Chapter 494 Extraordinary Phenomena of the Coronation
On the first day of the first lunar month, the reign title was officially changed to Zhenguan.
At 3:45 AM, the sky above Taiji Palace was ablaze with crimson clouds, and a red light burst forth from the clouds.
The Grand Astrologer Fu Yi prostrated himself on the ground and said, "The omen of Mars guarding the heart suddenly disappeared, and a red bird soared into the sky from the Vermilion Bird Gate."
The officials looked up and saw golden light flowing across the sky, and a red-feathered divine bird soaring with outstretched wings. It was over ten zhang long, and its tail flames hung down like rosy clouds. Where the tips of its wings swept, auspicious clouds condensed into the character "Tang" and lingered for a long time.
On that day, the snow on the steps in front of the Taiji Hall suddenly melted, and clear spring water gushed from the cracks in the steps, its sweetness refreshing the senses. The soldiers of the Xuanjia Army all said that their armor felt warm, and the horizontal swords they wore reflected the phoenix shadow.
Attendant-in-Ordinary Wei Zheng reported: "The Book of Documents records that 'the phoenix carries a map in its beak and the unicorn carries a book on its back.' Now, the fiery phoenix has descended upon the court; this is an auspicious sign from Heaven, blessing our Great Tang Dynasty with the mandate of Heaven and ensuring its prosperity for ten thousand generations."
Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, dressed in a crown robe with twelve imperial symbols, received the homage of his officials amidst auspicious light. The pearls between the tassels of his crown also reflected the phantom image of a phoenix, echoing the divine bird in the sky.
That night, the people of Chang'an saw a phoenix circle the moon three times in the southeastern sky, and where its tail feathers fell, the two characters "Zhenguan" appeared in a star map. This extraordinary phenomenon was recorded in the "Daily Records of the Founding of the Tang Dynasty," and later generations, when discussing the prosperous Zhenguan era, all said that this was the beginning of the Mandate of Heaven.
——
"You're welcome."
"..." Li Shimin was speechless when he saw the Fire Phoenix rudely squeezing onto his dragon bed, and he was quite amused and exasperated.
Since Huo Feng wasn't being polite, he wasn't going to be polite either. He nudged Huo Feng aside, casually crossed his legs, and asked, "Why are you suddenly giving me such a big gift?"
"Just some small tricks, nothing special."
Fire Phoenix raised her chin, speaking casually, but she couldn't hide her smugness.
"Then why not send it when he ascended the throne, but now?"
"Wow, Erfeng, you've gotten yourself into trouble by accepting gifts."
Fire Phoenix flew off the bed with a bang and landed on the table, looking at Li Shimin with disdain, not understanding how someone could be so shameless.
Li Shimin sat up nimbly, took a grand seat on the edge of the bed, and tugged at the tail feathers of the fire phoenix. "Tell me, what is the reason? Don't say you're just acting on a whim. We all know each other."
The fire phoenix, which had been about to speak, angrily shut its mouth again, swatting Li Shimin's hand away with its wings, and muttered under its breath, "Why can't I just act on a whim? Damn it, is Lord Fire Phoenix so easy to see through..."
Seeing Li Shimin smiling but remaining silent, staring at her expectantly, Fire Phoenix turned around and lowered its head, cursing, "Alright, I admit, Second Phoenix, you're quite capable. Wasn't this the celestial phenomenon that occurred during the months you ascended the throne?"
"To be honest, you humans are really something. With an auspicious omen like me right in front of you to keep you safe, what are you worried about celestial phenomena, or believing in ominous signs like Mars guarding the heart of the sky..."
Fire Phoenix's conversation quickly veered off-topic, and she began to grumble and complain about the others' behavior, mainly expressing her anger at how everyone believed in celestial phenomena but not in her.
Li Shimin understood. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident last year, his father had appointed him as crown prince but abdicated shortly afterward, and rumors were already circulating in the court. In addition, the ominous sign of Mars guarding the heart of the sky in the preceding months had shaken the court and the public.
Rumors began to circulate among the people that he had "obtained the throne illegitimately" and "seized the throne with his army." These were not just rumors, as Li Shimin saw through them quickly. He had indeed seized the throne, but instead of seizing the position of crown prince, he had seized the throne of the emperor.
Although it was a bit annoying, he didn't care. He still had that bit of the magnanimity of a victor, but it was obvious that someone else cared about it for him.
"It must be Chengqian, right?" Li Shimin's lips curled up. "It must be Chengqian who's worried about Father—"
“Chengqian is worried about his father—” Huofeng imitated Li Shimin’s tone of voice, rolled her eyes at him with a sour tone, “Yes, yes, you guessed right, it was indeed little Chengqian who made me do this.”
Whether it was the auspicious clouds condensing into the character "Tang" or the star map of "Zhenguan", presenting them on the first day of the new reign was to shatter the chaotic speculations among the people and to vindicate Li Shimin.
Upon receiving a definite answer, Li Shimin's smile widened, his heart softening with emotion, and a surge of paternal love urgently needed to be expressed. Unfortunately, it was too late to disturb Chengqian's rest.
"So, that's your reason for waking me up in the middle of the night?"
Inside the Da'an Palace, Li Yuan, who had been dragged out of bed by his rebellious son in the middle of the night, was filled with resentment.
Li Shimin touched his nose, then replied matter-of-factly, "With so many unusual phenomena happening today, I'm sure Father Emperor can't sleep."
"I've already abdicated, why shouldn't I be able to sleep?" Li Yuan retorted speechlessly.
"Because Father, you still have the Tang Dynasty in your heart!"
"It's gone! It's gone now! Get out!"
Li Yuan now finds the sight of his second son annoying and simply waves him away.
"I know, Father, you're just jealous."
One sentence enraged Li Yuan, who sneered, "Ha, me jealous? How am I jealous?"
“Father, don’t try to hide it. Just say you’re jealous of how good Chengqian is to me,” Li Shimin grinned arrogantly. “But there’s nothing I can do. Chengqian cares about me, his father.”
"Never mind, Father, you've never experienced it either. Go to sleep, I'm leaving."
Leaving his father, who was nearly driven mad with anger, Li Shimin rose leisurely and left with a satisfied expression.
Sleep? How can he possibly sleep?
Li Yuan sat by the bed, occasionally letting out a cold laugh, which frightened the palace servants attending him, who were afraid that the retired emperor would be driven mad.
"I'm jealous... Dare to admit I'm jealous..."
The next day, Li Chengqian, who was invited to Da'an Palace early in the morning, looked at Li Yuan, who was pretending to be weak but which did not affect his ability to complain, and sighed helplessly.
"So, Grandpa, what do you want?"
“Grandpa didn’t mean anything by it. Your father is the emperor now, and Grandpa is old and his words no longer carry weight. What can we do if he disturbs us in the middle of the night…”
After abdicating, Li Yuan was free to do as he pleased. He could easily play the victim in front of his grandson.
“I will talk to him,” Li Chengqian said, taking his hand. The ultimate playboy was good at handling family relationships. He turned around and took a long, thin gift box from the servant and handed it to Li Yuan. “Grandfather, look, this is a gift I prepared for you.”
"You're here, why bring a gift?"
Despite saying this, Li Yuan couldn't help but smile, his whole demeanor so radiant that he completely forgot about feigning illness.
"Grandpa, do you like it? This is my first time making it, so it might not be very good."
"How could I not like it!" Upon hearing that it was made by his grandson himself, Li Yuan said he liked it even before opening the box. Whatever it was, it was Chengqian's heartfelt sentiment, which was far better than any strange phenomenon!
Carefully opening the box, Li Yuan was somewhat surprised to see the long, gilded rod inside, which appeared to be made of iron: "This is... a fishing rod?"
Li Chengqian nodded, looking at him with eyes full of trust: "Yes, it's a fishing rod that Chengqian made himself. I want to fish with Grandpa, just the two of us, sitting by the river, quietly fishing, feeling the breeze—how comfortable that would be! And fish caught by hand are sure to taste even better!"
Hearing Chengqian say this, Li Yuan could already picture the scene and nodded in agreement, "Alright, Chengqian, just wait to eat the big fish your grandfather caught for you!"
"OK."
Li Chengqian smiled broadly, forgetting where he learned it, but middle-aged and elderly people who get hooked on fishing lose interest in doing anything else. He thought that the retired old man would be perfect for it, fishing well and slowly, and maybe he could even fish out the title of "Fishing Emperor".
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