On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the world was shocked!
On this day, the young emperor of Dayan suddenly passed away, and the entire Yongyan Palace was burned to ashes by a fire!
On this day, the young princess was supported by all the ministers and pushed onto the throne, becoming the only empress in Dayan in hundreds of years!
On this day, the entire Kyoto was deserted, and everyone was excitedly discussing the several major events that took place in the imperial city in just one day.
The news got out in a variety of ways.
In less than half a day, the entire Dayan and its neighboring countries knew about it.
Some were happy, some were angry, some were shocked, and some were in disbelief.
Many forces began to stir.
The Empress Dowager's decree and the new emperor's imperial edict were issued together and sent to all the fiefdoms, states, counties, cities, armies, etc. across the country.
When the emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, the rulers of various vassal states and important generals were summoned to rush to Kyoto to mourn and offer congratulations.
However, many people had different attitudes when they received the imperial edict.
Some people immediately rushed to Kyoto, some stayed and waited, and some feudal lords raised their troops in rebellion and issued a manifesto: "The eldest princess covets the throne and murders the emperor. This is a great treason and the whole world must punish her!"
"It's absurd for a woman to succeed to the throne!"
Even many officials and royal family members in Kyoto were dissatisfied.
Some people, relying on their high achievements and seniority, went directly to the palace to persuade and stop the incident. However, most of them never returned.
The snow on the ground of the palace was soon stained with new blood.
The inner and outer city defenses were all replaced, many generals and soldiers were beheaded, and the residences of many meritorious ministers were stained with blood.
Prime Minister Zuo Zheng hanged himself in his mansion.
Taiwei Wang Fu's military power was taken away, his head was chopped off, and his entire family was beheaded...
In just half a day, the turmoil in the entire Kyoto stopped, and no one raised any objection to the new emperor's succession to the throne.
Even the Queen Mother wiped her tears and issued an imperial decree: "My daughter's succession to the throne is in accordance with the will of Heaven, the will of the late Emperor, and the will of the people of the world!"
At the same time, she also took out a edict left by the late emperor, which was stamped with the late emperor's imperial seal. The edict read, "My daughter Huoyue is a woman of natural talent and a rare woman in the world. Her talent is ten times that of mine. With her around, we will surely be able to stabilize the country and make our Great Yan prosperous. If the emperor is capable of assistance, then assist him; if he is not talented, my daughter can take his place, and the world will support her together," and so on.
Li Taiji, the inspector of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, also reported: "The year before last, the sun was eclipsed by the heavenly dog. Last night, nine stars were aligned. The eldest princess will succeed to the throne today and become the true dragon emperor. This was foreshadowed long ago. It is the will of heaven!"
For a time, the whole of Kyoto was filled with voices praising his achievements.
Members of the royal family and meritorious ministers went to the palace one after another to pay homage to the new emperor.
The eldest princess's brand new dragon robe and crown were also urgently made within half a day.
Of course, the most embarrassed people on that day were the people from Lingxiao Sect and the people from various factions who came to the wedding banquet with generous gifts.
They stood there from morning till evening, and no one paid any attention to them.
The royal family members in charge of welcoming the bride and arranging the wedding, as well as the personnel from the Ministry of Rites, all left and went to kneel before the new emperor.
As members of the five major sects, they certainly did not dare to go and pay homage to the new emperor when faced with such an unexpected event.
Originally, several elders had discussed with Fairy Zixia and were preparing to leave quietly, but they were stopped by the Royal Guards and were not allowed to leave.
A group of people stood alone in front of the ruins of Yongyan Palace, braving the wind and snow, watching the fire burn, watching the fire go out, watching the dawn and watching the dark, forming a sharp contrast with the other busy people in the palace.
Until night fell, no one came to greet them.
People from all sects were beginning to feel impatient.
"Master Zixia, how about you go and ask them why they won't let us leave?"
"Yes, the emperor has passed away, and such a thing has happened in the palace. We are still here. How embarrassing. Does she want us to kneel down and acknowledge her?"
"How is that possible? Our five major sects have already signed a contract with the imperial court and cannot interfere in these matters. Now the situation is unclear, who can really ascend... ahem, anyway, we definitely can't go and kneel down."
"Ah, I thought that by getting her married, I could avoid this kind of thing from happening, but who knew..."
"How could it be such a coincidence?"
"Humph, do you think this is a coincidence? They chose this day. This is her last chance! If she really gets married..."
"Shh, don't discuss these things. No matter who ends up in that position, we should not make irresponsible comments. As long as he governs the country well and treats the people well, that's all."
"Fairy, today's wedding is definitely off. The emperor has passed away, so the wedding cannot take place. And the eldest princess has become the new emperor, so it is impossible for her to recruit a consort..."
The people from other sects looked at the people from Lingxiao Sect with some pity.
Of course, we don’t know what they are thinking.
All the elders and several peak masters of Lingxiao Sect were so embarrassed that they didn't know what to do.
Fairy Zixia had a calm expression on her face. She turned her head to look at her disciple and even had the leisure to tease him: "Feiyang, don't be sad. I will find you a better one when the time comes."
Luo Qingzhou lowered his head and said nothing.
The great elder Wu Youzi looked at the bright red wedding gown on him, sighed, and said, "Feiyang, take off your clothes quickly and change into something else."
Looking at the wedding gown in the morning, everyone in Lingxiao Sect was happy and proud. But looking at the wedding gown again now, all they felt was embarrassment and irritation.
Mo Jiufeng also felt embarrassed and said, "Take it off quickly, take it off."
Luo Qingzhou came to his senses, quickly took it off and threw it out.
Just as the wedding gown was about to fall to the ground, a strong wind suddenly blew up from the side, and blew the gown back, and it fell into a white jade hand.
Linghu Qingzhu took the wedding gown and put it directly into his storage ring. Facing the puzzled eyes of everyone, he said coldly: "Even if my Lingxiao Sect is rich and powerful, we can't waste it like this. Wait until he gets married next time and then he can continue to wear it."
Everyone else sighed and said nothing more.
Luo Qingzhou took out the black robe of Lingxiao Sect from the storage ring and put it on. He looked towards the ruins of the palace in front of him and fell into deep thought.
The eldest princess's desire for power and her cold-bloodedness and domineering nature on the battlefield were finally aroused, or perhaps she had been enduring it.
I don’t know how she will treat him and the Qin family after she ascends the throne.
If politics requires it, would she directly sacrifice him and the Qin family to silence the world's gossip
However, no matter how she explained, she could not avoid the infamy of fratricide and regicide.
Also, it is not easy for a woman to ascend the throne.
I believe that the various forces in Dayan will not give up, especially those feudal lords who have inheritance rights, military power and prestige.
I don’t know whether she can pacify the world and sit safely on the throne.
At this time, the snow was falling even heavier.
Just as everyone was getting anxious and angry and preparing to leave by force, a eunuch suddenly came over quickly and said respectfully: "Dear guests, His Majesty wants you to gather at Chongming Palace."
After these words were spoken, everyone looked at each other in surprise.
Why go to Chongming Palace? To kneel down and pay respect to the new emperor
Taoist Priest Sun from Qingyun Temple immediately said, "Please tell the princess that it is getting late and we should go back."
The old eunuch said respectfully, "Don't worry, His Majesty has said that he just wants you to speak. You don't need to kneel or change your address to His Majesty."
After these words were spoken, everyone looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go. Such a big thing has suddenly happened in the palace. I guess the princess has something important to tell us. Why don't we go and take a look?"
The elder of Xianyun Pavilion spoke.
The others had different expressions and could only nod.
The old eunuch bent his body, ready to lead the way.
Luo Qingzhou hurriedly and quietly tugged at Fairy Zixia's sleeve and whispered, "Master, I won't go, to avoid embarrassment."
When Fairy Zixia was hesitating, the old eunuch seemed to have ears on his back. He turned around and said with a smile: "His Majesty said that the groom must go."
Luo Qingzhou: “…”
"Let's go, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Fairy Zixia said softly.
Luo Qingzhou had no choice but to lower his head and follow behind.
The old eunuch took small steps, bent over, and led the way in front.
Along the way, everyone was silent, with heavy hearts thinking about things.
The group soon arrived at Chongming Palace.
Inside and outside the palace, there were royal guards in armor and armed with sharp weapons, looking cold and murderous.
A red carpet was laid on the ground.
The eunuchs and palace maids all lowered their heads, walking busy and silently in the corridor.
The old eunuch led the group across the wide square and onto the arch bridge.
A familiar voice immediately rang out at the entrance of the hall: "The groom and the distinguished guests have arrived!"
Everyone: “…”
Luo Qingzhou's face froze, he looked up and saw that it was Prince Duan.
Everyone followed the old eunuch up the stairs and into the hall.
Prince Duan also lowered his head and followed in.
The main hall is luxuriously decorated with gold and splendor.
Two gold-plated steps were separated by a golden dragon painting in the middle, extending straight to the top of the platform.
On the dragon throne on the high platform, a figure wearing a crown, a fiery red dress embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon, sat there coldly and majestically.
Although all of the people in this group were masters from various sects, the first feeling they had when they entered the hall was an extremely strong sense of oppression and a powerful majesty that made them hold their breath unconsciously.
In addition to the majesty that the eldest princess was born with and developed on the battlefield, there is also the mysterious decoration and formation of this palace, which makes people unconsciously feel a sense of fear.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Everyone from the five major sects paid their respects in unison, still tacitly addressing her as Her Highness.
The new emperor Nangong Huoyue on the high platform glanced at them majestically and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Such a big thing happened in the palace today. I am sure you all have a lot of ideas in your mind. Can you tell me what you think? For example, if my royal brother suddenly passed away, or if I, a girl, suddenly ascended the throne, what would you think? I really want to hear your opinions."
Taoist Priest Sun of Qingyun Temple put his palms together and bowed his head and said, "Your Highness, we are here today just to attend the wedding banquet. Other matters have nothing to do with us. Back then, our five major sects signed a contract with the court that we would never interfere in any matter in the palace or the court, and we dare not make any irresponsible comments. Please forgive us, Your Highness."
Elder Fang of the Jinchan Temple also put his palms together and said, "Amitabha, if Your Highness wants to seek advice, just ask the court officials and clan members. We are all outsiders, and we dare not discuss government affairs."
The people from Xianyun Pavilion and Huashan Sect also lowered their heads and remained silent.
Nangong Huoyue's face was obscured by the pearl curtain of the crown, and her expression could not be seen clearly. She was silent for a moment, then looked at Fairy Zixia of Lingxiao Sect and said calmly, "Does Sect Master Zixia have any opinions? I am all ears."
Fairy Zixia bowed her head slightly and said softly, "Your Highness, I am just a cultivator in the mountains and I dare not discuss state affairs."
Nangong Huoyue narrowed her eyes and said, "I am a woman, and now I have ascended the throne as the emperor. I just want to know whether you five major sects can look down on women. Or do you think that women are never qualified to sit in this position, no matter how capable she is, no matter whether she can make the Great Yan country peaceful and prosperous!"
Everyone bowed their heads in silence and no one answered.
Nangong Huoyue waited for a while, then laughed at herself and said, "I really thought too much."
After that, her majestic eyes suddenly turned to the figure standing at the back of the Lingxiao Sect, and said in a cold voice: "Chu Feiyang, where is your wedding gown?"
Everyone was stunned when they heard this.
Luo Qingzhou froze for a moment, then he clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, since the marriage is over, I..."
"Who told you that the marriage was off?"
Nangong Huoyue suddenly interrupted him coldly, and the fiery red dragon robe on her body suddenly moved without wind.
The atmosphere in the entire hall suddenly froze!
Everyone was shocked and looked confused.
Fairy Zixia said, "Your Highness, the emperor passed away today, the funeral bells are ringing, and the marriage must be cancelled. And now that you are of a different status, you naturally cannot recruit a consort."
Nangong Huoyue looked at her coldly and said, "Master Zixia, today there is a funeral and a happy event. You should know that I did not force you to agree to the marriage between your Lingxiao Sect and me. It was decided after the Queen Mother, my brother, and you discussed it together. You forced me at the beginning! What? Now that I have ascended the throne, you, the Lingxiao Sect, are afraid that other sects will say something, so you want to regret it?"
Fairy Zixia was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, you mean to say that you still want to..."
"It's not what I want."
Nangong Huoyue looked at her dignifiedly and said, "It is this matter. You must give me an explanation! My lifelong event was decided by you, and I had no choice but to agree. Now, you say you regret it. Where do you want me to be?"
Fairy Zixia fell silent.
In the hall, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment in complete silence, none of them knowing what the newly crowned empress meant.
At this time, Prince Duan, who had been standing silently beside him with his head down, suddenly spoke up: "Master Zixia, you are wrong in this matter. Since the marriage has been decided, it cannot be changed. How can you joke with your majesty's reputation? Although there is a funeral today and the wedding cannot be held, the bride and groom are both here. Why not let them simply worship heaven and earth first to determine their status, and then make up the wedding banquet etiquette after the funeral is over. What do you think, Fairy?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's faces showed a look of surprise.
Fairy Zixia frowned, looked at the majestic figure on the steps, and said: "Your Highness, I am afraid it is not appropriate to worship heaven and earth today. If Your Highness is still willing to let this marriage continue, then wait until the national mourning is over, and then...
"Today, please."
The majestic figure on the dragon throne suddenly spoke coldly, then looked at someone and ordered: "Put on the wedding robe!"
Luo Qingzhou: “…”