The following day, the coronation ceremony took place.
After fasting for three days, offering sacrifices at the suburban temples and shrines.
Offering sacrifices to Heaven.
The Supreme God of Heaven is positioned on the circular platform, with the Heavenly Book placed to his left. Clad in imperial robes and crown, he ascends the platform to offer sacrifices. The prayer is as follows:
Your subject Chen Xiao, succeeding to the throne, dares to solemnly declare to the Supreme God of Heaven: I have received the auspicious mandate and will serve the heavens above. Next year is hereby designated as the first year of Jiajing. I humbly pray that Heaven will bear witness and bestow its blessings.
Earth worship.
Offering sacrifices to the Emperor and Earth God, the prayer was read:
Your humble servant, Chen Xiao, who succeeds to the throne, dares to proclaim to the Imperial Land: Your benevolent grace has extended to the world, and the foundation of this dynasty has been laid. Your mandate is ordained by Heaven, and your blessings are bestowed upon the Earth. I, your humble servant, respectfully receive this precious mandate and inherit this great legacy. I will personally preside over the ceremonies and reverently perform these duties.
Ancestor worship.
We went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices to our ancestors and prayed:
Your Majesty, Chen Xiao, the succeeding emperor, hereby solemnly announces to Emperor Taizu: The throne cannot remain vacant for long, nor can the nation be without a ruler. I, your humble servant, have succeeded to the throne and hereby decree that next year be the first year of the Jiajing era. I humbly request your wise consideration.
He ascended the throne.
He proceeded to the main hall to receive the homage of the officials and to issue the edict of accession.
My ancestor, Hongwei, was born with the Mandate of Heaven, initiating the imperial enterprise and establishing a democratic dynasty. His descendants, one wise and one virtuous, diligently governed, their military and civil achievements continuing the legacy of their predecessors. My late mother, too, was a great ruler, her benevolence and compassion extending to future generations. Sadly, she has passed away, leaving behind the imperial throne for me.
In accordance with the late emperor's will and the will of the people, I hereby declare to Heaven, the ancestral temple, and the state that I have ascended the throne.
Considering the difficulty of creating a nation and the heavy burden I bear, I will follow the right path, practice benevolence and righteousness, and uphold ancient precepts and established laws, so as to bring peace and prosperity to my people and achieve perfect governance.
He designated the following year as the first year of the Jiajing era, granted a general amnesty, and started anew with the people.
......
Since Chen Xiao does not yet have an empress or concubines, many steps have been omitted.
After the ceremony, the new emperor ascended the throne, and the retired emperor, having witnessed the ceremony, left the palace to travel the world.
The Qianqing Palace.
Chen Xiao dismissed the servants and collapsed onto the bed. "I'm too tired. Being an emperor is no human being."
"Host, I eliminated so many steps for you, and you're already tired after just this little bit? You're not even as good as Chu Yanxi, who insisted on going through all the steps!" Xi Xi said sarcastically as she looked at the scene.
Chen Xiao wasn't angry. He simply said, "I'm definitely not as good as my wife. I'm just an ordinary college student who loves reading novels."
Xi Xi muttered under her breath, "That's about right," then turned serious and said, "Host, you are now the emperor, and the imperial concubine selection will be held soon. I hope you can surpass Chu Yanxi on another track, recruit many beauties, and have many descendants!" After saying that, she quickly logged off.
Chen Xiao: ..........
In the real world, she's been single for twenty years, but here she's supposed to have to do *that* with a fifteen-year-old's body?
She tried to call Xixi back to reality, "This body has only recently come of age, this isn't quite right... An emperor must prioritize state affairs! I think we can discuss the selection of concubines again, what do you think?..."
...no response
"Hey, where is everyone??"
"I feel like I've been scammed?"
"Never mind, it's okay, keep going! It's all fake! They're just two-dimensional characters, it's alright, just treat it like a game..."
Watching Chen Xiao gradually accept things after his initial shock and confusion, Xi Xi rolled around on the sofa laughing, she couldn't be happier.
…………
The draft ceremony will be held a week later.
This week, Chen Xiao has been receiving tutelage from Xi Xi, cramming on ancient knowledge and learning ancient etiquette. The sheer complexity of it all made Chen Xiao exclaim, "I'm so frustrated!"
Fortunately, the Night Dynasty is relatively modern, and its etiquette and other aspects have been simplified compared to traditional ancient times. What makes her happiest is that the people of the Night Dynasty do not use classical Chinese when communicating, but rather vernacular Chinese, and classical Chinese is only used when the emperor announces matters.
This was a huge surprise for a college student who knew absolutely nothing about ancient times; it was great to be able to play the ancient person without being exposed.
At this moment, Chen Xiao was wearing a hastily made, well-fitting dragon robe, sitting in a high position. Her face was lightly made up. Unlike Chu Yanxi's majestic and heroic air, Chen Xiao was the kind of person who was not aggressive. She was beautiful but not frightening.
The ceremony hadn't started yet for some reason. Feeling extremely bored, Chen Xiao suddenly remembered a question and hurriedly asked Xi Xi, "Who gives birth in this empress novel? It can't be me, can it? I can't imagine giving birth to so many children. Is there any authority that allows men to give birth?"
"Host, you're overthinking it. Who bears the child depends on which gender becomes emperor. Emperors don't have children; only concubines and lovers have children," Xi Xi replied calmly, stroking her non-existent beard.
"That's good, I'm relieved." Chen Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "What does 'external favorite' mean? Can't it be brought into the palace as a concubine?"
Xi Xi sighed, wishing she hadn't erased it all...
After arranging her words carefully, she replied to Chen Xiao, "Uh... an external concubine is a concubine of the same gender as you. For example, you may have taken a fancy to a woman, but you cannot bring her into the harem. You can only keep her outside the palace. She is a free person, without a title and unknown to anyone. This was pioneered by Chu Qiaoling."
Chen Xiao understood the meaning of "external favorite," which refers to the male favorites of ancient emperors. However, in this fictional dynasty, things were different from ancient times; these female favorites could also bear children.
"Isn't that pitiful? To have to bear children for the emperor without any status or identity?" Chen Xiao felt sorry for women of this status.
Xi Xi began to boast that Chu Qiaoling's concubine was not necessarily nameless or without status. Chu Qiaoling's concubine was extremely powerful. Through his own efforts and the emperor's promotion, he rose from a lowly soldier to the position of General of the Cavalry, commanding 100,000 elite troops, and became the first concubine in the history of the Night Dynasty to be known to the world.
Chen Xiao clicked his tongue in amazement, "Wow, that's amazing!" Then, curiously, he asked, "Does Chu Yanxi have any lovers outside the marriage?"
Upon hearing this, Xi Xi remained silent and instead urged Chen Xiao to focus on the talent show and not to get distracted.
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