Chapter 364: Envoys’ Audience
Nan Xi sat quietly on the dragon chariot, with Rong Yu accompanying her. The two of them personally felt the sacred and noble status of the new emperor in the hearts of the people of Dongling. The empress, who appeared once every two hundred years, carried the responsibility entrusted by the priests' hall and the royal family, as well as the protection given by the gods. She inevitably gave people a sacred and inviolable dignity.
More noble and sacred than previous male emperors.
The subjects who believed in the gods all recognized the empress selected by the high priest, and cheered and knelt for her. Their respect for the priests' hall was no less than that of the royal family.
Although there were some people's dissatisfaction, that dissatisfaction could be ignored.
The bells and drums rang, the music sounded, and the salutes were loud.
The nine gates of the palace were all opened, representing the beginning of the most grand ceremony of the royal family. The imperial guards were all dispatched to strictly guard each palace gate.
The red carpet woven with gold silk was laid all the way from the Zhengyang Gate of the palace to the most noble Jinluan Main Hall among the thousands of palaces.
The imperial guards stood on both sides, intimidating.
After obtaining his father's consent, Xuanyuan Yao had already drawn out 2,000 elite soldiers from the Huainan Army and placed them in the imperial guards to prevent any accidents from happening at the ceremony. At this moment, looking at Rong Yu's face that never showed any color, he was extremely glad that he had made this decision in advance.
Today's ceremony, any accident will lead to unpredictable consequences.
The empress's carriage drove all the way, and all the imperial guards along the way knelt respectfully, with strict sentries, strict order, and awe-inspiring momentum.
Xuanyuan Yao and Xie Jin personally escorted on the left and right, with high alert nerves, and really did keep an eye on all directions and listen to all directions.
Qin Shu had already arranged for the masters of Jiuxiao Pavilion to lurk in the pavilions and towers on both sides of the imperial road, almost achieving a net-like protection. Anyone who dared to cause trouble at this time would probably die without even a corpse left.
The road from the priest's hall to the palace is not long, but considering the speed of the imperial carriage, the distance is definitely not short. Nan Xi has never felt that time is so long and unbearable. She dared not take her eyes off Rong Yu for a moment, although she always met Rong Yu's gentle and soothing eyes.
It was not until the imperial carriage slowly drove into the palace gate that Xie Jin and Xuanyuan Yao finally relaxed.
Xie Shoufu and Prime Minister Lu, dressed in solemn robes, came from the front to welcome the emperor. The Minister of Rites, who was responsible for presiding over the enthronement ceremony, followed by the ceremonial officers. Many high-ranking officials and ministers welcomed the imperial carriage to the noble hall.
In the square in front of the hall, the imperial guards stood in armor, and the military might was in full swing.
In front of the Danbi, which came down one after another, the imperial carpet with golden embroidered dragon patterns was laid down for a long time. The imperial carriage came step by step from far to near, and got off the sedan chair in front of the steps. The palace servants came forward and gently helped the empress and the regent get off the sedan chair.
The hall was solemn and intimidating. A bright yellow dragon robe exuded a noble color in the sun. Thousands of armored imperial guards stood in silence. Their stern and pine-like postures showed respect, awe, submission, and the unique and arrogant attitude of soldiers.
Rong Yu's face was very pale, and the warm sunlight could not illuminate the blood on his face.
Nan Xi frowned: "Ayu."
Rong Yu shook her hand, and his sharp and strong fingertips conveyed comfort: "No problem."
However, what no one saw was that the cold sweat under the complicated and luxurious royal robe was corroding the wound layer by layer, and the roots of the hair on the temples could not stop sweating. The wound on the back was soaked by sweat as if thousands of insects and ants were stinging, sharp stinging pain, swelling pain of scars, itchy pain of thousands of ants, and the severe pain of the broken inner clothes attached to the wound tearing the wound, all kinds of unbearable pain gathered together, tormenting unbearably.
The civil and military officials presiding over the ceremony only saw the regent wearing a royal robe, with a majestic demeanor that no one could match. His noble and handsome face showed no unusual expression except for the paleness that could not be ignored.
Her Majesty the Queen and the Regent walked in the middle of the Danbi, while Xie Jin and Xuanyuan Yao, who followed behind them on both sides, kept their brows furrowed. When you looked up, you could see the crystal-clear and fine cold sweat on their necks and behind their ears. It was hard to imagine what kind of pain and suffering that was.
The Queen and the Emperor's husband walked slowly into the hall, step by step towards the supreme position that everyone looked up to, until they sat on the dragon throne.
The ceremonial officer faced the outside of the hall, and everyone sang loudly: "Kneel——"
Outside and inside the hall, the civil and military officials and all the golden armored imperial guards gradually moved away, like a surging golden tide covering the entire square. Nearly 10,000 people knelt down to pay homage to the new emperor, with a huge momentum that shocked the world.
The ceremonial officer shouted again: "One kowtow--"
"Two kowtows--"
"Three kowtows--"
The drum sounded, and kowtowed again.
The ceremony was solemn and dignified, and the etiquette of three kneelings and nine kowtows could not be wrong. The voices of cheering for the emperor resounded through the sky.
"Your Majesty is benevolent, filial, and virtuous, and has blessed the people. Long live the emperor!"
"Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"
Rong Yu pursed his lips slightly, and his deep eyes fell on the outside of the palace. His figure was as tall as a mountain, and his cold and picturesque eyebrows were majestic. Only the color of relief in his eyes was like a panacea, which relieved all the pain in his body bit by bit.
According to etiquette, after the ceremony, he had to receive envoys from outside to congratulate him.
"Your Majesty, should we summon the envoys to see you immediately?"
"The palace banquet will be held in the evening. I am not feeling well and need to go back to my bedroom to rest first." Nan Xi said indifferently, "The Ministry of Rites is responsible for entertaining the envoys into the palace."
The Minister of Rites bowed and said, "But the envoys have come to congratulate Your Majesty on the coronation ceremony. If they neglect the etiquette, they will probably be criticized. Right now, the nobles and envoys from various countries are waiting outside the Xuanwu Gate, waiting for Your Majesty to issue an order to summon them."
Nan Xi's expression was slightly cold: "Which is more important, my health or entertaining the envoys?"
"I deserve to die. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." The Minister of Rites knelt down in fear. "If Your Majesty is not well, you can let the Regent be fully responsible for receiving the envoys. The envoys from various countries have arrived outside the palace. It would be rude to refuse to see them."
"The Queen is not well. The Regent must be worried and concerned. How can he have the mood to entertain the envoys here?" Xuanyuan Yao frowned. "You are responsible for receiving the envoys and placing them in the temporary palace for a while. It won't be too late to entertain Your Majesty after a half-day rest."
"The prince is right." Xie Jin said in a faint voice. "Your Majesty is pregnant with a dragon. The dragon body is precious and must not be lost. If the dragon body is ill because of entertaining the envoys, they cannot bear the responsibility."
As soon as these words came out, Prime Minister Lu, Prime Minister Xie, cabinet ministers, and royal princes, who were the first among the ministers, all looked over. For a moment, the atmosphere was quite subtle.
The officials who went to the priest's hall knew what was going on, but Prime Minister Xie and Prime Minister Lu did not know what happened in the priest's hall. They just thought that the empress was too delicate.
Today's ascension was basically considered that the emperor was pregnant, so many procedures were waived. The emperor also rode the imperial sedan to complete the ceremony. Why should he be tired?
"The prime minister and all the cabinet ministers are here. Do you have room to speak?" Prime Minister Xie frowned and looked at his son unhappily. "Receiving envoys is related to the diplomatic relations of several countries. It cannot be neglected. What do you two know?"