Helian Qi stood in front of the memorial tablets. He glanced around but found nothing suspicious. However, he knew there must be a trap waiting for him here.
Thinking of this, he nodded slightly at the woman beside him, signaling her to be careful.
Dongfang Yi's eyes showed a hint of vigilance at this sight.
"Your Majesty, the sun has set. Let's start the sacrifice now!" Nangong Liuyun said from the side. His voice was clear, as if he was looking forward to something.
But Helian Qi gave a soft laugh and replied, "Don't be hasty. The sun hasn't completely set yet. Let's wait a while."
After saying that, he looked into the crowd as if searching for someone. The person he was waiting for was Nangong Yunze.
Although Nangong Liuyun was very unhappy about the man in front of him delaying the time, after all, he was just a courtier now. The emperor's words were like imperial edicts, and he had to obey.
Not long after, Nangong Yunze rushed back and whispered something in his ear. Helian Qi immediately turned around and shouted, "Start the sacrifice!"
For the sacrifice, tributes should be presented first. They were the heads of cows, sheep, and pigs respectively, and rice wine should be filled. Then the lord should light incense and worship the ancestors. Only then could this sacrifice be considered completed.
The gunpowder prepared by Nangong Liuyun was hidden in the heads of cows, sheep, and pigs. As long as it touched a spark, it would explode. Moreover, the damage range was only the altar. So the only people who would die would be Helian Qi and the dead servants he had prepared to overturn the altar. Nangong Yunze had just gone to handle this matter.
In this way, it could be said that there would be no witnesses. By then, whatever he said, others would have to believe.
Thinking of this, the corner of his lips curled up in a barely noticeable smile, and he was overjoyed inside.
"Present the tributes!" A shrill cry came from outside the altar. Immediately afterwards, the sound of ritual music rang out. Then three women in plain clothes and veils walked in. Each of them was holding the head of a livestock in her hand.
Dongfang Yi was seeing such a scene for the first time. She only felt it was very shocking. Moreover, looking at those sacrificial objects, they should have been washed, and they still seemed to be glistening with water.
Helian Qi stared at those sacrificial objects without blinking. Then his gaze fell on the man standing in the darkness.
That man was Nangong Yunze. He slightly pointed at a livestock not far away. Helian Qi understood his meaning and also knew where the gunpowder was.
"Present the rice wine!" The shrill voice rang out again. Immediately afterwards, a person wearing a ghost mask, colorful clothes, and some colorful ribbons appeared. It was hard to tell whether it was a man or a woman. As soon as this person stepped onto the altar, they started to dance a strange dance. In their hand was a pot, which should be filled with rice wine.
While dancing, they poured the wine into the pre - placed wine cups. There were three cups in total. One was to worship the gods of heaven, one was to worship the ancestors, and the last one was for the current emperor to drink.
Then it came to the last step of the sacrifice. Without hesitation, Helian Qi stepped onto the altar.
Dongfang Yi behind him was a little worried and wanted to grab the corner of his sleeve. But thinking of the current situation, she knew she couldn't do anything that would arouse suspicion.
Thinking of this, she tightly bit her lips and stared at the man on the stage without blinking, for fear that something might happen to him.
Helian Qi took the incense handed over by the shaman and started to worship.
At this time, Nangong Liuyun sneered. Then he nodded at a man not far away. The man received the order and carefully moved to the side of the altar.
Just as Helian Qi finished worshiping and inserted the incense into the incense burner, he slightly turned around. Immediately, a man rushed out from behind and with lightning speed, rushed onto the altar. It seemed that he wanted to overturn the incense burner.
When Dongfang Yi saw this, she subconsciously thought of the words written in the secret letter she had seen before, which said, "During the Tomb - Sweeping Festival sacrifice, there will be a big fire on the altar."
"Big fire!" she murmured. In an instant, she seemed to think of something. The next moment, she rushed onto the altar without hesitation.
Because she already knew that that man was going to start the fire, and now Helian Qi was still on the altar. If the fire really started, he might not be able to escape.
When she came to her senses, she had already run to Helian Qi's side. And that dead servant had overturned the incense burner in front of her. Sparks flew onto the cow's head, and the gunpowder hidden inside was stimulated. Immediately, it caught fire and spread at an unstoppable speed.
Just when she thought she was surely doomed, Helian Qi beside her gave a soft laugh. Then, no one knew where his hand touched, and suddenly the ground beneath their feet gave way and they fell down.
At this time, outside the altar, everyone was in a panic. Donghua watched helplessly as her master rushed into the sea of fire. Her eyes widened. The next moment, she wanted to rush in to save him, but her body was controlled.
"Donghua, don't be impulsive!" Ru Yi shouted. Then she whispered something in her ear, and the woman in front of her calmed down a little.
But the two of them still looked very worried and kept looking for people to put out the fire.
When Nangong Liuyun saw this, the smile on his lips finally widened. Then he pretended to be grief - stricken and shouted, "This is the gods punishing us! The gods are punishing the emperor. It must be because his heart is not right and not devoted that he has suffered such retribution!"
Every word he said was treasonous, but the people below echoed him one after another and agreed with his words.
This was not strange, after all, those people originally swore allegiance to the Nangong family. They came here just to boost the momentum.
His words angered the generals of the Lian family who had come along. They had just come to escort the emperor to the imperial mausoleum, but unexpectedly, they saw such a thing.
But General Lian was a man who had experienced many vicissitudes. Naturally, he knew that things couldn't be so simple. And at this time, Nangong Liuyun's reaction was a bit too deliberate. With such an inference, he could guess most of the things.
"Presumptuous! Old man Nangong, the emperor hasn't even been confirmed yet. Now he is trapped in the sea of fire, and you actually say such things. Do you know your crime?!" he roared angrily, with uncontrollable anger in his eyes.
After hearing this, Nangong Liuyun sneered. Then he said in a deep voice, "Who do you think you are? How dare you question me here? Someone, take General Lian away and 'take good care' of him!"
He emphasized the words "take good care" very much. Anyone could tell that he meant the opposite. Although General Lian was suppressed, he still remained loyal and loudly scolded, "Nangong Liuyun, you are a traitor who brings disaster to the country!"