Chapter 955.1: United as One - Part 1
In the Divine Capital these days, preparations for the Crown Prince’s marriage are being carried out with great urgency.
Since the early years of Tianjian, the harem had always been under the Empress’ control. After the Empress passed away, because His Majesty did not appoint another Empress, and did not even take other consorts, and moreover had not established a Crown Prince, there was naturally no Crown Princess Consort either. [1. Harem is not literally a harem of women since the Great Liang Emperor only married one woman. You can think of it like internal affairs of the palace is managed by the Empress, while the Emperor runs the court and 'external'.]
The affairs of the harem, large and small, in the following years came to be decided by Li Heng, the chief of the eunuchs.
After the Great Liang Emperor left the country, Li Heng went to guard the Empress’ tomb and no longer handled affairs, and in fact the harem had been somewhat chaotic.
Now that the Crown Prince is taking a consort, it means the harem will welcome a new mistress. This is also a situation the court officials are willing to see. Having a wise person manage the harem is a good thing for the foundation of the state. If an heir is born early, that would be even better.
It was set in stone that the Crown Prince will become the next Great Liang Emperor, and his offspring will likewise be the heir apparent.
For a dynasty, having famous ministers and capable officials was not enough. What was most needed was that the one sitting on that throne must be sufficiently wise.
Only in this way could a dynasty and its countless common people truly have hope.
With Chen Chao clearing away various obstacles for the Crown Prince, whether it be the sects beyond or the court, there were no opposing voices. The Ministry of Rites therefore followed ancestral precedent and quickly formulated the procedures.