Simultaneous travel: Starting from returning to the main god space.

Chapter 401 A Thousand Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix, Flowers Bloom in an Instant (Seeking Monthly Tickets! Seeking Subscriptions!)
Time flies like an arrow, and the days spent scrubbing people's backs at the Jiaofangsi Bathhouse have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed since Wu Xian beheaded Emperor Yuanjing, which is known as the first seven days after his death.

Just as Wu Xian had predicted, it would not be a simple matter to make Huaiqing become empress as a woman.

Aside from cabinet ministers and members of the royal family, the rest of the court officials and nobles also needed time to be notified and appeased, not to mention the need to suppress the opinions of the local government, garrison, and the common people.

Therefore, during this period, Wei Yuan, Yunlu Academy, and cabinet ministers all mobilized all their resources to create and control public opinion.

First, he emphasized that Emperor Yuanjing's absurd actions over the years were all due to the bewitching of demons, and that he himself had long been replaced by evil spirits.

The Crown Prince and other princes of the Great Feng Dynasty were also influenced by Emperor Yuanjing. They were mediocre and unfit for important positions. If they were to succeed to the throne, the Great Feng Dynasty would be doomed.

Only Emperor Yuanjing's eldest daughter, because she was not valued, was fortunate enough not to be spoiled. Instead, she became independent and strong because of her gender, and became a person of both literary and martial talents, far more reliable than her brothers...

At the same time, Wei Yuan also used his pre-arranged watchmen to spread the story of Empress Dayang in the major restaurants and teahouses of the capital every day, in different ways, so that more people who had not been well-educated would know that women could also be emperors and that they could do just as well as men.

In addition, according to rumors from some people who wish to remain anonymous, Wu Yinluo, who supposedly killed the tyrannical emperor, also greatly admired Princess Huaiqing and had been closely watching her for several years.

After killing the tyrannical emperor, he proposed that the eldest princess succeed to the throne, which was supported and agreed upon by a group of ministers and even the great scholars of Yunlu Academy.

There are also rumors that Princess Huaiqing and Wu Yinluo have long been engaged.

If Princess Huaiqing becomes emperor, Wu Yinluo will be equivalent to empress... bah! He will be Princess Huaiqing's wise and capable assistant, and under his guidance, the people will have a good life in the future.

In short, with Princess Huaiqing becoming emperor, the common people benefited greatly and no longer had to worry about being oppressed by corrupt officials and their children.

Of course, no matter how beautifully these are described, they are just marketing and publicity tactics, much like how the United States campaigns for votes, except that here there is only one contestant, Huaiqing.

To truly win the hearts and minds of the people and gain their recognition as Empress Huaiqing, these methods alone are clearly insufficient; Huaiqing needs to achieve sufficient results to prove herself.

Or... someone helped them cheat.

……

June 23rd, at dawn, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The palace resounded with drums and music, creating a magnificent symphony.

The enthronement ceremony was extremely complicated. First, the Minister of Rites led the officials to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth on behalf of the new emperor.

After the ceremony, the new emperor, dressed in mourning clothes, offered sacrifices to the ancestors at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Only after these two steps are completed can the coronation ceremony begin.

The Minister of Rites led officials from the Ministry of Rites to the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Agriculture, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple to inform the gods and the spirits of past emperors that a new emperor was about to ascend the throne.

Upon their return, grand music and magnificent bell tolled outside the Golden Palace.

East Palace.

With the help of the palace maids, Huaiqing put on a large fur coat and crown.

This uniform was extremely complex, consisting of a crown, inner robe, outer fur coat, black outer garment, and crimson skirt. The crown was adorned with gold ornaments and had twelve tassels adorned with pearls.

The upper garment is decorated with six symbols: sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragon, and pheasant. The lower garment is embroidered with six more symbols: waterweed, fire, rice grains, sacrificial vessels, axe, and embroidered fu (a type of embroidered pattern), making a total of twelve symbols, hence it is also called the Twelve Symbols Garment.

After he was dressed, two palace maids brought a bronze mirror that was the same height as a person and placed it in front of Huaiqing.

In the bronze mirror, the eldest princess is lightly made up, with long, heavily drawn eyebrows that accentuate her heroic and sharp spirit.

She was originally a woman with a cool and noble temperament, and now, wearing a twelve-chapter robe and a twelve-tassel crown, an aura of majesty and majesty immediately emanated from her.

Seeing Huaiqing like this, even his close maid, who usually had a very good relationship with him, dared not breathe loudly, lowered her head and looked as docile as a quail.

At the same time, looking at his reflection in the mirror, Huaiqing's eyes were also somewhat dazed.

Am I really... going to be emperor?
It's strange. This is a long-cherished wish she has longed to fulfill since she became an adult, but now that the day has actually come, it feels somewhat unreal.

Perhaps this is completely contrary to Huaiqing's original plan.

Or rather, she didn't obtain the throne through her own abilities, but rather because of that man's forceful decision.

Suddenly, light footsteps sounded, and an official from the Ministry of Rites stepped through the gate of the East Palace. Through the curtain, he respectfully said:

"Your Highness, the time has come."

Huaiqing remained silent for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, hummed in agreement, and then, surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs, left the East Palace and headed towards the Golden Palace amidst the magnificent sounds of bells and drums.

Regardless of how she became emperor, the most important thing now is to stabilize the court, consolidate the dynasty's fortunes, reverse the decline of the Great Feng Dynasty, and then, together with that person, reverse that hopeless future.

As for anything else, compared to this, they are all unimportant.

After crossing the Golden Water Bridge and passing through the square, Huaiqing walked on the steps and looked ahead at the Golden Palace. He could vaguely see the magnificent palace and the high throne.

In an instant, many figures flashed through her mind.

Yuan Jing was naturally suspicious and could not tolerate his talented offspring taking power.

There was Wei Yuan, whose temples were graying, and who had been secretly supporting her all along;
There is a mysterious and unpredictable guardian deity, the Jianzheng, whom no one can understand.

And that guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, seemingly changing completely overnight...

Finally, with a flick of her sleeve, she turned and sat upright on her throne, her eyes no longer seeing anyone.

From this day forward, it will be her era... no, it will be her and Wu Xian's era.

The two will remain at the pinnacle of power for a very long time, until one day the world no longer needs them.

"Enter the palace!"

As the eunuch's distinctive, treacherous voice rang out.

Civil and military officials dressed in crimson or blue-green robes, led by officials from the Ministry of Rites, entered through the Meridian Gate, crossed the Golden Water Bridge, and stood in orderly rows on both sides of the Imperial Road according to their rank.

Then, Grand Secretary Wang Zhenwen presented the edict of accession to the throne, which was handed to the Minister of Rites to carry to the foot of the steps. The Minister of Rites then placed the edict on a cloud tray and delivered it to the eunuch in charge of ceremonies.

The Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, dressed in a red python robe, bowed and received the cloud tray, then read the imperial edict to the officials:

"The edict says——"

"In the past, Emperor Gaozu, with his dragon soaring over the Ji River, swept across the land, reaching the Jing Mountain in the east and the Buddhist temples in the west. His benevolent influence and righteous reputation shook the world, sweeping away the stubborn ills of the Great Zhou and restoring peace and prosperity to the four seas."

"For six hundred years, the world was at peace, and the glorious achievements were made by the emperor."

"During the early years of his reign, Father Yuanjing was diligent and hardworking. However, he was bewitched by a sorcerer and practiced Taoism for more than 20 years. He neglected state affairs, harmed thousands of innocent people, and was incompetent and immoral. He did not respect his ancestors or love his people. He acted perversely and aroused the wrath of both gods and men."

"I am a woman, but I have been blessed by Heaven and the spirits of my ancestors, and thus I have been entrusted with a mission in times of crisis, and have gathered virtuous and capable men by my side. Now, the civil and military officials, the various departments, and the common people have jointly urged me to ascend the throne as Emperor, to rule over the people."

"Following the requests of the people, I ascended the throne on the 23rd of June and established the reign title 'Huaiqing'. With the grand ceremony completed, all matters of state that should be carried out should be addressed concurrently."

Say it!
On both sides of the imperial road, Wang Zhenwen, Wei Yuan, and all the civil and military officials, relatives, and nobles knelt down and shouted:

"Long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!"

The shouts were like a tsunami, deafening.

On his throne, Huaiqing looked down upon the kneeling officials, ruling the world with an aura of majesty no less than that of Yuanjing when he first ascended the throne.

“唳————!!!”

Just then, a melodious bird song rang out in the sky, resounding throughout the capital and into the hearts of every living being.

The people of the capital all looked up, and then involuntarily gaped open.

Flames appeared on the clouds in the sky, then the wind blew them away. A pair of fiery wings, blotting out the sky, slowly unfurled.

Its feathers were crystal clear, with golden patterns extending from its back to its tail, trailing a dazzling five-colored radiance, hovering above the Great Feng Imperial Palace, extremely magnificent and rich.

True Phoenix Treasure Technique!

Moreover, as the phoenix cried out, birds within a thousand miles seemed to be summoned by their souls and flew into the sky together.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, tens of thousands of birds of different kinds circled and flew around the phoenix, instantly creating a picture of ten thousand birds paying homage to the phoenix, leaving the people and even the officials of the city speechless, as if they had witnessed a miracle.

……

Meanwhile, at the Star-Gazing Tower and the Bagua Platform.

Mu Nanzhi, dressed in a gorgeous lotus-colored long dress, stood at the edge of the Bagua Platform.

When she saw the colorful phoenix in the distance and the scene of thousands of birds paying homage to it, she couldn't help but be somewhat lost in thought.

But she quickly realized what was happening, pouted slightly, and muttered in dissatisfaction:

"A show-off, and given the current situation, what difference does it make whether I'm here or not..."

Despite her words, Mu Nanzhi closed her eyes, her slender fingers forming a flower-picking gesture, and softly recited:

"I wish that flowers would bloom in the capital, filling the world with fragrance!"

In the void invisible to the naked eye, the seeds of life overflowed from her body and drifted with the wind.

Drifting past the riverbank, the willows along the river are sprouting new buds.

Drifting through the courtyard, the courtyard is a riot of colors; drifting through the streets and alleys, the grass and trees grow wildly, and flowers bloom in an instant.

From above, one can see vibrant colors spreading throughout the capital, with the fragrance of flowers filling the air and bringing a sense of tranquility.

……

Later historical records state:

On the 23rd day of the sixth month of the first year of Huaiqing, the Empress ascended the throne. A divine phoenix appeared and led thousands of birds to circle above the palace for several hours.

At the same time, flowers bloomed in the capital city in an instant, their fragrance spreading for miles, and auspicious omens descended from the heavens.

The people of the capital were overjoyed, kneeling in the streets and shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

However, what history records is that Wu Yinluo, who personally killed the tyrannical emperor and was deeply loved by the people of the capital, sneaked into the palace again that night to assassinate the empress, killing her with a chicken on her imperial bed. He almost missed court the next morning...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)