Chapter 514 Ascension to the Throne
Lu Zhiran was about to close her eyes tiredly, but Jiang Nansheng pinched her philtrum.
"Zhiran, there's another one in your belly. Try harder, he'll be out soon."
Lu Zhiran was too tired and she couldn't exert any strength at all.
Jiang Nansheng acted decisively, quickly gave her acupuncture, and stuffed a piece of old ginseng into her mouth.
At the same time, the door of the delivery room was slammed open, and Xiao Yanci rushed in like a gust of wind.
He held Lu Zhiran's hand tightly, "Zhiran, don't sleep, you can't sleep..."
She didn't know whether it was Jiang Nansheng's needle that worked, or Xiao Yanci's call that woke her up. She didn't know where the strength came from, she took a deep breath, exerted hard, and felt a sharp pain in her lower body, followed by a lightness all over her body.
The midwife's joyful voice reached her ears, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on this double happiness! The Crown Princess has been blessed with such great fortune, having given birth to a son and a daughter! The little grandson's voice is as resounding as a bell, and the little princess's face is as white as snow. It is truly an auspicious omen, as if the dragon and the phoenix were born, and the sun and the moon were shining together!"
Hearing this sound, Lu Zhiran finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
The Crown Princess gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and the good news was immediately reported to the palace.
Emperor Defeng laughed out loud three times with joy, and his face, which had been shrouded in death, instantly became radiant.
He immediately issued an edict to send a large and generous reward to the Eastern Palace, some for the twins, and some for Lu Zhiran, the great contributor.
Concubine Rou was so happy that she was at a loss as to what to do.
She prayed repeatedly in several directions, thanking the gods and Buddhas for allowing Lu Zhiran to give birth safely and have two children in her lifetime.
In this way, now that Xiao Yanci has a daughter, what else can those old guys say?
Lu Zhiran slept for a day and a night and finally woke up.
As soon as he woke up, he met Xiao Yanci's bearded face full of worry.
Seeing that she woke up, Xiao Yanci quickly held her hand, speaking softly and asking about her well-being.
"How are you feeling? Are you still in pain? Are you hungry? I'll ask the kitchen to make you something to eat."
Lu Zhiran said hoarsely, "Where's the child?"
Xiao Yanci immediately asked the wet nurse to bring the child over.
Two little people, each one very small, with red bodies, like two little monkeys.
Lu Zhiran frowned, feeling a little disappointed. The child she had given birth to with all her efforts turned out to be so ugly?
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yanci praised calmly, "Look, how good-looking they are. They are indeed our children."
Lu Zhiran: ...
Is this person blind?
Lu Zhiran closed her eyes again tiredly.
The Eastern Palace received many gifts, and the Lu family also sent gifts.
The Lu family's gift was unremarkable, but it was carefully prepared.
If it weren't for Lu Zhiran's relationship, local governments would certainly not have spared no effort to help find the children. It was a miracle that the two children were found. Zijuan was grateful to Lu Zhiran, and even if the gift she prepared was not pleasing to the eye, it was still a token of her thoughtfulness.
What they didn't expect the most was that the East Palace welcomed two distinguished guests that day.
They are Emperor Defeng and Concubine Rou.
The child was no more than three days old and could not be exposed to the wind, so he could not enter the palace. Neither Emperor Defeng nor Concubine Rou had ever seen the child.
I didn't expect that they would come out of the palace to visit the child on their own.
As the saying goes, generations apart, brothers are close. When they saw the two babies in swaddling clothes, they were so happy that their faces were radiant and they held them tightly, refusing to let go.
Emperor Defeng was in great spirits, as if he had instantly regained his former spirit.
He also gave names to his two children: the little grandson was named Xiao Huaijin and the little princess was named Xiao Lingyi.
Emperor Defeng had many grandchildren, but this was the first one he named himself.
Xiao Yanci kowtowed quickly and thanked Emperor Defeng for his grace on behalf of his two children.
After seeing the child, Concubine Rou went to see Lu Zhiran, and Ye Hanyi was also there.
She was still in confinement and it was inconvenient for her to meet Emperor Defeng.
Lu Zhiran wanted to stand up, but was pushed back by Concubine Rou.
"Lie down and don't move. Your first priority right now is to rest well."
Concubine Rou looked at Lu Zhiran carefully again, observing her expression.
"I still look a little haggard, I need to eat more."
When Lu Zhiran thought of the nutritious food served on the table every day, she felt her stomach churning and couldn't eat anything.
Concubine Rou was an experienced person, and she gave her detailed instructions on many things to pay attention to during the confinement period, and Lu Zhiran agreed to all of them.
Then he pointed at Ye Hanyi and said, "You should listen carefully. You should also pay special attention when you are in confinement after giving birth."
Ye Hanyi couldn't help but shiver.
"Giving birth to a child is too scary. I don't want to have one."
She was newly married and it was a sweet time for her. She also fantasized about getting pregnant and having children. But now, she didn't dare to think about it at all.
That day, she was scared away by the screams of Lu Zhiran giving birth.
Concubine Rou scolded her angrily, "You're just talking like a child."
The emperor and his concubines could not stay in the palace for long after leaving it.
It was almost time, and Concubine Rou got up and prepared to return to the palace.
Before leaving, she hesitated to speak, and finally lowered her voice, "The emperor's condition is so bad... you all should be prepared."
The two were slightly startled, but quickly reacted.
What Concubine Rou meant was that the emperor was experiencing a last burst of energy.
No wonder he looks so energetic today and doesn't look like a dying person at all.
But in fact, his body had already run out of energy.
Seeing his long-cherished grandchildren with his own eyes is probably his last wish in this life.
That night, Emperor Defeng had a good sleep and he never woke up again.
The next morning, the death knell rang.
The emperor passed away.
Xiao Yanci had anticipated this, but when it actually happened, he still felt an unspeakable grief in his heart.
Feng Youcai's back was much more hunched as he read out Emperor Defeng's will to all the civil and military officials.
"…Crown Prince Xiao Yanci is benevolent, filial, intelligent, and virtuous, and he is well-suited to inherit the throne. He is appointed Emperor to honor the ancestral temple and bring peace to the people. All civil and military officials, both internal and external, should work together to assist him and implement the new policies."
"After my death, the funeral rites must be frugal. All my subjects need not follow the old custom of mourning for three years; instead of months, they can mourn for half a year. During this period, weddings and other auspicious celebrations are permitted, but entertainment and feasting are prohibited for a hundred days to express my sorrow. I decree this."
Xiao Yanci and all the ministers knelt down to receive the order.
Previously, Emperor Defeng used a substitute to take the blame and escape Xiao Yanlin's poison. After the death of the substitute, he was buried in the imperial mausoleum. Afterwards, Emperor Defeng ordered people to rebuild the coffin, but the overall design of the imperial mausoleum was also destroyed and could no longer be used.
In recent years, Emperor Defeng ordered people to rebuild the imperial mausoleum, but compared with the original specifications, it is now very simple.
He has come to terms with it. When a person dies, his life is over. No matter how luxurious the mausoleum is, he is dead. Instead of wasting money on this, it would be better to provide more welfare for the people.
Everyone followed Emperor Defeng's will and kept everything simple during his funeral.
After the previous emperor was buried, the new emperor's coronation ceremony took place.
In the Golden Throne Hall, vermilion-painted pillars with coiled dragons stand majestically, and the nine-step steps are covered with scarlet felt carpets. Civil and military officials stand solemnly on both sides according to their ranks, and the imperial guards are in grim armor, and the ceremonial guards are like a forest.
Nine whip sounds rang out outside the palace, and Crown Prince Xiao Yanci, wearing a twelve-chapter imperial crown, a black robe and a purple skirt, and a jade belt with hanging ribbons, walked slowly into the palace to the tune of the elegant music "Cheng Tian Ming".
After the lengthy ceremony, all the ministers bowed again. Then, the prince ascended the throne and became emperor, with the reign title of Yongxi.
(The main text ends here, there are still a few chapters to come.)
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