Chapter 529 Finale
[Hey, when I was in the palace, why didn't I realize the platform for offering sacrifices to heaven was so high? There were so many stairs. I wonder if wedding dresses are so long and hard to walk on!]
Under the gaze of the crowd, the emperor and empress climbed the altar hand in hand.
Chu Liuzheng tried his best to walk in a dignified manner, mainly because the phoenix crown was too heavy and pressed against his neck, so he couldn't be undignified.
She suspected that the phoenix coronet was so heavy to prevent the bride from looking around.
She squeezed the big hand she was holding and asked softly, "Have you made an agreement with Master Yi?"
"Yeah." Xiao Jingfan responded, tilting his head to look at her. Seeing that she was walking with difficulty, he asked considerately, "Shall I carry you up?"
Chu Liuzheng decisively refused. In public, the emperor carried her to the altar. How could she still maintain her dignity as the queen?
She said, "Please walk slower. I can keep up with you."
Hearing this, Xiao Jingfan slowed down his already slow pace even more, keeping an eye on Chu Liuzheng's situation. When she accidentally stepped on the hem of her skirt, he stopped in time and waited for Chu Liuzheng to adjust herself before continuing walking.
Everyone craned their necks and waited and waited until their necks were sore, but the emperor and empress had not even finished walking up the stairs.
The Minister of Works couldn't help but nudge the Minister of Revenue next to him with his elbow and whispered, "Did it take this long last time?"
The Minister of Revenue looked at him and said, "Your Majesty had not yet ascended the throne when he married the deposed empress. The wedding was held in the prince's mansion. How could there be a last time?"
After being looked at like this, the Minister of Works also remembered it, and secretly thought that he was confused. He thought that the Queen of Chu was indeed luckier than the deposed queen, and she was worthy of being the reincarnation of the Phoenix Girl.
Not far away, Xie Hui and Lu Fei stood together, also looking up at the emperor and empress slowly climbing the stairs.
Xie Hui whispered: "Can we see the Phoenix today?"
Lu Fei looked at him sideways, meaning that he was not Feng Nu, so if he had the guts, he should ask Feng Nu.
Xie Hui sucked his teeth. If he had known that His Majesty would dote on Chu Liuzheng so much, he should have established a good relationship with Chu Liuzheng when she was still a palace maid.
Sometimes the pillow talk is more powerful than a sword, and it may save his life at the critical moment.
Alas, missed opportunity!
At the front, Prince Rui stood beside Prince Xiao's wheelchair, muttering quietly, "The wedding dress is heavy and long. If I were the emperor's brother, I would just carry the emperor's wife up."
King Xiao glanced at him and said, "Sacrificing to heaven is no child's play. It must be solemn."
"Tsk." Prince Rui was becoming increasingly annoyed by these rules.
King Xiao looked at the two figures slowly ascending and sighed softly, "The harder it is, the more precious it becomes, and the more we cherish it."
Prince Rui looked at him and asked, "Are you talking about yourself or your brother?"
King Xiao: "You."
Prince Rui: “…”
King Xiao: "You are not young anymore. After playing around outside for so many years, it is time to settle down and get married. Why not ask His Majesty to grant you a marriage?"
Without waiting for him to finish, Prince Rui quickly moved to the side, deciding to stay away from his brother who was suddenly possessed by his strict father.
He hasn't had enough fun yet. What's the point of having a family if he's so free and easy?
On the other side, in the group of foreign guests, Feng Jing rubbed his neck and turned to look at Jiang Yao next to him, "Why didn't Master Cang come with you?"
Jiang Yao said, "Yue'er just got infected with the Gu, and she can't be left alone, so he stayed at home to take care of her."
She glanced at Feng Jing, who was also alone, and said, "You are alone too."
Feng Jing: “…”
Jiang Yao: "Can it be done before I die?"
Feng Jing: "...I'll try my best."
【Wow! Finally up.】
Chu Liuzheng stood on the altar and looked down, only to find that it was higher than he had imagined. The people below were shrunken into dots, and it seemed as if he could reach the sky with his hands.
Yi Zhen had been waiting for a long time wearing the official robe of the Imperial Observatory. He winked at Chu Liuzheng and started to go through the procedures.
The ceremony was similar to the last time the Zhaixing Pavilion offered sacrifices to heaven, but the main theme was quite different.
Last time it was to pray for good weather, but this time it was to announce to heaven that the emperor was marrying a phoenix girl, praying for heaven's blessing and eternal protection of the country.
The green smoke curls up and meanders up to the sky.
As soon as the prayer ended, something strange happened.
A seven-colored rainbow bridge suddenly descended from the originally clear blue sky, dazzling and brilliant, like a ladder lowered by a god, landing right in front of Chu Liuzheng's feet.
There was an uproar below, "Feng Nu! Feng Nu is going to die!!"
There were exclamations everywhere and the crowd was in an uproar.
[Hold on! Don't laugh! It's my turn to perform.]
Chu Liuzheng closed his eyes tightly, his expression solemn, and a ball of dazzling golden light suddenly burst out from his body.
【Come on, Phoenix spreads its wings! 】
“clang!”
A clear and melodious phoenix cry that pierced the clouds and split the rocks suddenly resounded throughout the universe. A huge golden phoenix shadow, carrying magnificent divine power, broke through the flames and flapped its wings to fly out.
Its wings spread, its golden feathers blazing with rosy light as it circled overhead. When it flew over the Empress Dowager's phoenix chariot, it deliberately paused for a moment, its brilliant, rosy tail almost brushing the Empress Dowager's eyes.
The Queen Mother's eyes widened in horror, her body jerked back, and she nearly fainted on the spot.
God, God, God… God! It really is a God who has come to earth!
Nanny Zhao was so frightened that she almost lost her soul. She held on to the shaky empress dowager tightly and did not dare to look up at the sky.
At the same time, ethereal and pleasant fairy music sounded from the void, countless golden petals fluttered down, and a refreshing fragrance filled the air.
The phoenix raised its head and cried out, its voice resounding through the heavens. Amidst the resounding phoenix cry, a majestic, deep dragon roar echoed faintly, like distant thunder.
Everyone looked in horror in the direction of the sound, and saw above Xiao Jingfan's head, deep in the clouds, a huge and majestic golden dragon shadow shuttled through the clouds, appearing and disappearing.
The dragon's roar was like thunder, interweaving and echoing with the clear and melodious cry of the phoenix, as if the heaven and earth were resonating with this pair of emperor and empress!
[Tsk, the tyrant actually secretly added drama to himself, so sultry! ]
[Although dragons and phoenixes are considered auspicious, they are not the same species. Should there be reproductive isolation? Could they be a pair?]
Chu Liuzheng kept complaining in his heart, but he tried his best to maintain a holy expression on his face, and there seemed to be colorful lights flashing in his open almond-shaped eyes.
[System, my fellow countryman is the protagonist. The dragon doesn't need to be too majestic. Just leave a dragon tail for the emperor.]
[Yes, take the dragon away. Don't steal the Phoenix's glory.]
Yi Zhen directed the performance on site.
The golden dragon in the sky roared one last time, then disappeared into the clouds.
[Phoenix's voice is louder, ready to end.]
[Don't worry, these points will be earned back when the bonus from this world is distributed.]
[Come, listen to my command, one, two, three, collect!]
Phoenix feathers flew, shattering gold like rain. Amidst countless gazes of horror and awe, the giant golden phoenix chirped and gracefully flew back to Chu Liuzheng's head.
In an instant, golden light surged.
In the dazzling light, the phoenix's shadow turned into golden light, which merged into Chu Liuzheng's body like water.
The light gradually faded, the phoenix disappeared, and only the faint golden glow lingering around the woman remained.
In the blink of an eye, even the golden light disappeared.
[OK, the performance is over, time to call it a day!]
The scene fell into deathly silence. Everyone seemed to be under a spell, holding their breath and concentrating, even their heartbeats could be heard clearly.
"The Phoenix Girl is born! Long live the Queen!!!" A cry of ecstasy that was almost hoarse, like a stone thrown into the water, instantly set off a wave.
The crowd fell to their knees, and a deafening roar erupted like a tsunami.
"Long live the Queen, long live the Queen!"
"Long live the Queen, long live the Queen!"
"Long live Her Majesty the Queen..."
This torrent of piety rushed out of the palace walls. The people, who had already been prostrating themselves on the ground in shock at the miracle from heaven, were now extremely excited and joined the torrent of worship at the top of their lungs.
Sound after sound, sentence after sentence, converged into earth-shaking waves, surging and soaring into the sky, as if even the towering palace was shaking with it.
[Oh my goodness! This is the only kind of pomp and ceremony a national idol can hold? How could I possibly deserve this…]
Chu Liuzheng's ears were numb from the shock. He suppressed the shame of digging his toes on the ground and turned to look at the person beside him.
Xiao Jingfan was looking at her with a smile, his deep eyes reflecting the light of the sky and her slightly stunned figure. His warm palm firmly grasped her slightly cold fingers, and with unquestionable strength, he led her to the front of the altar.
The morning light penetrated the clouds, enveloping the two of them perfectly. They stood side by side on the high platform, their dark red wedding gowns intertwined, fluttering in the wind.
Below, all the people are prostrating themselves.
From the civil and military officials and royal nobles nearby to the densely packed and endless crowds of common people outside the palace walls in the distance, they are like a thick tapestry spread across the earth.
Chu Liuzheng opened his mouth slightly, staring at the scene in a daze.
If someone had told her twelve years ago that one day she would stand at the highest point side by side with the emperor and be congratulated by the people, she would definitely spit at that person, call him a liar, roll her eyes, and turn away.
From an ignored little palace maid to sitting on the throne of queen, her experience can also be recorded in history, right?
When I get old, I will definitely write a memoir. I've even decided on a title: "The Struggle of the Tea-Serving Palace Maid."
[Hmm… It feels too ordinary and not compelling enough. I'd rather call it "From Tea Maid to the Phoenix Throne: My Easy Journey to Becoming Queen."]
[That doesn't seem to work either. What about "Teacup in One Hand, Phoenix Seal in the Other: The Tyrant Insists I'm the Real Phoenix"?]
[Uh, I must have been reading too many storybooks lately. Why does it all feel like a storybook? It's not grand enough. Let me think about it... What name should I choose?]
Xiao Jingfan's eyes twitched when he heard this. What kind of weird names are these?
He squeezed his clasped hands and whispered, "What are you thinking about?"
Chu Liuzheng turned his head to look at him, his eyes swept across his handsome features, and he smiled faintly, "I'll tell you later."
[Why should I rush? There's still a long time to go. I'll just think about it slowly.]
——End of text——
It was so hard to wrap up, I kept thinking about what kind of ending I should give Liu Zheng. When I got to this point, it suddenly felt like it would be a good place to end the main story, so here it is. The remaining bits will be posted in a separate chapter, and I'll start updating tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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