On the sparsely populated Imperial Street, a sea of armored soldiers slowly surged over, their footsteps coming like waves. Du Chenggui stood on the tower of Xuande Gate, staring at the scene in front of him, and he felt a little short of breath.
Behind him, there were large palaces and palaces, the center of the world. Du Chenggui had never fought abroad, and his duty after joining the army had always been to guard the imperial city. However, he knew that he was basically useless. If an army could really attack the imperial city, would resistance still be useful
Now he didn't need to resist. He held the Queen Mother's edict in his hand, but he didn't read it out because the end of the edict warned him not to show it to anyone.
Opening the door, Du Chenggui finally shouted, "Marshal Guo has returned to Beijing!"
The soldiers in rows and rows below, dressed in bright and new armor, opened the city gate silently without saying a word. The gate of the imperial city was slowly and easily opened.
A large number of imperial guards came from far away and poured into the imperial city. The vanguard rushed directly to the Daqing Gate, which was then slowly opened. The following troops of the Tiger Guards split to the left and right in an orderly manner, and quickly headed towards the east and west gates of the Privy Council like a diverted flood. Everything seemed terrifying, but it was in good order.
Guo Shao came straight to the square inside Daqing Gate. On the high platform in front of him, the Jinxiang Palace, the center of imperial power, stood majestically in front of him, as if in the clouds. Someone was shouting and issuing military orders. The troops stopped in front of the palace, and countless soldiers and horses poured into this open space. Guo Shao also got off the carriage, held his sword, walked to the bottom of the steps, and stopped.
Soon, a large group of officials came from Daqing Gate. Wei Renpu, Wang Pu and others came forward, knelt on the ground without saying a word, and shouted: "Long live your majesty!"
Fan Zhi stood there in a daze. General Luo Yanhuan beside him reached out to touch the hilt of the sword and glared at him fiercely. Fan Zhi also knelt on the ground and kowtowed silently.
Guo Shao's face immediately showed a friendly expression. He spread out his hands and made a gesture as if he wanted to help everyone up. He said kindly: Please stand up quickly. You are all the pillars of the Great Zhou.
In front of countless soldiers and horses, everyone shouted without any pressure: Thank you, Your Majesty.
At this moment, Guo Shao truly felt it again. Everyone had changed in front of him. Before, Wei Renpu and Wang Pu were people who could joke with him, but now everyone spoke in a very serious manner and would never say a casual word.
Guo Shao said in a friendly way: "Look, everyone, this incident has made me determined to defend Tokyo, and of course I have not changed my mind now. But along the way, the soldiers supported me without any explanation, and I was really forced to do so."
Wang Pu immediately said: The emperor has the right to do so and we have been looking forward to this day for a long time.
The crowd spoke carefully, and then they saw several palace gates on the steps slowly open, and many eunuchs and palace maids came out with a child. The child saw the dense army on the square and turned to hide, but was blocked by a palace woman who pushed him forward.
Guo Shao looked up, but didn't see Fu Jinzhan. He thought it would be inappropriate for her to show up in such an occasion.
The eunuch Yang Shiliang could see the situation, walked forward calmly, unfolded a cloud of silk with an expressionless face, and said in a sharp voice: In the past, the world was in turmoil, the first emperor died early, and I succeeded to the throne at a young age. Fortunately, Guo Du Dianjian protected the royal family, so we can have peace. Guo Du Dianjian maintained the imperial lineage, opened up new territories, and made great contributions to the world; he is also the great-grandson of the nephew of Taizu and the legitimate grandson of Yizu, and he should be the emperor in name and in virtue. I should return power to the Guo family.
After hearing this, Guo Shao untied his weapon from his waist and handed it to the side. Before Lu Chengyong could take it, the eunuch Cao Tai rushed forward and grabbed it. Guo Shao walked up the steps slowly. No one followed him. Countless eyes were watching him walk up the stone steps.
When he walked up, Chai Zongxun burst into tears. Guo Shao wondered if he looked scary. Maybe he was a little nervous just now, and his face didn't look good, which scared the child. The palace woman next to him knelt on the ground and whispered to the child, but it didn't work. This was outside the main gate of Jinxiang Hall, and the location was high. People below didn't dare to speak. The crying was very obvious and could be heard from far away.
Guo Shao just felt that this ceremony was a bit ridiculous, because many people changed their words to call him His Majesty. The person in front of him was just a child, and now he was pretending to refuse. It was really too fake.
He took the imperial edict directly, and before he could speak, a group of eunuchs and palace maids forced Chai Zongxun to kneel in front of him. Then, the soldiers below knelt down one after another, shouting "Long live the emperor".
Guo Shao stood alone on the steps. He was stunned for a moment and said: Although I have never thought about this, as a descendant of the Guo family, I am too terrified to refuse the position now that the government has been returned. I have no choice but to take over the important task of the first emperor and dare not let the world down.
After hearing this, everyone shouted "Long live the king" again. Guo Shao waited for a while and said: "You have taken the overall situation into consideration and have a sense of justice. You are also my relative, so I will treat you well and make you the King of Zheng."
Yang Shiliang pretended to lean over to the crying Chai Zongxun and said: "Prince Zheng thanks your Majesty for your grace."
The child finally didn't have to stay here, and people hurriedly escorted him away. At this time, Li Chuyun and others took the lead and walked up the steps, followed by a group of civil officials and dozens of military generals. A group of people escorted Guo Shao and walked into the open palace door.
Stepping into the wide hall, there was no one inside, only the empty throne high up. Guo Shao looked around, and Wang Pu said: "Please take a seat, Your Majesty."
Guo Shao then slowly walked towards that location. He had been to Jinxiang Hall before, and it was the only hall in the imperial city he had been to. Behind Xuanyou Gate in the north was the harem, and outsiders usually did not go in. He felt that the place he had been to before was particularly unfamiliar, and everything was very new.
Every step he took was heavy, and Guo Shao couldn't help but walk very slowly. That position was the highest place in the world from ancient times to the present. Many people tried their best to get there, but only a few people had ever sat there.
Being a high-ranking official is actually nothing. There is only one step between a powerful official and an emperor, but this step is also the most difficult and dangerous one. It is not easy to get up, and once you get up, it is easy to fall down. Once you fall down, you will fall into the abyss, lose your reputation, and be infamous for eternity.
At this moment, Guo Shao actually felt a little dazed. It was like a dream. The throne was so close to him that he could hear his own heartbeat. The excitement and blood rushing in his heart were so strong that he had never experienced anything like it in his two lifetimes.
He gradually began to understand the magic of that place. That strong magical barrier seemed to be able to destroy and overwhelm all needs.
Guo Shao had never thought about what it felt like to be an emperor before, but at this moment he had an illusion and a momentary impulse: even if he could only sit there for a while, even if he would be torn to pieces in the end, he could not resist the temptation to sit there at all costs.
No wonder many people have reached the end of their rope and have to ascend the throne to satisfy their craving. No wonder it takes an extremely rare and inhuman amount of patience to slowly become king. No wonder countless heroes can't wait to become emperors everywhere. Of course, there are even more people like this. Guo Shao can't remember them all. Anyway, countless people of all kinds have the same desire. This is not caused by people, but its own nature.