"Present the Bone Tablet—Prostrate—Offer sacrifice to Heaven—Arise—"
Within the Imperial Palace of the Capital City of Da Liang, the magnificent Altar of Heaven seemed to possess some innate ability to amplify sound, carrying the old eunuch's voice far and wide as he recited the edict.
Beneath the Altar of Heaven, all the civil and military officials held up their Bone Tablets and followed Gao Zhijian, kneeling toward the east. At the four corners of the altar, drummers struck eight great drums, which sounded three rhythmic beats in unison.
Li Huowang and Li Sui stood on a distant rooftop, silently watching Gao Zhijian, whose face was hidden behind the tassels of the Imperial Crown.
"Dad, how much longer do we have to stand? I'm hungry," Li Sui said. He had no concept of the events unfolding around him, his attention always defaulting to his most basic needs.
"Soon, soon."
"Present the Bone Tablet—Prostrate—Offer sacrifice to the Earth—Arise—"
