Chapter 406 The Emperor's Abdication Ceremony

Anyway, before dawn, Qiuyue and the others pulled Zhao Lingmeng out of her quilt and tossed her around. After they had packed everything for Zhao Lingmeng, Zhao Lingmeng dazedly glanced at the sky outside. She didn't know what time it was, but she clearly remembered that it was still dark.

This time, the abdication ceremony, to be more precise, would first involve the current emperor abdicating, followed by the crown prince ascending the throne. Everything had to be completed within a single day, so time was very tight.

In order not to embarrass herself in such an occasion, Zhao Lingmeng only ate two small pieces of pastry and even took a sip of water.

Zhao Lingmeng had never imagined that even after climbing to the position of the eldest princess, she would still have to endure such suffering. When Qiuyue and the others helped her into the carriage, Zhao Lingmeng was still sad about her missing breakfast.

When Qiuyue followed Zhao Lingmeng into the carriage, she saw Zhao Lingmeng leaning against the wall of the carriage with a look of despair.

She quickly walked over to Zhao Lingmeng and sat down, looking at him worriedly, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, it's just that my clothes are too heavy, my headdress is too heavy, I got up too early, and most importantly, I didn't eat enough." Zhao Lingmeng talked more and more, looking completely pitiful.

Qiuyue hadn't seen His Highness like this for a long time, so she quickly comforted him, "I've asked someone to prepare something. When we come back in the evening, we'll have delicious food, including your favorite beef."

When Zhao Lingmeng heard there was beef, her eyes lit up. "Okay, I'll take a nap first. Call me when we get there."

After she finished speaking, she closed her eyes. She was really sleepy.

Zhao Lingmeng felt that she had just squinted when she heard someone calling her. Zhao Lingmeng knew that this was not the time to be pretentious, so she opened her eyes immediately when Qiuyue called her.

When Qiuyue, Chunshui, and the others saw Zhao Ling had woken up, they immediately surrounded him, some adjusting their hair ornaments, others adjusting their clothes. On such an important occasion, His Highness couldn't afford to lose face over such a trivial matter.

Zhao Lingmeng was helped out of the carriage and saw fireworks starting to be set off in the sky.

Qiuyue and the others immediately panicked, "Your Highness, are we going to be late?"

"No, I just set it off before daybreak."

Zhao Lingmeng whispered to those around her, observing their reactions. She saw that they were only momentarily flustered before calming down. They were all seasoned veterans of the officialdom, and this small scene wouldn't scare them.

Today's protagonists, the emperor and the prince, were already standing at the foot of the Taimiao. They were looking up at the fireworks in the sky with great interest.

Even the emperor, who had seen many rare treasures, couldn't help but sigh, "How beautiful!"

"Yes, the imperial sister is a remarkable person." The prince also sighed sincerely.

"Yes! It is because of Fu Ning that I want to abdicate. I want to live a few more years and look forward to the arrival of a prosperous era." Although the emperor was talking, his eyes never left the fireworks exploding in the sky.

"Then your Majesty, take good care of your health. I promise that when my son ascends the throne, I will definitely be able to see it. I can't, because you still have a grandson!"

When the emperor heard the prince say this, he really wanted to give this unfilial son a good beating. What a wonderful day!

"You'd better have some shame!" The emperor endured it and finally said only this one sentence.

Upon hearing this, the prince turned and looked at the emperor suspiciously, "You won't beat me even if this happens?"

"No, after today I will be the emperor. In the past I lived for Jingguo, but from now on I will live for myself."

When the emperor said this, his face was filled with excitement, without any reluctance at the loss of power. Nor was there any loneliness of old age, but rather a feeling of rebirth.

The prince looked at the smile on his father's face and said, "I'm a little envious of you."

The Emperor was also pleased to hear the Crown Prince say this. He knew his son was more courageous and tolerant than he was. His only flaw was his penchant for beauty, but since the Crown Princess was also virtuous, this wasn't a big deal.

He pointed to the ladder in front of him and said, "Chen'er, you are still young, climb up and take a look!"

The prince looked at the ladder in front of him, as if he saw the road he would walk alone in the future, and a sense of panic arose in his heart. He reached out and grasped the emperor's hand, "Father, please accompany me for a while!"

The emperor smiled and strode towards Yang Chengchen, who was standing ten meters away from them, and directly picked him up.

In fact, Yang Chengchen was already a teenager, and the emperor certainly couldn't lift him, but Yang Chengchen was willing to cooperate with the emperor, so he let the emperor grab his clothes and drag him over.

"Yes, Father is old, let your son accompany you!"

The Crown Prince and Yang Chengchen exchanged a glance, and Yang Chengchen was the first to respond, "Father, Grandfather, my clothes are dirty. I'll go downstairs and change."

Yang Chengchen was as alert as a little animal and wanted to slip away as soon as he finished speaking.

"Father, Royal Grandfather, please let go of me, please." Yang Chengchen looked at the two people who were pulling his sleeves respectively, and he felt like he was about to cry.

The emperor was just about to comfort his grandson when Eunuch Zhuo came in and said, "Your Majesty, the auspicious time has arrived."

"Well, tell the Ministry of Rites to prepare, and then let the ministers in!"

As the emperor spoke, he did not forget to give Yang Chengchen a look that told him to behave himself.

What could Yang Chengchen do about the two bosses' unreasonable behavior? He could only nod and think about looking for an opportunity to slip away later.

The main thing is that it doesn't matter at other times, but on this occasion today, my father is not planning to appoint a crown prince, so what's the point of him standing here?

The emperor and his two companions didn't have to wait long before everyone else arrived at their seats. Then the Ministry of Rites began to follow the procedures. First, the Minister of Rites read out the emperor's achievements over the years, praising him.

Amidst the majestic sound of drums and praises, the emperor walked up the long staircase leading to the Taimiao.

He just happened to stand on the highest point, and the Minister of Rites had just finished reading out his achievements.

The emperor first carefully lit three incense sticks, and then formally announced his abdication.

At first, Zhao Lingmeng thought the abdication ceremony was almost over. But then Zhao Lingmeng saw someone go up and change the emperor's crown and dragon robe into a Qilin robe. Then the emperor slowly walked down the steps amid everyone's greetings.

Zhao Lingmeng also knelt on the ground and shouted, "Your Highness and I greet the Emperor, may the Emperor live a thousand years!"

The retired emperor didn't call them to get up, so they just knelt there until he had climbed down all the ladders, and then he told everyone to get up.

Then it was the Crown Prince's turn. The Ministry of Rites also read out the Emperor's abdication decree, along with some of the Crown Prince's achievements. But what caught everyone off guard was that when the Crown Prince took his first step, not only did the Emperor, smiling, support him for two steps, but the Crown Prince also tightly grasped the hand of the Emperor's eldest grandson.