General Yan dismounted and stepped forward, saying loudly, "Your Majesty, this old minister has a generous gift for you, and I hope Your Majesty will accept it with a smile."
The soldiers immediately placed their hands on their chests, their eyes fixed reverently on the city gate tower.
Song Anxin stood on the carriage and directed the soldiers: "Ready, sing!"
"A jade beak... a tile roof forms a home, everyone says a cricket is big, but it's really just a home... a heart full of crickets, a hand supporting the home... the home is the smallest country, and the country is made up of millions of homes..."
The powerful and resonant singing of ten thousand soldiers rang out.
"My country is my home, my home is my home, I love my country, I love my home... My country is my home... I love my country, I love my home, I love my... country!"
The soldiers knelt down in unison, their voices resounding throughout the heavens and earth: "Our hearts are with the country, our hands support our homes, we are willing to serve our dynasty forever. We are soldiers of the Great Yin Dynasty, to protect the people and our families, to safeguard our great Yin Dynasty, to be loyal to Your Majesty, to be loyal to our dynasty!"
The soldiers' resounding voices faded, followed by a long silence on both sides.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths later, a hearty, cheerful laugh echoed from the city gate.
"Hahaha...Good! Good! These are truly the fine soldiers of my Great Yin Dynasty." The emperor rarely showed such joy on his face. He waved his hand and said, "Open the city gates and welcome our victorious soldiers back."
The expressions of the princes and court officials around the emperor on the city gate tower changed drastically.
Song Anxin and Yan Shuping exchanged a glance and smiled. They had succeeded.
Not only the emperor and his courtiers were on the walls of the capital, but also the people inside the city were waiting to welcome the victorious soldiers. This was to tell the people and the emperor that the soldiers fought bloody battles on the frontier to protect their homeland and to safeguard the safety of the court and the people. They did not understand the struggle for power, and they would always be soldiers of the Yin Dynasty, forever loyal to the court and to His Majesty.
What the emperor wanted was this loyalty, a loyalty that all the people and officials of the land knew about.
The soldiers entered the city gate, where the people had already heard the stirring and uplifting song. Their faces showed excitement, joy, and even tears welled up in their eyes.
"They're back! They're back! Our soldiers of the Great Yin Dynasty have returned in triumph!"
"Oh...we've finally driven the Huns away! Well done, soldiers!..."
"Thank you, thank you for protecting the peace of the border on the battlefield..."
\.....\"
The people cheered to welcome the soldiers back, and the soldiers were deeply moved, feeling that all their years of fighting on the battlefield had been worthwhile.
"Sister, sister, Fenghe, Fenghe..."
Song Anxin and Lin Fenghe suddenly heard a familiar voice in the crowd, and they looked towards the outer crowd.
"Mom, Uncle and Aunt are over there!" Lin Fenghe had excellent eyesight and quickly spotted Song Anbang and Sun Lixi in the crowd.
Song Anbang and Sun Lixi couldn't squeeze to the front, so they could only shout loudly from the back of the crowd. Song Anbang carefully protected his wife and tried his best to prevent the crowd from touching her.
Song Anxin's eyes lit up, and she waved happily at them: "Anbang, Li Xi!"
She had already asked General Yan to send a message to Song Anbang and Sun Lixi informing them of her upcoming trip to the capital. The couple had arrived in the capital before the new year to prepare for the imperial examinations, and she would be able to reunite with them after the audience with the emperor.
When the army arrived at the gates of the imperial city, the soldiers unloaded their weapons. After entering the imperial city, the generals and soldiers went to different places in batches to receive rewards. Song Anxin followed General Yan and several others into the imperial palace.
This was Song Anxin's first time visiting the imperial palace of this era, and it felt completely different from her previous tourist trips.
The high walls on both sides seemed to block out the sunlight. The palace servants coming and going were silent, and everyone had a solemn and serious expression. For the first time, she experienced the majesty and solemnity of the imperial palace as described in books.
Seeing her like this, Yan Shuping comforted her in a low voice: "Don't be afraid. My aunt said that person greatly admires you. She probably called you here to meet you and reward you."
Song Anxin paused for a moment, then nodded. She wasn't scared, but she gladly accepted the reminder given out of kindness.
Her aunt must have been the Empress, and she seemed to have been on the city gate at the time. However, the city gate was high and there were a lot of people around, so she couldn't see the Emperor or the Empress clearly.
The group walked through the long palace gate corridor, then through the Taihe Gate, and across a large square to reach the entrance of the Taihe Hall.
This is where the emperor holds court every day. The palace servants at the gate are already waiting and lead the group into the hall.
Song Anxin followed behind a group of generals with her head down. She was about to meet the emperor of this era, and it would be a lie to say that she wasn't excited.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!" General Yan and his group of generals knelt down and said in unison.
Song Anxin naturally knelt down as well.
A majestic and deep voice came from above: "You are all victorious generals, rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The group stood up.
General Yan stepped forward: "Your Majesty, the warriors of the Northern Frontier have lived up to Your Majesty's mission, achieving a great victory and reclaiming all nine cities of our dynasty, ensuring that the Xiongnu will never dare to set foot in our territory again!"
"Good! The warriors of the Northern Frontier have worked hard." The emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, spoke, then looked at the woman kneeling at the very end.
"I heard that it was Lady Huigong who invented gunpowder, this marvelous weapon, which allowed our Great Yin Dynasty warriors to rout the Xiongnu and wipe out their encampment." He smiled. "Our dynasty has truly produced a remarkable woman!"
Eunuch Qi immediately said, "Please invite Lady Hui to come forward."
Song Anxin knelt forward, bowing her head: "Your Majesty, I, Song Lin, pay my respects. Thank you for your kind words. I am willing to give my life for serving my dynasty."
Then she quickly glanced at the emperor above. Hmm, he was a serious-looking emperor, but he seemed to be in a good mood at the moment. He must be quite terrifying when he was in a commanding presence.
Not only was she curious about the Emperor, but the ministers in the court were also very curious about this extraordinary woman. They had been secretly observing her ever since she entered.
They had assumed that Lady Hui, being a peasant woman, would have a rough, dark complexion and look rustic, but to their surprise, she was quite fair-skinned and looked very young, unlike a peasant woman.
However, Consort Hui appeared quite composed during her first audience with the Emperor, and was even able to speak such words in front of him. It seems that there was indeed a reason why this peasant woman was granted an imperial title, and her courage and talent were in no way inferior to those of men.
The emperor had been observing Song Anxin below, and he naturally noticed her little movement. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. The woman's gaze towards him just now showed no fear or apprehension what he looked like; it was as if she simply wanted to see what he looked like.
"Hehe..." The emperor chuckled softly, "Good! It is a blessing for our Great Yin Dynasty that Consort Hui has such a heart for our dynasty!"
"Eunuch Qi, announce my decree to all the meritorious generals!"
(Note: The songs performed in this chapter are from the song "The Nation," performed by Jackie Chan, with lyrics and music by Wang Pingjiu and Jin Peida.)
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