Futai hurriedly lowered his voice and said,
“It’s just past the first quarter of the Chen hour.”
Emperor Jingxi nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Futai quickly raised his hand and gestured to the person next to him, who, upon receiving the signal, hurriedly passed the message outside.
This process seemed complicated, but those who served in front of the emperor were all alert and well-trained.
The entire process was swift and silent, and in an instant, the imperial guards stood in formation outside, with golden lotus torches leading the way.
The sound of flutes and pipes began, and the emperor set off.
Because of today’s blessing ceremony, according to protocol, Emperor Jingxi wore a twelve-jade pearl crown and a vermilion purple robe with twelve imperial symbols.
Surrounded by eunuchs and ceremonial officials, he boarded the imperial carriage and set off in a grand procession to the Linghui Temple for the blessing.
This scene was already familiar to Emperor Jingxi.
He had even become accustomed to calmly organizing his thoughts amidst the music, pondering the important state affairs of late.
When he slightly closed his eyes in contemplation, the eunuchs and civil and military officials around him found him even more unfathomable and divine, and they might even hold their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Appearance.
However, today, what lingered in his thoughts was not the state affairs he had just reviewed, but last night’s dream.
Last night, he had actually dreamed of that young lady.
She looked at him with pitiful eyes, wanting him to stay with her.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so cold.
Even if he wanted to correct her temperament, he should have spoken more gently.
After all, she was still young and had probably never been through such things.
With her delicate temperament, what if she was really scared?
In fact, she wasn’t really unruly, nor was she excessively delicate.
It was just her nature, and perhaps it couldn’t be changed.
At this moment, the sound of cheering came from ahead.
Emperor Jingxi lazily raised his eyes and saw the officials following him, and the people in the distance craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the emperor’s procession.
Emperor Jingxi had always been approachable and never ordered people to drive away the commoners.
Instead, he would have people scatter golden flowers as a gesture of sharing joy with the people.
Today was no exception, so he ordered that the officials be bestowed with flowers.
As soon as this decree was issued, the guards, the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the imperial guards along the way were all bestowed with flowers, and some of the commoners were also given flowers.
Those who received the flowers naturally expressed their gratitude and were overwhelmed by the honor.
Seeing this scene, Emperor Jingxi couldn’t help but think of A’wu again.
He had ordered Futai to bring her some items from the inner palace.
Had she been grateful?
Had she been overwhelmed?
He thought helplessly that she might have been overjoyed, but she probably hadn’t been truly grateful, taking it all for granted.
Little liar, little ingrate.
At this time, the imperial carriage had arrived at the Western Hills.
Under the guidance of the ceremonial officials, Emperor Jingxi descended from the carriage.
In front of the hall, the ceremonial canopy and curtains had already been set up by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Bureau of Imperial Sacrifices, the Office of Imperial Seals, and the Office of Music were all ready.
The blessing ceremony began.
First, the musicians prepared the music in front, followed by the empress and the ladies of the inner court taking their positions, and the civil and military officials also taking their positions.
Then began the welcoming of the gods, the first offering, the second offering, the final offering, the removal of the offerings, and the sending off of the gods.
Amidst the music of flutes and pipes, under the guidance of the ceremonial officials, Emperor Jingxi followed the protocol step by step to complete today’s blessing ceremony.
At an unguarded moment, his eyes swept over an inconspicuous corner, where an official attending the blessing ceremony for the first time was looking at him with fervent eyes, his face full of awe and admiration.
Emperor Jingxi was rather indifferent to this.
He attended various sacrificial and blessing ceremonies countless times every year, and each time it was more or less the same process.
This grand and elaborate ceremony was part of the Dahui court, a way to demonstrate the court’s majesty to the civil and military officials and the common people, to let them appreciate the emperor’s dignity and inspire reverence and piety.
And he, the emperor, in this complex set of rituals, was just a puppet.
He even felt like an actor.
His gaze swept to the distance, where some common people were prostrating themselves, kneeling there with tears in their eyes.
Today, every thread on his body was the most exquisite and precious in the world, and a single decree from him could determine their life or death.
But he was still just an actor.
He boredly lowered his eyelids and continued to play his part.
When the blessing ceremony finally ended, the crown prince led the clan’s younger generation to pay their respects.
Emperor Jingxi was the third son, with two older brothers and five younger ones.
These seven brothers had all been granted the title of prince.
The princes of Dahui did not have fiefs but enjoyed a stipend and could pass on their titles to their descendants.
Although Emperor Jingxi’s bloodline was thin, his brothers had many descendants, so the clan was now quite large.
At this time, Emperor Jingxi’s gaze swept over them.
The sixteen-year-old crown prince was young and handsome, like a pearl or jade, wearing a wing-crown and a round-collared robe with twelve imperial symbols.
The exquisite sun, moon, and star patterns on his shoulders added to his noble and majestic appearance.
This was his only son, his flesh and blood, and he bore some resemblance to Emperor Jingxi in his youth.
Objectively speaking, looking at this handsome young man, he naturally felt fondness and pride as a father.
But upon closer inspection, the young man’s brows carried a hint of resentment and a touch of melancholy.
He knew his son was still at odds with him over the Ning family.
He had never expected that a mere lowly concubine, without even a formal title, would cause his son’s anger to last so long.
No wonder the empress had been uneasy about it.
He calmly averted his gaze, pretending not to see.
He knew his son well enough.
From a young age, he had studied the three classics and the five canons, read the four books and the five classics, learned the strategies of kingship, and delved into military tactics.
After more than a decade of careful nurturing and cultivation, even if he was just going through the motions, he should have learned something.
As the crown prince of Dahui, he had to know what he should and shouldn’t do.
So, he said nothing and, following protocol, proceeded to the West Flower Hall, where he hosted a banquet for the officials.
The banquet was filled with music and celebration, as was customary.
After the banquet ended, Emperor Jingxi retreated to the back hall to rest for a while.
Whenever there was a grand and elaborate ceremony, Emperor Jingxi often had no time to rest for long.
The attending eunuchs would seize every opportunity to massage the emperor’s shoulders and back, quickly tidy up his appearance, and, if necessary, serve him tea and some snacks to satisfy his hunger.
This process was routine and familiar, and Emperor Jingxi would close his eyes to rest during this time.
Today was no exception.
The back hall was quite quiet, with only the eunuchs and maids tiptoeing around, busy but quick and silent.
At this time, Furu, who was nearby, seemed hesitant to approach but didn’t dare to say anything, just silently knelt down.
Emperor Jingxi sensed this.
He still lazily half-closed his eyes, just making a slight gesture.
The person serving by his side naturally understood and immediately lowered his voice, saying,
“Your Majesty, the crown prince is outside requesting an audience. He has been waiting for the time it takes to burn an incense stick.”
Emperor Jingxi had anticipated this.
His thin lips parted slightly as he commanded,
“Summon him.”
Furu immediately gave a signal to the outside.
The signal was conveyed through a series of gestures, passed silently from the inner hall to the outer court.
Moments later, the Crown Prince entered the hall.
With a flourish of his robe, he knelt on the patterned floor tiles.
“Your son pays his respects to His Majesty. I apologize for disturbing Your Majesty’s rest. Please forgive me.”
Despite the resentment in his heart, the Crown Prince remained respectful and filial, which pleased Emperor Jingxi.
“Rise,”
the Emperor said indifferently.
The Crown Prince thanked him and stood up.
Then, he finally spoke,
“Father, what is the meaning of this?”
Emperor Jingxi slightly opened his eyes and glanced at the Crown Prince without expression.
“Oh?”
The Crown Prince accused,
“Your son’s guards were stopped by the Imperial Guards and not allowed to leave. Why is that?”
Emperor Jingxi tilted his head slightly, resting his chin on his fingers, and chuckled.
“Your guards wanted to leave?”
The Crown Prince paused.
Inside the hall, twelve bright lanterns with giant candles burned throughout the night, illuminating the room as brightly as day.
However, the Emperor’s face was partially hidden behind a massive pillar, his profile stern and majestic in the interplay of light and shadow.
As he laughed, his expression was inscrutable.
Though raised in the imperial family and educated by his father, the young Crown Prince still lacked experience.
He couldn’t fathom his father’s intentions.
His jade-like face showed a trace of helplessness.
He lowered his head slightly and confessed,
“Father, Your son’s concubine, Ning, was sent to Yang Yang Temple by Your Majesty’s decree to become a nun. I just wanted to see her, to see if she’s doing well. Is that not allowed?”
Emperor Jingxi raised an eyebrow.
“Is that so? You just wanted to see her?”
The Crown Prince lowered his eyes and muttered softly,
“Your son is worried about her. She’s young and doesn’t understand the temple’s rules. What if she’s being bullied?”
Emperor Jingxi laughed in exasperation.
“Young? If she has the means to seduce the Crown Prince, then she can bear it. How is it that Yang Yang Temple can accommodate so many palace maids and officials, but not her?”
The Crown Prince looked aggrieved and innocent.
“Father, you may not know, but Ning has a delicate temperament and isn’t worldly. In the temple, without anyone to protect her, what if she gets into conflicts or is bullied? She has no one to turn to.ā
āYour Majesty sent her there with a decree, and Your son can’t say anything. But she was once Your son’s woman. As a man, shouldn’t I protect her and at least give her a good future?”
Emperor Jingxi found this amusing.
“You’ve truly grown up, taking responsibility for your woman. Very good, very good.”
Encouraged, the Crown Prince boldly said,
“Father knows she was Your son’s woman. Perhaps she’s already carrying Your son’s bloodline. How could Father just cast her out like this…”
This was simply heartless and ruthless.
Emperor Jingxi raised an eyebrow slightly and scrutinized his son again.
In his mind, his son was still a young boy, too kind and naive, easily manipulated by a scheming, seductive woman who had ensnared him in a trap of allure.
But now, hearing this, he couldn’t help but consider the possibility.
However, he quickly dismissed it.
“I once sent the royal physician to check. Ning is not pregnant. Stop dreaming.”
The Crown Prince retorted,
“Father, but just a few days before she left my residence, I stayed in her room. How could that be detected in such a short time? What if she’s carrying Your son’s bloodline? How could Father bear to let the royal bloodline of our great Hui Dynasty be lost?”
Upon hearing this, words like “reckless indulgence” flashed through Emperor Jingxi’s mind.
His son, the Crown Prince, handsome and dignified, educated by many scholars, was the hope he had nurtured with great expectations.
At just sixteen, he had been ruined by a woman of ill repute!
Though married, the Crown Princess came from a noble family, dignified and refined, and would never allow the Crown Prince to be so unrestrained.
Only a lowly woman, lucky enough to seduce a royal prince, would act so shamelessly.
Emperor Jingxi reined in his thoughts.
Perhaps he should arrange for the royal physician to tend to his son soon, to prevent him from damaging his foundation through excessive indulgence at such a young age.
So, he looked at the Crown Prince expressionlessly and said,
“If she is pregnant, Yang Yang Temple will report it. We’ll deal with it then. As the Crown Prince, you should not be preoccupied with a nun from Yang Yang Temple. What kind of example does that set?”
The Crown Prince protested, “But Fatherā”
Emperor Jingxi cut him off.
“No buts. Alright, I’m busy today and somewhat tired. You should go entertain the imperial relatives, and alsoā”
He tossed some scriptures to the Crown Prince.
“If you’re really that idle, why not read more and learn about health preservation instead of thinking about nuns all day.”
The Crown Prince took them and saw that they were “Tongxuan Zhenjing,” “Chongxu Zhenjing,” and “Zhouyi Cantongqi.”
He flipped through them; they were either about statecraft or health preservation.
Emperor Jingxi added,
“As the Crown Prince, already married, you’re no longer a child. At least behave yourself.”
The Crown Prince held the stack of books, looking both innocent and helpless.
Emperor Jingxi lazily lifted his thin eyelids and instructed Furu,
“The deer antlers that arrived today, give them to the Crown Prince. Let him replenish his energy.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.