The human heart is like this, there will always be some ups and downs in order to survive. If you are stuck in a pool of stagnant water, you will be hopeless.
In fact, it takes a very strong heart to live to Dou Jiande's age and still come out to see how majestic Du Fuwei is.
The team arrived late, a few streets away, and before anyone could be seen, Dou Jiande knew that the team had arrived.
Because the people below the small building suddenly became excited, and the cheers became louder and louder. Some people even put out incense burners and tables, holding incense there. I don’t know which god they are worshiping, or if they want to give it to Du.
Your Majesty, build a shrine or something.
Anyway, Dou Jiande... had seen such a scene before. Damn, the time he was escorted to Chang'an was similar to this. On the contrary, when he was in Hebei, there was no such scene.
At that time, no one had enough to eat, so why would they go through this formality? And there weren’t that many people cheering for it...
The people were really rejoicing, and everyone could see it.
Ms. Cao, who was standing next to her, said, "Li... the emperor has governed well, better than us. Look at how happy they are..."
Dou Jiande didn't say anything, how could he not know this? And if Li Ding'an didn't have such ability, he wouldn't be able to catch him, right? Dou Jiande?
…………
When Du Fuwei is walking in the team, his position must be conspicuous. Whether there are guards or accompanying officials, senior officials will fall behind him, and everyone around him will dismount and walk.
Behind him, there were people holding two big flags. One was the sun, moon and stars flag with the Chinese characters for Tang, which was the national flag of the Tang Dynasty.
The other pole is the king's flag belonging to Du Fuwei. It is also in the style of the sun, moon and stars flag, but it has a big character "Li" on one side and the word "King Wu" on the other side.
At this moment, Du Fuwei was the real protagonist. Wherever he went, people prostrated themselves one after another, and the cheers were deafening and reverberated throughout Chang'an.
Du Fuwei looked left and right on his horse, tens of thousands of people were watching him, and tens of thousands of people were worshiping him. Naturally, he was very proud of himself, but his face tightened his expression and put on a mighty look.
He was very satisfied with the arrangement of the imperial court, and no other people who returned to Beijing to report on their duties had so many thoughts. He enjoyed the grand occasion at this moment very much.
He was also supported by people when he was in Jiangdu. Every time he came back from an expedition, his subordinates would organize a crowd of people to greet him, but that was completely incomparable with this meeting. Most of them just wanted to be lively and happy, and their sense of honor was pitifully low.
So Du Fuwei's mood sublimated a little amid the unstoppable cheers. His sense of belonging to the Tang Dynasty had never been as strong as at this moment. This was exactly the scene he had dreamed of.
No one talks about his family background anymore, and no one calls him a traitor...
What A Niang said when she left came to mind again. The eldest son has been sensible since he was a child. The fortune teller also said that he will be an official in the future. He must not do that sneaky business. Let A Niang and you
I'm watching you live a good life underground, and that makes us feel at ease.
Du Fuwei's eyes gradually turned red. At this time, he seemed to feel something and looked up.
There are people on the street, and there are also figures on the buildings and terraces next to it, but a two-story building with no one around is quite unique. There is a person sitting in front of the window, looking at him with his head stretched out.
Du Fuwei squinted his eyes. He had a round face, very fat, and a big beard with gray hair. Who else could he be if it wasn't Dou Jiande?
He and Dou Jiande were both considered as one of the princes in the late Sui Dynasty. They had never met each other, but they exchanged letters many times. It was only when Dou Jiande was captured and brought to Chang'an that he finally saw the true face of the King of Hebei.
We haven't seen each other for several years now. Dou Jiande looks very old. If his face was really special, he wouldn't be able to recognize him at a glance.
The two people looked at each other across the crowd and the house wall.
There are no special effects of sparks flying, but the mood is quite complicated.
Dou Jiande was a little envious, but he also hid a little contempt.
Du Fuwei, on the other hand, had some pity, feelings and luck. After all, he had not fallen to the level of Lao Dou. He was a hero for a lifetime, but in the end his life was similar to that of ordinary people. If it were him, Du Fuwei would definitely not be able to bear it.
The two remaining heroes of the late Sui Dynasty looked at each other from a distance. Needless to say, there was a strange feeling.
Du Fuwei took the lead and nodded slightly, then raised his hand on the horse.
Dou Jiande, who was upstairs, stood up and solemnly returned the greeting. With a sigh, he turned around and left. Mrs. Cao looked out the window, snorted in her nostrils, and left after her husband.
Du Fuwei smiled slightly and said to himself that Old Dou is already so old and he is still not convinced. Don't lose your head one day...
Although the two people didn't say a word, they looked at each other as if they had already spoken a thousand words, as if they had met an old lover from a previous life.
Because although their current situations are very different, their past experiences are very similar, their statuses are similar, and they are the ones who can best understand what the other person is thinking.
Dou Jiande knew that Du Fuwei would definitely think when he saw him, it's a good thing we were smart and didn't end up like Lao Dou, otherwise we might as well die.
Du Fuwei could also guess that Dou Jiande's eyes turned blue with envy, and he must have scolded you a few times, you are a boneless thing. Now that you are being used as a hawk, why are you so proud?
Du Fuwei withdrew his gaze and continued to move forward, but he was thinking about whether he should go see Lao Dou later. Lao Dou definitely didn't want to see him again, so he went to show off and make the old thief angry to death.
…………
For Du Fuwei, this can only be a small episode, and the previous story only happened a few years ago, but for both Du Fuwei and Dou Jiande, it seems like a lifetime has passed.
Du Fuwei felt a little sentimental and put it aside, because he was the protagonist today, and the people of Chang'an were very enthusiastic, which made Du Fuwei very excited.
This is not a time spent in this world...
Arriving in front of the Zhuque Gate, the soldiers guarding the Zhuque Gate beat their chests together, gave military salutes, and shouted in unison: "We sincerely welcome His Highness the King of Wu to return to the court after victory."
Du Fuwei also returned the military salute and beat his chest heavily.
The team did not stop here and slowly entered the imperial city.
It is much quieter here than outside. Most of the relatives in the city have sent people here to greet King Wu back to the capital according to the courtesy. They will not show their faces.
Therefore, after a while by the roadside, you would see a descendant of a noble family politely bowing to the King of Wu, and Du Fuwei would bow his hands on his horse and pass by.
When he was approaching Chengtianmen, Du Fuwei finally saw his son-in-law and daughters, who gathered on the roadside and watched eagerly. When he saw his grandpa arriving, he burst into joy, knelt down and kowtowed to him.
The team stayed here for a long time. Du Fuwei briefly talked to his family, and then urged them to go back to the house to get ready. If they had anything to say, he would wait until he got home to talk about it.
Well, that's all for the other sons-in-law. He talks the most to his younger son-in-law Du Zhenglun. There is nothing he can do about it. His younger daughter is marrying well, and this son-in-law is very precious to him.
After Du Fuwei saw his family and mounted his horse, the team set off again.
We went all the way to the square outside Chengtian Gate. The place was heavily guarded and no other people were allowed to enter.
Du Fuwei shook his head and looked at the tower above Chengtian Gate. There were soldiers guarding it, but he did not see the emperor's guard of honor. To be honest, he felt a little regretful.
He had thought about it before. If the emperor came to Chengtianmen, no matter whether he was above or below, he, Du Fuwei, would treat him with all his energy. He must make the emperor happy, thinking that he, Du Fuwei, would come to trouble.
.
It's a pity that the emperor never gave him a chance to perform.
…………
At Chengtianmen, officials from Menxia Province, Honglu Temple, Taichang Temple, and Sinong Temple greeted the team, and none of the chief officials showed up.
Originally, offering victory should be treated as a royal treat, with hundreds of civil and military officials present, the emperor sitting high in the Taiji Hall, and allowing the meritorious officials to offer victory to His Highness Taiji.
However, Li Jing had already sent King Gaocheng of Goguryeo and others to Chang'an last year, so the return of Wu King Du Fuwei this time was not enough.
In addition, Li Jing has not returned to the court yet, so we need to leave some room for another fun.
So the court discussed it and suppressed the specifications for receiving King Wu Du Fuwei. Even so, after the news spread, the people of Chang'an were still very considerate and came together to welcome His Highness King Wu back to the court, making the scene big.
A lot.
The courtiers heard about it and thought that this was a good idea, as it would save them a lot of trouble, especially since the scene was more grand and the people acted voluntarily. The court was in good graces and Du Fuwei, who had returned, would not think too much about it. It could be said that it was
Get the best of both worlds, why not.
Outside Chengtian Gate, the procession slowly stopped when it arrived. Officials separated the dejected Goguryeo men and women and asked them to line up.
Surrounded by soldiers who escorted the team back this time.
Dugu Kaiyuan, the young minister of Honglu Temple, held the imperial edict and read it loudly.
What I was reading was a meritorious article drafted by Cen Wenwen, the Vice Minister of Zhongshu, which was all about the merits of the East China Sea War. It was full of splendid citations and quotations from scriptures. The format was more like the later eight-part article, and it rhymed very much, because Cen Wenwen’s writing style was very good.
Okay, every sentence is very encouraging.
Unfortunately, it was difficult for the officers and soldiers, including Du Fuwei, to understand what was written.
Just like when Li Po raised an army to attack Li Yuan, Wang Ze drafted a petition to criticize Li. They were all read to the upper class elites, not ordinary people.
The morale of the generals and officers in the army was not boosted by any kind of propaganda. It was just a formality to tell the elites in the world that I, Li Ding'an, was going to crusade against the rebellious ministers and traitors. I was righteous and did not raise the army for no reason.
Dugu Kaiyuan started reciting for half an hour. Du Fuwei made circles in his eyes and had to bow his head in a respectful manner. When Dugu Kaiyuan finally finished reciting, he breathed a sigh of relief.
I thought to myself that if anyone had dared to do this back then, I would have killed his family and given it to the Dragon King.
According to etiquette, after reading the edict, Dugu Kaiyuan held it in both hands and presented it to Du Fuwei...
This chapter has been completed!