Ye Xinyan listened in bewildernt as the Ministry of Rites official inford her: On the day of the grand ceremony, Madam Jiang Ye, the wife of Assistant Minister of Rites Jiang Yifan, will wear the First Rank Imperial Decree Court Dress to accept the confernt from His Majesty.
She took the Imperial Decree Attire sent by the Ministry of Rites and then saw Jiang Yifan’s smug, smiling face, instantly understanding. He had known about this all along and deliberately waited until now to surprise her.
Accompanying her was also the old woman servant who taught Ye Xinyan the ceremony etiquette. The ceremony for Ye Xinyan was simple; when summoned, she was to wear the decree attire, ascend the grand ceremony platform, and receive the confernt from Emperor Qianqing.
After sending off the Ministry of Rites officials, Ye Xinyan waved off the maids and old servants and grabbed Jiang Yifan, asking, "Tell honestly, did you know about this earlier and deliberately didn’t tell ?"
Jiang Yifan didn’t struggle, just smiled warmly, letting her sit down, "I just wanted you to relax for a few days. If you had known earlier, you would’ve been busy arranging banquets and eting people, pretending like you knew nothing. Wouldn’t that be tiring?"
"..." Ye Xinyan was taken aback; that seed like a reasonable excuse.
Jiang Yifan successfully subdued Ye Xinyan’s anger, cunningly saying, "They say there are also two imperial calligraphy pieces penned by His Majesty himself to be bestowed upon you."
"Hmm? Written by His Majesty himself? What did he write? Can it be made into a plaque to hang at our ho?" Ye Xinyan perked up with interest.
This seed quite good, more practical than the decree title; it could really be used to impress others. While Imperial Decree Ladies were not few, emperor’s personal calligraphy, plaques, were indeed rare.
In the future, everyone who cos to their house, especially those looking to find fault when she might be down soday, would have to bow under the emperor’s personally penned plaque.
Jiang Yifan shook his head, continuing to smile, "I’m not sure. Even His Highness doesn’t know. Just know that the emperor intends it, so prepare yourself. It’s a good thing, after all."
Ye Xinyan’s eyes glead, and she said, "Do you think, if it’s like this, we could use the emperor’s persona as a shield going forward?"
Jiang Yifan nodded repeatedly, "Certainly. Though the emperor hasn’t said so, I thought he would definitely want to secure your future, which is why he added this act at the succession ceremony. The process of the succession ceremony is ticulously docunted by the Ministry of Rites, and in future historical records, you will have a ntion."
"I see," Ye Xinyan thought of the emperor and was genuinely moved for a mont, "Speaking of which, the emperor is indeed a kind old man. I’ve decided, moving forward, not to haggle too much with him. I’ll give him discounts on the chanical tools needed for his coal mines."
Having said that, she began to eagerly speculate on what kind of royal privilege the emperor might bestow upon her.
"Madam," a little maid ca in to report, "The old lady teaching court etiquette from the palace is waiting for you."
"Look at that, look at that, I was too happy and forgot about this matter." Jiang Yifan hurriedly urged Ye Xinyan, "Quickly go, learn well from the old lady, understand? It’s going to be recorded in history. If you don’t perform well, it will also be recorded in there, and you might be laughed at by future generations."
Hence, the arrangents Ye Xinyan had made for having friends over and creating a spectacle were all irrelevant to her.
On the day of the ceremony, under the deliberate promotion by the court and the governnt office, Vermilion Bird Avenue was crowded with people. The court’s ceremonial procession was also splendid, majestic, and dignified.
Jiang Yifan was right; the succession ceremony of Emperor Qianqing of Great Xia Dynasty passing the throne to Emperor Zhengxing is docunted by the historians.
Historical records note that in the Grand Temple, after Emperor Qianqing and Emperor Zhongxing worshiped heaven, earth, and ancestors, Emperor Qianqing proclaid to the world, passing the throne to Prince Yu Jinrong.
Next, before the transfer of power, the emperor summoned Madam Jiang Ye of Jiang Family to the hall, where he highly praised the significant impact of the Qi Family chanical Workshop on The Celestial Empire’s industry, appointing Madam Jiang Ye as the First Rank Imperial Decree Wife beyond precedent.
Additionally, Emperor Qianqing gifted two pieces of calligraphy penned by himself. One: Enrich the Nation and Strengthen the People; Two: Feminine Heroism.
This part of the ceremony was brief and not much ink was spent docunting it, but its content and unexpectedness were enough to shock both court and society.
In a royal ceremony, a non-royal outsider, and a woman at that, received a title in such an occasion, unprecedented in the world.
This account not only shocked and sparked debate in the court and society at the ti but continued to be talked about for a long ti, directly establishing the unrivaled status of the Jiang and Qi families for more than three hundred years.
......
Half a month after the succession ceremony, the present Retired Emperor left the capital as planned, heading to Jinzhou to oversee his coal mine enterprise.
With the Retired Emperor leaving the capital, especially going a long distance, it couldn’t be known by outsiders. Several days in advance, trusted aides began setting off to pave the way, openly and covertly, with hundreds accompanying from near and far.
On the day of departure, the current Emperor Zhengxing wore casual dress to leave the capital and see him off.
At Ye Xinyan’s strong insistence, she was also among the few people in the farewell procession.
After everyone completed their farewells, Ye Xinyan stepped forward, perford a formal bow, and wished the Retired Emperor a smooth journey.
The Retired Emperor looked at Ye Xinyan, feeling particularly pleased. This lass, despite often being imperable to persuasion, certainly knew gratitude.
After Ye Xinyan completed her salute, she stood and bowed again, saying, "I heard that the coal mine environnt is harsh, please take care of yourself. The chanical Workshop is currently making drainage machinery for coal mines. Once it succeeds, I shall present it to you."
This was the best gift she could offer.
She had been here for nearly fifteen years, very grateful for landing in the period when Emperor Qianqing was in power, fortunate to et Jinrong, having a husband like Jiang Yifan who was accepting of her entirely, allowing her to stand tall in the world and live a distinctive life.
She was content.
(The End)
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