The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 39: Li Shimin’s Coronation

The Xian De Hall was indeed quite magnificent. In front of the hall stood a golden dragon throne, and on both sides of the steps below stood civil and military officials, all beaming with smiles. On the flat ground at the very bottom, the Imperial Guards, clad in imposing, gleaming full-body armor, stood solemnly at attention. Upon arriving at the Xian De Hall, Li Xuanba followed Li Yuan forward in a daze; the scene looked less like Li Shimin’s coronation and more like Li Xuanba’s. Upon seeing Li Yuan and Li Xuanba appear, those who hadn’t heard that Li Yuan was coming all widened their eyes and began whispering among themselves. “Good heavens! His Majesty has actually come in person!” “What’s going on? Isn’t today the Crown Prince’s coronation ceremony? Who is that young man? How did he barge in?” “I don’t know. Could this young man be His Majesty’s illegitimate son? Is he planning to grant him the title of a prince before he abdicates?” “Then why not just wait until after the Crown Prince’s coronation to grant him the title? Why let him step forward in violation of protocol?” Watching Li Yuan lead Li Xuanba toward Li Shimin, those who had never seen Li Xuanba before all froze in astonishment. After a moment of murmuring, they frowned as they watched Li Xuanba, who had overstepped protocol. Those unaware of Li Xuanba’s return were abuzz with speculation, while Li Shimin—clad in a grand fur robe and crown—completely ignored the commotion, instead smiling warmly at his bewildered third younger brother, Li Xuanba. “On the thirteenth day of the sixth month in the ninth year of the Wude era…” Under the excited and puzzled gazes of the assembled nobles and dignitaries, Li Gang, Minister of Rites, cleared his throat and, in a clear and enthusiastic voice, began reciting a long string of ornate phrases for the sacrifice to Heaven and Earth. Given Li Xuanba’s level of education, the more he listened, the more he felt that these ornate words—grand and magnificent as they were—lacked any sense of authenticity. In a daze, Li Xuanba finally heard Li Yuan’s voice—and it was about his wife, Mei Hanxue. “Before this Emperor abdicates, I issue my final imperial edict!” “Mei Hanxue, the daughter of a commoner, is intelligent, kind-hearted, gentle, and considerate. I hereby adopt her as my adopted daughter and bestow upon her the title of Grand Princess of Lantian, with an annual stipend of eight hundred shi. She may enter the palace without prior notice and need not bow when she sees the Emperor!” As Li Yuan’s words echoed through the hall, the previously lively scene fell instantly silent. The crowd exchanged glances, yet no one stepped forward to object. After all, this was merely the conferral of the title of Grand Princess. Although the final two sentences were somewhat beyond the bounds of propriety, there was no need to make too much of it. In the Tang Dynasty, favored Grand Princesses were traditionally treated this way—a tradition passed down from Princess Pingyang Zhaogong, Li Xiuning. Of course, there was one crucial point: this was the last imperial edict issued by the former emperor before his abdication. Who would dare to oppose it? To do so would not merely be opposing the former emperor’s conferral of a princess title—it would be opposing the accession of the current new emperor! “We salute Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!” “I pay my respects to His Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long, long live the Emperor!” “We pay our respects to His Majesty! Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!” With three consecutive shouts, the assembled ministers and nobles paid homage to the new Emperor of the Tang Dynasty—Li Shimin, the sage ruler who ushered in the Golden Age of the Tang. “Roar!” “Clang!” The ministers and nobles roared three times, then fell silent. Li Xuanba, too, was momentarily stunned, for two sounds had suddenly reached his ears: one was the roar of a dragon, and the other, the cry of a phoenix. As for how Li Xuanba knew these were the roar of a dragon and the cry of a phoenix, he understood the moment he saw the five-clawed golden dragon flying out from Li Yuan’s body and circling Li Shimin, as well as the figure of a colorful phoenix descending from the Zhaoyang Palace. Watching the five-clawed golden dragon enter Li Shimin’s body, and seeing the sudden surge in Li Shimin’s aura, Li Xuanba’s tiger-like eyes widened in shock. “Holy crap! That’s a five-clawed golden dragon? No wonder all those emperors had five-clawed golden dragons embroidered on their robes—so this is the real thing!” Name: Li Shimin Gender: Male Age: 27 Title: Emperor of the Tang Dynasty Rank: Level 40 Status: Excited Personality: Wise, Magnanimous, Valiant, Filial, Loyal [Base Attributes]: Strength: 800 Intelligence: 40 Command: 2000 Political: 120 Looking at Li Shimin’s stats, Li Xuanba rolled his eyes. “Damn it! Are you kidding me? My Command and Politics stats are both zero, but why does my second older brother have so many? 2,000 Command points! He can command 2 million troops!” While Li Xuanba stood there dumbfounded, the new emperor, Li Shimin, proceeded to announce the rewards for all those who had fought alongside him and earned their merits, and he also fulfilled the promise he had made to Li Xuanba. “Du Fuwei is to be buried with the honors befitting a Duke; his daughter, Du Xingxuan, is to be conferred the title of Grand Princess of Yutian, with an annual stipend of 800 shi. She may enter the palace without prior announcement and need not bow when she sees the Emperor!” “Huh?” “What’s going on? How did another Grand Princess suddenly appear?” “Even if Du Fuwei was wrongly accused, does that mean Du Xingxuan has to be granted the title of Grand Princess, as if she were Your Majesty’s own sister?” “And why is she allowed to enter the palace without prior notice and appear before the Emperor without bowing? That goes against the rules of etiquette!” As soon as Du Xingxuan’s title was announced, the noble ministers and high-ranking officials began to murmur among themselves. Some even rolled up their sleeves, ready to voice their objections. But before they could speak, Li Shimin took Li Xuanba’s hand and dropped another bombshell, silencing their protests entirely. “Xuanba, the third son of the Taishang Huang and my own flesh-and-blood younger brother, is peerlessly valiant and possesses martial arts skills unmatched in the world; he is hailed as the greatest hero under heaven! He rendered meritorious service in establishing the Great Tang Dynasty. Twelve years ago, he was taken back to the Celestial Realm by our Li ancestors, and recently he has descended to the mortal realm to save all sentient beings.” “Whoa!” Upon hearing Li Shimin’s words, with the exception of the few who had been privy to a hint of this information the day before, the Tang nobles and ministers all gasped in unison, staring in horror at the stunned Li Xuanba. “Li Xuanba? Isn’t that the name of the late Prince Wei Huai? Is Prince Wei Huai alive?” “The Realm of Immortals! Didn’t you hear His Majesty mention the Realm of Immortals?” “Could His Majesty be referring to the young man by Emperor Gaozu’s side? He looks just like him! So much so! But the Immortal Realm? Is there really such a place?” Upon hearing that Li Xuanba was a divine being who had descended to the mortal realm—and had just been resurrected—these people scrutinized him closely, though it was unclear whether they were remarking on how much he resembled the portrait of Prince Wei Huai, or how his dazed expression mirrored his former self. But before they could recover from their surprise, Li Shimin dropped another massive bombshell. “Today, I hereby confer upon my third younger brother, Xuanba, the title of Prince of Tang. He may enter the palace without announcing his arrival and need not kneel before the Emperor! His fief shall be Lantian County. Furthermore, the Prince of Qin’s villa shall be redesignated as the Prince of Tang’s villa, which I hereby bestow upon him as his residence in Chang’an. He is also authorized to form his own royal guard.” “Boom!” Li Shimin’s words had not yet faded when the entire hall erupted as if a drop of water had fallen into a pot of hot oil; even Li Yuan and Cheng Yaojin—who had just learned of Li Xuanba’s return—found their thoughts scattered. In the Tang Dynasty, the most prestigious princely titles were the four “single-character princes”: Qin, Jin, Qi, and Chu. Among these, the Prince of Qin held the highest status, for Li Shimin had previously held that title. The title of Prince of Qin held extraordinary significance in the Tang Dynasty, yet even that title could not surpass the current title of Prince of Tang. The title “King of Tang” would have been acceptable in any previous dynasty, but not in the Tang Dynasty! Because “Tang” is the very name of the mighty Tang Dynasty—how could one possibly use the dynasty’s name as a title? Not even if Li Xuanba were a divine being would it be permissible!