The night before the blessing ceremony, the emperor suddenly fell ill. The imperial physician in the palace treated him anxiously all night, and the emperor's complexion improved significantly.

"Father, are you alright?" Princess Nine asked with concern, supporting the emperor who was unsteady on his feet.

The emperor's pale face showed signs of weakness, "I know my own body, Qing'er, you don't need to worry."

As they spoke, the two slowly walked towards the center of the altar.

I stood beside my brother, watching the father and daughter not far away. The emperor's illness seemed to have struck earlier than Princess Nine's sudden illness. It made sense, after all, he was getting old and it was time for him to pass away.

Under the altar, the princes and princesses stood in line orderly, followed by courtiers and family members, with the common people on the outer periphery.

Amidst the anticipation of the common people, the royal diviner appeared.

"Blessings to the people, lasting for a thousand generations..."

The royal diviner loudly proclaimed the blessings, and as he turned around, the princes and princesses orderly ascended the steps. Leading them was Chen Qingqing, dressed in white with a calm expression.

She was accustomed to the blessing ceremony, her pride barely concealed in her eyes. She scanned the crowd below, about to receive the ceremonial whisk from the royal diviner, when a sharp scream disrupted the calm.

Chen Qingqing paused, puzzled, as she looked around, only to see the terrified eyes of the princes and princesses behind her fixed on the area around the altar.

"Snake! There's a snake!"

Someone shouted, causing chaos at the scene.

Chen Qingqing also saw what was happening, and stood frozen in place. One by one, large and small snakes slithered out from the altar, heading towards her.

"Protect the emperor! Guard His Majesty!"

The well-trained guards rushed forward to shield the emperor, slashing at the oncoming snakes. However, the snakes seemed endless, relentlessly advancing towards Chen Qingqing.

In the chaos, someone noticed the situation and instinctively avoided Princess Nine as if dodging a plague.

"It seems like the snakes are heading towards Princess Nine!"

People, panicked upon hearing this, turned their gaze towards Princess Nine behind the guards, holding their breath in fear.

Standing under the altar, I watched the scene quietly, my heart undisturbed but my body trembling with excitement. How could I be so affected now when I had seen far more terrifying snake swarms in my past life?

My brother appeared beside me at some point, gently embracing me.

"Little sister, don't be afraid," he reassured me in a warm tone.

His embrace was comforting, and I couldn't remember the last time I had felt this way. He thought I was scared, but how could I be? I was on the verge of bursting with excitement.

For nearly two months, every dose of medicine contained my blood. At this moment, Princess Nine would be the most appetizing meal for the ravenous swarm of snakes.