Chapter 334 Side by Side

The tiny baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and only a small face could be seen.

Lin Hao looked at his niece with loving care, and sighed in his heart: This newborn baby is so ugly.

Then Lin laughed and said, "She's really good-looking. She looks just like Chan'er and Ah Hao when they were little."

Lin Hao:?

The mother was weak and couldn't talk for too long. Seeing her mother and sister were about to leave, Lin Chan grabbed Lin Hao's hand and said, "Ah Hao, I heard from your brother-in-law that the prince was adopted by the emperor——"

Like the old lady and Mrs. Lin, Lin Chan's first reaction was not joy, but worry.

When she was betrothed to the King of Wei, she was afraid to show anything on the surface for fear of worrying her elders, and she felt very pressured. She had no desire to marry into the royal family and live a life of being forced to do whatever she wanted, and the thought of that kind of life made her cringe.

But my sister is about to become the Crown Princess, and she is so in love with the Prince. If there is another woman in the future, it will be even more difficult for her to accept, right?

She didn't think much of it before, but after getting married and living in harmony with her husband, she realized that only when you don't love someone can you stop caring about them.

"Don't worry about me, sis. I can always make myself better."

Rather than saying that she trusts Ah Shuo, it is better to say that she trusts her own vision of people and her ability to live a good life even if she is alone.

This is probably the most precious wealth that her new life has brought her.

Lin Chan looked at her sister with bright eyes and felt relieved.

After returning to the General's Mansion, Lin told the old lady about her little granddaughter: "I never thought I'd become a grandmother. Such a little person is sleeping so soundly with her eyes closed, just like Chan'er and Ah Hao when they were little."

The old lady was very interested: "Really? It must be very beautiful..."

Then, I heard Lin ramble on about how pretty her little granddaughter's eyes and eyebrows were, and how she looked like her mother or her aunt. As for her son-in-law, Han Baocheng? Don't be ridiculous. If he looked like her son-in-law, wouldn't he be ugly? He didn't look like her at all.

Lin Hao couldn't bear to listen any longer and hurried back to Prince Jing's Mansion.

The ceremony of enthroning the crown prince was scheduled for mid-February, when flowers were in full bloom.

On the day before the auspicious day, Emperor Tai'an appointed Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Rites to preside over the sacrificial activities and report the important matter of establishing a crown prince to heaven, earth and the Taimiao.

The next day, spring arrived, the weather was bright and sunny. Civil and military officials were ranked according to their ranks in the main hall. Qi Shuo, dressed in a red robe, listened solemnly as the prime minister read out the imperial edict appointing the crown prince on behalf of the emperor.

Prince Jing stood in front of all the officials, silently watching his eldest son, who had a tall and straight figure and a handsome face, bow to his new father to express his gratitude, and tears flowed down his face.

Fourth brother is such a good-for-nothing. That day in the Yangxin Palace he looked like a pitiful old candle, and he softened his heart and didn't insist. But now he's full of energy and is attending the enthronement ceremony.

Prince Jing thought of the sad thing and wiped away his tears.

Emperor Tai'an, who was accepting the kowtow of the new crown prince, seemed to have sensed something and looked over. He saw that Prince Jing, with red eyes, was not angry at all. Instead, after Qi Shuo finished the ceremony, he spoke to him as a father with an exceptionally gentle tone.

Prince Jing almost cried out loud.

Fourth brother definitely did it on purpose!

At the same time, the ceremony of enthroning the Crown Princess was held in the inner hall.

Lin Hao, wearing a formal dress, completed the ceremony step by step, bowed and thanked Emperor Tai'an who had returned to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and then went to pay a visit to Concubine Zhuang who was in charge of the harem.

Concubine Zhuang's attitude was polite and approachable, and she was a very pleasant person to deal with.

Lin Hao felt lucky.

As the actual mistress of the harem, if Concubine Zhuang was mean and difficult to deal with, it would be a headache for the Crown Princess who had to deal with her frequently.

The next person to be visited was Concubine Jing, the mother of the late crown prince.

Concubine Jing lived in Ningxin Palace, not far from Concubine Zhuang's Yuhe Palace. But unlike the vibrant Yuhe Palace, the entire Ningxin Palace was filled with a gloomy and quiet atmosphere, like a cold palace.

Lin Hao never met Concubine Jing.

"The Queen is ill, and I'm worried that she might pass her illness on to the Crown Princess. So, please don't bother with the audience. Please forgive me, Crown Princess."

"Then I will come to see you again when you are well again."

Lin Hao was not surprised that Concubine Jing avoided him.

The pain of losing a son is not so easy to ease. Thinking about her son who met with an accident shortly after becoming the crown prince, it is only natural for Concubine Jing to be unwilling to see the new crown princess.

The harem of Emperor Tai'an was not very full, with only four concubines. Lin Hao paid his respects to the other two concubines, and did not need to pay his respects to the fourth concubine and below. After that, he returned to the East Palace and met Qi Shuo, who was wearing a red robe.

According to etiquette, the Crown Princess had to bow four times to the Crown Prince. As soon as Lin Hao made the gesture of bowing, she was stopped by Qi Shuo.

"Are you tired?" Facing the shocked look of the female official, Qi Shuo asked calmly.

Lin Hao didn't care about the female official's look that changed from shock to accusation. He smiled and said, "I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm fine too." Qi Shuo took Lin Hao's hand naturally.

Although it was a tedious, lengthy and boring ceremony, it became meaningful when I thought that Ah Hao was also going through the same process and they were always side by side.

The female official finally recovered from her shock and warned: "Your Highness, this——"

Before he could utter the words "It's against etiquette", he was stopped by a cold glance from the young man in red clothes.

"This is the East Palace." Qi Shuo said lightly.

It would be fine outside the Eastern Palace, but at least in their own home, he didn't want to be a couple wearing masks with Ah Hao just to conform to other people's perceptions.

The female official moved her lips, but ultimately did not have the courage to refute, so she stepped aside.

"I need to change my clothes and meet the lady from outside the family."

The meeting with the ladies from outside the royal family was for them to congratulate the Crown Princess.

This was the first time that Lin Hao, as the Crown Princess, interacted with the ladies of the various mansions.

In the past two years, the noble ladies have heard so many stories about Miss Lin Er that they are almost tired of them. However, Lin Hao is of a different generation than them, and the Lin family is not the kind of person who would take their daughters out for social events. For most of the noble ladies, this is a rare opportunity to get close to the woman who lives in the legend.

Upon closer observation, it turned out that the Crown Princess was a person who could not be faulted in terms of etiquette.

Many people exchanged glances secretly, thinking that this was not normal, so much so that they were still a little shocked after returning home.

On the second day after the ceremony of establishing the crown prince, an imperial decree was issued to the whole country, and the news that the Great Zhou had a new crown prince spread throughout the people.

The winter snow had long melted, and the palace coup and the death of the empress dowager that took place in the cold winter seemed like distant things. Several major streets in the capital were decorated with red decorations to celebrate the enthronement of the crown prince, and pedestrians on the streets were all smiling.

According to convention, such a big happy event in the royal family is bound to bring some grace to the people. The people can really benefit from it, so there is no reason for them not to be happy.

There are always exceptions. A young man who walked out of the bookstore slowly was stunned when he heard the news. He grabbed someone who was talking excitedly to ask for clarification, and then stumbled home.

It was an area of low, dilapidated houses. Sewage was flowing in the narrow alleys and the smell was unpleasant. He didn't care about dirtying the soles of his shoes and pushed open a door and ran in.