Children of Loulan

Chapter 323 Establishing a Crown Prince

The king continued, "Madam He is gentle and virtuous, and she is good at managing the household. She is now specially named Concubine He. Madam Lan is dignified and beautiful, well-educated and sensible. She is given the character 'Jing' and is named Concubine Jing!" Not only that, the positions of most of the concubines in the harem were promoted. After the king finished speaking, all the ministers shouted "Long live the king" in unison to congratulate the newly promoted Concubine He and Concubine Jing.

Then, the king's majestic gaze slowly moved, first landing on Keremu, then lingering for a moment, then turning to Aidil, and finally settling on Batur. Everyone felt the king's serious expression, as if the atmosphere of the entire banquet hall had instantly solidified.

Everyone subconsciously put down their chopsticks and wine glasses in their hands, and their movements were uniform, as if they had rehearsed it in advance. At the same time, everyone's eyes were focused on the three princes.

"Is the king going to appoint a crown prince?" Someone secretly speculated in his heart. Once this idea came into being, it spread quickly like wildfire. For a moment, the banquet became silent, with only the slight breathing of people and the occasional crisp sound of tableware colliding.

The king glanced at the three princes in front of him, frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice: "In the court before, many people have mentioned the issue of establishing a crown prince. Today, since the three princes are here, if you have any opinions or suggestions on this matter, please feel free to speak frankly and speak freely!"

The king's sudden statement was like a bomb dropped into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves. Many court officials looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing how to respond for a moment. Everyone's face showed a complex expression, some were surprised, some were confused, and some were thoughtful.

At this time, after a brief thought, Guanglu Doctor slowly stood up. He straightened his clothes, then respectfully bowed to the king and said, "Your Majesty, since you suddenly mentioned this matter today, I believe that your Majesty has already made a decision about who to appoint as the crown prince!" After saying this, he carefully observed the changes in the king's expression, as if he wanted to catch a clue from that serious face.

The king cast his gaze towards the Grand Master of Imperial Households, with a subtle hint of meaning in his eyes. You know, the Grand Master of Imperial Households' beloved daughter had just been granted a marriage a few days ago, and the object was none other than Prince Xin Aidier. The king asked directly: "Then, my dear, in your opinion, among these three princes, which one can bear the heavy responsibility of being the crown prince?"

The Imperial Household Official bowed without hesitation and answered in a loud and firm voice: "My Lord, judging by the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children and the order of seniority, the position of Crown Prince should belong to His Majesty the King!"

The king nodded slightly to show his agreement. Then, he turned his gaze to the many ministers in the court and asked slowly, "What do you think of this, my dear ministers?"

At this time, Concubine Ru, who was sitting on the side, also cast her expectant eyes towards the officials she had secretly won over. She was expecting these people to stand up and speak a few good words for her son. However, these officials were very smart, and they knew that the king had probably already decided on a candidate. If they were not tactful enough to recommend someone to the king at this critical moment, it would be tantamount to ruining their own bright future.

For a moment, the banquet was completely silent, and no one dared to speak easily. Seeing this scene, Concubine Ru's face suddenly darkened, and she was very unhappy. However, this slight change on her face did not escape the eyes of Batur, who had been silently observing everything.

Batur naturally knew that his mother wanted to fight for him, but he also knew that the time was not yet ripe. If he acted rashly, he would not only fail to achieve his goal, but might also cause the king to be suspicious and dissatisfied with him and his mother. Thinking of this, Batur secretly clenched his fists. He was really worried that his mother would lose her patience at this time!

Fortunately, there was silence. The king looked around and saw that no one dared to answer the question he had just raised, so he cleared his throat and raised his voice and said loudly: "Since all the ministers present have no objection to this matter, then according to the words of the Guanglu doctor, King Xuan will be made the crown prince of this dynasty!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a respectful and uniform voice suddenly rang out in the court: "Congratulations, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" The voice was like a huge bell, resounding throughout the palace and echoing for a long time.

However, facing the king's sudden decision to confer the title, Keremu was slightly stunned, and was obviously very surprised and shocked by the news. But soon, he came to his senses, stood up quickly, bowed deeply to the king, and said in a humble and grateful tone: "I thank you for your kindness, father. In the future, I will do my best to share the worries of the country and the people!"

After the king smiled and said "No need to be polite", Keremu slowly stood up, turned around, faced the other princes and ministers, and said with a smile: "My dear ministers, please stand up quickly. No need to be polite."

Aidil and Batur stood up together, with sincere smiles on their faces. They raised their glasses high with both hands and said in unison: "Congratulations to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! Congratulations to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Keremu also smiled and picked up the wine glass in front of him, nodded to his two brothers, and expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, second brother, third brother! With your sincere blessings, I will definitely live up to your expectations."

At this time, the king sitting on the high throne said in a loud voice: "Very good! This ceremony of enthroning the crown prince and the ceremony of enthroning the queen is a major event for our country, and it must be held in a grand and solemn manner. We need to ask the national teacher to select an auspicious date and instruct the Ministry of Rites to prepare for all matters, and there must be no mistakes!"

When the banquet was over and everyone left, the queen happily summoned Keremu and Hanguli to the Kunning Palace to talk. Thinking that her son had now been canonized as the crown prince, the queen could hardly contain her joy, and the corners of her mouth kept rising, as if she couldn't close them.

Soon, Keremu and the pregnant Hanguli came to Kunning Palace. They first bowed respectfully to the queen, and then slowly stood up. The queen looked lovingly at Hanguli's bulging belly, her eyes full of concern, and the smile on her face never disappeared.

She held Hanguli's hand affectionately and asked softly, "There were so many people at the banquet today, I guess you didn't enjoy the meal enough? Are you feeling a little hungry now?"

Before Hanguli could answer, the queen turned to the maid Mulian and shouted, "Mulian, take the Crown Princess to the kitchen quickly and give her a bowl of the mutton soup that I cooked myself. After she drinks the soup, take her to the storehouse to pick out some top-quality cloth. As long as the Crown Princess likes it, she can choose whatever she wants!"

The queen looked at Hanguli tenderly and whispered, "My dear child, there are many pieces of cloth here, all of which were shipped from the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, they are all the finest Shu brocade! You can choose carefully and make yourself two beautiful clothes. Also prepare some soft and comfortable quilts for the upcoming baby. Okay, go!"