Xia Zhengqi waved his hand and said, "Go to Donghua Gate!"
"All princes, nobles, and ministers, ascend the Donghua Gate Tower and welcome the triumphant army!"
After Emperor Mingxi finished speaking, he took the Queen's hand and walked out slowly.
The queen also wore a solemn bright yellow dress today and a queen's crown inlaid with gold and oriental pearls on her head.
The dress was embroidered with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes with gold thread, and it looked dazzling and brilliant under the sunlight.
The young eunuchs had already lined up in an orderly manner and were leading the way.
The emperor and empress held hands and got into a gorgeous and spacious sedan chair. Eight sedan bearers carried the sedan chair forward in high spirits.
Looking behind the emperor and empress's sedan chair, the princes were also lined up, following with their heads held high and chests puffed out.
The younger seventh and eighth princes were carried away by eunuchs.
The five princes all wore bright yellow formal dresses that were only worn on important occasions such as the New Year.
Behind the prince were more than twenty princes, dukes, and marquises living in the capital.
Further back, there are more than thirty officials with official positions above the third rank.
The princes and ministers were all dressed in brand new court robes, their official hats were straight, and their bodies were spotless. Their mental state was several times better than when they usually attended court.
On both sides of the team, there were many eunuchs and palace maids following.
The entire team consisted of more than a hundred people, walking on the wide and flat palace road, looking very grand and majestic.
Because they walked very slowly, it took the team nearly quarter of an hour to reach Donghua Gate.
The crowd climbed up the city wall according to their status.
The emperor sat in the middle, and the others stood on both sides with their hands hanging down.
Looking down at the bottom of the city wall, there was a sea of blue and green court robes. Those were more than a hundred lower-ranking officials from the capital.
The space on the city wall was limited and could not accommodate all the princes and ministers. Officials of lower ranks were not qualified to go up to the city wall and had to line up and wait at the foot of the city wall.
At the foot of the city wall, there were two rows of Akabane soldiers wearing armor and holding swords. They were wearing golden armor and each held a colorful flag in their hands, and the colorful flags fluttered in the wind.
Next to the Akabane Army, there were dozens of musicians in red clothes standing in an orderly manner.
They either held suona, sheng, or flute in their hands, or held gongs in both hands, with big drums in front of them.
Everyone stood in neat and solemn rows, and looking down from a high vantage point, the scene seemed grand and spectacular.
"It's so lively today!" Seeing this scene, the fifth prince couldn't help but whispered to the sixth prince next to him.
The Sixth Prince echoed, "When the army arrives and the musicians play, it will surely be even more lively."
The fifth prince bit his lip excitedly, but then he seemed to suddenly remember something and was stunned for a moment.
"Xiao Liu, where is Ninth Sister? Why can't I see her?" The Fifth Prince glanced around in confusion.
At the same time, at the Zhengyang Gate of the capital, the prince was riding on a majestic white horse with great dignity, looking out of the city gate with joy.
Looking in front of him, there was a little baby with a round face and big eyes sitting.
It was Princess Anguo Xia Miaoyuan.
The army returned victoriously, and in order to show his respect, Emperor Mingxi ordered the crown prince to personally welcome them at the city gate.
Originally, as a princess, Xia Miaoyuan should have been waiting on the city gate tower with the princes.
However, Xia Miaoyuan missed both the Second Prince and her grandfather very much, and she also loved to join in the fun, so she begged Emperor Mingxi the day before to allow her to accompany the Crown Prince to greet them at the city gate.
Emperor Mingxi was a daughter slave, so naturally he would satisfy his daughter's request.
So, early this morning, Xia Miaoyuan dressed up and followed the prince to the city gate.
Today, Nanny Li specially dressed Xia Miaoyuan in a bright red dress.
In order to make it easier for her to travel on horseback, Nanny Li did not give her a golden crown. Instead, she combed her hair into a hanging bun and adorned it with two pearl flowers made of gems.
The prince also dressed up today. He wore a bright yellow four-clawed dragon robe, a jade belt around his waist, and a purple gold crown on his head.
Against the backdrop of this outfit, the prince's already handsome face appears even more graceful and elegant.
The handsome and noble young man, holding a delicate little baby in his arms, was sparkling wherever he went, making people want to take a few more glances.
[Oh, why haven't you come yet? My butt is numb from sitting.]
Xia Miaoyuan looked out of the city gate anxiously, feeling impatient.
"When will my eldest brother, second brother, and grandfather arrive?"
The prince smiled faintly: "Miao'er, don't worry! We came a little early, so we will have to wait a little longer."
At this time, there were crowds of people on both sides of the city gate.
When the people heard that the army was about to return victorious, they were extremely excited and came to the city gate to wait early in the morning.
Those who arrived early occupied the advantageous position at the city gate, while those who arrived late could only stand inside along the main street.
Xia Miaoyuan sat on a tall horse and looked into the city. The crowds on both sides of the continent were so long that they could not be seen at a glance.
[Oh my god! There are so many people here today!]
Looking more closely, many people in the crowd were holding things in their hands.
A bamboo basket filled with dry food, fresh fragrant fruits, and a whole basket of eggs.
There were also some young girls holding flowers in their hands.
Xia Miaoyuan was stunned.
[Tsk tsk tsk, I never thought the people of the capital would be so enthusiastic about the returning army!]
The two gatekeepers beside the prince glanced at the onlookers and couldn't help but admire them repeatedly.
The taller one sighed, "Since the reign of Emperor Taizong, Daxia has never seen such a magnificent sight."
"I never thought that I would be able to see such a beautiful sight in my lifetime!"
The shorter one echoed, "Who says it isn't?"
[I remember reading in the book that when Emperor Taizong of Great Xia was in power, his army was strong and his treasury was full, so the tribes in the northern border did not dare to invade.]
【At that time, several neighboring countries were also well behaved.】
[Later, the Great Xia's power grew weaker and weaker. By the time of my father's reign, the Great Xia was so weak that it rarely even sent troops to fight.]
[As a result, only small tribes like the Xiaolin tribe were willing to submit. The powerful tribes in the northern border would occasionally invade the northern border and plunder food and cloth.]
This time, Daxia took the initiative to help Xiao Lin's tribe unify the northern border. This is truly a source of pride!
[That's why the common people welcomed the army so warmly!]
Xia Miaoyuan was just sighing in his heart when he heard the sound of hurried horse hooves and a galloping horse came galloping towards him.
A soldier jumped down from his horse.
The soldier bowed to the prince and said, "The Grand Marshal and his men will be at the city gate soon!"
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