Lord Prime Minister

With the return of the three princesses to Beijing, Mu Zihuai began to get busy. Since ancient times, the triumphant return of the army is a national celebration. The suburban labor platform outside the capital needs to be cleaned again, and all kinds of things on the display must be carefully selected. , At that time, all officials will come out of the city to meet each other and make a triumphant return for the hero.

And as a historian who recorded such a grand event for future generations to admire, Mu Zihuai followed Zi Shujian to almost all the courts of the Ministry of Rites, and he was familiar with the process of serving him.

Now that the cold winter has just entered, the capital is not bleak, but lively, and you can feel a faint joy when you walk on the road.Like hot water that is about to boil, it is only holding back its energy and waiting to burst out.

This morning the third princess had already sent a message, saying that she would arrive in the afternoon.At noon, Mu Zihuai followed Shen Li and the others to the service desk located three miles outside the city.

Jiaolaotai is a circular stone platform, about five feet high, with a circle of two feet. It is the place where the emperor and officials greet soldiers.There is an octagonal pavilion next to the service desk. The pavilion is divided into two floors, and each floor has eight white marble pillars.Walls are built on all sides, and the entire suburban platform has a circular suburban platform in the center and a rectangular wall on the outside, implying "the sky is round and the place is round".

At the time of the day shop, all civil and military officials had arrived, and Mu Zihuai saw that the prince also went out to greet him with several princes, standing at the front of the line.Flags were hung around the Jiaolaotai, and the stove was lit. There were horns, wine and meat on the Jiaolaotai. Some people had already ran out to watch from a distance.

After waiting for a while, the horse from the front came to report that the third princess had arrived five miles away, and it would take half an hour to arrive.

Standing at the back, Mu Zihuai could only feel the faint commotion coming from the front. He stretched his head to look, and there were a few small black spots in the distance, from far to near, they could not be the third princess and her personal guards.

The news of the arrival of the army spread all of a sudden. The officials in front were still a little excited, but the people in the distance were already cheering. Someone wanted to approach, but was stopped by the soldiers.

The three princesses only brought their own personal guards back to Beijing this time, less than 500 people, but all of them possess the power to lift mountains and sit on horses wearing armor.Xu Shi had just returned from fighting on the battlefield, and he still had a murderous aura on his body, and he could feel the oppression from afar.

The person in the front was a bit petite, wearing Mingguang armor and a general helmet on his head, riding his horse and swiping his whip, and the dust was flying. When he was still a hundred meters away from the suburban Laotai, he pulled the rein of the horse and walked slowly.

Si Tianjian Fu Shi stood at the front of the line, wearing a dark official robe, and said in a low voice: "Salute."

As the sound fell, the prince took the lead, and all the officials bent down one after another, clasped their palms together and pushed forward, saluting.

The sound of trampling from far to near finally stopped gradually.Fu Shi shouted again: "Welcome the princess triumphantly!"

The officials immediately shouted: "Welcome the princess triumphantly!"

The third princess, Huangfu Aowei, sat on the horse, slightly lowered her head to look at all the civil and military officials who were bending over to salute, her face was as cold as ice, and she said in a low voice after a long time: "Please get up."

After saying that, the princes stood up, the left and right ministers raised their heads, and only then did the others dare to put their hands back and straighten their waists.

"Please ask the three princesses to tell the ancestors of the heaven and earth, and perform the gift of presenting victory and captives." Fu Shi shouted again.

The three princesses got off their horses and walked to the service desk. A glass of wine was sprinkled on the heaven and earth, a glass of wine was sacrificed to the ancestors, and the last glass of wine was served before the Baijun.

"God bless Daguang, the ancestors blessed me with iron cavalry to conquer those who violated the border, and those who violate my Daguang land will be punished no matter how far away!"

The voice of the third princess was a little hoarse, but she shouted with heroism, she raised her head and drank the blood wine in the cup, all the soldiers and civil and military officials followed suit, and threw the cup on the ground with a big shout.

Mu Zihuai held his breath and drank the wine mixed with ox blood. When he looked up, he saw a tall and strong man who looked familiar coming out of the army, holding a huge box in his hand. The man walked up to the service desk and put the box Put it on the incense case and retreat.

The third princess stepped forward to open the box, and the army of hundreds of people cheered instantly. Mu Zihuai couldn't see it, so he turned to ask Shen Li who was recording beside him.

"Master Shen, what's in that box?"

Shen Li quickly recorded the status quo on the paper, and casually replied: "The ear of the prisoner of war."

Mu Zihuai suddenly remembered that he had indeed seen the tradition of using the ears of prisoners of war to sacrifice in books before. Just as he was thinking, Fu Shi called out Licheng, and the three princesses and the generals remounted and headed for the capital.Civil and military officials followed closely behind, but also on foot.

Because Mu Zihuai wanted to record, he walked behind the army. As soon as he entered the city gate, he was surrounded by cheers. If it weren't for the guards on both sides of the road, the excited people might rush up.

The excited cheers spread far away, and the snow-covered capital city was stained with joy. I don't know who started it first, and gradually, one after another, the people who lined the road knelt down one by one and kowtowed in worship.

Mu Zihuai was walking in the middle, he couldn't help being infected by the surrounding atmosphere, his heart was beating like a drum, and he clenched his fists tightly.Shen Li beside him immediately pulled him and reminded: "Don't be distracted."

"Yes." Suppressing his excitement, Mu Zihuai took up a pen to record such a grand event, only for future generations to see it personally and feel the joy of such universal celebration.

Five hundred soldiers were taken away after passing through the Meridian Gate, leaving only the third princess and the two generals who made the first contribution this time. Mu Zihuai saw that the general who presented the prisoner's ear was also among them, so he must be very happy. The princess attaches great importance to it.

All the officials brought the three princesses into the palace, and only officials above the fifth rank were allowed to enter the Qianqing Palace, and Mu Zihuai had to stay outside the palace to stand with other officials.

In the Qianqing Palace, the three princesses unloaded their weapons and knelt down with the two generals to perform a military salute.

Emperor Guangcheng hadn't seen the third princess Aowei for three years, and her dissatisfaction with going to the frontier in spite of her objections disappeared after her triumphant return.

"Please. The third princess has made great contributions in this trip, expelling the Xiongnu and successfully taking back my Daguang land." Halfway through the conversation, I scanned the three people below, but I didn't see the concubine, so I couldn't help being a little curious. "Where is the son-in-law now? Why didn't you come forward and receive the title?"

The third princess quickly put ice on her face, and after a pause, she said in a low voice: "The son-in-law has made great military exploits. He led an army to chase the deserters. Unexpectedly, he was caught in an ambush and died in battle. His bones were never found."

As soon as these words came out, the hall fell silent for an instant.Emperor Guangcheng was also a little sad for a while. Although he never liked this son-in-law, his courage to die for the country was admirable enough.

"The son-in-law fought the enemy bravely and made great achievements. He was named General Xiaoqi. A tomb was built for him to show his merit." After thinking for a while, Emperor Guangcheng waved his right hand and ordered.

"The son-in-law thanked the emperor on behalf of the son-in-law." The third princess knelt on one knee, clasping her hands in a military salute, with a steady voice that seemed to be patient.

"The three princesses led the army to protect our territory, and their achievements are the highest. They canonize Princess Yongping and enjoy the title forever. They are specially given a mansion, a land of thousands of miles, ten thousand taels of gold, and ten thousand pieces of cloth, in recognition of this merit."

The emperor didn't like the three princesses to fight, although this victory was only rewarded with countless rewards, he never mentioned the matter of canonization.To be precise, the third princess is now in a very embarrassing position. She did not have a military position when she went out with the consort, and now she has nothing to do. The emperor now intends to let her be a princess in the capital with peace of mind.

The Sangong Group doesn't seem to care about this, the king is no longer, so what's the point of insisting?After saluting, he began to introduce the contributions of the two people behind him.

"This man is named Longxiu. He is one of the hundreds of households in our army. He was the first to kill the enemy. He has made countless achievements in three years and has helped our army win with surprise attacks many times." The third princess pointed to one person.

I saw that the man was more than seven feet tall, with the back of an ape and the waist of a bee, his facial features were as tough as a knife and an axe, his thick eyebrows were raised, he was full of heroism, and his breath was calm and restrained. After the three princesses finished speaking, they respectfully saluted the emperor.

The emperor looked at the man carefully, and he felt a little familiar at first, and he heard that his surname was Long, and then he remembered the former General Zhenbei, and couldn't help but look at the man again, and he really felt a bit similar.I also remembered that after the death of General Zhenbei, a pair of sons were left outside, and they couldn't find anyone. They were about this age after calculation, and now they are even more certain.

"It's really a young talent, a heroic boy. In this way, the dragon's hundred households will be canonized as thousands of households, rewarded with a thousand taels of silver, and a mansion."

Long Xiu knelt on one knee to thank him.

The third princess pointed to another person and introduced: "This person's name is Xinghuo. He is a cavalry soldier in our army. He has made great contributions in attacking the city wall several times. He is responsible for the army's ability to regain the lost city."

The emperor leaned forward slightly, his face was full of joy. "Sure enough, the credit is commendable. Then he will be promoted to a hundred households, rewarded with thousands of miles of silver, a mansion in the city, and another hundred servants."

He knelt down to thank the fire.

After receiving the title, everyone moved to the Taimiao to worship their ancestors, with Emperor Guangcheng in front and all the officials following.

Mu Zihuai followed at the end and didn't take a few steps, only listening to the discussions of the officials around him.

"Have you heard? The son-in-law of the third princess is dead." A sixth-rank official in green robes whispered to the people around him.

After hearing this, Mu Zihuai quietly moved over.

"Well, I died in battle, and I couldn't even find the corpse, so I had to set up a tomb." The other person shook his head regretfully.

"I said I was looking for evidence to prove my father's innocence, but I didn't expect the evidence to be found, but I was involved. The third princess lost her son-in-law at a young age, and there is still a son under her. What should I do?"

Speaking of this, the two couldn't help shaking their heads and sighing, calling them pitiful.Another person came in abruptly: "The person walking beside the princess is probably the son of General Zhenbei who was living abroad."

As soon as these words came out, the two immediately raised their spirits. "When I first saw it, I felt a little familiar. I didn't remember it until the third princess said his name. The eldest son of General Zhenbei seems to be called Long Xiu. There was a lot of trouble back then, and I didn't want to fight for decades. It’s over, and it’s time to bring up the old thing again.”

"I saw it too. He looks exactly the same as the Great General of Zhenbei. Although the emperor didn't pursue it when he saw it, I didn't expect him to be so bold and directly join the army, and even went to the hall to be enshrined."

Mu Zihuai was still shocked when he heard the death of the son-in-law, and then he heard Long Xiu's name, and thought of the young man holding the box.Could it be that person is Long Xiu?

But from what they said, why did Long Xiu get in touch with the General Zhenbei who died of corruption?Long Xiu and Long Lei, are they really the sons of some Zhenbei General?

Recalling their embarrassment and weird behavior when they first met, could it be true what they said?