Chapter 78 Part 1

After the music of battle formation ended, the dancers, led by Prince Kang, saluted in the direction of the high platform and received praise from the emperor. 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 down obediently on the ground in front of the platform. They then separated to the left and right, and the martial arts performance officially began. The six armies marched past the Zhuque Terrace one by one, showcasing their military prowess. They then re-formed their ranks and executed various maneuvers, with foot soldiers and cavalry alternating in advance and retreat, performing three rotations and five transformations. Finally, each unit returned to its original position and, as one, bowed once more in homage to the emperor and the princess.

The emperor summoned the grand chancellors and ministers 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 good 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 roared in unison with thunderous cries of “Long live the Emperor!” and “A thousand years for the Princess!” The court ministers and noblewomen gathered below the high platform, each bowing in proper ceremony.

Under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, the emperor, supported by the princess, stood up from his throne, walked down from Zhuque Terrace, preparing to board the imperial carriage for their departure.

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 carriage. 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 got on the carriage and left with the emperor.

Han Kerang froze for a moment, and only came to his senses when the princess left with the carriage. Glancing around, he noticed that nearby figures such as Fan Ximing and others were all within view. He felt a little flattered. Thinking of his previous misunderstanding and how he almost offended the princess, he couldn’t help but feel his anger at himself. He turned abruptly to glare at his subordinate, whose expression remained unreadable and placid, lost in unknown thoughts. Han Kerang raised his hand and, through the air, pointed at him sharply a few times before hastily mounting his horse to follow after the procession.

That night, the six armies butchered and cooked the cattle and sheep they received as rewards in the barracks. 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 was no doubt that the newly returned princess had 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 this crown, unlike the grand and weighty one from earlier, was a delicate Golden Phoenix Crown intricately crafted by artisans from fine gold filigree. It was luxurious yet imbued with an air of lightness. Two strands of beaded pendants hung from the wingtips of the golden phoenix, falling gracefully beside her temples. As she moved, the pendants quivered softly, adding an air of elegance to her every step. At the center of her forehead rested a golden jade flower ornament, while her long, arched phoenix-like brows were drawn with Persian indigo. Under the bright reflection of the flower ornament and the indigo eyebrows, her pair of jet-black eyes did not lose their brilliance but instead appeared even more radiant, as though holding light within. Tonight the princess wore an apricot-gold jacket paired with a peacock-blue skirt decorated with a scattered floral pattern. Over this, she draped a translucent lavender gauze shawl. The long hems of her skirt and the shawl trailed softly behind her, resembling drifting clouds or the sweeping tail feathers of a phoenix, their delicate fabrics gliding effortlessly along the ground.

As the Princess entered, accompanied by two rows of attendants holding cloud-mica silk fans, and ascended to her seat, the grand and expansive banquet hall seemed, for an instant, to be imbued with a soft, glowing radiance. This ethereal glow appeared to emanate from the shimmering interplay of gold, pearls, and jade ornaments adorning her hair and attire as she moved, casting a faint, rosy brilliance that seemed almost otherworldly.

Everyone attending the banquet knew very well that this princess was the protagonist of tonight’s banquet.

She rode in a jade carriage, beat the golden drums, and received all kinds of treatment which exceeded the traditional ceremonial bounds. But the emperor appeared utterly indifferent to such breaches of protocol, and he would not listen to the advice of his ministers. His affection for this princess, who had finally returned after many years of separation, could only be described as boundless, freely given, and utterly unrestrained by convention.

The night banquet began, after the salutation, some of the prominent old ministers at the table, led by the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor, invariably bowed their heads and remained silent, expressing in this way their secret dissatisfaction with the emperor’s blatant abuse of power.

But the emperor’s mood was obviously not affected by the resistance shown by these wooden old ministers. He beamed with delight, his expression radiant, as he ordered the musicians to play lively tunes and called for entertainers to perform in the open space of the hall. Sword swallowing, rope tricks, ladder climbing, and pole balancing followed in dazzling succession. Dancers from Kucha then took the stage, presenting an exotic and graceful performance.

On this night, the silent resistance of those old ministers was destined to amount to nothing more than their own private discontent. Against the rising tide of cheers and gestures of favor directed toward the Princess, their grievances were like drops in the ocean—utterly incapable of stirring even the faintest ripple.

Soon after the banquet began, the crown prince came out in person and presented the princess with a set of colorful ceremonial clothes woven with gold and silver threads interlaced with multicolored feathers, as well as a treasure box. When it was opened, it revealed twelve stalks of purple lingzhi mushrooms, intricately intertwined like dragons and phoenixes in their form.

The Crown Prince explained that he had discovered this miraculous growth in the East Palace not long ago. At the time, he did not understand its significance and had carefully harvested and stored it in a treasure box. Now that his sister, the Princess, had returned, he realized it must have been a divine omen, symbolizing their unbroken bond of kinship and profound familial love. Thus, he could not keep such a treasure for himself and took the opportunity tonight to offer it to her.

He furthered said that His Majesty’s longing for the princess had taken a toll on his health, leaving him helpless despite his filial piety. This had caused him great distress day and night. Now that the princess had finally returned, she could bring joy and comfort to their father’s heart. With this, then he had nothing else to ask for.

When it came to the touching part, the crown prince knelt down before the emperor and shed tears with his head bowed.

The whole hall was silent for a moment. The emperor stared at the crown prince for a long time, nodded slowly, and ordered him to stand up. The ceremonial officer had already presented the ceremonial clothes and treasure box that the crown prince presented to the princess. Xuyu accepted them, stood up from her seat, smiled, helped the crown prince up, and thanked him politely.

For a moment, the whole hall was filled with praises for the crown prince’s filial piety, and even the emperor’s gaze towards the crown prince seemed to become a little softer.

Prince Kang was secretly jealous and unwilling to be outdone. He immediately stepped forward and presented the princess with a golden crown adorned with pearl flowers and jade phoenix, a robe embroidered with silken tassels, and a treasure chest containing a jeweled hexagonal mirror.

Just this morning, when he recognized that the princess brought by the jade carriage was actually the little court painter on the sunken ship of the Qujiang Banquet, he was shocked and regretful. During the ceremonial dance performance that followed, his distracted mind caused him to have misstep several times. Originally, he had hoped to use his role in leading the battle formation dance to showcase his martial prowess to the emperor, aiming to overshadow the crown prince at the beginning of this Cangshan trip. Instead, he almost made a fool of himself.

After the military review during the daytime, he immediately met with his grandfather Feng Zhenping and others to discuss how to make amends. The only thing he was thankful for was that, except for that accident, he had never offended this princess. When he was born, she was already lost outside. Compared with this brother who had no hostility towards her, she seemed to have more reason to hate the crown prince Li Mao.

Understanding this principle and being both thick-skinned and adept at adapting to situations, Prince Kang quickly composed himself. Knowing that what was done could not be undone, he could only try his best to make amends. Therefore, he sent people to rush back to Chang’an and prepare rare and exquisite gifts, ensuring that everything would be ready in time for the evening.

Now, dressed in resplendent attire with a golden crown and jade belt, his expression radiated eagerness and sincerity, as if the previous thing had never happened. He kept calling “Sister, Sister” and looked really likable.

Xuyu also accepted the gifts with a smile. Because he was the younger brother and it was their first meeting, she gave him a fragrant herb bag decorated with a jade buckle. Prince Kang took it with both hands with great respect, put it on his waist on the spot, thanked her again and again, and then returned to his seat.

After the crown prince and the princes, a group of imperial family members including Prince Xin’an Li Hui came to pay homage to the princess and presented her with exquisite gifts.

Li Hui probably still hadn’t come to his senses from this new discovery. When he called Xuyu “Auntie”, he looked extremely happy, but also a little reserved. He was not like the others who were full of flattery and ingratiation.

Xuyu also secretly favored this nephew. When she gave him a return gift, she specially gave him a round silk fan with a pattern she had painted herself.

Li Hui hurriedly took it with both hands happily. When he came down, he subconsciously looked at the row of Jinwu guards holding halberds standing beside a large pillar in the hall, and saw his master among them.

Tonight, his master was wearing a helmet and a ceremonial sword on his waist, looking very majestic. However, for some reason, perhaps because he was on duty in front of the emperor, he looked completely detached. His eyes were looking straight ahead, and he stood quietly behind a row of Jinwu guards, not conspicuous at all.

The imperial front was so lively, but he seemed to have nothing to do with it. If you didn’t look for him, you would hardly see him.

Li Hui knew that his master had a very good relationship with his aunt princess. But now he could only temporarily suppress the urge to share his joy with him and returned to his seat.

Then, Cui Daosi, who also came with the emperor this time, ignored the sidelong glances of his prominent colleagues and took the lead in presenting a poem on the spot to celebrate the princess’s return.

After hearing it, the emperor commended him on the spot and awarded him with a crown of virtue and a jade belt.

This was unprecedented in the emperor’s time. It was the first time that someone received such an honor for presenting a poem.

It was well-known that the emperor originally hated these so-called commissioned poems and essays that were obviously superficial and flattering, and once commented that they were useless. But today, not only was he not rebuke, but he was rewarding them generously?

After Cui Daosi, the Vice Minister of Rites, the Secretary General, the Director of the Imperial Library, the Hanlin Academicians, and the Imperial University Scholars, all of these officials who were usually known for their literary talent, vied with each other to present poems. Each eagerly recited verses that praised the Princess’s celestial beauty and virtuous character, likening her to a heavenly maiden descended from the Jade Pool, destined to bring peace and prosperity to the empire.

The emperor was delighted and gave rewards to everyone, and ordered that their work to be recorded on the spot.

Listening to these poems, each one more cloying than the last, Xuyu felt her ears getting hot, and she couldn’t help but glance at the emperor, thinking that he had gone too far. However, her father seemed to be completely oblivious to it. Not only that, he was still not satisfied, and ordered all the officials present at the banquet, whether civil or military, to compose their own poems. Those unable to produce something on the spot were given a one-night reprieve to craft their verses and submit them the next day. Tomorrow, all the poems would be presented, and he would select the best ones and print them into a book to spread among the people.

The officials looked at each other, and soon they all complied, saying that they would think about it by candlelight at night and submit their poems tomorrow. They also praised the emperor’s love for his daughter, which was very touching.

The emperor looked pleased and obviously enjoyed it very much.

If there weren’t hundreds of eyes staring at her at this night banquet, Xuyu would want to cover her face.

After finishing the poem, the officials then began to report auspicious signs.

The first one was the governor of Fengzhou who entered the capital to report on his work and was fortunate enough to accompany the emperor. He said that there was a spring river in his jurisdiction that had always been yellow and turbid, however a few days before he left for the capital, the spring water turned clear, and the local people were delighted and came to kneel down to worship. The governor said that he had not paid much attention to this matter at that time, but today he witnessed the princess’ return and suddenly realized that this must be an auspicious sign of peace and prosperity in the world.

The emperor was very pleased with the governor’s report. He asked the Minister of Personnel nearby and was told that the governor had made outstanding achievements outside and was now returning to the capital waiting to be appointed. The emperor was immediately promoted him to become a military commissioner.

After this, many people followed suit and reported auspicious signs. Some claimed that white frost had fallen upon the parasol trees, a sign of divine favor. Others spoke of a phoenix sighted in the heavens, with a fiery light descending to the earth, revealing buried golden coins upon excavation. There were accounts of a local temple where a five-colored cloud had gathered above an ancient well, with the shadow of a golden phoenix appearing in its waters, which must be a sign of the princess’ return. The reports grew increasingly extravagant, there was even a saying that a spring of sweet water had burst forth from a nearby mountainside, and the surrounding rocks even turned edible. Poor people from far and near came to eat it and praised the grace of heaven.

These so-called “auspicious signs” become more and more outrageous the more they were talked about.

Xuyu quietly looked at her father emperor beside her and saw that he was still smiling while listening to the report, with no strange expression on his face. Suddenly, as if he noticed that she was looking at him, he turned his head and quietly glanced at her, revealing a trace of helplessness in his eyes, obviously hinting that she should just bear with it.

Xuyu couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and slightly amused.

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