East of the city, in a small courtyard.
Bai Sui respectfully placed the offerings before the altar and replaced the candles and incense sticks. Only then did he withdraw.
At the center of the altar were two plaques bearing the names of the late Crown Prince and his consort. Beneath them were the plaques of the four members of the Zhen Guo Marquis family. The smallest plaque, however, bore no name.
Xiao Chenyan first took three incense sticks, lit them, and bowed to his parents. But as soon as the incense touched the incense burner, the flame went out, leaving only the smoke curling in the air.
He then took another three incense sticks, bowed to the plaques of the Zhen Guo Marquis family, and the same thing happened again.
The incense was not consumed, the offerings was not accepted. For ten years, it had always been this way.
