The Ye Kingdom, the first day of the eighth month, an auspicious day for great blessings.
Atop the Altar of Heaven Worship, the young ruler of the Ye Kingdom, who had just turned ten, began the sacrifice to Heaven in full ceremonial regalia.
In this world, people wore robes the color of the sky above, favoring black, while the hems of their lower garments took on the dark yellow hue of the earth, signifying their inheritance from Heaven and Earth. It was the most solemn of ceremonial attire.
Yet at that moment, as the civil and military officials knelt in orderly rows, they were looking toward another figure in front of them.
Lin Shoucheng's expression was calm. He, too, wore full ceremonial robes, in the style prescribed for a ruler.
Clearly, this was a ritual of abdication!
In truth, he had been capable of this ever since he entered the capital of the Ye Kingdom. But Lin Shoucheng was a patient man. On Jiang Wang's advice, he had not only refrained from bullying the royal family too much, but had even married a princess.
Now, with Yang Xiu dead, everything had fallen into place.
"...Having received the command of the Supreme Lord, and upholding the center of the imperial order, I, one man, respectfully inherit Heaven's sequence. With reverence, I bestow upon you the throne. The mandate is truly in your hands. Hold fast to the mean, and Heaven's blessings shall endure forever. Ah! May the king respectfully obey Heaven's mandate..."
After the young ruler finished reading the edict in a trembling voice, an attendant led him to kneel off to one side.
Lin Shoucheng walked step by step to the center of the altar. His face was brimming with triumph, but his heart was uneasy. *According to what my