The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 603 The Emperor's Audience, Imperial Rewards—That's it? That's it? That's it?
"what……"

"We've finally arrived in Chang'an..."

The massive city walls rose into view at the edge of the horizon. The setting sun cast its golden rays upon half of the city, while the other half was shrouded in the heavy twilight, casting long, weary shadows.

Shen Le stared fixedly at the golden city walls under the setting sun, but instead of feeling moved, she felt numb.

Finally... we've arrived...

This journey was incredibly arduous. We traversed mountains upon mountains, walking across what seemed like an endless expanse of Gobi Desert, braving wind and snow, while constantly on guard against bandits and Tibetan cavalry…

Throughout the winter, they rested near the Uyghur king's tent, and only by offering a large sum of gifts could they obtain the protection of the Uyghur Khan and the promise of sending troops to escort them south...

They set off from Khotan in July, arrived in Kucha in August, and immediately crossed mountains and valleys to reach Beiting;

They departed from Beiting in September and arrived at the wintering grounds of the Uyghur king's camp in November, where they rested for the entire winter.
Then, at the end of March, they headed south again, traversing the grasslands and crossing the Yin Mountains. After countless hardships, they finally reached the Hetao region, arriving in Lingzhou, an area under the actual control of the Tang Dynasty, and entering the protection zone of the Shuofang Army…

It took them a full year to travel this route. Of the ten people who initially came from Khotan, only he remained.
Of the original eighty people who set out from Kucha, more than half were lost;
Of the eighty people who set off together from the Beiting Protectorate, less than fifty were able to make it into Chang'an alive.

Shen Le was too exhausted to be happy. He gazed at the city walls standing on the horizon, speechless for a moment.

The soldiers around him, however, were in an uproar, each struggling to straighten up on their horses and looking up:

"We've arrived in Chang'an!"

"This is Chang'an!"

"Wow, it's huge! Ah Li, just as you said, it's a hundred times bigger than Tingzhou City!"

"This is wonderful... I never thought I'd see Chang'an again in my lifetime..."

Even the Shuofang army, who had greeted and escorted them from Lingzhou, were all excited. They spurred their horses forward, then reined them in, circling back, causing the horses to stamp their hooves and foam at the mouth of their bridles.
"Chang'an!"

"I've been in the army for ten years, and thanks to you all, I'm finally able to come to Chang'an!"

"I don't know how long we'll be staying in Chang'an this time... I want to buy my wife a hairpin. I heard that the hairpins from Yongming Tower are the best, made in the style of Wensi Academy..."

"You guys are really lucky this time! You'll definitely get to enter the palace, and maybe even the Hanyuan Hall! You'll get to eat the imperial cuisine! When you come out after your audience with the emperor, be sure to tell your brothers what the palace is like!"

What was the palace like? Shen Le didn't know. They weren't able to enter the palace immediately either: a group of people were settled in a post station, where some people came to check their identities, some came to collect their documents, and some came to teach them etiquette.

Shen Le knew in her heart that everything was in the past and nothing could be changed from her memories, so she wasn't in a hurry.

However, their leader, Guo Xian, a cousin of Guo Xin, the Protector-General of Anxi, was in a state of frantic anxiety, unable to calm down for a whole day, wishing he could rush to the emperor's side immediately:

When will we be able to meet the Emperor?

"When will we finally be able to meet the Emperor?!"

"When will Your Majesty listen to our account of the current situation in Anxi..."

"When will reinforcements arrive?!"

"What's the rush?" The Ministry of Rites official who came to instruct them was asked eighteen times in one day, and he was extremely annoyed by the question.

At first, I treated them kindly, considering their long and arduous journey home. But after being asked so many times, I finally blurted out:

"A sage is busy with countless affairs of state, bearing the weight of so much responsibility in this vast world. If he had to receive every random official who came to visit, he would be doing nothing but meeting people all day long!"

Guo Xian stumbled from the spray, his face flushed with embarrassment. Beside him, the deputy of the Ministry of Rites official looked on with pity and whispered:
"Sending troops to the Western Regions is a major undertaking, and it will require repeated discussions among the court officials before a decision can be made. Do not be anxious, focus on learning etiquette, and we will receive news within three to five days."

So the rewards and honors were just a formality?
Shen Le stood at a distance behind the crowd, listening intently to their conversation and silently grumbling. So how many more days was he going to have to go through this?

All day long, I'm forced to practice kowtowing and kneeling. How many more days can I endure this?

Honestly, if it weren't for wanting to see the Daming Palace, and if he hadn't been silently comforting himself by thinking of all the kowtowing and kneeling as cosplay and the cost of the ticket, he would have already given up and would have just lay down and pretended to be sick...

Fortunately, the imperial court did indeed attach great importance to their group. Three days later, the day finally arrived for the emperor's formal audience.

Shen Le mingled among the crowd and entered through the Vermilion Bird Gate. After waiting for who knows how long, he finally stepped into the magnificent Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall, at the command of the master of ceremonies.

Hanyuan Hall!
The ancient Hanyuan Hall!

The Hanyuan Hall was not destroyed!
Shen Le's eyes were almost not enough to take it all in. He tried his best to keep his head slightly lowered to maintain proper etiquette, lest he be kicked out on the spot, while frantically looking around as he walked:
Based on later archaeological excavations and reconstructions, the Hanyuan Hall was a complex of buildings, with the main hall spanning eleven bays and situated atop a three-tiered platform.

While waiting outside for the summons, Shen Le had carefully examined and counted all the features, including the two pavilions facing each other on the left and right sides of the front of the hall, Xiangluan Pavilion and Qifeng Pavilion, in the form of a triple-tiered gate tower with tall brick platforms below.

Including the bell and drum towers on both sides of Hanyuan Hall, the dragon tail path that spirals up the platform wall, the entire huge U-shaped building is basically consistent with the restored model...

But what about the height, width, and depth of this hall?

How long is the Dragon Tail Road?
Why is his skill so much inferior to his mentor's? Why can't he estimate the size of the main hall with just a glance? Why aren't his eyes like rulers...?

While feeling frustrated, Shen Le desperately observed and tried to memorize. Following the master of ceremonies' guidance, he walked to the front of the hall and performed the bowing and other rituals mostly on instinct.

Fortunately, he wasn't first in line. The vast majority of the envoys were in a daze, some even moving their hands and feet in unison, and some were so excited that they cried on the spot, so he didn't stand out particularly...

After bowing, Guo Xian took out the document and held it above his head with both hands. Presumably to prevent him from being impolite in front of the emperor, the entire procedure did not involve him personally reporting to the emperor. Instead, a special official took the document, raised his voice, and read it aloud.

The entire Hanyuan Hall was quiet, except for the booming voice of the official, which echoed throughout the main hall.

Even if Shen Le strained his ears to listen, he probably wouldn't understand the classical Chinese, especially since his entire focus was on the architectural structure of the Hanyuan Hall at that moment.
Is the roof eaves single-eaved or double-eaved?
What is the structure of the roof?
What are the floor tiles like? What are the colors and patterns inside the walls like? What are the column bases like?
Look at everything carefully and write it down meticulously. Once you've left this memory, immediately record it and draw it into a picture book!

Although this opportunity is extremely rare, deliberately dying and having to walk the Uyghur Road all over again just to see it again is too torturous...

If you can complete a task in one go, never do it a second time!
Shen Le stared intently, trying to memorize everything. After an unknown amount of time, the memorial was finished being read aloud, and the entire hall fell silent. Suddenly, a soft sob broke the silence:
Who is it? Who is crying here?
Shen Le looked up curiously. Far away, on the deep throne, the person sitting there covered their face with their sleeve, their sobs growing louder and louder:

"I...I never expected...I really never expected...that there would still be such loyal and brave men...staying in the two prefectures and four towns for so many years...I am sorry for you, the court is sorry for you!"

"Your Majesty, what makes you say such a thing!"

Guo Xian, kneeling at the very front of the procession, burst into a wail and kowtowed, burying his face in the ground. Soon, the entire procession of envoys erupted in cries of varying pitches, as if they had been moved by the emperor.

Shen Le silently rolled her eyes, and had no choice but to lie down on the ground, cover her face with her sleeve, and try to study the pattern on the floor tiles:
Hey, it can't be that bad!

The news and memorials have been submitted for so many days, and we have been learning to kneel and kowtow for so many days. The emperor must have heard about it for the first time!

It's not like I was suddenly moved to tears like this!
Why are you all crying with him like this?

There was no other way; being in this situation, he had to put on an act. Shen Le waited patiently for a while before the surrounding officials began to plead with the emperor not to grieve, lest it harm his health.

After waiting for quite a while, the emperor finally finished crying and fell into a state of heightened excitement:
"Such a loyal and brave minister deserves a great reward! A very generous reward! He should be made a king!"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please reconsider! Since ancient times, no one has been granted a title without military merit, and no one has been granted a king without the same surname. To enfeoff a foreign subject as a king is an ominous sign!"

A minister whom Shen Le didn't recognize started wailing again. The emperor roared from above, his cheeks flushed, spitting as he spoke:

"Extraordinary achievements deserve extraordinary rewards! This subject is far away in the Western Regions, yet remains steadfastly loyal..."

What followed was a long string of words that Shen Le couldn't quite understand. The emperor not only refuted them, but also personally came down and helped each of the soldiers from the Western Regions up.

The soldiers he helped up were almost all flushed, with tears in their eyes, and they almost knelt down to kowtow again.

The Emperor himself helped me up!
What an honor!

These hands can go a lifetime without needing to be washed!
Shen Le could only try to appear excited, taking the opportunity to look left and right, secretly observing the various details of Hanyuan Hall.

The emperor's clothing, the officials' clothing, the furnishings and utensils in the palace, etc., are actually quite worth seeing, but since he specializes in ancient architecture, he had to focus on his major at this time.

So could you please stall for a little longer?

Want to argue a little longer?

It's a great pity that the performance time was limited, or rather, the emperor only had so much of his precious time left for this group of people from the Western Regions.

After a while, the excited emperor and the loyal ministers finally reached an agreement. A court official stepped forward and began to draft the edict quickly without any corrections.

Several ministers approved it, the emperor approved it, and not long after, the officials in charge of rites called out again to await their rewards:
Another kneeling session, how annoying. Shen Le silently knelt down in the line, listening intently to the official's inflections:

"The two courts and four towns govern the fifty-seven tribes and ten clans of Western Xia. Since the founding of the dynasty, they have served and performed their duties."

Since the fall of Guanzhong and Longxi, the east and west have been cut off. Loyal and righteous people have wept blood to defend their posts, carefully guarding the borders and adhering to etiquette and teachings. This is all due to the joint efforts of the marquises, earls, and generals in governing the country.

Li Yuanzhong, the military governor of Yixi and Beiting, is to be appointed as the Grand Protector of Beiting; Guo Xin, the acting military governor of the Four Garrisons, is to be appointed as the Grand Protector of Anxi and the military governor of the Four Garrisons.

Then came another long, long, long passage. Shen Le tried desperately to make out what they were arguing about:
Guo Xin, the Grand Protector of Anxi, is hereby granted the title of Prince of Wuwei!
Cao Lingzhong, the Grand Protector of Beiting, oh, the emperor bestowed upon him the imperial surname, changed his name to Li Yuanzhong, and granted him the title of Prince of Ningsai!
All the soldiers of Anxi have been promoted 7 ranks!
and then?
Gone?

Indeed, that was all. After the very long imperial edict was read aloud, everyone expressed their gratitude and withdrew, leaving the Daming Palace under the guidance of officials from the Ministry of Rites.

Shen Le walked out of the Vermilion Bird Gate reluctantly, turning back every step of the way, wishing she could stay inside and draw pictures all day long.

Turning around, Guo Xian's face was filled with anxiety:
"So, where are our reinforcements?"

I'm sorry, the imperial edict did not mention any reinforcements.

How many people can be mobilized to participate? The guardians of Anxi Beiting?

do not know.

How many horses, how many weapons, how much armor, how many supplies could be lost?

Sorry, I don't know either.

Or when will the imperial court be able to send troops to attack Tibet, recover the Hexi Corridor, and connect the Four Garrisons of Anxi with Longyou?
Well, that's not something a mere group of envoys or soldiers like them could possibly know.

Guo Xian shuttled back and forth between the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, asking countless people and pleading with them, only to be disappointed time and time again.
"do not know."

"My lord is very busy and I'm afraid he won't have time to see me."

"Why don't you go back and wait a bit longer?"

"The imperial court is probably unable to mobilize troops in the near future."

"War is dangerous and perilous. Launching a large-scale military attack on Tibet is a matter of national importance and cannot be decided hastily..."

Shen Le really wanted to advise him not to ask anymore, and not to ask anyone for help.

Historically, the Four Garrisons of Anxi and the Protectorate General of Beiting never received reinforcements; they slowly weakened and eventually died out.

However, seeing Guo Xian's lips covered in blisters and his eyes red with anxiety, he couldn't bear to say anything and could only sigh softly:
"How about we ask them to help us deliver these letters home? At least the brothers will find some comfort once they reach each family..."

Before he could even finish delivering the letter home, the imperial rewards had already arrived. Shen Le looked at the princely robes, seals, gold belts, and gold helmets, and felt as if he were about to cry.

Will these things help us defeat the Tibetans? Will they?

(End of this chapter)