Chapter 129  Enthronement 2

Shu Yuwan comforted, “Your Highness is well-prepared, and with the Emperor’s early arrangements and the proper deployment of personnel, there’s no need to worry.”

The Crown Prince smiled, “You seem calm.”

Shu Yuwan held the Crown Prince’s hand and said with a smile, “I was nervous too at first. Seeing you, who are usually so composed, feeling nervous made me realize it’s normal for me to feel a bit anxious as well.”

The Crown Prince found Shu Yuwan’s words amusing and said, “Did you know, there’s an inexplicable connection between people. Being with you makes me feel relaxed.”

Shu Yuwan pondered his words.

But now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.

Shu Yuwan chuckled, “Perhaps it’s because I have no other thoughts towards you, being a married woman, that I can be more unrestrained.”

“Your Highness, let’s quickly have something to eat. We might be busy all day today.”

The Crown Prince agreed, ordered breakfast, and they ate together. Shu Yuwan encouraged the Crown Prince to eat more, as the enthronement process was complex and time-consuming. She didn’t want him to be weak from hunger later.

The Crown Prince also tried to eat more, and Shu Yuwan instructed the kitchen to prepare some convenient pastries for him to snack on. If there was a break, she wanted him to have a little to replenish his energy.

After breakfast, Shu Yuwan had the palace’s best hairdresser come to style her hair.

This hairdresser was known to be the most skilled in the palace, and Shu Yuwan had checked in advance to ensure everything was in order before calling her over. It must be said that Shu Yuwan was now extremely cautious.

It was this caution that had allowed her to safely navigate the palace and reach this day.

Facing the woman who would soon be the most esteemed in the world, the hairdresser displayed her exceptional skills, giving Shu Yuwan an exquisitely styled hairdo.

“You look truly beautiful, Your Highness!” the hairdresser exclaimed.

Part flattery, part genuine admiration.

Since becoming the Crown Princess, Shu Yuwan had kept a low profile. Few people in the palace had seen her, and while they had heard she was a second wife, they had never heard anyone mention how beautiful she was.

Shu Yuwan smiled but didn’t say much, taking it as flattery from the palace staff.

Qing Dai presented the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin symbolizing the Empress’s status, its ruby sparkling brightly.

Although she had seen it before, looking at the hairpin, Shu Yuwan still felt a moment of disbelief—she was really going to be the Empress!

Once Shu Yuwan changed into her outfit and adorned herself with the hairpin and other accessories, the Crown Prince was also ready.

Seeing Shu Yuwan dressed up, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but be taken aback and said with a smile, “You truly have the demeanor of a mother of the nation, Your Highness!”

Shu Yuwan chuckled, “I’m bearing the weight of all these accessories. They’re quite heavy.”

The Crown Prince chuckled and leaned in to whisper in Shu Yuwan’s ear after a while, “I feel the same way.”

Looking at the Crown Prince in his ceremonial attire, his once gentle demeanor now exuding a commanding presence, it seemed that indeed, clothes made the man.

The couple laughed and teased each other for a while, dissipating much of their nervousness.

After a while, they heard Ah Qing calling from outside, “Your Highness, it’s time!”

The Crown Prince listened and said to Shu Yuwan, “Let’s go.”

Shu Yuwan nodded, and the couple left the Palace together.

First, they hurried to the Temple, where the Crown Prince and Shu Yuwan performed the ritual of offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth.

The entire ritual was complex and intricate. By the time it concluded, Shu Yuwan was already feeling physically drained. However, she didn’t dare show any signs of fatigue and continued accompanying the Crown Prince as they rushed to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

However, Shu Yuwan couldn’t enter to receive the officials’ obeisance.

The Crown Prince entered the Hall alone, walking step by step towards the dragon throne with court officials lining both sides. As the Crown Prince took his seat, the court officials loudly sang the ceremonial hymns.

Since the Retired Emperor had not passed away, there was no need to avoid celebrations. The sounds of music and firecrackers filled the air.

After the ceremonial music, all the officials knelt down in unison, shouting, “Long live Your Majesty!”

Standing in the side hall, Shu Yuwan watched the Crown Prince seated on the dragon throne through the curtains. With a solemn expression, he raised his hand and said, “Rise, all of you!”

Focused on the scene, Shu Yuwan didn’t expect the Crown Prince to seemingly sense something in such a formal setting. He turned slightly towards her direction, and even though the distance wasn’t close, Shu Yuwan could see the Crown Prince give her a gentle smile.

Involuntarily, a smile appeared on her face as well.

After the officials paid their respects, the Minister of Rites stepped forward with the prepared imperial edict and read it aloud to the officials, proclaiming the era name as “Xing.”

Simultaneously, Shu Yuwan was crowned as the Empress!

Following this, they set off together to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay respects to their ancestors.

Seeing Shu Yuwan, the couple exchanged a smile and departed together.

Guided by the court officials, they completed the ancestral worship ceremony before the entire enthronement ceremony came to a close.

Shu Yuwan and the Crown Prince returned to the Hall of Celestial Favor together.

The Crown Prince held Shu Yuwan’s hand, and she noticed that his hand, like hers, was slightly sweaty.

With no one else around, Shu Yuwan couldn’t help but laugh, “Seeing His Majesty so composed and calm, I thought you weren’t nervous at all.”

The Crown Prince smiled, “Although I’ve been the Crown Prince for many years, being the Emperor can make you nervous.”

Shu Yuwan nodded, “You will be a great Emperor.”

Such a grand enthronement ceremony was usually a once-in-a-lifetime event for an Emperor. Feeling nervous was normal, and the Crown Prince’s anxiety showed how seriously he took the responsibility of being Emperor.

The Crown Prince was delighted that as Emperor, Shu Yuwan could still address him as “Your Highness.”

The Retired Emperor always said that the path of an Emperor was lonely, but the Crown Prince believed that as long as he treated his wife sincerely, he wouldn’t be as lonely as his father.

Starting from today, the Crown Prince would move to the Hall of Celestial Favor, while Shu Yuwan would move from the Palace to the Hall of Earthly Virtue.

Mother Zhao, who had been guarding the Hall of Earthly Virtue for the late Empress, was delighted that the hall finally had a new owner. It wasn’t just any woman but the master’s daughter-in-law!

Shu Yuwan wanted Mother Zhao to stay in the palace for retirement, but Mother Zhao refused. After bidding farewell to the new Emperor and Empress, she went to the Imperial Awakening Temple to continue guarding the late Empress’s tablet.

Their children, Wenyue and Mingcheng, also moved into the Hall of Earthly Virtue.