"Why are you looking like that... What filthy thoughts are you having?" A voice as soft and sweet as the Wu dialect came from beside me, yanking me back from the bliss of my wedding night. I looked toward my wife, and my old face immediately flushed. "N-No... It's nothing, I just..."
Being caught under everyone's watchful eyes—and at such an important occasion as the enthronement ceremony—naturally made me feel somewhat guilty. Fortunately, the people around us were all strangers who had no idea what I was thinking. They were far away, so it was difficult for them to hear us, either.
"Hehe... I know. It must be..." My wife wore an expression that said she understood everything. I swallowed, thinking, This is bad. My wife is a mind reader. She definitely knows what I'm thinking. Sure enough, a moment later, her face flushed too, and she chided, "Oh, you're so naughty."
"All right, everyone's watching. Act more like the mother of the realm." I coughed twice, putting on a serious expression, then took her hand and continued climbing the steps.
The entire enthronement ceremony proceeded according to plan. The fireworks, the cries of "Long live!" and my speech from the Celestial Court were all carried out by rote according to the rites and wording laid down by the Directorate of Ceremonies. There was nothing particularly personal about them. After all, some of the rituals had been inherited from the ancient immortal courts. If I changed them, the countless tribes of the Nine Provinces would not be able to accept it all at once. Most of those old pedants were as stubborn as blocks of wood. Even an emperor could not act too tyrannically and indulge in individualism. Besides, several state religions, such as the Supreme Purity Sect, were responsible