Chapter 764: Anchor the Monkey Beneath Wuxing Mountain
The Imperial Capital was shaped as four concentric squares—the outer four cities, the inner eight districts, the Imperial City, and the Palace City at its very heart.
Tonight was New Year’s Eve. The Emperor held a New Year Banquet at the palace, formally beginning at 11:00 pm and concluding just after midnight. It was a very brief window of only an hour.
This late hour was by design, allowing the ministers to dine with their families before attending the imperial banquet, thus avoiding any conflict.
The Grand Scholar of the Imperial Cabinet, Xie Linyuan, arrived in a hurry. He was nearly late, but not quite.
After the Owner was banished by Madam Qi, The Inn’s forces retreated. The Cook alone could not fight off two of Madam Qi’s Three Corpse incarnations, so the Innkeeper had no choice but to reinforce him. This allowed Xie Linyuan to return to the Imperial Palace in time for the banquet.
At that very moment, Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were still fighting Prince Liao.
Before the banquet began, the palace was hosting a complex blessings ceremony. Hence, Li Ruoshui, the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion Master, along with Deputy Mansion Master Shi Bingyun, had to arrive early to participate in the ritual.
Daoist blessings followed six levels. The highest was the Universal Grand Ritual, personally led by the emperor, dedicating 3,600 spiritual tablets. Next was the Heavenly Cycle Ritual with 2,400 tablets, followed by the Heavenly Net Ritual with 1,200 tablets, the Golden Ritual, the Jade Ritual, and the Yellow Ritual.
This ceremony was a Heavenly Net Ritual. Since the Daoist reforms during the Holy Xuan Era, its duration had been shortened from the original 49 days to just 14 hours. The ritual resembled ancestral or heavenly worship.
Rituals and war were considered great matters of a nation.
This Heavenly Net Ritual was personally officiated by Great Sage Jiang Hedao, with Li Ruoshui and Shi Bingyun serving as the assistants. Since it spanned 14 hours, it began in the morning and ended at night.