Chapter 214: Enthronement Ceremony

Auspicious day selected.

It is set for three days later.

During these three days.

Bianliangcheng is like a bow drawn taut.

All forces are mobilized.

For the ceremony concerning the foundation of the state.

And concerning the new dynasty's appearance, preparations are tense.

Inside the imperial city.

Zhang Cheng and Wang Pu are almost sleepless.

Coordinating with the Ministry of Rites.

And all mobilizable civil officials.

Drafting the ritual program.

Arranging implements.

Instructing etiquette.

Every detail is repeatedly scrutinized.

Striving for perfection.

They know well.

This grand ceremony is not merely formal.

It is also a window to display the new dynasty's pattern and strength to the world.

Outside the imperial city.

Shi Dun personally supervises the elite troops.

Coordinating with the imperial guards under Han Tong and Zhang Yongde.

They will secure Bian Liang's main streets.

Especially the imperial road leading to the imperial city.

Guarding them as tightly as an iron barrel.

Five steps, a post.

Ten steps, a sentinel.

A stern aura permeates.

Eliminating any possible chaos.

Qian Gui's Inspection Bureau is like an invisible great net.

Cast over every corner of Bian Liang.

Open and covert investigations.

Seeking out possible remnants of the Iron Crow Army or ill-intentioned individuals.

Ensuring no mishap during the ceremony.

Several suspicious figures.

Merchants and fallen scholars suspected of ties to the Iron Crow Army are secretly taken away.

Disappearing into the darkness before dawn.

While Chen Wen himself.

These three days he appears most leisurely.

He needs to conserve his energy.

Familiarize himself with the exceedingly complex ceremony process.

And under the guidance of the ritual officials.

Practice those movements and deportments he has never performed before.

Wearing the heavy and splendid dragon robe.

Wearing a crown with twelve pendulous jade tassels.

Each step.

Each bow.

Contains ancient rites and dignity.

He stands in the hall.

Allowing palace attendants to adjust his robe sleeves.

Yet his gaze looks through the window lattice.

Toward the distance.

He can feel.

The Fortune Momentum vortex within his body.

As the ceremony approaches.

It is slowly rotating at an unprecedented speed.

Accumulating power.

It is a feeling mysteriously connected.

With the entire nation and myriad peoples.

Finally.

The day of the grand ceremony has arrived.

The sky was still dark.

Bianliangcheng, however, had already awakened.

The drums on the cleaned streets sounded.

Rows of soldiers in bright armor marched out of the barracks.

They stood solemnly on both sides of the street.

Civil and military officials had already donned new court robes.

They gathered outside the Huangcheng Gate.

According to their ranks.

They waited silently.

On their faces,

they bore solemnity.

and also a hint of unrestrained excitement.

When the first ray of morning light pierced the clouds.

and fell upon the majestic palace.

The solemn sounds of ritual music rose from within the Huangcheng.

Bells and chimes rang together.

The Shao music lingered.

The heavy palace gates slowly opened.

Officials, under the guidance of the Master of Ceremonies,

stepped with solemn strides.

entered the palace in order.

passing through layer after layer of palace gates.

arriving at the square outside Chengtian Gate where the grand ceremony was held.

On the square,

banners fluttered.

the honor guard was stern.

tall and sturdy,

the Palace Guard, armor gleaming, stood holding spears.

like statues.

Chen Wen wore the twelve-chapter patterned robe.

He wore the emperor's crown.

Surrounded by attendants,

he arrived in the imperial chariot.

He stood before the incense altar prepared atop the Chengtian Gate Tower.

"Kneel..."

The Master of Rites drew out his voice.

On the square,

all officials,

all guards,

knelt down in unison.

a black mass.

not a sound from sparrow or crow.

Chen Wen burned incense.

He knelt and bowed.

He recited the proclamation to heaven.

His voice was relayed layer by layer through officials specially selected for their loud voices.

It echoed clearly above the square.

Announcing the founding of Great Chen.

Announcing the establishment of the dynastic calendar and a new era name.

Announcing the acceptance of the Mandate of Heaven.

To nurture all the people.

Afterward,

it was the sacrifice at the Ancestral Temple.

to posthumously ennoble his ancestors.

Although Chen Wen came from humble origins,

the so-called posthumous ennoblement of ancestors was more symbolic.

But this step,

was indispensable.

was an important link in confirming the legitimacy of the dynastic line.

Finally.

Only then is it the most crucial link——the Hall of Revering Heaven.

Accept the homage of the hundred officials.

When Chen Wen walked up those high marble steps step by step.

As he walked toward the throne of the Hall of Heavenly Offering, symbolizing the supreme Nine-Five.

He could clearly feel it.

The qi fortune of his whole body seemed to merge with the land under his feet.

and with this city.

and with this sky, becoming completely connected.

A vast, mighty power.

It was gathering from all directions.

It surged into his body.

It washed his limbs and bones.

It expanded his sea of consciousness.

He sat steadily upon that wide dragon throne.

He looked down.

Inside and outside the hall.

Civil and military officials.

Envoys from various states.

Elders observing the rites.

They knelt down like a tide.

The sound, like mountain cries and ocean roars, layered upon itself.

It struck the beams and pillars of the hall.

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Ten thousand years!"

"Ten thousand ten thousand years!"

The sound waves rolled on.

Straight up to the clouds.

At this moment.

Chen Wen's heart held not much excitement and ecstasy.

Instead, it was an ultimate tranquility and clarity.

It seemed as if he was meant to sit here.

It seemed as if all this effort and struggle.

were all for the purpose of walking toward this position.

To fulfill that "End the chaotic world."

and "Create peace" pledge.

He raised his hand.

He made a supportive gesture.

"All officials, rise."

His voice transmitted through the jade tassels of the crown.

Carrying a natural dignity.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The officials rose.

They stood with hands lowered, solemn.

Next came the lengthy and necessary ceremony.

Issuing the accession edict.

Granting a general pardon.

Announcing the new policy outline.

Enfeoffing the meritorious officials.

Zhang Cheng, Wang Pu, Shi Dun, Qian Gui, Wang Ru, Han Tong, Zhang Yongde, and other core civil and military officials.

All received the due titles and positions.

A system centered on Chen Wen's original retinue.

The new dynasty's core cadre incorporated some capable and willing former officials of the Later Zhou.

Initially built up.

The entire ceremony was solemn and dignified.

Extremely smooth.

No accidents occurred.

When the ceremony finally drew to a close.

Chen Wen amidst the respectful gazes of the officials.

As he rose and left the Hall of Heavenly Offering.

He felt it clearly.

The growth progress bar inside his body, which had originally been at 66%.

It suddenly leapt forward a large segment.

It steadily stopped at the 67% mark.

The Fortune Momentum vortex was no longer an illusory sensation.

But rather seemed to have become substantive.

It slowly flowed around his body.

And with this imperial palace.

And with Bian Liang.

And closely linked with the national fortune of the newly founded Chen dynasty.

He could 'see' that the vortex's color was deeper.

Its range was broader.

The power contained within it.

It also became even more mighty.

He returned to the side hall of the Chongzheng Hall.

He dismissed the attendants on both sides.

He stood alone in the hall.

Feeling the surging power within his body and the clearly visible progress bar.

67%

This meant he was moving toward the next stage.

He took another solid step.

Although the sixty-fourfold breakthrough was still far off.

But each point of progress.

Made him feel one step closer to mastering his own fate and that of this dynasty.

"Your Majesty."

From outside the hall came Qian Gui's lowered voice.

"Come in."

Qian Gui quickly walked in.

His face bore a hint of solemnity.

"During the grand ceremony."

The Inspection Bureau, in an abandoned residence in the west of the city.

Discovered some traces.

He handed over a small, inconspicuous piece of blue crystal shard that carried a cold chill.

"It is residue of Nether Energy Crystal Ore."

There were signs of a fight and a hasty withdrawal at the scene.

"They... seemed during the grand ceremony."

Attempted to approach the imperial city.

But for some unknown reason.

And gave up.

Chen Wen took the shard.

A strange chill came from his fingertips.

His gaze turned slightly cold.

"It seems."

He slowly said.

"Some people."

"Even though today is the day of my ascension."

"And they are unwilling to let me have peace."

"Continue the investigation."

"I want to see."

They can still be in Bianliangcheng.

How long they can hide.

The splendor and clamor of the ascension ceremony have already passed.

But Chen Wen knows.

The battle hidden in the shadows.

Has never ceased.

Even.

May have only just begun.