Over the next couple of weeks, things gradually became busy again. As expected, Queen Samanthie began with rebuilding the Imperial Council. Most of the ministers, including Prime Minister Pon-Wai, were imprisoned indefinitely following the battle of Yongtein. Their fates were to be decided by the queen when she arrived. She chose to free those with talent, and more importantly, those who she could control. Anyone could bow their heads and pledge their loyalty but turn around and backstab. What she needed was a way to keep them in line, whether it be through family, friends, reputation, or power. Anyone who lacked that was a threat. Around half of the ministers were released and had their positions restored. Notably, Prime Minister Pon-Wai was one of them. Despite being one of the main aggressors in the war, his talents made him indispensable for the new Imperial Council. He was kept under constant surveillance.
Next came the accession of the Imperial Princesses to the throne. Normally, there should have been a single monarch, but the princesses elected to share the position jointly. This meant they would become the twin Imperial Empresses. This would have made ruling unnecessarily difficult, given there were two leaders; however, that was not going to be problem, because the real authority would not lie with them. It would lie with the Imperial Preceptor, a new position created by Queen Samanthie. A preceptor was a teacher, so an Imperial Preceptor was a teacher who taught the Imperial Empresses. This could be explained, since they were young and new to the throne. The problem was that Queen Samanthie would appoint and oversee this Imperial Preceptor, which gave her the ultimate say in everything. The new Imperial Empresses thus became pretty accessories. They would not decide anything on their own.
In the Imperial Palace, music played as banners fluttered. It was the enthronement ceremony for the Imperial Princesses! It was a beautiful sunny day where a decadent feast was laid out, a magnificent orchestra performed, and luxurious decorations were everywhere. Wealth and power overflowed from every corner. Despite the auspicious occasion though, Xiuying and Ming could not bring themselves to smile. The food felt tasteless, the music felt flat, and the decorations felt hollow. Even the sunny day felt gloomy and overcast. They looked at their own clothes: long flowing silk robes, a mix of blue, green, and gold, and the shiny golden crowns on their heads. Given how powerless they would be, these clothes made them out to be clowns. It felt sickening. This was not how they hoped this day would look.
Elizabeth wanted to congratulate them but stopped herself. She could understand how they felt. This ceremony served as mere entertainment for Queen Samanthie, and the other nobles. There was little point in doing this aside from humiliation. Still, Xiuying and Ming conducted themselves perfectly. They knew how important this ceremony was. Should they refuse to become pawns of Queen Samanthie, then the Xingyuu Empire would lose one of the few ways to resist. Things would degrade quickly. Therefore, they needed to accept. There was no other choice. Although they had resolved to do whatever was necessary to end the war, they felt horrible. Elizabeth sighed. The road to peace was a thorny one. She hoped this was the right choice.
The ceremony began. Unlike the Alzar Kingdom, the right to rule did not come from the crown. Rather, it was derived from the 'Mandate of Heaven'. The Mandate of Heaven came from the idea that heaven bestowed authority upon a worthy ruler. That ruler could then carry out heaven's will, as a representative of heaven, and govern over the empire. They would be the closest person to divinity. Xiuying and Ming knelt and prayed before the open sky. The scene fell quiet. Elizabeth watched respectfully, though she could hear some snickering behind her. Some nobles from the kingdom were clearly bored. She turned around and shushed them. She would remember their faces for later. After an incense stick burned up, Xiuying and Ming rose together. This was a sign they had received the Mandate of Heaven.
They proceeded to the Imperial Palace's main hall where Xiuying and Ming sat on the two dragon thrones. From then on, they had officially become the new Imperial Empresses! All the ministers and nobles would normally enter, bow, and pledge their loyalty to the new ruler. This would serve to legitimate and consolidate the new ruler's power. However, half of the Imperial Council and three of the Four Great Nobility Families were missing. Most of the people in attendance came from the Alzar Kingdom. That meant the sacred ceremony became awfully empty and somewhat pointless.
As the leader of the Imperial Council, Prime Minister Pon-Wai was the first to appear. Despite being imprisoned for several months, he looked the same as always with his half-closed eyes and ever-present smile; his expression unreadable. Nobody could tell what he was thinking. The man bowed before the dragon thrones and pledged his loyalty. His conduct was perfect, except Xiuying and Ming could subtly sense a hint of derision. They could not fault him for that.
After him should have been the Four Great Nobility Families. Minister Daiyuu stepped up, alone, as the patriarch of the Shui Family. Nobody else was present. Imperian Qiang was the former patriarch of the Li Family, and they were currently at war with the Alzar Kingdom. It would have been improper had he stepped up. Likewise, Prime Minister Pon-Wai, despite acting as the patriarch half the time, was not actually the patriarch of the Jian Family. He would not represent his family. That left the Jun Family, whose patriarch was Minister Keigon Jun. He was somewhere in the south with his armies and likely had no intention to join. One out of four… Minister Daiyuu always had a weak presence, but it was worse today. Perhaps, the awkwardness of the situation had gotten to him too. It painted a pitiful scene.
The rest of the ministers and nobles paid their respects. There were no speeches, no gifts, and no flattery. A simple bow, and a repeated phrase. That was it. Everyone acted in the same emotionless way, like they were forced to with blades pointed to their backs. Well, that was not exactly wrong either, because the Imperial Sentinels were gone. Royal Guards and Grand Knights had replaced them, which meant these ministers and nobles were in a den of tigers. A single order could kill them all! Anyone would feel scared. Xiuying and Ming wished it would end quicker. The ceremony lasted another hour. The empresses prepared to read their speech, when they were interrupted.
"Thank you for the show, Empress Xiuying, Empress Ming," Sir Lest, Queen Samanthie's Protector, said. "But you can stop now."
"What-" Xiuying was about to tear him apart, but Ming forcefully held her back.
The man smiled, walked in front of the dragon thrones, and cleared his throat. "I will now read Her Majesty Queen Samanthie's edict!"
"Sir Lest, this can wait until the ceremony is over. Please step down," Elizabeth demanded. She was already upset with how disrespectful people were. This was going too far.
His smile faded, replaced with a cold glint. "Your Highness, this is the second time you've sided with the Xingyuu Empire. I am announcing Her Majesty's edict here. Even as a princess, you're overstepping your bounds to stop me. People might question where your true loyalties lie."
"That wasn't my intention."
"It doesn't matter what your intentions are. What matters are your actions. Do not cast anymore doubt onto yourself. That is my advice to you."
Elizabeth clenched her jaw. Like Ming, she realized this was not the place to argue. Too many people were looking at her, especially Queen Samanthie and Prince Dannark. She was probably under more scrutiny than the new empresses. She needed to bear with it for now.
Sir Lest scoffed and continued, "Under Her Majesty's decree, a new position called Imperial Preceptor will be created. Its official function will be to act as counsel to the Imperial Empresses, and to represent Her Majesty's will in the Xingyuu Empire. This position will be appointed to Lady Vellena Alkor. At the same time, Lady Vellena will step down from her position as Mistress of Relations on the Royal Assembly."
"I humbly accept," the woman said.
This made Elizabeth frown inwardly. Although Lady Vellena was the most suited for the role, she had shown her disdain for Xiuying and Ming before. This was a bad outcome for the empire. Xiuying and Ming clearly felt the same, since their expressions grew darker. To be honest, they had hoped Elizabeth would take on that role, because she had shared the same desire for peace as them. It was unrealistic though. Elizabeth had gained far too much attention from the war, whether it be from allying with the Featherwind Sect, becoming a Half-Condensed Drop Arcanist, or surviving the Battle of Liguang. Should she become the Imperial Preceptor, then her power and influence would grow to unimaginable levels. It could even threaten the Alzar Kingdom and Queen Samanthie's rule! So, Elizabeth becoming the Imperial Preceptor was never an option.