Su Ziji, however, could not possibly spare any thought for the empress's feelings.
The Imperial Grandson's ceremonial procession was not a common sight. The emperor's personal troops escorted him in iron armor beneath brocade robes, while guards held aloft dragon banners, gate banners, sun-and-moon banners, five-star banners, banners of wind, rain, thunder, and clouds, and banners of the Four Rivers. They fluttered all along the route as the procession advanced to music. Su Ziji sat in the palanquin with his eyes closed, neither speaking nor moving.
"We have reached the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"
Su Ziji alighted from the palanquin and saw white jade steps leading to a raised terrace. The main complex consisted of three great halls-the front, middle, and rear halls-each towering and majestic, its interior tranquil and deep.
"The front hall is the place of sacrifice and has nine chambers. The founding emperor is the ancestor whose shrine shall never be removed through all eternity, and he forever occupies the first place."
"The middle hall is the resting hall, divided into eighteen chambers. Each enshrines an emperor and empress of one generation, with their spirit tablets placed in a shrine and their jade investiture books and jade seals displayed."
"The rear hall houses the ancestral shrines removed from their original places. The three generations of ancestral emperors of our dynasty, posthumously invested with imperial titles, are enshrined there."
"There are fifteen side chambers on either side. The eastern chambers enshrine members of the imperial clan who rendered distinguished service through the ages, while the western chambers enshrine meritorious officials of other surnames."
The explanation was quite clear. The front hall was the hall of sacrifice. As the dynasty's founder, the founding emperor would receive sacrifices forever, while the other emperors had to be moved to the resting hall