Children of Loulan

Chapter 341 Canonization Ceremony

The sky before dawn was still shrouded in darkness, and everything was silent, but Keremu had already gotten up early and carefully put on the gorgeous and solemn prince's court dress. Every detail showed his noble status and the great responsibility he was about to shoulder.

After getting dressed, Keremu walked out of the East Palace with steady steps. He first came to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, an ancient and solemn building that witnessed the achievements and inheritance of countless ancestors. After entering the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Keremu respectfully lit incense and candles, knelt down and kowtowed devoutly, reported to the ancestors that he was named the crown prince today, and prayed that their spirits in heaven would bless the prosperity and long-term peace of Loulan.

After finishing the worship at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Keremu rushed to the altar of the Temple of Heaven without stopping. Along the way, the guard of honor was solemn and dignified, and colorful flags were flying. When he arrived at the Temple of Heaven, the sun had just shown a glimmer of light. The incense was curling on the altar, and the atmosphere was solemn and dignified. Keremu personally lit the incense and prayed silently to the sky, praying that God would bless Loulan with good weather and good harvests, and that the people would live and work in peace and contentment.

After a series of complicated and lengthy sacrificial ceremonies, time passed quietly, and the eastern sky was already pale and gradually brightened. At the same time, many civil and military officials had already gathered in the court. They were dressed in court robes, lined up neatly, and all of them were in high spirits. The king of Loulan arrived early, sitting on the dragon throne, waiting for the appearance of the new prince.

As Hanguli was pregnant and could not work too hard, she did not attend the sacrificial ceremony with Keremu. But at this crucial moment, when the imperial edict was read, she had to be there in person. At this moment, Hanguli also dressed up carefully, wearing a grand dress of the crown princess, and came slowly surrounded by palace maids.

Finally, Keremu and Hanguli walked into the court hand in hand. They walked slowly along the red carpet, like a pair of golden boy and jade girl, attracting everyone's attention. After they walked to the center of the hall, they stopped at the same time, then knelt down to salute, their movements were uniform, showing the royal style.

Aishan, who was standing nearby, saw this and lightly shook off the dust in his hands, then took a steady step forward. He solemnly unfolded the golden scroll of the imperial edict with both hands and read aloud:

"In compliance with the will of Heaven, the King proclaims: My eldest son, Keremu, has been extremely intelligent and talented since childhood, and is humble and polite, with elegant and dignified manners. He has dabbled in classics, history, and literature, and is well versed in the ways of governing a country; he is also good at riding, shooting, and martial arts, and can be said to have both literary and military skills. What's more, this son is kind by nature, treats people generously, is skillful and generous without losing the demeanor of a gentleman, is gentle and honest, and shows a benevolent heart. He is indeed a pillar of our dynasty. Today, the Queen Mother and I have heard of his many virtuous deeds with our own ears, and we are very pleased. Therefore, we specially confers the title of King Keremu's eldest son as the crown prince to inherit the great responsibility of the ancestral temple and the country. I hope that you can uphold benevolence and virtue in the future, work hard on government affairs, and live up to everyone's expectations."

"There is also the prince's wife, Hanguli. Although she was born in a poor family, she has been familiar with poetry, books and etiquette since she was a child. She is sensitive and virtuous, with a dignified and beautiful manner. Her temperament is outstanding like an orchid in a valley, and she is gentle and graceful like the spring water in the south of the Yangtze River. She is gentle and thoughtful in her daily behavior, demure and quiet, and never violates etiquette in her words and deeds. Such a beauty is worthy of the prince's honorable position. I hereby appoint Hanguli as the crown princess to show my favor. I hope that you two will be of one mind and one heart, respect each other like guests, and help our dynasty to be forever stable and prosperous. I decree!"

"I bow to thank you for your kindness, father!" Keremu and Hanguli said in unison, and then they both knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude. When the two slowly stood up, the civil and military officials in the court also bowed and saluted, and shouted in unison: "Congratulations to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, congratulations to His Royal Highness the Crown Princess! May His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Crown Princess live in harmony, and live a long and healthy life!" For a moment, the court was filled with blessings, and the atmosphere was solemn and warm.

In the front court, a grand and solemn ceremony of enthroning the crown prince was being held in an orderly manner. At the same time, the harem was also bustling with activity, because at this moment, the honorable queen was personally in charge of another important ceremony - the ceremony of enthroning Xilin and Dalan.

The two beauties were both wearing extremely gorgeous concubine dresses, with exquisite embroidery, dazzling pearls and flowing silk ribbons that all showed their nobility and beauty. In a solemn atmosphere, accompanied by the clear and loud voice of the ceremonial officer, they knelt, bowed and kowtowed reverently in accordance with the requirements of etiquette.

First of all, they would like to thank the gods for their guidance, which enabled them to embark on this glorious road; secondly, they would like to thank the king for his mercy and favor on them, which granted them such a lofty status; finally, they would like to express their deepest gratitude to the queen, thanking her for her generosity in granting them the position of concubines.

When the ceremonial officer shouted loudly for the last time, "The ceremony is over!", the whole scene seemed to be enveloped in a sacred atmosphere. Xilin and Dalan bowed deeply again to express their gratitude, and said in unison, "Thank you, Queen, for your kindness!" Then, they slowly stood up. At this time, all the concubines who came to watch the ceremony, as well as many palace maids and eunuchs, also knelt down and saluted, shouting, "Congratulations to Queen Hefei, Queen Jingfei, and may you be blessed with good health!"

Facing the congratulations from the crowd, Xilin smiled lightly, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and then she responded gently in her clear and pleasant voice: "Sisters, please don't be polite, please stand up quickly!" Her eyes swept over everyone present, her eyes full of kindness and warmth.

After everyone slowly stood up, they still maintained a respectful attitude and sat quietly in their seats. The queen smiled, looking at the crowd below with a gentle and kind look, and said slowly: "Today is the day for the two sisters to be crowned as princesses. According to the original plan, the king should come to witness this important moment in person. However, the former dynasty is holding a grand ceremony to crown the prince, which is of great importance and complicated, so the king has to stay there for a while, and I am afraid he will not be able to come until later. However, even so, as the master of the harem, I can't help but say a few words of heart to the sisters. When the late king was alive, he had many children and a prosperous population. However, now, the king has less than half of the children he had in the past. So, sisters, you have to work harder and make more efforts in the future. If you can successfully give birth to a dragon heir for the king, I believe that the king will definitely not forget your hard work and contributions!"

Hearing the queen's earnest words, everyone responded in unison: "Yes, we will follow the queen's teachings! We will do our best to live up to the queen's expectations!" For a moment, the whole palace was filled with the clear and uniform responses of the women.

The concubine sitting next to her had a faint smile on her face, but the smile did not reach her eyes. She narrowed her eyes slightly and stared coldly at the queen who was in high spirits not far away, her heart full of contempt and disdain.

The queen stood there with her head held high and her chest puffed out, accepting the worship and congratulations from everyone. Her son had just been canonized as the crown prince in the previous dynasty, and now she was presiding over the canonization ceremony for someone else. It was so glorious, like a winner in life.