sbdcsierra Chapter 256 This piece of cut agate suits her very well
Chapter 256 This piece of cut agate suits her very well
After the death of Emperor Yan of Xiyue Kingdom, Crown Prince Yan Qiao ascended the throne the next day at the request of ministers to preside over the national mourning, as the country could not be without a monarch for a day. The coronation ceremony was also held one month after the mourning period, but as the 100th day of mourning for the late emperor had not yet passed, the new emperor kept the ceremony simple out of consideration for the father-son relationship between him and the late emperor.
The new emperor's benevolence and filial piety were praised by people from all walks of life in Xiyue Kingdom, except King Han, who scoffed at it, thinking that his elder brother was as hypocritical as his mother.
Because Yan Han violated the taboo by drinking repeatedly in the mansion during the mourning period, and did not change despite being punished, Yan Qiao was furious and ordered the execution of the concubine who accompanied King Han in the mansion and violated the taboo. He also took away King Han's military power and punished him to guard the imperial mausoleum. Even though Yan Han was not convinced in his heart, he could not do anything about the imperial edict.
On the day of the late emperor's 100th day of mourning, the capital city of Shangjing was filled with grief-stricken cries. At the hour of Chen, the royal women, led by the empress, set up an altar in the harem to worship, while the new emperor, Yan Qiao, dressed in black mourning clothes, led the royal family and civil and military officials to the imperial mausoleum in the suburbs of the city to hold a sacrificial ceremony.
The tomb of the late emperor was covered with fresh orchids. A black and yellow ox head was wrapped in iris and placed on the orchids, and three bottles of fine wine were neatly placed in front of the ox head.
On the altar on the left side of the mausoleum, wizards were wearing bird feather robes and hats, holding jade swords, with jewels and jade stones jingling around their waists. They chanted incomprehensible spells and danced solemnly to the rhythm of drums.
Under the altar, the new emperor Yan Qiao stood in the front, dressed in dark, solemn and majestic, yet unable to conceal his elegance and nobility. Behind him was the late emperor's only surviving brother, Prince Qing, followed by Yan Han, Yan Zong and the two princes of Prince Qing's mansion, and finally the civil and military officials lined up in rows, waiting respectfully.
After the wizard finished the sacrificial dance, Yan Qiao took the lead to walk up to the high platform and kneel in front of the tomb of the late emperor. He took the incense sticks lit by the palace servants, bowed three times, and then handed them to the palace servants to put them into the incense burner. Then he poured three bottles of sake on the table in front of the tomb of the late emperor. Looking at the tombstone in front of him, Yan Qiao looked sad and finally couldn't hold back his loss of manners and burst into tears. In the end, he got up with the help of the palace servants.
"Hmph, just pretending to be nice." Seeing the new emperor Yan Qiao crying bitterly for the late emperor, all the officials in the stage also had sad faces. Only Yan Han smiled coldly and evilly, and muttered.
Others didn't hear it, but Yan Zong, who was next to Yan Han, heard it clearly. However, this second brother would usually hide whenever possible, so at this moment he just pretended not to hear it, still looking towards the platform with an expressionless face.
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself." Prince Qing, who walked up to the platform to offer sacrifices, also had red eyes. He first went to Yan Qiao to comfort him twice before kneeling in front of the mausoleum.
Afterwards, Yan Han, Yan Qiao and the two princes of the Qing Palace went up to the high platform and paid homage to the tomb one by one. The two brothers Yan Han and Yan Zong had indifferent expressions, but the two princes of the Qing Palace cried heartbreakingly as if they had lost their parents, and kept shouting "Uncle Emperor..." But when they saw the evil look in Yan Han's eyes, they quickly stopped talking, wiped their tears and returned to their father dejectedly.
"Perform the kowtow ceremony!" After the royal family members finished their tribute, the ceremonial officer shouted loudly to all the officials.
Upon hearing the sound, all the civil and military officials as well as the imperial guards on both sides quickly knelt down and completed the final kneeling ceremony of the sacrifice under the guidance of the ritual officer.
It was almost noon when the sacrifice ended. Although it was spring, it was still hot. Yan Qiao sympathized with the hard work of the officials and did not stay for long. He just asked someone to call King Han to his presence.
"Your Majesty." Yan Han walked forward reluctantly and saluted Yan Qiao casually.
"What? You're not convinced even though I asked you to guard the mausoleum?" Seeing the perfunctory look on Yan Han's face, Yan Qiao was also unhappy. He had thought that after punishing him to come here for more than a month, he should have come to his senses. It seemed that he shouldn't have had hope in this second brother.
"Your Majesty, my brother asked me to come and accompany father. I am so happy that I cannot even express my dissatisfaction." Yan Han's picturesque face suddenly smiled, and the evil in his eyes made Yan Qiao feel as disgusted as ever.
"I called you here to tell you that your mother has woken up in the cold palace." Yan Qiao didn't want to pay too much attention to Yan Han. He got into the carriage with the help of Eunuch Qin and the leader of the imperial guards, Fan Chong, and spoke again before leaving.
Afterwards, a group of civil and military officials followed the new emperor Yan Qiao's carriage and slowly returned to the city. Only Yan Han stood there in a daze.
After the imperial mausoleum returned to silence, he put away his evil spirit, trembled his lips, and two lines of hot tears flowed from his wet red eyes. His biological mother, who had been crazy in the cold palace for ten years, woke up after his father's death. This made him feel ironic. Before she went crazy, his mother looked forward to seeing him day and night, but now that he was dead, she woke up.
"Leng Wu." Yan Han wiped the tears from his face, gave an evil smile, and called out.
"What orders does Your Highness have?" The guard who had been silently guarding behind King Han stepped forward.
"Find a way to go to the cold palace to see my mother." Yan Han handed a delicate jade conch necklace to the guard and ordered in a cold voice.
“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard responded, took the necklace, and disappeared into the cemetery.
Yan Qiao and the civil and military officials returned to Shangjing City. Yan Zong had no intention of returning to the city, but was called by Yan Qiao to go into the palace.
"Persia sent an envoy here two days ago and also gave me some gems. I haven't distributed them yet, so I thought I'd let you pick a few first." After Yan Zong had lunch with Yan Qiao, the two came to the imperial study, and Yan Qiao asked Eunuch Qin to move a box of various exquisite gems that were shining in front of Yan Zong.
"Your Majesty, you are praising me too much. I am just a military commander who only knows how to march and fight. How can I appreciate these gems..." Yan Zong did not show much interest when he heard about gems. Just when he was about to refuse, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a crystal clear gem with a blue glow, and he quickly stopped talking.
This gem is covered with blue and white, with a texture as fine as silk. It looks like both undulating mountains and ripples where water and sky meet. It is very beautiful.
"How is it? Isn't it too early to talk?" Seeing that his third brother was attracted by the gem, Yan Qiao couldn't help but laugh.
"What is this called?" Yan Zong's mind was on the gem in front of him, so he didn't pay attention to what his royal brother said to him. He picked up the blue and white gem and asked the eunuch Qin in front of him curiously.
"Your Majesty, this piece is called cut agate." Eunuch Qin first glanced at Yan Qiao, and then replied when he saw the emperor nodded.
Yan Zong stared at the agate in his hand in a trance. A hint of tenderness appeared in his originally cold eyes, and the corners of his mouth began to slightly rise, but it was fleeting because he realized that his royal brother was staring at him meaningfully.
"I want this piece of cut agate. Are you really willing to give it to me, brother?" Yan Zong straightened his face, raised the cut agate in his hand and asked Yan Qiao seriously.
"Why not? This gem is just a toy, but you are a capable man guarding the border of Xiyue Country, and a good brother who helps me solve problems." Yan Qiao stepped forward, patted Yan Zong on the shoulder and smiled, then glanced at the gems on the plate and asked, "Why don't you pick two more?"
"This is it." Yan Zong didn't look at the other gems, his determined eyes flashing with light.
Yan Qiao had noticed his third brother's unusual look today. Although he was puzzled, he did not ask any more questions. He waved his hand to let Eunuch Qin leave, then turned around and sat down at the imperial table. He suddenly asked in a serious tone, "Are the people in the two northern borders safe and sound recently?"
"Since the arrest of several instigators ten days ago, both sides have calmed down a lot. However, it may take some time before we can make them completely eliminate their grudges." When Yan Zong saw that his brother was asking about serious matters, he hurriedly put away the gem in his hand and replied seriously.
"It does take time, but what is the intention of the instigator? Have you found out?" Upon hearing this, Yan Qiao's eyes turned cold and he continued to ask.
"According to these people, they are all Lang people who returned from Jingsong State. They just want to stir up trouble and vent their dissatisfaction." Yan Zong replied.
"Back from Jingsong Kingdom?"
"Brother, do you doubt their true background?"
"These people ran all the way back to the Northern Territory to die just to vent their dissatisfaction? If it was just for this, why did they escape in the first place?" Yan Qiao sneered and nodded.
"Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely right. But please rest assured, I am ready to play the long game and catch the big fish." Yan Zong's expression returned to its cold state, and he bowed to his brother in front of him.
"I am confident in what my third brother is doing." Yan Qiao looked at his third brother with satisfaction and nodded.
When Yan Zong left the imperial city, he turned around and handed the box containing the cut agate he got from his brother to Yu Cheng, and ordered: "Rush to Mucheng as fast as you can and make sure to hand this over to Si Yao in person."
"Your Highness, do you have anything to say to Miss Si Yao?" Yu Cheng took the box, hesitated for a moment, and asked.
"Just say that this piece of cut agate suits her very well."
When Yan Zong saw the agate for the first time in the imperial study, he immediately thought of Si Yao. Her clarity and beauty were just like this gem, crystal clear and shining with charming light.
Yu Cheng was stunned. Just when he was about to ask His Highness to say a few more words, he was urged by the other party with a cold face. He had to give up, turned around and rode away. However, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart: With His Highness's mouth, I don't know when he will be able to achieve the desired result?