Chapter 95: The Free and Easy Young Marquis (28)
Huo Xian ascended the throne and changed the era name to “Yongping.”
Is it easy to be an Emperor?
Huo Xian knew the answer was negative without even thinking about it.
Politics, economy, military, culture, diplomacy, technology, medicine, and so onâevery aspect needed to be considered. All of this had to rely on Huo Xian, the Emperor. It wasn’t that everything current was unsuitable, but rather that the era needed to develop. An Emperor could not be a stickler for old ways.
However, implementing decrees wasn’t something that could be done with a single word. It was also unrealistic for Huo Xian to bring the regulations of the future directly to this world.
Hmm, so heâd have a grand wedding to relax first, and then officially dive into work.
From the new Emperorâs enthronement to his grand wedding, the officials of the Ministry of Rites were kept extremely busy. Besides being busy, they couldn’t help but feel confusedâdid His Majesty really intend to marry a man as his wife?
Before the enthronement, the court officials could have turned a blind eye. But since an auspicious omen had appeared on the day of the enthronement, with a golden dragon appearing and attaching itself to the new Emperor, he was undeniably the True Dragon Son of Heaven. With such a brilliant halo on him, the officials and palace attendants all looked at him through eight hundred layers of filters. So the question arose: how could an Emperor recognized by the heavens marry a male wife who could not branch out the family line for him?
However, thanks to those eight hundred layers of filters, everyone harbored doubts but didn’t dare to go against his wishes. Instead, they all threw their complaints at the Retired Emperor.
The “tool man” Retired Emperor, who was diligently reviewing memorials: “A-choo!”
Because the national and internal treasuries were truly empty, Huo Xian could only simplify the wedding ceremony. The one who was most bewildered was naturally the future Empress, Huo Yuanâthis youth whom all the women in the world were envious of.
The couple could not see each other for three days before the wedding. Huo Xian was in the palace, while Huo Yuan lived in the house Princess Jinâan had given him. They were separated by over a thousand meters, making mental communication difficult. He also had to learn a bunch of rules… it truly exhausted him. Many times he wanted to quit, but in the end, he was always persuaded by Ning Chen.
“After the grand wedding, you will be the Empress who is the Mother of the World. You hold the highest position in the world next to the Emperor. Your every move will be watched by the citizens. If there is even the slightest impropriety, someone will surely seize on it. You have no father or mother; if you are pulled down, there are plenty of people waiting to take your place.” Ning Chen held back a laugh in his heart, speaking with a serious face as he bluffed. No, it wasn’t exactly bluffing. Since ancient times, the court and the inner palace have always been connected. To stabilize the court, an Emperor would take the daughters or women of his ministers into the inner palace.
Even though the Retired Emperor made Huo Xian swear an oath in the Ancestral Temple not to take concubines, the phenomenon during Huo Xianâs enthronement proved he was no ordinary mortal. An oath? Never heard of it!
Huo Yuan was persuaded. Holding back his frustration, he learned all the etiquette and rules, but he rejected things like getting his ears pierced. He had no intention of wearing earrings.
On the day of the grand wedding, the sun was bright and the sky was filled with glowing clouds. It was similar to the rainbow clouds on the day of Huo Xianâs enthronement. This time, however, it wasn’t Huo Yuan using a “Golden Finger” for their wedding, but a natural phenomenon.
Huo Xian had lived for so long, yet this was his first time getting married. He couldn’t help but feel excited.
[Huo Xian, hold me tight and walk slowly. I can’t see the road.] Huo Yuanâs wedding attire was made by seamstresses in a rush. Since there had never been a male Empress before, the Ministry of Rites and the Internal Attendantsâ Bureau had no reference. In the end, the Ministry of Rites decided to go with something complex. Thus, although Huo Yuan was in male attire, the wedding robes were layered and intricate. They were exquisite, but the many layers made it difficult to move. It was also lucky that he was relatively thin; someone else would have looked like a ball. Furthermore, the veil was very long, and he had been told not to lower his head too much. Thus, he truly couldn’t see the road.
Hmm… the veil was a bit of an eyesore.
Thinking this, Huo Xian directly raised his hand and lifted the veil.
“Your Majestyâ!” Everyone was shocked.
Huo Xian raised his hand to signal them not to make a fuss. He said with a smile, “The Empress is a man; there is no need for so many rules.”
The officials: […]
You say there’s no need for so many rules, but you personally went to welcome him. You are the rule itself.
Huo Xian didn’t know his officials were complaining about him in their hearts, and even if he did, he would remain unmoved. A groom welcoming his bride was only natural. Furthermore, he wanted everyone to know that this was the Emperorâs respect for the Empress.
“Want to get into the Phoenix Carriage or ride with me?” Huo Xian asked with a smile.
Huo Yuan looked at the Empressâs Phoenix Carriage, then at Huo Xianâs white horse with its smooth, shiny fur. He thought of a sayingâthe one riding a white horse isn’t necessarily a Prince; it could also be Tang Sanzang.
“What are you laughing at?” Seeing him look at the carriage and then the horse before suddenly laughing, Huo Xian couldn’t help but feel both confused and amused.
Huo Yuan communicated with him mentally. Hearing this, Huo Xian pinched Huo Yuanâs nose: [Am I Tang Sanzang?]
Huo Yuan giggled: [You are Emperor Brother~~]
Huo Xian: That little wave in his tone… it really tickles the heart.
“Ahem!” Ning Chen, who was on the side, truly couldn’t watch anymore. No one dared to disturb the imperial coupleâs flirting, but as a friend, he had to step up. Facing Huo Xianâs unhappy gaze at being interrupted, he steeled himself and said, “Your Majesty, don’t miss the auspicious hour.”
Fine.
“Iâll sit in the Phoenix Carriage.” It wasn’t that Huo Yuan didn’t want to ride with Huo Xian, but he knew that ancient times emphasized morality and etiquette. His status as a man would already cause many people to gossip behind his back. If he rode with Huo Xian, he estimated that Huo Xianâs reputation would be dragged down by him.
The entire Imperial Palace was decorated with lanterns and streamers. The Emperor and Empress paid their respects to heaven and earth, the Retired Emperor, and… their parents. In principle, although Marquis Huo and the Princess were Huo Xianâs biological parents, they still held their current status. Their status would not change because their son became Emperor. It was a bit awkward. The Retired Emperor was also incredibly guilty toward his sister and brother-in-law. He even lowered his status to coax the Princess into the palace to let the couple receive Huo Xianâs kowtow. The Princessâs heart felt like it had overturned a spice rackâa mix of many flavors. In the end, it could only turn into a long sigh.
“The ceremony is complete! Send them to the bridal chamberâ!”
An Emperor also had a bridal chamber to enter, but no one dared to disturb it. The only one who dared, Ning Chen, was also ordered by his father to be cautious in word and deed. Now that Huo Xian was the Emperor, his status was different from before; he could no longer joke with the Emperor as he used to.
The palace of Great Chang was not largeâat least compared to the Forbidden City in Huo Xianâs memory, it was significantly smaller. It was lucky that when the Retired Emperor was on the throne, there weren’t many consorts in the inner court, otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a way to settle the Retired Emperor and his large family in a short time. As for the Emperorâs bedchamber, Funing Hall, and the Empressâs bedchamber, Changning Palace, they were located in the front and back of the palace. They were also the only two palaces renovated before the grand wedding. The late Empress of the Retired Emperor had originally lived in Changning Palace, and Huo Xian was a bit reluctant to let Huo Yuan live there. He wanted Huo Yuan to live with him in Funing Hall, but the Ministry of Ceremonies insisted that the Emperor and Empress live in separate palaces. He thought to himself that separate palaces were fine; at most, he would spend one day with the Empress in Funing Hall and another day in Changning Palace.
In any case, the wedding night was undoubtedly in the Empressâs Changning Palace.
Although it wasn’t his first time in Changning Palace, Huo Yuan still couldn’t help but say, “Itâs so small.”
He was talking about the palace being too small. It wasn’t that he had high standards, but it was the truth. Changning Palace was just one bare buildingâfive main rooms plus two side rooms. The five rooms were all narrow, and there were no wing-rooms or a courtyard. it couldn’t even compare to the courtyard Princess Jinâan had given him outside the palace.
Huo Xian was helpless: “My bedchamber as Emperor isn’t much larger than yours.”
“Itâs all because we’re poor!” Huo Yuan sighed.
Huo Xian was amused by him: “The social environment is like this. Being rich is only for the minority. At least compared to the common people at the bottom, we are better off.”
“…If even an Emperor isn’t well off, then this world should probably be scrapped,” Huo Yuan complained.
Huo Xian: […]
This little ancestorâs tongue was getting sharper and sharper. Occasionally, one sentence from him could choke a person for a long time. To prevent the little ancestor from constantly stabbing him with his words, he should just block them!
At the moment he was kissed, Huo Yuan was a bit stunned. After being stunned, he immediately responded passionately. As he responded, he even tried to strip Huo Xianâs clothes, but he was pinned down.
“Little rascal!” Huo Xian pressed his hands down, his breathing a bit uneven.
Huo Yuan licked his lips, smiling with a face full of cunning: “You like little rascals.”
Only one word was in Huo Xianâs mindâDamn!
Truly a little ancestor who was asking for it.
“Iâll feed you for another three months. When the time comes, don’t beg me for mercy,” Huo Xian made a harsh threat and then kissed the little ancestor again.
Begging for mercy… the little ancestor wanted to beg for mercy right now. Unfortunately, his mouth was blocked so tightly that he couldn’t beg at all. He also wanted to ask why it was three months; he himself didn’t know the exact birthday of this body.
Huo Xian didn’t want to know either, but everything was just so coincidentalâcoincidental to the point of being a bit ridiculous. Was it so ridiculous that the body the Management Bureau found for Huo Yuan was actually Wang Yujieâs biological son? As for why Huo Xian was so certain, it could only be attributed to that birthmark. Usually, birthmarks are small, but a face full of birthmarks? How small must that probability be?
After the grand wedding, Huo Xian didn’t take a wedding leave or go on a honeymoon, because a pile of things was waiting for him. He couldn’t afford to be lazy or indulgent.
First, Huo Xian had the Ministry of Revenue count the population of all prefectures and counties across the country and organize the marriage ages, infant births, and deaths in various places over the past ten years. In short, to ensure the birth rate and health, the issue of early marriage and early childbirth needed to be solved as soon as possible. Drafting regulations out of thin air would only cause backlash, so he needed data support.
Second, he had all kinds of crops collected from various places, whether common or rare, including those from foreign merchants, and sent to the capital to select good seeds for planting. Currently, food and severe winters were the biggest problems troubling ordinary people.
Third, he raised the social status of craftsmen and artisans. Great Chang faced constant external threats. In the fourteen years the Retired Emperor was on the throne, there were continuous wars. Each war consumed a large amount of manpower and wealth. Now that Huo Xian had ascended the throne, foreign tribes would surely be even more unscrupulous. To win wars with the least amount of consumption, he could only apply gunpowder weapons to the battlefield and take a strong stance first. The consequence might be that foreign tribes would suffer heavy blowsâa cruel way of taking other people’s livesâbut it was the simplest and most efficient move.
These three things weren’t exactly big, but they weren’t particularly small either. The officials could understand the first two, but someone raised an objection to the third.
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchantsâthe four major classes. The scholar class was the most noble. In the eyes of most lofty scholars, the other three classes were of low status, and there was no need to raise their position.
Huo Xianâs response to this was: “Because craftsmen can build houses, build roads, and build bridges for Us. If you, dear minister, can also do these things for Us, then We will also place more importance on you.”
That official was choked into silence. And the officials soon discovered that the new Emperor was not like the Retired Emperor. You could argue all you wanted, but heâd just listen and that was it. You still had to obediently do the tasks he assigned. If you didn’t do them well, youâd have to take off your official hat and go home to reflect.
The strange thing was that although Huo Xianâs methods were forceful, no official truly stood against him. If you asked, it was because those eight hundred layers of filters were thick enough. They were so thick that even on the day he announced the abolition of the “debased status” (č´ąçą – JiĂ njĂ), the filters didn’t break. Of course, that is a story for later.
The entire Great Chang thus began its vigorous transformation and development
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