Zhao Huan downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, stood up, and his sharp gaze finally shifted to the young masters who were already dumbfounded.
He...he is...he is the emperor!
Everyone stared intently at He Liming. It was indeed the Imperial City Guard! The Emperor's personal troops! Would the Emperor's personal troops mistake the Emperor for someone else?
Suddenly someone shouted, "It's the Holy Emperor! Last year, on a snowy day, the Emperor himself came to the North Gate, and I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of his face!"
This exclamation brought the shocked people back to their senses, and some of them immediately became extremely excited.
Tang Rui reacted the fastest, immediately bowing and saying, "Your humble servant kowtows to the Emperor!"
No wonder they sent me to question Xu Churen!
Everyone around quickly bowed and said, "We kowtow to the Holy Emperor and wish him eternal peace!"
During the Song Dynasty, not only did officials not have to kneel before the emperor, but ordinary people also did not have to perform the kneeling ceremony. The government would not force people to kneel when they saw the emperor. People could bow or kowtow to show their respect.
Unless it's when someone has made a serious mistake and is begging for forgiveness.
For example, these young masters are now kneeling on the ground with their mouths wide open, like ducks being choked.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, please forgive us! We were unaware..."
Some people couldn't even speak clearly anymore, and Yang Xiuren was so frightened that his legs went weak and he trembled incessantly, all of his previous domineering and arrogant arrogance had vanished.
Zhao Huan angrily retorted, "What do you mean you don't know? Don't you know I am the emperor? If I weren't the emperor, would you be allowed to bully me? There can only be one emperor in this world. Does that mean that if someone isn't the emperor, you can act recklessly and trample on others? Our dynasty has nurtured scholars for a hundred years! And all the ministers we've raised are shameless scoundrels who oppress the people!"
The emperor's voice resounded in everyone's ears.
"What a disgrace to the Song Dynasty! What a disgrace to me!"
Those people buried their heads, their whole bodies trembling.
"If even my capital city of Tokyo is like this, what must it be like in places I can't see!" Zhao Huan stared directly at Qian Yu. "What an imposing Qian family! Do you even have any respect for me as the emperor?"
Qian Yu was in excruciating pain, but he was also terrified and sobered up completely. He realized the seriousness of the situation, but as a direct descendant of the Qian family, he had seen many storms since childhood and quickly forced himself to calm down.
He felt he had a lot of leverage to negotiate with the emperor, and the emperor would never really do anything to him. Right now, the emperor wanted to save face, so he gave him face.
Despite the excruciating pain, Qian Yu said, "Your Majesty, I deserve to die! Please punish me!"
"Of course I will punish you severely, He Liming. Hand these people over to the Censorate!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Huan then said, "Wait! These shameless scoundrels have spoiled everyone's enjoyment. Make them apologize to everyone first! Anyone who refuses to apologize will be killed on the spot!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was terrified and immediately kowtowed to everyone present, apologizing: "We are so sorry, everyone. We were wrong to disturb your enjoyment..."
The crowd was both surprised and excited. They were surprised that the noble sons would apologize to ordinary people like them, which was the first time since the founding of the Song Dynasty. They were excited because the common people held a higher position in the emperor's heart than these noble sons.
Many people couldn't help but kneel down and shout, "Long live the Holy Emperor! Long live the Holy Emperor..."
Standing in the center of the stage, Hua Xiangrong was filled with shock, but her heart was in turmoil. She never expected that the official was actually the current emperor. She had foolishly hoped to invite him to brew tea and listen to music.
"Please, everyone, rise above the formalities. I only came to have a drink, but I didn't expect to cause such a commotion, spoiling your enjoyment as well as mine. Fortunately, Hua Xiangrong's zither playing is elegant and beautiful, so she will play a piece to entertain us."
He Liming immediately took those noble sons away. He knew the emperor wanted to stay there for a while longer, so he had to clean up the scene as soon as possible.
Once the scene was cleared up, Hua Xiangrong had already sat back in her original seat, her slender, jade-like fingers plucking the strings of the zither, instantly producing a beautiful melody.
Zhao Huan had already planned to leave. His identity was now public, and the emperor's presence would inevitably spoil other people's enjoyment.
Just as Hua Xiangrong was playing the zither, Zhao Huan got up, intending to leave.
But suddenly, the music from Hua Xiangrong's fingers changed from gentle to majestic and grand. In an instant, it seemed to pull people from the babbling brooks and secluded valleys to the snow-covered, ice-bound northern land!
In Zhao Huan's mind, the thought instantly came to mind: "A thousand miles of silver armor flying against the cold blue sky, iron horses and golden spears congealing into azure blades!"
In the vast northern frontier, the empire's iron hooves tore apart the enemy's defenses, and countless patriotic men sacrificed their lives for the future of the Song Dynasty!
This made Zhao Huan stop. The music grew more and more urgent, like countless swords clashing, the rhythm quickening. Then the powerful music became fuller and more magnificent, like the difference between rain and a waterfall.
Hua Xiangrong's slender fingers danced swiftly across the zither, stirring the blood of everyone around her. Many had also been drinking, and one of them couldn't help but recite: "Why shouldn't a man carry a Wu hook and seize fifty states beyond the passes!"
What a fine man! Why doesn't he carry a Wu hook?
Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan was deeply moved. The people of the Song Dynasty all believed that "there are beauties in books" and that "all other professions are inferior except for studying." But now the emperor was leading the way in martial arts, commending the army nationwide, and conducting a thorough investigation of the army. He also established a shrine for martyrs to ensure that the names of all those who sacrificed for the country would be remembered for generations to come.
What does it mean that someone is reciting this poem from the former Tang Dynasty in public? It means that the local customs are being slowly influenced, at least in the city of Bianjing (Kaifeng).
He stood at the door and listened to Hua Xiangrong's song until he finished before leaving.
Hua Xiangrong was already satisfied that the emperor had paused to listen to her music. She poured all her innermost thoughts into this piece, "Stone Shatters the Sky," a piece she composed after hearing the storyteller recount the emperor's northern expedition. It was a song she wrote with all her talent to praise the soldiers' bloody battles and the emperor's military prowess.
Zhao Huan stopped to listen, naturally understanding the meaning behind her music. He never expected that a woman performing for money could express his innermost feelings and imperial ambitions, just like Xin Qiji's poem: "A man's heart is as hard as iron until death, and his hands can mend the crack in the sky!"
At the entrance, Tang Rui had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing the emperor emerge, he quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your subject..."
"Did you ask the question I sent?"
"I will go and inquire immediately."
Tang Rui wanted to explain why he was there in person, but it seemed that the emperor didn't want to hear his nonsense. The emperor didn't seem to blame him, or at least he didn't intend to punish him immediately, otherwise he would have been taken away by the Imperial City Guard long ago.
What's even more intriguing is that the Imperial City Guard didn't even take Qian Mu with them. Did they forget him? Impossible. So what does this mean?
Tang Rui bowed deeply again. Qian Mu, who was about to say something, was stopped by Tang Rui and quickly left, riding fast towards Xu Churen's residence.
The emperor returned to the palace, and the news of Chunhua Tower quickly spread throughout the entire capital city of Tokyo.
"Wang Kuian, go and summon Liu Yanzong to the palace to see me, as well as Qin Hui."
Wang Kuian received the decree and was about to leave when the emperor said, "Invite Tang Ke along as well."
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