September skies are crisp with autumn winds, cool with autumn rains, and the weather is pleasantly refreshing. The earth presents a delightful scene of harvest, invigorating the spirit and inspiring joy and celebration. Yet, it also evokes a sense of loss, prompting calm reflection. The four seasons are: spring is hope, summer is cultivation, autumn is harvest, and winter is preservation. This is true of nature, and it is true of life. Regardless of the hopes you sowed in spring, or the dreams you set free, and regardless of whether you shed blood and sweat, or persevered and strived in summer, autumn's footsteps still approach with both urgency and composure.
September was no longer so hot, and the marching speed was much faster. After training, even the youngest Qin Yuling had become much stronger. Looking at the faint shadow of the city wall on the distant horizon, Qin Mu's heart also became restless.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Li Shimin issued an edict ordering him to turn around and head to Longshouyuan.
"Uncle Cheng, why did His Majesty send us to Longshou Plain?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled. Li Shimin had not only left the palace but had even left the city; this was no small matter.
"Do you know what day it is today?" Cheng Zhijie asked with a smile.
"Today? I don't know. What day of September is it today?" Time flies in the mountains; I'm busy training and chasing girls every day, so I haven't bothered to keep track of the days.
"Today is the ninth day of the ninth lunar month!" Cheng Zhijie reminded him.
"Double Ninth Festival!"
“Indeed. His Majesty ascended the heights of Longshou Plain and, having heard of your return, took the opportunity to inspect the training results,” Cheng Zhijie replied.
"Oh, I see." Qin Mu finally understood.
"Uncle Cheng, what exactly happened last time?" Qin Mu asked in a low voice.
This matter had puzzled him for many days, but last time Qin Qiong and the others didn't know the details either. Now that so many days have passed, Cheng Zhijie should know.
"This matter cannot be discussed. The assassins killed over eight hundred martial arts practitioners, six thousand soldiers, and more than ten officials had their homes ransacked. Although the mastermind was not caught, he has lost all chance of a comeback. That's why His Majesty is in a good mood lately," Cheng Zhijie explained vaguely.
"There's such a large group of orcs in the Qinling Mountains, are we just going to leave them to fend for themselves?" Qin Mu asked again.
"There's nothing we can do. Those rats are hiding in the mountains, and the army can't wipe them out, so we can only let them go. Hmph! A bunch of cowardly rats, they're too scared to come out at the slightest sound. You don't need to worry about them," Cheng Zhijie sneered.
It turns out that the imperial court was already aware of these matters and must have a solution. Qin Mu was just curious, so he only asked and that was it.
Li Shimin wanted to inspect them, and Qin Mu was confident that the people he had trained would not let him down, so he immediately summoned Cheng Huaimo and the others to discuss the matter.
Cheng Zhijie was delighted to see the people after their training. They maintained an orderly formation as they walked, and they seemed very relaxed, not putting on a show.
"Stop!" Qin Mu commanded, turning his unicorn around.
"Stop!" the messenger shouted, waving his command flag.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!" A few footsteps were heard. The soldier took two steps, then habitually stomped his foot hard and stood firmly in place.
"Turn right!" Qin Mu shouted as he reached the middle of the group.
Looking at the soldiers standing in perfect unison, Qin Mu was extremely satisfied. He smiled and shouted loudly, "His Majesty will personally inspect your training results, so all of you, be on your best! Show your best condition!"
"Yes, sir!" came the unanimous reply, the soldiers' eyes gleaming, their morale soaring to new heights.
Upon reaching the vicinity of Longshou Plain, the group stopped, as the Right Martial Guard and the Xuanjia Army were guarding the area ahead, and they could not approach without the emperor's order.
Qin Mu waited patiently with his men. Apart from the Cheng sisters, the others followed, since they were not military personnel and the princess had to go see the emperor.
Cheng Zhijie was still thinking about what his beloved daughter had said about giving him a surprise when he returned to Li Shimin's side.
"Greetings, Father Emperor!" Princess Pu'an and Princess Dongyang greeted him politely.
"Good! Good! Pu'an, Dongyang, come here quickly so your father can take a look." Li Shimin knew, of course, that his daughter had entered the path of Confucianism and become a Confucian scholar. Even if Zhai Changsun had the audacity, he wouldn't dare to talk nonsense about such a thing.
Li Shimin beckoned his two daughters to come before him, and looked them over with a smile. Seeing that they were no longer as timid as before, he was even more satisfied.
"I heard you've become Confucian scholars?" Li Shimin asked gently.
Never before had they seen Li Shimin praise and be so affectionate towards them. The two were extremely excited and forced themselves to suppress their emotions, respectfully replying, "Yes, Father!"
"Oh! Quickly, let Father Emperor see this!"
Princess Pu'an and Princess Dongyang had already been warned by Qin Mu and guessed that Li Shimin was going to show off. Therefore, the two of them did not hesitate to circulate their righteous energy. They saw specks of milky white light flash slightly in their hearts, then condense in their palms, and after a while, they dispersed.
"Good! Good! Quickly take the princesses downstairs to wash up." Li Shimin praised loudly again. His two daughters were able to gather their righteous energy so quickly, and hold it in their hands without dissipating. This was completely unlike someone who had only been practicing for a few days. Although the daughters were covered in sweat, it also showed their extraordinary talent.
Most of the ministers accompanying the emperor were unaware of the reason. They were all astonished to see that the two little princesses had actually cultivated a righteous aura. In particular, several Confucian scholars were so excited that they tore off their beards.
Other cultivation methods wouldn't be so surprising, but Confucian cultivation is different; it represents top-notch knowledge and comprehension.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! The princess is exceptionally talented. I congratulate Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji knew about this because Li Shimin had asked him about it with a hint of doubt after his surprise. But since it was just two princesses, he didn't care. So he was the first to stand up and offer his congratulations loudly.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I offer my congratulations!" The others then came to their senses and hurriedly followed.
"Your Majesty! May I ask which great Confucian scholar is this princess?" Kong Yida couldn't help but ask.
"Haha! Pu'an and Dongyang, don't you know them, my dear minister?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.
"Of course I know the two princesses, but..." Kong Yida frowned, unsure how to begin. Both princesses were students at the Imperial Academy, whom he had personally taught. He knew their talents perfectly well. Yet, after only a month away, they had become Confucian scholars. How could he explain this? Judging from Li Shimin's tone, there were no other great Confucian scholars teaching them, which only deepened his confusion.
"I am not entirely clear about this matter either. You may inquire about it yourself later, my dear minister," Li Shimin said with a slight nod.
It was Zhai Changsun who wrote the letter, so of course he didn't know the reason, and Li Shimin really didn't know either.
"Your subject obeys the decree!" Kong Yida suppressed his curiosity, bowed, and withdrew.
"There is one more matter today. How about you all come down the mountain with me to take a look?" Li Shimin said again.
"Oh! Is there anything else? Your Majesty seems so pleased." Fang Xuanling, a trusted confidant, promptly chimed in.
"The Six Doors office has been repaired and the personnel have been trained. They just happened to be back today, so please help us inspect it!" Li Shimin explained with a smile, and then set off down the mountain.
It was unclear why, after the poetry gathering had just ended and the chrysanthemum appreciation hadn't taken long, Li Shimin had already set off to descend the mountain. Most people had lost their desire to continue their leisurely stroll and followed him down.
On the hillside, feeling the autumn wind sweep across his face, Li Shimin's mood brightened even more. Gazing into the distance, he said without turning his head, "Let's begin!"
"Woo! Woo!" Two horn calls rang out, and command flags fluttered. Then, a group of dark figures could be seen moving towards them from afar.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Before long, a series of neat footsteps grew louder and louder, and the people on the hillside could clearly see that a group of soldiers were running over below.
The orderly steps made it seem like tens of thousands of people were marching. With a few louder footsteps, the column stopped at the foot of the hill. The whole movement was so uniform and well-trained that many people kept nodding in admiration.
"The Six Doors training is complete, Your Majesty, please inspect!" Yuchi Baolin ran out from the front of the formation and shouted loudly towards the hillside.
"Begin! Let me see how you train." Li Shimin glanced around and nodded in satisfaction. Putting everything else aside, just the way you ran from here to there and stopped showed that you had put in the effort to train.
"His Majesty has decreed! The inspection shall begin." A voice relayed Li Shimin's decree.
Because this was done hastily and without any preparation, it was impossible to actually engage in combat. Therefore, we could only demonstrate our daily training, as we had already discussed.
Attention! Left and right turns, marching, running! Cheng Huaimo and Yuchi Baolin each led a team to perform at the foot of the hill.
"May the Great Tang Dynasty be victorious!"
"May the Great Tang Dynasty be victorious!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
Led by Cheng Huaimo and his companion, the two groups of soldiers marched down the mountain in unison, shouting loudly and turning their heads to the hillside at the same time.
Li Shimin was extremely satisfied with what he heard and was nodding and smiling when he saw the scene below change again. A thousand people suddenly took off their shirts, went shirtless, and dispersed at a certain distance.
Cheng Zhijie could see clearly that his son had also taken off his clothes, revealing his strong arms, and stood in front.
No one knew what was going on. Although no one would care if you were shirtless in the military camp, where was this? In front of the emperor were the empress and many noble families.
"This...this...this is outrageous! Your Majesty, the Six Doors have acted improperly before the Emperor, and I beg you to punish them severely!" A minister said, pointing downwards with a trembling hand. His wife and daughter were both there today. Although he was a second wife, the sight of so many people shirtless made him feel like he was being cuckolded.
“Imperial Censor Wang, you’re exaggerating. In this kind of weather, it’s normal for soldiers to be shirtless during drills,” Li Ji retorted, his brow furrowing slightly.
A hint of displeasure flashed in Li Shimin's eyes, but he was not so arbitrary, so he patiently watched on.
"Woo! Woo! Woo!" Before the ministers could argue, several more mournful bugle calls rang out.
"Boom! Boom! Boom boom!" As the horn fell, the war drums suddenly rang out.
"Ha!" Accompanied by the drumbeats, the shirtless soldiers began to swing their fists.
"With pride we face the myriad waves!" The unified singing echoed beneath Dragon Head Plain.
The sounds of drums, practice, and singing seemed to blend together, leaving the listener feeling as if they had a lump in their throat, needing to vent.
My heart pounded with the drumbeats, my blood rushed, and my scalp tingled. I completely forgot about being shirtless.
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