stjorthotic Chapter 240 The Ceremony of Conferring the Title of Imperial Noble Consort
Chapter 240 The Ceremony of Conferring the Title of Imperial Noble Consort
Since the emperor didn't have time, the empress had to keep an eye on things by herself.
No matter who gives birth in the harem, the child belongs to the Empress, which means that she is primarily responsible for the birth.
In the dead of night, Shen Shixi was fast asleep when Li Fude came to report, "Your Majesty, Consort Su has given birth to twin princesses, and both mother and daughters are safe and sound!"
Shen Shixi was woken up by the noise and kicked Li Yuanke with all her might.
Fortunately, she kicked Li Yuanke's leg.
Li Yuanke grabbed her ankle. "You insolent brat, haven't you learned your lesson? What if you kick me again and cripple me? Where will you cry then?"
Shen Shixi said, "You're not the only man in the world who has one."
Li Yuanke was nearly enraged to death. He slapped her on the buttocks and said, "Shut up! If you dare to have such thoughts again, I won't let you off!"
Shen Shixi ignored him and shouted outside, "Reward her according to the rules. Consort Su has made a contribution in bearing an heir. By imperial decree, she is promoted to the rank of Beauty and given the title of Que."
The character 悫 (que) means pure and genuine, without any pretense or falsehood.
Li Yuanke felt that this bastard was mocking the Su family.
He didn't bother to care.
Li Fude waited outside for a long time, but did not receive any instructions from the emperor. He assumed that the Imperial Noble Consort Chenyuan had not forged an imperial edict, so he proceeded to carry out the order accordingly.
Li Yuanke pulled her into his arms and held her as they continued to sleep.
Su Fuying risked her life to give birth to twins, but neither of them was a boy, which made her extremely sad.
The emperor's attitude towards his concubines reveals that he had only one requirement for them: to bear children.
Consort De was an exception. Back then, when the emperor was vying for the throne, the household could not be without an heir. This was a hard requirement, so the emperor gave her more opportunities. Later, when the eldest prince died, in order to stabilize the Duke of Xin's household, the emperor gave Consort De another chance.
But the new concubines were not so lucky.
She gave birth to twin princesses, and she probably won't have the chance to have any more in the future, so she dislikes the princesses very much.
Yingge took the child in her arms, not even glancing at him, and asked, "The Emperor bestowed upon me the title 'Que,' is that the Emperor's will?"
Yingge said, "It's the middle of the night. If Eunuch Li goes to request an imperial decree, the Emperor wouldn't just let the Imperial Household Department draft it for you, would he? It must be the Emperor's will. My lady, you've given birth to twin princesses. This is a rare and joyous occasion. The Emperor will surely be delighted."
Thinking that the Emperor would definitely come to see her when it got light, she was also very happy. "Tomorrow, please do my hair and makeup properly, so that when the Emperor comes to see me, I won't be disheveled and lose my decorum in front of him."
Daylight broke, but the emperor did not come to see us.
The previous dynasty had many affairs to attend to, and now it has reached the most critical moment.
The preparations for the investiture ceremony were almost complete. The emperor checked the ceremonial procedures with the Ministry of Rites once again. The imperial edict had been issued long ago, and the crown and robes were all ready. He ordered them to be sent to Zhaoyang Palace.
The floral crown features nine dragons and five phoenixes, completely different from the phoenix crown worn by the Empress and the floral crown worn by the Imperial Concubine.
When Li Yuanke was crowned empress, there was not enough time. The empress wore a phoenix crown that Empress Wenzhen had discarded. It had twelve flower trees and twelve small flower trees. The gold wire, gold chain and gold pieces were shiny and very beautiful, but there was a flaw in the ruby.
It was also because Empress Wenzhen was not wearing it at the time.
Shen Shixi's crown is not qualified to be called a phoenix crown, but it is no less than the phoenix crown at the coronation ceremony. The golden dragon and phoenix are lifelike. It is only missing a small flowering tree to distinguish it from the real phoenix crown, and it does not exceed the etiquette.
But it has an extra phoenix compared to a real phoenix crown.
Li Yuanke had clearly been scheming.
The Empress's robe was dark blue, but this Imperial Noble Consort's ceremonial robe was the same color as the Emperor's robe, with a crimson skirt and a red outer robe. Normally, the robe should be embroidered with bluebirds, but this one was embroidered with seven dragons and nine phoenixes.
Since there has never been a proper title like Imperial Noble Consort since ancient times, Li Yuanke simply decided to improvise.
But this dress can't be made in just a few days.
"Your Majesty, this formal dress took the weavers and embroiderers from Jiangnan five years to complete. Please try it on. If it doesn't fit, I will have it altered," said the head maid of the Imperial Clothing Bureau.
"You started making this dress five years ago?" Shen Shixi asked.
"Yes, the emperor had only been on the throne for six months at that time."
Shen Shixi smiled. Making the floral crown was certainly not something that could be done overnight. This grand ceremonial robe was embroidered with gold and had high requirements. It was indeed a lot of work. Even a dragon robe with a grand crown was no more than this.
Shen Shixi tried it on; the waist of the dress was a little too big, but the rest was fine, so she took it to be altered.
On October 14th, the formal dress arrived again. I tried it on, and it fit perfectly.
The 18th is the emperor's birthday. This year's birthday celebration has been cancelled and replaced with a ceremony to confer titles on imperial concubines.
Three days in advance, the emperor and Shen Shixi bathed and fasted.
On the seventeenth day, the emperor first sent the Ministry of Rites to offer sacrifices to Heaven, Earth, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the God of Soil and Grain. On that day, early in the morning, at one o'clock in the morning, the emperor and Shen Shixi were woken up.
Shen Shixi was so frustrated that she wanted to hit someone, but if she actually did, it would be too disrespectful.
Even though she knew that the emperor's actions were intended to force the Pei family to rebel, she had no choice but to endure it, given that the emperor had made this floral crown and prepared this grand dress five or six years ago. She resigned herself to getting up and dressing.
I'm so sleepy, I can't even keep my eyelids open.
"Li Yuanke, can't you do this ancestral worship ceremony by yourself? I can't go into your family's ancestral temple, what am I supposed to do there?" Shen Shixi made a last-ditch effort.
Li Yuanke rolled his eyes at her and ignored her. He was also trying to suppress his morning grumpiness when he felt like he had just closed his eyes when he was woken up.
When he woke up, that bastard's claws were still gripping him there, adding to his discomfort.
Li Yuanke sat on the bed for a while to recover before getting up and sitting in front of the dressing mirror, where Lan Ying helped him with his makeup.
Shen Shixi decided to leave it at that and got up to start getting ready. She didn't let Bai Ping do her heavy makeup; instead, she did her own rose-themed makeup, which was gentle and elegant yet approachable.
The moment she put on the flower crown, she felt her neck shrink down; it was so heavy!
As the saying goes, "Heavy is the head that wears the crown."
Wearing the grand gown, Shen Shixi seemed to be enveloped in a golden light. She looked like a god descending from the clouds. If it weren't for her face and the overwhelming aura she exuded, most people wouldn't be able to pull off this outfit.
Walking with the emperor, they were practically divine beings.
In front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, a long red carpet stretched all the way to the farthest point, with civil and military officials on both sides of the carpet, and ladies of the inner and outer courts waiting on the outer side.
Everyone knelt down, their eyes secretly glancing in the direction from which the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine had come.
On such an occasion, Shen Shixi dared not ride in the imperial carriage. She dismounted from her own colorful banner, and the emperor, who was waiting for her, took her hand and led her across the red carpet, step by step ascending the high steps of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Shen Shixi's nine-dragon and five-phoenix crown and her seven-dragon and nine-phoenix ceremonial robe complemented the emperor's grand crown. The emperor held her hand tightly, the long skirt trailing behind them, the colorful phoenixes shining brightly in the morning sun, seemingly about to fly into the sky.
The floral crown is luxurious and dazzling.
The Imperial Noble Consort's face was as radiant as spring blossoms, her beauty unparalleled. When the Emperor looked at her, his breathtakingly beautiful figure seemed to fill the world with fragrance.
Upon reaching the door, Li Yuanke released her hand and went inside to pay respects to his ancestors, while Shen Shixi waited outside.
In traditional etiquette, the Imperial Ancestral Temple was a place to worship the emperors of the Song Dynasty, and no one other than the emperor was allowed to enter.
During the Song Dynasty, Liu E, a widow who later became empress, made a request to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to worship her ancestors. This caused an uproar among the court officials, who felt it was utterly ridiculous.
The emperor knelt alone before the ancestral tablets and portraits of the royal family's ancestors, and the sacrificial text was written by the Secretariat, read aloud by the emperor, and then burned.
Afterwards, a register and treasure table were set up in the Taiji Hall.
Drumming and music.
The officials and ladies of the court and the inner court attended the ceremony.
However, the Empress did not come today.
The emperor ascended the throne and personally presented the imperial edict and seal to Shen Shixi, bypassing the chief and deputy envoys. The Minister of Rites then personally read the edict aloud.
After Shen Shixi bowed to the emperor, the emperor stepped down from his throne, took her hand, and led her up the steps. The two sat side by side and received the three kneelings and nine kowtows from the civil and military officials.
The emperor and the imperial concubine went to Cining Palace to pay their respects to the empress dowager.
Afterwards, Shen Shixi received congratulations and kowtows from noblewomen both inside and outside the palace at Qianyuan Palace.