The next day, as dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight scattered the morning mist,
before the Heavenly Patrol Hall, a Commander's Platform rose, with a Bronze Cauldron shimmering in the golden light.
In front of the Cauldron, two Chamberlains from the Court, dressed in blue robes patterned with clouds and embroidered with a crane on their backs, were holding three golden incense sticks that gave off an exotic fragrance at their brow level, while muttering strange syllables and singing in a low voice, conducting a sacrificial ceremony!
Behind them, at the base of the Commander's Platform, Pei Yanhu led the officials and soldiers with solemn expressions.
Further back, ten aristocratic offspring from the Court were scattered around the corners of the square, quietly watching.
At this moment, atop the Commander's Platform, the two Chamberlains inserted the incense into the Cauldron and then both of them simultaneously produced two faint red standards, eight to nine feet long.
