Zhurou

Chapter 241 Gaze

Just as Zhao Mingzhi had expected, until Pei Yong returned to the court, the Privy Council had not yet decided on the rewards for the three armies. Either something was inappropriate here or insufficient there, and no matter how much they urged, it could not be completed.

According to convention, the army camped to the west of the city and waited for the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to choose an auspicious time. Zhao Hong insisted on going out of the city gate to welcome them in person to show the emperor's attention.

So the palace hurriedly prepared the imperial carriage and ceremonial guards, and the Imperial Astronomical Observatory chose an auspicious day and time, but they waited for another two days.

Early in the morning of that day, when Zhao Hong sat on the imperial sedan chair, he was a little excited at first. However, the emperor's procession moved very slowly. It was now the beginning of summer and it had rained heavily before and even the night before. It did not stop until dawn. However, after more than half an hour, the scorching sun suddenly broke through the clouds and shone in the sky. The water vapor was so high that people walking on the road felt like they were in a steamer.

Zhao Mingzhi sat in the carriage at the back and felt the bumpy road. He had been traveling for more than an hour but had not yet left the city. He was already sweating all over, and his clothes were sticking to his skin, feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

The carriage she was riding in had a thick felt padding and the windows were wide open, so she thought there would be some cool breeze, but the speed was too slow, the sun was too strong, and the ceremonial guards outside were so tight that no wind came in, making her feel very stuffy.

Maybe it was because he didn't get enough rest or for some other reason, but Zhao Mingzhi always felt dizzy. Today, he felt stuffy in his chest when the carriage shook him, and he even wanted to vomit. But when he thought of his brother on the imperial carriage in front of him, although he couldn't see his appearance clearly through the heavy gauze curtains, he could imagine that it must be very hot there. Besides, the imperial carriage was gorgeous but not comfortable enough.

She didn't want to bother, and after a few moments of hesitation, she called the palace servant beside her and asked, "Go ask someone if they have prepared ice cubes this time, so that they can send some ice cubes to your majesty. It's too hot now, be careful not to overheat."

The palace servant took the order, opened the car door and spoke to the eunuch in front. A moment later, the message came back saying that due to heavy rains in recent days, the ground water rose very high, and several large ice cellars in the suburbs of Beijing were soaked and destroyed. There was a lot of rain in the past few days, so it didn't matter if there was no ice. Who would have thought that it would be so hot today all of a sudden, and it was difficult to prepare in such a hurry.

Zhao Mingzhi sent someone to fetch some cool well water and some heat-relief soup to bring to his younger brother.

Zhao Hong was wearing a formal suit with many layers of clothes, and he felt hot all over. Even though he had access to cool well water, it was not convenient for him to take off his clothes. He could only wash his face and soak his hands to relieve the heat a little.

Most children have fever. Although Zhao Hong is sick and weak, he is sweating profusely at this time.

No matter how difficult it was for him, he could barely endure it because he had expectations in his heart. However, it was a completely different situation for the ministers in the queue behind him.

Leaving the city under such a scorching sun, many officials felt uncomfortable with the heat and complained to each other.

Zhang Yi stood in the front center, and although he didn't say a word, his expression was just as ugly.

He had been feeling unwell ever since he had tossed and turned in the center of the Chuigong Hall last time. He subsequently went to see several doctors, who all prescribed Taifang prescriptions, all of which told him to calm down and be less irritable and angry.

  But given his current position and the current situation in the court, how could he be less impatient and angry?

As we walked along today, there were not many trees to provide shade, and the ceremonial guards could not block our view. The sun was shining brightly on my head, and I was sweating profusely. My neck and back were even more wet and uncomfortable.

  It would be fine if it was for offering sacrifices to heaven or other important festivals, but now it was just to welcome Pei Yong and his party. How could he not be furious?

Seeing the reception place set up long ago and the shelter built in advance in front of him, Zhang Yi heard cheers from afar before he could even breathe a sigh of relief.

The sound was as if it came from across the mountains, faint and unclear, but it was actually huge, and it seemed to shake the mountain. I don't know how many people shouted together to create such a sound. At first it was sporadic, but then it became more and more uniform, and its momentum was extremely terrifying.

He had led troops before, so he naturally would not make a fuss about such a thing. However, he still squinted his eyes and looked into the distance. He saw that on the high platform beside the Jinming Lake, there were countless people who were originally in the Qionglin Garden, climbing up and standing, shouting.

When the emperor went on tour, the streets had to be cleaned and the people were not allowed to get too close. In addition to building barriers, there were also patrolmen drawn from various places in the Kyoto government blocking the streets on both sides.

The people in the capital could not get close to watch, but who would be willing to give up such a lively occasion? As a result, the Jinming Pond, which was not far from the welcoming place and was open in spring and summer, and the Qionglin Garden next door became places where people gathered, causing congestion.

Following the direction their heads were facing, they were not looking in the direction of the prime minister, or even the emperor's ceremonial guard, but rather the soldiers returning to the court holding flags and coming in a winding manner.

It was so far away that it was hard to see anything clearly. The countless people were just a blur. But strangely, Zhang Yi always felt that he seemed to be able to see the eager expressions on the faces of the people.

"It's so hot. I heard that more than ten people fainted outside the Nanxun Gate the other day. The Kyoto government even ordered the common people to come out to welcome them. Aren't they afraid of causing trouble?" Someone among the ministers muttered.

Zhang Yi didn't say anything, but turned around and looked in the direction where the sound came from.

The emperor's procession was very large, and there were many officials blocking the way, so the man's face could not be seen for a while as he moved forward, but one could make a rough estimate by looking at his position to the left and right.

He was originally a military general.

How much genuine concern for the people was expressed in these words, and how much sourness was there? Although Zhang Yi had not gotten close to smell them, he could tell by comparing himself to the others.

But after this person finished speaking, there was no response for a long time.

The Jin army's great victory this time is unprecedented in the past few decades, even in the past hundred years.

Seeing that the annual tribute might be exempted and the Di people were driven away, perhaps they were afraid that the northern border of Echigo would be relatively stable in the next ten or twenty years, the refugees would be able to return home, the common people would not be displaced, and ordinary people would be able to return to their previous lives, either farming, rowing boats, carrying goods, or working as a hired worker, so that they would always have a chance to make a living.

When the soldiers who had made such great contributions returned to the capital, people all over the capital were rejoicing from the day they heard the news. Some teahouses even hung colorful cloth on their signs outside the doors to exempt the soldiers from paying for tea. Some refugees gathered their fruits and vegetables and went to the government to ask how they could prepare a meal for the newly returned soldiers. Even many large restaurants spread the word that once the army returned to the capital, they would be given extra drinks when they ate in their restaurants.

  With such a scene and such an atmosphere, why would the Kyoto government be needed to organize it?

If the guards hadn't stopped them, the spontaneous crowds of civilians would have filled up both sides of the street.

As for Lu Xianzhang, he probably hoped that the people would not leave the city to gather, making it difficult for him to maintain the situation!

How could the person speaking not understand such a simple truth laid out before him?

But when he returned in triumph, he was surrounded by the people and welcomed by the emperor. Who could not be jealous of such treatment?

Even Zhang Yi, who was standing almost at the front, felt a little sour in his teeth.

As the ceremonial procession moved forward, it finally came to a slow stop. Outside the tents set up to block the soldiers, countless civilians crowded in, shoulder to shoulder, and lined the streets to watch.

After receiving the message from the ceremonial officer, Zhao Hong hurriedly wiped the sweat from his head and face, tightened his collar which was already soaked around his neck, and stepped down from the jade carriage.

As soon as the curtain moved and the emperor showed his head, there was no need for anyone to organize it. Even though no one could be seen or seen clearly, there were already countless cheers.

The sound came from near and then spread far, first from the people lining the road nearby, and then spread to the banks of the Jinming Lake, the Qionglin Garden, and even further away where it could not be seen, with countless voices responding.

Hearing this roar, it was completely different from the usual etiquette of officials in court, and also different from any time before. There was excitement, joy, and strong anticipation. There were so many emotions in it that even the people who were crowding and shouting at the moment might not know everything. Zhao Hong was in the middle of it, but he was shocked for a moment and couldn't move for a few breaths. He seemed to have returned to the day when he entered the capital from outside the city. He felt his heart surging, and he couldn't help turning his head back and looking around for a long time before he found the location of the princess's carriage.

Zhao Mingzhi also got off the car. When he saw his brother's gaze, he just smiled, raised his chin slightly, and motioned for the other party to come forward.

Zhao Hong hesitated for a while, turned around slightly, and stretched out his right hand towards Zhao Mingzhi. The meaning was very straightforward.

Zhao Mingzhi just shook his head, still smiling, and raised his head again to encourage.

As if he had finally made up his mind, Zhao Hong took a deep breath, turned back, and stepped forward.

Outside the awning, soldiers were already standing in line, and Zhao Hong walked forward along the path that was left for them.

There were soldiers returning to court on both sides, and he was afraid that he was not doing well, so he even kept his back straight when walking. He didn't notice it at all before, but now surrounded by the crowd, he couldn't help but regret that he didn't ask people to make his bare boots thicker earlier, so as not to make the emperor look too young and short. He almost couldn't help but turn around to look for Zhao Mingzhi.

However, in just this short distance, countless chaotic thoughts flashed through Zhao Hong's mind, like a ball of paste, making it almost impossible for him to distinguish the sounds around him. He walked forward more than ten steps before he suddenly realized that there was a high platform made of bricks and wood in the crowd.

At this moment, there were more than ten people standing at the steps, all wearing thin armor.

When Zhao Hong took a look, his eyes were almost immediately caught by the one standing in the front.

It was Pei Yong.

He was tall to begin with, and now he was wearing armor, looking even more dignified than before, making people afraid to move.

The two sides had only spent a short time together in Caizhou, but for some reason, perhaps the other party said less and did more, or perhaps the other party was neither anxious nor in a hurry, or perhaps it was because the other party had always had such a fair attitude, as if he was the embodiment of those loyal ministers and generals he had read in countless history books, which made Zhao Hongji easily give his trust to him.

"Pei Qing!"

The two sides were still about ten or twenty steps apart when Zhao Hong subconsciously started shouting.

The other party was obviously a little surprised that Zhao Hong called out at this moment, but he reacted immediately, took a few steps forward, bowed and was about to salute.

At this moment, there was clearly no sound in Zhao Hong's ears. The layer of cover that seemed to be separating him suddenly receded like the tide, making him feel as if he had been enlightened, and his mind and eyes suddenly became clear.

He strode forward almost at a run.

Zhao Hong was only nine years old, with short legs and small steps, so his movements were actually a bit hasty, but no one around him paid any attention. They just watched Pei Yong's movements and followed his lead in saluting.

So there was no one in command in the venue. As the soldiers saluted, the cheers from the mountains not only did not stop, but became louder. It was just that the distance was a little far, so it was not deafening.

Zhao Hong hastily reached out his hand and grabbed Pei Yong's arm, trying to lift him up with his own strength, while he hurriedly shouted, "Pei Qing, there's no need to be so polite!"

However, he was weak to begin with, so how could he lift Pei Yong, who was wearing Jia? Half of his body was bent, and his feet were unstable. He thought he was going to stumble, but Pei Yong slowly stood up, and it seemed that his left hand did not exert any strength, but only slightly adjusted the direction, and then gave him a gentle lift, allowing him to stand steadily again.

"Your Majesty, there are drinks on the stage."

Pei Yong spoke softly while his right hand was already giving instructions.

Zhao Hong felt inexplicably at ease. He did not let go of Pei Yong's arm, and held him up to the stage.

The place where everyone was standing was said to be a high platform, but in fact it had only seven or eight steps. This height was just right for the soldiers below the stage to see clearly what was happening on the stage. They saw a king and a general, one holding the other's support, walking arm in arm. It was unclear who was holding the other's support, as they just walked straight to the table in the middle.

After dozens of soldiers who had made outstanding contributions came on stage one after another and eunuchs brought out wine to distribute, Zhao Hong let go of Pei Yong's arm, picked up the wine glass from the tray in Wang Shu's office, but did not drink it himself. Instead, he handed it to Pei Yong, waited for the latter to take it, and then took the wine cup from another eunuch's hand.

As the officials and soldiers standing below the stage received their own wine cups, Zhao Hong raised his cup and said loudly, "I offer this cup to the soldiers in the underworld who have protected our country and our land and defended our great Jin!"

Although he had prepared his speech countless times in his mind, Zhao Hong's voice still trembled when he spoke in front of so many people. As he spoke, he held the cup in both hands and poured it from left to right on the ground in front of the table.

The aroma of wine filled the air.

Wine was distributed throughout the room, and the soldiers, generals, civil officials and military officers who were about to drink together stopped. In fact, only a small circle of people could hear Zhao Hong's voice, but everyone was silent, as if they had heard what he said.

Zhao Hong finished pouring one cup and waited for the eunuch beside him to come over and fill it up before he raised it again and said, "I use this cup to pay tribute to the souls of the people of the Great Jin who died unjustly!"

After two glasses of wine were poured, he took the wine pot and filled the third glass without asking anyone else to help. This time he said even louder: "I present this cup to all the soldiers! Without you, I cannot stand here, the people of the capital cannot stand here, and the people of the world cannot stand here!!"

As he spoke, he first looked at Pei Yong opposite him, clinked the wine cup in his hand with the man opposite him, then raised the wine high, toasted everyone around him, and drank it all in one gulp.

As Zhao Hong spoke and moved, the soldiers on the stage were stunned at first, their eyes red, and they were slow to react for a few breaths. After a long while, they drank up the wine in their hands.

After drinking, Zhao Hong subconsciously turned around and looked in the direction where Wenwu was standing not far away, his eyes darting around.

Just like him, Pei Yong finished the wine in the cup and turned slightly to look at the side where Wenwu was standing.

Over there, Zhao Mingzhi stood upright, as if he felt something.

She was still holding the wine glass in her hand, and before she saw her brother turn around, she met Pei Yong's gaze.

The two looked at each other for a long time.