The crown prince is the successor to the throne. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be the next emperor.
According to the Book of Zhou, from the emperor to the common people, all marriages followed the six rituals.
The six ceremonies are: accepting the bride's proposal, asking for the bride's name, accepting the bride's good wishes, accepting the bride's betrothal gifts, asking for the date, and welcoming the bride.
According to the ritual system of the Qin Dynasty, when the emperor marries a empress, he must offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, order an envoy to attend the ceremony, accept the betrothal gifts, ask for the bride's name, accept the good news, accept the betrothal gifts, announce the date, inform the temple, enthrone the empress, order an envoy to welcome the bride, and drink from the same cup and other ceremonies.
The prince marries a wife in the same way.
The common scene of paying respects to parents will not occur at the prince's wedding.
Only after the Crown Prince and Crown Princess get married can the young couple meet the Emperor and Empress.
Jiang Changning was quite dissatisfied with this. "My son is getting married, but I, as a mother, cannot attend. What kind of a thing is this?"
"If you want to go, then go ahead and change the rules." Emperor Xuanzhi said domineeringly.
Jiang Changning glanced at him and said, "The imperial censor's memorials will fill up the dragon case."
"Just ignore it."
Jiang Changning smiled, "Sir, don't joke."
"You are the one who never jokes, and neither is I." Emperor Xuanzhi pinched her nose lightly.
The Emperor and Empress wanted to accept the Crown Prince and his wife's greetings on the day of their wedding, and Emperor Xuanzhi ordered that the wedding hall be set up in Chonghua Palace.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess will perform grand ceremonies in the palace and enter the bridal chamber.
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother felt that it was inappropriate, "This is against the rules."
"Rules are made by people, so why not change them?" Emperor Xuanzhi smiled. "Mother, don't you want to see your grandson get married?"
The Queen Mother hesitated, of course she was thinking about it.
Emperor Xuanzhi saw this and continued, "Can't the royal family enjoy the happiness of ordinary people?"
"As the saying goes, outside the law lies human nature, let alone rules like this, which can be broken without any consequences." Jiang Changning echoed.
With the couple's agreement, the Queen Mother agreed to hold a wedding banquet for the Prince in the palace, and she and the Emperor and Empress watched the ceremony together.
The ministers were opposed to Emperor Xuanzhi's move, but the emperor insisted on doing so, and the ministers had no choice but to give in.
The emperor and empress can watch the ceremony, and the crown prince can welcome the crown princess into the palace, but they cannot go through the main gate of Daqin.
After all, although the prince is the successor, he has not yet ascended the throne.
Emperor Xuanzhi thought it over again and again and agreed to their request, and the emperor and his ministers reached a consensus.
Emperor Xuanzhi's move also silenced those who wanted to support the second prince, the third prince and the crown prince in their fight for the throne in order to gain the credit of following the emperor.
From this incident we can see that the prince not only has a stable position, but is also deeply loved by the emperor and empress.
Unless something happens to the Crown Prince, the Second Prince and the Third Prince will have no chance of competing for that position.
On the tenth day of September, Chonghua Palace was decorated with lights and colors.
In the main hall, the empress dowager sits on the left, wearing a red and black robe with a phoenix pattern embroidered with gold.
Emperor Xuanzhi and Jiang Changning sat side by side on the right, one wearing a Tongtian crown and a crimson gauze robe, and the other wearing a 袆衣 and a phoenix crown.
The prince had bathed, changed his clothes, and with his ceremonial guard, he left the palace and went to the Meng family to marry the bride in person instead of asking the ceremonial officials to do it for him.
This importance represents the attitude of the emperor and empress. They are satisfied with this daughter-in-law.
Meng Rui had already dressed up and was sitting on the east bed, waiting for her groom.
No one dared to stop the prince, and he entered the Meng family smoothly.
When they reached the inner gate, Meng Rui's elder brother bowed and said, "Please let the prince ascend."
The prince returned the greeting and said modestly, "I refuse."
Brother Meng said again: "Please let the prince ascend."
The prince said, "I dare not refuse."
Brother Meng said again: "Please let the prince ascend in the end."
The prince said, "I dare not resign."
Led by his elder brother Meng, the prince went outside the room and offered sacrifices to the geese according to etiquette.
Wait for the prince to bring Meng Rui out and enter the wedding hall.
The young couple stood together in front of Meng's father and mother, wanting to pay their respects to them.
Father Meng didn't dare to accept it, and hurriedly supported the prince, "I am a lowly teacher, it's not enough to be polite."
But after all, they are the Crown Princess's biological parents, so they can still give her a warning. Father Meng said: "Be careful and respectful, and never disobey your orders."
Meng Mu also gave him a warning, "Be diligent and respectful, and be diligent day and night."
The Crown Princess replied, "I will listen to my parents."
After leaving the Meng family, the prince climbed onto his horse, and the princess sat in the Yan翟 carriage decorated with red and purple 翟羽 and pulled by a red horse.
Amidst the sounds of joy, the welcoming procession arrived outside the palace gate. The Crown Prince dismounted from his horse, and the Crown Princess got off the carriage. They entered the palace from the left side of the Daqin Gate, each riding in a sedan chair.
When they arrived outside Chonghua Palace, the young couple got out of the car.
The prince was in front, and the princess was half a step behind.
"Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are about to come in," the ceremonial officer reported.
The three people who had been waiting for a long time were greatly encouraged and looked towards the entrance of the hall.
The young couple dressed in wedding attire walked in. Jiang Changning looked at his handsome son and praised him with a smile, "My son is so handsome."
Under the guidance of the ceremonial officer, the young couple paid respects to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress. Then, the Crown Princess paid respects to the Crown Prince first, and the Crown Prince returned the greeting.
"The ceremony is over. Send her to the bridal chamber." the ceremonial officer said loudly.
The young couple were taken to the decorated wedding hall and continued with the same-prison ceremony.
The officials and ladies who were watching the ceremony said in unison: "The Crown Prince has been married, and he has brought great fortune. We are not overjoyed, but would like to wish you a long and healthy life."
Emperor Xuanzhi smiled and said, "The wedding banquet is ready. Please enjoy it with me."
"Your servants will lead the banquet." said the officials and ladies.
Although Emperor Xuanzhi followed the example of the common people and held a wedding banquet for the crown prince's wedding, the crown prince was not an ordinary groom after all, and he would not come out to toast.
After the banquet, Emperor Xuanzhi and Jiang Changning sent the Queen Mother back to Furen Palace, and then returned to Qiyuan Palace hand in hand.
After bathing and changing clothes, as soon as the couple got into bed, Emperor Xuanzhi hugged her in his arms and began to settle accounts and ask for benefits, "Who is more handsome, my son or me?"
Jiang Changning smiled, "Of course my man is the most handsome."
"Is the Queen satisfied with today's wedding banquet?"
“Satisfied, very satisfied.”
"Then shouldn't Her Majesty thank me?" Emperor Xuanzhi's hands became restless.
Jiang Changning held his hand and said, "Let me thank your majesty today."
"I'm looking forward to it." Emperor Xuanzhi said with a smile.
"I will not let Your Majesty down." Jiang Changning smiled seductively, stretched out her hand from his shoulder, caressing, and slowly sliding towards his waist.
After being married for many years, Jiang Changning, although enthusiastic, rarely takes the initiative in this matter.
Her actions today were quite new to Emperor Xuanzhi, so he just lay there and let her do what she wanted.
Beauty is alluring in itself, not to mention that Jiang Changning now has a spring-like look on her face and is full of charm. Her every frown and smile is full of seduction.
Under Jiang Changning's provocation, the fire in Emperor Xuanzhi's body had already burned fiercely, and it was unstoppable and out of control.
He called out in a hoarse voice, "Ningning, Ningning." He wanted her to give him a quick death.
"The night is so long, Your Majesty, please don't be anxious." Jiang Changning was having a lot of fun and continued to give him sweet torture.
That night, Emperor Xuanzhi had a passionate and sweet time, which satisfied him even more than his wedding night.
(End of this chapter)