***
It took half a month for Qin Mu to return to Chang'an.
The people of Chang'an came out in droves, singing and dancing, lining the streets to welcome him. Wherever the emperor's dragon flag went, shouts of "Long live the emperor" echoed.
In the midst of the people's shouts of "Long live the emperor", Qin Mu's prestige was once again pushed to the peak. There are quite a few heroes, and it all depends on Jin Chao's intention.
Originally, after his great victory, Qin Mu also intended to plagiarize this poem "沁园春.雪" to leave a good story. However, this poem contains the line "It is a pity that the Qin Emperor and Han Wudi were slightly inferior in literary talent." Qin Mu himself declared to the world that he was the successor of the First Emperor. How could he criticize Qin Shihuang in this way
This is just like Liu Xiu of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Even if you fought for the country again, no matter what, if you claim to be the successor of the Han Dynasty, you must never belittle Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty.
The official name of the palace in Xijing is Xianyang Palace. Although it is not as majestic and magnificent as the Daqin Palace in Nanjing, it actually covers a larger area than the Daqin Palace in Nanjing.
Outside the main gate of the palace, commonly known as the Meridian Gate, there is the Imperial Ancestral Temple to the east and the Imperial Temple to the west.
After washing off the dust on his body, Qin Mu changed into the black imperial robes and wore a twelve-ribbed crown on his head. He led the civil and military officials who had accompanied him to Xijing out of the Meridian Gate and went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to hold a grand ceremony of presenting captives to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The soldiers and civilians of Chang'an were allowed to go to the Imperial Street to watch the prisoner presentation ceremony. The cold wind was bleak, but it could not blow away people's enthusiasm. The roadside was filled with black crowds of people, all of whom were happy and talking enthusiastically.
Suddenly someone in the crowd shouted, "Look, look, the prisoners are being brought in."
Everyone looked eagerly and saw, as expected, a dozen people with bare upper bodies, white ribbons tied around their necks, and their hair in braids.
"Hahaha... So this is how prisoners are offered. This... looks like walking a dog."
Offering captives to the Imperial Ancestral Temple was a rare event in every dynasty. Few ordinary people had ever seen the specific ceremony. At this time, Bailutuhu and others were tied with white ribbons around their necks and led by soldiers, which was a bit like leading a dog.
When the people on the roadside saw this, they all laughed and laughed. Some of them immediately responded to the person in front of them: "What do you mean by elephant? They are clearly dogs. In front of the Emperor of Qin, I think they are not even worthy of being dogs."
"You guys are the ones who dare to mess with our Qin State. You'll have to pay the price this time!"
"What a pity, I didn't prepare anything, otherwise I would have put a pile of shit on the roadside for them to lick and eat."
"What are you talking about? My Great Qin is the Celestial Empire, and you are at least its people. Keep your mouth shut. What are you talking about? That's just bullshit."
"Hey, Zhang Laosan. Isn't money the only thing you call gambling?"
"I... I, Zhang Laosan, regard money as dirt. Is that not okay?"
"Don't make any noise, don't make any noise. See? That one in front is Gushih Khan."
"Shit Khan? Did I say that? This is a shit eater, right..."
“… ... ... .”
Bailutuhu could understand Chinese. He was shirtless and led by the soldiers with a white sash. He was already humiliated to death, and after listening to the noisy chatter of the people on the roadside, he really wanted to kill himself. But now, he didn't even have the right to die.
If I had known this earlier, it would have been much better to just stay in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and be a local emperor. Thinking of this, Bailutuhu felt so regretful that his intestines turned green.
Behind him followed Su De, Narisong, Surileheke, Wurigeng, and Zhirjin. In the middle of winter, these people were naked from the waist up, with black and blue bodies from the cold, and shivering all over, as they were escorted to the front of the Taimiao.
Offering captives to the Imperial Ancestral Temple was a way for the emperor to report his military exploits to his ancestors. In addition to bringing honor to his ancestors, it was also a way to show his military achievements and national prestige to the world.
"Stand still, stand still!"
When they arrived in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the soldiers shouted in a deep voice, and ordered Bailutuhu and others to stand outside the Imperial Ancestral Temple Street Gate facing north. At this time, the sacrificial officer came in formal court dress, and the captives fell to the ground. The sacrificial officer offered three animals and a sacrificial table, and Qin Mu went into the Imperial Ancestral Temple to burn incense and offer sacrifices.
The ceremony was not complicated, but very grand. After offering sacrifices at the Taimiao, they went to the Sheji Altar, where the ceremony was roughly the same. The sacrificial officials wore court robes and entered the altar to offer sacrifices, following the same rituals as the Spring and Autumn Prayers.
Not every emperor has the opportunity to bring honor to his family. After it is spread throughout the world, it plays an extraordinary role in increasing the emperor's prestige.
That is why Qin Mu held the Taimiao Prisoner Offering Ceremony with such great ceremony. After the ceremony, Qin Mu accepted the worship of all the people:
"Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long, long live our emperor!"
"Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long, long live our emperor!"
"Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long, long live our emperor!"
The people cheered three times, resounding to the sky and lasting for a long time. Qin Mu's reputation was constantly rising, but it was hard for Bailutuhu and others, who were frozen to death and crying! If I had known this, it would have been great to move west to the Volga River with the Khan of the Torghut tribe and Orlek. It's too late to say anything now.
After Qin Mu returned to the palace, Li Xiangjun, Xu Ruoshi, Dong Xiaowan, and Li Zhiyin were overjoyed and came to greet him. As the branches swayed, the four beautiful flowers smiled and said in unison, "Your Majesty, we congratulate you on your triumphant return."
"Stand up, everyone stand up, hahaha..." Qin Mu laughed heartily, very cheerfully.
The four girls all smiled brightly when they saw that he was in such a good mood. Peonies, peonies, daffodils and roses bloomed one after another, filling the whole palace with fragrance, making these three cold days in winter seem as bright as spring.
Li Xiangjun, wearing light makeup and looking light and unrestrained, smiled sweetly, her beautiful eyes were eager, she straightened her chest, raised her delicate head, and chanted loudly: "The fields and the city are full of murderers, shooting stars are horses and the moon is a lamp, I chased the Chanyu for 80,000 miles at night, and flattened the first peak of Qishan..."
She was a petite and delicate girl, and in such a heroic manner, she not only lacked masculinity, but instead had a bit of playful charm. Qin Mulang smiled, put his hands around her slender waist and picked her up.
“Oh, Your Majesty…”
Qin Mu kissed her, making her face turn red. Thinking that Xu Ruoshi and the other girls were still watching, she quickly said, "Your Majesty's poem is full of heroic spirit and great momentum, but the first sentence is a bit too fierce. I feel a little scared when I read it."
"Haha, I wrote this poem for the enemy to see. Don't be afraid, Xiangjun. Come, I will make you the head of Xiangsi..." Qin Mu coaxed Li Xiangjun like he was coaxing his daughter, and her heart melted.
She asked cheerfully, "Your Majesty, have you written any other poems? Please recite them to us, Your Majesty..."
"Okay, listen carefully: Talk about lovesickness, ask about lovesickness, the maple leaves fall and the geese are late leaving Wujiang. It's the coldest time of the year.
Who knows my complaint? Who knows my dream? Can you send me a plum blossom? When the snow comes, the green feathers fly. "
"Mmmm, your majesty, that's a really nice word."
"Who dares to say that the poems I wrote are bad? Hahaha..."
“It’s really good.”
Qin Mu's laughter was met with a playful roll of the eyes from Li Xiangjun. Among the four women, only she, with her bright and clear personality, dared to do so.
The cold air is heavy outside the palace, but the warm smoke is light inside. The beauty in my arms is so light, with a silver hairpin with butterfly flowers and tassels on her head swaying gently, her eyes flowing with tears, her lips moist and graceful, and her charm is indescribable.
Qin Mu had dinner brought up for him to enjoy with the women. This dinner was carefully prepared to reward the emperor for his triumphant return. It included braised golden hook shark's fin, purple ginseng pheasant soup, sika deer tendons, pork loin, etc. It was very rich.
The four girls ate very little and were mostly busy helping Qin Mu serve food and water.
Only Lady Hong was not polite at all. Qin Mu was usually quite frugal, and it was not often that one could have such a sumptuous banquet in the palace.
Seeing that he was surrounded by beautiful girls, all of them charming and charming, Hong Niang felt a little jealous. She bit a piece of crystal pork elbow carefully, as if she was biting someone.
Qin Mu accidentally saw her movements and eyes, and he understood something in his heart, so he used a small spoon to make two meatballs for her and said, "Ying'er has worked hard these past few months. Come on, come on, eat more. The meatballs taste good."
Hong Niangzi looked at the two meatballs in the bowl with an embarrassed look on her face. She also knew that in the harem, once she was labeled as a nuisance, the consequences would be very serious. She was a little worried and couldn't help but explain, "Your Majesty, I... I want to eat some vegetarian dishes."
Li Xiangjun and the other three girls looked at the meatballs in Hong Niangzi's bowl and her embarrassed expression. They were so smart that they couldn't help but laugh secretly.
Finally, Li Xiangjun came up to help her savior and said, "Sister, you have been guarding His Majesty and have made great contributions. You can't just eat vegetarian food. Come, I will toast His Majesty and sister."
"Hahaha... ..her, let's drink together. I will have a good drink with my concubines tonight."
As for how to feel good about it, please stay tuned for the next chapter.
*************************
ps: Please vote for me! I still need 3,000 votes to reach 100,000. Please don’t give your votes to others, support me first. Please vote for me.
.(To be continued..)
...