Chapter 301 Mother, I am an unfilial child
Ten days later.
Xiao Nanyue wore mourning clothes and held a funeral for his mother Su Xianrou.
It is August now, and the pear blossoms have already faded. The green pears are densely packed among the branches and leaves. They will be ripe in another month.
Xiao Nanyan did not allow his mother to enter the Xiao family tomb, but placed her tomb in the pear forest outside the city of Yandu. He ordered people to repair the area around the pear forest with bluestone and set up a special gravekeeper at the door.
The reason why they chose to bury him here was because his mother, Su Xianrou, loved pear blossoms the most in her life.
Before he was fourteen, his mother would bring him and Xiao Beicheng here every spring to appreciate the pear blossoms.
The mountains and rivers here are beautiful and the air is pleasant. My mother will definitely like me sleeping here.
The morning breeze blew a few unknown wild flowers, brushed across his pale cheeks, and lifted the mourning cloth in his hair.
He looked at the inscription on the bluestone stele: "The Tomb of the Kind Mother Su Xianrou" and in a trance he saw:
Many years ago, when his mother stood under a pear tree, Xiao Beicheng would walk up to her with a smile and pin a pear blossom on her hair.
My mother's smile at that time was gentle and sweet.
He himself would place his drawing board on the grass and paint. In his paintings, he would often show his loving parents under a pear tree. At that moment, he thought he was the happiest person in the world.
"Mother, I am unfilial."
Xiao Nanyan knelt quietly on the ground, bowed three times, and then ran his fingertips over the cold lines on the stele:
"When I have finished my earthly karma, I will definitely come here to accompany you."
…
At the same time, the entire Yandu was engulfed in a sea of white.
The nine-foot-long white banners hanging on the city gate fluttered in the wind, and the imperial guards carried bronze lampstands filled with white candles and laid them out along Suzaku Street.
In the funeral rituals of the previous empire drafted by Xiao Nanyue himself, the bright yellow dragon patterns were covered with layers of plain silk. Even the usually bustling market became quiet, with only the muffled sound of the night watchmen beating the funeral gongs.
On the seventh day of national mourning, Helian Cong's coffin was slowly moved out of the Taiji Hall.
The golden nanmu coffin carried by sixty-four people was covered with a Dhūta Sutra blanket inlaid with oriental pearls. Several princes walked in the front holding soul-guiding banners, followed by civil and military officials in plain clothes.
Xiao Nanyue was also dressed in plain clothes, holding the coffin in his hands, watching the people along the way kneeling on the ground and crying. Thinking of Helian Cong's relieved look when he heard him calling him "Daddy" before his death, tears welled up in his eyes again.
When the stone gate of Qianling Mausoleum slowly closed and paper money fell like snow from the sky, Helian Cong, the 13th emperor of the Tianqi period, bid farewell to his more than 20 years as an emperor.
After the national mourning was over, Xiao Nanyue began to prepare for the coronation ceremony of the sixth prince Helian Ji.
After all, a country cannot be without a king for a day.
The Imperial Astronomical Observatory selected an auspicious day, the Ministry of Rites reviewed the old system according to the "Tianqi Ritual Code", and the Ministry of Works worked overnight to produce the Nine Dragon Golden Book and the dragon robe with twelve chapter patterns. While the entire Yan capital city was still in mourning, it was covered with a layer of bright yellow solemnity.
Xiao Nanyan personally sat in the Wenhua Hall, reviewing the prayer texts for offering sacrifices to heaven one by one, and taking charge of the preparatory matters on the eve of the coronation ceremony.
…
At the hour of Yin on the day of the coronation ceremony, chaos broke out in the Weiyang Palace.
Helian Ji, who was only seven years old, slapped the golden bowl of ginseng soup away and tore at his twelve-chapter dragon robe while crying.
"Why is this dragon robe so heavy? I won't wear it!"
Helian Ji became more and more angry as he spoke. He knocked down several serving palace maids with a wave of his sleeve. One young palace maid hit her forehead hard on the gold brick, and blood oozed out.
"Your Highness!"
Xiao Nanyan's voice pierced through the noise like an icicle.
He stood at the palace gate in a black court robe with python patterns, his dark eyes gleaming coldly under the illumination of the Nine Dragon Lantern:
"From today on, you are the Son of Heaven, the ruler of a nation. The robes of the Son of Heaven are worn daily, bearing the weight of the nation and its people. How could you find them too heavy?"
Xiao Nanyue approached slowly, and the soles of his boots made a crisp sound as they stepped on the broken porcelain, startling Helian Ji so much that his crying stopped abruptly.
"Your Highness just now assaulted a palace maid. Do you know how to write the words 'benevolence' and 'filial piety'? Emperor Taizu once said: 'A ruler treats his people with benevolence, and the people will support him.' If Your Highness doesn't understand, I can teach you."
Helian Ji's body was trembling slightly. He looked at Xiao Nanyan's eyes which were as sharp as an eagle, and suddenly remembered the bloody scene on the Yunqiu enclosure more than half a month ago.
The man in front of me stood on a pile of corpses, holding a long sword. His black cloak was soaked in blood, and his eyes were colder than the ice in winter.
He was already seven years old and had a general idea of what happened that day. He knew that Xiao Nanyan was his half-brother.
However, this brother was completely different from the original prince Helian Feng. The prince was gentle as jade and very kind, unlike this brother. The coldness in his eyes made him terrified.
Fear made him tremble all over, and he let the eunuch put the dragon robe with twelve patterns on him. The sun, moon and stars embroidered with gold thread seemed to turn into branding irons, burning him so much that he dared not move.
Xiao Nanyan personally placed the twelve-tasseled crown on his head, pressed his fingertips on his thin shoulders and neck, and narrowed his eyes slightly:
“This is the King of Apocalypse.”
The force in his palm seemed to be as heavy as a thousand pounds. Helian Ji couldn't help but shiver, and had to let him hold his hand and walk out of Weiyang Palace.
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