MCSCPM -Chapter 149 The Complete Sacrifice

The fifth watch of the night. The sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hints of dawn, and roosters began to crow.

Nangong Lin furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

“Your Majesty, the diviner has returned,” said Eunuch Li, a smile on his face.

“Summon him,” Nangong Lin immediately ordered.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Last night, Nangong Lin had spent hours discussing with the Crown Prince, but they had been unable to devise a concrete solution. The original plan was to send the divine physician to Jiangnan to halt the plague, but Nangong Lin remained wary. Yin Qingyue was the sacrificial girl of the ritual; if she went to Jiangnan, it might anger Heaven itself. So he abandoned that idea.

“Your Majesty, I have returned,” said a man in a yellow Taoist robe, carrying a fly whisk, his hair already partially white.

“My loyal minister, please sit. No need for formalities in front of me,” Nangong Lin said with a smile.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was delayed on the way and kept you waiting,” the diviner said apologetically, his eyes fixed firmly on Nangong Lin.

“My minister, the Jiangnan floods have worsened beyond expectation, and now… the plague has emerged,” Nangong Lin said, anxiety gnawing at him.

“Your Majesty, please do not worry. I still need to observe the celestial signs to determine whether this is a disaster for Xize,” the diviner said calmly.

“Very well… I…” Nangong Lin began, but trailed off.

Every time the diviner appeared, Nangong Lin followed him blindly, as if bewitched. Whatever the diviner said became law in his mind. Even if misfortune befell Xize, requiring a hundred girls to be sacrificed to Heaven, Nangong Lin would agree without hesitation.

“Your Majesty, the plague in Jiangnan may be Heaven’s displeasure with Xize. Something has angered the Heavens!” The white fly whisk swayed in front of Nangong Lin as the diviner muttered incomprehensible incantations.

“This is precisely what worries me,” Nangong Lin admitted.

“Your Majesty, I understand your meaning. There is always a solution. Now that I have returned, the people of Xize will be safe,” the diviner said.

At that moment, rain began to fall outside, growing heavier by the second. The wind rattled the windows.

“Your Majesty, is this an omen?” Nangong Lin asked, his expression tense.

“Your Majesty, this rain will soon stop. Rest assured,” the diviner replied.

Nangong Lin nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Your Majesty, it has been a long time since the last divination. If tonight’s result is unfavorable, it may be because one of the Luochen girls made a mistake and offended Heaven,” the diviner said, noticing Nangong Lin’s furrowed brow. “Among them is a certain girl, known as the divine physician, who saved the Crown Prince. The Empress, meanwhile, remains in her ‘fainting’ state. Her merits are immense. Yet she walks freely in the palace, even given a small residence with servants. Such leniency… is reckless.”

The diviner had previous grievances with Yin Qingyue and knew she was no ordinary girl. With the flood and plague coinciding, he was determined to remove her.

Nangong Lin’s expression tightened. The diviner’s reminder made him recall what Yin Qingyue had said: one cannot always trust divination blindly.

“Your Majesty, Heaven’s grace ensures Xize’s safety. We cannot defy the will of Heaven. I shall take my leave and prepare for tomorrow’s divination,” the diviner said.

Watching the diviner’s figure fade into the distance, Nangong Lin’s brow remained furrowed.

The clouds gradually dissipated, and, just as the diviner had said, the rain ceased.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience.”

“Let him in.”

Nangong Lin set down his wine cup slowly and sat back. Once tomorrow arrived, everything would be resolved.

“I pay my respects, Father,” said the Crown Prince.

“Rise,” Nangong Lin said, half-closing his eyes, lips pursed in satisfaction.

“I heard the diviner has returned, Father, and came to check. What did his prediction reveal?” Nangong Xiao asked with a smile.

“I sent him to rest. Observing the celestial signs tomorrow night will reveal everything,” Nangong Lin replied.

“Father, I wanted to ask you about the Jiangnan plague. The divine physician has cured your chronic illness, showing remarkable talent. Sending her to Jiangnan could resolve the plague without mobilizing armies,” Nangong Xiao said. After thinking through the night, he realized this was the only way to save Yin Qingyue.

He had anticipated that the diviner would manipulate the sacrificial ritual, and Yin Qingyue, being the most unruly of the hundred girls, would find it difficult to survive.

“Yin Qingyue is the sacrificial girl. Sending her would anger Heaven. There is no need to discuss further. I have decided: once the diviner returns, all matters will be resolved,” Nangong Lin said, waving for him to leave.

“But Father…” Nangong Xiao began.

“There is no ‘but.’ Go now. I am resting,” Nangong Lin said firmly.

“Yes, Father,” Nangong Xiao said reluctantly. Though he foresaw this outcome, he wanted to try. Seeing Yin Qingyue distressed last night, he had wanted to ease her burdens.

He gazed toward the Imperial Study, wondering: were the fates of the hundred girls truly in the diviner’s hands? Though he had originally recruited them, meeting Yin Qingyue had changed everything.

Soon, the day passed.

The observation platform outside the Imperial Study was ready.

Ministers gathered outside, awaiting the diviner’s arrival.

“I pay my respects, Your Majesty,” the diviner appeared, dressed in yellow, hand on his fly whisk.

“Rise, my minister. How did you rest last night?” Nangong Lin asked, exhausted from a sleepless night.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I rested well,” the diviner said.

“Then let us begin.”

The diviner waved his fly whisk, and several men carried large drums outside the study, striking them relentlessly. The sound was deafening, echoing throughout the palace grounds.

“During my observation, if you see anything unusual, do not make a sound!”

With that, he stepped onto the observation platform.

“Did everyone hear that? Silence!”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the ministers whispered.

The court grew silent. The drums’ echoes lingered. The diviner, Yuchi, sat upright, muttering incantations without moving.

Nangong Lin fixed his gaze on him. In divination, sincerity was paramount.

“Heaven, give me guidance,” the diviner murmured.

He shook his head, tossing several tortoise shells to the ground.

Bang! The observation platform’s frame cracked. Everyone jumped.

“What’s happening?” the ministers asked, anxious.

“I don’t know. Will the diviner fall?” The platform was at least twenty meters high; a fall would be fatal.

“I said be silent! Anyone who speaks will be executed!” Nangong Lin’s eyes blazed with anger.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the ministers whispered.

Bang! A tortoise shell fell, shattering into eight pieces.

Nangong Lin’s smile vanished. The tortoise shells’ arrangement was significant in divination; eight pieces foretold great calamity. He remembered the last time: the same result.

Yet the diviner remained unmoved atop the platform.

“Father, are you alright?” Nangong Xiao asked, worried.

“I… I am fine,” Nangong Lin said, slightly dazed. He wondered if he had seen wrong—the shell on the ground seemed whole, not eight pieces.

He looked back at the diviner, who descended slowly, expressionless.

“My minister, what’s the result?” Nangong Lin asked eagerly.

“Your Majesty… it is difficult to say. These are all inauspicious omens,” the diviner frowned.

“Why do you say that?”

“Your Majesty can see it too. The sky was clear tonight, yet on the platform I observed otherwise. Among the Doushan stars, there is a shadow. Do not be deceived by appearances. The Red Luan star remains overhead. The celestial anomaly shows no sign of diminishing—it grows stronger.”

The diviner knelt suddenly.

“I am powerless. Now, there is only one way to resolve this.”

“Speak!” Nangong Lin commanded.

“Your Majesty, follow me,” the diviner said, pointing to the tortoise shells.

“See, though the shell is cracked, some parts remain intact. The head of the tortoise is whole—there is still a solution.”

Everyone present was stunned.

“Continue,” Nangong Lin said.

“The Red Luan star reappears. There is only one way to resolve this: the remaining girls must all be sacrificed!”

All sacrificed! The words echoed in Nangong Xiao’s mind. All sacrificed meant Yin Qingyue would die, no matter that she had saved him or the Emperor.

A knife seemed to stab at his heart. Could he watch the girl he loved be offered to Heaven?

“Then follow my minister’s advice. Send them all to Heaven. If it benefits Xize, I trust the girls will willingly comply,” Nangong Lin said seriously.

“Father, the sacrifice… shouldn’t it be gradual? How can they be sent all at once?” Nangong Xiao tried to hide his emotions. He worried for Yin Qingyue. Once the decree was issued, she would have no chance.

Even as Crown Prince, he could do nothing.

“And what does the Crown Prince suggest?” the diviner asked coldly.

“I believe we should follow the previous order and proceed slowly,” Nangong Xiao said.

“Look at these tortoise shells. If we proceed slowly, the hundred girls may not be sacrificed in time, and Xize’s fate…” the diviner said, pointing to the broken shell.

“If the diviner uses these shells to repeatedly change the methods, I may doubt your words!” Nangong Xiao said.

“If the Crown Prince doubts me, he can wait a few days. But can Xize afford to wait?”

“Fine. Issue my decree: tomorrow morning, gather the Luochen girls for the sacrificial ritual,” Nangong Lin commanded.

“My minister, the Crown Prince is naive. Do not mind him,” Nangong Lin said, fearing the diviner might withhold truth.

This involved Xize’s fate. Delay could endanger the kingdom.

“I take my leave,” Nangong Xiao said lightly, eager to leave and save Yin Qingyue. Tomorrow, once she reached the altar, it would be too late.

Nangong Lin nodded, allowing him to go.

The ministers said nothing. Throughout history, a kingdom’s fate had never been decided by sacrificial rituals—yet here, Nangong Lin heeded only the diviner, fearing disaster for Xize.

“My minister, follow me inside,” Nangong Lin said. The diviner disappeared into the moonlight.

“Perhaps this is Xize’s fate,” the ministers murmured. The plague had already killed many. If not controlled quickly, sacrificial rituals might accomplish nothing.

Sighing, the ministers dispersed into the night.

The common people suffered, yet the Emperor prepared for sacrifices. How absurd.

Yin Qingyue did not yet know how her fate would be altered in this moment.