Zhao Hanzhang sat on the dragon throne receiving the three bows and nine prostrations from the assembled ministers, but the enthronement ceremony was not yet finished. There was still the most important step—sacrificing to Heaven!

The Prince of An could not participate in this segment. He lowered his head and withdrew to the rear hall, where Eunuch Dong was already waiting. Seeing that as soon as he withdrew, his face showed complete relaxation and his eyes were bright and shining, Eunuch Dong couldn’t help but reveal a smile, saying softly, “Your Highness may rest in the rear hall for a moment. After the new emperor finishes sacrificing to Heaven, then leave the palace.”

The Prince of An wished he could leave the palace right now. He asked, “Can’t I go now?”

Eunuch Dong shook his head. “The palace is under strict security inside and out. You cannot move about freely.”

The Prince of An quietly peeked out from behind the screen and saw Zhao Hanzhang rising as the hundred officials knelt to respectfully see her off.

Tuoba Yilu, kneeling among the hundred officials, couldn’t help but raise his head. He only had time to see the ornamental insects embroidered with gold and colored thread on her ceremonial robe fluttering before his eyes as Zhao Hanzhang walked past him…

After Zhao Hanzhang passed, Fu Tinghan rose and followed along with Ji Yuan, Ming Yu, and other great ministers. Only after three rows had passed did it become Tuoba Yilu’s turn.

But he was tall and could see over the people in front to watch Zhao Hanzhang walking at the very front. The stars and constellations on her ceremonial robe were distinctly restrained, yet Tuoba Yilu felt they were dazzling, painfully piercing to the eyes.

Three years ago when they swore brotherhood, she had still needed his help. Now he was a prisoner, while she had become emperor.

Behind and to the side of Tuoba Yilu, Liu Kun slightly raised his eyes to see Tuoba Yilu’s head held high. He grew anxious but didn’t dare remind him, lest he attract others’ attention.

Directly gazing at the emperor, especially during such a grand ceremony, was great disrespect.

Liu Kun wanted to remind Tuoba Yilu, but they weren’t in the same formation. The opposite front section was basically princes and envoys from various vassal states.

Apart from the court historians standing to the side with keen observation, no one noticed Tuoba Yilu’s breach of etiquette.

Zhao Ming stood side by side with Ming Yu, behind Fu Tinghan, following Zhao Hanzhang step by step down from Taiji Hall, then respectfully helping her onto the palanquin.

The Vice Director of the Imperial Secretariat, the Director of the Palace Secretariat, the Minister of Personnel, and other important ministers stood in their positions on both sides of the palanquin carriage, standing respectfully as they proceeded.

Other civil and military officials and vassal state envoys followed behind.

Generally, when an emperor ascended the throne, they would first sacrifice to Heaven, and only after gaining Heaven’s approval would they receive the prostrations of the assembled ministers.

Zhao Hanzhang reversed the order because Guo Pu had already used celestial phenomena to vouch for her, and she had also received abdication, so she first ascended the throne, then went to sacrifice to Heaven.

At the altar, Daoist priests were already performing rituals and chanting scriptures, and a ceremonial music ensemble was performing the music to welcome the spirits. As soon as Zhao Hanzhang arrived, it was the auspicious hour.

She stepped down from the palanquin carriage and, led by Guo Pu, walked up to the altar. He Xun held jade and silk, waiting above. When she walked up and stood in position, he respectfully handed the jade and silk to her.

Zhao Hanzhang accepted it and, led by Guo Pu and He Xun, offered the jade and silk to the principal position, then returned to kneel respectfully before the prayer mat.

After she finished prostrating, Zhao Cheng led Ministry of Rites officials to bring up ritual vessels containing beef and mutton. Zhao Hanzhang rose, accepted the ritual vessels, and presented them to the principal position. At Guo Pu’s signal, she returned to kneel before the principal position and prostrate herself…

After she finished prostrating, ceremonial music sounded, but it was not yet finished.

Fu Tinghan came forward carrying a tray, upon which was wine contained in a ritual vessel.

Zhao Hanzhang respectfully presented the wine to the principal deity.

Only then did Guo Pu step forward to recite the prayer. The general meaning was that Zhao Hanzhang had received Heaven’s mandate and the people’s collective support. Today she was about to inherit the great position, and in the future she would manage earthly affairs on behalf of the divine.

She hoped the divine would bless her with health and longevity, protect the nation’s peace and harmony, and prayed for favorable weather, peace, and prosperity…

If she did anything poorly, she asked Heaven to give signs to warn the people.

After the prayer was recited, Zhao Hanzhang respectfully knelt and performed three bows and nine prostrations.

When she finally stood up from the ground, she was slightly out of breath, sweat sliding down from her forehead. Honestly, if an emperor had even slightly weak health, one Heaven-sacrificing ceremony could take half his life.

No wonder emperors didn’t sacrifice to Heaven frequently, and occasionally when they did sacrifice to Heaven, they liked to have princes substitute for them—because sacrificing to Heaven not only cost money but could also cost lives.

After Zhao Hanzhang’s three bows and nine prostrations, it still wasn’t finished. Fu Tinghan poured wine and again presented the wine cup forward.

Zhao Hanzhang took the cup and offered the wine to the various deities. She knelt, slightly raising her head to look at the serene and ethereal clouds floating in midair. She didn’t know if divine spirits truly existed in this world, but surely there was a heavenly way.

If there were no unseen will, how could she and Fu Tinghan have come to this world and so smoothly accomplished so much? Was it because Heaven also couldn’t bear to see the living beings of this world suffer further devastation?

Historically, counting from the end of the Eastern Han dynasty to the year the Sui dynasty was established, there were three hundred years of warfare and natural disasters in between, with a loss of nearly seventy percent of the population. Of this seventy percent, sixty percent was lost before the establishment of the Eastern Jin.

After the Yongjia Rebellion, the Han people nearly faced extinction.

Zhao Hanzhang held the wine cup, closed her eyes, and prayed with genuine sincerity: “This is my first time being emperor. I don’t know if I can do it well, but I will do my utmost to be worthy of my conscience, worthy of the people, worthy of Heaven and Earth.”

Zhao Hanzhang poured out the wine and again performed the prostration ritual.

After she rose, Fu Tinghan again filled the cup with wine for her. She offered wine for the final time, then performed three bows and nine prostrations.

The music was also nearing its end. He Xun and Zhao Cheng and others stepped forward to remove all the food, wine, and other items from the principal position.

Zhao Hanzhang knelt again, performing three bows and nine prostrations.

Fu Tinghan reached out to take the prayer text, about to wait for her to finish prostrating before handing it to her, when he heard exclamations from below the altar.

Fu Tinghan sensed something and also looked up at the sky.

They saw that the sky, which had been filled only with drifting white clouds, seemed to have been painted with colors—brilliantly multicolored. A gentle breeze blew, and the variously colored clouds tumbled, revealing shapes like dragon scales and dragon claws…

A white cloud shifted slightly, and a golden ray of light poured down from high above, landing precisely on the cloud dragon in midair, making the dragon scales on its body even more distinct. As it tumbled, a dragon head emerged from the clouds, and a streak of purple cloud drifted over from above its head, falling directly above Zhao Hanzhang’s head.

The assembled ministers were so excited their bodies trembled. They all knelt and cried out loudly, “We pay homage to Your Majesty! Your Majesty has received Heaven’s mandate! Your Majesty has received Heaven’s mandate!”

Zhao Hanzhang stared in astonishment. She… truly did have Heaven’s will?

Fu Tinghan also watched in astonishment. After recovering, he immediately stuffed the prayer text into her hands, saying in a low voice, “Burn it quickly.”

Good wishes must be received by Heaven as soon as possible.

Zhao Hanzhang immediately threw the prayer text into the fire to burn it, then respectfully performed another round of three bows and nine prostrations.

Zhao Ming, kneeling below, was extremely excited. He grabbed the dazed Zhao Cheng and asked, “Did you see? Heaven’s mandate is with the Zhao clan! Heaven’s mandate is with the Zhao clan! Her succession is proper and justified. Whether it’s the late emperor or Heaven itself, both truly and sincerely acknowledge her. The people of the realm also acknowledge her!”

Zhao Cheng looked up at the clouds in the sky, his hands clenched slightly beneath his sleeves, his eyes also full of brilliance.

Among the hundred officials, a small portion first suspected this was trickery, then turned their heads to look around. Seeing that the area around the altar was open and the entire altar could be surveyed at a glance, they knew this was real, and so they prostrated themselves with sincere devotion, banging their heads several times.

Guo Pu was most excited. This was his first time presiding over a Heaven-sacrificing ceremony for an emperor, and unexpectedly he had summoned Heaven’s will. Having this achievement in his lifetime was already deeply satisfying.

He immediately had the music ensemble play the music of tranquility and great peace, then signaled to Zhao Hanzhang, who had just risen: “Quick, the spirits are about to depart. Quickly, respectfully see off the spirits.”

Zhao Hanzhang knelt again to the music, performing three bows and nine prostrations.

The eunuchs and palace maids brought up all the sacrificial items and burned them one by one.

After the sacrificial items were burned, the clouds in the sky also slowly dispersed. Only a touch of orange and a touch of purple still mingled among the white clouds.

The common people in the capital all saw this unusual celestial phenomenon, and like the hundred officials in the palace, they were excited, if not more so.

Because they were elderly and couldn’t keep up with the entire enthronement ceremony, Zhao Hu and Zhao Song saw the celestial phenomenon and couldn’t help but wring their hands in regret. “We should have gone, we should have gone…”

Zhao Hu beat his chest and stamped his feet, regretting bitterly, “I’ve lived half a lifetime and this is the first time I’ve seen a divine dragon appear in the clouds. Perhaps I’ll never see such an unusual sight again. How could I not go? How could I not go?”

Zhao Song immediately restrained the regret on his face and comforted him, saying, “There’s a long future ahead. Sanniang—the new emperor is Heaven’s chosen one. In the future when great achievements are made and she sacrifices to Heaven, we’ll surely be able to see it. We can go then.”

Zhao Hu said, “Who knows when that will be? Will I still be alive?”

Zhao Song thought to himself, what can be done about that? Who told you to be sick some time ago, which also dragged me down with illness?

Zhao Song was also regretting in his heart, so he was only willing to comfort him with one sentence. Nothing more.

He looked up at the sky and thought silently: With such a celestial phenomenon, Hanzhang’s position is now proper and justified. From now on, her governance will be twice as effective with half the effort, won’t it?

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