He has been reincarnated through countless worlds, adorned with billions of mythological terms!

His steps were small, but each step was very steady.

The beaded curtain of the crown swayed gently in front of her forehead, reflecting the dappled morning light, and the hem of her bright yellow dragon robe fluttered softly in the breeze.

Behind him were the master of ceremonies and the generals of the Imperial Guard, and further away were the officials lined up in formation.

Everyone watched in silence as he walked step by step toward the long-empty dragon throne.

Yun Yi stood before the dragon throne, turned around, and faced the officials.

In the square in front of the palace, civil and military officials lined up on both sides according to their rank, from the first rank to the ninth rank, and knelt down in a dense, dark mass.

"May Your Majesty be well."

The sound surged from the square, like a suppressed tide, pushing from near to far, spreading out in layers.

Yun Yi stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the bowed figures below.

He saw the princes' positions—all standing at the very front of the officials, wearing different ceremonial robes than the courtiers, with varying expressions.

Most people had confused and blank expressions on their faces, as if they had been hit by something and were stunned; a few had their heads down, their expressions unreadable; and a few had their lips tightly pressed together, sweat beading on their foreheads, as if they were trying their best to restrain themselves.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 10 ...

The eldest prince, Yunze, standing at the very front, had an expression completely different from everyone else's—his eyes held no confusion or bewilderment, only a suppressed rage that could erupt at any moment.

Yun Yi didn't linger on Yun Ze; his gaze swept across the crowd and landed on an inconspicuous corner among the officials.

There stood a small figure dressed in a pale yellow palace gown—Yunling was mingling among the palace maids, holding an incense burner, disguised as an ordinary palace maid who carried an incense burner.

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone bowed their heads in greeting, she quickly winked at Yun Yi, then lowered her eyes.

The ceremony proceeded very smoothly.

The reading of the imperial edict, the receiving of the court officials' congratulations, the offering of sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, and the receipt of the imperial seal—every step was completed according to procedure without the slightest error.

However, just as the eunuch in charge of ceremonies shouted the last word "The ceremony is complete," the eldest prince, Yunze, suddenly raised his head.

"Wait a minute."

His voice exploded in the silent square, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, shattering the solemnity and silence.

Yunze pushed aside the person in front of him and strode out, his court robes fluttering wildly under his feet, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Why? Father! Father! Your son refuses to accept this!"

"Your Majesty, I am the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and the rightful heir apparent! Father has never told me that he intends to pass the throne to someone else. This edict came out of nowhere; there must be something fishy about it!"

He raised his hand and pointed at Yun Yi on the platform, his fingertips trembling slightly. "He—a six-year-old child, what right does he have to sit in that chair? What qualifications does he have?"

No one answered.

The officials remained kneeling in the same position, still bowing in greeting.

Yunze's gaze swept over the lowered heads, and he saw that even the people he had trusted and relied on most had their heads bowed, like two silent stone pillars.

His voice began to tremble: "Why...why aren't you saying anything? You all support me! You said you would help me get to that position!"

Still no one answered.

Yunze took two steps forward, trying to get closer to the platform.

But the moment he took a step, two men dressed in military officer uniforms reached out from behind him and pressed down on his shoulders from both sides. The force was so great that he staggered forward and was then pressed firmly to the ground.

Yunze's knee slammed into the stone slab with a dull thud.

He struggled to lift his head, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the two men holding him down—then his pupils contracted sharply.

These two men were his retainers just three days ago, and seven days ago they were drinking and laughing with him in his mansion, swearing to be loyal to him to the death.

At this moment, they pressed him down expressionlessly, their strength steady and without the slightest hesitation.

"You..." His voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded through, "You betrayed me?"

The man who had been holding his left shoulder spoke, his voice low but clear: "Your Highness, I have never betrayed you."

"I simply made the right choice."

Yunze froze, as if he had been hit hard on the back of the head by something.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only a few indistinct syllables came out of his throat. Then, as if all his strength had been drained, he went limp, no longer struggling, and no longer looking at anyone.

Two military officers lifted him up from the ground and half-carried, half-dragged him away from the square.

The hem of the court robe trailed on the stone slab, making a rustling sound.

The square fell silent again.

All eyes were focused on the bright yellow figure on the high platform, waiting for him to speak.

Yun Yi stood on the high platform, gazing in the direction where Yun Ze had been dragged away, and remained silent for a moment.

"continue."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears in the quiet square.

The eunuch in charge of ceremonies paused for a moment, then cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and drew out the last syllable:

"The ceremony is complete!"

The bell tolled deep and resonantly from the bell tower behind the Taiji Hall, echoing slowly and far-reachingly over the imperial city.

The officials kowtowed again, and shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" rose up once more, even more uniformly and loudly than before.

Yun Yi turned around and sat down on the dragon throne.

The chair was much higher than he had expected, so his feet couldn't touch the ground, but he didn't care.

After the enthronement ceremony concluded, the officials left in turn.

The hem of the court robe trailed on the stone slabs in front of the Taiji Hall, making a soft rustling sound.

The imperial guards began to withdraw, the metallic clanging of armor echoing from near to far, like the lingering sound of the receding tide.

Yun Yi stood up from the dragon throne, the beaded curtain of his crown swaying gently in front of his forehead, the hem of his dragon robe trailing over the steps.

He walked back to the inner palace along the side corridor. The palace servants and eunuchs he encountered along the way all lowered their heads and gave way, their movements still showing a bit of restraint from not being used to it yet. After all, the way a six-year-old child pronounces the word "Your Majesty" is quite different from how they pronounce it.

Consort Rou—now the Empress Dowager—was already waiting for him in the side hall.

She sat in a rosewood armchair, holding a teacup in her hands, but she didn't touch the tea. She just held it like that, her fingertips turning slightly white.

Seeing Yun Yi walk in, she put down her teacup, stood up, opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice still dazed and as if she hadn't quite recovered:

"...You've become the emperor?"

"Um."

"Your father...he agreed?"

"Agreed."

Consort Rou remained silent for a while.

She sat down again and looked down at her fingers, which were folded over her knees.

Those hands were well-maintained, but at this moment the knuckles were slightly curled, as if they were clenching something but dared not use too much force.

She looked up at Yun Yi, the dazed look in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex and indescribable emotion.

"In my entire life..." she paused, as if searching for the right words, "I never imagined that you would sit in that position."

Yun Yi walked up to her, stopped, and looked up at her: "Is Mother unhappy?"

Consort Rou paused for a moment, then reached out and brushed the stray hairs from his forehead, a slight smile curving her lips.

The smile held a sense of relief, but also a touch of melancholy: "I'm happy... but I'm still a little dazed."

"Last night you were drinking cold porridge and reading in the courtyard, and today you're wearing a dragon robe and sitting on it. Your mother hasn't quite figured it out yet."

She paused, looking intently into his eyes: "However, if you really want to sit in that chair, if you want to do something—your mother supports you."

"When you were born, your mother was in poor health, and your father didn't even come to see you."

Her voice was soft. "At that time, my mother just thought that it would be good if this child could grow up safely. She never dared to hope for anything else."

"Now that you've brought this upon yourself, your mother is overjoyed, how could she not be?"

She reached out and pulled him closer, adjusting the collar of his oversized dragon robe, her voice softening: "I was just worried you'd get tired."

"No," Yun Yi said. "Someone will help me."

Consort Rou glanced at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, but did not press him for details.

She nodded and gently patted the back of his hand: "That's good."

"Go on, you've just ascended the throne and have a lot to do. You don't need to stay here with your mother."

"Mother, you'll be fine after a while."