Chapter 253: The Ceremony of Nine Cauldrons

At this moment,

Every two meters around the altar, a Five Elements flag was planted, fluttering in the gentle breeze. Although some details were yet to be finalized, the aura of a sacred ritual was already in place.

“Come on, let’s go check it out!”

Xu Hao nodded and strode toward the altar.

Rumor had it that netizens, the public, and even mainstream media believed Mingsha City’s Palace Festival was a grand consecration. In truth, however, Mingsha City wasn’t staging a consecration at all—instead, they planned to cast the Nine Cauldrons atop the altar to honor the illustrious ancestors of the Long Kingdom.

They chose to pay respects to these revered forebears because the palace ritual boasts a far more ancient and profound tradition than a consecration ceremony.

Even the Book of Odes in Long Kingdom’s poetry records the practice, complete with ceremonial verses: “Ah, revered ancestors! Blessed with order and grace. Endowed with boundless favor, yours be the path. With pure libations served, may our aspirations be fulfilled. With harmonious dishes offered, may balance prevail.”

Historical records also note that in the pre-Qin era, nine offerings were made during ancestral sacrifices.

The first offering was song and dance, the second, wine and soups, and the third—well, in short, when it comes to history and ritual grandeur, honoring the ancestors far surpassed Qin’s consecration ceremonies.

Moreover, while a consecration ceremony celebrated the Qin Emperor’s achievements, casting the Nine Cauldrons to honor the ancestors carried a markedly different meaning. The Nine Cauldrons symbolized the entire lineage of the Long Kingdom. In essence, the ritual was not merely a cultural display but a genuine act of worship.

As fellow descendants of the Long Kingdom, honoring our revered ancestors is only natural!

With that said,

choosing the palace ritual was an obvious decision.

“Alright, Brother Hao!”

Upon hearing Xu Hao, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng quickly followed him.

A few minutes later,

the group reached the top of the altar where nine massive molds were arranged in a row. Though not yet the actual Nine Cauldrons, their imposing presence was unmistakable.

This time, the cauldrons were being cast using the ancient ‘melt-and-pour’ method, formed in a single cast. Once cooled, the molds would be removed so the cauldrons could be refined by hammering, sawing, chiseling, and polishing—removing excess copper, burrs, and flash.

Moreover, casting the Nine Cauldrons right on the altar meant they wouldn’t be moved an inch afterward.

“Brother Hao, once these cauldrons are finished, I bet they’ll need to be guarded by a dedicated team!”

Glancing around,

Luo Peng couldn’t help but remark as he watched the master craftsmen busy melting copper.

To be sure, only he, Luo Peng, and Xu Hao knew the true intricacies behind the palace ritual. They had spared no effort—consulting historical texts for mold designs and sourcing top-notch artisans. The endeavor was painstakingly meticulous.

These craftsmen were among the best in the field.

“Dedicated guards? Are you worried someone might steal the cauldrons?”

Nearby, Zhu Qiang laughed at Luo Peng’s comment.

Given that each cauldron weighs around 2,300 jin, moving even one would be a herculean task—even for machines.

“I’m not worried about theft; I’m more concerned that tourists might start tossing money into them!”

Luo Peng shrugged nonchalantly.

Somehow, tossing money at attractions had become a tradition. Tourists did it everywhere—even without knowing the reason. They simply followed suit when they saw others.

With the symbolic significance of the Nine Cauldrons and the grandeur of the ritual, it was inevitable that visitors would toss coins for good luck.

“Toss money?”

Xu Hao and Zhu Qiang exchanged curious glances.

In truth, Luo Peng had a point. Once visitors start throwing money inside, cleaning it up would be a nightmare—and more importantly, how would that money be managed?

Spend it? Keep it? Neither option seemed right! Plus, any cleaning effort could trigger online backlash accusing Mingsha City of covertly profiteering from the cauldrons.

“Absolutely, Brother Hao,”

Luo Peng continued.

Having dealt with tourists for over two years, he knew them all too well.

“Why not assign two ‘bodyguards’ to watch over the cauldrons at all times?”

After a thoughtful pause, Zhu Qiang looked at Luo Peng and said,

“It won’t stop them! Even with guards, tourists will still throw money.”

Luo Peng gave a wry smile and shrugged.

“Then…”

“How about this: once the festival ends, if visitors continue tossing money into the cauldrons, we establish a relief fund. The money collected would be used to help those truly in need. That way, we have an answer!”

After a moment’s thought, Xu Hao shared his opinion.

“Set up a relief fund?”

“What do you think?”

“Brother Hao, that’s brilliant!”

Luo Peng immediately gave a thumbs-up. This solution not only directed the tourists’ contributions but also eased concerns about post-ritual cleanup.

“Let’s go with that for now.”

“Agreed!”

“By the way, Qiangzi, tomorrow afternoon several national medical masters will start arriving at Su Province Airport. You need to go see them in person!”

After a brief pause, Xu Hao suddenly remembered something and added,

“Brother Hao, when the national medical masters arrive, will they be staying at Taiyi Hospital or elsewhere?”

As he nodded, Zhu Qiang inquired further.

Taiyi Hospital isn’t small by any means. Besides six consultation halls, it boasts four medicine storerooms, three sites for traditional medicine preparation, two decoction halls, and seven patient wards spread across five external and three internal buildings. Behind the wards lie twenty traditional courtyard houses.

These courtyard houses are reserved for the hospital’s physicians.

After numerous approvals, Taiyi Hospital’s credentials were secured, and nearly all positions had been filled.

In short, once the staff were in place, Mingsha City Taiyi Hospital would be fully operational.

What set Taiyi Hospital apart was its simplicity—only six consultation halls and no modern diagnostic tools like blood analyzers or even blood pressure monitors.

After all, in traditional medicine, conditions like hypertension were not even recognized.

“Assign each of the five national medical masters to a top-tier riverside guesthouse—each will have their own small courtyard for the duration of their stay at Taiyi Hospital!”

Xu Hao waved his hand dismissively.

After receiving a call from Lin Wenian regarding the traditional medicine display, he had reconsidered the original plan to showcase the entire Huangdi Neijing.

Instead, Mingsha City opted for an all-retro presentation. All Taiyi Hospital physicians would don ancient attire, accompanied by medicine attendants, decoction assistants, and helper apprentices.

Of course, the apprentices had secured the necessary certifications, though they would start from scratch once employed.

Additionally,

Taiyi Hospital would set up one display hall to exhibit ancient medicinal texts and long-open prescriptions of the Long Kingdom,

and another to showcase traditional medical instruments and antique artifacts that had long vanished.

“Brother Hao, I’ve got it!”

Zhu Qiang immediately confirmed his understanding.

“Yes, these five national medical masters are the crown jewels of Taiyi Hospital. They must be treated above all other physicians. Once all other staff are in place, arrange them in the hospital’s courtyard houses.”

“Alright, alright!”

Just as Xu Hao was about to add something else, his phone rang.

Glancing at the screen, Xu Hao nodded to Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng, stepped aside, and answered the call.

“What’s up, Third Brother?”

It was Xu Chen on the line.

“Old Six, can you talk right now?”

A slightly deep voice soon came through the phone.

“Third Brother, it’s your turn to speak!”

“Old Six, here’s the deal. Today, I met with several major clients from H Country. As the drinks flowed, I happened to overhear something interesting.”

“Something about Mingsha City?”

Xu Hao’s expression shifted noticeably.

“Sort of, but more precisely, it involves Long Kingdom’s Cultural Expo this time,”

Xu Chen replied.

“Cultural Expo? Third Brother, are you saying it concerns the performance project over at Jinlong Ancient City?”

Xu Hao raised an eyebrow.

Since it had little to do with Mingsha City, it must be a matter pertaining to Jinlong Ancient City.

“Exactly!”

“So, what’s really going on?”

“Old Six, here’s the thing…”

Night deepened,

and in H Country, Park Qi Ye and Cui Xiaozhong finally heaved a long sigh as they set down their documents.

“Finally, it’s done!”

After a moment, Park Qi Ye chuckled.

Meanwhile, in Long Kingdom, preparations for the Cultural Expo were in full swing. Invitations had been sent worldwide, and every detail was in place.

“At the main venue of the Long Kingdom Expo, the first performance after the opening ceremony will be an ancient traditional wedding. If our plan succeeds, they’ll be humiliated in front of the entire world.”

Cui Xiaozhong added dryly.

Besides surpassing Long Kingdom’s two main venue projects, they had devised several ‘trump cards.’ At this point, even the biggest trick was all set.

Of course, a significant amount of money had been spent on these schemes.

But compared to the spectacle, it was money well spent! “It’s more than just a loss of face—the entire expo would suffer, especially with global media broadcasting the first post-opening performance.”

Park Qi Ye nodded in agreement.

“Yes, and aside from the main venue, we’ve made thorough preparations for the sub-venues as well. Teaming up with Long Kingdom for the Cultural Expo is a recipe for disaster.”

Cui Xiaozhong continued.

In fact, to completely suppress Mingsha City’s sub-venue, they had poured in even more effort than for the main venue.

Especially in traditional cuisine! In H Country, assembling such a variety of local snacks wasn’t easy. Many items had been bulk-packed from Mingsha City’s snack street.

“It’s a pity that Long Kingdom hasn’t revealed detailed plans regarding their ancient buildings and traditional medicine. Otherwise, we could have completely crushed them.”

Knock, knock, knock! Just as Cui Xiaozhong was about to continue, someone knocked on the office door.

“Come in,”

both Park Qi Ye and Cui Xiaozhong said as they turned to the door.

Creak!

The office door creaked open as a tall, slim female staff member in a light blue skirt peeked in. Glancing anxiously at the two, she said, “President, a message just came from Long Kingdom.”