The prince is more stable

Chapter 512: Thousands of People Lined the Road
It still tastes the same, just like the old days.

When Zhao Xiaoqian first traveled through time, he discovered that Zhao Hao had given away the palace's property and donated it free of charge to Qingyang Lao Niubizi of Yuqing Palace.

Now here we are again.

What's wrong with this father? He has to be so mean to his family property and tries every way to cause trouble. It seems that he has no intention of leaving such a huge inheritance to his son.

"It's already been given, what else can I do?" Zhao Hao also felt a little guilty and said unconfidently: "I can't just go to their house and ask them to return it, right? Do you have any shame?"

Zhao Xiaoqian snorted coldly, "Remember, if you accept a gift, you have to do the job. You can't break the rules. If you accept the money and don't get the job done, don't blame me for getting mad. When I get mad, I'll even beat my own father..."

Zhao Hao: “…………”

Dear, dear...

The only child in the family, the only child in the family...

Zhao Hao muttered a few words and his emotions quickly calmed down.

"There is no time to lose. Now that you are back, you should hurry to Yanfu Palace to meet the emperor. This matter must have the emperor's support, otherwise you will die." Zhao Hao said seriously.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and said, "I will go now. After returning from Yanfu Palace, I will go to Fanglin Garden to pay my respects to mother."

Zhao Hao waved his hand and said, "Go ahead. I'll sit for a while, then I'll go back to the palace and wait for your news."

"Why are you sitting here, father? Give up, you won't be able to catch any fish." Zhao Xiaoqian advised.

Zhao Hao snorted coldly, "I don't fish. I've hired a few fishing boats. Today, I'll kill all nine of their clans. I'll wait here to see what happens to them."

Then Zhao Hao looked up and smiled at him kindly: "My son, go quickly and come back soon. Come back and have some fish soup."

…………

Starting from the Bian River, Zhao Xiaoqian entered the city through Kaiyuan Gate.

After entering the city, he did not go to Yeonbok Palace, but went straight to the Ministry of War.

When the border commander returned to the capital, the first thing he did was not to see the emperor, but to hand over the military power. Any sensible person should do this. Otherwise, if he returned to the capital and still held the military power of the border, wouldn't that be courting death?

After leading Chen Shou and hundreds of other imperial guards to dismount outside the city gate, Zhao Xiaoqian walked into the city gate.

The imperial guards guarding the city gate glanced at Zhao Xiaoqian casually, then were stunned, their eyes widened, and their faces were full of surprise.

"Are you His Royal Highness the Prince of Hejian?" the captain on duty asked tentatively.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Yes, it's me."

The captain immediately showed a look of awe and admiration, took a step back, and bowed to Zhao Xiaoqian and clasped his fists: "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Prince!"

The imperial guards behind him also saluted, and the scene suddenly became very solemn. The people around looked at the imperial guards who were saluting in confusion, and whispered to each other.

Zhao Xiaoqian was stunned. He hadn't been back for half a year, and now even strangers in the Song Dynasty were being treated with such formality? Was it because I couldn't keep up with the times? Had my face been run over by the wheels of time?

Before Zhao Xiaoqian could ask, the captain said respectfully, "Your Highness has enhanced the prestige of the Song Dynasty in Zhending Prefecture, defeated the Liao army twice, washed away a century of shame for the Song Dynasty, and secured peace for the Song Dynasty's soldiers and civilians. Your Highness is an unparalleled hero of the Song Dynasty, and we should show respect to him with proper etiquette."

As soon as the voice fell, the people watching nearby reacted and immediately said with joy: "It turned out to be His Royal Highness the Prince of Hejian! His Royal Highness the Prince of Hejian has returned to the capital!"

Then the people around him also stepped back and made way, saluted Zhao Xiaoqian respectfully, with solemn and respectful expressions on their faces.

The crowd saluted with great piety, regardless of status, as a pure courtesy to the hero. Just like paying homage to gods and Buddhas in temples, they placed the hero on a high pedestal, and only in this way could they express their respect for the hero.

Zhao Xiaoqian looked around in surprise, his face moved.

This feeling of being admired and worshipped by everyone was something he had never experienced in his two lifetimes.

No wonder so many people throughout history have aspired to be heroes. It turns out that being a hero feels really good.

With the word "hero", thousands of people lined the streets to welcome him.

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian finally experienced the meaning of this word personally.

Facing the admiring gazes of the imperial guards and the people, Zhao Xiaoqian didn't know what to say. He just bowed to everyone around him and then walked into the city.

The news spread like a plague, from outside the city to inside.

After Zhao Xiaoqian entered the city, every time he took a step, he could see the people taking the initiative to make way for him and standing respectfully on the roadside to salute him.

The originally bustling and noisy city of Bianjing seemed to be frozen as Zhao Xiaoqian entered the city, and the area centered on him seemed to be frozen.

Officials, imperial guards, common people, merchants, no matter who they met along the way, all automatically and consciously gave way and bowed.

Some brave people even stepped forward, saluted, and said deeply, "Your Highness, you have worked hard guarding the border."

Zhao Xiaoqian's face felt numb, and the feeling of being the center of attention made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Finally, Zhao Xiaoqian stopped on the street, looked around, smiled bitterly, and said, "There's no need for this, everyone. I'm not a hero. I'm just following orders. The real heroes are those soldiers who died on the battlefield."

The people and merchants around nodded in agreement, and then Zhao Xiaoqian continued to move forward, and the people on the roadside still saluted respectfully.

Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to quicken his pace, regretting not having a carriage ready to enter the city. Such a high profile was out of character for him. After walking for half an hour, he arrived at the Ministry of War office on the side of Imperial Street. Zhao Xiaoqian entered and handed over the original appointment documents and the tiger talisman for mobilizing troops to the official on duty.

The officer on duty today was a military official, whom Zhao Xiaoqian did not recognize.

After entering the back hall and seeing him, Zhao Xiaoqian took the initiative to hand over the documents, tiger talisman and seal. The official was stunned, but when he saw it was Zhao Xiaoqian himself, his expression changed immediately. He hurriedly stood up, bowed respectfully to the ground, and said, "Greetings to His Highness the Prince." He then completed the handover of military power meticulously.

Zhao Xiaoqian had become numb to the attitudes of officials and the people towards him, so he could only force a smile and immediately turned around and left after handing over the task.

Since entering the city, he has been inexplicably treated as a hero, which was something Zhao Xiaoqian had never expected.

After leaving the Ministry of War, Zhao Xiaoqian went straight to Yanfu Palace.

As soon as I arrived outside the palace gate, I saw another acquaintance.

Zhao Xu's personal eunuch Zheng Chunhe was standing outside the palace gate, looking at him with a smile.

Zhao Xiaoqian hurried forward, and Zheng Chunhe bowed first: "Your Highness, it's been a long time since we last met. I am glad to see that Your Highness looks as beautiful as ever. I am so happy."

I don’t know when this habit started, but Zhao Xiaoqian would subconsciously reach into his pockets whenever he saw Zheng Chunhe.

However, today, as soon as Zhao Xiaoqian put his hand into his arms, he was stopped by Zheng Chunhe.

"Your Highness, I am here to welcome you today, and I do so with all my heart, simply to see an old friend. If Your Highness were to offer anything in return, it would be a betrayal of my sincerity."

Zhao Xiaoqian was quite surprised, but he still laughed and didn't say anything.

"I am really flattered that Eunuch Zheng came out of the palace to greet me personally." Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Zheng Chunhe also laughed and said, "Your Highness's return to the city caused a great commotion. The common people and merchants in the streets and alleys all bowed respectfully to greet you, saying that it was a great gossip in the capital. The Imperial City Office reported this to the Emperor, who was overjoyed to hear that Your Highness had returned to the capital, but since it was inconvenient for him to go out to the palace to greet you personally, he ordered this servant to wait here for you."

Zhao Xiaoqian hurriedly bowed towards the palace gate to express his gratitude.

Zheng Chunhe led Zhao Xiaoqian into the palace. Along the way, he saw the imperial guards on duty at the palace, and the soldiers saluted him one after another.

It has to be said that Zhao Xiaoqian's achievement of leading the Dragon Guard Camp to defeat the Liao army twice and annihilate 80,000 enemies has long been spread throughout the Song Dynasty. Now Zhao Xiaoqian's reputation in the Song Dynasty is so high that it has exceeded his own expectations.

In his opinion, he had only fought two battles with the Liao army on the emperor's orders. He had advanced and domineering truth in his hands, so victory was nothing surprising.

For Zhao Xiaoqian, he just completed the task assigned to him by his superiors, nothing more.

But in the eyes of the people of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xiaoqian had accomplished something that no one in the Song Dynasty had been able to do in the past hundred years. Every victory on the front line brought honor to the people of the Song Dynasty, and the shame and grievances accumulated over the past hundred years were swept away with the two victories.

Based on this point alone, Zhao Xiaoqian was worthy of the respect and admiration of the people of the Song Dynasty, and he could naturally withstand all kinds of honors.

As Zheng Chunhe entered the palace, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the familiar palace around him, and even many familiar palace maids, and couldn't help but smile for the first time in a long time.

Walking on the way to Funing Hall, Zheng Chunhe kept walking in a half-bent posture, not knowing whether he was tired or not.

After walking for a while, Zheng Chunhe suddenly whispered, "The emperor didn't summon His Highness back to the capital, so why did His Highness come back so suddenly?"

Zhao Xiaoqian also whispered: "I've gotten into trouble, I came back to die..."

Zheng Chunhe was stunned and said hurriedly, "That's not the case. With your current reputation, no one in the court dares to touch you. You have done the emperor great honor. Even if you cause a small trouble, the emperor will not be too harsh on you."

Zhao Xiaoqian chuckled and said, "This is a big disaster. I'm afraid even the government won't be able to protect me."

Zheng Chunhe was a little nervous: "What kind of trouble has your Highness gotten into? Have you pierced the sky?"

"That's about right. I'm rushing back to ask for help, asking the government to personally mend the sky."

Zhao Xiaoqian spoke in an inappropriate manner. Zheng Chunhe looked at him several times, unable to confirm whether his words were true or false, so he had to remain silent. The two of them walked all the way to Funing Palace.

As soon as he arrived at the Funing Palace, he saw Zhao Xu in a yellow robe standing at the door outside the palace, smiling gently at Zhao Xiaoqian, with a warm and gentle look in his eyes.

Zhao Xiaoqian was startled and hurried forward to salute: "Your Majesty, I, Zhao Xiaoqian, have not returned to the capital in accordance with the imperial edict. I beg your forgiveness."

Before Zhao Xiaoqian could bend down, Zhao Xu stepped forward and supported his arm.

"Zi'an's sudden return to the capital must be due to something important. Let's not talk about that for now. Let me take a good look at you..."

Zhao Xu looked him up and down for a long moment, then suddenly sighed, "Zi'an has lost a lot of weight and darkened a lot. Guarding the border must be very hard. For the Song Dynasty and for me, Zi'an has toiled day and night, sleeping in the open air. I'm sorry for the hardship."

Zhao Xiaoqian was moved and said, "It's all my duty. It can't be said to be hard. I am very satisfied to be able to share the worries of the emperor."

When the king and his ministers reunited, there was no grand ceremony. A warm greeting from each other was more valuable than all the formalities in the world.

Holding Zhao Xiaoqian's arm with one hand, Zhao Xu pulled him into the hall.

"Come, brother, we haven't seen each other for six months. Zi'an, tell me about your experiences defending the border... Zhending Prefecture has been defeated repeatedly by the Liao army. From the reports of victory, I can vaguely see Zi'an commanding the central army, planning strategies and winning battles thousands of miles away. I long for him. Come and tell me about it."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled bitterly and said, "I'm sorry, instructor. The scene wasn't that exciting. I simply issued a few military orders, and the soldiers followed them. Without knowing why, the Liao army was defeated."

Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "We won two battles in a row, annihilating over 80,000 enemies, yet you make it sound so easy. Zi'an, you must be modest and tell me the truth."

(End of this chapter)