August 10th. It was the day of the Grand Princess’s coronation.
At the break of dawn, the Capital was under martial law. Within the palace, Imperial Guards were posted every five paces to ensure security. The ministers had arrived before daybreak, dressed in their formal court attire, waiting outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The entire staircase leading up to the palace’s main hall was draped in red carpet, flanked by guards standing in strict formation. It was a sight of absolute majesty.
As the morning light grew, the Grand Princess appeared before the gathered crowd, draped in a black dragon robe embroidered with gold. The officials knelt in unison as the Minister of Rites read aloud the imperial edict: the Grand Princess, Zhao Yunhuang, would ascend the throne as Empress. Once the reading concluded, the ministers knelt and shouted, "Long live the Empress, long live the Empress, may you live for ten thousand years."
Chapter 237