Chapter 44: Escorting the White-Feathered Peacock, Step by Step to the Heavens

Chapter 44: Escorting the White-Feathered Peacock, Step by Step Ascending to Heaven

The Qianqiu Festival's divine procession was grand and imposing. Eighty imperial guards led the way, with Prince Huai riding a red-tasseled horse within the guard formation. Behind him followed eighty maidservants, and about thirty feet further back was Ruan Ciyu's white jade palanquin, with only Xiao Die attending at its side.

In previous years, Qing Ping would have been on the other side, but fearing that the household servants might be purged, he had already sent Qing Ping ahead with Shen Quzhuo.

Behind the white jade palanquin came the civil and military officials, from the first rank down to the ninth, with civil officials on the left and military on the right. Every year, officials considered it an honor to participate in the divine procession.

Twelve years ago, Lan Suzhou's father, Lan Huaizhi, had also been in this procession. But that year, Ruan Ciyu had been spirited away by Lan Suzhou, nearly tied to a kite and launched into the sky.

After returning, he had fallen severely ill and forgotten most of what happened that day. The Lan family had also received orders overnight to leave for Ganzhou.

Wait—if he had been flying kites with Lan Suzhou at the time, who had been sitting in the palanquin?

When one cannot figure something out, it tends to gnaw at the mind, occupying his thoughts day and night.

Ruan Ciyu racked his brain but could not recall how he had been switched out that day to end up playing in the mud with Lan Suzhou in the woods.

It made no sense! Lan Suzhou had only been six years old then! Lan Huaizhi, who would become the Xuanji General, didn't seem like the type to indulge Lan Suzhou in such mischief on such an important occasion.

Ruan Ciyu couldn't help scratching his head in frustration.

He shouldn't have been thinking about such things at a time like this. He had been content in his solitude, but now he had an unanswered question, and he wouldn't be able to rest in peace.

He would have to wait underground for Lan Suzhou to pass on and ask him directly—how had Lan Suzhou spotted him at such a young age, and how had a six-year-old managed to pull him away from a nationwide celebration?

"Lower the palanquin—request His Royal Highness Prince Cheng'an to descend and ascend the altar—"

The palanquin, carried by eight bearers, landed steadily. Two maidservants stepped forward, drew the front curtains aside and tied them back, then lowered their heads and returned to their positions.

Ruan Ciyu sat serenely in the center of the palanquin.

Then Xiao Die stepped forward with a veil. Those who serve the divine official must be devoid of heart, face, or emotion—pure in all six senses and four limbs. Xiao Die placed the veil over Ruan Ciyu's face, a string of crystal beads symbolizing purity pressing down on the bridge of his nose to keep the veil from being blown up by the wind.

Then Ruan Ciyu bowed his head slightly, gently placing his hand on Xiao Die's wrist as he stepped out of the white jade palanquin with graceful, unhurried elegance.

First, a glimpse of his ankle came into view, but the soft fabric immediately slid down over his shoe, covering both ankle and instep completely.

As he stood, layers of fabric of varying thickness cascaded down, and the bells chimed crisply as they clinked together.

He stood up straight, and the bells fell silent. The maidservants smoothed out the train of his robe behind him. When spread open, it revealed a white peacock embroidered on it, with a long, slender neck and extraordinarily resplendent tail feathers, the threads shimmering with iridescent hues in the sunlight.

The wide sleeves featured subtle bamboo patterns. Higher up, all his hair was bound together, fastened with a white jade peacock crown that perfectly complemented the train.

Ruan Ciyu glanced back slightly, surveying the assembled civil and military officials standing at the foot of the Sun-Moon Altar's long steps. The sunlight was blinding, and he squinted.

Strange—he had felt someone watching him the entire way.

The feeling was strange, because everyone was looking at him, yet this gaze was different—so direct it made the hairs on the back of Ruan Ciyu's neck stand up, yet he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.

"Your Highness," Xiao Die called softly at his side.

Ruan Ciyu looked away and allowed the maidservants on either side to lift the front of his robes a little as he climbed the stone steps of the Sun-Moon Altar, step by step.

Lan Suzhou was soaked in sweat, pinning Xiaoshuang firmly beneath him.

A moment ago, he had nearly tumbled from his hiding spot, so stunned was he by Ruan Ciyu's beauty.

Xiaoshuang had already slipped out before him—this useless thing! Its blade had slid two inches out of its sheath, the flash making his lord shut his eyes!

Piece of junk! On the battlefield it never showed such zeal, yet in a place where it had no business showing off, it dared to flash light into his lord's eyes!!!

What audacity.

Lan Suzhou drew a sharp breath and, in a flash of inspiration, whipped out the deerskin riding whip his mother had made for him, just barely managing to snatch Xiaoshuang back.

Thank you, Mother. Truly, there's no love like a mother's.

Lan Suzhou kissed the whip, then gave Xiaoshuang two slaps, and resumed his position atop the divine official's tower. He spotted the white peacock diligently climbing the nine steps, now standing on the Heaven's Heart Stone at the center.

At the very center stood Ruan Ciyu alone, with maidservants and imperial guards scattered around the outermost edge of the platform, surrounding him in some kind of formation.

At that moment, the sun had just reached its zenith—the time of day with the strongest yang energy. Legend had it that prayers recited on the Heaven's Heart Stone at this hour could reach the heavens above.

Ruan Ciyu closed his eyes briefly. Standing as the center of a ring of people three layers deep, directly under the sun's rays, he felt as though he were at the bottom of a giant top, with the entire world like the top's inner wall, staring down at him.

Even Xiao Die was of no help. He spread his legs slightly apart, barely managing to stand straight.

There was no need to memorize the prayer in advance, for the words the emperor had prepared for him were but a single line: "The divine official bestows blessings, protecting Dazhao's eternal prosperity and His Majesty's enduring health."

Ruan Ciyu folded his hands together, touched them briefly to his forehead, then placed them over his heart. Bathed in sunlight, he lifted his head slightly and intoned: "The divine official bestows blessings, protecting Dazhao's eternal prosperity..."

He paused, his eyes darting, and the words took a turn.

"Protecting Suzhou's safety and well-being."

The moment the words left his lips, Ruan Ciyu's heart surged with emotion. Smuggling a private wish into such a solemn and sacred ceremony gave him a secret, delicious thrill.

A thin layer of sweat had formed on his hands and forehead. Despite the magnificent ceremonial robes, Ruan Ciyu still appeared exceedingly frail and thin.

He had barely swayed when Xiao Die was already at his side, steadying him.

"Your Highness, feeling fatigued so soon today? This year, the ascent to the Divine Official Temple cannot be by palanquin. This servant will attend to you with water, and then we shall depart."

"Cannot take the palanquin?"

Ruan Ciyu's vision darkened at the thought of those thousands of treacherous narrow steps leading up from the Sun-Moon Altar.

In the past, even riding the palanquin had jostled him half to death. Now they expected him to climb on his own—was that not asking the impossible?

They could take his life if they wished. They could kill him.

But Ruan Ciyu absolutely would not allow them to torture him before killing him.

After all, one should kill without tormenting the living! Making him climb to the Divine Official Temple on his own was no different from execution by a thousand cuts.

He had to do something.

Throughout the walk from the steps' beginning, with Xiao Die supporting him, Ruan Ciyu could not think of any dignified way to avoid the climb. He was on the verge of dragging Xiao Die backward.

During that time, he feigned stumbling on stones three times, only to have Wu Mang and Xiao Die flank him on either side, carrying him onward.

"Your Highness," Wu Mang said, hoisting Ruan Ciyu's right side up with little effort, "the civil and military officials are all watching below. His Majesty has instructed that today's ceremony is of utmost importance. As the chief officiant, you must not collapse publicly."

Oh?

Ruan Ciyu let most of his weight rest on Wu Mang, regaining a bit of energy.

He lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced at the sea of people standing below the Sun-Moon Altar.

The Emperor placed great importance on this sacrificial ceremony.

Since someone else was more worried about the ceremony going wrong than he was, he no longer needed to worry.

"Commander Wu," Ruan Ciyu paused mid-step, "sorry in advance, but I really can't hold on anymore."

Before Wu Mang could react, he felt a sudden heaviness on his arm.

Ruan Ciyu's body went limp, his eyes rolled back, and he started fake-fainting right there, not giving a damn.

Xiao Die and Wu Mang's pupils contracted sharply. "Your Highness!"

Ruan Ciyu fought to keep his breathing steady, thinking to himself, since when did he pick up such shameless tricks?

God, he was a genius!

Guess when you're backed into a corner, your potential's endless.

At that moment, the long trailing back of his robe was the perfect cover, hiding that his feet weren't even touching the ground.

Wu Mang's leather wrist guard dug into Ruan Ciyu's lower back as the two of them hauled him up the mountain.

Once the trees hid them from view, Wu Mang told Xiao Die to stop.

"Hold up, what do we do now? We can't just haul His Highness up there like this, right?"

Xiao Die clearly had no clue either. "Commander Wu, maybe you wait here while I go report to His Majesty and get a sedan chair?"

"No, that'd take way too long going up and down."

Wu Mang thought it over for a second, then ventured, "What if I just overstep and carry His Highness up in my arms?"

Hearing that, Ruan Ciyu wrinkled his nose a little in disgust.

Not just anyone got to be his ride. This General Wu's armor was clearly dirty, and he was rough and careless—he'd already jabbed Ruan Ciyu's ribs painfully a moment ago.

Even though Ruan Ciyu didn't have a better idea, being carried up by Wu Mang was definitely the worst option.

If it came to that, he'd have to do it himself—wake up and climb on his own.

Xiao Die had no right to question anyone, so he just stepped back to give Wu Mang space.

Wu Mang swallowed, clenched his fist, and reached around Ruan Ciyu's lower back.

"Your Highness, sorry for the liberty."

Just as he was about to lift Ruan Ciyu up, a weird gust of wind suddenly swept through.

Years of training had sharpened Wu Mang's danger instincts. His pupils shrank, he froze mid-move and whipped his head around—a pine needle was flying at his right eye, driven by inner energy.

Wu Mang dodged as fast as he could, but the needle was razor-sharp and still grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.

He frowned hard, handed Ruan Ciyu to Xiao Die, and moved to draw his blade. But before the sword even left its sheath, more pine needles rained down from above like ox hair.

Wu Mang had no choice but to give up on drawing, using the hand that was reaching for Ruan Ciyu to shield his face.

"Xiao Die, guard His Highness!"

The pine needles pelted down with a rustle, and after the wind-like roar faded, everything went quiet again.

Wu Mang's hand went numb, then started itching and throbbing. He lowered it to check, only to find the straps of his wrist guards shredded, the leather pieces scattered, and his forearm and palm covered in thin bloody cuts.

Wu Mang: "What the hell—"

Xiao Die was already shaking all over.

"Commander Wu, what the heck was that?"

Wu Mang was soaked in cold sweat. "In broad daylight... it can't be ghosts, right? Let's keep going."

This time, he was smarter. He pretended to reach for Ruan Ciyu again.

Sure enough, the pine needles came again like a sudden downpour.

Wu Mang was completely done.

He pressed his hands together and raised them to his forehead, announcing loudly, "O Divine Official above, this humble officer has zero improper feelings toward His Highness. The situation is urgent, so please allow me to carry His Royal Highness Prince Cheng'an into the temple on my back."

Silence all around. Wu Mang took that as the Divine Official's approval.

"Thank you, Divine Official."

He stepped forward and knelt on one knee, signaling Xiao Die to put Ruan Ciyu on his back.

Xiao Die nodded and was about to help Ruan Ciyu over when even more leaves, pine needles, and even fruit came crashing down from above.

This time, Wu Mang reacted quickly enough, drawing his blade to block the assault as he shouted in exasperation, "Is this ever going to end?!"

"Author's Note"

Ruan Ciyu: (haughty) (elegant) (preening his feathers)

Lan Suzhou: Peacock sir!!! (wildly cheering)