It was somewhat disappointing not to see the scenes from television dramas of common people living peacefully and prosperously, with taverns and shops lining the streets.
It seems that not everything shown in historical dramas is true, like emperors casually strolling the streets with their consorts after spring plowing. In reality, local officials would have already cleared the area, with all shops closed.
Shuang Jiang explained that these shops would only reopen after the emperor's procession returned to the palace.
This was to prevent assassins from hiding inside, posing hidden dangers to the emperor's outing.
In fact, the Great Yan Dynasty had already seen three emperors, each of them far from mediocre, managing their reign with prosperity and peace for the people.
The Xuanwu Emperor was truly an enlightened ruler among enlightened rulers. He did not indulge in pleasure or become obsessed with women. For 365 days a year, except for the New Year period when he refrained from work due to regulations, he handled state affairs in the imperial study or Chengqian Palace without a single day of slacking.
Jiang Xinyue didn't think any fool would rebel and attempt to assassinate the emperor.
But the officials feared the worst, and their protective measures were thoroughly in place.
So thorough that all she could see were the closed shop doors on both sides and a sea of indistinguishable heads.
"Junze, stop pushing, stop pushing! It's not safe to squeeze in further."
Among the mass of indistinguishable heads, there was an eight or nine-year-old boy, hands propped on the shoulders of servants, jumping up to see the long procession.
Behind him, an eleven or twelve-year-old girl tightly gripped his clothes, worried he might be trampled by the surging crowd.
Seeing that the procession was about to pass, Jiang Junze was sweating profusely with anxiety. He slapped the back of the servant in front of him, "Squat down, quick!"
The servant hurriedly squatted, and Jiang Junze immediately straddled his neck, then shouted, "Stand up! Quick, quick, quick!"
The servant stood up at once, and Jiang Junze's view suddenly cleared.
He swayed left and right, eagerly searching for Elder Sister's carriage. Father had said that for this spring plowing ceremony, the emperor would graciously allow Elder Sister to participate, so he and Second Sister had come to the palace gates early in the morning to wait.
Because they arrived early, Jiang Junze wasn't too far from the procession. After being lifted by the servant, he quickly spotted Elder Sister's beautiful face behind the raised curtain of a carriage.
He waved excitedly, "Elder Sister! Elder Sister! Look at me, I'm here!"
Shuang Jiang pointed at the small boy waving frantically, "My Lady, look quickly, isn't someone over there calling to us?"
Jiang Xinyue leaned out to look. The boy became even more excited, while the servant beneath him was suffering greatly. If not for his companions supporting him, he would surely have fallen.
"Junze?"
Logically, Jiang Xinyue shouldn't recognize her original body's brother, but the original's memories made her instinctively respond upon seeing the boy. She rushed to the window and enthusiastically waved back at Jiang Junze.
Jiang Junze's smile was radiant. "Second Sister, I saw Elder Sister! She's waving at me!"
"Where, where?"
Hearing this, Jiang Xinyan couldn't maintain her composure either. But unable to ride on a maid's shoulders like her brother, she could only stand on tiptoes, straining her neck with difficulty.
By the time the procession had gone far towards the fields, she still hadn't caught a glimpse of even a strand of Elder Sister's hair.
Jiang Junze jumped down from the servant's shoulders and grabbed Jiang Xinyan's hand to run. "Now Aunt can rest easy. I saw that Elder Sister looked extremely well, even more beautiful than when she was at home. It seems the rumors in town are true; Elder Sister has indeed become a favored consort who can rival Consort Shu in beauty."
In the past, Elder Sister had acted like a white lotus at the Jiang residence, winning Father's affection and making life better for the siblings in the household.
Later, when she entered the palace, it was also Father's intention to use her beauty to climb higher in status.
Now it seemed to have succeeded. Lord Father spent much more time in Aunt's chambers than before, and the servants in the household no longer dared to look down on Aunt.
But Jiang Xinyan was also a woman. In her heart, she wished that her future husband need not be too talented or too handsome; a modest family background would suffice. She wanted a husband who would be devoted to her alone for life.
Elder Sister... probably wished for the same, right?
In this world, what woman who deeply loves her husband would willingly share him with so many other women?
Sigh...
For Elder Sister, it was hard to say whether this was happiness or misfortune.
Jiang Junze looked back to see Second Sister's troubled expression and comforted her, "Second Sister is overthinking and being sentimental again. What you desire doesn't necessarily represent what Elder Sister wants. In my eyes, Elder Sister was born for wealth and nobility; an ordinary family couldn't contain her."
Such extraordinary beauty would be a disaster anywhere else. Only by entering the palace and gaining the emperor's favor could she enjoy a lifetime of glory.
Second Sister sought a devoted husband, while Elder Sister sought only glory and favor.
How can one know the joy of fish unless one is a fish oneself?
Jiang Xinyan understood the meaning behind her brother's words. She blushed slightly and said with a smile, "As long as Elder Sister gets what she wishes for, that's the best outcome."
The spring plowing ceremony was quite complex, with various officials managing different aspects, all standing in their assigned positions. As each procedure came up, specific officials would come forward to guide the emperor and his consorts.
The Governor of Shuntian Prefecture managed the green box, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue oversaw the sowing, and elderly members of the imperial clan were responsible for covering the soil.
The Empress also had to go down to the fields to symbolically plant rice seedlings.
With the Empress descending to the fields, Consort Shu and Jiang Xinyue couldn't stand on ceremony either. They all rolled up their trouser legs and walked down into the paddy field.
Consort Shu seemed to have never done anything like this before. When the dirty mud submerged her calves, her entire face instantly lost color, and each step was extremely difficult.
The Xuanwu Emperor turned back to look at Consort Shu and Jiang Xinyue. Jiang Xinyue was already holding rice seedlings and had planted a whole row. She was even chatting animatedly with the old man beside her who was teaching her how to plant, seemingly discussing how to plant faster.
Seeing the emperor look over, she waved at him with the seedlings in her hand, her eyes full of sparkling light.
But because of her large movement, she nearly fell. As she stumbled forward, the Xuanwu Emperor almost turned his body to catch her.
However, the old man beside her steadied her. She smiled and bowed to the old man, "Thank you, Old Uncle."
How could anyone dislike such a person wherever she went?
There probably weren't any. The common people all followed behind her, praising her for planting well and for being polite and unpretentious.
The Xuanwu Emperor's spring plowing was meant to bring him closer to the common farmers and show the court's emphasis on agriculture.
In previous years, no concubine brought out had truly accomplished this. Consort Zhen... indeed possessed a strong and pure heart.
Looking at Consort Shu, although she was forcibly restraining her discomfort, her pale complexion already told everyone that this lady found farm work dirty and distasteful.
Though she didn't say it aloud, her physical reaction couldn't deceive anyone.
Consort Shu followed behind the Xuanwu Emperor, her frail body swaying unsteadily. The emperor reached out a hand, silently holding hers: "If you're not feeling well, you can rest in the carriage."
With the Empress maintaining her composure and Consort Zhen beaming with joy, this spring plowing ceremony could be considered quite successful.
