If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

The next morning, Yuyang County was bustling with activity.

Before dawn, there was already activity in the streets and alleys of the county town.

First came a low, resonant horn sound from the direction of the palace, deep and lingering, spreading layer by layer through the morning mist, waking the entire city from its slumber.

The streets and alleys of Yuyang County were soon packed with people, men, women, and children, with their families, crowding both sides of the official road leading to the imperial palace.

Teahouses and restaurants on the streets and alleys had already moved their tables and chairs to their entrances early on. The owners hung up big red lanterns, and there were still-wet notices on the doors with the words "Congratulations on the new emperor's ascension to the throne, a cause for celebration throughout the land" written on them.

An elderly scholar who could read stood in front of the notice and read it aloud, swaying his head. The crowd of people who had gathered around started discussing it.

Who is this new emperor?

He's the ninth son of the Zhengde Emperor! Our Yuyang County is going to become a secondary capital!

"From now on, we are citizens of the capital region!" The chatter was mixed with the laughter of children chasing and playing in the gaps in the crowd, and the occasional sound of firecrackers in the distance.

The entire city of Yuyang was like a pot of boiling water, bubbling and noisy, with an indescribable restlessness permeating the air.

By the time the sun peeked over the eastern mountain ridge and the first rays of golden light appeared, the official road outside the main gate of the imperial palace was already packed with people.

On both sides of the official road, the 50,000 troops left behind by Su Mingyue formed a neat and orderly honor guard, stretching from the main gate of the palace all the way to the city gate. Their iron armor and silver spears formed two dazzling silver lines under the morning sun.

These soldiers were all elites who had cultivated the "Scripture of Crossing the World," with the lowest cultivation level being at least at the Refining Skin Realm. The ranks stood in complete silence, with only the banners fluttering in the morning breeze.

Even the most boisterous children didn't dare to make a sound in front of the crowd, but stood far away at the back of the crowd, tiptoeing to look.

Zhou Ming stood on the steps in front of the main hall of the imperial palace, wearing a brand-new official robe that had been made overnight.

This robe was temporarily altered to his size by the old tailor of the prefectural governor's mansion. It was made of dark blue satin with dark red piping on the collar and cuffs, and a silver belt was tied around his waist.

Behind him stood about twenty veteran officials and ceremonial officers transferred from the Marquis's residence, each with a solemn expression and holding a thick set of ceremonial regulations in their hands.

On either side of the steps stood two rows of imperial guards clad in armor and wielding halberds. These guards were handpicked from the five thousand elite troops Zhou Ming had brought back from the northern border. Each of them was burly and imposing, their armor gleaming, and their mere presence exuded a powerful aura of authority.

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), bells and drums sounded in unison.

The eighteen large cowhide drums set up in front of the main hall of the imperial palace were struck at the same time, the sound of the drums was so loud that it startled a flock of birds roosting in the woods behind the palace and they flew into the air.

Immediately afterwards, the Ninth Prince Liu Ji's imperial carriage, surrounded by a group of golden-armored guards, slowly appeared at the end of the official road.

The five hundred guards flanking the imperial carriage were all clad in black armor and wielded silver spears, their steps precise and disciplined.

Liu Ji sat upright on the imperial carriage, wearing a bright yellow imperial robe.

The black upper garment is embroidered with six symbols: sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragon, and pheasant; the crimson lower garment is embroidered with six symbols: ancestral vessel, waterweed, fire, rice grains, axe, and axe. The twelve symbols cover the entire robe.

He wore a twelve-tasseled flat crown, the tassels of which were made of fine white jade beads that swayed gently with the swaying of the imperial carriage.

The tassels and beads covered most of his face, but from a distance, he did indeed have the dignified air of a young emperor.

But as the imperial carriage drew closer, Zhou Ming saw Liu Ji's eyes darting around behind the tassels, looking left and right, a smug smile playing on his lips.

Su Mingli, riding a horse next to the imperial carriage, was even more exaggerated than him.

The young master was wearing a light red brocade robe today. This color would be a disaster on anyone else, but Su Mingli's face was just too handsome.

With his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes set against the watery red background, he actually looked quite convincing.

He still held the gilded folding fan in his hand, and even though the north wind was blowing the banners fluttering, he still refused to put the fan down.

He didn't look at the road at all, and instead leaned to the side on horseback, exchanging glances with Liu Ji on the imperial carriage. The two of them were gesturing through the curtains of the imperial carriage, as if they were discussing where to go for drinks that night.

When the surrounding people saw the young master's appearance, some couldn't help but laugh. Someone next to him immediately nudged him with their elbow, indicating that this was a grand occasion of the new emperor's ascension to the throne and that he was not allowed to laugh.

Behind Liu Ji, in the procession, Duke Su Mubai rode a gray horse, his lean frame appearing somewhat strained under his wide python robe.

He changed into a brand-new python robe, which he had altered overnight.

Su Mubai hadn't worn such a grand robe in decades. The last time he wore a python robe was during the late emperor's birthday celebration in the imperial city of Anzhou.

This time, when they fled Qingzhou in such a hurry, they didn't even bring a few changes of clothes. This python robe was an old item that Su Mingyue found at the bottom of the trunk in the Marquis's mansion's storeroom.

They had the tailor alter the clothes three times overnight to fit Su Mubai's measurements.

The old Duke rode on his horse, his back slightly hunched, but his bright eyes remained as steady as a mountain beneath his graying eyebrows.

He didn't look at the crowd, the ceremonial guard, or the two young men in front of him who were still exchanging glances. He simply followed the procession at a leisurely pace, as if he were walking a path that was destined to be walked to the end.

Su Mingyue was not in the group.

She has already led her army to the border of Qingzhou.

It doesn't really matter whether she's there or not.

Her black-armored guards were everywhere in and around the palace, from the palace gate to the steps of the main hall, from the side hall to the rear garden, every door and every corridor was guarded by her men.

Every step of the new emperor's ascension to the throne was under her watchful eye.

The imperial carriage stopped in front of the main hall. Liu Ji alighted from the carriage, the tassels of his crown swaying gently in the morning breeze. He straightened his clothes, held his head high, and slowly ascended the steps under the guidance of the eunuch in charge of ceremonies.

His steps were much more steady than usual, each step perfectly timed with the beat of a drum. The hem of his imperial robe trailed on the gold-brick floor, held respectfully by two eunuchs behind him.

Zhou Ming bowed at the top of the steps to greet him, glancing at the soon-to-be-crowned emperor out of the corner of his eye.

Liu Ji's lips were still slightly upturned, but his steps up the stairs were steady and standard, clearly indicating that he had been given intensive training by Su Mingyue's men last night.

Inside the main hall, an imperial desk and a dragon throne had already been set up.

On the imperial desk were the Imperial Seal, the Imperial Edict for the Sacrifice to Heaven, and the Edict of Accession to the Throne, all laid out in a row. Of course, the Imperial Seal was also made last night in a rush.

Inside and outside the hall, all the civil and military officials, imperial guards, local gentry, and representatives of prominent families from all over the country, numbering in the hundreds, knelt down in unison.

Zhou Ming stood to the side of the hall and shouted at the top of his lungs, "The new emperor has ascended the throne, and all officials pay homage."

With the sound of bells and drums, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies read out the long edict of accession in a trembling yet highly rhythmic voice.

Then Liu Ji took the Imperial Seal from the eunuch, held it to his chest with both hands, and placed it neatly on the imperial desk.

He turned around, the tassels of his crown swaying gently behind the incense smoke, and then slowly sat down on the dragon throne.

All the civil and military officials in the hall knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

The sound struck the dome of the main hall of the palace and bounced back, buzzing and making people's eardrums vibrate.

Zhou Ming stood to the side of the hall, not kneeling, but secretly scanning the face of everyone in the hall with his divine sense.

Su Mubai stood at the very front of the officials, kneeling down with everyone else. His bright eyes closed briefly as he knelt, then opened again.

Zhou Ming couldn't read anything from that wrinkled face.

Su Mingli knelt on the other side, unusually putting away his fan, his head lowered, his expression unreadable.

Liu Ji sat upright on the dragon throne, the tassels of his crown obscuring most of his face.

Through the gaps in the tassels, he looked around at the civil and military officials kneeling on the floor of the hall, and remained silent for a long time, as if he was getting used to this new perspective.

Then he spoke.

"Today, as I ascend the throne, my first priority is the well-being of the nation. All aspects of Youzhou depend on the Su family."

"From this day forth, Yuyang shall be established as the secondary capital. I will use this place to rebuild our nation, recover the old capital, and revitalize the Great Xia."

The hall was silent for a brief moment, then the shout of "Long live the Emperor!" became even louder than before.