Chapter 529: Chapter 433: The Ceremony is Complete

In reality, however, Xiao Mo saw it as nothing more than a little trick performed by a few cultivators from the mountains, hired by the Ministry of Rites.

After all, on a joyous occasion like a wedding, it would be improper not to conjure up a few auspicious signs.

The other civil and military officials thought the same.

Even the officials from the Ministry of Rites glanced at their superior, thinking, ’Didn’t the Minister say that hiring Immortals to create auspicious signs would be too fake?’

’But here he is, saying one thing and doing another. He still hired them and even made such a huge spectacle.’

Only Yan Zhen, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stared blankly at the auspicious signs.

Everyone thought that Yan Zhen, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, had arranged for these signs.

But in truth, Yan Zhen knew nothing about it. He hadn’t hired any cultivators to put on a false display.

In other words...

’These auspicious signs are all real!’

’Could it be? With Your Majesty marrying my daughter and the Princess from the Qin Kingdom, can our Great Zhou truly be on the verge of a renaissance?!’

After paying respects at Zhou Mountain, Madam Yan and Empress Dowager Yan each led Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao back into their respective palanquins.

As the suonas and drums rang out once more, Xiao Mo swung himself onto his horse, and the wedding procession headed back to the Imperial City.

"They’re here! They’re here!"

"His Majesty and the two Imperial Consorts have arrived!"

"Everyone, look..."

At the gates to the Imperial City, commoners lined the streets to welcome the procession.

Behind Xiao Mo, two palanquins advanced side by side.

Gazing at the two palanquins, many of the men in the crowd looked on with envy.

After all, Miss Yan was not only hailed as the Zhou Kingdom’s most talented woman, but also its greatest beauty.

And the Eldest Princess of the Qin Kingdom was said to possess a beauty that rivaled Miss Yan’s.

How could they not be envious, now that His Majesty was taking two such beauties for his own?

The women in the crowd felt similarly, yet also the opposite.

The women envied the two Imperial Consorts inside the palanquins.

’If only His Majesty were marrying me,’ they thought, ’how happy I would be...’

Just as the wedding procession was gradually approaching the Imperial Palace, an official from the Ministry of Rites knocked on the wooden door of a private courtyard within the Imperial City.

The door opened, and a woman dressed in simple hemp robes stood before the official.

A winged "great rice dumpling" rested quietly on the woman’s shoulder.

"Greetings, Master Wangxin." The official from the Ministry of Rites bowed. "We must trouble you today, Master Wangxin."

"Mm." Wangxin nodded. "Please, lead the way."

"This way, Master Wangxin."

The official from the Ministry of Rites helped Wangxin into a carriage, then mounted another horse himself.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Wangxin arrived at the foot of a tall tower.

Wangxin alighted from the carriage and, with Little Chaos in tow, ascended the tower alone.

Today was the Sovereign of Zhou’s wedding day.

Today, Wangxin was to chant Buddhist Scriptures and pray for his fortune.

Upon reaching the top of the tower, Wangxin sat on a meditation cushion. She was the only one in the room.

"MIGU MIGU..."

Little Chaos nuzzled against Wangxin’s thigh.

"Are you asking what I’ll do if the one getting married is really Xiao Mo?" Wangxin asked.

"MIGU!" Little Chaos nodded its plump little body.

"Even if it is Xiao Mo, it doesn’t matter." Wangxin’s eyes blinked softly. "Isn’t it a good thing for him to marry and have children?"

"MIGU..." Little Chaos swayed its plump body.

"’What about me, you ask?’"

Wangxin thought for a moment, her clear eyes shimmering with a gentle light.

"’I’ll be fine, too.’"

"’If the Sovereign of Zhou really is Xiao Mo, and he’s marrying other women... I do feel a little empty inside.’"

"’But it’s alright...’"

"’As long as Xiao Mo is well, then I am well.’"

"’As long as I can find him and watch over him from afar, that’s enough for me...’"

"MIGU!" Little Chaos flapped its wings, landed on its master’s head, and repeatedly tapped her, as if frustrated with her passivity. "MIGU MIGU!"

"I really mean it, I’m not lying..."

Wangxin gently bowed her head, her small hands unconsciously clutching the hem of her skirt as she spoke slowly.

"I’m really..."

"...not lying..."

...

Seen off by the commoners, the wedding procession entered the Imperial Palace.

At that exact moment, the sound of Buddhist Scripture chanting drifted from a tall tower in the Imperial City.

The chanting was ethereal and solemn, sounding at once like a woman’s voice, a man’s voice, and a chorus of monks chanting in unison.

As the chanting spread through the air, golden Buddha Lotuses materialized and drifted high above the Imperial City.

The Buddha Lotuses formed a river of gold, and a sacred aura permeated every corner of the Imperial City.

Xiao Mo looked up, glancing in the direction of the chanting.

For some reason, the voice felt faintly familiar to him.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’for a monk hired by the Ministry of Rites to cause such a phenomenon merely by chanting Buddhist Scripture, their cultivation must be quite high.’

’That eminent monk must be in the Immortal Realm, at the very least.’

An incense stick’s time later, the palanquins stopped before the ancestral temple.

Xiao Mo led Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao into the ancestral temple to pay respects to the ancestors of the Zhou Kingdom.

The Director of the Observatory burned the horoscopes of Xiao Mo and his brides before the ancestral spirit tablets, seeking the ancestors’ blessings and protection.

After paying their respects to the ancestors, Xiao Mo and the civil and military officials proceeded to the plaza before the Sacrificial Altar.

They stood arrayed on either side, all facing the great gates of the plaza.

At the head of the assembled officials, Xiao Mo also faced the gates, waiting in silence.

"Let the wedding ceremony commence!"

Just as the Hour of the Ram began, the voice of Yan Zhen, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, echoed across the plaza.

The great gates of the plaza boomed open.

Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao entered, guided by the Empress Dowager and Madam Yan.

Beneath their long gowns, the two Imperial Consorts advanced with elegant, stately steps.

Behind them, a retinue of eight palace maids carried the long trains of their gowns.

The spring sun shone upon their red wedding attire, the gentle light itself seeming to take on the brilliant crimson hue of a phoenix’s bloom.

Witnessing this sight, the crowd couldn’t help but marvel—the spring sunlight truly did have a color of its own.

At the foot of the Sacrificial Altar, the Empress Dowager and Madam Yan placed the ends of the red silk ribbons into Xiao Mo’s hands one last time.

Xiao Mo turned and, holding the ribbons, led his two consorts step by step up to the Sacrificial Altar.

On the Sacrificial Altar, Yan Zhen, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites officiating the wedding, approached Xiao Mo, holding a Jade Plate with both hands.

Upon the Jade Plate lay the Imperial Decree, written in Xiao Mo’s own hand.

Xiao Mo took up the Imperial Decree he had penned and began to read, his solemn voice carrying to the ears of all present:

"We, Xiao Mo, having received the Mandate of the Vast Heavens and inherited the legacy of Our ancestors, do command the Seven Rites and preside over all the myriad realms."

"Today, on this auspicious day when Heaven and Earth align in virtue, and at this hour when Our ancestral temple bestows its blessings, We follow the Six Rites and perform the Ceremony of Twin Jades to wed the virtuous lady of the Yan Clan, Ruxue, and the Eldest Princess of the Qin Kingdom, Mujiu."

"Both women are blessed with natural grace and spirit, possessing chastity, tranquility, and propriety. They are worthy exemplars for the inner court."

"Know that the lady of the Yan Clan hails from a house of esteemed repute, was raised in the tradition of poetry and rites, and is gentle and virtuous by nature. Princess Mujiu of Qin, born of a stellar imperial line, possesses a kind and pure heart, her comportment of magnificent and profound grace."

"We, in accordance with the system of the *Rites of Zhou’s* ’Canon of Wives’ and with reference to the betrothal ceremonies of the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, do hereby confer upon both the rank of Imperial Consort."

"Consort Xue is granted residence in Ningxue Hall; Consort Mu is granted residence in Hanjiu Hall. Each shall be bestowed with a golden tablet and a purple sash, and shall enjoy the honor of the Nine-Pheasant and Four-Phoenix regalia."

"May Our two Consorts cultivate their character through quietude and chastity; serve the Sovereign and His kin with gentleness and obedience; bring harmony to the Six Palaces with their speech, bearing, skill, and appearance; lead the concubines by an example of reverence, frugality, humility, and grace; continue the imperial line to fortify the foundation of the state; jointly assist in the governance of the inner chambers; and manage the affairs of the court, so that the palace remains solemn and their virtuous example shines forth."

"May Our two Consorts shine as brightly as the sun and moon, be treasured as sacred vessels. May they demonstrate filial piety by assisting with meals at dawn and dusk, promote moral cultivation by encouraging weaving and sericulture, and harmonize the state by playing elegant court music. Let the women of the realm look up to the virtuous model of the Empress’s chambers, and the people of the Nine Provinces bathe in the glorious influence of the royal house. Thus shall Our Great Zhou have its families in order and its kingdom well-governed, continuing its grand prosperity for eternity."

Xiao Mo finished reading and set down the Imperial Decree, just as the auspicious hour arrived.

Yan Zhen stepped forward and announced in a loud voice, "The auspicious hour is upon us! Let the bows commence!"

Si Li came forward bearing a Jade Plate upon which lay sticks of incense.

Xiao Mo, Yan Ruxue, and Qin Siyao each took three sticks of incense.

At the same time, the ceremonial music began to play.

"First bow, to Heaven and Earth!"

The three of them lit their incense and bowed to Heaven and Earth.

"Second bow, to the elders!"

As Madam Yan and Yan Zhen were subjects and could not receive a bow from the Emperor, Empress Dowager Yan stepped forward to stand beside the trio.

The three bowed in unison, paying their respects.

"Third bow, husband and wives to each other!"

Yan Ruxue and Qin Siyao stood together facing Xiao Mo, and the three of them bowed to one another.

"The three bows are complete!"

"With the officials as witnesses and Heaven and Earth as our observers!"

"From this moment forth!"

"The ceremony is complete!"

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