After the night banquet, Cao Rui was escorted back to his bedroom in the palace by guards.
The following morning, the Minister of Books Wang Chang delivered the latest petition sent from Luoyang by Wei Zhen.
"Wei Master's petition? Bring it here, let me see." Cao Rui said, gesturing towards Wang Chang.
Wang Chang handed over the petition, Cao Rui looked at it for a few moments, smiled and shook his head, then passed it back to Wang Chang.
Wang Chang showed a bit of surprise on his face, and Cao Rui laughed, "It seems that Wei Pu She is once again persuading me to return to Luoyang as soon as possible."
Wang Chang whispered, "When the King was at Chiting and Hanzhong, Wei Pu She reported to you every three days. However, after the King fell ill in Chencang, Wei Pu She started reporting to you every day."
Cao Rui laughed, "Wei Pu She is worried that I might be like last year and tour various places without returning to Luoyang temporarily!"
"Very well," Cao Rui pointed at Wang Chang, "Order sent out: the entire army will march to Luoyang at dawn! The soldiers must all be eager to return home."
Wang Chang bowed and agreed, "Your majesty, I will immediately convey your orders to the army."
Cao Rui suddenly remembered something: "The Jinglu Pan I saw yesterday is made of copper, isn't it? When we return to Luoyang, tell He Qiai, and once he takes office in Chang'an, have it melted down and transported to Luoyang."
Melted?
Wang Chang was surprised and said, "Your Majesty, this object is twenty zhang high and completely solid. If melted down, it will be destroyed."
Cao Rui nodded, "That's right. We should destroy it. It's of no use standing in Chang'an. It can be used to make military supplies and equipment in Luoyang. Such a big copper column must weigh at least tens of thousands of jin."
"If there are any leftovers, let the Ministry of Finance make some beautiful copper vessels. Each of the above-ranking nobles in the great Wei will be given a souvenir."
"I want to set an example with this matter. I do not seek immortality or enlightenment, nor will the future emperors of the Great Wei seek immortality or enlightenment, nor engage in useless activities that waste manpower and resources!"
This...
Wang Chang was taken aback for a moment, but after thinking it over, he agreed to it, as he believed it was in line with the emperor's style of doing things.
The next morning at sunrise, at a quarter past the fifth hour of the morning, the entire army of Zhongjun marched eastward from Chang'an City.
Two days later, when the emperor reached Tongguan, Wei Zhen in Luoyang received the news that the emperor was leading the central army back and would soon arrive in Luoyang.
The welcoming ceremony for the emperor's return after a victorious campaign will certainly be grandiose.
On one hand, there are various types of ceremonies, weapons, drums and flutes, and accompanying staff; on the other hand, there are the people and scale of the welcome.
Before Your Majesty returned from Huai Nan last year, messengers were sent back to the capital in advance, explicitly stating that they did not wish to go beyond thirty li from the city, in order to avoid excessive expenditure.
But Your Majesty did not say that this year!
Wei Zhen worked in the Hall of Books, and the Emperor's return to the capital was such a big matter that there was nothing to hide from people. So it didn't take several incense sticks of time for almost everyone in the Hall of Books, both upstairs and downstairs, to know about this.
After hearing about this, the Minister of Rites, Xu Xuan, sat behind his desk and pondered for a moment before making a decision.
He slammed his fist on the table, startling the messenger next to him, and stood up quickly, walking in the direction of the Assisting Politics Hall with great haste.
Of course, it was to find Wei Zhen to take on this matter.
After Xu Xuan spoke with great enthusiasm for a while, Wei Zhen finally gently put down his ink brush, pointing to the chair beside him and said, "Why are you in such a hurry, Minister Xu? Sit down first, and then we can talk slowly."
Xu Xuan, who was interrupted by Wei Zhen, was a bit stunned. After sitting down, he continued to speak.
He talked about the lack of merit for the initial establishment of the Ministry of Rites, about what should be done by the Hall of Books and what should not be entrusted to the Bureau of rites, and about how he, Xu Xuan, would ensure that everything was handled perfectly and without a single mistake.
Wei Zhen nodded slightly with a hint of helplessness and replied, "So it seems you, Minister Xu, are genuinely keen to take this matter on?"
"Exactly! Wei Pu She, I am confident that I can handle this matter well!" Xu Xuan replied decisively.
"Very well, let Minister Xu put in the effort," Wei Zhen said, "There are three things you need to take care of first."
"The first thing is, Master Zhong Yao's health has been deteriorating, both physically and mentally. One of the Three Marquises has passed away, and the Marquis of Han is accompanying the army. There is only one Marquis of Tai left, Hua Taiwei. If Master Zhong does not attend, it might not look very good on the scene."
Xu Xuan quietly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Shall I go and invite Master Zhong? He is nearly eighty years old, how can I let him travel thirty li from the city to welcome the emperor?
Don't end up dying on the way!
Wei Zhen continued, "And there's more. Thirdly, we need to arrange for the grand reception at the palace."
"Second, when people are sent to welcome at the court, should there also be people sent to welcome at the palace?"
"Shall Mei Empress go? Will Sun and Guo Jieyuhu go? And will the just one-year-old prince go? All these need Minister Xu to communicate."
Xu Xuan's expression had turned to one of difficulty.
Wei Zhen continued, "The third thing is that Your Majesty has always been against extravagance, but there are some things that cannot be lacking in terms of pomp and ceremony. It's up to Minister Xu to handle it properly."
Xu Xuan bit his lips and bowed, replying, "The underling understands. May I ask, if the underling wants to submit a petition to the palace, to whom should he submit it? To the Dowager Empress or to Empress Guo?"
Wei Zhen knew that Xu Xuan was trying to curry favor with the emperor, so he replied without any hesitation, "Minister Xu is asking me? Then who should I ask?"
Xu Xuan knew that it was not appropriate.
This was something he clearly could not handle, yet he still wanted to claim the merit. Therefore, he did not mind losing face and bowed to the official in front of him, who was younger than himself.
"The underling is of low rank and has little influence, and it's really not appropriate for me to meddle in palace affairs. I would kindly ask Pu She Wei to inquire on my behalf, and for the other two matters, the underling will handle them properly."
Wei Zhen looked at Xu Xuan and saw that he was determined to take on this task. It was not like Xu Xuan's usual style, but since he had said so, Wei Zhen, as an official above him, couldn't refuse.
"Alright." Wei Zhen nodded: "I'll handle the affairs within the palace myself. Regarding Master Zhong, you can go and ask him. If Master Zhong is really unable to attend, there's no need to force him, as safety comes first."
Xu Xuan was overjoyed and immediately bowed to accept the task.
Wei Pu She is indeed generous!
……
Upon hearing that he was expected to come thirty li out of the city to welcome, Master Zhong Yao, who was sick in bed with poor mobility and unclear speech, still agreed to visit Xu Xuan at his residence.
Master Zhong Yao's eldest son, Zhong Yuchi, is nearing adulthood and is an excellent time for him to make progress in his career. If the emperor returns victorious, he will naturally be filled with confidence. If he calculates this, it will not be good.
He is already nearly eighty years old, unable to walk, so he will go in a carriage.
It won't do to die on the road, will it!
Master Zhong Yao agreed very readily, promising to come in a carriage and reassuring Xu Xuan that there was no need to worry.
Master Zhong's willingness to cooperate so readily had Xu Xuan thanking him profusely, making Master Zhong say that the etiquette was too much.
On the other side, Wei Zhen submitted a memorial to Empress Dowager Guo, and her response was quite direct.
Absolutely not allowed to send anyone from the palace!
Empress Dowager Guo was afraid of trouble and also afraid of making mistakes that might upset the emperor, so she adopted this one-size-fits-all approach.
However, the women in the harem all had their complaints.
Mei Empress is eager to bring the prince to the emperor so that the emperor can give him an early title.
Sun Jieyuhu, who is pregnant, also hopes to show mercy and get more favor from the emperor.
The other beauties in the harem all have similar thoughts.
The emperor has been away from Luoyang for more than half a year, and they have been lonely for half a year. They have been accumulating their vitality and spirit, and naturally they want to see the emperor as soon as possible.
Therefore, Empress Dowager Guo's move has caused a lot of resentment among the women in the harem.
On the early morning of the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, a group of officials and ministers from the State of Wei gathered at a place thirty li west of Luoyang City.
As Master Zhong was elderly and had a high status, Wei Zhen accompanied him and also sat in the pavilion to cool off. Wei Zhen specifically called two guards over to fan Master Zhong and himself, one on the left and one on the right.
It is still appropriate for the Prime Minister and the Marshal, so this treatment is still available.
The ministers over sixty years old among the nine officials and the secretaries of the six ministries could still get a seat. Common officials who are worth two thousand stones could only stand.
Welcoming the emperor is a physically demanding task.
By around the 11th hour, the emperor's large entourage finally arrived from the west.
First came ten thousand cavalrymen as the advance guard, galloping down the official road without pause. The dust kicked up by their hooves was scattered far and wide, causing quite a choking effect on many ministers waiting by the roadside.
The Grand Officer of the Judicial Bureau, Gao Rui, shouted, "Who the hell is commanding the army?"
After that, Gao Rui glanced sideways at the Dong Zha standing next to him, "Dong Zha, you must make sure to discipline this person properly!"
Dong Zhao held a post in the Western Pavilion of the palace and was responsible for such matters. However, Dong Zhao acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, feigning a slow response and first saying 'Ah,' then turning to look at Gao Rui, "What did Wenhui say? Cure who?"
Gao Rui was secretly cursing, but his expression on his face became friendly.
While saying that there was nothing to worry about, he gently wiped away the dust that had just settled on Dong Zhao's outer robe.
Gao Rui is not over sixty years old, so he couldn't get a seat.
Dong Zhao is old enough, but the seat under him was already taken by Wei Zhen's people when the cavalry came.
A seat is given to the old ministers as a sign of consideration before the emperor arrives. If they are allowed to sit when the emperor arrives, it would be seen as intentional harm.
After a while, the distant banner, a large one with alternating black and red stripes, was the first to catch the eyes of the ministers.
The so-called "dao" is a large flag that represents the emperor or the supreme commander's status.
During the march, the big standard is usually held by a very strong soldier riding a strong horse.
From the middle section of the flagpole, four ropes are tied out, one in front, one at the back, and one on each side. Each is held by a knight to maintain the balance of the standard and prevent it from falling over.
Such skills require a long period of practice.
Such a large standard is rarely used during normal military marches, only for ceremonial occasions.
The standard is held by five people working together, about nine chi (three meters) behind the emperor, symbolizing the nine-fives, which represents the supreme authority.
Seeing the standard is like seeing the emperor himself.
Cao Rui did not wear the eye-catching gold armor. Wearing armor in the summer was a form of torture, but he only wore a long robe over the inner layer.
Who can dictate the emperor's attire? There's nothing incongruous about it!
Cao Rui was dressed in a plain and elegant white, riding on a tall and magnificent white horse, moving at a moderate pace towards the east.
In front were ten thousand cavalrymen clearing the way, and behind were more than thirty thousand central army warriors.
And in front of them were all the senior officials of the capital city of the Great Wei.
Adding the joy of a big victory, the longing to return home for a long time...
Cao Rui rode his horse smiling, speeding up to the front of Wei Zhen and others. (This chapter is complete)
