SFS Chapter 311 Canonization Ceremony
Chapter 311 Canonization Ceremony
On the eighth day of April, An Lingrong was enthroned.
Yongzheng issued an edict, appointing Grand Secretary Zhu Shi as the chief envoy and Minister of Rites Cai Ting as the deputy envoy, to hold the imperial edict to enthrone Concubine Wen An as Princess Wen.
The edict read: "I have heard that a king's rule places equal emphasis on the inner and outer courts, and that the virtues of his concubines are closely linked to the state and the people. I have in mind Concubine Wen, An, who is beautiful and intelligent, with a gentle and kind nature, possessing both virtue and beauty, and a dignified demeanor."
Since entering the palace, she has diligently and conscientiously fulfilled her duties. She treats her superiors with respect and her subordinates with kindness, and is harmonious with the concubines and the palace ladies. At every palace banquet, she is elegant and graceful, and is praised for her proper manners. In her free time, she is a quiet and graceful woman, devoted to poetry and literature.
Today, your virtue is renowned throughout the six palaces, your virtuous conduct renowned throughout the imperial court. The Empress Dowager's benevolent grace commends your virtue, and I am deeply moved. Therefore, I promote you to the rank of Consort Wen and bestow upon you the title of Imperial Consort. You must diligently honor my command, serve as a role model for all the other consorts, and assist me in governing the inner court. Your grace is unfailing, so be cautious! I decree this.
I've heard that for a king to govern the empire, the inner palace is as important as the outer court, and the character of the concubines is closely related to the stability of the palace and even the country. You, Concubine Wen An, are beautiful in appearance and intelligent in heart, with a gentle and kind temperament, excellent character and appearance, and dignified and generous manners.
Since entering the palace, she has diligently fulfilled her duties from morning till night. She treats the Emperor with the utmost respect, treats servants with kindness and generosity, and enjoys amicable relations with the concubines and everyone in the palace. At every palace banquet, her elegant demeanor is praised for its grace and elegance. In her free time, she is quiet and refined, absorbed in the study of poetry and literature.
Now, because of your virtuous character, you are renowned throughout the six palaces; your good conduct has spread throughout the court. The Empress Dowager, with her compassionate heart, commends your virtue, and I am deeply moved. Therefore, I have promoted you to the rank of Consort Wen and bestowed upon you this decree.
You must respectfully accept this beautiful imperial edict, work even harder, set a good example for the other concubines, and assist me in managing the affairs of the harem. The emperor's grace is so great, how can you not treat it with care? That's all.)
With the help of the eldest son of the Shen family, An Bihuai managed to draft a letter of thanks and submit it to the palace.
The day before the canonization, the Honglu Temple sent two officials to the Taimiao and Fengxian Hall respectively to offer sacrifices. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had also prepared a pure gold book and gold seal in both Chinese and Manchu languages in advance.
On the day of the enthronement, An Lingrong was woken up by Liu Zhu and Su Ye at the hour of Yin and began to change clothes and put on makeup.
The Imperial Household Department assigned an elderly maid to comb An Lingrong's hair.
"This servant pays respects to the Empress!"
The nanny knelt and saluted. An Lingrong said dazedly, "No need to be so polite. Thank you very much, nanny!"
Seeing the person coming, Su Ye was delighted and turned to look at his queen.
An Lingrong sat in front of the dressing table with a dazed look and looked shaky.
Su Ye coughed loudly. An Lingrong was startled and forced herself to sit up straight. Then she looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Alas, Su Ye was speechless and raised his head towards the nanny.
An Lingrong understood and looked carefully at the nanny's face.
So familiar!
In a flash, a name finally popped into her mind: "Aunt Fangfei?"
This was the nanny who taught her etiquette before she entered the palace.
"It is my blessing that Your Majesty still remembers me."
An Lingrong was surprised and delighted. She stood up, took her hand and asked, "Why are you here?"
Fang Fei smiled and said, "I will be responsible for dressing you up today."
"well!"
An Lingrong sat down again and asked, "It's been many years since we last met. How is Auntie now? Where are you working?"
"Everything is fine with me. I am now serving the Concubine Dowager, and my life is quite good. A few days ago, Concubine Hui summoned me and asked me to do this job. I am very happy."
Fang Fei picked up the white jade nine-tooth comb on the dressing table and said as she combed her hair, "Your Majesty's hair is so black and thick, you can tell at a glance that you are blessed. When I first saw you, I knew you would have great fortune in the future. Today you have been appointed a concubine, which shows that I have good judgment."
"I also want to thank you for your guidance that day, Auntie. If you need anything in the future, you can come find me."
"Thank you, ma'am!"
After putting on her makeup, Liu Zhu and Su Ye helped her change her clothes.
The court robe was delivered yesterday. Liu Zhu learned his lesson and sat next to the robe all night without sleeping.
The concubine's court robe is made of golden satin with a stone-blue court coat on the outside. On the robe, nine golden dragons are dancing with their fangs and claws bared, their bodies winding and circling, and their scales are clearly visible. Between the golden dragons, colorful clouds are gorgeous, red like flames, blue like the deep sea, green like emerald, purple like orchid, and yellow like golden chrysanthemums. They are intertwined and blended with each other, making the golden dragons more sacred, and they are also cleverly embellished with words of blessing and longevity.
The cuffs are designed with narrow sleeves and hemlock sleeves. The narrow sleeves are close-fitting, while the hemlock sleeves are relatively wide, suddenly tightening at the cuffs to form the iconic horseshoe sleeve ends. The lining is black satin, and the outside is embroidered with gorgeous patterns with colorful silk threads.
The hem is in the style of eight treasures in flat water. The eight treasure patterns of Dharma wheel, conch, treasure umbrella, white cover, lotus, treasure bottle, goldfish and coiled knot are three-dimensional and full, with smooth lines, and arranged in sequence.
The shoulders of the court robe have small and stiff shoulder guards, embroidered with cloud patterns outlined with delicate golden silk threads, which are elegant and lively.
The imperial crown had two layers, each pierced with an oriental pearl, supported by a golden pheasant, and topped with a gem. Five golden pheasants were adorned above the red silk weft (the circle of red silk fabric that adorned the cap). From the tails of the golden pheasants at the back of the imperial crown hung 172 pearls, arranged in three rows, divided into two sections. In the center was a lapis lazuli ornament, adorned with three oriental pearls, three pearls, and terminating in coral.
Then wear armor inlaid with kingfisher feathers on a pure gold base.
After finishing dressing up, Su Ye and Liu Zhu helped An Lingrong stand up carefully.
At this moment, she seemed completely transformed, the gentle and graceful demeanor that once lingered around her completely gone. Dressed in a magnificent court robe, she stood tall and straight, the aura of a superior, unflinching authority, surging like a surging wave. While her eyebrows and eyes remained as graceful as ever, her gaze now held an unmistakable solemnity and sternness. Wherever she glanced, one could involuntarily lower their heads, a feeling of awe and submission welling up in their hearts.
Led by Su Ye and Liu Zhu, the servants of the Yanxi Palace knelt on the ground in unison, performed a solemn ceremony, and shouted: "Your servants pay their respects to the Empress Wen!"
"Get up!"
An Lingrong bent down and wanted to help Su Ye and Liu Zhu.
However, her gorgeous outfit today was extremely complicated, with swaying pearls and jade on her head and layers of clothing on her body, making it very inconvenient to move. She tried twice, but finally gave up the idea reluctantly and said with a smile, "Hurry up and get up, there will be a reward for everyone!"
"Thank you, empress!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Su Ye and Liu Zhu expressed their gratitude in unison, then stood up, deftly supporting An Lingrong on the left and right, and carefully served her.
As soon as they were dressed up, Shen Meizhuang and Zhen Huan came to the Yanx Palace in their auspicious clothes.