealment of the birthdate and eight characters, could it be for fear of someone guessing her origins?

After the maid left, Nanny Zhou walked back to the bedroom with heavy steps.

The palace maid was peeling lychees for the Empress.

Looking at the lychees, Nanny Zhou suddenly remembered Consort Yun’s allergy to lychees.

...

Agarwood Pavilion, backyard.

During dinner, Su Jin returned from the backyard to the inner room.

As soon as she entered the room, she smelled the aroma of food.

Seeing the dishes on the table, Su Jin’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Chicken, duck, fish, meat, everything from the skies to the waters was available.

Su Jin glared at Xie Jingchen.

Saying her body was weak and needed nourishment, but not to this extent.

Xie Jingchen looked innocent, "I didn’t tell the small kitchen to make all these."

"Then why so many meat dishes?" Su Jin didn’t believe him.

Xie Jingchen sat down and said, "The Emperor will start fasting from tomorrow. After three days of fasting, he will lead the officials to worship the heavens for rain."

If even the Emperor has to fast for three days, it’s certain that the residences of all officials must follow.

The small kitchen feared the meat would spoil, and also worried that after three days of no meat, they’d crave it, so they decided to cook it all at once for a feast.

"Will it really rain in three days?" Su Jin was a bit skeptical.

"That depends on how Father-in-law manages to stall for time," Xie Jingchen said.

"But eating too greasy at night isn’t easy to digest."

"More exercise will help with digestion," Xie Jingchen said, offering her a chicken drumstick.

"..."

If Xie Jingchen hadn’t said that, Su Jin would’ve certainly eaten the drumstick.

Since he said it, she resolutely didn’t eat it.

She returned the drumstick to him.

She would eat vegetarian!

But Su Jin was too naive.

She ate vegetarian, Xie Jingchen ate meat.

She didn’t need exercise, but Xie Jingchen did.

Su Jin, "..."

...

This time the fasting went from three days to five days.

Then to seven days.

In the blink of an eye, nine days had passed.

These nine days, Prince NanAn didn’t have a good time.

Impeached by the officials, scolded by the Emperor, he still had to endure.

On this day, attending morning court.

Just as the Emperor sat on the Dragon Chair, Duke Chong accused Prince NanAn, "Prince NanAn, what’s the reason today that you can’t worship the heavens?"

"The pathway to worship the heavens, someone pried up the bluestone slabs," Prince NanAn’s voice wavered a bit.

"How long will it take to repair?" Duke Chong asked with a cold face.

"At least two days," Prince NanAn replied with a heavy head.

Marquis Dongxiang was too ruthless.

In one night, half a mile of ground was pried up.

Duke Chong could no longer bear it and impeached Prince NanAn for ineffective handling of affairs to the Emperor.

Prince NanAn had nothing to refute.

Impeached every day, promising not to repeat the mistakes, and still, the ground was pried under supervision, it’s indefensible.

Duke Chong looked at the Emperor and said, "Emperor, if this matter continues to be handled by Prince NanAn, who knows when we can perform the heaven-sacrificing ceremony and pray for rain. The disaster is too severe, and the people can’t wait any longer."

Marquis Dongxiang looked at Duke Chong and said, "As far as I know, Duke Chong sent people to help Prince NanAn keep watch last night, so how did they still allow the ground to be pried up?"

Duke Chong’s face turned cold, "How did Marquis Dongxiang learn about this?!"

Marquis Dongxiang replied without blushing or panting, "Because I also sent people."

"On the way, we discovered that Duke Chong had sent experts, thinking there would be no accident, we returned. But unexpectedly, under the dual watch of Prince NanAn Mansion and Duke Chong’s Mansion, the ground was still pried up. I don’t think Prince NanAn can be entirely blamed."

Hmm.

When they found experts from Duke Chong’s Mansion watching the altar, they couldn’t take action.

The people from Dongxiang Marquis Mansion went back, planning to ask the Marquis’s intention before deciding on a course of action. Acting rashly and being caught sabotaging the heaven-sacrifice would be a severe crime.

If caught by Duke Chong, even the Emperor couldn’t protect the Marquis. They dared not be careless.

On the way back, it suddenly struck them that it wasn’t necessary to sabotage the heaven-sacrifice directly, but just prying up the ground would suffice.

The people from Duke Chong’s Mansion never imagined that while they were guarding like waiting for a rabbit, the rabbit changed its path halfway.

Duke Chong suspected it was Marquis Dongxiang’s doing, but had no evidence.

Anyway, the heaven-sacrificing matter could no longer be entrusted to Prince NanAn.

Marquis Dongxiang looked at the Emperor and said, "Emperor, Duke Chong has been earnest and diligent about the heaven-sacrifice. If he handles it, the ceremony will definitely happen soon."

The Emperor’s forehead trembled slightly.

If the heaven-sacrifice had indeed occurred six days ago, and there was no rain, he wouldn’t know how severely he would have been criticized.

Now, the one being criticized is only Prince NanAn, not him.

This matter couldn’t be handed over to Duke Chong.

Of course, the task shoved over by Marquis Dongxiang, Duke Chong wouldn’t accept either.

Obviously, this matter was inseparable from Marquis Dongxiang. If he took over and the altar was still destroyed, the Emperor would chastise him for incompetence.

"This matter is most suitable for Marquis Dongxiang to handle!" Duke Chong said.

"Then let Marquis Dongxiang handle it," the Emperor decisively said.

"I accept the order!"

Marquis Dongxiang shouted loudly.

Duke Chong’s heart skipped a beat.

It’s over.

Fell into the trap.

Unfortunately, it’s too late to regret.

If I’d known the task would eventually fall to Marquis Dongxiang, I would have agreed earlier and could have used it to compel the Emperor to punish him for inefficiency. Now it’s fine; Prince NanAn took the blame for him and was also docked six months’ salary.

After the court adjourned, Duke Chong returned to his mansion in a fit of anger.

Just after changing out of his official robes, someone from the palace came with a message: the Emperor wanted to perform the heaven-sacrifice immediately.

Duke Chong, "..."

What exactly is this about?!

Hmm.

After the court adjourned, Marquis Dongxiang left the palace intending to go to the barracks, where Steward Lin awaited him at the palace gates.

Seeing Marquis Dongxiang, Steward Lin whispered, "Marquis, Mrs. Jiang’s knees are hurting."

Marquis Dongxiang sighed in relief.

At last, it’s going to rain.

"Approximately when will it rain?" Marquis Dongxiang asked.

"Mrs. Jiang said it would probably rain by evening."

It’s just an approximation; Mrs. Jiang couldn’t guarantee.

But Mrs. Jiang’s knee pain is a sure sign of rain, Marquis Dongxiang was confident.

If not for the incident of conducting the heaven-sacrificing ritual, Marquis Dongxiang would quietly wait for the rain.

Since the people knew the Emperor was going to perform the heaven-sacrifice and had been bustling about for so many days, it could not be in vain.

Marquis Dongxiang then turned around and went back to the palace to inform the Emperor to proceed with the heaven-sacrifice.

Originally, this matter was entrusted to him, and he would decide which day to perform the heaven-sacrifice.

Thus, the ministers who had just left the palace were summoned back.

In a hurry.

Duke Chong couldn’t stand seeing Marquis Dongxiang do whatever he wanted, and led half the court ministers to impeach Marquis Dongxiang.

Marquis Dongxiang said earnestly, "If one truly has the heart to pray for rain, why bother about a dilapidated altar and treacherous roads?"

"Wasn’t Duke Chong the most anxious about the heaven-sacrifice? To start it immediately, Duke Chong, you should be most in favor of my actions, so why impeach me instead?"

With these words, Duke Chong and the officials were left speechless.

With that, the Emperor led the court officials out of the palace to perform the heaven-sacrifice.

In the Daqi Dynasty, it’s permissible for the Empress and female courtiers to participate in the heaven-sacrifice. The Princess Consort couldn’t leave the mansion, so Su Jin, as the Heir’s wife, couldn’t avoid attending.