Chapter 51: Crown Ceremony
Yue State, Royal Palace.
In a simple yet elegant palace, a young girl no older than 28 was sitting on the ground, staring blankly at her face reflected in a bronze mirror.
The girl has a face that is extremely beautiful, and with her gorgeous green clothes, she has a dignified yet charming temperament, which complements each other perfectly!
Her appearance is rare in the world.
As the saying goes, the land and water nurture the people!
The land of Yue is rich in beauties, and the girl's appearance is top-notch even among the countless beauties of Yue.
She is none other than the princess of Yue State—Ji Kou!
"Sister!"
At the palace gate, a childish cry suddenly rang out.
The voice arrives before the person arrives!
I saw a little boy of about eight or nine years old, wearing luxurious clothes and with a heroic look in his brows, walking slowly into the palace.
"Jiu Qian, why are you here?"
Ji Kou immediately took the little boy's hand and straightened his messy collar.
The little boy raised his head stubbornly and said, "Sister, I heard that you are going to marry to the Kingdom of Wu. Is this true?"
Hearing this, Ji Kou was startled, then nodded slightly and did not deny it.
"Sister, how can you marry the King of Wu?"
The little boy named Jiu Qian said indignantly: "Didn't father always teach us that Wu is the enemy of our Great Yue Kingdom and we are sworn enemies. How could father have the heart to marry my sister to a Wu person?"
"Jiu Qian, listen to my sister. Father must have his own reasons for doing this..."
"Why?"
Jiu Qian said angrily, "His motive is to sell his daughter for fame? Is he pushing you into the fire pit?"
"Jiu Qian, shut up!"
Ji Kou frowned and said tenderly, "I don't allow you to speak of my father like that. The marriage between Yue and Wu is a major event between the two countries. How can a child like you understand the true meaning of it?"
"Sister, it has come to this point, and you are still speaking well of our father?"
Ji Kou shook her head, and then placed her slender hands on Jiu Qian's shoulders. She sighed faintly and said, "Jiu Qian, you have to understand that sometimes people born in a king's family or a member of a royal family always have too many frustrations."
"Marriage is of great benefit to the country and the people."
"If this had happened in the past, a Yue princess like me would probably have been able to marry a high-ranking official in the court, or the chieftain of a Shanyue vassal tribe!"
"Now, I can marry the King of Wu, the man who is high above everyone else and known as the most courageous man in Wu, and become his queen. Sister is already very satisfied."
Ji Kou told Jiu Qian what was in his heart!
Throughout history, women like Ji Kou, who was a princess of a country, mostly became victims of political tyranny and were sent to other countries for marriage alliances, marrying a man they had never met and spending their lives together.
The State of Yue was located in a remote area and was separated by the huge State of Wu . It did not have much connection with the Central Plains countries and was unaware of the general situation in the world!
However, this does not mean that there is no political marriage among the royal family of Yue.
Before Ji Kou, every princess of the State of Yue either married the chief of a vassal tribe or married into the family of a nobleman.
Ji Kou didn't know whether they were happy or not .
Because they have no power to choose!
Qingji, known as the bravest warrior of the Wu State, is now the King of Wu. Although he is young, he has an outstanding record of military achievements. Even Ji Kou, who is far away in Kuaiji, has heard of Qingji's deeds.
It is said that Qingji was so brave that he could tear tigers and leopards apart with his bare hands and fight against a thousand men. Even after his father, King Liao of Wu, was killed, Qingji was able to flee to the State of Wei, train his troops, and eventually return to the capital of Wu, expel Prince Guang, and regain the throne!
In Ji Kou's view, Qingji's deeds are full of legends.
King Qingji of Wu, who was able to accomplish such feats, must have been a wise and powerful king!
Ji Kou was indeed lucky to marry Qingji and become his queen.
"Wow, sister, after this departure, when will we be able to see each other again?"
Jiu Qian couldn't hold back the grief in his heart, and threw himself on Ji Kou and burst into tears, his face full of tears.
Ji Kou could only sigh, stroked his younger brother's cheek, and said, "Jiu Qian, perhaps you and I, a brother and sister, will never be able to meet again in this life..."
"But please don't feel sorry for me. My sister will not be by your side from now on. Jiu Qian, you must listen to your father's teachings and concentrate on your studies. Don't make mistakes."
"Sister!"
Jiu Qian's crying became louder and louder, filling the entire palace.
It is worth mentioning that Jiu Qian is only the real name of this little boy. His real name in the future is Gou Jian!
The King Gou Jian of Yue who left a deep mark in history and took the art of hiding to the extreme!
…
Winter, early October.
A grand coronation ceremony is being held inside and outside the city of Wu!
"woo woo woo woo--"
A loud and inspiring horn sounded at the gate of King Wu's palace.
The Wu guards, wearing scarlet battle uniforms and with strong shoulders and waists, stood on both sides, two of them holding a horn, one carrying it while the other played it!
Hundreds of Wu army warriors were standing nearby, with a guard post every five steps and a sentry post every ten steps. They looked straight ahead, and all of them exuded a fierce aura.
Amid the resounding trumpet sounds, King Qingji of Wu, dressed in a royal robe, walked towards his own chariot with six imperial carriages. Then, accompanied by a group of ministers, officials, and elite soldiers, he headed towards the shore of Xiang Lake!
When passing through the streets and alleys, the common people on both sides were looking forward to it and standing on tiptoe, wanting to catch a glimpse of Qingji.
Qingji appeared to be very friendly, smiling and waving to the people along the way.
"Long live the Great King! Long live the Great Wu!"
"Long live the king!"
Just like star-chasers in later generations, the people of Wu State were very supportive of Qingji and shouted "Long live the king" one after another, almost failing to pay homage to him.
In this way, Qingji arrived at the bank of Xianghu Lake, surrounded by his subjects.
A high square platform had already been built here!
On the square platform, there is a large bronze tripod weighing more than a thousand pounds.
In the big cauldron were placed pine resin, saltpeter, dry firewood and other flammable materials, mixed together and burned.
Amid the flames, a thick black smoke billowed up, covering the cloudless sky!
On each step of the square platform, there stood a guard in armor, with a burly stature and a Fang Tian painted halberd in his hand.
They held their hands on their waists, holding the halberd in one hand, with serious expressions and indifferent eyes, just like door gods.
Many common people came to the Sifangtai after hearing the news. Thousands of people came and crowded around, filling the huge open space to the point where no one could move.
If there were not many soldiers on the scene to maintain order, this chaotic crowd would have inevitably caused a stampede, resulting in unnecessary casualties!
