Chapter 471 The Golden Phoenix Spreads Its Wings, Performing the investiture ceremony

Granny Xi restyled Ji Qingwu's hair, lightly applied makeup to her face, and uttered endless auspicious words.

On this joyous day, Ji Qingwu was overjoyed, his face almost frozen with laughter.

As they finished their preparations, the noisy sounds of drums and gongs rang out from outside.

Inside the courtyard, the towering sycamore tree was laden with coral and glass lanterns, a truly beautiful sight. The entire Ji family mansion was draped in red silk and adorned with large red lanterns.

Ji Bolian and Qiao Shi were already waiting in the main hall. Old Madam Ji and Ji Qingyuan were sitting to the side. When they saw Ji Qingwu enter, they quickly stood up and bowed.

Ji Qingwu held a gold-threaded fan in her left hand to cover her face. The fan was embroidered with a picture of a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons, and the expressions of the figures were extremely vivid.

She raised her right wrist, revealing a gold bracelet engraved with auspicious patterns, and gestured for them to rise.

Qiao stepped forward and placed a pair of silver scissors adorned with twin lotus blossoms between Ji Qingwu's hands, making a snip.

"On this journey to the towering palace, I will shield Her Majesty the Empress from the storms of war."

Ji Qingwu grasped Qiao's hand in return and said, "Thank you, Mother."

Qiao's eyes instantly reddened, and Ji Bolian's beard trembled as he said in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, the palace is not like home. If..."

Ji Qingwu called out softly, "Father, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Madam Ji, who was standing to the side, said, "Your Majesty should set off now. Don't delay the auspicious time, lest the Emperor be displeased."

Emperor Wusu was waiting for her in the Jiying Hall of the palace, where they would jointly receive the congratulations of civil and military officials.

The time was calculated by a master in the palace well in advance, as the grand wedding of the emperor and empress, which was the focus of everyone's attention, could not be made wrong.

Ji Qingwu turned around, blinked, and tried to force back the bitter tears.

She just couldn't bear to see Ji's father and Qiao's sad faces. Even if she got married, she would still be their daughter, and that would never change.

Outside, red ribbons were tied to the trees all over the city, soldiers were stationed along the roads to maintain order, and crowds of people thronged the streets, shoulder to shoulder, all craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the Empress's dignified appearance.

The Empress's palanquin was already waiting at the door, with thirty-six eunuchs standing behind it. Small jade chimes hung from the eaves of the palanquin, chiming without wind.

As soon as Ji Qingwu appeared at the gate, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

In front of the palanquin was a large brown horse adorned with red silk ribbons, and the person sitting on it was the imperial attendant.

Ji Qingwu stopped in her tracks after she recognized who it was.

She had assumed that her eldest brother would be the Imperial Attendant, but strangely enough, after she returned home, she didn't see Ji Changlin show up.

Even if Ji Changlin is absent, Wei Ting is not the one to be the master of ceremonies at the wedding.

Wei Ting's face still showed signs of travel fatigue, with exhaustion beneath his brows. He must have rushed back from the northern border overnight and arrived at the gates of the Ji residence without even having time to catch his breath.

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips, and he visibly paused when she appeared.

But Wei Ting didn't hesitate for long. He immediately dismounted, walked up to her, his chest heaving, and said loudly, "This humble general greets Your Majesty. This humble general has been ordered to welcome you into the palace!"

Ji Qingwu frowned slightly.

Was it really ordered?

Wei Ting showed no sign of reluctance.

Was it Emperor Wusu who summoned him back, or did he return voluntarily...?

The onlookers whispered among themselves, and some of their words reached Ji Qingwu's ears.

Her furrowed brows relaxed, and she immediately understood why Wei Ting was there.

"General Zhenbei is truly a fine man. It turns out that General Wei took the initiative to propose marriage in order to protect the Empress and the young prince and princess from being assassinated by Xijin's assassins. They were all putting on an act."

"That's right. After His Majesty dealt with those bandits in Xijin, he rushed back to marry the Empress. The General of the Northern Garrison came to fetch him on His Majesty's behalf. The relationship between the emperor and his subject is truly excellent..."

Ji Qingwu's eyes flickered.

Emperor Wusu and Wei Ting had a good relationship. She married Wei Ting at the emperor's request. Who spread such rumors?

Ji Qingwu was well aware that no matter how much she tried to hide it, she couldn't conceal the fact that she had married into the Wei family and lived there for a period of time.

History will surely record this, and she will inevitably be criticized by future generations.

But now, Wei Ting is serving as her wedding attendant on her wedding day, personally welcoming her into the palace, thus confirming the rumor...

Ji Qingwu looked at Wei Ting with a complicated expression.

Wei Ting avoided her gaze, looked at the red carpet on the ground, and said loudly, "The auspicious time is approaching. Please, Your Majesty the Empress, move your carriage."

Ji Qingwu straightened his back, stepped out of the gate of the Ji residence, and walked towards the sedan chair.

Before getting into the sedan chair, Wei Ting raised his left arm so that she could rest her wrist on his.

Ji Qingwu glanced at Wei Ting, then spoke up, saying, "Thank you, General Wei."

Should she thank him for helping her up, or for being her master of ceremonies, or something else...?

Wei Ting still didn't look at her, but stared at the phoenix pattern on the hem of her wedding robe, and said in a low voice, "Between you and me, there is never any need for thanks."

Ji Qingwu sat down in the phoenix sedan chair, and the golden phoenix on the phoenix crown spread its wings as if to take flight, carrying her with it to the Phoenix Palace.

*

Jiying Palace.

The glazed tiles gleamed, and the exterior of the main hall was decorated in an extremely festive and luxurious manner.

Aunt Fanghua, acting as the guide, helped Ji Qingwu down to the foot of the platform.

On both sides of the high platform, officials stood solemnly, and the emperor standing in front of the hall had also changed into auspicious clothes, but not the bright red wedding dress that matched her.

Instead, it was the black court robe worn by the emperor when he established his empress.

Ji Qingwu raised his eyes and looked at Emperor Wusu, who was standing on the high platform.

She had seen him in his majestic court attire before, but this one was clearly different from what the emperor wore when attending court and paying homage to his ancestors.

The crown, adorned with twelve tassels and black jade, features red gold beads hanging from its tassels. The chest is embroidered with eight clusters of colorful clouds, dragons, phoenixes, and double happiness patterns on bright yellow silk, representing the union of dragon and phoenix.

This outfit can only be worn when an empress is formally appointed.

Because of the great distance, Ji Qingwu could not see the emperor's features clearly, nor did he know what his expression was like. But judging from his tall and straight figure, he was like a jade tree or a pine tree, quiet and composed.

The most important part of the wedding ceremony has arrived.

The empress would need to ascend a high platform to perform the investiture ceremony, where the emperor would personally bestow upon her a golden book and golden seal symbolizing her status.

There are five levels of stairs, each with nine steps.

Ji Qingwu needs to gradually get to his side.

As the ceremonial music played, Ji Qingwu ascended the steps, the trailing phoenix robe swaying three inches, the golden hairpin behind her phoenix crown gently swaying, with not a single pearl colliding with the others.

Even the golden peony on the tip of her shoe, the third petal was always parallel to the edge of the step.

Ji Qingwu took each step steadily and gracefully.

The officials watched her intently, their gazes following her every move. Lu Juan, dressed in a crimson official robe, stood on the left, while Duan Mingfeng, in a dark blue robe, stood on the right, and Prince Yong stood at the very front.

Ji Qingwu didn't have time to look at their expressions. Her heart was pounding like a drum, and her palms were sweaty. She absolutely couldn't make a fool of herself at such a ceremony.

She held her breath the whole way and finally reached the last two steps.