You are my golden finger

Chapter 222: Abdication Ceremony

This autumn was destined to be the busiest one for Lin Xijin. At the end of July, Uncle Jianan, Uncle Muxiong, Xingwu, and Li Yunxi returned to Beijing, and the families took turns to host the housewarming banquet.

Except for the clan leader and the head of the village, Xingcheng and Xiaowen, who had arranged their marriages in Kyoto and had in-laws on both sides, the rest of the four families had no relatives or friends in Kyoto.

There were quite a few people who came from Shiziwo to study and manage various businesses, plus Qi Minghao, Madam Wu, Madam Lin and others also came to join in the fun, so except for the third mother-in-law's family which had fewer guests and only had ten tables, the other three families had more than twenty tables for the banquet.

Lin Xijin and Murong Xu will be there to show their support at every household, which will undoubtedly give these people in Shiziwo great confidence.

In September, Li Yunxi and Banxia gave birth to their sons. Although Mu Jin, her assistants and midwives were the main drivers, they were all family members, so Lin Xijin still had to be there to comfort the mothers and their families.

However, after the emperor returned from his vacation in Hangzhou, he seemed determined to abdicate.

Look, there is a lively debate going on in the court meeting.

"Your Majesty, I believe that you are in your prime and can still do more for the country."

"Your Majesty, I believe that your Majesty has worked hard over the years to open up the situation for the prosperity of our Great Jin. Now is the time to continue to persevere and strive for a great cause for generations to come!"

At the grand court meeting that day, the emperor was determined to abdicate the throne to Murong Xu and brought up the issue of abdication for discussion again.

But no one could persuade him, and the final abdication edict decided that the Imperial Observatory would hold Murong Xu's coronation ceremony and Lin Xijin's queen coronation ceremony on October 8th.

"Alas, Jin'er, I originally wanted the old man to hold on for two more years, so that we could at least be relatively free to go wherever we wanted. Who knew he would actually quit?"

"What can we do? The power that everyone covets has become a hot potato in the hands of you and your son. But it is also because your father has found an heir who can be entrusted with the country that he can leave so casually. Those who are capable should do more work, and you are a capable person! So you should work harder." Lin Xijin comforted.

Murong Xu said that he really didn't feel comforted.

The day when the new emperor ascended the throne was the day when the sun was shining brightly in early winter. The warm sun shone on the ministers standing in the same posture outside the Jinluan Palace, and the scene was indescribably spectacular. They wore court robes representing different positions, and hung jade pendants of different colors according to their different identities.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the ministers stepped onto the carefully decorated high platform and built an altar one by one and began the sacrificial ceremony to pay tribute to the ancestors of heaven and earth.

After everyone had returned to their seats, Eunuch Gao stepped forward and slowly unfolded the imperial edict with a dragon totem printed on it in his hands.

"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: The Ninth Prince Murong Xu is gifted with extraordinary talent, wisdom and bravery, and is blessed by Heaven. He will save the world from disaster, purify the world, and protect our ancestral temple. I now abdicate to him, hoping that he will become a wise ruler who loves the people, protects our country, and honors this land thousands of miles away, and solemnly accepts the Will of Heaven. I decree this."

As Eunuch Gao finished speaking, all the ministers and generals jointly requested Murong Xu to be the emperor. Murong Xu humbly declined at first as per convention, but finally agreed to ascend the throne after the ministers’ repeated requests.

Murong Xu wore a crown with twelve strings of jade beads hanging from the front and back, a golden and black robe woven with gold embroidered thread, and a leather belt with a golden dragon and phoenix pattern tied around his waist. He was tall and slender with an upright posture.

Lin Xijin's phoenix gown was carefully woven with golden silk threads, extremely gorgeous and magnificent. Her long hair was elegantly tied up by an exquisite phoenix crown, which set off the luxurious phoenix gown on her body and complemented each other.

Murong Xu reached out his hand and took Lin Xijin's hand, step by step, to officially ascend the throne of the empress. Murong Xu sat upright, looking forward, his eyes sparkling, handsome, and full of arrogance and confidence that looked down upon the world.

"See you, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

"Greetings to the Queen! May Her Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!"

All officials shouted "Long live the emperor", and there was peace inside and outside the court. The two accepted the worship of the officials, who knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, and the loud voices stirred the whole palace and echoed continuously.

From then on, the old emperor became the emperor emeritus as he wished, enjoying the happiness of playing with his grandchildren every day. When the weather was fine, he would inevitably go out of the palace for a tour, enjoying himself very much.

The Empress Dowager was conferred the title of Holy Mother Empress Dowager, the Empress was conferred the title of Holy and Easy Empress Dowager, the Noble Concubine Yi was conferred the title of Noble Concubine Yi, and the rest were consorts dowagers.

The second prince was named Prince Ping, the sixth prince was named Prince He, and the eighth prince was named Prince An.

The whole nation celebrated the new emperor's ascension to the throne and reduced taxes for one year.

Murong Xu and Lin Xijin did not build a new palace in the palace. Instead, they moved to Yuehua Palace, which has the highest viewing tower in the palace. The emperor and empress lived in the same palace to show that they were of the same mind.

That night, the crescent moon was like a hook. There was no moonlight as clear as water, only the tenderness of the two people flowing in the clear night.

A faint sound of flute came, seemingly intermittent. Like strands of silk, it stretched endlessly. It brushed across the deep night sky, entwined with the night clouds, the dense buildings of Kyoto, and the swaying treetops... It seemed to be humming, and it seemed to be telling a story, soft and affectionate, telling a long and vicissitudes of life legend.

Lin Xijin and Murong Xu were standing on the highest building of Yuehua Tower at this moment. The lush leaves cast mottled shadows, and the layers of leaves and interlaced shadows perfectly enveloped the two of them. She leaned against Murong Xu, listening to him playing the flute leisurely.

At this moment, Murong Xu was standing tall and slender, wearing a moon-white gown, and was playing the flute attentively.

The hazy moonlight softened the man's cold and hard features. His face was as white as jade, his skin was as white as cream, and his eyes were as bright as stars.

After the song was over, the sound of the flute gradually faded into the night, never to be heard again. Murong Xu recalled with some nostalgia: "Jin'er, do you still remember the time when you first came to the capital from Shiziwo and hid in a tree in Prince Xu's mansion to listen to me playing the flute and ran away after I found you?"

"Yes, I remember. I was restless that night and somehow thought the person playing the flute was the person I was looking for, so I followed the sound of the flute and found you." Lin Xijin recalled.

"In fact, even though I had no memory of you, I still couldn't help but get close to you. I really wanted to chase you, call you back, and play the flute for you alone, even if it lasted until the end of time."

"Later, when I knew you were leaving Kyoto to return to Shiziwo, I couldn't help but climb up the city wall and watch you leave."

At this moment, Murong Xu's cold eyes were filled with a deep and dim light, which was a deep affection that was so strong that he wanted to drown the person beside him in it.

“Yes! Everything is already predetermined. We cannot force it. We can only let nature take its course.” Lin Xijin concluded with the philosophy of our ancestors.

"Jin'er, I'm most thankful that you're here. It's great that you've been by my side for two lifetimes!"

"Well, we are all lucky..."

Murong Xu looked deeply at the person beside him, and couldn't help but hold her tightly in his arms. All the remaining words were swallowed into his stomach, leaving nothing unsaid.