My Wife Is A Sword Immortal
Chapter 746 - 456 The Young Emperor Leads the Horse, Empress Dowager Lowers Her Eyes (Welcome New Brothers) _2

Chapter 746: Chapter 456 The Young Emperor Leads the Horse, Empress Dowager Lowers Her Eyes (Welcome New Brothers) _2

Zhao Rong calmly responded, but he felt that the young Emperor seemed to look at him a few more times.

Out of curiosity and admiration?

The ceremony held by the Ritual Department then commenced, with an elderly official unfolding the imperial edict and proclaiming it aloud.

The gist of it was to sing praises of the young emperor’s accomplishments and then to mention that the renowned Linlu Academy also recognized and supported the legitimacy of the current Li Dynasty, hence these virtuous gentlemen were sent here according to the mandate of heaven, and so on and so forth...

Zhao Rong didn’t really listen; he glanced around and didn’t see the figure of the Great Li’s Virtuous King.

Besides, Mu Jin and Xue Chan, the two women he had seen before, were there, standing quietly to the sides of a certain Dragon Chariot.

Zhao Rong’s gaze shifted and fell on the quiet Dragon Chariot in the center of the crowd.

This Dragon Chariot was covered entirely in bright yellow fabric, with no walls on all four sides, only curtains hanging down and concealing the interior.

And these hanging curtains were surprisingly white, resembling... the style of mourning attire one wears for a funeral.

And the Dragon Chariot was closely surrounded by Mu Jin, Xue Chan, and several dozen other women from Crescent Moon.

Zhao Rong could only vaguely see a beautiful silhouette inside who seemed to be kneeling, dressed in a wide ceremonial robe, and listening intently to the Ritual Officer’s speech together with the multitude.

It seemed she was also in white, beyond that, Zhao Rong could not make out any more details.

It must be the widowed Empress Dowager, rumored to be the first beauty of Great Li... thought Zhao Rong.

He didn’t look further, quickly shifting his gaze away.

From the looks of it, the Empress Dowager seemed to still be in mourning, wearing mourning attire for the late emperor.

Therefore, it was not appropriate for her to leave the Dragon Chariot to meet them now, as it would be against the norms.

Moreover, this public event was staged for three hundred thousand citizens, not a place to discuss important matters of the enthronement ceremony with Zhao Rong and the others.

Patience and acting were fundamental skills for leaders of this caliber.

Zhao Rong smiled inwardly.

At this moment, the highly anticipated moment in the ceremony, it was the young emperor’s turn to speak.

His voice was youthful and delicate, speaking very softly, and if Zhao Rong were not close by, he probably wouldn’t have heard it, not to mention the tens of thousands of citizens around him. However, when it was time to cheer and applaud, everyone smartly followed suit, pretending they had heard his speech.

But Zhao Rong, who was closer, observed more.

He saw this young sovereign of the nation struggling to lift his head, weighed down by the imperial crown, speaking slowly as if afraid of mispronouncing the words.

Fine beads of sweat formed on the emperor’s forehead, yet he did not raise his hand to wipe them away.

He spoke facing the multitude, but it seemed more like he was talking to himself, occasionally stealing glances at the quiet Dragon Chariot nearby...

These details were all captured by Zhao Rong... he felt like the young emperor was reciting from a script, like a child reciting a lesson when called upon in class. Yes, just when school was about to end, and his old mother was watching him from outside the window...

The image, bringing back memories of childhood traumas.

"Just a... kid, huh." The young Confucian Scholar shook his head and muttered to himself, feeling a bit sorry for him.

Zhao Rong had thought this young emperor resembled a certain prim and frail girl, skinny and strictly adhering to ancestral rites, methodical in every move; but now... how could he compare to the ’tiger-like’ Yu Huaijin? Petite, yet threatening to spank you with a plank if necessary.

After a short while, the young emperor finally finished speaking, the crowd cheered, and the Ritual Department’s proceedings continued...

A stick of incense later, this cumbersome celebration finally came to an end, and it seemed they also announced a general amnesty and a tax reduction for one year, eliciting even louder cheers from the citizens.

Zhao Rong slightly raised his eyebrows.

The crowd started to make their way back to the city.

The young emperor returned to the small Dragon Chariot next to the one with the white curtains, joining the Empress Dowager, who had remained silent and nearly invisible throughout the event.

As Zhao Rong and the others, accompanied by high officials of the Li Dynasty, began to mount their horses, suddenly, just as the carriages started to move, the small Dragon Chariot ahead stopped and a royal youth jumped down.

The crowd was momentarily stunned. At that moment, the young Emperor Li did something unexpected.

Quickly, the young emperor approached Zhao Rong beneath his horse and grabbed the reins.

"Zhao... Teacher Zhao, let... let me do this." The young emperor’s face flushed red, his eyes brightly looking up at Zhao Rong.

Everyone was shocked.

Countless gazes fell on the calm Confucian Scholar and the young emperor.

The Crescent Moon palace maids who followed the young emperor wanted to step forward, but they were stopped by a look from Mu Jin, the Chief Musician near the white curtain Dragon Chariot. The palace maids quickly glanced at the still quiet white curtain Dragon Chariot and halted their steps.

At that moment, facing the actions of the young Emperor before him, Zhao Rong was also somewhat surprised.

He exchanged a glance with Gu Yiwu, their eyes silently communicating.

Was this taught by the DuGu clan? Otherwise, why only lead my horse and not the horses of Brother Yiwu and others... Zhao Rong silently mused to himself.

Then, he looked at the young Emperor’s seemingly eager gaze, nodded gently, and saluted, saying:

"I am but a mere commoner, receiving such imperial favor, truly apprehensive... However, His Majesty’s kindness is hard to decline, I shall respectfully obey."

The young Emperor nodded happily and glanced sideways at the direction of the Empress Dowager’s Dragon Chariot, noticing that the crescent moon sisters around did not come to stop him, and his tensed shoulders relaxed.

"Mr. Zhao, let me do it, let me do it."

The young Emperor adeptly took the reins from Zhao Rong.

The surrounding crowd looked at each other, then in unison saluted and said, "His Majesty is wise," as the carriages continued to move.

The procession of chariots and dragon chariots moved slowly, seemingly to accommodate the young Emperor’s pace.

The North Gate of Hanjing opened, and soon everyone entered the city.

Along the way, there was a minor disturbance.

At one moment, not far from the crowd, a commotion suddenly erupted.

Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu on horseback glanced over.

However, Mu Jin, Xue Chan, and other crescent moon sisters around the white-curtained Dragon Chariot did not deviate their gazes and continued their steady pace, walking beside the chariot without stopping.

Sure enough, the disturbance that seemed to involve shouts and killings was quickly subdued.

Before long, an unfamiliar crescent moon sister approached from a distance.

Zhao Rong, with a sharp eye, noticed some fresh blood on her sleeve.

This unfamiliar crescent moon sister respectfully approached the side of the white-curtained Dragon Chariot and whispered something to Mu Jin.

Mu Jin, being the Chief Musician of the Music Workshop, remained calm, slightly tilted her head and looked at the immensely dignified lady inside the white curtain, her gaze seeking approval.

The woman inside the Dragon Chariot, whose face was not visible, remained silent for a moment.

The next second, a faint, clear voice drifted through the gap in the white curtains.

"Exterminate nine kin."

Besides the sound of carriage wheels and the jingling of jade ornaments at Zhao Rong’s and the others’ waists, silence fell over the area.

The civil and military officials acted as if they had heard nothing, their expressions natural.

Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu exchanged glances with the Confucian scholars.

The brows of the young Confucian scholar lifted, curious for so long; he finally heard this regent woman speak.

Although unseen, her indifferent voice was quite pleasant, carrying the mellow slowness typical of those in high positions, especially with a gentle feminine cadence at the end.

Zhao Rong couldn’t help but imagine again, turning his head to look at the white curtain that blocked the countless men outside from seeing in.

Is this... an assassin?

The woman said no more.

Before long, the party continued on their journey.

Half an hour later, Zhao Rong and others were led by the officials of the Ritual Department to a stately residence not far from Emperor Li’s palace, where they settled down.

Zhao Rong, along with little Qian’er, chose a quiet courtyard in the residence to rest.

In the afternoon, he met with the well-prepared Gu Yiwu and others for a brief meeting to discuss the matter of the enfeoffment.

Afterward, Zhao Rong and the others quietly waited.

As expected, by evening, Xue Chan arrived on time with several crescent moon sisters, inviting Zhao Rong and the Confucian scholars to the palace tonight to participate in the welcoming banquet.

Zhao Rong exchanged a glance with Gu Yiwu.

It has begun.

...

————