Chapter 200: The Grand Investiture Ceremony

In the Tang dynasty, the investiture of a crown prince was a very solemn affair—at the very least, solemn in terms of ceremony.

The scale and grandeur of its ritual was second only to the crown prince's ascension to the throne as emperor. From this one can see that the weight of imperial authority was reinforced through one grand ceremony after another.

So as to achieve the goal of commanding all under heaven!

Ceremonies may seem useless, but their psychological influence on people should never be underestimated.

Since they were taken seriously, naturally great attention was paid to detail.

For instance, the date for investing the crown prince was not something the emperor could casually set by word of mouth; the relevant personnel from the Ministry of Rites had to be consulted to "determine an auspicious day," and it could only be decided after deliberation by the court officials. This procedure had to be followed, otherwise the investiture of the crown prince would not conform to the "fundamental law."

At least, that was how the civil official faction viewed it.

Once the date of the investiture ceremony was confirmed, the Ministry of Rites had to begin preparing all the personnel and items required for the various rituals, and set about holding the ceremony in the Great Ultimate Hall.

Even though Wu Zetian and the subsequent Tang emperors all deeply loathed the Great Ultimate Hall, none dared casually change the venue for investing a crown prince.

According to records, the venue for the investiture ceremony had to have "the emperor's curtained throne set beneath the north wall of the Great Ultimate Hall, facing south."

On the third day after Fang Chongyong left Chang'an for Binzhou, the ceremony to invest the crown prince was held as scheduled.

The Tang dynasty regarded a north-facing-south seat as the position of honor, and at the investiture ceremony, this position was still reserved for the emperor to sit. Thus it was not hard to guess that this arrangement was meant to emphasize that the crown prince at this moment was still merely a crown prince, who could not overstep his bounds and challenge imperial authority.

So where was the position of Crown Prince Li Chang?

The answer was: the Ministry of Rites would set up a position on the north side of the Eastern Court of the Great Ultimate Hall, facing west—this was the "designated seat" established for the crown prince about to be invested, and when the time came, Prince of Shou Li Chang would sit upon this specially established "crown prince's designated seat."

The investiture ceremony also made arrangements for the court officials; they would be positioned in the Eastern and Western Courts, their status clearly lower than that of the crown prince.

From the arrangement of the officials' positions, the emperor had subtly elevated the crown prince's status above all the court officials, while in the seating arrangement, the emperor seated facing south from the north remained in the supreme position—everything was as natural and proper as could be.

Of course, the mere provisions of the ceremonial code did not necessarily represent Brother Ji's own thoughts.

In addition, the day before the investiture ceremony, the positions, locations, regalia, drum and music arrangements, and other facilities for the court officials had already been prepared, with court historians present to make detailed records. The Ministry of Rites also had dedicated personnel to handle contingencies in special circumstances.

On the day of the investiture, the crown prince could not simply proceed directly to the venue either; he had to follow a series of rituals, overseen by designated officials.

One could say this was an entire political process carried out by political animals, and every participant, including the emperor and the crown prince, was nothing more than a machine executing orders. What to say and when, what to do and when—all had been arranged well in advance by the Ministry of Rites.

If the emperor or the crown prince responded improperly, said something they should not have said, or did something they should not have done, the court historians present would record it without mercy, and it would become one of the court's scandals.

Once the investiture ceremony was underway, each ritual had to be conducted in the procedural sequence previously established through consultation among court officials. Since investing a crown prince was a matter of supreme national importance, all officials at every level of the central government had to be formally notified in advance to attend.

After the emperor and the crown prince were both seated, when the appointed time arrived, the palace guards could announce the entry of the hundred officials, at which point all court officials, high and low, had to enter according to protocol.

With all the court officials assembled, the grand ceremony was held—this was also the highest ritual of the Great Tang. Once everyone was in place, the Master of Ceremonies presided over the start of the ceremony.

"The Emperor dons the ceremonial crown and robes, emerges in the imperial carriage; banners, canopies, imperial guards, and escorts as before."

Standing before the great doors of the Great Ultimate Hall, Wei Qing, serving as the ceremonial officer, shouted in a resonant voice.

The moment his words fell, the orchestra from the Grand Music Bureau began to play—bells were struck, drums beaten, and various ceremonial instruments sounded in succession.

Tang Emperor Li Longji, accompanied by Gao Lishi, walked into the main hall of the Great Ultimate Hall, and the crown prince's investiture ceremony officially began.

Immediately after, Prince of Shou Li Chang also entered the main hall of the Great Ultimate Hall, followed by Li Linfu and the newly appointed Left Chancellor Li Shizhi, with the central government officials attending the crown prince's investiture ceremony trailing behind them. Aside from those with urgent business "away on assignment" (such as Fang Chongyong), essentially all central government officials of the sixth rank and above were present.

Seeing the last official enter the hall, ceremonial officer Wei Qing shouted: "Bow."

At this point, the crown prince candidate, Prince of Shou Li Chang, performed the kneeling ritual before Tang Emperor Li Longji, mechanically and numbly, in accordance with the requirements of the ceremonial code.

Wei Qing continued in a loud voice, following the prescribed procedure: "Bow again."

The court officials, including Li Linfu and Li Shizhi, together with the new crown prince Li Chang, performed the kneeling ritual before Li Longji. After the crown prince and the officials rose, Secretariat Director Li Shizhi held the investiture document, and Secretariat Vice Director Pei Kuan stood holding the seal and ribbon. The two verified the investiture document, then Li Linfu clasped his hands in salute before Li Longji and said: "There is an imperial decree."

Li Longji gave a slight nod and said: "Proceed with the investiture of the crown prince."

At this point, following the prescribed procedure, the new crown prince Li Chang rose, went before Li Linfu, and received the investiture document and jade seal in person.

From this moment on, he was the crown prince acknowledged by the court and recognized by all, high and low, throughout the Great Tang Empire!

Ceremonial officer Wei Qing immediately ordered the court officials to perform the kneeling ritual—this was already the final step of the investiture ceremony.

Secretariat Director Li Shizhi stepped forward, received the crown prince's decree of investiture from Li Longji's hands, and read out the edict on behalf of the Son of Heaven.

The general content of this edict was all boilerplate; it was not something Li Longji could write however he pleased, but rather something the "ceremonial code" had long since fixed—there was no room for any manipulation.

Its contents were nothing more than praise for the crown prince's fine conduct, encouragement for his future performance, and such grand platitudes, and in the name of the Tang Emperor, it formally delivered the seal and ribbon into the hands of Crown Prince Li Chang—thus completing the entire process of the investiture ceremony.

The crown prince received the edict with neither sorrow nor joy on his face, and performed a ritual bow before Li Longji according to the standard etiquette of the ceremonial code.

Wei Qing then shouted: "The investiture of the crown prince is complete."

At this point, the sound of drums and music rose again, and Crown Prince Li Chang, with movements that were standard yet devoid of any emotion, turned and exited the Great Ultimate Hall amid the solemn ceremonial music; when he passed through the main doors, the music stopped.

The hall then fell into a deathly silence.

This was the most critical juncture of the entire crown prince investiture process, the point most prone to mishaps. At this moment, the crown prince had to turn around and perform a kneeling ritual before the Tang Emperor, who sat enthroned on the dragon chair, facing south from the north, gazing down at him from on high!

If at this moment the crown prince did nothing, or if his etiquette was improper, then the entire crown prince investiture ceremony would be invalidated! What catastrophic political consequences might follow was anyone's guess—after all, in over a hundred years of Tang history, there had apparently never been any incident at this point.

However, to the court officials' relief, Crown Prince Li Chang calmly and properly performed a kneeling ritual before Li Longji. This action served as the marker, symbolizing the conclusion of the investiture rite, and put a period on today's crown prince investiture.

The entire grand ceremony of the crown prince's investiture, from beginning to end, was dull, tedious, yet profoundly significant. It represented the invisible, intangible imperial authority undergoing "half" a transfer of power. From this point on, another political center would gradually form within the court, standing as a counterweight to imperial authority.

Yet all of this, everything, only made Prince of Shou Li Chang feel it was a waste of time.

Well, he should now be called Crown Prince Li Chang.

Having completed the grand investiture ceremony, he followed behind Secretariat Director Li Linfu, feeling only that everything that had happened today was utterly absurd, yet incomparably real!

Once, his mother Consort Wu Hui had been Li Longji's most favored consort, to the extent that even Li Linfu had come to court her favor.

Everything he possessed had been on a scale far exceeding that of the then-Crown Prince Li Ying. Many people said that the Sage would depose Crown Prince Li Ying and install Li Chang as crown prince.

Looking back now, those people were not wrong.

Li Ying was indeed deposed and killed; the Sage killed three sons in a single day, shocking the court and the realm.

And now, Li Chang, this prince who had waited for many years and was rumored to be on the verge of investiture, had indeed been invested as crown prince.

Judging by the results, those people's predictions had been remarkably accurate!

Yet Li Chang felt that none of it meant anything anymore. The path to becoming crown prince had been far too tortuous, and he had lost too many things in life he could not bear to part with.

If he could make a wish, Li Chang would rather have heaven return his Wei Sanniang to him.

What use was there in wanting this position of crown prince?

As a result, he had just stepped out of the Taiji Hall and had not yet had time to "return" to the Eastern Palace next door to the Taiji Hall, when Li Chang was intercepted by Gao Lishi.

"Crown Prince, the Sage awaits you at the Hua'e Xianghui Tower. You should go this way."

Gao Lishi gave Li Chang a slight nod with a smile that did not reach his eyes, making an inviting gesture.

Li Linfu, walking ahead to lead the way, paused in surprise. He turned to look at Gao Lishi, who wore an enigmatic smile, then looked at the Crown Prince Li Chang, whose "emotions were invisible on his face." Without a word, he led the others away.

It was as if he had forgotten that his duty today was to lead the newly appointed Crown Prince—to guide him into the Eastern Palace.

Although a few days ago, the Prince of Shou Li Chang had already moved into the Eastern Palace, these grand and costly ceremonies were purely for show, meant for outsiders to see.

"Please lead the way, General Gao."

Li Chang gave a slight nod and spoke, his face betraying neither sorrow nor joy.

Gao Lishi was startled inwardly, finding that he truly could no longer read this person, Li Chang.

Whether this man had any ability in the past was debatable, but he was cowardly to the extreme. Now, having "broken and rebuilt himself," ever since his outburst at the wedding banquet, he seemed to have let go of all gains and losses, fame and fortune!

This composed bearing, with emotions invisible on his face... could he truly have the ability to take up the Great Tang Empire's "True Dragon"?

Gao Lishi suppressed his inner astonishment and led the way ahead without showing any change in expression, taking Li Chang alone back to Xingqing Palace, arriving at the covered corridor of the Hua'e Xianghui Tower. At this very moment, Li Longji had already brought out a soft cushion and had been watching the falling leaves by himself at the corridor railing for quite some time.

"Sit."

Li Longji said without turning his head, and waved his hand at Gao Lishi. The latter, very perceptively, withdrew to over ten zhang away. From there, he could keep Brother Ji in sight yet would not hear the conversation between Brother Ji and Li Chang.

"Sage, there is no seat here."

Hearing this, Li Chang felt amused inwardly, but spoke in a calm tone.

He had not noticed it before, but now he increasingly felt that Li Longji was nothing but a superstitious, narcissistic waste, recycling the same few tricks of political maneuvering over and over.

Once you have already seen through life and death, then any threat concerning life and death becomes insignificant, and the vision that was once obscured instead opens up limitlessly.

The so-called "having no desires makes one resolute" is precisely this.

Just as now, the Li Longji in his heart was nothing but an old coot and a wretch, clad in a dragon robe, loathed and hated by all his children.

"Then you may stand."

Hearing Li Chang's reply, Li Longji spoke in a low voice, his brow slightly furrowed, displeased in his heart.

"Your humble subject obeys the Sage's command."

Li Chang calmly crossed his hands in a salute and spoke, assuming an attitude impervious to anything, and stood to the side quite casually.

His attitude was indeed not good, but from any angle, his etiquette was impeccable.

Only, what Brother Ji wanted was not proper etiquette, but rather terror and trepidation—someone groveling before him like a dog!

Seeing Li Chang's attitude, the fire in Li Longji's heart instantly flared up!

"Do you know that I once told Gao Lishi that in the future I would surely grind your bones and scatter your ashes!"

Li Longji's face was dark and gloomy as he turned his head and stared fixedly at Li Chang.

Li Chang had become the Crown Prince—did he not want to be emperor? As long as he wanted to be emperor, then he must yield right now!

Why was he still not yielding?

At this moment, a trace of panic arose in Li Longji's heart. The other party's reaction was entirely beyond his expectations.

Brother Ji found that he seemed to no longer be able to control this son who had seen through life and death, who had seen through fame and fortune. If a person feared not even death, then what could possibly suppress him?

Unless he deposed the Crown Prince and played the "game of killing one's son" once more.

But Li Longji's purpose in pushing Li Chang forward was to have him check and balance the other princes. If he killed Li Chang, not to mention the great blow to his own authority, he would also have to select another one from among the princes!

Among those people, there was no longer anyone more hate-provoking than Li Chang!

So the current situation was that Brother Ji needed Li Chang to stand before him as a target, as a shield, as a watchdog to fight with the other princes.

Rather than Li Chang begging Brother Ji to appoint him as Crown Prince.

The relationship of need between these two had been completely reversed.

"The Sage may strike. Your son will absolutely not resist."

Li Chang calmly bowed to Li Longji and spoke, seemingly not afraid in the least of what Brother Ji might do to him.

Say what you will, it was nothing more than a single blade-strike—what more could be done?

"Rebellious son! I appointed you as Crown Prince—do you not have the slightest sense of gratitude!"

Li Longji cursed loudly.

"Sage, your son has merely transferred from the prison of the Ten Princes' Residence to the prison of the Eastern Palace. To me, there is no difference. I have disappointed the Sage."

Li Chang calmly crossed his hands in a salute to Li Longji and spoke.

Hearing this, Brother Ji clenched his fists tightly, so furious that the veins on his neck bulged, yet Li Chang still showed no sign of "remorse."

"Get out! Get back to the Eastern Palace!"

Li Longji flung his sleeve, turned around in anger, and turned his back to Li Chang!

"Your humble subject takes his leave."

Li Chang bowed calmly as before, then turned and departed, leaving Li Longji alone, disheveled in the wind. His wretched appearance was like a withered yellow leaf blown down by the autumn wind.

In the end, it would only fall silently onto the soil of the courtyard.

Before long, Gao Lishi came over, bowed to Li Longji, and said, "The Crown Prince has already left Xingqing Palace."

"Was it a mistake for me to appoint Li Chang as Crown Prince?"

Li Longji asked with a sigh.

"The Sage may appropriately promote and entrust a prince to check and balance the Crown Prince."

Gao Lishi suggested in a low voice.

"Well said."

Li Longji gave a slight nod, then followed up with a question: "Whom should we choose?"

"Who it is does not matter. What matters is that he will not cause trouble for the Sage."

Gao Lishi cautiously suggested.

Li Longji nodded slightly, neither confirming nor denying, as if he already had an idea in mind.

I went to the hospital for a check‑up during the day, and just now finished typing, so I'm going to sleep.

(End of chapter)