Chapter 1180 Conferring the Title of Empress

From the Qi residence to the palace gate, there was a guard every five steps, and the city's defense troops were everywhere. Xu Da led the troops of the Five City Garrison to patrol everywhere, and the main streets in the east, west, north and south were blocked off.

The journey was smooth and unimpeded. Lin Yuesha's carriage entered the palace gate and headed straight for the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

From behind the gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the bottom of the steps, a nearly kilometer-long red velvet carpet is laid out, covered with festive red flowers, and the air is filled with a sweet fragrance.

Several dozen meters away, civil and military officials and their wives stood solemn-looking officials from the Ministry of Rites.

Chen knelt at the front, tears welling in her eyes, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Chenggui grasped Chen's hand. Perhaps every mother dreams of her daughter becoming a phoenix, but in his family, that dream became a reality.

With her husband by her side, Chen felt a little calmer.

She was afraid of making a fool of herself and was too nervous.

For Chen, she always considered herself a village woman from Chenjia Village and never forgot her roots.

Chen felt a sense of disbelief at Lin Yuesha's current position, and the feeling of unreality grew stronger.

Lin Yuesha stood at the bottom of the steps, feeling relaxed. Officials from the Ministry of Rites played a festive tune, "Good Days," which she had taught to the soldiers in the Northwest. Hearing the familiar melody and recalling the scene of the couple demonstrating against Yuwen Kun on the city wall, Lin Yuesha smiled.

"The auspicious time has arrived!"

Officials from the Ministry of Rites rang the bell, and civil and military officials on both sides knelt down to wait, but no one bowed their heads; they watched the scene intently.

"Lady Lin is virtuous, gentle, kind, elegant, and dignified. Therefore, she is hereby appointed as Empress, to be the mother of the nation."

The Ministry of Rites officials read out the imperial edict appointing Qi Heng, their voices loud and clear.

Following the directions, Lin Yuesha entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where Qi Heng stood with his head bowed, his expression solemn.

This was the first time Lin Yuesha had seen Qi Heng in a dragon robe. The bright yellow robe gave him an even more imposing presence as a ruler.

"Long live the Emperor!"

As per the procedure, Lin Yuesha prepared to kneel down, but the line made her teeth ache with sarcasm.

With just that one sentence, Lin Yuesha practiced for almost half a month, and was still disliked by Granny Fang.

Fang Mama believed that as the Empress, who was the mother of the nation, she could simply avoid the rules of etiquette and propriety. Since the Emperor was willing to dote on her, she dared not have any objections. But why couldn't she say "Long live the Emperor" properly?

Each time Lin Yuesha finished speaking, she would glance at the two turtles Xu Da had sent, and then burst into laughter. Xu Da was such a rascal; he insisted on sending two turtles named "Pockmarked and Uneven," and no one knew what that meant.

Lin Yuesha wanted to laugh again. "A thousand-year-old tortoise, a ten-thousand-year-old turtle," every time she was addressed as "long live ten thousand years," it would trigger her associations.

"Your Majesty, rise."

Before Lin Yuesha could bend down, Qi Heng strode up to her, gently lifted the golden book and phoenix seal in one hand, placed them in her hands, and closed her hands. Their eyes met, and they could see something else in each other's eyes.

"My wife..."

Qi Heng's voice was hoarse, his unspoken words conveying a thousand unspoken thoughts.

The Empress title was the best gift he could give Lin Yuesha, making her the most honored woman, even surpassing himself.

The title "Empress Supreme" signifies Lin Yuesha's position in his heart.

What Qi Heng gave Lin Yuesha was just the beginning; he would cherish it even more in the days to come.

"My husband."

Lin Yuesha still prefers to use commoners' terms of address, which makes the couple feel closer.

The phoenix seal was cold, but Qi Heng's hands were warm. For some reason, she felt a pang of sadness as she understood Qi Heng's feelings, and her eyes filled with tears.

A man's greatest wish is for this woman to be protected from humiliation and to live a life of luxury forever, but Lin Yuesha has received too much.

The so-called deception that once troubled them, Qi Heng's identity, are all things that have long since faded away.

In a marriage, whether something is right or wrong, as long as it's not a matter of principle and the bottom line isn't crossed, it's not good to hold onto it stubbornly.

Let Qi Heng atone for his deception of Lin Yuesha by paying double the price.

Qi Heng and Lin Yuesha poured out their hearts to each other, forgetting the time for a moment.

The Emperor and Empress were not coming out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which made the civil and military officials very anxious. They were still kneeling, and their knees were numb from kneeling!

After waiting for a while, the two people in the hall put their hands together and went to the incense table to worship again, thus completing the ceremony of bestowing the title of empress in the main hall.

After standing for an hour, Lin Yuesha's stomach started growling. Qi Heng felt sorry for her and said softly, "There is a small kitchen in the palace. My wife, I will go and make you something delicious."

"Then what about them?"

The civil and military officials and their wives were still kneeling outside waiting to be summoned. It seemed inappropriate for the two to slip away through the back door at this moment.

"It's alright, just let someone know."

The part where the Empress summons the noblewomen can be removed. Since the Empress has already been appointed, everything should be done according to her arrangements.

Apart from the Chen family, there are no other important people I can avoid seeing if I don't want to.

"That seems to make sense, but there's no precedent for the Emperor and Empress to stand each other up!"

Granny Fang peeked out from the back hall and whispered.

"There has never been a precedent of beheading someone during a coronation ceremony."

Qi Heng's face was cold as he stared at Granny Fang and said in a chilling tone.

"Your Majesty, this old servant has spoken out of turn. You are right."

Upon hearing this, Granny Fang was so frightened that she immediately shrank back. As for rules and regulations, she dared not mention them again!

Seeing this, Lin Yuesha couldn't help but add a word in Fang Mama's defense: Fang Mama was just that kind of person, loyal but inflexible. She wasn't a bad person, and she was very responsible in her work. She wasn't a fence-sitter who changed her mind with every wind.

The couple ate a bowl of hot and sour noodles in the small kitchen and took a short rest.

In the afternoon, having the rare opportunity to enter the palace, Lin Yuesha embarked on a day trip within the palace grounds, her first stop being the Imperial Garden.

The palace was too big, and there were no signs. Lin Yuesha was confused at the crossroads of east, west, north, and south.

Unlike the modern Forbidden City, the walls here are almost towering into the clouds, and the shadowy areas beneath them are covered with moss because they are dark.

"I don't really like the palace. I feel that living here for a long time would be very depressing."

The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional old woman passing by, kneeling down and kowtowing to the two of them.

"There were no contestants this year, and there probably won't be any more in the future."

Qi Heng disliked eunuchs. There were no women in the palace, and he didn't know what use eunuchs were.

As for the palace maids, they were not as efficient as the old nannies and caused too much trouble. To reduce the problems, he had already called off the selection of palace maids.

"My wife, I know you won't like it here."

The couple had to stay in the palace for three days during the coronation ceremony.

Qi Heng chose the sunniest spot and built a courtyard with a viewing pavilion.

"I want to go and see."

Lin Yuesha immediately responded, saying that at this time, climbing to a high place would offer a panoramic view of the bustling capital city.

The viewing pavilion was surrounded by sheer curtains. Qi Heng led Lin Yuesha up the stairs, where tea, snacks, and fruit had already been laid out.

Looking out from the high vantage point, Lin Yuesha saw the Qi residence, her maternal home, and the neighboring Xu residence, feeling an indescribable sense of novelty.