After the music of breaking the formation ended, the dancers, led by King Kang, saluted towards the high platform and received praise from the saint. After they withdrew, the dark-skinned animal tamer with deep eyes arrived, driving all the beasts.
Elephants, lions, tigers, leopards, rhinos, and many other beasts lined up and lay obediently on the ground in front of the platform, then separated to the left and right, and the martial arts performance officially began. The six armies passed in front of the Suzaku Terrace one by one, showing their military prowess, then changed their ranks, and then changed their formations, with the infantry and cavalry columns advancing and retreating alternately, changing three times and five times, and finally, everyone returned to their positions and paid homage to the emperor and the princess again.
The emperor summoned the prime minister and the ministers of state and ordered them to comment on the performance of the various armies today. Some said they were well-organized and strong, some said they were brave and sharp, and some said they followed orders and had a mighty military appearance.
The emperor seemed to be in a very happy mood and nodded frequently. Finally, he ordered that in order to congratulate the princess on her return and to reward the soldiers for their wonderful performance today, the soldiers would be rewarded in the barracks tonight and participate in the evening banquet in the Qingyuan Hall.
Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted "Long live the emperor" and "Thousand years of live the emperor" like thunderous cheers, and the court officials and ladies on both sides of the high platform bowed down as required.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, the emperor, supported by the princess, stood up from his throne, walked down from the Vermillion Bird Terrace, and prepared to leave on his sedan chair.
During the whole process, Han Kerang led the guards headed by Pei Xiaoyuan and followed closely behind the emperor and the princess. Suddenly, he saw the princess seemed to stop on purpose before getting on the car. He didn't know what she meant to do, but when he looked over, he saw her turn around, looking at him with a smile, and nodded to him alone, as if to greet him, and then she got on the car and left with the emperor.
Han Kerang froze for a moment, and only reacted when the princess left in the carriage. He looked around and saw Fan Ximing and others nearby. He felt a little flattered. Thinking of his previous misunderstanding, he almost offended the princess. He couldn't help but vent his anger on himself. He turned his head and looked at the subordinate beside him, who was now looking ashen and didn't know what he was thinking. He raised his hand to him and nodded fiercely a few times in the air, then hurriedly mounted his horse and followed.
That night, the six armies slaughtered cattle and cooked sheep in the barracks to receive rewards. In the Qingyuan Hall of the Cangshan Palace, the emperor held a banquet to entertain his officials and the many princes and envoys who accompanied him on this trip.
There is no doubt that the newly returned princess has become the most watched person among the thousands of people in Cangshan. Tonight, she really showed up at the banquet and sat beside the emperor, just as many young men had hoped.
Compared to her appearance during the day, the princess looked a little different tonight. She still had her hair tied up high and wore a crown, but the crown adorning her dark hair was not as solemn and heavy as it was during the day. It was a golden phoenix crown made by a skilled craftsman with gold threads. It was gorgeous and agile. Two strings of pearl and jade hairpins hung from the tips of the golden phoenix's wings and fell on the sides of the princess's temples. When she walked, they trembled gently. On the princess's forehead was a golden jade hairpin and a pair of phoenix eyebrows, which were drawn with Persian indigo. Under the bright reflection of the jade hairpin and the indigo eyebrows, the pair of dark black eyes on her fair face not only did not lose their brilliance, but became more eye-catching, as if they were full of light and brilliance. Tonight the princess wore an apricot-gold jacket, a peacock-blue skirt decorated with a scatter-nest pattern, and a lavender gauze shawl. The long skirt and shawl were like flowing clouds or a phoenix's tail, trailing softly on the ground.
As the princess arrived and took her seat, accompanied by two rows of mica silk fans, this tall and deep banquet hall seemed to be instantly stained with a faint glow like a sunset glow because of the glittering gold beads and jade beads on her head and body when she moved.