Chapter 253 The Ceremony for the Investiture of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess
This day was also the investiture ceremony for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.
Jiang Fenghua and Xie Shang, dressed in formal attire, appeared hand in hand before the assembled officials. The ceremony was several times grander than their wedding day, and everyone was filled with excitement.
Xie Shang was dressed in a bright yellow prince's robe and a golden crown. His brows exuded an aura of dominance, and the robe was embroidered with golden dragons, which showed the majesty and nobility of the emperor. His features were very delicate, with distinct edges and corners. He was imposing and had sharp eyes. The change of his status also made him grow up overnight.
Jiang Fenghua wore a gorgeous light yellow dress with warm undertones, embroidered with lifelike phoenixes, which also highlighted her noble and extraordinary status as the Crown Princess. Her makeup was exquisite and her appearance was stunning, making everyone envious at this moment.
Her gait was steady and unhurried, her gaze firm as she walked alongside Xie Shang. Every step she took represented her success; once she crossed this threshold, no matter what difficulties lay ahead, she would overcome them all.
In her previous life, she did not have such a grand investiture ceremony. She simply went to the ancestral temple of the royal family with Xie Shang to pay homage to their ancestors and then symbolically accepted the worship. She was even very reserved, and he disliked her so much that he was unwilling to even help her up.
In this life, she is carrying his child. He is careful and cautious, afraid that she might fall or get hurt. His eyes are full of concern. No matter how tired she is, she can endure it. Once all the ceremonies are completed, she can relax a little.
The emperor and empress, dressed in their finest robes, awaited the prince and princess's homage.
A loud shout came from the master of ceremonies, announcing the reading of the imperial edict. The Crown Prince and his wife knelt before the Emperor and Empress, and the master of ceremonies knelt to receive the edict and hand it to the Crown Prince and his wife.
After the ceremony, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess received the homage of the officials...
Whether it was Prince Yu, Princess Yu, or even Jiang Fenghua's father, brothers, and sisters, they all had to kneel and bow to them.
In the end, all she could remember were words like "kneel, get up, kneel again, get up." The whole process was tedious and troublesome, and she was so exhausted that she was dizzy. The Imperial Observatory determined that the date of the investiture could not be changed because of her pregnancy, after all, this was a top priority for the royal family.
Fortunately, Xie Shang was quite considerate. In front of everyone, he gave Jiang Fenghua face and took care of her in every detail. Her maids were also very attentive.
The Crown Prince's care for his wife was also seen by many noblewomen. They not only envied him but also longed for it. They even discussed that the Crown Prince was not only handsome and dashing but also considerate and meticulous. Marrying such a man would surely be the happiest thing.
After the investiture ceremony of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, according to royal custom, the royal family was to select consorts for the Crown Prince to fill the Eastern Palace. Jiang Fenghua heard that Xie Shang had agreed to the Empress's selection of concubines to enter the palace.
She already knew this outcome, so there was nothing to dwell on. Looking at the beautiful women before her, she felt as if she were seeing her past life, only that she was a loser in that life.
In his previous life, Xie Shang loved Su Tingwan. After the grand ceremony of the Crown Prince's investiture, he also selected a beauty to enter his residence. When Su Tingwan made a fuss, he would coax her, and eventually he succeeded.
Later, after he ascended the throne, he selected concubines one after another to enter the harem. Su Tingwan was dissatisfied but could only submit to the imperial power. The emperor could not have a woman, let alone favor one person exclusively. The court and the harem would be closely connected from then on. She had long understood this principle.
As long as she doesn't give her heart, she won't get hurt or care. She can get what she wants and even send the enemies she wants to eliminate into an abyss of despair. That's enough for her.
After the ceremony, Jiang Fenghua was taken to a side hall to rest temporarily. The Second Princess, Third Princess, Fourth Princess, and court ladies all crowded around her to curry favor.
"The Crown Princess looks radiant today; her makeup hasn't smudged at all despite the elaborate etiquette."
"Actually, the Crown Princess is naturally beautiful; she is stunning even without makeup," said the Third Princess.
The Fourth Princess Consort also said, "What's most enviable is that the Crown Princess didn't gain weight while pregnant, unlike me when I was pregnant with the little princess, my face was twice the size of my usual size, and it took me a long time to recover after giving birth. Does the Crown Princess have some secret?"
Jiang Fenghua smiled and said, "There's no secret. It's probably just my body. I only gain weight in my belly and not on my body." It's not that she doesn't gain weight, it's just that she's very particular about what she eats.
Another woman dressed in a deep purple gown said, "It's rare for a pregnant woman not to gain weight. I guess the child is also considerate of the Crown Princess, knowing how to care for its mother even before it's born. The Crown Princess is truly blessed!"
Surrounded by compliments and praises, Jiang Fenghua's face was almost stiff from smiling. She said to the woman, "Madam Tang is truly blessed. I heard that since Minister Tang was promoted to Minister of Justice, your son has recently made a meritorious contribution and been promoted as well. Congratulations!"
If she hadn't eliminated the former Minister of Justice, Yang Jing, that old lecher, there would have been no subsequent promotion of Minister Tang. In the end, the Tang family even wanted their daughter to enter the palace, truly shooting themselves in the foot.
However, the death of Yang Jing, who saved hundreds of girls, is still a great deed. Since everyone wants to enter the palace, then let them experience what it's like inside.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I also have a daughter at home, who is also well-behaved and obedient. I am just enjoying some of the blessings that my children bring. Your Highness is also a blessed person." She was Tang Qianran's mother.
Her daughter would enter the palace sooner or later, so she took this opportunity to curry favor with her. However, her overly smug tone didn't sound like flattery; rather, it sounded like she was quite pleased that her daughter had already been favored by the Empress and had even met the Crown Prince.
The most ridiculous thing is that before Minister Tang became the acting Minister of Justice, the Tang family was discussing marriage with the Lu family. It is estimated that after the Empress approached the Tang family, the matter was dropped.
Now all the powerful and wealthy families are eyeing Xie Shang like wolves and tigers.
Jiang Fenghua also knew that Xie Shang had met several young ladies from prominent families since the day of the imperial examination cheating incident. Apart from not sleeping with them, he was probably quite satisfied with the Empress's arrangements.
Jiang Fenghua pretended not to know anything, but she could feel that Xie Shang was becoming more and more attentive to her, like a child who had done something wrong and was feeling guilty.
At this time, the wife of Imperial Censor Zhu also came to inquire about the situation, probably wanting to find out what was going on and gauge the Crown Princess's temperament.
Jiang Fenghua had a good reputation among the common people because of managing the Jishantang. Seeing her kind and amiable appearance, he seemed relieved, fearing that his daughter would be bullied by the Crown Princess when she entered the palace to be selected as a concubine.
Jiang Fenghua's motto is that as long as her daughter doesn't cause trouble, she won't bully her; but if she dares to cause trouble, she can bully her to death.
Imperial Censor Zhu also held an important position. If he were to marry his daughter to a prince as a concubine, that would be one thing, but marrying her to the crown prince would be different. If she were to give birth to an imperial heir, her status and position would be quite good. Even if he was reluctant to let his daughter become a concubine, how could he possibly let go of such a good opportunity as the crown prince's concubine?
Only after everyone had exchanged pleasantries and left did Princess Yu speak to her, saying, "Your Majesty, I greet the Crown Princess."
Jiang Fenghua gave Hongxiu and Lianye a wink, and they went to stand guard outside the hall.
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