Chapter 7 This Love Will Never End III. Accession to the throne
In accordance with the late emperor's will, the funeral rites were carried out according to the old system of Emperor Wen, and everything was kept simple. In addition to sending bamboo slips to inform the princes and kings of the counties and states, the emperor ordered that all officials of the rank of 2,000 stone did not need to rush to the capital to attend the funeral, nor did they need to send envoys to express condolences.
The funeral was presided over by Taiwei Zhao Xi. Martial law had already been imposed inside and outside the palace. Soldiers from the five northern army schools surrounded the palace like a solid wall. The late emperor was buried in a small coffin, and then the coffin was buried.
The princes and I all changed into white clothes. The five officials, the left and right Hu Ben, and the five Yu Lin generals led their own troops, holding Hu Ben halberds, and stationed on the left and right sides of the steps of the main hall. The inner court was still guarded by Zhong Huang Men holding halberds. It was close to the time of the night watch, and after a short rest, the ministers entered the palace again. The Grand Herald Guo Kuang set up the nine guest positions. The usher led the crown prince and the princes to stand in the open space under the palace, facing west, with the left hand to the left in order, from north to south, they were Liu Zhuang, Liu Qiang, Liu Cang, Liu Jing, Liu Yan, Liu Jing... Further south were the princes of the royal family, and standing at the end were the princes of the Fan family, Yin family, Guo family and other relatives.
Hundreds of officials were placed in the middle of the open space, lined up in a row facing north, starting with the Three Dukes, then the officials with an official salary of two thousand stones, then the special advancers, the marquises, the officials with an official salary of six hundred stones, the doctors... As the number of people at the bottom was large, they were divided into two rows and stood, with the person at the head of the west being the most respected.
I stood on the west side, facing east. Behind me followed the five princesses Liu Yiwang, Liu Zhongli, Liu Hongfu, Liu Liliu and Liu Shou in order of rank. Concubine Xu was listed after the princesses, and at the end were the royal family's wives.
After everyone was in place, Guo Kuang counted the number of people one by one, and the usher reported it to Zhao Xi. The night wind was blowing, the dew was heavy, and the torches around made it as bright as day. Zhao Xi looked around at everyone, and finally his eyes fell on me, and he bowed slightly.
I wiped my face and dried my tears, then closed my eyes feeling exhausted. In the blink of an eye, Zhao Xi suddenly turned around. A Zhong Huang Men was standing on the stone steps behind him. Zhao Xi moved quickly, grasped the hilt of the long sword on Zhong Huang Men's waist with his right hand, and drew the sword out of the sheath with a clang.
There were gasps everywhere, and there was a big commotion among the crowd, but many people immediately noticed that I didn't react and calmed down. Zhao Xi held his sword across the steps of the palace, pointed at Liu Qiang and other princes and shouted: "Hey! You have no respect for the superiors! How dare you compete with the crown prince for rank?"
Liu Qiang shuddered first, his face turned pale with fear, and only horror remained on his tearful face.
Liu Cang was the first to react. He bowed to Zhao Xi and said, "Yes." He took a step back and turned to the north to show respect. Liu Yan and Liu Jing also took a step back and turned to the north. Zhao Xi, holding a long sword in his right hand, walked quickly to the stunned Liu Qiang, took his arm with his left hand, and said in a deep voice, "King of Donghai, please follow the etiquette! Show respect to superiors and subordinates!"
Liu Qiang shuddered again. Although he was some distance away from me, I could clearly see the undisguised fear in his eyes. Zhao Xi helped him back without saying anything, controlling his actions until he was in accordance with etiquette. After Liu Qiang returned to his seat, Zhao Xi glanced at Liu Jing. Liu Jing said nothing, bowed to Zhao Xi with a sullen face, and also took a step back according to etiquette.
Zhao Xi nodded his approval, returned to the steps of the palace, and returned the long sword to Zhong Huangmen. After a while, Guo Kuang followed the etiquette and shouted loudly: "Cry——"
Everyone on the field immediately knelt on the ground and cried loudly. Only Liu Zhuang was left. Although he was the prince, he was still able to stand, but he cried and beat his chest, heartbroken.
Zhao Xi, Feng Yu, and Li Xin stepped onto the high steps and walked towards the palace step by step amidst the shrill cries. I knelt down in front of the palace, my forehead touching the ground, not daring to watch the burial ceremony in the palace. After about half an hour, the candles in the palace went out, and my heart was broken again with the sound of the heavy coffin lid closing.
I raised my head helplessly. I had been crying for too long and had already exhausted all my strength. My eye sockets were dry. Tears were no longer stored in my eye sockets, but were rushing through my heart like a flood that had burst a dam! I soaked my wounds in salty tears. Only I could understand the pain.
The Dongyuan carpenter used a hammer to hammer iron nails into the coffin. The clinking sounds of the hammers seemed to be driving the nails directly into my flesh and bones.
After the coffin was placed in the coffin, the torches were relit. The mourning hall and the coffin were set up, and the Taichang offered pigs, cattle and sheep as sacrifices. Then, in order, the Taiguan Food Supervisor, Zhonghuangmen, Shangshi and other officials offered sacrifices in turn.
Amidst the wailing, Zhao Xi hurried down from the palace, walked up to me, and called out, "Queen!"
I knelt on the ground helplessly like a pile of mud. Prince Yi, Zhongli and others helped me up from the ground. I waved my hand weakly: "Grand Marshal, just follow the etiquette!"
Zhao Xi agreed, walked up the steps of the palace, and said loudly: "The Book of Shangshu says that the crown prince will take the throne and lie in front of the coffin today, so we ask that the crown prince take the throne and honor the queen as the empress dowager!"
I held back my tears and managed to squeeze out one word: "Yes."
Zhao Xi waved to the crowd, and the officials stood up and left one by one. Liu Zhuang came to me from the opposite side with tears in his eyes, knelt down and called out, "Mother..." His voice was so sad that he was choked with sobs and could not say anything else.
I stroked his head. "Your father went east and west to fight the enemy, made his carriage his home, fought glorious battles, rode on horseback and commanded soldiers. He was in the army and built this country since he was thirty years old. He worked hard for the people, the country, and the country for more than thirty years. Now you are also thirty years old and have become an emperor. Your mother hopes that you will not disappoint your father's expectations and be a good emperor..."
"Mother... Mother!" Liu Zhuang hugged my waist and burst into tears. "I dare not compare to my father, but I will never let down the people and the country. I will definitely be a benevolent emperor who cares about the world!"
We hugged each other and cried bitterly. Someone came to comfort us and pulled us apart. We went into the inner room. Shannan brought me some clothes and changed them for me. I let her do whatever she wanted. After about half an hour, the palace maid brought me a bronze mirror and I looked at myself.
The woman in the mirror is wearing a long gown with curved hems, made of silk, dark blue on the top and black on the bottom, with the collar and sleeves trimmed with ribbons, a scissors-shaped hairpin on her head, pearl earrings, and a tortoise-shell hairpin inserted horizontally into her hair bun. The end of the hairpin is decorated with a carved phoenix in the shape of a flying phoenix, with jadeite feathers and a white pearl bracelet in its mouth, the end of which is held by a golden tweezer. There is also a horizontal hairpin on each side inserted into the hair bun to fix the hair bun knot.
The clothes were gorgeous and the demeanor was elegant. It was the first time I wore the empress dowager's fine clothes, but my heart was so painful that I couldn't even speak. The person in the mirror had swollen eyes and a haggard look, but after Shannan's skillful touch-up, a lot of the twilight color had been concealed. I stroked the white hair at the temples and smiled sadly. I wonder if Xiu'er would smile and praise me when she sees me dressed like this?
Back in the front hall, Liu Zhuang had also finished dressing, wearing a crown with tassels on his head, a black robe and a red skirt, with the twelve chapters of the sun, moon and stars embroidered on his clothes.
Suddenly, I seemed to see that familiar figure walking towards me with steady steps and vigorous posture. I was overwhelmed with emotion and stood in the corridor, my vision gradually blurred, tears streaming down my face, soaking my clothes.
The ministers returned one after another, all wearing auspicious clothes, holding jade tablets, and lined up in the order of the usual court meetings.
In front of the coffin in the hall, a throne was set up. Zhao Xi and Liu Zhuang climbed the steps, stood in front of the throne, bowed their heads to the north, and read the emperor's letter. After reading, they turned right and faced east, kneeling to present the imperial seal and six imperial seals to the new emperor. Liu Zhuang took them with both hands, sat on the throne, and ordered the eunuchs to kneel and present the jade utensils, Suihou Pearl, and Snake-slaying Sword to the Grand Commandant Zhao Xi.
After the handover was completed, the Zhonghuangmen announced the ceremony, and His Majesty and his ministers bowed and shouted: "Long live the emperor——"
When the new emperor ascended the throne, he honored me as the Empress Dowager and sent envoys to announce the opening of the city gates and palace gates and the withdrawal of the garrison guards.
After the fourth watch, all the officials left, and Shanan and others helped me back to the palace to rest.
After removing my makeup, I lay exhausted on the bed with my clothes on. I was extremely tired, but I couldn't fall asleep even after closing my eyes. Tears slipped unconsciously from the corners of my eyes. The bedside was empty. The person who usually slept with me was now in the mourning hall in the front hall, lying quietly in the cold coffin.
I turned over and sat up, waking up Ma Cheng who was napping under the bed: "What does the Queen Mother want?"
I lifted the quilt: "I want to go to the front and take a look!"
She quickly reached out her hand to hold me down, and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Three Dukes, the Minister of Rites, and the other kings are taking care of the coffin. Please rest in peace, Queen Mother!"
I trembled and said, "I can't sleep, I want to go see him and talk to him!"
Ma Cheng was stunned for a moment, then realized what was going on, and knelt in front of me with tears in his eyes: "Empress Dowager! Your Majesty still relies on your support. The late emperor has passed away, and Your Majesty is already heartbroken. If the Empress Dowager does it again... What should Your Majesty do?"
Her crying startled the outsiders, and Shanan hurried in. Seeing me standing barefoot with disheveled hair, she cried out in a low voice, choking with sobs, "Empress Dowager!"
I looked at the empty room blankly, and slowly placed my right hand on my heart - this place, like this room, is also empty...
