At this time, inside the Central Palace, the bead curtain clinked as the royal maid Hexiang entered and curtsied with good manners.
Queen Zhao gently set down the tea cup she was holding. “She didn’t say anything?”
“The crown prince consort didn’t say anything. The crown prince was also present at the time, and he looked very displeased.”
Queen Zhao sighed. She didn’t know what to say about her son’s protectiveness.
Elderly Nanny Huaxuan quietly analyzed, “But it is understandable. The crown prince consort will be setting out for the Mystic Beast Forest secret realm the day after tomorrow. And yet she still has to head to the Great Sea Monastery to pray for blessings tomorrow, so she will be a bit rushed on time. Moreover, the crown prince consort is also in mourning…”
Queen Zhao lightly cast the elderly nanny a glance. “As the crown prince consort, she naturally has to put the Mo Kingdom’s safety as her priority.”
Huaxuan then lowered her head and responded, “Yes.”
Meanwhile, Hexiang bowed before going up towards the area behind the curtain to help Queen Zhao.
“This queen doesn’t want to meddle, so let’s see what happens. Most likely, there will be a big show to watch.” Queen Zhao’s lips tugged into a sneer.
Today, she already received definite news that the king had already relented, adding Courtesan Zheng’s name to the entourage.
On this day to pray for blessings, Qiao Mu woke up early and washed up, preparing herself in a systematic fashion.
Since she was in mourning, she naturally wore a white silk mourning dress.
Since the king and the queen both weren’t repulsed by her mourning dress, still specially ordering her to go “pray for blessings,” then she naturally didn’t care about these ordinary affairs even more so.
Today, the people participating in this prayer for blessings included the royal concubines in the palace, the princesses and commandery princesses, as well as the womenfolk of the families of third-rank officials and above.
This grandiose party assembled at Dongshun Gate before 3 o’clock in the morning.
They quietly waited for the crown prince consort’s carriage to arrive before setting off together towards the Great Sea Monastery.
The Pacification Pagoda was said to be the kingdom’s national pagoda because one of its monks had reportedly saved the former king’s life before.
From then on, the monks of the Great Sea Monastery experienced a meteoric rise in social prestige.
Not only did the entire Great Sea Monastery become the Mo Kingdom’s state protection monastery, the Pacification Pagoda inside it had also been conferred as the national pagoda, as it was said to be able to bless and protect the kingdom’s well-being. It was rumored with vivid detail that you would get what you wished for if you burned joss sticks at the Pacification Pagoda.
The entire pagoda had nine floors and towered aloft Fu Mountain, which was situated near the north city gate.
There had always been the saying that Fu Mountain was made up of ranges upon ranges of ridges and peaks stretching on for hundreds of thousands of feet, and that it was that covered by green woods.
When Qiao Mu alighted from the carriage, she saw from afar that Great Sea Monastery’s abbot and his retinue were already waiting at the gate.
“Greetings to the crown prince consort.” Great Sea Monastery’s abbot looked to be in his seventies, but apparently, his actual age was already over one hundred.
Qiao Mu nodded faintly. “Venerable Master, there’s no need for so many formalities. If you’re all prepared, then let’s pick an auspicious time to start.”
This prayer for blessings required her to lead the group of orioles and swallows through a sequence of saying their prayers and burning joss sticks. Afterwards, she had to enter the Pacification Pagoda and sweep the pagoda so as to express her piety.p
Of course, she wasn’t required to sweep all the floors, as it was only for a mere formality.
If this sequence went smoothly, they would probably be able to eat lunch and rest just after noon.
Everything would basically be over around 8 o’clock in the evening, and they would be able to go home then.
But if things didn’t go smoothly…
A cold light flitted across Qiao Mu’s eyes. She didn’t mind if some people’s blood were to splatter on the spot.
Besides the crown prince consort, Consort Cheng, Consort Liu, and Noble Consort Lin possessed the most honorable statuses of all the people in the party.
More than half of the womenfolk were normal people, and half of them were getting on in years.
They ordinarily lived pampered lifestyles, so it was indeed a bit unbearable for them to kneel in worship and burn joss sticks repeatedly under the gradually rising sun.
Qiao Mu didn’t avert her gaze, merely faintly casting a glance at her mother and younger sister.
