Chapter 215 A Gift from the People
Those present at the camp on the outskirts of Beijing were all people of the Tang Dynasty and of the heart of the Tang Dynasty, and they were all very happy.
After all, if the weapons are so powerful, they belong to one's own country, which means they represent one's own interests. If one's own interests are protected, who wouldn't be happy?
It's estimated that the only ones who were unhappy but dared not speak out were the envoys from the various small countries and tribes who had come to participate in the birthday celebration.
For example, the Annamese envoy who was so frightened that he urinated on the spot, now only has a few people from Annamese standing where he is, and everyone else is far away.
The smell of adult excrement is quite pungent. Besides, even if you're timid and scared, you wouldn't go so far as to urinate or defecate in such a place. Wouldn't that be embarrassing?
As for whether the Annamese envoy thought that his region was mostly mountainous and forested, and was most afraid of such powerful explosive weapons, or was simply cowardly, we don't know.
If Annam hadn't been so afraid of being beaten before, it wouldn't have recognized the Tang Dynasty as its leader.
In recent years, the quality of the tribute from Annam has declined considerably. If it weren't for the fact that Japan and Goguryeo had been disobedient in the past two years, and Emperor Wu had sent troops to cripple these two places, killing the local kings and their sons, installing new people, and keeping trusted confidants as powerful military governors, Annam would not have sent envoys to congratulate Emperor Wu on his birthday.
Having seen what he needed to see, Emperor Wu remounted his horse and prepared to return to the city to complete the remaining procedures.
Of course, the procession back to the city was even more grand than when they arrived.
Originally, only a hundred cavalrymen followed, with two brigades of infantry escorting them. But this time, on their return to the city, two more regiments (400 men) from the main camp in the suburbs of Beijing followed behind to escort them.
In fact, among so many people, even the hidden guards felt that if the temple gate were to show itself now, it would probably be shot to death by a hail of arrows before it even reached Emperor Wu.
Sure enough, the return journey was uneventful, and we made it back to the city safely.
When Emperor Wu rode his horse past Zhuque Avenue again, she carefully checked herself and found that the burning sensation in her chest was indeed gone.
Emperor Wu thought about it for a moment, then decided to keep the matter in mind and deal with it later when he had time.
What needs to be done now is to receive gifts from the people on the Imperial City Tower.
On Emperor Wu's birthday, it would be most appropriate to congratulate him on his long life. The official in charge of the Ministry of Rites really knew how to find a match, sending ten elderly men in their eighties to present gifts.
This gift wasn't anything precious, but rather a blessing from the elder.
Although Emperor Wu did not think there was anything good about it, he wondered if it was really good to put these eighty- or ninety-year-old people through such an ordeal.
It should be noted that these elderly people were found from all over the Tang Dynasty by following the household registration records, and they all lived in Chang'an.
Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Rites has been sending people to invite these elderly people to Chang'an, providing them with good food and drink, and waiting for them to present gifts on the Emperor's birthday.
That's why Emperor Wu felt this was just making things difficult for people.
However, standing on the imperial city wall, one could see an elderly man with white hair dressed in new satin clothes on the platform below. After the names were called out, the old man whose name was called would stand up, bow, and look proud.
Emperor Wu thought to himself, "They should be willing, right?"
So what else can she say as the one receiving the blessing and the gift?
Okay, let's go along with it.
As the name "Deng Rong from Yong County, Qizhou Prefecture" was announced, the elderly man with gleaming white hair and beard, who was seated at the head of the table, stood up, bowed deeply in the direction of Emperor Wu, and then turned to greet the surrounding crowd with a cupped-hand salute.
Below is an elderly woman who looks relatively young. She is adorned with only a gold hairpin in her hair and is dressed in an eggplant-purple dress. When she heard her name called "Gyeongju Shunhua Ma Qionghua", she stood up and bowed nimbly.
This old woman was one of only two women among the ten elders. There was another old woman who was even older than her, and although she had lost all her teeth, she still seemed to be quite sharp.
After all ten elders had finished calling out their names, an official loudly announced that the long-lived elders would present a gift to Emperor Wu.
The onlookers were all amazed; it was quite rare to find a family with an elderly person over seventy years old at that age.
Not to mention the elderly people on this platform, the youngest of whom are over seventy years old, and the most advanced-age ones are over ninety years old and are known as centenarians.
"Today's performance was truly worthwhile; it was worth coming out as soon as the gates opened at dawn to reserve a spot."
"Oh, you're here early."
"Haha, my home is a bit far from here. If I want to get a good spot, I have to get up early. The oldest person I've ever seen is only seventy years old. Look, the youngest person on the platform is seventy."
When the official announced that the elderly man was going to present a gift, everyone in the crowd stared eagerly, wondering what kind of gift the old man would present.
As soon as the old man at the head of the line stood up, the remaining nine people followed suit and stood up one by one, facing Emperor Wu, who was standing on the city wall.
Starting with the eldest man at the head of the line, one person stepped forward and loudly proclaimed:
Bless the saint,
May people live long, the moon always be full, and spring always be here;
May the nation prosper forever, families be harmonious forever, and happiness last forever.
The next old man stepped forward and said:
Bless the saint,
May the sun and moon shine brightly, and may the pine and crane enjoy eternal youth;
May you always be smiling and enjoy the happiness of family.
...
The last old man stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
Wishing the Sage:
May Your Majesty live a long and healthy life, and may your nation prosper!
As soon as these words were spoken, people around echoed, "May you live a long and healthy life, and may the nation prosper!"
When the second recitation was given, the hundreds of people gathered in Zhuque Square, moved by the sentiment, bowed their heads and repeated the words, "Long live the Emperor! May Your Majesty enjoy good health and the prosperity of the nation!"
One person's words may seem insignificant, but when you stand on high ground and see hundreds or thousands of people bowing and paying their respects to you, saying "Long live the Emperor, may the Emperor be healthy and strong, may the nation prosper," the sense of awe is truly overwhelming.
The atmosphere reached its peak when the hundreds of Imperial Guards around them saluted and shouted "Long live the Emperor! May the nation prosper!"
Of course, Li San Niang wouldn't see this scene.
Li Sanniang, who had already arrived home by donkey cart, was having her second lunch with her parents.
To be honest, Li San Niang really wanted to see Emperor Wu again. She really wanted to find out if it was just a strange feeling of discomfort that came from meeting fellow time travelers.
Or perhaps it was simply that when she first met Emperor Wu, she was overwhelmed by his imposing presence and her heart fluttered too quickly.
However, once it's missed, it's missed.
Li Sanniang, a materialist who occasionally goes against her conscience, wonders if the fact that what she perceives as an earthquake is actually not an earthquake is a result of a time-traveling deity preventing her from meeting Emperor Wu.
Seeing Lu Zhu'er happily eating the buttered sesame cake, Li San Niang put the matter aside for a while. What was meant to happen would happen eventually. In the meantime, she should enjoy life and conserve her strength.
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