Chapter 125 Ceremony 2
At 2:45 p.m., the holographic clock in the banquet hall began to flash.
The melodious interstellar classical music gradually stopped, replaced by a short and solemn ceremonial horn.
Lin Yao was holding a tray that had just been emptied, standing near the beverage area of the banquet hall, his eyes naturally sweeping over the guests present.
The nobles and generals who were originally sitting around talking were straightening their clothes. General Cang Lin raised his hand to adjust the epaulettes of his military uniform, and Cangye also straightened the hem of his neat clothes.
Madam Cang also gave some instructions to Delinwei and Lin Ya, who then asked the maid to adjust the ribbons of their maternity dresses.
Everyone is preparing for the upcoming coronation ceremony.
"Dear guests, the coronation ceremony will be held in the Parliament Hall at 3 pm. Please follow the ceremonial officer."
The sound of the holographic broadcast echoed in the banquet hall, and eight ceremonial officers in silver formal attire walked in from the side door.
Holding ceremonial staffs with purple tassels, they lined up neatly in front, guiding the guests towards the corridor leading to the parliament hall.
Lin Yao mixed in with the waiters and moved slowly behind the guests.
The wall lamps on both sides of the corridor emit a warm yellow halo, and holographic portraits of emperors of all dynasties in the empire are hung on the walls.
The monarch in the portrait has a majestic look, as if he is watching the transfer of power.
He observed calmly: the nobles were discussing in low voices the court structure after Karen ascended to the throne, while the military generals had serious expressions and occasionally exchanged opinions with their eyes.
Obviously, everyone is paying attention to the interests behind the ceremony.
At 2:50 p.m., the team arrived at the entrance of the parliament hall.
This building, designed for royal ceremonies, is even more magnificent than the banquet hall. Its huge curved windows let in the afternoon sunlight.
The dome in the hall is inlaid with millions of micro-luminescent crystals, and the starry sky curtain is now lit up.
A light blue imperial star map ribbon circulated across the dome, with the imperial star totem symbolizing imperial power suspended in the center.
The circular coronation platform below was made of white star rock and covered with a dark red carpet embroidered with golden lion patterns.
The edge of the carpet is decorated with tiny pearls, which give off a soft luster in the sunlight.
"Dear guests, please take your seats." The etiquette officer's voice came through the loudspeaker.
The guests were seated in order of status, with the nobles' seats close to the coronation platform and the military seats on the right.
The Cang family was led to the front row of the military seats, and De Linwei and Lin Ya sat down with the help of maids.
Lin Yao walked to the waiter waiting area in the corner of the council hall, where he could clearly see the entire ceremony.
He quietly adjusted the micro-instrument on his wrist, and when the holographic clock number jumped to [15:00],
The deep bell rang out on time, the sound waves echoed in the parliament hall, and even the star map light strip on the dome trembled slightly.
"Her Highness Karen Thorne has arrived—"
Following the loud announcement from the ceremonial officer, the main door of the parliament hall slowly opened, and Karen walked in slowly, dressed in the imperial royal coronation dress.
The golden threads shone brightly under the afternoon sun and the starry sky, as if highlighting Karen's glorious future.
Lin Zhixiong smiled heartily at the ruby brooch on Karen's chest. With every step he took, the red light reflected by the ruby cast a faint shadow on the ground.
Karen wore a half-finished crown on her head. Most of the sapphires were already inlaid in the platinum frame, but the circular groove reserved at the top of the crown was empty.
The empire's most precious imperial star gem should have been inlaid there, but now it has become the most conspicuous blank space in this coronation ceremony.
Lin Yao's eyes passed over Karen's crown and subconsciously turned to the platform on the east side of the parliament hall.
There stood four elite members of the Royal Guard, wearing black uniforms with gold trim.
He wore the silver emblem of the royal guard on his shoulder armor, and held an energy rifle in his hand with the butt of the rifle resting on the ground, his posture as solemn as a sculpture.
And on the floating display stand between them, a lavender gem was lying quietly. It was the Emperor Star Gem that had not yet been set.
The gem is about the size of a pigeon egg, clear and pure throughout, with faint golden light patterns flowing slowly inside, as if a condensed sea of stars is sealed in the crystal.
The outside of the booth was covered with a transparent energy shield. The edge of the shield was glowing with a faint blue light, and a detection ripple flashed every ten seconds.
This is the Empire's most advanced star shield protection system, capable of resisting both physical shocks and energy attacks.
Unless one possesses the highest royal authority, it is impossible to break through by force.
The four guards stood diagonally, their sights fixed on the four directions of the booth.
Even the frequency of his blinking remained consistent, and it was obvious that he had undergone rigorous special training and was responsible for the safety of this gem that symbolized imperial power.
Lin Yao heard from Ye Heng that this gem was the core of the coronation crown. Without the ceremony of completely inlaying the crown and the gem, the coronation could not be considered truly completed.
This gem will be set in place by the royal clan leader himself after all parliamentary procedures are completed.
Karen deliberately slowed down her pace, a solemn smile on her face, and glanced at the seats on both sides.
The nobles bowed in salute, the rubbing sounds of their skirts echoing one after another; the military generals raised their hands and placed them on the military emblem on their chests to salute.
As she reached the coronation stage, the holographic clock read: 15:05, and Karen turned to face the guests.
-
On the other side, the time was just 2:59 pm.
As the holographic clock in the medical area's intensive care unit ticked to the last second, Ye Mang's knuckles lightly tapped on the transparent cover of the maintenance cabin.
"Dong, dong" two soft sounds were particularly clear in the silent room.
The old emperor in the cabin slowly opened his eyes. The pale complexion had mostly faded, leaving only a hint of fatigue in his eyes.
He turned his eyes to look at Ye Mang outside the cabin, his gaze calm and unwavering.
There was no shock when he just woke up, nor was there any rage after learning the situation. It was as if he had already suppressed all his emotions in his deep eyes.
"Your Majesty, it's time to watch a 'good show'." Ye Mang's voice was very low, but it carried unquestionable power.
He raised his hand and pressed a few times on the control panel, and the transparent cover of the maintenance cabin slowly slid open to both sides.
Medical gas with a faint smell of disinfectant overflowed and mixed with the air in the room.
Ye Mang's fingertips moved quickly on the screen, and a blue light immediately shot out from the projection port on the top of the computer, projecting a clear image on the white wall opposite.
It was a live broadcast of the coronation ceremony in the parliament hall. In the picture, the chief of etiquette was holding a gilded procedure book, ready to read out the ceremony procedures in a while.
The old emperor's gaze fell on Karen's figure in the picture, and his pupils shrank slightly for a moment.
When he just woke up, Ye Mang had revealed everything:
The third prince Karen increased the dosage of the potion to create the illusion of natural exhaustion, and was eager to be crowned and seize power at three o'clock this afternoon.
As an emperor who had ruled the empire for decades, he knew better than anyone that it was meaningless to roar in anger and beat his chest at this moment.
In the gap of power vacuum, emotions are the most useless things. Only calmness can seize the opportunity to turn the situation around.
His eyes fell precisely on the half-finished crown on Karen's head in the computer screen. It seemed that the rebellious son had not yet truly completed the ceremony.
Ye Mang also noticed his gaze: "Your Majesty's vision is still so accurate." But there was not much respect in his tone.
The old emperor didn't care about Ye Mang's rudeness, his eyes returned to the screen.
When I saw the ceremonial officials follow the succession process step by step, from the royal clan leader reading the succession oath and the new emperor taking the oath;
Listening to the scene, Karen was saying to the Imperial Clan Leader, "After you inherit the throne of the empire, are you willing to abide by the royal family's ancestral teachings, protect the people of the empire, and maintain peace in the empire?"
When asked, he said with uncontrollable excitement:
"I do."
A faint sneer appeared on the old emperor's lips.
Next, the royal family members paid homage in turn and the new emperor accepted homage from the military and nobles. However, Ye Mang quickly turned off the screen and injected one-third of the medicine into the old emperor's body.
Not long after, the old emperor found that although he could not move, he could speak.
"What do you want?" The old emperor's voice was hoarse after not speaking for a long time, but there was an indescribable calmness in his tone.
Ye Mang stood next to the maintenance cabin, watching the old emperor's reaction, and remembered what Ye Heng had said.
Ye Heng had long anticipated that this veteran emperor would not be easily swayed by emotions. Anyone who could sit firmly on the throne for decades in the vortex of imperial power must understand the principle of waiting and watching.
So Ye Heng told Ye Mang that there was no need to explain anything further and that they could just state their purpose directly.
Therefore, Ye Mang followed Ye Heng's orders thoroughly: "Disrupt this ceremony. After all, as long as Your Majesty is still here, there is no need for a new emperor. Moreover, he is not worthy of the position."
After Ye Mang's words came out, the old emperor was silent for a moment.
His gaze shifted from the picture to Ye Mang, his eyes filled with scrutiny and a hint of understanding.
He knew that Ye Mang was Ye Heng's man, and Ye Heng's purpose in saving him was not out of loyalty.
When Ye Heng left Central Star in such a high-profile manner, he had already betrayed the Empire and the Royal Family;
The old emperor understood the current situation, he was at the mercy of others.
Ye Heng needed a symbol of legitimacy to disrupt Karen's succession ceremony, thus achieving the demands of Ye Heng and Chi Ying;
He himself also needs to borrow Ye Heng's power to regain the stolen imperial power and settle accounts with the traitors.
In the face of the common interest of overthrowing Karen, past positions and identities become unimportant. What they can form is a short-lived but common-goal alliance.
"I accept." The old emperor said these three words calmly.
Ye Mang also conveyed Ye Heng's meaning and told the old emperor that it was a pleasure to work with him.
After saying this, he ordered his men to push a wheelchair over, and after placing the old emperor in the wheelchair, he said: "Then let's go to the coronation ceremony! We should be able to make it in time."
After saying that, Ye Mang pushed the old emperor out the door and headed towards the coronation hall.
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