Chapter 245 The Coronation Ceremony

Dark boots stepped onto the jade steps in the morning light. The master of ceremonies wielded a long whip with great force, which landed heavily with a series of explosive sounds, the sharp sound piercing the dust and mist slowly rising from the incense burner.

Wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, Hongzhao lifted the hem of his robe and strode confidently towards the golden dragon-carved throne.

The road to that supreme position is always lonely. Even though his journey has been smooth sailing, his companions have all fallen one by one. Now, he can only walk this road alone.

Just as the shadow of the sundial reached the eighth mark, Hongzhao stood before the cold and noble dragon throne. Without any hesitation, he tossed aside his robes, spun around, and sat down.

Today, Xiao Dezi changed into a fully embroidered robe and stood in front of the hall, speaking loudly in a low voice.

"kneel--"

"One kowtow."

Hongzhao's gaze was cold and stern as he looked down at the assembled officials. Indeed, his father was right. When you sit in this position, you have a complete grasp on the thoughts of everyone below you. You are the ruler, they are the subjects; they are always the ones trying to guess your intentions. A ruler should not easily let others sway his mind.

"Two kowtows."

Among the people kneeling below were his brother, his uncle, his maternal uncle, and his maternal grandfather.

At this moment, Hongzhao's mind uncontrollably drifted to Longkodo, his father's maternal uncle who had provided invaluable assistance during his father's ascension to the throne. Yet, even so, he couldn't help but harbor inappropriate thoughts towards him later on.

Indeed, life is unpredictable, and no one can guarantee lifelong loyalty. Fortunately, I still have the ability to read minds, which gives me more caution than others.

"Three kowtows."

The ministers kowtowed to the ground again, following the voice of Eunuch De.

This new emperor is not even sixteen years old, but he has been brought to court by the late emperor for nearly ten years without fail. Even among the people kneeling here now, some have not attended court for ten years. They are young but very experienced.

They had all witnessed the Crown Prince's shrewdness and intelligence. Now, at such a young age, he had ascended the throne with great momentum, and the Qing Dynasty in the next few years was likely to undergo a complete transformation.

Seeing the hall fall silent again, Hongzhao spoke: "Today I ascend the throne, and I shall follow the way of benevolence and filial piety, and honor the last will and testament of the late Emperor Shizong, honoring the Empress as Empress Dowager, the Crown Princess Fucha as Empress, and the Consort Huifa Nara as Consort Xian."

"Then, Princess Gao was granted the title of Consort, and Princess Su was granted the title of Noble Lady."

Immediately, the shouts of the officials below surged forth, seemingly tangible, echoing throughout the hall: "His Majesty is benevolent and filial, bringing blessings to all people; long live the Emperor!" These shouts proclaimed the formal completion of the dynastic transition; the era of Yongzheng had passed, and from this day forward, the Changhe dynasty began.

Lu Jiaying sat in the main hall of Shou Kang Palace, dressed in dark-colored satin. Her usual sky-blue and sapphire-blue hair ornaments had been replaced with gold ones, and her hair ornaments hung down the back of her head. Although she still looked young, her attire had made her appear older to suit her status, giving her a dignified and solemn air.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has finished his court session and said he wants to come to Shou Kang Palace to pay his respects to you."

Xuexin also lowered her hair into a bun, and inserted a pearl flower at her temple. Since her mistress's appearance had changed, she naturally had to change hers as well.

"Go and check if breakfast is ready. Don't forget the chestnut cake; the Emperor loves it the most." She has no worries now, and her personality is still as lively as before.

Seeing her like this, Xuexin smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured, everything is prepared. The Emperor will be arriving soon."

Before she could finish speaking, the sound of a group of people's footsteps approached from afar.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty the Empress." Hongzhao walked quickly over and, as usual, knelt on one knee before His Majesty the Empress and performed the salute.

"Alright, alright, get up quickly." Lu Jiayingfeng looked at her son in his court robes and couldn't stop smiling. She quickly reached out to him, "Are you hungry? Breakfast is ready. Let's eat first."

Now that there was no one else around, only the mother and son, there were no rules about not speaking while eating or sleeping. The two ate and chatted, discussing many things that still needed to be finalized regarding the arrangements for the harem.

"Yingjun will live in Jingren Palace. I had a Buddhist ceremony performed there before, and the small Buddhist hall in the back was demolished. Now that it has been cleaned up and renovated, it's a good time for Yingjun to move in." Hongzhao said, holding a spoon, explaining his arrangements.

"As for Shushen, my son has had people clean up Yikun Palace."

When Lü Jiaying heard about Yikun Palace, she paused slightly, raised an eyebrow at the emperor, and then said, "That's good. This child has never liked to compete. Yikun Palace is a good place, and she is a newly appointed concubine. Even if someone else comes to the palace in the future, she will not be bullied because of her temperament."

"Yes, that's what your son thinks too." Hongzhao always remembered what she had told him in the palace that day: she only wanted peace and stability. If he couldn't even give her that, then he had truly failed as emperor.

"As for Consort Gao and Noble Lady Su, one lives in Zhongcui Palace and the other in a side hall of Xianfu Palace. They both came from the Prince's residence, and I will not mistreat them in the future."

He was young, and there weren't many people in his backyard—you could count them on one hand. They were all well-behaved when they first entered the palace, so Lü Jiayingfeng naturally had no worries. There was just one thing she didn't care about.

"Your Majesty, you should visit the Empress more often. I know you've been very busy these days, and Yingjun is a very sensible girl who doesn't want to cause you any trouble. But she's almost six months pregnant now, so you should spend more time with her and comfort her."

She sighed softly, a hint of worry in her eyes – “The late emperor had few children, and I’m not afraid you’ll know that it was partly due to his busy schedule. But the bigger problem lies in the inner palace. The empress is carrying your first child. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, it’s extremely precious, and we can’t be too careful.”

Hongzhao nodded seriously upon hearing this, "Yes, Mother, don't worry. I've left Jinxi with Yingjun and sent many people to guard her. There won't be any problems. Now that things have been sorted out in the last two months, things won't be as busy as they have been in the past two months. I'll go to Jingren Palace tonight to see Yingjun."

"That's good. You've always been so considerate, so I won't say any more. Now I'm just waiting for Hongzhou and Hongyan to get married and establish their own residence. Then I can finally retire completely." Lü Jiaying looked satisfied, clearly looking forward to her retirement life.

Hongzhao continued eating without changing his expression, selecting a piece of crystal cake for his plate—"My younger brothers are still young, there's no rush in two more years, especially Hongyan, who is still a child, he can spend a few more years with you, Mother Empress."

"The one who should be anxious now is Third Brother. I need to think this over carefully."