Chapter 7: Power and Scheme
The next day was the day to marry the queen. He was woken up by the palace maid early in the morning and dressed up carefully. When he was having breakfast, the queen mother came to Qianyuan Palace for the first time.
Zhou An immediately stood up and went out to greet them. When he saw the Queen Mother coming in surrounded by a group of purple-robed guards, he immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Mother."
"Well, today you need to go to Kaiyuan Gate in person to welcome the Queen. All the civil and military officials will be present. You must be careful about your words and actions and behave like an emperor.
You know what to say and what not to say. I'm right behind you. If there are any unexpected situations, you don't need to respond. I'll take care of everything." said the Queen Mother.
"My son understands and will never let you down." Zhou An said in a firm tone and looked very obedient, which made the empress dowager very satisfied.
"This morning is your coming-of-age ceremony. The rituals are complicated. Eat more and then follow me to Qianyuan Hall." The Queen Mother said, walked into the hall and sat down.
Zhou An followed and sat beside her, eating breakfast quietly. The empress dowager just took a few sips of tea.
When the time came, he took Zhou An and the group went to the main palace in a mighty procession.
Since the death of the previous emperor, Zhou An had never been to the main palace again. This was his first time entering the Qianyuan Palace, and all the civil and military officials were already waiting here early.
As soon as you step into the Qianyuan Hall, you will receive a sign-in reminder. After choosing to sign in, you will receive a complete set of Qianyuan Dragon Armor.
This was the armor used by the founding emperor when he conquered the country. It was made with almost the best materials and craftsmen of the Qianyuan Empire. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in an important battle and could never be restored.
Entering the court, he sat on the dragon throne for the first time. Behind the throne was the empress dowager's phoenix throne.
The ministers looked at Zhou An as he walked forward, each with a complicated look in their eyes and different expressions, each with their own ulterior motives.
To be honest, Zhou An didn't know how to make the opening remarks in front of all the officials. He had never remembered such a thing happening before, and his own life experience couldn't handle the current situation. The best way was to remain silent, and the Queen Mother would make the arrangements.
As expected, the Queen Mother was the first to speak: "It's almost time, let's get started."
The left prime minister performed the ceremony and personally presided over the emperor's coming-of-age ceremony. Under the guidance of the Minister of Rites, he took a carriage to the rooftop to hold a ceremony to worship the sky.
Zhou An didn't need to do anything, as everything was taken care of by the people below him. He just sat in the car and watched the ceremony proceed.
After more than an hour of tedious procedures, it was finally the emperor's turn to go to the rooftop. After going up, he signed in and received the Qianyuan Bingfu, a dragon-shaped metal talisman.
System Introduction: You can summon one hundred imperial city dragon guards, each of whom has the fifth level of acquired realm, and a commander who has the seventh level of acquired mirror realm. They can only be summoned once a day.
This thing is very useful. I finally have soldiers at hand.
While he was secretly happy, the Left Prime Minister had someone present the ritual vessels for offering sacrifice to the heaven. Zhou An calmed his mind, took the vessels and offered sacrifice to the heaven. Then the Left Prime Minister personally crowned him, put on the crown, and presented him with the Qianlong sword representing his status as emperor, as well as the Qianyuan dragon robe.
In fact, these are all imitations, just used to represent the emperor's identity. The real Qianlong Sword and Qianyuan Dragon Armor have been destroyed.
The Qianyuan dragon robe was later improved based on the style of the Qianyuan dragon armor. It only has a similar appearance, but the functions are naturally very different, and the defensive effect is far worse.
Moreover, the Qianyuan dragon robe is made of precious materials and has no defensive capabilities, making it unsuitable for combat.
In Zhou An's words, it is a silver-plated spear head, which looks good but is useless. The Qianlong Sword hanging on his waist is useful, and can be considered a top-grade sword, but it is quite different from the real Qianlong Sword.
After the left prime minister announced the completion of the ceremony, the motorcade returned and stopped at Kaiyuan Square, where the queen was already waiting at the gate.
When the emperor arrived at the red platform built in the middle of the square, the queen's phoenix sedan stopped outside the Kaiyuan Gate. The ground was covered with a red carpet sprinkled with pink petals, and two rows of palace maids knelt on both sides.
The queen came down from the phoenix chariot, wearing a red phoenix robe with gold thread, holding the imperial seal of the Qianyuan Empire in both hands, stepped barefoot onto the red carpet, and walked from the Kaiyuan Gate to the platform in the middle.
Zhou An was shocked when he saw the queen. Although he had only traveled here for three days, he had seen over a hundred women, all of whom were extremely beautiful. Sai Naimu was even rarer in the world.
He felt that he should be immune to beautiful women and could treat them with a normal attitude, but when he saw Queen Shangguan Rong, this idea was instantly shattered.
The poem I read before popped up in my mind: "Born beautiful, it is hard to give up. Once chosen to be by the emperor's side. When she turns around and smiles, she is so charming that all the beauties in the palace pale in comparison."
Under the watchful eyes of Zhou An, all officials, and envoys from various countries, the queen strolled onto the stage, walked up to Zhou An, knelt down, raised her hands, and handed the imperial seal to Zhou An.
Zhou An calmed himself, took the seal and handed it to the purple-robed guard who was guarding it.
Then he helped the queen up, and the two looked at each other. Zhou An was shocked. He did not expect that the Shangguan family would choose such a peerless woman as the queen. He was just a puppet of their family. He could not understand their intention for a while.
Anyway, he was sure that she couldn't be his, so after being amazed at first, he calmed down.
After worshipping their ancestors together and announcing the title of the queen, the ceremony was concluded and all officials and envoys from various countries entered the Jiaotai Hall to enjoy a banquet.
When everyone was seated, the left prime minister Jiang Xian spoke up and was the first to stand up and shout, "Your Majesty, I have state affairs to report."
The Right Prime Minister Shangguan Yuchen, who was sitting opposite him, angrily scolded: "How dare you! Today is the emperor's big day, and the Left Prime Minister has disregarded the dignity of the state and usurped the throne. How can this be a disgrace?"
"Since the Emperor ascended the throne, he has never attended court. I, the Left Prime Minister, have only seen the Emperor once during the coronation ceremony, and this is only the second time. How disgraceful of you!"
Jiang Xian said loudly, and deliberately glanced at the Queen Mother, and said to Zhou An again: "Your Majesty, this matter concerns the safety of the country, and I have to report it."
Zhou An didn't intend to respond. He didn't know much about this world, let alone the affairs of the country and the society. How could he, a common citizen, deal with this?
Anyway, he just needs to watch, listen and eat. As long as he doesn't feel embarrassed, the ones who are embarrassed are those who are looking for trouble.
Moreover, no matter what tricks these ministers use, the empress dowager will cover it, and she can be relaxed. She only needs to sign in safely and improve her strength.
He didn't understand the art of being an emperor, but he knew that if his ministers fought with each other, the emperor would have an easy time. If the ministers didn't fight, the emperor would definitely have a hard life.
The Queen Mother then said: "What the Left Prime Minister said is reasonable. The affairs of the country are above all else."
Jiang Xian immediately said: "Your Majesty, hundreds of countries in the Western Regions are at war, using all kinds of witchcraft and poisons, and all the people are suffering. These witchcraft and poisons are extremely poisonous, and according to the investigation ahead, they have a very terrible ability to spread. No one knows why they spread. At present, the plague is less than a hundred miles away from Linsha Pass, and refugees flee here every day.
Although there are soldiers guarding the pass, it is hard to say whether refugees will cross the mountains and rivers in the surrounding areas, or even whether the plague will infect wild animals and spread to our territory.
I beg the Emperor to send troops to quell the war among the hundreds of nations in the Western Regions, so as to ensure the peace of the people of Qianyuan."
Shangguan Yuchen immediately said: "Humph, the Northern Ice Kingdom is eyeing our country covetously, and the Canglong Empire in the east has also had frictions with our army on the border many times. The five southern countries are also ready to make a move.
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The Western Region is vast, with more than 300 countries, most of which are occupied by deserts. How much food and money do we need to send troops? Our army is not good at desert terrain. If we enter the desert, I am afraid that not many people can come out alive without fighting.
Even if these two problems are solved, once we send out troops, the Northern Ice Kingdom, the Blue Dragon Empire, and the Five Southern Kingdoms will definitely take advantage of the situation and invade. Can the Left Prime Minister bear the consequences? "
Jiang Xian pointed to the Western Region envoys sitting in the back and said, “We are not fighting alone, but helping several countries in the Western Region to quell the chaos and find the source of voodoo.
The four armies cannot move lightly, but if the Queen Mother sends the Blue Guards and the Black Guards, plus the combined forces of the thirteen countries in the Western Regions, it will be enough, and they are willing to provide all the military rations needed for this operation."
"Asshole, the Black Guards monitor all factions in the martial arts world to ensure the safety of our Qianyuan country. The Blue Guards monitor officials across the country to prevent treason and officials breaking the law. How can we act rashly?" Shangguan Yuchen immediately denied.
The other ministers also discussed the matter and spoke for their own camp.
"Enough." The Queen Mother suddenly roared, and the sound of her voice overwhelmed all the officials in the audience.
Zhou An was surprised. The inner strength displayed by the Queen Mother's roar was probably no less than his own. He had relaxed a little because of what Sai Naimu said, that he should be at the top level in the martial arts world. But this made him nervous again.
A queen dowager has such strength. I'm afraid there are even stronger ones among her personal purple guards.
The empress dowager's profound internal strength shocked all the officials. They all knew that the empress dowager practiced the Shangguan family's Purple Lightning Heart Sutra, but they didn't expect her to have such profound internal strength.
She glanced at the ministers and said calmly, "The Xuanyi Guard has already gone to investigate the matter. Everything will be discussed after we get the information. Lord Zuo Xiang, are there any other state affairs?"
"Your Majesty, voodoo is extremely terrible, and it spreads at an alarming speed. If we delay for a few more days, I'm afraid the people in Linsha Pass and the surrounding areas will be in danger. I ask Your Majesty to issue the military order as soon as possible. Once we miss the opportunity, the consequences will be disastrous." Jiang Xian saluted Zhou An again, his face full of anxiety and tragedy.
"Left Prime Minister, you are exaggerating. I have seen voodoo before. Although it is dangerous, it is not as serious as you say."
Shangguan Yuchen snorted, then saluted Zhou An and said, "Your Majesty, we must not rush for quick success when marching and fighting. We should wait for the Xuanyi Guards to bring back intelligence before making a decision, lest our soldiers lose their lives in vain."
Zhou An secretly listened to what they said, and also listened to the discussions of everyone present. From them, he observed the situation in the court and could roughly see that it was divided into three parties.
The Left Prime Minister and the Right Prime Minister were the largest group, and there was another group, but their number was not small either. They were considered neutral and hardly spoke, just drinking quietly.
The Queen Mother saw that the two sides were about to start fighting again. If they were to fight, it would be difficult to tell who would win even if they were given a whole night. She showed an unhappy expression and said, "Today is the great day of the Emperor and the Empress. Tonight, no more state affairs should be mentioned. Let's all raise our glasses to congratulate the Emperor."
The Queen Mother spoke, and everyone stood up to toast. Zhou An and Shangguan Rong also raised their glasses and drank.
The left prime minister said again: "Your Majesty, now that you have completed your coming-of-age ceremony, you must attend the morning court. You are still the one who decides on state affairs."
The Queen Mother seemed to have expected Jiang Xian to bring it up at this time, and she agreed, saying, "Lord Zuo Xiang is right, Your Majesty, you should stop coveting beauty and work hard.
The late emperor asked me to supervise the emperor. If the emperor dares to neglect state affairs again, I will have to take out the gifts given by the late emperor and will not forgive him. "
These words surprised the Left Prime Minister. It was she who had prevented the Emperor from attending court. Now she said this, leaving the Left Prime Minister with no chance to say any of the things he had prepared.
Zhou An was also puzzled. This kind of political scheming was too tiring and much more frustrating than his previous job. He really didn't like it.
You are just looking for trouble. You guys can fight your own battles, why drag me into this and waste my time?
However, when the Queen Mother spoke, he readily agreed. Then everyone in the audience became cheerful and harmonious again, with no trace of the confrontation just now. Zhou An sighed that the officialdom had trained people to be multifaceted.
After the banquet, all officials dispersed, and Zhou An and the queen took a carriage to Kunning Palace, which was the queen's exclusive bedroom and not even the imperial concubine was qualified to stay there.
When their convoy arrived at the palace gate and walked into the hall, they saw the Queen Mother sitting inside waiting for a long time, and the surrounding area and the roof were surrounded by purple-clad guards, so no spies could get close.
(End of this chapter)
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