Chapter 282 The Imperial Decree to Confer the Empress
After laughing and joking, the family of three went to Mingyue Terrace.
When they arrived, more than a dozen concubines and three princes were present, and Queen Mother Qin also came to the banquet.
Seeing Xie Chen, the laughter and joy at the banquet died down, and all the concubines and princes stood up and bowed.
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty. Long live the Emperor."
"Your humble servant greets the Imperial Concubine. May the Imperial Concubine live in peace and happiness."
During the banquet, the princes did not have separate seats and sat with their mothers. Pei Tingyue first placed Xiao Si at the head of the table. Just as she was about to sit down, someone grabbed her slender white wrist.
Pei Tingyue was surprised. He blinked and looked at Xie Chen, lowering his voice. "What's wrong?"
Xie Chen didn't answer her.
Instead, he pulled her hard and walked up the stairs.
Pei Tingyue's heart was filled with shock, but she was ultimately no match for him and was forced to go up to the platform.
She originally thought that Xie Chen wanted her to sit in the side seat, which used to be the seat of Empress Zhang Yi.
But Xie Chen didn't do as she wished. He pushed her to the main throne and sat down beside her. He looked at her meaningfully and then said to everyone in a gentle voice, "Everyone, get up."
The concubines stood up and sat back in their seats. When they raised their eyelids, they saw the emperor and his concubine sitting side by side in the main seat.
The concubines were surprised and tried to guess the emperor's intention.
For a moment, the huge Mingyue Terrace was silent and fell into dead silence.
Xie Chen ignored the concubines' astonishment and waved his hand.
After Liang Yao saw his gesture, he walked to the front of the platform and slowly opened the bright yellow imperial edict to the people at the table, saying loudly, "The emperor has ordered—"
Upon hearing this, all the concubines and princes knelt respectfully again.
Pei Tingyue on the throne was already confused by Xie Chen, and now she was even more confused.
It's just a nice birthday party, why is there an announcement for no reason?
However, no matter how confused she was, as a palace concubine she had to pay her respects when the emperor ordered.
Pei Tingyue let out a light breath and wanted to stand up and kneel down, but as soon as he moved, he was held down firmly by someone.
She looked at the large hand on her shoulder in disbelief.
Then he cast a puzzled look at Xie Chen.
This guy is being a little weird tonight.
First, he broke the rules and asked me to sit here without saying anything, and then he didn't let me kneel down to listen to his orders. This is too much!
It would be fine if the Empress Dowager was not here, but now that the Empress Dowager is here, how can she be so presumptuous!
But the man used all his strength on his hands, and she couldn't get up.
At the bottom of the stairs, Liang Yao read out the decree loudly.
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims:
I have received the Mandate of Heaven and reign supreme over the world. A king who establishes his throne must rectify the principles of the empire. To govern the interior and govern the exterior, one must be virtuous and virtuous.
Today, we have Imperial Consort Pei, a woman of gentle and respectful disposition, endowed with virtuous and tranquil character. Selected to serve the imperial court, she is both refined and intelligent, embodying the teachings of the Imperial Court. She upholds the ancestral temple's worship and nurtures the friendship of the imperial concubines. Her kindness and integrity are renowned throughout the imperial court. Her virtue is worthy of emulation, her virtue a model for others, worthy of the position of Vice-President, a model for the whole world.
"I hereby appoint you as Empress, granting you the imperial seal and ribbon, and directing the inner palace. You shall faithfully follow my instructions, respectfully serve the ancestral temple, and ensure the eternal stability of the state and the safety of the people. This announcement shall be made to the whole world, and all shall be informed. I humbly accord you my lordship!"
This is actually the imperial decree to crown the queen!
The concubines were trembling with fear and were slow to react.
Pei Tingyue was also the one who didn't react.
She had thought about being crowned queen and ascending to that position, but she had never thought it would be now, let alone today.
She knew in her heart that the Pei family was not of high status. Even if they were moving up step by step, they were still far behind the families that had been prosperous for generations.
Throughout the history of the Great Qi Dynasty, the empress and the successor queen had never had such a low family background, so in recent years, she did not hold out much hope.
But now all of this is truly presented before her.
The person next to her made her the Empress Dowager, the mother of the country, and elevated her to the supreme position.
She was so excited that she was at a loss for a moment. She just turned her head stiffly and looked at the elegant and handsome face.
Xie Chen noticed her gaze, smiled silently at her, then forcefully grabbed her hand and held their fingers tightly.
Queen Mother Qin was also surprised when she heard the decree.
The matter of enthroning the Queen is of grave importance. It is not only a family matter, but also a matter of state, and this matter must be discussed with all the ministers.
But she hadn't heard any movement before, which meant that this decree was made by the emperor alone.
It's too willful and against the rules.
Although this position will eventually belong to Concubine Chen, the Pei family is still of low status...
Why can't I wait...
Queen Mother Qin frowned slightly and wanted to say something, but then she thought again, the imperial decree had been issued and could not be changed. It would be useless to say more. Why bother disturbing her son's interest?
She sighed softly and turned her attention back to the concubines.
During the banquet, all the concubines were stunned for a long time. Wen Zhaoyuan was the first to come to her senses, lifted her skirt, and bowed deeply.
"Your Highness the Queen, I extend my congratulations to you. May you live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
Then Xie Xiuyi suppressed the deep look in her eyes and bowed deeply, "Your Highness, I congratulate Her Majesty, may you live a thousand years."
With these two high-ranking concubines taking the lead, the other concubines reacted and knelt down to kowtow, "Your servants congratulate the Empress, may the Empress live a thousand years."
During the banquet, all the princes, eunuchs, and palace maids knelt down and congratulated loudly.
On the high platform, Xie Chen gently scratched Pei Tingyue's palm, raised his chin slightly towards the crowd, and signaled Pei Tingyue to speak.
Pei Tingyue came back to her senses from the extreme shock. Her clear eyes were very bright and she smiled brightly at Xie Chen.
Then she took a deep breath, composed her expression, and said to the crowd below in a dignified tone, "This palace is pleased, and the whole palace will be rewarded. Everyone, please stand up without formalities."
"Thank you, Queen."
After this announcement, the banquet began.
Unlike previous years, the concubines and princes did not congratulate the emperor on his birthday alone, but congratulated Pei Tingyue on her new promotion as well.
Xie Chen was very happy.
This year he was very considerate and made everyone drink up the wine in the cup no matter who it was.
By the end, he was a little drunk and his face was slightly red.
The banquet ended after two hours.
When they dispersed, it was already midnight. As she walked down the stairs, Pei Tingyue saw the bright stars and the moon. She smiled and pointed, "Your Majesty, the night is so beautiful tonight. Why don't you find a place to enjoy it with me?"
Xie Chen had a gentle and affectionate smile on his lips. "Actually, this year, I've prepared a birthday gift for myself. Would you like Tingyue to come with me?"
Pei Tingyue smiled and said, "Okay."
The next moment, Xie Chen took her hand and quickly walked down the stairs.
The two men got on the dragon chariot and headed to a place.
Halfway down the road, Pei Tingyue recognized it as the path to Imperial Lake. She had come here once before, when Zhaoyi was pregnant with Xiao Si. Now, she was pregnant with Zhaoyang, the mother of a nation.
Times have changed, which makes people feel infinite emotion.
When we arrived, the scenery of Yuhu Lake was still as picturesque as it was back then, except that the moon was brighter this evening.
Pei Tingyue followed Xie Chen to the shore, but was stunned when she saw the slowly approaching pleasure boat.
Because it was covered with red silk, the candlelight from the hexagonal lanterns on the eaves spread down, and the most eye-catching place on the bow was a wedding dress and a phoenix crown and bridal bridal robe.
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