Chapter 936 also features a feast for the guests~
After a long wait, the Vermilion Bird Gate finally opened wide.
After standing there waiting for several hours, Aqilaya finally followed her grandmother and started walking towards the tall imperial city.
As these small foreign countries made their moves, the crowds watching from the high-rise buildings on both sides also started chattering amongst themselves.
"It moved! It moved!"
Xiao Liulang watched the slowly moving line below with excitement, leaning over the railing to look and shouting loudly.
Li Sanlang stood behind Xiao Liulang, holding onto his belt to prevent him from accidentally falling.
Sister-in-law Li, her parents, and others sat at a round table by the window, drinking tea and watching the bustling street below.
"Sixth Brother! Be careful, don't lean out!"
After being scolded by Sister-in-law Li, Xiao Liulang gave up his idea of climbing up the railing and had no choice but to carefully climb down the railing with Li Sanlang's help.
Seeing that Xiao Liulang still seemed unsatisfied, Dewdrop stood up and called out to him, "Liulang, come here to your older sister. You can see further from here."
Once the teams started moving, their speed increased considerably. After about half an hour, Aqilaya and her two teams arrived at the Vermilion Bird Gate.
Aqilaya looked up at the vermilion gate, and the shock of this huge imperial city gate was even greater than that of the gate to Chang'an.
Perhaps it was the dazzling glazed tiles on the city wall that shimmered in the sunlight, or perhaps it was the intimidating sight of the Golden Guards in golden armor riding tall horses beside her, that deeply shocked little Aqilaya.
Tables and chairs were set up at the entrance of the Vermilion Bird Gate, where officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial were busy. One group was checking the list of people going to the palace banquet, and the other was recording the list of gifts that these vassal states and tribes had presented as tribute.
The tribe ahead of Aqilaya and her group, with their dark skin and colorful feathered headdresses, had actually clashed with officials from the Ministry of Rites. In that instant, Aqilaya felt that the Imperial Guards standing on both sides of the city gate seemed to be looking in their direction.
Actually, it wasn't really a conflict. It was just that the officials under the Ministry of Rites needed to lift the red cloth to see what the tribute was so they could record it and announce the names when it arrived before the emperor.
But this small tribe did not allow the red cloth to be lifted, so how could the officials of the Ministry of Rites record it?
Doesn't this create a contradiction?
Fortunately, the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial were experienced and, after much discussion, came up with a compromise. They first carried the object, which was being carried by eight people, through the side door. After the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial inspected it and confirmed that it was not a dangerous item, they whispered to the officials of the Ministry of Rites to make a note of it.
In this way, only a few people have seen this offering, which balances safety with the element of surprise.
Finally, it was Aqilaya and her group's turn. When the two-person box was opened, the officials from the Ministry of Rites were quite surprised to see it filled with glittering gold.
The tributes from these vassal states and tribes were mostly rare items from their origins, such as medicinal herbs like ginseng and deer antler, as well as precious gems, spices, and rare animals. However, it was quite unusual for the Pohe tribe to directly offer gold as tribute, which surprised them.
However, the officer was only surprised for a moment. He nodded to the soldier who opened the box, and the soldier seemed unsurprised. He naturally stepped forward, counted the items, closed the box, and reported the number to the officer.
After the official wrote down the gift list, he nodded to the female chieftain and looked up behind Aqilaya and the others.
Once inside the city gate, Aqilaya held tightly to her grandmother's hand as they were led through a maze of twists and turns to a grand hall.
"Distinguished guests, please rest here for a while. Someone will come to inform you before the banquet begins."
If you need to change your clothes, please ask a maid for directions.
After sitting down properly, Aqilaya dared to pick up the water pouch at her waist. She didn't dare to drink too much, but after taking a couple of sips to quench her thirst, she put the water pouch back.
The female chieftain was cautious and didn't dare touch the teacup on the table. She only grabbed the water pouch at her waist and took two sips.
The three were surrounded by a cacophony of various languages, so they didn't dare to speak too loudly, but instead whispered in their own languages.
"Grandma, how come there's so much gold!"
"Only after arriving in Chang'an did I realize how prosperous this place is. If we want our Pohe tribe to outcompete the Moling tribe, we have to find better gifts. After all, what we brought is really not presentable."
Jenna and I wandered around and around, and finally decided to offer up all the gold we had brought with us!
"I'm sure the Tang Emperor will take pity on us, considering our sincerity."
Li San Niang and the officials walked for more than half an hour before finally arriving at Taiji Palace. Today's banquet was mainly to be held in the Taiji Hall of Taiji Palace.
Of course, with so many people present, including imperial relatives, ministers, and officials, even the largest Taiji Hall couldn't accommodate them all.
Therefore, powerful and relatively large small countries could sit in the Taiji Hall to see the emperor's face, and those who were more capable could have a seat in other halls such as the Liangyi Hall or Chengqing Hall.
Those who were less fortunate could only eat on the steps outside the main hall.
Of course, it wasn't that people were actually allowed to eat on the steps; it was just that a flat area outside the hall was found, and a small table was set up.
Small countries like Zhenla could manage to get a seat on the side in the Liangyi Hall, while powerful tribes like the Eastern Turks could get a seat near the front in the Taiji Hall.
A sixth-rank official like Li Sanniang was considered a pillar of the court, wielding considerable real power.
Li San Niang is a female official, so she will receive some preferential treatment. Today, she will not only be able to eat at the Taiji Hall, but she might even be able to sit with Princess Qingyang.
That depends on whether Princess Qingyang is attending today as a princess or as the Imperial Physician.
If she were to attend as a princess, she would naturally be seated at the head of the imperial relatives, in which case Li San Niang would not be able to attend;
However, if she were to be the Imperial Physician Assistant, since they both belonged to the Imperial Medical Bureau, shared a bond as women, and had even worked together before, they would naturally be able to sit together.
In the Ganlu Hall of Taiji Palace, Li Sanniang and the others listened to the Ministry of Rites officials explain the day's procedures, including where these officials should be, who to call if needed, and how to handle the situation.
Because of this delay, by the time Li San Niang could finally sit down and rest, it was already past lunchtime.
The banquet won't start until mid-afternoon, and it's estimated that it won't begin until late afternoon.
Li San Niang was already experienced. She picked up the purse hanging from her waist and wanted to take out a piece of candy to eat, because she was afraid that she would suffer from low blood sugar if she didn't eat something soon.
The moment the candy entered her mouth, she crunched it down and ate it in a few breaths.
However, after a while, a palace servant brought in a plate. Li San Niang looked at the plate of dry pastries on the table, thought for a moment, and then picked up a piece to eat.
She was really hungry and desperately needed some sugar.
Just as she was happily eating with her head down, Li San Niang caught a glimpse of the corner of the scarlet official robe. When she looked up, she saw Mr. Bu Ke's stunningly handsome face.
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