After waiting for so long, the Eighth Prince whom the people of the whole country had been looking forward to finally arrived, exhausted. The old emperor and the Eighth Prince, who had not seen each other for almost fifteen years, were filled with love between father and son as soon as they met, without any barriers. The father, shaking his arms, consoled his son for the hardships he had endured in Shu. The son, with tears in his eyes, repeatedly said that his father was really tired because he was busy with all kinds of affairs and had fallen ill from overwork. Standing next to him was the bewildered and old Queen Li, who was completely out of shape. What an auspicious family of three.
The group of civil and military officials below also cooperated with the atmosphere, each wiping tears with their sleeves, moved by the deep love between father and son in the imperial family of the Celestial Empire. No wonder our dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, with good weather and everything going smoothly. It turns out it is all thanks to role models! After the father and son were recognized, the old emperor took his son's hand and tremblingly introduced the ministers. Come on, this is the Prime Minister of the Cabinet who escaped death. That one is the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion who worked hard and made great contributions. The ones over there are the five major cabinet members. The ones at the end are... There are too many names for Minglan to remember them all.
"Father, what does the Eighth Prince look like?" Rulan spoke frankly. In fact, what she asked was what the female relatives present wanted to know.
Sheng Hong, with a face full of loyalty and patriotism, raised his head and said, "Your Highness is naturally a man of dragon eyes and phoenix pupils, cultivated in civil and military virtues, and of extraordinary bearing."
The women were convinced that the next generation of national leaders would always be handsome. Changbai stole a glance at his father, remaining expressionless and silent. In reality, the Eighth Prince, with his square head and large ears, was at best considered handsome. It was said that Emperor Gaozu, a hero of turbulent times, was also a profoundly ugly man. His ugliness was so persistent that even generations of beauties had failed to improve it. But then again, a ruler of a country needed a safe appearance.
The old emperor probably couldn't hold on any longer, so the considerate director of the Imperial Observatory immediately calculated the nearest auspicious day and ordered the ceremony of enthroning the crown prince to be held. The ministers then presented their congratulatory messages. The moment had come for the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Taichang Temple, who had been prepared in advance, to show their skills. Early in the morning of the auspicious day, before dawn, the Sheng family father and son went out in the dark and went to the Fengtian Hall to attend the ceremony. They knelt and knelt, stood up and down for a whole day. Finally, the prince took the imperial edict, went to the central palace to thank the empress, and then paid homage to the ancestral temple and offered sacrifices to the ancestors. Only then was the ceremony considered complete. Even so, Sheng Hong said that it was because of the chaos a year ago and the old emperor was exhausted, so the ceremony had been simplified a lot.
The people of the capital were highly conscious, recognizing the imperial family's joy. That evening, they set off fireworks. The wealthy even performed a "Yakou" ritual and distributed alms to the poor, demonstrating universal celebration. Little Changdong was also delighted, as the school had been closed for a few days for the crown prince's enthronement ceremony. On returning from his day off, he secretly told Minglan that he had heard beggars collecting rice and porridge saying, "It's happened twice in the past few months! I wish the crown prince could be enthroned every day!" Minglan couldn't help but smile.
Changdong was eleven years old. He had grown taller than a child. He was usually respectful in front of his father and brothers, but he was still naughty when he saw Minglan. Minglan encouraged Changdong to show Sheng Hong the article that his teacher praised. Sheng Hong praised him several times. Changdong studied harder and harder, getting up early and studying late, and his eyes were dull when he talked to people.
Minglan was afraid that he would become stupid from studying, so she often advised him not to be too obsessed: "Learn literary and martial arts, and sell them to the emperor. Nine out of ten people who study do so in order to become an official. But those who are good at studying can definitely become officials, right? You are already very good at your studies. Even if you can't get a prominent ranking, you can always get on the list. The most important thing is to learn more about the principles of life, so that you can get along harmoniously with your teachers and colleagues in the future. If you become an official, you can also benefit the people. Don't study so hard that you lose your brain." After all, Changdong was not as talented as Changbai. He relied only on his stubborn determination.
A wry smile appeared on the face of the young boy Changdong: "I just want my aunt to live a better life."
Minglan looked at him for a while, then touched his head and sighed softly.
After the enthronement ceremony, the old emperor wanted to hand over the government affairs to the prince and take good care of himself. However, the prince was very filial and ignored the court officials' requests for an audience and trivial matters of visiting various places. He devoted himself to the old emperor. During the day, he served him medicine and tasted every sip first. At night, he took a light nap on the couch in the old emperor's bedroom. He did this day and night without rest. In just ten days, the new prince had lost a lot of weight, and his loose robes swayed.
The old emperor sighed and said, "My son is very filial. I am very pleased. You are the crown prince. You should put state affairs first."
The prince shed tears and said, "All my brothers can be the prince, but I only have one father."
The old emperor was moved to tears, and then the father and son hugged each other and cried bitterly; when the court officials inside and outside the court heard about it, they all praised them.
Bo Tianzhou, the right commander-in-chief of the Five Military Commanderies, was old and had been recuperating at home since the beginning of the year. He also said, "Haven't you heard that a son wants to take care of his parents but they are no longer there? The prince is indeed a virtuous and filial person." Later, he entered the palace in the middle of the night on the emperor's orders and handed over the military order to the prince.
Minglan listened to the news Changdong had inquired about, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Half a month later, one night in the capital, funeral bells rang loudly, and the gongs and drums rang. Minglan counted carefully, four times. Then, outside, there was a chaotic clatter of footsteps. A moment later, Danju came in and reported, "The Emperor has passed away."
Minglan was not aware enough and did not feel very sad. The death of the old emperor was like the second boot on the roof. Everyone was waiting with gritted teeth, but it never came. Instead, they became anxious and many of them became cannon fodder.
All preparations had already been completed, and the new emperor ascended the throne the next day and issued a general amnesty.
The late emperor's funeral was carried out in an orderly manner. The palace issued an edict to the world, ordering that all families with nobility and officials of the sixth rank and above were not allowed to hold banquets and have fun for a year, and were not allowed to get married for a year. The common people were required to stay at home for half a year, and all imperial edicts were to be issued according to the schedule. The ministers were also not idle. In addition to going to the funeral on time, they also drafted the late emperor's posthumous title of "Ren".
Then the new emperor held a ceremony to confer titles on Empress Li as Empress Dowager Sheng'an, the Imperial Noble Consort as Empress Dowager Shengde, and all the other concubines in the harem were rewarded according to their ranks. At the same time, he conferred on Crown Princess Shen as Empress, who was to be the model mother of the country. Then the people of the whole country were immersed in grief.
During this period, a small incident occurred. The Left Secretary of the Imperial Household Department saw that the new empress's harem was deserted and there were few beauties, so he guessed the emperor's intention and submitted a memorial to the new emperor, requesting him to select talented people and fill the harem to ensure the continuation of the royal family. As a result, he was scolded by the new emperor, who also took off his hat and announced righteously: I already have a son, and I should observe mourning for the late emperor for three years!
When this decree was issued, some families were happy while others were sad. Some powerful families in the capital had been waiting to send their daughters to the harem. If they had to wait for three years, many young ladies would have passed their prime. However, there were also many who were relieved. Minglan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she would be married after three years.
The late emperor's funeral lasted for more than half a month, and the coffin was finally sent to the mausoleum, marking the end of the old year and the new year.
Rulan hurriedly took off the plain clothes she had been wearing for several days and quickly found her favorite bright-colored clothes to dress up; Molan was still writing her "complaint-style" poems, wiping away a few tears from time to time. The maid in Wang's room secretly mocked Molan for looking like "I didn't know, I would have thought her husband had died"; Minglan continued her "Beibei Mountain" series of embroidery creations. To be honest, she was not a fujoshi, but after coming to this restrictive world, she had no other way to relieve her increasingly perverted mood.
At this time, the Duke of Qi's Mansion was also removing mourning ornaments. The servants quietly and neatly took down the white lanterns, white silk ribbons and other items. However, the second house was in a mess. Outside the door were guarding Princess Pingning's capable housekeeper and maid, who only allowed the mother and son to talk.
"Evil creature! What did you say?!" Princess Pingning was shaking with anger.
Qi Heng chuckled coldly and sarcastically: "I say, now that I have entered the Hanlin Academy, if there is a better marriage in the future, will mother change her mind? Why did she decide on it so early?"
With a snap, Qi Heng's face tilted away, leaving several red fingerprints on his fair and beautiful face. The princess sternly said, "You disobedient and unfilial thing, how dare you!"
Qi Heng's eyes were filled with tears, and his laughter was filled with sorrow: "Mother clearly knew her son's feelings, but she was only one step away from him, yet she was so cruel!"
Princess Pingning looked at her palm, her heart aching. She trembled and took a few steps back, then stood up again. She whispered, "That day at the banquet, the three of us were sitting together. I wanted to tentatively ask Madam Wang about it, but after I said a few words, the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang interrupted and said she had chosen Minglan. They even specified the date and the person, so how could I, your mother, say anything?! Would I go and argue with them?"
Qi Heng knew his mother was proud by nature. In any other case, she would have given in. But today, he was only filled with anger. He sneered, "...Mother has always been quick-witted. She must have immediately thought of a marriage with the Yongchang Marquisate. Besides, your daughter-in-law is a legitimate daughter, so she is of a higher status!"
The princess was choked. She had never imagined her usually obedient and gentle son would behave like this. Ever since he learned about this, he had been stern and ignored her. The princess let out a breath and said with difficulty, "I just discussed it with Sister Wang. We haven't made a promise yet. If you really don't like it, forget it. But... you can never expect to see her again."
These words stunned Qi Heng. His heart was filled with ups and downs. He felt so sad that he couldn't help but burst into tears.
Seeing her son like this, the princess couldn't help but cry and said, "Don't blame me for being greedy for power. You have been pampered and protected by everyone since you were a child, and you have never tasted the taste of poverty. But since the 'Shenchen Rebellion', you have seen those snobbish faces, and some people even secretly laugh at us..."
Qi Heng thought of the scene years ago, his face turned pale, and his delicate brows furrowed.
The princess pulled her son toward her with a distressed look on her face, softly saying, "Isn't everything happening now due to the word 'power'? If you had an uncle, if your father was the crown prince, if we were powerful enough, you could marry whomever you wanted. Mother would also want to fulfill your wish, even if it meant asking the Sheng family to marry their daughter-in-law to be your concubine. But... Heng'er, we're just enjoying the glory now. After your grandfather passes away, the Xiangyang Marquisate will have to pass to someone else. Your aunt has always had conflicts with our family, so we can't rely on either side! The new emperor will ascend the throne, and as the saying goes, a new emperor represents new ministers. It's still unknown what will become of your father. Over the years, he's been working in the salt business, and countless people have been watching him with red eyes, just waiting to find something wrong to step on him. How can a mother not think more about our family?!"
As he said this, he began to cry bitterly.
Qi Heng's vision was blurred, and in a trance, he suddenly remembered an incident from Minglan's childhood. When she was little, she squatted on the ground and used a branch to draw two flat grooves in the soil. They were said to be parallel lines, and although the two lines looked very close, they would never touch each other.
He deliberately teased her and caught a caterpillar on her skirt. The little girl screamed in fright and stamped her feet to shake off the caterpillar, but he laughed out loud, pointing to the two lines on the ground that were trampled together by footprints, and said with a smile: "Isn't this just a coincidence?"
The little girl was as delicate and beautiful as a porcelain doll, and was obviously very angry. Her delicate white skin was tinged with the brightness of a lotus bud, making people want to reach out and touch her. He quickly bowed to apologize, but the little girl refused to let him go. She picked up a piece of mud and threw it at him, then turned and ran away.
He wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by his personal servant who came after hearing the noise.
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