The day before the winter solstice. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the bell and drum pavilion on the noon gate of the Forbidden City suddenly rang out in unison. The main gate of the noon gate, the left and right side doors and the two doors of the light and dark five doors are opened together, the two teams of honor guards travel solemnly from the middle gate, after a full eighty-one pairs, the middle gate slowly gallops out of a gold-topped Xuanbi, four carved dragon gold pillars, and the palace-style carriage with moire jade plates on all sides, and then there are eighty-one auxiliary cars with different regulations from the east and west two gates, and there are ordinary carriages of various colors behind the auxiliary cars, and finally form a mighty carriage procession, which has been going west along the long street, and two thousand royal guards are galloping on both sides to escort on horseback.

The carriage in the middle is the dragon chariot of the Yongnian Emperor, and it is the jade chariot with the highest specifications, which can only be used when going out on patrol or worshipping the sky. This day is the day when the Son of Heaven leaves Beijing to hold the winter solstice festival in Jiafu Temple. Because Jiafu Temple is more than 100 miles away from the Forbidden City, the emperor, the children of the royal family, and the relevant ministers have always set off at noon one day in advance, and the children of the six Xianbei tribes followed.

From the Forbidden City to Jiafu Temple, built a very neat bluestone road, at this time the water is sprinkled on the street, there are people on both sides who burn incense and kowtow, the emperor's convoy is everywhere, it is strictly forbidden to look up, so it is more than an hour to bow down and kneel, but there are people who are willing to kneel every year.

Luo Yan was sitting in a very inconspicuous passenger car at the moment, looking out of the car window thoughtfully, feeling that the scene in front of her was quite similar to the scene in a certain Gege drama, but it was obviously much more solemn. If she was three years ago, she was naturally dressed in red at this time, riding a high-headed black horse, running forward and running with her brothers, looking around, where would she be bored in the carriage? But at this time, she didn't even use her own frame, so she sat in the auxiliary car behind the emperor's dragon chariot, and her honest head was not exposed.

What the ritual of sacrificing to the heavens meant to her, Luo Yan had become more and more clear, if she died before she became a celestial sacrifice, it would probably make some people laugh and cry. Therefore, she could only cradle in the most heavily protected place of the whole team, and be a little turtle without seeds, so as to ensure that she could safely complete her full performance as the only hostess in the whole ceremony.

Two days ago, Murong Qian had already accompanied Murong Mian, the Prince of Li, to Jiafu Temple to make preparations, and Luo Yan thought that she would probably have the opportunity to talk to her second brother today and tomorrow, and her heart was a lot more steady.

There were guards galloping by outside the car window, but there was no familiar figure, Luo Yan was slightly distracted, I don't know whether it was relaxation, expectation or disappointment churning in her heart, so she pulled down the curtains, forced the emotions on her chest, and chatted with Qingqing and Gu Yu who were sitting with her about other things. In the sound of carriages and horses, I saw that I had left the city of Beijing and went west, and gradually entered the mountainous areas on both sides. After walking for more than an hour, the carriage walked on the stone road winding up the mountain, and Luo Yan silently said in her heart: "Jiafu Temple, I'm here again!" ”

After a while, the carriage and horses reached a wide half-mountain flat, and the whole convoy stopped. Qingqing opened the curtain first and got out of the car, and Luo Yan helped Gu Yu and walked out slowly. After a little loosening of his legs, he honestly stood behind the supreme leader who had also just gotten off the bus.

This piece of flat land, is now the former temple of Jiafu Temple, the old pine stretches out, covers the ground into shade, under the most strange ancient pine, a bald middle-aged man in white clothes stands with a smile, it is the most respected contemporary heavenly master of the Great Yan Kingdom.

Luo Yan looked at this white-clothed man who looked very much like the middle-aged version of Shuai Fahai, and sighed deeply in her heart - it was this person who predicted and controlled her fate, and she should be grateful. But when she really saw this magical figure with an aperture of light on the top of her head, she only thought: It's too demonic, right? I've known him for more than ten years, but how come he has never changed?

After being reborn, Luo Yan has been convinced of the existence of supernatural powers, but this smiling middle-aged man gives her a sense of kindness and security, and it seems that it is difficult to give birth to a sense of awe - unlike to the unfathomable father, who obviously loves her, her first feeling is always fear, it seems that the prey is instinctively afraid when it sees the hunter......

Yongnian had already stepped forward quickly, clasped his hands together to the Heavenly Master, and the Heavenly Master also greeted him and saluted: "The Heavenly God bless my emperor." Luo Yan has been used to seeing it since she was a child, so she naturally doesn't feel weird, but her heart suddenly moved: if the memory is correct, this Heavenly Master is not a pure Buddhist system, but a new school after the fusion of the ancient shamanism and Central Plains Buddhism believed in by the Xianbei people......

Luo Yan stood quietly, someone behind him strode past him and saluted the Heavenly Master, Luo Yan looked at his back, took a deep breath, and said word by word in her heart: Brother Prince, I haven't seen you for three years, hello!

After the prince finished saluting and retreated, Luo Yan stepped forward and saluted to the Heavenly Master with a slight smile, but the Heavenly Master stretched out his hand and stroked Luo Yan's head lightly, before he smiled and said, "Princess Ping'an, the gods will bless you from now on." Luo Yan naturally knew that it was a great blessing for the Heavenly Master to touch the top, so she hurriedly knelt down and bowed, stood up and said with a smile: "Thank you Heavenly Master for blessing." ”

Suddenly, she felt that there seemed to be a glimmer of light behind her, and when Luo Yan stepped back and stood sideways, she glanced back, and saw the dark eyes of the crown princess Yuwen Lanzhu, which made Luo Yan's heart feel slightly cold for some reason. The crown princess had already walked up with a smile on her face and saluted the heavenly master, who returned the salute as usual, and then led everyone to the temple.

Luo Yan was vigilant in her heart, and quietly looked at Yuwen Lanzhu beside her, only to feel that her face was calm, and then she seemed to sense Luo Yan's gaze, and smiled sideways: "Princess Ping'an, long time no see." I've been trying to host a feast for you since you came back, but I'm just in time for your great sacrifice and fasting. ”

Luo Yan nodded and smiled: "Thank you Crown Princess for your concern." ”

Before the festival, all the royal family members wore dark colored dresses, which were solemn and boring, especially when they walked together, they looked like the reincarnation of a large group of crows. But the Yuwen Lanzhu in front of Luo Yan seems to be very suitable for black, her facial features are beautiful and magnificent, her eyebrows are clear and resolute, and she is even more glamorous and bright with a black dress.

The place in front of the temple is not small, but according to the regulations of the big festival, the female eunuchs of the palace are not allowed to enter the temple, even if you are the son of heaven, when you fast in the main hall of the temple tonight, you must eat and change clothes by yourself, and you can only rest on the simple wooden bed in the apse, so as to live a humble and equal heart. Luo Yan and the crown prince lived in the east and west halls of the Zhai Palace, and the same was true. The crown princess and the prince lived in the wing room outside the palace. This is also what Luo Yan hated the most in the past - she couldn't sleep at all this night, but the next day she had to work hard to climb the mountain to offer silk, and every time she came back, she couldn't wait to sleep for three days.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the Heavenly Master introduced the group into the hall, and did not say much, and after sending Yongnian into the main hall, he gave a salute to everyone and retired.

Luo Yan kept glancing at the prince's shadow from the corner of her eyes, because of Xueming, because of Meizi, because of Xiao Jixiang'er, she thought that she would grit her teeth with hatred at this moment, but she was surprised to find that there was another strong feeling in her heart: fear. At this time, facing each other in front of the palace, he found that the prince's eyelids were always lowered, and he didn't raise his eyes to look at her at all. Luo Yan gritted her teeth and walked up to salute and said, "Ping An has seen the prince." Then he looked up at him directly, and said silently in his heart: I can't dodge, I want to see him clearly, I must have the courage to face this person!

Prince Murong Duan's face was calm, and he nodded and smiled: "How is peace lately?" His eyes were paired with Luo Yan, and he flashed slightly before he looked over. Luo Yan's heart suddenly calmed down a lot, and she looked at him deeply a few times, only to feel that the eldest brother with clear eyebrows and gentle eyebrows in this impression did seem to have some haze that she had never seen before. But all the way just now, the violently tumbling emotions in her heart seemed to be slowly subsiding at this moment, she smiled at herself in her heart, and the smile on her face deepened: "Fortunately, it's all thanks to the prince." ”

Murong Duan stretched out his hand and pressed the corner of his forehead, brushed away a strand of hair, and only smiled, but Yuwen Lanzhu walked up to him and said to Luo Yan: "Ping An is really polite." ”

Luo Yan smiled and saluted, turned around and walked towards the west hall, but she was a little surprised in her heart - she would not be mistaken, holding her forehead, it was a typical body language with guilt, could the prince be ashamed of her words? He could be so ruthless and wanted to kill her many times, how could he feel ashamed when facing her?

When he arrived at the West Hall, Luo Yan stood in the empty room, and he didn't have a clue in his heart for a long time: maybe the hair was blocking his eyes, maybe the body language of the ancients and the modern people was different? Maybe even the most ruthless politician has a time when his conscience is discovered?

Looking around, she sighed boredly: just like in her memory, there wasn't even a chair in this hall! She walked to the small shrine and put a stick of incense on it, and whispered, "Lend me a pair of discerning eyes, so that I can see this disturbance clearly......

After the incense, there was still nothing to do, Luo Yan could only kneel on the futon, took out a biography of Princess Fei from her sleeve, and looked at it carefully page by page - she used to pay more attention to Yan Taizu, but after returning to Dayan this time to read some biographies of Princess Fei, she found out that she was also a super strange person, not to mention her business talent, and she did a lot of things that benefited the people, such as giving New Year's rice to poor households, opening orphanages and free Mongolian education; And her life experience is even more legendary, from an older leftover girl from a distant branch of the clan to being able to make decisions on political affairs in the imperial court, which is enough to make Luo Yan, a genuine princess, embarrassed. In the midst of it, she knew that she would never be able to do this just by relying on the favor of the Heavenly Master.

The most interesting thing is that on this unique biography that Dai Lan found by chance, Luo Yan also found a strange story: Princess Fei is "Xiqing married Yu Wenyang as his wife in the fourth year"; There is another sentence on page N, "Xiqing for eight years, offering silk for the winter solstice sacrifice". If it weren't for her habit of reciting history and reciting the automatic chronology, most of them wouldn't have noticed this - at first, she thought it was a mistake, and deliberately found other biographies to find the right ones, and found that both times were correct, but other biographies mentioned that Princess Fei would not mention the silk sacrifice after marrying for the first time, and the person who proposed the silk would not mention the marriage, let alone write the word "Yuwen". Obviously, she also has a nominal and secretive marriage like herself! The only difference is that she came out of Chongyang Palace and left and offered silk. I don't know what magical things happened in Chongyang Palace......

Just as he was looking at it, he heard a chuckle: "The princess really cherishes time." ”

Luo Yan was taken aback, and when she raised her eyes, she was even more surprised, and she was busy trying to get up and salute, the Heavenly Master smiled and waved her hand, and casually sat on the futon opposite Luo Yan, looked at the book in Luo Yan's hand and smiled: "The princess is thinking, when can you go to Chongyang Palace?" ”

Luo Yan closed the book embarrassedly and nodded.

The Celestial Master smiled, "April." If the princess decides to go to Chongyang Palace, she can come here at any time in April next year to find someone to lead the way. Chongyang Palace is located in the northwest, which is difficult to travel in winter, and April and September are the most labor-saving seasons. ”

"Effortless?" Luo Yan couldn't help but be confused.

The Celestial Master nodded, "Everyone who goes to Chongyang Palace must walk through the Gobi Desert for three hundred miles in five days to reach the place. ”

Five days, 300 miles, on foot? Luo Yan glared at the Heavenly Master: What are you doing? Still want to play orienteering first? Subconsciously blurted out: "Bearing weight? ”

There was a knowing smile in the Heavenly Master's eyes, and he nodded, "The princess is really from there. ”