In just a year and a half, Emperor Xingwu had broken through the capitals of Shu, Xiang, and Yue in the southern frontier, annexing their lands and peoples and fully unifying the north and south.
With this, his grand vision was realized, and now, as the victorious emperor returned, the two consorts, the princes and princesses, and the entire court of civil and military officials were all required to go out and welcome him.
All the ceremonial details were handled by the adults.
The three-year-old princess, accompanied by her nursemaid and Jie Yu, continued to eat and drink and rest as usual, without a care in the world.
Even on the morning of the seventh of June, when they were to wait outside the city gates for the imperial procession, Qingyang was still fast asleep, carried into the carriage by her mother.
By the time she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky!
Consort Li’s carriage was very spacious, with a bed and storage chests.
The windows were draped with three layers of gauze curtains, allowing air in while shielding the view from outside commoners.
For convenience, Consort Li had eaten and drunk very little that morning.
Though she didn’t need the toilet herself, she had prepared a portable chamber pot and change of clothes for her daughter.
The little princess’s chamber pot was made of gleaming brass, complete with a backrest, footrest, and armrests, its surface inlaid with multicolored gems.
Half-awake, the little princess relieved herself.
A maid covered the pot and moved it aside, and the nursemaid helped her wash her face and change clothes.
Consort Li watched with a gentle gaze from the side.
After her face was washed with cool water, Qingyang fully woke up.
She looked toward the window and asked, “Is Father here yet?”
Consort Li replied, “Another half an hour or so.”
Qingyang finished her breakfast and rinsed her mouth.
About a quarter of an hour passed.
Now full of energy, Qingyang couldn’t sit still.
She wanted to go outside and find her Third Brother, but since Consort Li didn’t allow her to leave the carriage, she had no choice but to lift the curtain slightly and peek through.
The two consorts’ carriages were stopped at the side of the official road so as not to block the ministers’ view when they later greeted Emperor Xingwu.
The nobles and officials had long since taken their places, standing in dense, orderly rows according to rank.
Directly in front of the consorts’ carriage window, standing at the very head of the line, were Prince Yong and the three princes.
The blazing sunlight from the east cast a red flush over the faces of the four uncle and nephews.
Qingyang whispered to her mother, “How long have they been standing?”
Consort Li sighed, “Almost an hour and a half.”
Qingyang had never experienced such a thing and couldn’t imagine the fatigue, so she didn’t think much of it.
She pointed to two officials in purple robes behind her brothers and asked, “Who are they?”
Consort Li, happy to have something to pass the time, leaned in to her daughter and began explaining softly, “The tall one is the Left Chancellor, he’s the Noble Consort’s father, surname Yan. Everyone calls him Chancellor Yan. The shorter, rounder one to the right is the Right Chancellor, surname Dai, so he’s Chancellor Dai.”
Qingyang asked, “Are Chancellors really important officials?”
Consort Li replied, “Yes, they’re the highest among all officials, that’s why they’re standing at the very front.”
Qingyang said, “Then they must be really powerful.”
Consort Li nodded in admiration, just about to share some of their accomplishments, when the little princess had already started asking about other people.
But Consort Li didn’t recognize everyone either.
After scanning the crowd, Qingyang asked curiously, “Where’s Zhang Su?”
She had already spotted her cousin Qin Liang, who always studied with Eldest Brother.
Consort Li said, “Only court officials and titled nobles were allowed to come greet the emperor today. Though Su-ge’er is the son of a duke, he doesn’t hold an official post. He’s in the back with his two elder brothers, you can’t see him from here.”
Qingyang said, “He has older brothers? I’ve never heard him mention them.”
Consort Li chuckled.
That boy hardly ever spoke casually, she didn’t know how a child that young could keep so much to himself.
About half an hour later, a palace attendant came by to invite the Noble Consort and Consort Li to bring the two princesses down from their carriages, meaning Emperor Xingwu was about to arrive.
Consort Li descended first, then led her daughter to follow behind the Noble Consort and Princess Yongkang, stopping at the side of the princes.
After a quick rearrangement, the five royal children stood in a line by age.
Qingyang happily held her Third Brother’s hand.
Qin Ren glanced at his carefree little sister and silently fretted over his string of “B” grades on the big and small exams.
As the sun grew hotter, time seemed to stretch endlessly.
Just as Qingyang was about to shift her feet, a cloud of yellow dust suddenly rolled up ahead.
Qingyang tightened her grip on Third Brother’s hand.
Qin Ren comforted her, “That’s the dust kicked up by galloping warhorses. It’ll clear soon.”
As he finished speaking, tens of thousands of cavalry came to a halt at a distance.
Only a small escort of personal guards advanced with the emperor and several generals toward the city gate.
Qin Ren was so excited he trembled all over.
Releasing his sister’s hand, he said quickly, “The one on the white horse at the front, that’s Father!”
Qingyang spotted the white horse, its snow-white coat shimmered under the sun.
Atop it sat a man in a yellow brocade battle armor, woven with gold thread.
Before Qingyang could clearly see the man’s face, a short, commanding voice came from above her head, Uncle Wang.
“Kneel.”
Qin Ren instantly grabbed his sister’s hand and dropped to his knees, joining the officials behind them in shouting a resounding welcome to the emperor.
The sound of hooves ceased.
After over a year of campaigning, Emperor Xingwu of Great Qi, founder of the dynasty, had finally returned once more to the gates of his familiar yet distant capital.
His gaze swept forward like a tide, passing over the two consorts kneeling at the front, the ministers arrayed in the middle, and the towering city walls and gates behind them.
Then, like the tide retreating, his eyes drew back in sequence, lingering briefly on the one person who, though kneeling, dared to look up at him out of curiosity, his little princess.
Among everyone present, she alone had the courage to lift her gaze.
Emperor Xingwu smiled and called out in a loud, clear voice, “You may rise!”
With a great rustling sound, the ministers all stood up.
The emperor leapt down from his white horse and strode forward to pick up the little princess.
His eyes were full of longing and tenderness as he teased, “Lin’er, do you still remember your father?”
Qingyang didn’t remember.
But she found that her father looked a bit like Uncle Wang, only taller, stronger, more handsome, and far more imposing!
So this was Father, the father her mother always said was the most powerful man in the world, the one everyone in the palace and beyond had to obey.
The little princess just stared fixedly at him, forgetting to answer.
But her clear, watery black eyes held no trace of fear or shyness toward a stranger.
Instead, they gleamed brighter and brighter, as though she had discovered some rare treasure.
Everything in her gaze said she liked what she saw, as if she had come to inspect her father and was more than satisfied with the result!
Emperor Xingwu couldn’t help but smile under her gaze, amused and touched.
He gently tapped her cheek and asked, “What are you looking at? Have you finally remembered your father?”
From his smile and actions, Qingyang could feel just how much he liked her.
She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against the armor on his shoulder, continuing to study his side profile and chin with curious eyes.
Emperor Xingwu’s heart melted completely.
But given the timing, he merely held his daughter in his arms, said a few words to each of his other four children, then went to speak with Prince Yong and the two chancellors.
The scene outside the city was just the ceremonial welcome.
The real reception would be the palace banquet later.
After conversing with the officials for about half an hour, Emperor Xingwu was ready to enter the city.
He chose to ride on horseback again, and before mounting, he prepared to hand his daughter back to Consort Li.
But Qingyang clung tightly to him and said, “I want to ride too.”
The carriage was blocked on all sides, she couldn’t see anything from inside.
Consort Li’s heart clenched.
She worried the emperor would blame her for raising a spoiled child, and she quickly tried to coax her daughter while reaching out to take her.
But Emperor Xingwu thought his daughter simply couldn’t bear to leave him and laughed heartily as he brushed Consort Li’s hand aside.
“Forget it. Let Lin’er ride with me.”
Consort Li panicked, now afraid the emperor might let her fall from the horse.
Emperor Xingwu shot her a warning glance.
He’d been abstinent for over a year, deliberately avoiding even looking her way.
And now she was trying to move closer and meddle, was she trying to see just how far she could push him?