Chapter 996 My First Son
Everyone looked upwards and saw Xiao Yan, dressed in a black robe and a purple robe, holding a scarlet baby in his arms, and Tang Ning, who was wearing a gorgeous dress of the same color, appeared on the left side of the Circular Mound Altar. Amid the sound of ritual music, the two walked from the side to the steps in front of the Taimiao with its doors wide open.
Pan Xi shouted, "Kneel!"
Except for Emperor Nie Xuan of Southern Qi, everyone knelt on the ground and shouted. Nie Xuan, the only one standing, stood out from the crowd. When he met the gaze of Xiao Yan, the leader, across the crowd, he subconsciously lowered his head even though he wanted to maintain the dignity of Southern Qi.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the emperor and empress walked hand in hand up to the high platform and all the way to the gate of the Taimiao.
The Minister of Rites, Kong Xun, who had been waiting on the side to preside over the ancestral worship ceremony, stepped forward respectfully and said, "Burning incense, bowing, and offering sacrifices to our ancestors."
After Xiao Yan and Tang Ning knelt on the main prayer mat, palace servants brought long incense sticks to them. Kong Xun originally thought that someone would come forward to take the princess from the arms of the emperor and empress, but unexpectedly, the two of them just held the swaddling clothes in their arms and kowtowed and burned incense. When the long incense sticks fell in front of the ancestral tablet, Kong Xun was still a little stunned.
When Xiao Yan's eyes swept over, Kong Xun was startled and wanted to speak to take the next step, but he didn't expect Xiao Yan to suddenly reach out and support Tang Ning beside him. He frowned and said, "What's wrong? Are you cold?"
Tang Ning's palms were cold: "Some."
It was the coldest time of the year and the wind was biting. She had been staying in Yongzhao Palace to recuperate and seldom went out. The palace was as warm as spring without a trace of coldness. Everyone wanted to take care of her like a porcelain doll. But now that she suddenly came out of the outer room, she felt a little unbearable the cold.
Xiao Yan frowned slightly, holding the swaddling clothes with one hand and actually helped Tang Ning to stand up.
"His Majesty……"
Kong Xun was shocked. The process of ancestor worship had not been completed yet. Laying down jade and silk, offering sacrificial offerings, and making gift offerings were the rules of ancestor worship passed down by the ancestors. Missing any one of them would be criticized as disrespectful. How could the emperor and empress just kowtow and burn incense and then get up? He originally wanted to remind Xiao Yan, but the words met Xiao Yan's eyes when they reached his lips.
His face was cold, his eyes were stern, and with just a glance, all the words Kong Xun wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
Xiao Yan supported Tang Ning and stood on the high platform. He abandoned the previously agreed procedure and spoke directly to the kneeling courtiers below:
"When an emperor receives a mandate, he must accept the instructions and talismans, and follow the will of heaven and the will of the people."
"I inherited the legacy laid by my ancestors and ascended the throne. Since ascending the throne, I have worked tirelessly day and night, never slacking off. Together with Empress Rong Tangning, we have led our troops north to conquer the grasslands and pacify the borders in all directions, striving for peace and prosperity for the country and the eternal stability of our state."
"Today, on New Year's Eve, I, along with the Empress and all the officials, will open the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay respect to our ancestors. First, to celebrate the prosperity of our Great Wei, hoping that the people will be united and the seas and rivers will be peaceful and prosperous. Second, to comfort the soldiers who fought and died for the Great Wei on the battlefield. May they be forever honored by the dynasty and rest in peace in the afterlife."
"Three, this is my first son."
Tang Ning suddenly looked up at Xiao Yan. Even the court officials who were kneeling below were startled and couldn't help but look up. Nie Xuan was even more stunned.
The fact that Empress Wei Chao gave birth was not hidden from outsiders. Later, it was also known that she had been recuperating in the palace after being framed by someone and had a difficult delivery. However, everyone knew that she gave birth to a daughter. Although the little princess was of noble status and was the first blood of Emperor Wei, she would surely be favored by the emperor in the future because her biological mother had a close relationship with Emperor Wei.
But after all, she was just a princess.
Now, Xiao Yan solemnly said that she was "my first son" when offering sacrifices to ancestors in the Taimiao, in front of all officials and envoys from various countries.
The ministers below had long forgotten the "unruly behavior" of the emperor and empress when offering sacrifices to their ancestors. They all looked up at the high platform and heard Xiao Yan's voice continue.
"During the Battle of Beiling, I dreamt of my ancestors. They said that a son of Yuanliang, Cuimei, would accompany the nation's fortune and blessings upon our royal family. The Empress was pregnant shortly thereafter. The Battle of Beiling was won. On the day the Empress gave birth, I encountered danger and turned misfortune into good fortune. My firstborn son is a lucky star sent from heaven, protecting the world and ensuring the eternal stability of the Wei Dynasty."
"I now bestow upon her the name Junxi, ennoble her with the title Princess Zhaochen, and grant her a fief of 20,000 households. On the day of ancestral worship, I will respectfully observe the ceremonial rituals, comply with public opinion, and respectfully inform Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temple, and the altar of state."
Wow——
Outside the Taimiao, the ministers were in an uproar, and the few members of the delegation who came to "watch the ceremony" were also stunned.
Nie Xuan looked at the man on the platform in some surprise. Southern Qi and Great Wei were of the same lineage in some respects. Compared with the cultural differences between Beiling and Western Xinjiang, he, as the emperor of Southern Qi, knew better what Xiao Yan meant today. The word "Jun Xi" was inherently precious.
Jun is a beautiful jade and Xi is a national treasure. These names are extremely noble, not to mention the title.
Everyone knows that although the Emperor of Wei is now named Xiao Yan, it is mostly because he is grateful to the Xiao family for abandoning their entire clan to protect him. But before the incident in the Eastern Palace, his real name was Xie Chen'an, and the two characters "Zhao Chen" were used as the emperor's name, and a newborn princess was given a fief of 20,000 households!
Nie Xuan and the others looked at the swaddling baby in Xiao Yan's arms on the high platform with astonishment, and old officials in the court such as Cao Dejiang and Liang Guangyi were also shocked.
When the deposed emperor was in power, the princes in the court only had fiefs of 10,000 households, but Princess Zhaochen was given 20,000 households as soon as she was born.
He is "my first son" and has been given such a precious name and title.
What does your majesty want to do?!
"Brother..."
Tang Ning couldn't help but look at the person next to him, with the same confusion in his eyes.
Xiao Yan didn't say much. He simply patted her hands, then, holding his daughter in his arms, he spoke loudly to the court officials below, who all had different expressions and were even discussing something, "Does anyone have any objections to what I just said?"
The crowd below that was originally discussing suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at Prince Ji and others standing in the front.
The few remaining princes and dukes of the royal family were full of doubts. These royal relatives only enjoyed fiefs of a few thousand households, and after living for most of their lives they were still not as wealthy as a newborn baby. Everyone felt that Xiao Yan's move was too frivolous, and the gifts he bestowed were too precious for a princess. However, they had been taught a lesson several times before, and no one dared to be the first to speak out when facing Xiao Yan's gaze.
Someone couldn't help but bump into King Ji, trying to get him to speak.
Prince Ji immediately stepped aside to avoid the attack, and faced the eager gazes from all around him, kneeling on the ground with a blank expression: "I have no objection."
Xiao Yan looked at the others.
Although Cao Dejiang and the others were puzzled, they were all close confidants of the Emperor and Empress, and were happy to see the Emperor and Empress getting along well and the Emperor favoring the Empress's daughter. They all lowered their heads, and Qian Baokun and Fu Laiqing and the others at the back kowtowed first.
"Your Highness, I hereby declare that you will obey His Majesty's will. May Princess Zhaochen live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years."
Marquis Wenxin, Di Tao and other generals also kowtowed: "Long live Princess Zhaochen."
The people in the front knelt and shouted, and no one in the back dared to show up even if they had objections.
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