I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

"To the Imperial Household Department?"

Zhao Mingzhu shielded her mother in front of her.

"Should we go now?"

The young eunuch flattened the document in his hand.

"His Majesty has already bestowed the marriage upon her. According to palace regulations, the concubine must go to the Imperial Household Department to have her clothes made and learn the etiquette of the Crown Prince's Palace."

Madam Zhao and Zhao Mingzhu exchanged a glance.

The mother and daughter had just finished discussing their plans to leave the city when the Imperial Household Department's men were already blocking the entrance, leaving them no time to even go back to the escort agency to pack their belongings.

After waiting for a while, the smile on the little eunuch's face disappeared.

"Miss Zhao, are you perhaps unwilling to accept the imperial decree?"

"Or is it that the Zhao family is dissatisfied with His Majesty's bestowal of a marriage?"

Madam Zhao quickly bowed.

"Father-in-law has misunderstood."

"Mingzhu just survived an assassination attempt and still has several abrasions on her body; she hasn't reacted yet."

"His Majesty's bestowal of this marriage is an immense favor to the Zhao family."

Zhao Mingzhu also forced a smile.

"I'll go now."

She took her mother's hand and wrote the character "Lu" on her palm.

"Mother, go back to the escort agency first."

"The streets are not safe today. Have your uncle take more men to protect you."

Madam Zhao understood her daughter's meaning.

Once she gets back, she needs to send someone to find Lu Yuan as soon as possible.

Even if we can't escape today, we have to tell him about the substitute and the loss of his virginity so he can come up with a solution.

"Once you're in the Imperial Household Department, don't throw tantrums anymore."

"There are rules everywhere in the palace, so if you don't understand something, just ask."

Never argue with anyone.

Madam Zhao straightened her daughter's torn sleeves before letting go.

Zhao Mingzhu followed the eunuch through two streets and entered the imperial city through a side gate.

The Imperial Household Department had already received the imperial edict.

Several female officials brought over a register, first registering her place of origin, parents, and brothers, and then asking about her relatives for three generations and her birth date.

The palace maids then brought in dozens of bolts of silk, allowing her to choose the color for her auspicious dress.

Zhao Mingzhu casually pointed to a piece of red silk.

The female official glanced at it and ordered the palace maids to remove the cloth.

"A concubine cannot wear bright red."

"Bright red is the color for the Crown Princess's auspicious attire; Your Highness may only choose scarlet, pomegranate red, or begonia red."

Zhao Mingzhu had no choice but to point to the crabapple blossom instead.

The lady-in-waiting asked her to open her arms and then measured her shoulder width, waist, and skirt length.

When the measuring tape was wrapped around her waist, Zhao Mingzhu felt a tightness in her back.

She tried several times to ask about the regulations for physical examination, but there were seven or eight people in the room, and two female officials were keeping accounts with their heads down.

Every time he was about to speak, he would swallow his words back down.

After the clothes were measured, the head maid delivered many more booklets.

"This is the etiquette of the Crown Prince's Palace."

"Your Highness must learn how to meet His Majesty, the Empress, and the Crown Princess!"

"There are specific regulations governing banquets, sacrifices, and audiences with noblewomen at the Eastern Palace!"

Zhao Mingzhu opened to the first page.

After the act of bowing alone, there are more than a dozen taboos.

She had been a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) for many years, and these rules gave her a headache.

But we haven't escaped yet, so we can only patiently continue searching.

After flipping through two pages, Zhao Mingzhu couldn't resist anymore.

"Granny, can I go home today?"

"Now that you've learned etiquette today, someone will naturally come to escort Your Highness home!"

The head nun looked at the booklet in her hand.

"But Your Highness must learn all of this before entering the palace!"

Zhao Mingzhu looked at the pile of books, and beads of sweat were about to drip from her forehead.

She's not even sure if she'll live to see the day she enters the palace, so where would she find the time to learn these things?

Meanwhile, the investiture ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple was still underway.

The people and bloodstains on the imperial road have been cleaned up by the imperial guards.

After the injured official left the guard of honor, other officials filled the vacancies according to their rank.

After Lu Yuan alighted from the Crown Prince's carriage, he followed the officials from the Ministry of Rites into the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The Imperial Clan Court first read out the edict, recording the identity, achievements, and reasons for the enthronement of Lu Yuan, the late Empress's eldest son.

Then came the worship of Heaven and Earth, ancestral temples, and the land and grain.

After Lu Yuan accepted the incense, he followed the master of ceremonies and performed nine bows.

Zhao Guoqiang stood at the very front of the master of ceremonies, glancing at him with every step he took, fearing that the new crown prince might cause some trouble again.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan behaved fairly well today.

"Your Highness, step forward to receive the investiture."

Lu Cangqiong took his seat in the ancestral temple.

Zhou Fu walked over with the golden book, followed by another eunuch carrying the crown prince's golden seal.

"The ninth prince, Lu Yuan, is benevolent, filial, wise, and capable of securing the country and comforting the people."

"He is now appointed Crown Prince, to sit in the Eastern Palace, and to assist in governing the country."

"I am willing to shoulder the weight of the ancestral temple and safeguard the vast land of the Great Yong."

After Lu Yuan took the golden book, he also picked up the crown prince's golden seal.

The golden book was placed in the ancestral temple, and the golden seal also came into his hands.

This crown prince has only been truly decided today.

Even if Lu Cangqiong wanted to depose the crown prince in the future, he would have to summon the imperial clan and officials and list out the crimes that would please his ancestors.

Lu Cangqiong looked at his son in front of him.

"Don't think that just because you've become the crown prince you can do whatever you want."

"The position of Crown Prince is not about wealth and glory, but about bearing the responsibility for the entire Great Yong Dynasty!"

Lu Yuan carefully put away the golden seal.

"Rest assured, Father."

"As long as you don't push all the work onto your son, he will definitely do a good job."

"I knew you were never serious!"

Lu Cangqiong raised his hand, gesturing for him to turn around.

Outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple, members of the imperial family, ministers of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, and officials of all ranks stood in order of their rank.

As soon as Lu Yuan stepped out of the palace gate, all the officials knelt down and paid their respects.

"Your Highness, we pay our respects!"

The sound reached the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the Imperial Guards outside also knelt down.

Lu Yuan raised his hand, indicating that he would refrain from formalities.

The six ministers stood up first, followed by the vice ministers, censors, and officials from the Hanlin Academy.

In the Ministry of War's ranks, Han Zheng had his head down and his expression was not good.

Han Gou is still imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice prison.

Because the Han family supported Lu Cheng, many of their former protégés and officials were dismissed.

Now that Lu Yuan has become the Crown Prince, the Han family will face even greater difficulties in the future.

The position of Censor Zhou Wenzheng has been taken over by someone else.

The officials who had previously sided with Lu Cheng now surrounded Lu Yuan.

Some praised the disaster relief efforts in Hedong for being well-organized, while others inquired about the cement workshop.

Several officials even expressed their desire to secure a position in the Eastern Palace.

Lu Yuan gave a few perfunctory replies and did not agree to anyone on the spot.

Shen Chongshan stood at the head of the military officers.

He bowed along with the other officials, but his eyes remained fixed on the crown prince's golden seal in Lu Yuan's hand.

Lu Cheng was expelled from the imperial clan, and Consort Shen was imprisoned in Zhaohua Palace.

The throne that the Shen family had been planning for for many years ultimately fell into the hands of the late empress's son.

Xu Hu stood behind and asked in a low voice:

"General, what do we do now?"

"Just a gold seal."

Shen Chongshan straightened his court robes.

"Being crown prince does not guarantee a stable position."

"The Twelve Battalions of the Northern Frontier are still in the hands of the Shen family."

"As long as the border is in chaos, the court will understand who the Great Yong cannot do without."

Officials from the Ministry of Rites were ready to lead the officials to the Altar of the God of Earth and Grain.

As soon as everyone moved, a member of the Imperial Guard rushed into the outer courtyard of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The man's clothes and armor were covered in mud, and he had lost one of his boots. He was also protecting a wooden box containing military intelligence in his arms.

"Urgent dispatch!"

"Military intelligence in the North!"

Officials in the courtyard quickly made way for them.

The Ministry of War officials stepped forward to verify the token and seal, and then presented the wooden box to Lu Cangqiong.

Lu Cangqiong opened the military report, and after reading only a few lines, his face darkened.

"read!"

The messenger knelt before the assembled officials, his voice hoarse from running so much.

"The Northern Liang army of 100,000 is arrayed outside the pass!"

"The Northern Liang delegation has already departed and will arrive in the capital in three days."

"The Emperor of Northern Liang has sent a message demanding that Dayong redraw the borders between the two countries!"

The courtyard was quiet for a moment, then a murmur of discussion arose.

Several Ministry of War officials quickly surrounded Shen Chongshan.

Lu Yuan, however, did not read the military report.

He turned to look at Shen Chongshan.

The investiture ceremony was only halfway through when 100,000 troops from Northern Liang pressed on to the border.

The timing was too perfect.