Chapter 82 The coronation ceremony will be held on an auspicious day chosen by the Ministry of Rites...

"Fourteen years ago, outside the Lin family mansion." Fu Huaiqing gave a slight hint.

"Lin Yiqing?" Biezhi repeated his words in confusion, pondering for a long time but unable to recall any memories related to the Lin family, especially since she was only six years old fourteen years ago.

When she was six years old, she spent the first half of the year wandering and the second half entering Xianyun Tower. Besides, "This isn't about us, so what does it have to do with the Lin family?"

Seeing that she truly couldn't remember anything, Fu Huaiqing stared into her clear yet bewildered eyes for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said, "Do you still remember when you stole fruit and hit someone with it?"

Upon hearing this, Biezhi's eyes widened slightly.

She slightly broke free from Fu Huaiqing's large hand, got up, propped herself up on one side, and looked at him intently.

How did Fu Huaiqing know that she had stolen fruit and hit someone's young master with it?

The moment she opened her mouth to ask a question, she froze, her round almond-shaped eyes widening like glistening grapes. After a long while, she came to her senses: "That young master is you?"

Fu Huaiqing raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"How did you get there?" Biezhi asked in surprise, her voice tinged with a hint of excitement. She had never imagined that the boy she had hit would be Fu Huaiqing, nor did she know that she had picked fruit from the Lin family mansion. "I thought he was the child of the owner of that courtyard."

“Lin Yiqing is my teacher. It just so happened that I was leaving the palace that day, so I went to find him.” Fu Huaiqing didn’t expect to run into Biezhi there, but there was still something he couldn’t figure out, “Why did you cry so intensely back then?”

If the street where the Lin family mansion was located hadn't been so quiet, given the howling and wailing from the other branches at that time, everyone would have thought that they had bullied her.

Upon hearing the word "heroic," Biezhi's lips twitched.

She was indeed crying quite frighteningly at the time, but it didn't seem particularly dramatic.

In fact, fourteen years later, Biezhi had forgotten what the boy looked like back then, and she couldn't match the boy with Fu Huaiqing. She only vaguely remembered that the boy she hit was incredibly handsome. She was stunned when she saw him and never thought that there could be such a handsome man in the world.

At that time, she hadn't read many books. It was only when she was begging that she heard someone describe a woman's appearance as stunningly beautiful. Biezhi felt that the young man deserved that description.

That's why, even after she had forgotten what the boy looked like, it didn't stop her from being particularly picky about men's appearances.

Some men who were considered exceptionally handsome by others were nothing special to her; they didn't impress her at all, until she met 'Jiran' again.

It's her appearance and her temperament that set her apart from everyone else, making her unforgettable at first glance.

Looking into Fu Huaiqing's deep, dark eyes, Biezhi pursed her lips slightly and said, "I just feel that such a stunningly handsome young master is so fierce, and he looks quite powerful. His guards even carry swords when they go out. I might just die on the spot in the next moment." She pouted, "I'm only six years old. There are so many delicious things I haven't eaten and so many fun things I haven't played. I can't just die like this."

Most importantly, she was also thinking of striking first.

What if someone happens to pass by? What if the young master who gets hit is shy? What if he takes pity on a beautiful woman?

The combination of fear and a flash of inspiration is why Biezhi cried out with all her might.

Fu Huaiqing was stunned by her words, but after thinking about it, he realized that it was indeed Biezhi's style of doing things, and couldn't help but laugh: "You hit me and then bumped into my guard, so how come I'm the one who's fierce in the end?"

Biezhi: "..."

That's true, and there's nothing wrong with what you're saying, but "You really are fierce, you used to be fierce, and you still are."

In an instant, Fu Huaiqing was reminded of the seemingly quiet but actually undisguised conversation she had with Qin Wan when she was still disguised as the second daughter of the Qin family.

Biezhi also remembered, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

She poked his chest lightly with her fingertip, saying, "Admit it, it's your fault. You scared me. Logically, you should apologize to me." As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of the rising emotion in Fu Huaiqing's eyes, as if he was about to show her what 'fierceness' really meant. She nervously closed her mouth, then changed the subject, "But I'm magnanimous, I forgive you."

Fu Huaiqing raised his hand and grabbed her mischievous fingertips, encircling them in his palm.

His palms were like scorching furnaces, and the heat seeped through his fingertips into Biezhi's heart. She truly hadn't expected that there was such a connection between them.

“No matter how far back we go, we will never be strangers,” Fu Huaiqing said calmly.

They had already crossed paths before they even knew it.

After supporting himself for a long time, Bie Zhi nestled back into the tree and listened to Fu Huaiqing recount his thoughts at the time. Their paths never crossed because of Xianyun Tower. Even without Xianyun Tower, they would have met in other ways.

"You made a deep impression on me back then."

He remained silent, for Fu Huaiqing had left a deep impression on him at the time.

Under the bright moonlight, whispers occasionally rose from the palace, sometimes clear and sometimes deep. After an unknown amount of time, the surroundings gradually became more and more quiet.

Biezhi didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up again, she heard the sound of bells ringing in the distance. Before she even opened her eyes, the matter of the coronation ceremony flooded her drowsy thoughts. She immediately opened her eyes.

The first thing that catches the eye is Fu Huaiqing's tall figure. He is wearing his inner clothes. When he sees this, Bie Zhi breathes a sigh of relief. As if he heard the sound, he casually turns around, his back to her.

When their eyes met, his thin lips curved slightly as he walked towards her: "It's still early, no rush."

"Hmm." Biezhi got up, looked up at Fu Huaiqing for a moment, then looked past him to the tightly closed window, where she could vaguely see busy figures outside the palace. "They are all waiting outside."

Fu Huaiqing walked up to her and nodded, then bent down to take her shoes and put them on her. "Shu Ning will come to find you later, then you can go together."

Traditionally, only civil and military officials attend the enthronement ceremony, while others are not allowed to witness it. In the past century, the women of the harem mostly waited in the palace for news of the ceremony's completion. However, things are different now. The Ministry of Rites is very discerning in arranging the relevant matters, and has deliberately arranged two seats for them. The procedures for the enthronement ceremony have been studied by the cabinet and the six ministries again and again, and no one has raised any objections to the Ministry of Rites' arrangements.

When Biezhi came out after washing up, Fu Huaiqing had already changed his clothes. He stood in the palace, talking to Cheng Jin. Waiting behind them were palace servants holding the imperial crown.

The moment Fu Huaiqing turned his gaze to her, she understood what he meant.

Biezhi paused for a moment, then smiled without saying a word, stepped forward, took the imperial crown, held it in her hands, and carefully put it on him.

The Minister of Rites stared dumbfounded at the emperor, who was bowing before the young lady. The palace servants serving him seemed to take it all for granted, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. He realized more and more that the importance of the young girl to the emperor was self-evident.

Fu Huaiqing straightened up and squeezed her palm. "I'm leaving now."

She nodded and watched him leave.

Looking at Fu Huaiqing's retreating figure, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

The coronation ceremony had been underway for several days, but only now did Biezhi begin to have a faint sense of the reality that he was about to ascend to the throne.

Biezhi didn't have to wait long. About half an hour after Fu Huaiqing left, Fu Shuning arrived, and the two headed straight for the palace hall.

Just as they approached the palace street outside the Xuanzheng Hall, the sound of footsteps came through the walls, the steady footsteps carrying a slight urgency. In the vast palace, there was no other sound except for the footsteps.

Almost instantly, Biezhi spotted Qin Wan weaving among the men. Dressed in court attire, she hurried toward her colleagues from the Imperial Academy.

As if sensing her gaze, Qin Wan, who was walking hurriedly, suddenly stopped and looked at her sharply. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other. Qin Wan nodded slightly before turning and leaving.

Stumbling in her tracks, Fu Shuning only caught a glimpse of Qin Wan's back. "She slowly got what she wanted."

"Hmm." Biezhi glanced back at her, then looked at Qin Wan, whose figure was gradually shrinking, and said, "Next year's imperial examination will be her battlefield."

It is said that it takes three years to hone a sword, and next year will be the time for the blade to be drawn.

The mournful chimes rang out once more, and the civil and military officials, who had already taken their positions, suddenly became alert and awaited the emperor's arrival.

Standing to the side, Biezhi watched Fu Huaiqing ascend the imperial steps. The morning sun shone down generously, and the sky was cloudless. Watching his figure climbing the steps, she found it hard to describe her feelings at that moment.

The moment he sat on the imperial throne, the tension in his chest that had been rising in his throat slowly subsided.

The ceremony proceeded step by step, with the Ministry of Rites following the established plan. Fu Huaiqing's voice rang out from inside the Xuanzheng Hall, posthumously conferring the title of Empress Dowager upon the deceased Consort, who had passed away many years ago. Everything was also part of the predetermined plan.

Fu Huaiqing paused slightly, his gaze fixed on the girl hidden among the officials, and slowly gave a look to the Minister of Rites standing below the imperial steps.

After holding his breath for a long time, the Minister of Rites took a deep breath, picked up the first imperial edict that Cheng Jin had just handed him, which was also an imperial edict personally written by the emperor, and raised his chin slightly to read the imperial edict of empress's investiture to the civil and military officials.

Upon hearing the imperial decree, Biezhi's eyelashes trembled, and she raised her gaze to look directly at the man on the imperial throne.

Fu Huaiqing smiled, his thin lips slightly parted.

The wedding is a wedding, and the investiture is an investiture; neither can be omitted.

The officials, including Su Ci, who had their eyes lowered, were not surprised to hear the imperial edict appointing her as empress. It was all just a matter of time. What surprised the other courtiers was that every word in the edict seemed to be both an investiture and a declaration of their hearts. Every word and phrase carried the implication of a lifelong commitment to one person.

Some of the courtiers who were positioned slightly behind exchanged glances with their colleagues, all understanding that the emperor's actions were intended to thwart the other courtiers' ambitions.

After reading the imperial edict appointing the empress, the Minister of Rites breathed a sigh of relief, closed the edict, bowed, and withdrew.

Fu Huaiqing glanced at the officials below and said slowly, "The ceremony for the investiture of the empress will be held on an auspicious day chosen by the Ministry of Rites."

The moment the words fell, all the civil and military officials gasped. Others might not understand the emperor's thoughts, but how could the cabinet ministers and ministers of the six ministries who were close to him not understand?

According to old customs, it was unheard of for officials to pay homage to the empress. However, in the current dynasty, the emperor was the supreme ruler, and his decree was the final decision. Naturally, they dared not voice their opposition.

The Minister of Rites, who had retreated to the ranks of officials just a moment ago, stepped forward again, cupped his hands, and accepted the order.

-----------------------

Author's note: The side stories are also coming to an end, and if nothing unexpected happens, it will officially conclude on Saturday.

On the first day after the settlement is successful (probably next Sunday), we will bring you the first chapter of the bonus episode: Fu Huaiqing's perspective.