September 10th.
Before it was even dark, Liu Hong got up early and, with the help of a group of palace maids and eunuchs, began to put on his formal attire.
After busying themselves for quite some time, they finally finished dressing as dawn broke, and then headed towards the ancestral temple.
Yes, the first thing the Han emperor did when he conferred the title of empress was not to personally welcome her, but to go to the ancestral temple to tell his ancestors that he was going to take a wife and that he would be able to continue the Liu family line.
Surrounded by a crowd, Liu Hong arrived at the ancestral temple, where civil and military officials, dressed in court attire, waited quietly.
Under the guidance of Liu Yu, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, after paying homage to the ancestors, Liu Hong then exchanged greetings with the civil and military officials who had worked tirelessly, to express his gratitude for their long-term dedication and hard work.
After paying respects at the ancestral temple, Liu Hong led all the officials to personally welcome the Empress.
During this period, the empress held a very high position, so the emperor and officials were required to personally welcome her.
Inside Weiyang Palace, Empress Song Yue, with the help of palace maids, had already put on a light and elegant makeup. Her long black hair was styled into a dignified and elegant bun, adorned with symmetrical jade phoenix hairpins.
Song Yue changed her clothes to a light gauze top embroidered with clouds and red, and a dark red skirt. With a red embroidered scarf covering her head, she looked dignified and elegant, yet peaceful and natural.
Soon, Liu Hong arrived at Weiyang Palace. Upon seeing Song Yue dressed in her imperial robes, his eyes lit up, and he almost drooled.
"Empress, come with me to pay respects to the Empress Dowager."
With that, Liu Hong walked forward with a smile and gently took Song Yue's small hand.
Song Yue nodded obediently and followed Liu Hong outside. Several palace maids followed behind Song Yue, lifting up her long skirt.
As soon as Liu Hong and Song Yue stepped out of Weiyang Palace, the civil and military officials waiting outside the palace bowed in unison.
"Your Majesty and the Empress, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"
Liu Hong: "Gentlemen, you may dispense with the formalities!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, Empress."
It's clear that the civil and military officials are quite satisfied with this empress.
After exchanging greetings, surrounded by the crowd, Liu Hong took Song Yue's hand and walked towards Chang Le Palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and the Holy Mother.
Dou Miao and Lady Dong, dressed in fine clothes, sat gracefully in Chang Le Palace with smiles on their faces.
Before long, Liu Hong brought Song Yue to Chang Le Palace, and then, under Liu Yu's guidance, they knelt and bowed to Dou Miao and Dong Shi.
Next, Liu Hong and Song Yue, witnessed by Dou Miao and Dong Shi, performed the mutual bowing ceremony (which is a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony between husband and wife, but without kneeling).
Next came the ablution ritual (pronounced the same as "custom"). Liu Hong first washed his hands and face, then picked up a damp towel and wiped Song Yue's cheeks and palms.
After the ablution ceremony, Liu Yu read out a eulogy of praise, which I won't go into detail about here, but it was nothing more than wishes for a long and happy marriage and the early birth of a son.
After Liu Yu spoke at length, they arrived at the Hejin ceremony, which is to drink the nuptial wine. However, the nuptial wine here means an exchange, that is, each person holds a cup, drinks half of it, and then exchanges it to drink the other person's half.
The final step is to untie the hair ornaments and tie the hair.
Liu Hong then removed the red tassel from Song Yue's head and cut off a lock of hair from both of them. He then tied them together with the red tassel. Song Yue also took out a red brocade pouch and put the two locks of hair into it.
This wedding was quite complicated and wasn't finished until the afternoon.
Logically, everything is done, and the next step should be the much-anticipated wedding night. But it's still broad daylight, which isn't appropriate...
After the ceremony to establish the empress was completed, Liu Hong, accompanied by Song Yue and surrounded by officials, walked towards the Southern Palace.
At this time, all the palace guards were replaced by the Imperial Guards in red robes and armor, and the palace maids and eunuchs were also dressed in red robes.
At this time, Luoyang was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of gongs and drums.
As early as dawn, people dressed in red, led their children out of their homes and onto the streets to celebrate.
Centered on the square outside the South Palace, tables were also set up along the four streets to the east, south, west, and north. The shops and houses along the streets were also requisitioned and turned into cooking areas for the chefs.
The aroma of food wafted throughout the city, and one delicious dish after another was served on the table.
Whether they were commoners, students, or wandering knights, as long as they said, "Congratulations on the Emperor's wedding," they were entitled to a seat at the banquet.
And so, the people ate in waves from morning until afternoon. After they were full, they left immediately to make way for the people behind them.
Before long, Liu Hong and Song Yue arrived at the Southern Palace. Hearing the bustling noise outside the palace, Liu Hong smiled, then took Song Yue's hand and boarded the carriage, where the two stood side by side.
"Open the palace gates!!"
With a loud announcement from the master of ceremonies, the palace gates slowly opened.
"Look, the palace gates are open, His Majesty and the Empress are about to come out."
Upon discovering that the palace gates were open, the people who had been waiting outside the South Palace rushed over, and those who were feasting and drinking at the banquet immediately left their tables.
It was chaotic. As the emperor's carriage slowly drove out, Liu Hong and Song Yue came into view.
"Greetings, Your Majesty, Empress."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty and the Empress! May Your Majesty and the Empress live a long and happy life together, have a son soon, and enjoy blessings for generations to come."
Those closest to the palace gates were the first to bow and offer their blessings. They had practiced this speech hundreds of times, so their recitation was exceptionally neat and orderly.
Seemingly encountering such a scene for the first time, Song Yue, standing next to Liu Hong, was momentarily flustered and at a loss for what to do, looking at the dense crowd around her.
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