Chang'an is good

Thanks to the unusual silence in the hall, when the empress spoke again, although her voice was not loud, every word was clearly heard by everyone -

"This letter is indeed written in the handwriting of my son Ah Xiao."

Hearing this affirmation, everyone's expressions fluctuated.

The Empress confirmed the handwriting of the letter, which was equivalent to publicly confirming Chang Suining's identity...

Ma Xingzhou at the side couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty..."

Your Majesty, this is...

"I am also aware of the fact that the female official named Zhong Jiuniang was favored by the late emperor and was pregnant with the heir." The Emperor of the Holy Ce held the Panlong Cane in one hand and the letter in the other, and looked at everyone: "However, the late emperor was seriously ill and passed away that year. Afterwards, I only investigated the concubines who plotted to murder the heir, and did not make the matter public--"

Chang Suining listened quietly - at least up to this point, what the saint said was all the truth.

"After that, I also tried to find the whereabouts of Zhong Jiuniang and her daughter, but Ah Xiao did not have time to inform me of this matter before he followed his father..."

When the Holy Ce Emperor said this, he turned to look at Chang Suining in front of the altar and said, "Whether it was my failure to control the concubines in the harem or to let the royal bloodline flow outside, it was all my fault."

Having said this, the empress handed the dragon crutch to the prince, slowly raised her hand and bowed deeply upwards: "I am here to apologize to the ancestors of the Li family."

Chang Suining's expression remained the same, and he raised his hand to salute the empress at the right time.

There is great significance between each gift.

The Imperial Tutor acted as a guarantor, and Yao Yi gave a complete and tenable cause and effect story, with Li Rong, the most important princess in the royal family, as a witness, and the old handwritten book of the former Crown Prince Xiao...

The authenticity of the royal bloodline, to be more specific, is a family affair of the Li family, and the truth or falsehood should be judged by the Li family. With Li Rong's appearance and the letters from the late crown prince as evidence, it is more than enough to give Chang Suining the identity of a Princess of the Li family.

But the special thing about this matter is that Chang Suining is destined not to be content with being just an ordinary Princess Li...

Under such circumstances, the conditions for identifying the authenticity of the identity become extremely strict.

This important event of returning to the clan, which would determine the direction of politics, would be difficult to be overturned now that the empress had given her approval, even though she was now only an exiled and powerless emperor.

The rain outside the temple had stopped at some point.

The storm in everyone's heart was growing stronger and stronger, violently washing away everyone's mind.

Censor Tu, who had not eaten much for two days, sat down tremblingly and was helped up by his colleagues.

Beside Censor Tu, there were many officials with solemn expressions. They looked at Yao Yi, the Grand Princess, and even the letter in the emperor's hand... All this evidence was too "perfect", so perfect that no one could find any flaws.

Is it really possible to preserve all the evidence and clues so perfectly for an old incident that happened nearly twenty years ago?

Their intuition told them that this matter was smooth and even suspicious, but they couldn't find any angle to question it...

Even now that the Li family and the emperor have approved it, they no longer have the position to question it.

Chang Suining did not rush to say anything. Just as the teacher said at the beginning, this ceremony would give everyone a chance to speak.

However, no one spoke again.

As everyone's mind was in turmoil, an official suddenly entered the palace and said, "Envoy, an immortal master is here to visit!"

Dasheng highly respected Taoism, and rarely would anyone turn away a Taoist priest who came to visit.

Moreover, the official called him "Immortal Master" as soon as he opened his mouth, which showed that the person who came must be extraordinary.

After hearing this, some officials came to their senses and guessed that this was a method that Chang Suining had arranged in advance. He was either using some so-called experts to further confirm his identity or using mysterious words to pave the way for his future actions...

However, when the immortal master was invited into the hall, all the officials were shocked.

The visitor was dressed in a gray-white Taoist robe, holding a whisk in his arm, with silver-white hair and beard. He exuded an aura that made people unable to help but respectfully address him as "Immortal Master" at first glance.

"—— Imperial Master!" an official blurted out in surprise.

"He is really the Imperial Master..."

"Hasn't the Imperial Master already passed away?!"

"..."

Amidst the high and low sounds of surprise, Tian Jing walked to the center of the hall and performed the Taoist ceremony in the direction of the Holy Ce Emperor: "Your Majesty, we meet again."

The Taoist had a calm and detached smile on his face, and he didn't seem to care about the previous assassination attempt by the emperor.

This is indeed the case. Tianjing came to this world to observe the fortune of the world. He does not care about the ordinary worldly grudges, life and death.

The Holy Ce Emperor was also very calm. She was not surprised or angry about the resurrection of the Heavenly Mirror. She nodded slightly and did not explain or ask any questions. She just said, "The State Master had already completed his cultivation, but returned to this secular world. He must have come for the secret of heaven—"

"That's right." Tianjing turned around and looked at the mist outside the palace. "I have been traveling in the world, looking for life for all living things. I finally came to the precious land of Taiyuan. Today, I saw dragon energy rising and falling here, so I entered this door to investigate."

The expressions of the people in the hall changed when they heard this.

There was no clear indication in the words of the National Master, but considering today's Return to the Clan Ceremony, it is not difficult to guess what he meant by "dragon energy".

Taoism is highly respected, but not everyone believes in it. If these words were uttered by an ordinary Taoist priest, there would certainly be people who would denounce them as evil words to mislead the people. However, for those who have cultivated to the level of Master Tianjing...even if they do not believe in it firmly, they still need to maintain a sense of awe.

If we trace back, it is said that not long after the empress was born, the Imperial Master Tianjing predicted that she had the potential to be an emperor...

Although there is no way to verify this matter, the fact that the empress placed great importance on Master Tianjing after she ascended the throne was indeed noticed by the world.

Since he became the national teacher, Tianjing has predicted disasters for Dasheng more than once, and each time it was accurate.

Since the departure of Imperial Master Tian Jing, the imperial power centered on the Empress has indeed rapidly declined...

Until this moment, the Imperial Master appeared again, but it was at the ceremony of Chang Suining's return to the clan...

Wherever it goes, it is like a mirror in the sky, reflecting the secrets of heaven - this thought emerged uncontrollably in many people's minds. Before everyone could expel this thought, they suddenly heard screams and agitation outside the hall.

He Wuhu ran into the hall, looking excited. He clasped his fists and pointed outside the hall: "Envoy! Auspicious clouds suddenly appeared in the sky!"

Chang Suining was slightly startled.

The hall was already noisy, and Cui Lang led his clansmen to run out of the hall: "Quick, go and take a look!"

Everyone came back to their senses and began to rush out of the hall.

They either ran into the temple courtyard or stood on the stone steps and looked up at the sky, and they all clearly saw the wonders above their heads.

In the still somewhat gray sky, a group of colorful clouds split out from behind the dark clouds, which was particularly eye-catching.

As the air flow and wind direction surged, the colorful cloud was gradually torn and enlarged, floating like a gauze, spreading out across the sky, magnificent and sacred, extremely breathtaking.

The colorful auspicious clouds were extremely rare, and many people had only heard of them in the records of auspicious signs. The hall was in an uproar.

Chang Suining stood on the stone steps in front of the hall, with the colorful clouds reflected in his eyes. He exclaimed softly, "Cui Ling'an, you are right. An auspicious day will bring auspicious signs."

Cui Jing stood beside her and watched this strange phenomenon with her.

Chang Suining looked at the vast sky and the moist rain floating between heaven and earth, and said to himself: "It seems that my Li family ancestors also want me to put this chaotic world in order as soon as possible and continue the great prosperity and peace..."

In this way, she would be recognized by her ancestors.

She accepted this expectation today.

The woman in the green dress stood on the steps, drowned out by the noise.

The noise was not only heard in the palace courtyard and the Jin Temple, but also in the entire city of Taiyuan.

The people in the city all saw this scene, and they all knew that a grand ceremony of returning to the clan was being held in the Jin Temple today.

Listening to the cheers coming from outside the Jin Temple that were like the surging sea and the shaking mountains, the officials in the palace courtyard felt as if thousands of troops were marching through their hearts.

For thousands of years, people have believed that imperial power is granted by God, and the emperor, who is the ruler of the world, is often regarded as a "divine creature" born by heaven's will.

The impact of such an auspicious event witnessed by thousands of people is immeasurable.

The royal family and the emperor recognized her, the imperial tutor recognized her, the national teacher recognized her, the gods and the ancestors of the Li family also recognized her, and the people would also recognize her...

And these officials, who had asserted the day before that the rain in Taiyuan was a sign of their ancestors' dissatisfaction, now had no right to deny that this auspicious cloud phenomenon was a manifestation of heaven's will.

When the colorful clouds faded, gaps appeared between the clouds. At first glance, it looked like stacked dragon scales floating in the air.

The noise in Taiyuan city had not yet died down, but people in Jin Temple had returned to the hall one after another and returned to their respective seats.

At the emperor's instruction, an official from the Zongzheng Temple walked to the altar with a jade box in his hand.

Inside the jade box is the genealogy of the Dasheng royal family.

The royal genealogy is divided into the jade genealogy of the current emperor, the genealogy of the imperial lineage, the genealogy of princes and princesses, the genealogy of the empress, and the genealogy of the imperial clan.

The officials of the Zongzheng Temple took out the genealogy of the princes and princesses and turned to the last page of the children of the late Emperor Hongxiao. The following was written by the Grand Tutor himself: [The ninth daughter of Emperor Hongxiao, Li Suining]

The Taifu dipped the brush in ink again and wrote down Chang Suining's birth date and time that he had "forged" long ago.

At this time, sunlight broke through from behind the clouds, and golden light penetrated into the hall, dispelling the gloom and darkness.

Chang Suining stared into the golden light and felt a little dizzy for a moment. With every word the teacher wrote, she felt as if she was sinking into the void, as if her soul was taking root in the world again.

From now on, she is Li Suining, and she will use this identity to fulfill the ideal mission she has set for herself.

The Zongzheng Temple official placed the completed genealogy on the altar. The young man in black robe who had been guarding the steps knelt on one knee and saluted the person above him: "Cui Jing of the Xuan Ce Mansion pays respect to Her Royal Highness the Princess."

He would be the first witness to congratulate her when she returned to the public under her original surname - he had been preparing for this day since a long time ago.

Cui Jing held a high position of power, and possessed the arrogance and nobility of a son of an aristocratic family. As far as many officials could remember, they had almost never seen him kneel like this.

His kneeling undoubtedly represented the recognition and following of the Xuan Ce Army, which was of great significance.

Wei Shuyi also raised his hand and bowed deeply: "I am Wei Shuyi from the Ministry of Personnel, and I pay my respects to Her Royal Highness the Princess of our dynasty."

The elderly Taifu stepped back two steps, stood with Wei Shuyi, raised his hand and saluted: "Ministry of Rites Chu Hui, greets the eldest princess."

"The Cui clan members pay their respects to Her Royal Highness the Princess!"

Cui Lang prostrated himself with his hands on the ground in the hall, performed a solemn salute, and bowed his head to the ground with a loud and high voice.

Chang Sui'an also knelt down, and in his equally loud voice there was a hint of hoarseness: "General Xuan Ce, Chang Sui'an, greets the eldest princess of our dynasty!"

Ah Dian, who had been listening quietly and obediently, could not help but jump for joy when he heard the words "Your Highness". However, he also felt like crying for some reason. He knelt down beside Chang Sui'an, his eyes shining like stars: "Your Highness! Ah Dian pays respect to Your Highness!"

He can finally call His Highness His Highness!

"Dai Cong, the Grand Commander of Bingzhou, pays respect to Her Royal Highness the Princess!"

"Tu Dexian, the Censorate... pays respect to the Princess." Censor Tu stepped out of the line and knelt, touching his forehead to the ground. "And ask the Princess to punish me and reduce my sentence."

There was no wind in the hall, but it seemed as if there was wind, blowing across the backs and heads of the people, causing them to bow down one after another.

Led by Yuanxiang, Shecai, He Wuhu and others, the soldiers outside the palace knelt down and bowed from both sides of the palace gate to the palace courtyard.

Chang Suining's gaze passed through the open palace door and looked outside the palace. He raised his hand to salute, with a shawl hanging from his arms.

The music of the grand ceremony finally sounded at this time, and the musicians played the chapter of peace together.

Amid the music, Chang Suining - Li Suining faced the altar and formally paid homage to the Li ancestors.

This time, the officials behind her knelt down with her.

As everyone worshipped together, everything was settled.

The rest of the ceremony proceeded in a calm and solemn atmosphere until its end.

Thousands of miles away, in the eastern capital of Luoyang, in the front yard of the government office, Luo Guanlin inserted three incense sticks into the incense burner, and led a group of scholars and officials to bow towards the set altar and the direction of Taiyuan.

In the governor's mansion in Jiangdu City, Yao Ran, Wang Yue and others also set up a sacrificial table, and Chang Kuo and Meng Lie were present.

The number of officials in Jiangdu was more than ten times that of Luoyang. All the people in the first seven halls were present. As Chang Kuo, with a crutch tucked under his arm, inserted the incense into the floor-standing bronze incense burner, the people standing in the courtyard bowed deeply together with their colleagues in front of them.

At this time of late spring, everyone's eyes were filled with excitement.

In the Jin Temple in Taiyuan, after the ceremony was over, Li Suining stood up, and the officials who were kneeling on the steps followed him.

As everyone stood up, the figure kneeling in the hall became conspicuous and attracted everyone's attention.

Some officials tried to step forward to help, but the owner of the figure bent even lower, with his forehead pressed against the ground, making it difficult to see his appearance.

Wei Shuyi looked over and asked: "Why is the Crown Prince kneeling for so long and won't get up?"

"Today, today my sister returns to the family... I feel at ease with the testimony of the heroic spirits of the Li family's ancestors..." The prince's voice was a little trembling. He raised his head a little and tried his best to make the order of words less confusing: "In front of all the ancestors, Li Zhi has a favor to ask..."

Li Suining looked at him.

Amid the noise, Li Zhi tightly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his voice became much firmer, but still inevitably carried a hint of tears: "...Ancestors, Li Zhi is incompetent and has brought harm to the country. I am not worthy of the responsibility of being the crown prince. For the sake of the country and the people, I now request to depose the crown prince!"

As he spoke, the young man knocked his head heavily again:
“——Please ask the ancestors and saints for permission!” (End of this chapter)