Marrying into a rich family by mistake, it is difficult to be a mistress

They fought their way out of the imperial capital, joined up with the former members of the Luo family that Luo Jixun had just recruited, and fled all the way to Yongcheng. Along the way, they did not dare to delay, for fear that they would be caught up by pursuers.

……

Prince Huaiyang rushed back to the imperial capital day and night.

A mourning hall had been set up in the palace, and Xiao Wenxuan's coffin was placed inside it.

"Your Majesty, I am late." Prince Huaiyang knelt in front of the coffin and kowtowed to it.

Civil and military officials in mourning also knelt down.

After kneeling three times and kowtowed nine times, Marquis Wuyang walked towards King Huaiyang and helped him up.

"Your Highness, please accept my condolences. The fate of the Great Xia Dynasty has been unfortunate. Two emperors have been assassinated and died. The country cannot be without a ruler for a day. You should quickly discuss the candidate for the new ruler to succeed the throne. Otherwise, Great Xia will be in turmoil and the country will be destroyed."

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister is absolutely right." All the ministers in the hall nodded in agreement.

"Now, among the royal family of Daxia, only Prince Huaiyang is the most suitable candidate to inherit the throne. As the prime minister of the current dynasty and the head of all officials, I would like to make Prince Huaiyang the successor of the new emperor. What do you think?"

"Although Prince Huaiyang is a suitable candidate, I suggest you follow the example of our ancestors and it won't be too late to make a decision after asking three questions." Rong Yuchuan stood up.

Everyone knows the so-called three questions.

Ask the gods of heaven and earth.

Second, ask about the ancestors in the ancestral temple.

Three questions for the people of Daxia.

As long as you pass these three levels, it will be in accordance with God's will and no one will dare to interfere.

This proposal was more convincing, and all civil and military officials agreed.

When asking the gods of heaven and earth, one must offer sacrifices and burn tortoise shells at the altar in the south of the palace.

A memorial would be written on the tortoise shell.

After offering incense, Prince Huaiyang placed the tortoise shell with the petition written on it into a brazier and burned it.

If the tortoise shell does not crack after the incense has burned out, it means that the gods of heaven and earth approve of it.

The second question to the ancestors in the ancestral temple is the same method.

Similarly, the fact that the tortoise shell did not crack was a sign of the ancestors' recognition of King Huaiyang.

The third question was asked to the people: if they agreed that Prince Huaiyang would succeed the throne of Great Xia, they should take the initiative to go to the government offices of various counties and sign the Book of All Citizens. It would only be valid if more than 10,000 people in each county signed it.

When offering sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth, the weather was sunny and windy.

Prince Huaiyang walked up to the altar and burned incense.

In front of all the civil and military officials, he placed the tortoise shell with the memorial written on it into the brazier in front of him.

The flames engulfed the tortoise shell in an instant.

You know, although tortoise shells are hard, they are not fire-resistant.

If the incense stick has not cracked after burning for a while, it is a sign of approval from the gods.

Everyone waited with bated breath.

This is a critical moment that determines the fate of Daxia.

The incense finally burned out.

Marquis Wuyang and several officials stepped forward and took out the tortoise shell.

"The tortoise shell is intact! When the King of Huaiyang asked the gods of heaven and earth, they approved it!"

Next, go to the ancestral temple to worship and ask questions to the ancestors.

The tortoise shell remained intact after being burned.

After inspecting the tortoise shell, Marquis Wuyang also displayed it.

"Second, ask the ancestors in the ancestral temple. The tortoise shell is intact. The ancestors in the ancestral temple of King Huaiyang approve it!"

While performing these two sacrifices.

Preparations for the Book of All Nations in various places have also begun in full swing.

Outside the government offices of each county town, there were long queues that seemed to have no end in sight.

Ji Chuhe and Princess Huaiyang set up so many soup kitchens and provided free medical services everywhere to maximize their benefits at this time.

The people have actually gained these benefits, and when they heard how prosperous the people in Huaiyang are, they all yearned for it.

I hope that after Prince Huaiyang ascends the throne, every county town in Daxia will be like Huaiyang.

From a barren land, it has become a land of fish and rice.

In less than three days, books from all over the country were sent to the imperial capital.

It only took ten days to collect all the books of the nations.

In the council hall, Marquis Wuyang placed the collected books of all people on the court.

Rolls upon rolls, piled up into a small hill.

He also took out the two tortoise shells from his arms.

"The gods of heaven and earth, the ancestors of the ancestral temples, and the common people, all the results are here."

After saying this, he knelt down towards Prince Huaiyang.

"Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

All the civil and military officials in the court knelt down.

"I pay my respects to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The voices shouting "Long live the country" broke through the sky.

Prince Huaiyang walked slowly up to the dragon throne and sat down.

"Everyone loves you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"The palace had just experienced civil unrest and there was a lot of work to be done. The Ministry of Works immediately set about repairing the palace. Ordinary wood was used for the repairs, and only stability was required, not luxury."

"Yes." The guards from the Ministry of Works immediately stepped forward to give the order.

"All Cao's followers who participated in the civil strife can be exempted from the death penalty if they confess their guilt. We will decide on their punishment later."

"Marquis Wuyang, the military reform plan that you have been proposing should be implemented immediately. In addition, taxes should be reduced for one year. Once the military reform is complete, the tax issue can be discussed and decided again."

……

A month later.

Xiao Yan'an was named Crown Prince, and Ji Chuhe was named Crown Princess.

He and Ji Chuhe moved into the palace.

Live in a newly renovated palace.

Ji Chuhe personally named this palace Dongchen Palace.

The four concubines were also assigned spacious palaces, each with their own little world.

Lin Siyou gave birth to a daughter for Xiao Yanan.

She has not yet finished her confinement and has not yet moved from the Prince's Mansion to the Palace.

The servants in the prince's mansion were busy packing up, only her courtyard was quiet.

Ping'er was worried that she was overthinking it, so she came over to comfort her.

"Mrs. Lin, the Crown Princess has chosen a place for you to live. When you are out of confinement, she will bring you to the palace."

"I know." Lin Siyou responded calmly. She couldn't help but say, "Sometimes, people have to believe in fate."

"Yes, fate is a very strange thing. However, sometimes, different choices lead to different endings. Aunt Lin, tell me, is fate arranged by God, or is it in our own hands?"

Faced with Ping'er's question, Lin Siyou was speechless.

At this time, a maid came in.

"Mrs. Lin, your mother has come to the Prince's Mansion again and is asking to see you."

Lin Siyou's face changed, "Didn't I tell her not to come to the Prince's Mansion again? I won't meet her again!"

"The Crown Princess has instructed that you can meet with Madam Lin."

"Did the Crown Princess really say that?" Lin Siyou didn't believe it, but she knew that the servants would never dare to lie.

"What does she mean by this? Is she trying to find fault with me so that she can punish me? Actually, she still doesn't want me to enter the palace, right?"

Ping'er heard Lin Siyou's mumbling and shook her head helplessly.

"Aunt, do you want to see him or not? If you want to see him, I will go and invite him in." Ping'er asked loudly.

From an emotional perspective, Lin Siyou definitely wants to see her, since she is her mother after all.

However, she was afraid that meeting him would cause trouble.