Chapter 668: The Deposed Princess Strikes Back at the Female General 115
The queen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled very gently, "I'm glad that your majesty is alright. I was really scared. If your majesty was ill, I don't know what to do."
"The Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculated that today is an auspicious day, the most suitable for offering sacrifices to heaven and earth and ancestors. After today, we don't know when the next time will be. Moreover, if we keep the envoys of various countries in the capital for a long time, there may be unexpected changes."
"All nations have come to pay tribute, and the world is at peace. This celebration will surely go down in history. For the sake of the people of the world and the country, Your Majesty has taken the trouble to go to the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices. Future generations will remember Your Majesty's merits."
After being praised so highly, the emperor was too embarrassed to say that he would not go.
But he was still very worried. After much thought, he decided to find someone to check and balance Yuwen Yi.
"Let Teng Shichang of the Beijing Yijun take over the patrol camp, clean the roads, drive away the idlers, and strictly guard the area around the Temple of Heaven to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Teng Shichang was born into a noble family. This time he followed King Rui to the northern battlefield. Luckily he survived and also gained military merits by following the Northern Army, which was considered a gilded achievement.
After returning to the capital, Teng Shichang was quickly promoted and became a popular figure in the Beijing Logistics Department.
The Ministry of Personnel mentioned this man many times in the memorials commending his merits. His origin and family background were impeccable. At that time, the Fuji family was also the first family to support the emperor's ascension to the throne, so the emperor kept it in mind.
The emperor felt much more at ease when the patrol camp was replaced by his own people.
"The Imperial Guards must strengthen the defense. All the troops in the Temple of Heaven must be replaced by the Imperial Guards. After the Northern Border Army escorts the envoys from various countries, they are not allowed to approach the Temple of Heaven. If there are any more assassins, they must be left alive! If you allow another assassin to commit suicide, I will hold you accountable!"
The commander of the Imperial Guards sighed inwardly. If they kept delaying like this, he didn't know when they would be able to reach the Temple of Heaven. But the emperor had already spoken, so he could only do as he was told.
Originally, the Temple of Heaven had already been arranged, and the Northern Border Army was familiar with the envoys from various countries. With their assistance, things would have been much simpler. Now everything had to be arranged from scratch, and who knows what mistakes might occur.
He had avoided the assassin's vital points, and the assassin wanted to commit suicide, but there was nothing he could do. The emperor was now angry with him too.
Why doesn’t the emperor just dismiss him? He really doesn’t want to be the commander of the Imperial Guards anymore!
Teng Shichang arrived soon, and knelt down to express his gratitude with a happy face, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for promoting me! I will repay your Majesty's kindness with my life! I will act cautiously and will never let the assassin take any chances. If there are any assassins who disturb Your Majesty again along the way, I will bring my head to you!"
The emperor was very satisfied with Teng Shichang. He believed that people promoted by him would be more loyal.
The imperial carriage stopped every three steps and stood guard every five steps. All the people on the roadside were driven away, the streets were empty, and the shops were looted, just like a swarm of locusts passing through.
The shop owner was in tears. The previous patrol camp had only driven people away and stopped them from doing business for a few days. This was also a common rule when the emperor traveled, but now they were not giving him any time at all!
Gold and silver jewelry shops suffered heavy losses in particular.
The shopkeepers wanted to argue, but Teng Shichang didn't care. He directly ordered that they all be arrested. They would behave themselves after being locked up for a few days!
Prince Rui said he wanted to promote him, and he actually got the patrol battalion. Naturally, he had to honor Prince Rui for such a great favor, and he took this opportunity to plunder some money.
The emperor noticed the commotion on the roadside. Teng Shichang had his own explanation. "These people are acting suspiciously. I am afraid something might happen. I order them all to be arrested and interrogated carefully. I dare not slack off at all."
The emperor was even more satisfied with Teng Shichang. As for whether he had wrongly accused anyone, as long as the emperor was safe, he didn't care about other things.
The commander of the Imperial Guards knew that Teng Shichang was taking the opportunity to make money, but he didn't dare say much.
The Queen couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so she advised, "Your Majesty, we have the elite of the Imperial Guards here, and we have improved crossbows that are extremely powerful. I'm sure the assassins won't dare to come again. Let's hurry up, so as not to delay the auspicious time."
It was not until noon that the imperial carriage arrived at the Temple of Heaven, a full hour late.
The emperor and the empress got off the dragon sedan chair and, to show their piety, they had to walk the rest of the way on foot.
The magnificent palace music sounded and the drums beat, inspiring people. It was originally a good opportunity to show the emperor's majesty, but unfortunately the people were stopped far away and had no chance to see the emperor.
The voice of the eunuch delivering the imperial decree was heard over and over again, and could be heard from far away.
"The Emperor has arrived~The Empress has arrived~"
A huge crowd of people knelt on the ground.
Both the emperor and the empress were wearing bright yellow formal dresses, which were heavy and solemn. They walked hand in hand through the Qinian Gate, crossed the long jade steps, and arrived at the Qinian Hall.
The envoys from various countries have been waiting here for a long time.
The emperor was so tired that he was out of breath. He had to hold on to the queen's hand to barely stand up and maintain his imperial demeanor.
The envoys from various countries were greatly disappointed when they saw the emperor for the first time. However, they did not have the rule of not daring to look the emperor in the face. So they all looked around curiously and whispered to each other in their various languages.
"So this is what the Emperor of Chen looks like. He doesn't look majestic at all!"
"I thought he was a strong and sturdy warrior like Prince Yi, but he looks even weaker than the queen next to him. Even the queen doesn't even have to breathe so hard."
"You came so late, are you trying to show us your power? We said that the Celestial Empire is a country of etiquette, but you don't really follow etiquette."
"I heard that they encountered assassins on the way, so they were delayed. How many assassins were there? It will take an hour to kill them."
The Wujin Kingdom's envoys stood at the front, and one of them whispered, "I heard there were only a few dozen assassins, and they were all killed in less than a quarter of an hour."
"We have been waiting here for a long time. Just now, there were hurried footsteps outside, as if they were changing guards. It seems that the Northern Army has disappeared! The Emperor of Chen Kingdom seems to have alienated himself from Prince Yi. Your Majesty, do we still need to be so afraid of Chen Kingdom?"
The music was so loud that it drowned out the discussions below.
King Yaliji of Wujin said in a low voice: "Shut up! This is the capital of Chen. The twenty-eight tribes can talk nonsense. They are weak and Chen does not take them seriously. Our every word and action is being watched by someone."
"So what if we've become alienated? King Yi will not betray his country, otherwise he would have cooperated with Yamud long ago. You and I can stand here and not be killed by Yamud because King Yi is upright and will not do anything that would harm the Chen Kingdom. That's why he chose to cooperate with me."
"Even if there is unrest in Chen, as long as Prince Yi is still alive, we cannot enter Jiayu Pass. Now that we can negotiate peace, it is already the best outcome."
The music gradually faded, the emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, and the empress sat on the phoenix throne beside her, accepting the kowtows of all officials.
The envoys from various countries also calmed down and came forward under the guidance of the eunuchs to meet the Emperor of Chen according to the etiquette of their respective ethnic groups.
The next step is to sign the covenant, present the altar, inform heaven and earth, and worship the ancestors.
The emperor and the empress walked up the long jade steps. All the civil and military officials knelt on the ground. The emperor's forehead was covered with sweat, wetting his crown. It was already past lunch time. He was tired and hungry, and his eyes were full of stars. But when he thought about his fame being passed down through the ages, he still gritted his teeth and persisted. He could not make any mistakes.
The last jade step was particularly high. The emperor took it with sore legs, stumbled, and fell off the altar!
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