Chapter 262 Sacrifice
"Did the imperial decree call you there?"
"Yes!"
Jiang Anning seemed to be confused and shocked. She blinked and pretended to be puzzled: "In the past six months, this matter has been widely spread outside. It is no longer a secret."
"Is that so?"
Sang Donghai smiled slightly awkwardly: "I have hardly been out in the past six months, and I rarely hear any outside news."
"Then it seems that you really have no choice but to go to the capital."
It seems that their plans may have to change.
The original plan was to take advantage of this Mid-Autumn Festival to have a showdown with Jiang Anning, inform her mother-in-law of the identity of the Sang clan, and take the people back to the Sang clan with the promise that people should be reunited after the moon is reunited.
Complete the great cause of sacrifice.
I'm afraid I have to ask the high priest whether I want to have a showdown with someone now.
Sang Donghai laughed and laughed a few times: "Have you decided when to come back?"
He couldn't help but feel a little more hopeful.
Thinking that if Jiang Anning didn't go there for long and still had time to catch up with the important sacrifices of the Sang clan, she might as well show off her cards directly.
At that time, they can accompany Jiang Anning to the capital, and when her affairs in the capital are settled, they can directly return to the Sang clan with them.
In this way, you won’t waste time and you get the best of both worlds.
Sang Donghai felt a little more beautiful.
The corner of Jiang Anning's mouth raised slightly, breaking his beautiful fantasy: "When will I come back and whether I can come back, I'm afraid only the nobles will know."
"Where can I be in charge?"
Sang Donghai suddenly became frustrated.
Jiang Anning smiled and teased: "Why, it seems like you don't particularly want me to go to the capital..."
She smiled half-heartedly, touching on the little ninety-nine in people's hearts: "She seems to be particularly concerned about when I can come back."
"Is there something going on?"
Sang Donghai panicked for a moment: "What's going on? Don't think too much!"
He said something random: "Of course I don't want you to go to the capital!"
"Look, the business is doing well right now. You said you would give dividends to us two brothers. Isn't that the time when we are full of energy?"
"But you suddenly said that you are no longer in charge of the business here, and you have to give up everything here and go to the capital."
“I don’t even know when I will return.”
"We brothers are naturally worried."
Sang Donghai's silly smile sounded as if that was really what happened.
He put on a caring look: "Didn't you also say that? In a place like the capital where noble people are everywhere and every inch of land is valuable, people like us who come from humble backgrounds and are unfamiliar with the place may offend someone. Being a member of a powerful family brings trouble to oneself.”
"If you can't go, of course we don't want you to go."
In this way, you can also go back to the Sang clan with us.
Be a sacrifice to appease the wrath of the gods.
well!
Sang Donghai couldn't help but hate himself and the Sang family because they were really unlucky.
In the past, they finally determined who was the most suitable person to send to the forbidden land.
The man was summoned into the palace by an imperial edict.
At first, they were not in a hurry.
After all, it is still too early for the Sang clan to embark on their great mission of offering sacrifices.
Even for a short while, there is no way to send the gods' favorite sacrificial blood to the forbidden land for the gods to enjoy.
It won't affect anything.
As a result, what they had been waiting for was indeed the news that the man had died violently in the palace!
Not only did they lose their most important sacrifice!
The entire Sang clan was also implicated, and almost all of them died.
Now, the storm has finally passed.
They have locked in new sacrifices again, and everything is moving in the right direction.
Just wait for him and Sang Nanshan to confess the truth.
Jiang Anning would definitely recognize them and follow them back.
By then, the sacrifice has been completed, and the Sang clan will be able to get through the disaster safely.
And he who helped the clan find the most perfect sacrificial object and brought it back was the biggest contributor to the Sang clan.
He will be the well-deserved new leader of the Sang clan!
But now, everything has turned into nothing because of this inexplicable imperial edict.
Not only was his dream of becoming a clan leader shattered, but it was also unclear whether the Sang clan's great sacrifice could be successfully completed.
Sang Donghai had never been so full of hatred as at this moment.
If before, he could still persuade Sang Nanshan with a few words of sanctimony and pretentiousness, perfectly hiding his ambition in his good advice.
Now he really couldn't hold himself back and his mood exploded.
If the reason that prompted Jiang Anning to come to Beijing was anything else, Sang Donghai would not be so desperate and depressed.
But...
It's an imperial edict!
It's imperial power!
What is he fighting for?
And now, we can only report this matter to the high priest, and let the high priest and other elders in the clan find a solution.
Sang Donghai was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice when Jiang Anning left.
He didn't even notice that Sang Nanshan followed closely behind him and went out together.
"Sister Jiang!"
Sang Nanshan was panting, chasing Jiang Anning who was about to return to the county town.
Jiang Anning had heard the movement a long time ago, but she had no intention of calling Duan Qingshan to stop.
Until Duan Qingshan also heard it, he slowed down by two minutes and asked for instructions: "Your Majesty?"
Jiang Anning pretended to lift the car curtains, stuck her head out, glanced behind, and shouted slowly: "Stop."
Duan Qingshan looked decent, and it looked like he couldn't stop due to inertia, so he slowly ran the carriage forward for a short distance, and then slowly stopped the carriage.
"Is there something wrong with this young master?"
He got out of the carriage first and blocked Sang Nanshan from the carriage.
Sang Nanshan was stunned, as if he didn't expect that it wasn't Jiang Anning who got out of the car.
After a while, I finally realized that the person in front of me was probably the driver of Jiang Anning's family.
He huffed a few times, took a deep breath, bowed his hands in front of others, and announced his home: "I am Sang Nanshan."
Then he got straight to the point: "I want to see Jiang Anning. I have something to say to her. It's very important!"
"I would like to ask this big brother to inform you."
With such a loud voice, there is no need for any notification.
Jiang Anning is not deaf. On the contrary, she has very good hearing.
Naturally, I heard everything the person said clearly.
However, she still waited for Duan Qingshan to relay what he said before slowly getting up and getting out of the car.
When he saw Sang Nanshan, he was very surprised. "Why are you still chasing me here? Does your brother know you are coming? Is there something you forgot to mention?"
Sang Nanshan looked at the innocent face and such a gentle and gentle tone, and the guilt in his heart suddenly deepened.
He bowed his hands to the person.
Then he looked at Duan Qingshan, then looked around, and slightly asked: "Can I ask Sister Jiang to lend me a moment to speak?"
Jiang Anning smiled faintly and pointed to the open space aside: "Let's talk over there."
"Okay."
The two of them walked to the open space next to them. Duan Qingshan was not far away keeping watch for the two of them, always alert to the surrounding environment and pedestrians.
"What do you want to say to me?" Jiang Anning asked again.
Sang Nanshan licked his lips, obviously still a little unsure.
"I..."
He looked at the person's pure face for a long time, and finally made up his mind to confess to the person.
"The reason why my brother and I came here is because of you."
"Although you denied your life experience to us last time."
"Why are you making up stories like your mother is Jiang Xiaolu and your father is Jiang Dahong."
"But we are still very sure that you are our cousin, Aunt Jingwan's daughter, and you are also..."
Sang Nanshan's voice paused slightly and his tone was low: "It is also the best sacrifice for our Sang clan."
"Only by sending you to the forbidden land can we, the Sang clan, complete our great sacrifice, thereby appeasing the anger of the gods and preventing the gods from bringing disaster to our Sang clan."
"By then..."
"Only our Sang clan can have peace."
"Otherwise, all of us will be buried in the forbidden land."
He was silent for a moment: "My brother and I originally wanted to take advantage of this Mid-Autumn Festival to have a showdown with you again, and take advantage of your eagerness to recognize relatives, lack of care and love from your family, and your desire to have a family to rely on. Deceive the Sang family back.”
"At that time, when you are full of joy, I will trick you into the forbidden area."
"When you step into the forbidden area, the formation has been completed, and everything has settled, the Sang family will be able to maintain stability for a hundred years because of your sacrifice."
"You will become the hero of the entire Sang family."
"We will build a monument for you, praise your dedication and greatness, and remember you forever."
Jiang Anning said coldly: "Are you sure it's not because you feel guilty and you want to use this to relieve the guilt in your heart?"
Sang Nanshan was shocked by the revelation and lowered his head in shame.
Seeing that he was silent for a long time, Jiang Anning looked at him coldly and asked, "But since you wanted to trick me in the first place, why did you come here to tell me this now?"
"Don't you think that after hearing what you said, I would be willing to be deceived and let you go to the Sang clan and become your sacrifice?"
Sang Nanshan said hurriedly: "Of course not!"
"I just think that as the victim of this matter, you have the right to know everything."
"You should make a decision on whether you want to be this sacrifice after you understand all the dangers. Instead of being confused and wanting to recognize your relatives happily, you end up being deceived by someone you should be close to. Lose your life and die miserably.”
"I don't think this is fair to you."
"I can't bear to become such a cold-blooded executioner."
"So I decided to tell you all this."
Sang Nanshan covered his face in pain: "I know, I know that if I do this, it will probably put the entire Sang clan in danger and lose their lives."
"But I, I really can't, I can't be so cold-blooded and ruthless, deceiving an innocent person to die."
"I can't do it."
Jiang Anning watched with cold eyes as the man seemed to be in great pain.
She didn't know if Sang Nanshan was acting with her.
Or perhaps, the two brothers have already discussed it, one will be the good guy, and the other will be the bad guy.
The purpose is the same.
They were all trying to trick her into going to the Sang clan.
What kind of sacrifice?
She stared coldly for a moment and said expressionlessly: "Now, you know the answer."
Sang Nanshan raised his head in confusion and looked at her in confusion.
"What answer?"
"You came to tell me this, don't you just want to know my choice?"
Jiang Anning looked indifferent: "Now I can tell you with certainty that I have no interest in getting to know the so-called relatives, and I am even more sorry for the sacrifices you mentioned. I am not a fool. What should I do? To give up my own life for some irrelevant people to help others?”
"So if you tell me these things, whether it is out of true feelings or whether your conscience is uneasy, I will not be moved at all."
"I won't choose to go back with you and be a sacrifice just because you confessed to me."
Jiang Anning had a cold face, remembering the conversation she overheard between Wang Shang and Jiao Niang.
Grandma’s death, or rather Grandma’s tragedy, has nothing to do with these so-called tribesmen!
It's not like she was stupid and would risk her own life to save these people.
Just...
Jiang Anning hesitated for a while, looking at Sang Nanshan who was stunned in place, as if he had never thought about this outcome: "If it is possible, I might go to the Sang clan, maybe."
She lowered her eyebrows slightly.
I thought to myself: If A Niang’s death is really related to these people, then she wouldn’t mind taking more detours and killing more people!
"But you'd better pray, I won't go."
After all, if she goes to the Sang clan, there is a high probability that there is only one possibility, and that is that the cause of A Niang's death is indeed related to them.
She won't let any enemy go!
Sang Nanshan didn't understand the meaning of these words. He opened his mouth to ask anxiously, but Jiang Anning had already turned away.
He chased after him, but was stopped by Duan Qingshan.
Duan Qingshan didn't even look at him, raised the riding crop in his hand high and flicked it mercilessly.
Sang Nanshan was startled and took several steps back. He lost his balance and fell into the ditch next to him, making him miserable.
In the end, I could only watch the carriage gradually go away.
When we arrived at the county seat, it was already late at night.
The city gate has long been closed.
Jiang Anning had to stay in line outside the city, waiting for the city gate to open.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before dawn.
She just took a nap in the car and heard the sound of the city gate opening.
Duan Qingshan held the carriage and waited for the city defenders to finish the inspection and slowly entered the city. Then he knocked on the carriage door and asked Jiang Anning inside: "My lord, should we go directly to the county prison?"
He looked at the food stalls that had been set up not far away: "Would you like to eat something first?"
Jiang Anning refused: "I have no appetite."
The carriage shook her whole body, as if her bones were falling apart.
"If you are hungry, eat first before going."
She said: "It's just right. Let's pack some and give them to the government officials who haven't changed their shifts yet."
“It’s never good to go empty-handed.”
Duan Qingshan said "Hey", but he didn't eat it himself. He only packed thirty pancakes stuffed with pork and pickled vegetables and two cans of soy milk.
Immediately, he drove the carriage to the county prison.