roccoschili Chapter 344 Bestowing the Title Zhaode!
Chapter 344 Bestowing the Title Zhaode!
"They're here! They're here! They're here!" someone shouted.
"The wedding procession leaving Yang!"
"My God, this is so magnificent!"
Behind the honor guard was a grand procession of dowry cars.
The convoy of vehicles formed a long line, one after another, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The car was filled with boxes, each decorated with a large red "囍" character and tied with red silk ribbons, gleaming brightly in the sunlight.
Some locals recognized the labels on the boxes and baskets.
"500,000 taels of gold," "3 million taels of silver," "300 pearls from the East China Sea," "50,000 bolts of silk from Jiangnan," "30,000 bolts of brocade from Yunzhou," "20,000 pieces of porcelain," "10,000 catties of tea," "1,000 boxes of medicinal herbs"...
One after another, box after box, it was dazzling and overwhelming.
A series of gasps of amazement rose from the crowd.
"My God, has Li Yang brought the entire national treasury with him?"
"Five hundred thousand taels of gold! Three million taels of silver! How much money is that?!"
"What do you know? The Empress of Liyang is marrying into the Great Qin Dynasty; this is a marriage alliance between two dynasties. How could her dowry be meager?"
"I've never seen anything like this in my life!"
Behind the dowry procession was a large red sedan chair carried by sixteen people.
The bridal sedan chair was more than twice the size of an ordinary sedan chair, entirely vermilion, adorned with carved dragons and phoenixes, gold foil appliqués, and pearl and jade curtains.
The golden phoenix on the sedan chair gleamed in the sunlight, its beak holding a string of thumb-sized pearls that swayed gently with the movement of the sedan chair, refracting a rainbow of colors.
The sedan curtains were made of bright red brocade, embroidered with a pattern of nine phoenixes facing the sun in gold thread. Each phoenix was lifelike, with every detail of its feathers clearly visible.
A glass lantern hung at each of the four corners of the sedan chair, burning with sandalwood incense. Wisps of smoke drifted out from the gaps in the lantern shades, lingering around the sedan chair and enveloping the entire bridal sedan chair in a light, dreamlike mist.
On either side of the bridal sedan chair, there was a group of female officials accompanying the procession.
They were dressed in matching scarlet palace gowns, adorned with gold hairpins and jade rings at their waists, their steps were synchronized, and their postures were dignified.
The leading female official was about thirty years old, with delicate features and a gentle and dignified air unique to women from Liyang.
She held a vermilion brocade box in her hands, inside which was the Imperial Seal of the Li Yang royal family.
That was the last symbol of the imperial power that Liyang had held for three hundred years, which Zhao Qingxue took away.
Following the bridal sedan chair was a long procession of attendants.
The officials in charge of ceremonies, eunuchs, palace maids, and guards stood in neat rows and columns, all in perfect order.
They all wore smiles, smiles that were well-trained and perfectly timed, but deep in their eyes lay an indescribable complexity.
There is sadness at parting, anxiety about the future, and a sense of relief.
Empress Li Yang got married, the Li Yang Dynasty was gone, and they no longer had to live in fear.
More and more people lined both sides of the official road, creating a massive, impassable crowd.
The children rode on their father's shoulders, gesturing with their little hands and chanting, "Look at the bridal sedan chair! Look at the bridal sedan chair!"
The elderly people leaned on their canes, squinted, and gazed at the bright red sedan chair, at the flag that read "Liyang," and at the long, red dragon that stretched as far as the eye could see. Their lips moved as if they were saying something.
The young people were the most excited; they crowded to the front, watching intently, wanting to etch this scene into their minds and remember it for a lifetime.
"Do you think Empress Liyang is really in the bridal sedan chair?" someone asked.
"Of course! Otherwise, what would we send as a wedding gift?"
"But didn't she arrive in Qin a long time ago? I heard she was already in the capital, so why was she sent over from Liyang?"
"You don't understand. The Empress arriving early is one thing, but escorting the bride is another. These are matters of etiquette, and cannot be disorderly."
"Oh—who's in the bridal sedan chair?"
"Is the person in the bridal sedan chair... a stand-in for Empress Li Yang? The real Empress should be waiting in the imperial city."
"So, the wedding procession sent out an empty sedan chair?"
"What does 'empty sedan chair' mean? Inside that sedan chair are the Empress's wedding dress, phoenix coronet, and embroidered robe, the Imperial Seal of the Li Yang royal family, and the marriage certificate written by the Empress herself. Once the items arrive, the person is considered to have arrived. That's the rule."
"Oh—that's complicated."
"What's so complicated about it? This is called showing off! You don't know anything!"
A burst of good-natured laughter erupted from the crowd.
The city gate slowly opened.
The soldiers guarding the city lined up on both sides, their swords and spears like a forest, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
At the city gate, Zhou Yan, the Minister of Rites, had been waiting for a long time.
He wore a brand-new dark purple official robe, a black gauze hat, and a jade belt around his waist. His white beard was neatly combed.
Behind him stood officials from the Ministry of Rites, dressed in purple, scarlet, and blue, arranged in order of rank, standing in perfect silence.
He held a bright yellow imperial edict in his hands, which read the decree of Emperor Qin Mu of the Great Qin Dynasty bestowing the title of Empress Liyang.
He had recited it countless times in his mind, every word was ingrained in his memory, and he could recite it backwards.
But at this moment, as he watched the crimson sedan chair getting closer and closer, his hand still trembled slightly.
The tremor was very slight, as slight as the flapping of a butterfly's wings, but he knew it was there.
The wedding procession stopped in front of the city gate.
Zhou Xiong reined in his horse, dismounted, and moved with agility and swiftness, showing no signs of being a veteran over fifty years old.
He walked up to Zhou Yan, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a loud, clear voice: "Zhou Xiong, the envoy from Liyang, is here on the orders of the Empress of Liyang to escort the dowry and Her Majesty to the capital of the Great Qin. Please inspect."
Zhou Yan nodded, unfolded the imperial edict, and read it aloud.
The voice was old yet resonant, echoing beneath the city gate, each word clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang, born into a distinguished family, possesses both virtue and talent, and is gentle and virtuous, a model for all. Now she has entered into a marriage with me, sharing the mandate of Heaven. Therefore, she is hereby conferred the title of Empress and bestowed the name Zhaode. So be it."
After the imperial edict was read aloud, Zhou Yan closed it, held it in both hands, and walked towards the vermilion sedan chair.
His steps were slow and steady, each step firm and solid.
He walked to the sedan chair, stopped, bowed deeply, and held the imperial edict high above his head.
"Your Majesty, please receive the imperial decree."
The sedan curtain was not lifted.
A voice came from inside the sedan chair; it was very soft and faint.
"Your Majesty, I obey the decree."
The voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through all the noise, the commotion, and the discussions, clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.
The people below the city gate suddenly fell silent.
Everyone pricked up their ears, wanting to hear another word, wanting to hear that voice say another word, wanting to hear from that voice what kind of person the legendary Empress Li Yang really was.
But no more sounds came from inside the sedan chair.
Only that seated silhouette, sitting there quietly, resembled a deity enshrined in a shrine, untouched by worldly concerns.
Zhou Yan straightened up, took three steps back, and bowed again.
"Please invite Her Majesty the Empress into the city."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly rose, and the sound of horns shook the heavens and the earth.
The bright red sedan chair, carried steadily and slowly on the shoulders of sixteen sedan bearers, entered the city gate of the Qin imperial city.
Inside the city gate, sunlight bathed the ground in a golden glow, like a road leading to the future.
The people along both sides of the official road were in an uproar.
"Long live! Long live! Long live the Emperor!"
The cheers were like a tidal wave, one wave after another, spreading from the city gates to the inner city, from the inner city to the imperial city, and from the imperial city to the palace.
The sound echoed over the imperial city, lingering for a long time.
Silver-armored cavalry followed behind the sedan chair, their hooves clattering on the bluestone slabs with a dull "clatter".
The dowry procession followed at the back, red silk fluttering in the wind and gold threads shimmering in the sunlight.
The people at the city gate automatically parted to the sides, creating a wide passage.
No one spoke, no one shouted, no one pushed.
Everyone stood quietly, watching the large vermilion sedan chair pass by them.
They didn't know what the woman in the sedan chair was thinking, whether she was truly willing to marry him, or whether she was happy or sad at that moment.
All they knew was that from this moment on, she was their emperor's empress.
The Empress of the Qin Dynasty.
Sunlight shone on the sedan chair roof, making the golden phoenix shine brightly, like a real divine bird that had flown down from the heavens and landed in this imperial city.
On the city wall, a palace maid leaned halfway out and shouted loudly into the city, "Her Majesty the Empress has entered the city!"
Inside the city, people on both sides of the main street were kneeling on the ground.
A dense, dark mass of people knelt all the way from the city gate to the palace.
No one looked up, no one spoke, only the faint sound of clothes rubbing against the ground and the distant, indistinct sound of bells and drums.
The sedan chair passed by them, its vermilion body reflected in everyone's lowered eyes.
The sound of bells and drums grew closer and louder.
That's the direction of the palace.
The bells of the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the drums of the Tianqi Hall were playing the prelude to the grand wedding that was about to begin.
Inside the sedan chair, Zhao Qingxue had her eyes closed, her hands resting on her knees, her fingers slightly curled.
Her breathing was very light and long, with very little movement in her chest, almost imperceptible.
Her face was expressionless, but something was trembling slightly in her deep purple phoenix eyes.
She heard the sound of bells, the sound of drums, the suppressed whispers outside the sedan chair, and the faint sounds of ceremonial music coming from the distant palace.
She heard everything, yet it was as if she heard nothing at all.
Only one thought was in her mind—we've arrived.
She opened her eyes and, through the gap in the sedan curtain, saw the golden imperial city outside, illuminated by the sunlight.
That was where she would live, that was where she would become queen, that was her new home.
Her lips twitched slightly, as if trying to form a smile, but the smile vanished before it could take shape.
She didn't know what she was thinking, what she was expecting, or what she should be thinking or expecting.
All she knew was that she had arrived.
She's here.
She is right here.
The sedan chair continued its journey, passing through the city gates, through the main streets, and through one palace gate after another.
The sound of bells and drums grew closer and louder, so loud that the walls of the sedan chair trembled slightly.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the sedan curtains, casting a long, bright ray of light onto her moon-white dress.
She lowered her head and looked at the light.
The light was bright and warm, shining on her chest like a hand, gently and slowly pressing there.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, the pounding surging from her chest like a caged bird desperately flapping its wings.
She didn't know what she was nervous about, or what she was afraid of.
All she knew was that she was about to see him.
Under everyone's gaze, amidst the red silk and candles filling the hall, and to the sounds of bells, drums, and ceremonial music, she was about to see him.
Not as a prisoner, not as an empress forced to submit, but as his bride.
As his lawfully wedded empress, whom he publicly declared to the world and who shared the Mandate of Heaven with him.
A slight smile finally appeared on Zhao Qingxue's lips.