The day of the ceremony arrived as scheduled.
At dawn, as the rumbling sound of street drums echoed throughout the city of Chang'an, thousands of doors opened one after another.
At the auspicious time, triumphal music sounded in the city. The streets from Kaiyuan Gate to the Imperial Palace, which were large enough to accommodate dozens of horses running side by side, were filled with people who gathered spontaneously from all directions.
The soldiers who returned to participate in today's captive offering ceremony were all meritorious. They were dressed in bright armor, riding tall war horses, and marched in neat rows, passing through the Kaiyuan Gate that was opened specially for them, passing in front of the Zhenguo Tower standing next to them, and heading towards the palace amid cheers.
The emperor was wearing a twelve-chapter robe, a black robe and a purple skirt, and a twelve-tasseled imperial crown on his head. He was sitting on a high tower in the center of the outer court, with an imposing majesty. In the square in front of him, hundreds of civil and military officials lined up solemnly, and the guards were lined up with yellow flags.
The team arrived at the main gate of the palace. Behind the gate, there was a straight and wide imperial road leading directly to the city tower. The Jinwu held halberds and stood on both sides. The thousand people in the front continued to walk on the imperial road. The horses and men were majestic, and the sound of their horses' hooves stomping on the ground shook the ground.
Arriving at Xiama Bridge, Linghu Gong, the general commander of the battle, dismounted from his horse. He led Pei Xiaoyuan, Xue Mian, He Du, Yuwen Zhi and other twelve generals from various parties behind him, strode to the front of the city tower, knelt before the emperor on the throne, and reported the results of the battle loudly.
He Jin, Chen Shao, Liu Bo, Gu Twelve and others were also in the front row of today's team because of their bravery and outstanding military achievements. It would be fine for He Jin, Chen Shao, Liu Bo and others, as they all had their own experiences in the past, but such an occasion as today was unprecedented for soldiers like Gu Twelve who came from the market. At this moment, although everyone looked solemn and majestic, one could imagine how excited they were in their hearts.
"… I, Linghu Gong, follow the order of Your Majesty to fight against the rebels. Relying on the power of Heaven, the three armies worked together and bravely killed the rebels, and shocked the enemy with my might. Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission and defeated them in one fell swoop. I have captured the rebel chieftain and presented them all to Tianjing…"
Linghu Gong's loud voice echoed in the square and was also sent to a duty room behind the city wall.
Xuyu accompanied Li Hui, and the two sat together quietly, listening to the sounds coming from outside.
Li Hui also wore a crown and robes today. The crown on his head was decorated with nine tassels, and the robes also had nine chapters. Except for the number nine, the rest was the same as the emperor's.
After Linghu Gong finished presenting the captives, the Minister of Punishments read out the charges on behalf of the emperor, ordering the beheading of the captives presented today and Wang Zhang and his followers who had previously failed in their rebellion, and reporting the matter to the Taimiao. Then, came another extremely important content of the day: to confer the title of Crown Prince to Li Hui, and to announce it publicly so that all the people would know.
As the reservation process went through one by one, the boy, who had been trying hard to remain calm, gradually became uncontrollably nervous.
"The Emperor proclaims: I have received the mandate of Heaven and rule over the world. All people in this land are my children. Unless they have committed the ten evil deeds, they should be allowed to reform themselves. However, there are rebel chieftains who are colluding with each other, jumping around like ugly people, and are arrogant and violent. They dare to cause unrest in the northern desert and bring suffering to the people of Guizhou..."
The voice of the Minister of Justice reading the imperial edict in a rhythmic manner was transmitted along.
"Our country and our dynasty are benevolent and generous. We have made the whole world peaceful. All those who abandon evil and seek obedience will be treated with kindness. Those who do not obey the instructions and dare to harbor evil intentions will be punished with righteousness and military force, and the ugly ones will be wiped out..."