Marrying a concubine and swallowing her dowry? The mistress turns around and marries a high-ranking

Chapter 279

Shen Lingjun started preparing several days in advance, making sure that she was in good health, eating normally, and that she wouldn't have her period on the day of the sacrificial ceremony.

Because the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven cannot tolerate any mistakes, one can request leave in advance if feeling unwell. Not attending is simply a matter of not going. However, if something goes wrong at the ceremony, it is considered disrespectful to Heaven, and in the most serious case, could result in a death sentence.

The day before the sacrificial ceremony, Shen Lingjun went to bed early. The next day, she got up before dawn, changed into her full set of formal attire as a second-rank noblewoman, and ate only some high-calorie sweet cakes and pastries. She didn't dare to drink any more water, because there was basically no chance to use the restroom during the sacrificial ceremony.

As dawn broke, Shen Lingjun and Shen Weiwen headed to the Temple of Heaven and Earth, located east of the palace.

At this time, nobles, high-ranking officials, and their wives also filed in.

The crowd stood in the open square in front of the Temple of Heaven, arranged according to their positions. Hundreds of people stood upright in the dim morning light, without a sound or any chaos, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Shen Lingjun was arranged to stand on the side of the women, with the high-ranking concubines of the harem standing in front of him, including Consort Jing.

The emperor and Empress Chu, dressed in their court robes, entered last.

Although Empress Chu was still under house arrest, as the mother of the nation, she still had to appear at important occasions such as the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven.

Once everyone was in place, the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven officially began.

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven is solemn and complicated, and of course, the process is inevitably long and tedious.

The Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites presided over the ceremony, which was mainly performed by the emperor and empress. As for noblewomen like Shen Lingjun, all they had to do was stand there straight and upright for several hours at a time, and at most strictly follow the procession and change positions a few times.

This was indeed not an easy task. However, those present were all of the highest status in Bei Yi, most of whom had received rigorous etiquette training. Moreover, it was March, the weather was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, and the sun was not too scorching, so it was still bearable.

This was also Consort Jing's first time attending the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven. Previously, she was only a concubine and did not have the qualifications. Moreover, she was pregnant last March, so of course she could not attend the ceremony.

Consort Jing entered the palace many years ago and endured all kinds of hardships there, so standing for several hours was not a difficult task for her.

But just as the Emperor and Empress began the ceremony of presenting gifts, Consort Jing suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

Her lower abdomen began to ache slightly, and she also felt a bloating sensation. Soon after, she clearly felt a warm flow slowly flowing out from under her body!

Consort Jing was greatly alarmed, and her face turned deathly pale!

This is what it feels like to have your period!

There must be blood flowing from her lower body!

But how is this possible!

She had calculated it perfectly; today was the middle of her two menstrual periods, and her next period was supposed to start in about two weeks. Her menstrual cycle had long since returned to normal after giving birth to the little prince, which was why she felt comfortable attending the sacrificial ceremony.

How could my period have come so early this time!

A huge sense of panic then arose.

She never expected to get her period, so she didn't wear a sanitary pad. With the amount of bleeding she's experiencing now, it's bound to soak through her clothes, and she doesn't have a chance to change her clothes anyway.