The Taimiao is not in the imperial city, but is located near Wangchunmen in the east of the city. There is a Taimiao Street connected to the East Cross Street. It goes south along the Taimiao Street. At the end is the Taimiao of the Song Dynasty, which enshrines tablets and portraits of emperors of the Song Dynasty.

As one of the symbols of the imperial power of the Song Dynasty, Taimiao is strictly prohibited from entering here, and there is also a quarantine area around it, which is strictly prohibited from living near the Taimiao. Today, it is surrounded by imperial guards, and civil and military officials in the court have also come here one after another, standing neatly under the arrangement of officials of the Ministry of Rites, preparing to welcome Liu E's arrival.

As soon as Chen Shi arrived, a team of ceremonial guards were driving the way on Taimiao Street. Then the accompanying imperial guards drove the way again. A luxurious jade car drove slowly. But today everyone knew that it was not Zhao Zhen in the car, but the Empress Dowager Liu E.

If Liu E was not sick yesterday, even if these civil and military officials dare not show it on the surface, they would definitely feel a little reluctant. After all, in their opinion, only the emperor is qualified to worship the Taimiao. But now Liu E broke this rule and appeared in the Taimiao as a woman and wearing a dragon robe and crown, which could be called a traitor.

However, the news of Liu E's sudden illness yesterday has spread. Not only did the officials in the court know about this, but even the news is circulating in Tokyo. There are even many rumors that the reason why Liu E fell ill was because she destroyed the etiquette of her ancestors, so she was punished by God. Otherwise, how could she not get sick early but not get sick late? She fell ill the day before worshiping the Taimiao?

Regarding the above rumors, the officials of the Song Dynasty did not send anyone to stop them, but were happy to see it happen. After all, most of them did not want to see Liu E appear in the Taimiao. So before Liu E came today, many of them were secretly discussing in a low voice, guessing how sick Liu E was?

But what disappointed most people was that the jade cart eventually appeared on the streets of Taimiao, but many people stared at the jade cart with bright eyes because they knew that even if Liu E came, she would definitely be seriously ill. Can she really complete the entire ceremony of sacrificing the Taimiao?

The Yulu car slowly came to the main gate of the Taimiao. At this time, even the emperor had to get off the car and walk to show his respect for his ancestors. So the Yulu car stopped at this time. Then Liu E walked down with the help of two palace maids. However, seeing her trembling appearance, many ministers were excited. With Liu E's current state, she would definitely not be able to complete the entire sacrificial ceremony, so they just had to wait and see the jokes.

It was also the first time Li Zhang came to Taimiao. He had passed by here a few times before, but the guards here were so tight that even the emperor could not enter easily, so he didn't know much about Taimiao. He had only heard some rumors, such as it is said that there was a stone tablet left by Zhao Kuangyin in the Taimiao, which contained many ancestral teachings, including one of which "don't kill scholars and officials". I don't know whether it was true or false?

Unfortunately, Li Zhang is not in the mood to appreciate the scenery in the Taimiao, because Zhao Zhen has not appeared since he came out of the palace, and Liu E is extremely weak now. Unless someone supports her, it will be very difficult for her to stand up, let alone complete the complex sacrificial rituals.

However, although Liu E's body was very weak at this time, after she arrived at the Taimiao, her spirit became excited again. Her pale face began to appear a little bloody, making her look healthier. She just needed the support of her palace maids when walking.

Zhao Zhen did not come, and Li Zhang was worried about something wrong with Liu E's health, so he followed Liu E tightly. Officials from the Ministry of Rites wanted Li Zhang to retreat. After all, his grade was not high and he was not qualified to stand by Liu E, but Liu E allowed Li Zhang to follow him.

Then Liu E walked into Taimiao with the help of the palace maids. Taimiao was a huge building complex with three sides. The main hall opposite the main entrance was divided into three levels: front, middle and back. The two halls also had fifteen side halls each. The main hall enshrines tablets of ancestors of the Zhao royal family, and the side hall enshrines civil and military officials who have made contributions since the founding of the Song Dynasty. In addition to demanding to make meritorious contributions and being loyal to the Song Dynasty, these officials also have many requirements for private morality, such as those who are unfilial to the people who are not allowed to enter, those who are killed indiscriminately cannot enter, etc.

With the help of the palace maids, Liu E slowly walked along the main entrance passage to the main hall. The three sacrifices that had been prepared had been delivered, and the music next to her also started to prepare for the rituals of sacrifice. However, Liu E didn't care about these things at this time. Although she was very excited, her body was extremely weak. The distance from the main entrance to the main hall was not short. Every step she took felt that the strength on her body disappeared. Even with the palace maids, Liu E's figure began to stagger.

Li Zhang looked at Liu E's staggering back, and his face showed a look of worry and helplessness. Liu E is now overdrawing her life and moving forward, and sacrificing to the Taimiao has become an obsession for her, so it is useless for anyone to persuade her now. To put it bluntly, as long as she does not die, even if she crawls, she will climb into the Taimiao.

Compared to Li Zhang, the civil and military officials behind them had different expressions. Some Liu E's confidants were also worried. Their interests entanglement with Liu E were too deep and they could not escape. If Liu E fell, they would definitely be liquidated. However, some other ministers showed gloating expressions. From the day Liu E came to power, many people were waiting for the day when Liu E fell, and this day was finally coming.

The main hall of the Taimiao was right in front of him. Li Zhang looked back at the main entrance of the Taimiao, but still did not see Zhao Zhen. This made him sigh. On the way he came just now, he was thinking about the reason why Zhao Zhen did not come. Now he had vaguely guessed something. If that was true, things might have become worse.

From the main gate to the main hall of Taimiao, you need to pass through a small river. There are five dragon bridges on the river. There is a Yimen Gate built at the bridge gate. After passing through the Yimen Gate, there is a Guangting Court. In fact, it is a small square in front of the main hall. During the sacrifice, civil and military officials cannot enter the Taimiao, so they have to stay in the Guangting Court to wait.

However, when Liu E was about to enter the Yimen Gate, a problem occurred because according to the scale of the Taimiao, those with low status could not enter the Yimen Gate. In other words, the palace maids around Liu E could not enter the Yimen Gate. In fact, when the emperor arrived here, the entourage around him had to stay, and only led all civil and military officials through the Yimen Gate and then entered the main hall.

If it were in the past, this rule would not be a big deal, but Liu E is so sick now that she would not even be able to walk on the road without anyone helping her. Although Yimen is not far from the main hall, it is about a hundred steps away. Liu E can't walk through this far distance with her body.

Since Liu E was going to come to the Taimiao for sacrifice, she would break the rules, so she also asked the people around her to retreat. Just when the two palace maids who were supporting her gave up, her hunched body shook slightly, as if she wanted to fall. Many of the people behind her also showed an inexplicable smile. Many of them knew that Yimen had this rule, so they had been waiting to see how Liu E entered Yimen. If she couldn't leave by herself, she could only give up this sacrifice.

If Zhao Zhen was also here, Zhao Zhen, as his son, could support Liu E and continue moving forward. However, now that Zhao Zhen has not come, all civil and military officials will definitely not come forward. After all, although Liu E is old, she is also the wife of the Empress Dowager and the wife of the late emperor. No one has the courage to touch her body. What's more, many people are waiting to see Liu E's jokes. If they stand up at this time, they will only attract resentment from these people.

Liu E also knew that there were many people looking at her at this time, even waiting for her to make a fool of herself, but she was a disobedient person. Even if she really fell down, she would not retreat. So she took a long breath at this time, then raised her foot and took a step forward.

However, as soon as Liu E moved, her eyes suddenly became dark and her legs became even softer. She was about to fall to the ground. Suddenly, a pair of powerful hands supported Liu E's body, and Liu E didn't even turn her head, knowing that at this time, there would never be anyone except Li Zhang who dared to support her.

"I'll help the empress dowager in!" Li Zhang sighed and said softly. The moment he supported Liu E, Li Zhang also felt countless thorny gazes on his back. I'm afraid that after today, many people would resent him, but at this time he didn't care about these things, and he didn't care about these people's attitude towards him.

"Yeah!" Liu E also nodded gently at this time, and then with the support of Li Zhang, he stepped into the Yimen Gate, passed through the Guanggong in front, and finally came to the gate of the main hall of Taimiao. However, according to the rules, Li Zhang was not qualified to enter. Of course, Liu E did not enter the hall alone. In fact, the Taimiao has officials such as the Taimiao Order and Cheng, and there are many officials under him. These people are usually responsible for the maintenance and management of the Taimiao, and at the same time cooperate with the Ministry of Rites to conduct sacrifices, etc.

"Empress Dowager..." Li Zhang could no longer move forward, and looked at Liu E in a very embarrassing manner. If Zhao Zhen was here, he could help her into the Taimiao, but Li Zhang did not have the qualifications and could only rely on Liu E himself next.

Liu E took a long breath at this time, then smiled at Li Zhang and said, "You are a good child, let me go, I can do it next!"

Liu E said and gently pushed Li Zhang's hand away, then walked towards the main hall of Taimiao with trembling steps. The bells and drums in the hall were ringing, the Shao music was melodious, and the dance was dancing and dancing. Even outside the hall, you could feel the solemn atmosphere in the hall. Just looking at Liu E's trembling back, Li Zhang's mood became more and more depressed.
Chapter completed!