Martial Cultivator

Chapter 955.1: United as One - Part 1

In the Divine Capital these days, preparations for the Crown Prince’s marriage are being carried out with great urgency.

Since the early years of Tianjian, the harem had always been under the Empress’ control. After the Empress passed away, because His Majesty did not appoint another Empress, and did not even take other consorts, and moreover had not established a Crown Prince, there was naturally no Crown Princess Consort either. [1. Harem is not literally a harem of women since the Great Liang Emperor only married one woman. You can think of it like internal affairs of the palace is managed by the Empress, while the Emperor runs the court and 'external'.]

The affairs of the harem, large and small, in the following years came to be decided by Li Heng, the chief of the eunuchs.

After the Great Liang Emperor left the country, Li Heng went to guard the Empress’ tomb and no longer handled affairs, and in fact the harem had been somewhat chaotic.

Now that the Crown Prince is taking a consort, it means the harem will welcome a new mistress. This is also a situation the court officials are willing to see. Having a wise person manage the harem is a good thing for the foundation of the state. If an heir is born early, that would be even better.

It was set in stone that the Crown Prince will become the next Great Liang Emperor, and his offspring will likewise be the heir apparent.

For a dynasty, having famous ministers and capable officials was not enough. What was most needed was that the one sitting on that throne must be sufficiently wise.

Only in this way could a dynasty and its countless common people truly have hope.

With Chen Chao clearing away various obstacles for the Crown Prince, whether it be the sects beyond or the court, there were no opposing voices. The Ministry of Rites therefore followed ancestral precedent and quickly formulated the procedures.

Busy with preparations.Today, officials from the Ministry of Rites brought several embroiderers into the palace to take measurements for the Crown Prince and Wu Xinyue, the future Crown Princess Consort, in preparation for the ceremonial attire.

In fact, there are palace offices specifically responsible for such matters, but according to ancestral rules, this matter must follow the arrangements of the Ministry of Rites.

The Crown Prince, having grown up in the palace, was long accustomed to such things. But the newly appointed Crown Princess Consort had previously cultivated in the foreign lands. When faced with this, she inevitably felt somewhat restrained.

When the embroiderer asked Wu Xinyue to raise her hands, Miss Wu directly lifted them above her head, causing the Crown Prince to be momentarily stunned. Fortunately, he stepped forward and lowered her hands. The latter's cheeks reddened slightly, and she felt somewhat embarrassed.

The old Minister of Rites standing nearby saw this scene, and his eyes filled with tears. For a moment, it seemed as if he saw His Majesty and the Empress from years past.

They truly were an imperial couple unmatched across the ages.

After half an hour, the Minister of Rites left with the embroiderers. But just after stepping out, he turned back, bowed, and said, “Your Highness, the person to bestow the ceremonial register and treasures should be decided early. Shall it be an elder imperial uncle from the imperial clan, or...”

According to ancestral rules, it should be the reigning Emperor who hands the ceremonial register and treasures to the prince or Crown Prince who is to be married, and then the prince or Crown Prince presents them to his consort.

But now, the Great Liang Emperor has left the country and not returned, so he cannot attend. The candidate can only be chosen from among the imperial clan, selecting a respected idle prince.

In reality, however, there are not many candidates. After the deposed emperor ascended the throne back then, he feared his uncles and drastically reduced the feudal domains; many princes died during that time.

Those imperial uncles who survived only managed to live out their later years in peace after the Emperor came to power.

The Crown Prince nodded. “This imperial have plans. Old Minister, go attend to other matters first.”

The old minister nodded. After taking his leave, the Crown Prince turned to look at Wu Xinyue, who was now dressed in palace attire but appeared somewhat restrained, and smiled, “If you’re not used to it, you can wear what you like.”

Wu Xinyue shook her head and said softly, “Since I chose this, then there’s nothing to be unaccustomed to. Even if I’m not used to it, I'll get used to it after wearing it for some time.”

As a cultivator from the foreign lands, to marry into the palace meant there were far too many things to learn and get used to. This in itself was troublesome; without firm resolve, it would be very difficult to achieve.

“Does Your Highness already have someone in mind for bestowing the ceremonial register and treasures?”

Wu Xinyue spoke slightly, looking at the man before her, who, though young, already had a somewhat heroic bearing between his brows.

The Crown Prince did not hide it and said directly, “According to my thoughts, I want Elder Brother to do it, but I’m afraid the court officials will gossip. The military officials would be fine, but I’m worried about the civil officials. They’ll say it doesn’t conform to ancestral rules. It would be fine if they scold me, but if they scold Elder Brother as well, that wouldn’t be good.”

Wu Xinyue nodded. “In that case, it would indeed be unfavorable for the Lord Warden Commander. He already holds such a high position now; even the smallest matter will be infinitely magnified. If Your Highness truly cares for him, you should not act this way.”

The Crown Prince gave a bitter smile. “How could I not know this? It’s just that Elder Brother is my closest kin, and he has done so much for the country. Even Imperial Father holds him in high regard...”

Wu Xinyue asked curiously, “Does Your Highness feel that, because of the Lord Warden Commander’s contributions, you don’t want to let him feel slighted? If so, that’s not necessary. You can compensate in other ways.”

The Crown Prince looked at Wu Xinyue, shook his head, and said softly, “Xinyue, it’s not like that.”

“When Imperial Sister was still alive, she told me many times that if either of my two imperial elder brothers ascended the throne, I might not have a good end. But if that day came, who else in the world could reach out and save me? Aside from Elder Brother, there would be no one else." "Before Imperial Sister passed away, she only ever begged one person for one thing. It was for Elder Brother to protect me for a lifetime of peace. You’ve also seen these days that Elder Brother has truly put in effort for you and me. Now that things have finally succeeded, I only wish to receive the ceremonial register and treasures from his hands and give them to you.”

There were tears in the Crown Prince’s eyes as he reminisced. "Imperial Father was a great ruler, his eyes on the world, seeking to plan for the people. So in those past years, whether it was toward me or my other imperial brothers, he was not particularly attentive. I was not close with my two imperial brothers; only Imperial Sister treated me very well. When she passed away, she left me with this elder brother. Xinyue, within the imperial family, it’s rare to have affection, but this elder brother truly treats me as his younger brother.”

“Since becoming Crown Prince, whether it’s the officials or the people of the world, they only see me as the Crown Prince. Their expectations of me have always been that I become a good Crown Prince and, in the future, a good emperor. But Elder Brother, in truth, only treats me as his younger brother. That’s all.”

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