By the time they finished changing shifts, the musicians downstairs had rested, eaten and drunk their fill, and were full of energy.
Suddenly, a sharp gong sounded. The newly replaced soldiers were caught off guard and were so scared that they almost dropped their spears.
This time, Old Duan stuffed cotton in his mouth first, so he was not shaken to death.
The guard of honor played royal music until the sun was setting, but the city gate was still not opened, and no one came to inquire. It seemed that they were in conflict with them.
It was almost the beginning of autumn, and the wind coming down from the Tianshan Mountains made people feel cold. Old Duan had experienced the climate of the northern frontier these days. The sun was scorching hot during the day, but it was so cold at night that people shivered. Could it be that Guo Yuanzhen wanted them to spend the night outside the city?
The area outside the city was desolate and there was no guarantee of wild beasts. Although they were not afraid of wild beasts due to their numbers, they represented the majesty of the imperial court after all. If they were besieged by wild beasts, they would appear to be in a state of disgrace and would lose face for the imperial court.
He was about to ask Lou Yunchun for countermeasures, but Lou Yunchun raised his hand and stopped the musicians.
Old Duan asked, "Sir, it's getting dark, and they still won't open the door. What should we do?"
Lou Yunchun got out of the carriage, stood at the front of the carriage, and looked at the city wall.
When the deputy on the city wall saw that Wang Le had stopped, he went to the battlements to check. Seeing someone coming out of the carriage, he hurriedly reported to the captain.
"Captain, the envoy in the carriage has come out."
Upon hearing this, the captain hurried forward. He looked down and met Lou Yunchun's eyes.
He sized up Lou Yunchun from a distance and said, "The envoy is surprisingly young."
"I heard that he is the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple in Beijing." The deputy was also a little surprised. He thought that the envoy from Beijing should be a prestigious old minister at least, but he didn't expect that he was a pale-skinned and foolish young man.
Lou Yunchun instructed Old Duan, "Send the order, set up the altar, and begin the ceremony."
Old Duan was startled for a moment, then revealed an expression of anticipation. He pulled his horse around, and with a deep breath, he shouted to the ceremonial guard behind him, "Set up the altar, begin the ceremony!"
The captain asked his deputy, "What did that man just yell?"
The deputy hesitated and said, "It seems like... setting up the altar and starting the ceremony." Then he couldn't help but wonder, what does this mean?
"Set up the altar, start the ceremony, set up the altar, start the ceremony..."
While the captain was pondering, he stared at the ceremonial guard under the city wall. Seeing that they had skillfully used horse stools to set up the altar and arranged the ritual vessels, his mind suddenly became enlightened and his heart became clear.
Then he shouted, "He wants to announce the decree right here and now! Quick! Tell the Grand Protector-General! Have him come out of the city to meet him immediately!"
The deputy hurriedly said, "I will go there myself!"
He is a good rider and a fast runner.
But no matter how fast they were, they couldn't be faster than the honor guard. In less than a moment, a simple altar was built.
Lou Yunchun first played ritual music, offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, and confessed his sins. Then he took the imperial edict from Lao Duan's hands, held it high toward the city gate, and shouted, "Guo Yuanzhen, the guilty minister, come forward to receive this edict!"
As soon as he shouted, the other deputy envoys joined in, shouting in unison: "Guo Yuanzhen, the guilty minister, please come forward and receive the imperial decree!"
By the third shout, the city gates were opened, the floodgates letting the river flow across. The captain and his men rushed out of the gates, pissing and weeping, and rushed to the altar, panting, "Grand, Grand Protector, we'll be there soon!"
Lou Yunchun lowered his eyes, "No one can make His Majesty wait. Since you have come forward, please accept it on his behalf."
The captain cried out in horror, "I dare not!"
Who dares to catch this scorching discus?
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