The grass in the factory should be plucked

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the much-anticipated Wanshou Festival finally arrived.

Before daybreak, the gates on both sides of Zhuque Street had quietly changed their posts.

The armored soldiers of the Imperial Guard were lined up in three rows, the long spears in their hands gleaming coldly in the dim light.

There are East Factory operatives lurking in every corner of the imperial city, closely monitoring people's every move.

The deployment around the Hall of Supreme Harmony is even more airtight.

The Jinshui Bridge inside the Meridian Gate was guarded by twelve golden-armored warriors. When they saw an envoy group approaching, they would step forward to check their badges.

On the bell and drum tower farther away, the commander of the Five Cities Army was looking through a map of the city's defenses. Thirty-six commanding heights were circled in cinnabar on the map, and next to each point was the name of the captain on duty and the time of the shift change.

At this time, the outer city was already in jubilation.

The power of the Chu State grew day by day, and it successively incorporated the Six Kingdoms in the southern Xinjiang and Turpan in the western regions into its territory. Even the Mongols and Jurchens who had invaded the Chu State every year were subdued and surrendered to it.

Therefore, Nangong Qinghe, the young emperor, enjoyed great reputation among the common people.

The emperor's birthday must be celebrated properly!

I hope this emperor lives long and leads the people to live a better life!

Just after the fifth watch, the market in the outer city was in an uproar.

The old man selling sugar paintings held up a bundle of straw filled with dragon and phoenix shapes, and used the golden syrup to write the four big words "Long Live the Buddha", which attracted the children to gather around and clap their hands.

The shop assistants climbed up ladders to hang colorful silk on the door lintel, winding the red, yellow and green ribbons into the shape of a colorful dragon.

The busiest area is the overpass area.

The men in the dragon dance team were bare-armed, with red ribbons tied around their waists, and a twenty-meter-long golden dragon was tumbling to the beat of the drums; the boys in the acrobatic troupe were walking across a single-plank bridge on stilts, holding colorful flags embroidered with "Peace in the World", and the onlookers were gathered in three layers, constantly bursting into cheers.

The layout of every part of the palace is also festive.

On both sides of the corridor from the Meridian Gate to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there is a stone lampstand every five feet. The lampstand is carved into the shape of a lotus and has a built-in glass lamp. When it is lit at night, it looks like a river of stars falling to the ground.

A glazed greenhouse was built on the Qiong Island in the Imperial Garden. The peonies and peonies inside were all precious treasures tributed from various places. The petals were still covered with morning dew, and they complemented the thousands of glazed lamps in the greenhouse.

The gilded dome of the Hall of Supreme Harmony glowed softly in the morning light. Hundreds of palace lanterns were hung between the brackets under the eaves. The imperial road under the red steps was covered with a fifty-meter-long bright yellow carpet, embroidered with a pattern of thousands of bats holding longevity in gold thread.

The emperor will receive congratulations from civil and military officials and envoys from various countries here.

Nangong Qinghe was wearing the emperor's imperial robes and sitting on the dragon throne.

The seating arrangements for princes and ministers had already been arranged according to etiquette.

On both sides of the Danbi just below the dragon throne, the seats covered with bright yellow brocade are reserved for princes. The seats for the princes are located behind the princes, arranged in order of seniority.

The most conspicuous among them are naturally the prince couple Jiang Li and Xie Changan.

After Xie Chang'an led the Dingguo Army back to the court, he was finally promoted to Prince of Anguo for his military merits and was able to sit with his wife.

The couple wore the crown and robes of a prince, and looked like bright pearls and jade among the royal relatives, almost blinding the eyes of a group of royal relatives.

Further down are the Prince of Nanyue and the Prince of Nanlang in southern Xinjiang, as well as the newly appointed Prince of Xichang.

Although they were surrendered ministers, they were dazzled and amazed when they saw the prosperity and wealth of the Great Chu and the extreme luxury of the imperial palace.

Civil and military officials were arranged according to their ranks in the east and west corridors outside the hall.

The newly appointed Minister of Works, Mo Qillang, finally returned to Beijing. Tanned, he stared at Xie Changan in the hall with resentment.

This guy marched and fought in the desert, and he didn't get a single tan! His skin is so good it makes people jealous!

Officials below the third rank were arranged in the side halls on both sides of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Although they could not see the emperor in person, they could hear the music in the main hall through the carved window lattices.

Even so, every official sat upright, with the folds of his robes carefully smoothed out.

The envoys from various countries who came to pay their respects also arrived.

"The Mongols sent an envoy to—"

Following the announcement from the officials of the Honglu Temple, a group of figures dressed in sable fur coats walked across the white marble bridge and headed towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The Mongolian envoys headed by him were none other than the tenth prince Bater.

The princess of the Great Chu once hinted to him that the emperor of the Great Chu intended to support him to ascend the throne of Khan. Bater was overjoyed and took the initiative to lead the mission of paying tribute this time, intending to build a good relationship with the princess.

He naturally knew that the Emperor of Great Chu intended to help him ascend to the throne only because he was easy to control, but a puppet Khan was still a Khan, so why wouldn't he fight for his position?

The group walked up to His Majesty Dan, knelt on the ground, and presented gifts.

"Mongol mongolia offers twenty Ferghana horses, ready to ride them for your majesty."

Next came the Jurchen envoys, who presented countless fine animal skins and precious medicinal herbs such as ginseng.

"The Jurchen nation wishes Your Majesty a long life, as enduring as Mount Changbai."

The Dzungar delegation wore long robes woven with gold, and the leading envoy held a golden plate inlaid with turquoise, on which were placed countless sparkling gems.

"The Dzungar Khan hears of Your Majesty's long life and wishes Your Majesty to shine forever like a jewel."

Delegations from various countries presented gifts one after another, and officials from the Honglu Temple led them one by one to the banquet tables on both sides of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Nangong Qinghe glanced at the envoys from various countries.

Mongolia, Jurchen, Pagan, Dzungar, Kazakhstan, and even Goryeo in the east, Annan in the south, and Ryukyu in the East China Sea all came. Only the Kingdom of Japan sent a congratulatory message but did not send an envoy.

Nangong Qinghe thought of Jiang Li's guess.

Nan Xi took the Japanese evil cult Jiujiu Sect under his wing, naturally wanting to make Japan his base.

The soul-sucking insect escaped from its shell and abandoned Nangong Xihe's body. It is very likely that it escaped back to Japan.

I just don't know who he will possess?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look a little cold.

When the Fujian Navy and General Dinghai have firmly controlled the East China Sea, they will capture the island country of Japan in one fell swoop to see where the monster can escape to?

The ceremony ended and the banquet officially began.

The musicians played solemn classical music and the dancers performed the dance of "Spring Festival in All Parts of the World".

Amidst the ceremonial music, Nangong Qinghe raised his golden cup: "Four years have passed since I ascended the throne. Seeing so many nations come to pay tribute today is not the result of my own efforts, but the common aspirations of all people. We should respect heaven and earth, respect all the people, and respect the peaceful seas and rivers!"

Everyone raised their glasses and wished the emperor a long life, a long reign of prosperity and a long and prosperous era.

"Long live the Holy One, long live the Holy One!"

The shouts of "Long live" continued for a long time inside and outside the imperial city.

Nangong Qinghe was also feeling high-spirited and excited at this moment.

He unconsciously looked at Jiang Li sitting at the Prince's table.

She was wearing the crown of a prince, which covered her bulging belly. Xie Changan was holding her carefully, as if she was a fragile piece of glass.

Fireworks suddenly lit up outside the palace, and millions of sparks bloomed in the sky, as if all the light in the world had gathered in this palace.

Nangong Qinghe couldn't help but feel his eyes moist as he recalled the details of his first meeting with Jiang Li in the cold palace.

A Li, is this prosperous age what you wish for?