The heart of the Great Qian Dynasty, the capital city.
The Xu family's convoy stopped three miles outside the Yongding Gate.
Looking up, the dark blue city walls pierced the sky. It looked like a prehistoric behemoth crouching on the ground. Compared to this, the city walls in Jiangnan were at best just earthen enclosures.
Xu Youde couldn't sit still in the carriage. He lifted the curtain a crack, peeked out, and with a tremble of his hand, let the curtain fall back.
He pulled out the purple clay teapot he always kept in his sleeve, wanting to take a sip of tea to calm his nerves. He brought the spout to his mouth, then immediately pulled it away.
"Hiss!"
He looked down at the Jiangnan silk robe he was wearing, finding it too conspicuous no matter how he looked at it.
Xu Youde tore open a bundle, pulled out a dark blue Hangzhou silk robe, and threw it on. He then reached up, pulled out the gold hairpin from his hair, and replaced it with a wooden one.
The calculating, ever-smiling magistrate of Jiangning County was gone, replaced by a tense, cautious old man who didn't even dare to breathe heavily.
The convoy was moving forward slowly.
They reached the city gate.
"Halt!"
A loud shout smashed over.
Two gleaming long spears crossed in the middle of the road, blocking the Xu family convoy.
A centurion of the Imperial Guards wearing fish-scale armor strode forward. With one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist, he looked up and down at the few large carriages in front.
"Where are you from? Where's your travel permit?"
Li Sheng reined in his horse, dismounted, and pulled out the travel permit from his chest to hand over.
"From Jiangning County, Jiangnan."
The centurion took the travel permit, didn't look at it, and casually tapped it against his palm.
He glanced sideways at the carriages carrying trunks behind them.
"Merchants from Jiangning." The centurion dragged out his tone, weighing the travel permit in his hand. "Our capital has strict rules. If the heavy carts damage the bluestone slabs, you have to pay for road repairs. Looking at your rut marks, you have a lot of stuff. This city entry tax..."
He held out three fingers and rubbed them together.
There were many merchants lining up to enter the city, and they all poked their heads out to watch the fun.
"Rich bumpkins from out of town, they'll be skinned alive when they get to the capital."
"This centurion is famously corrupt. These Jiangnan folks are going to lose some money."
Li Sheng didn't pull out any silver.
He took a step back and turned to look at the largest carriage in the middle.
The curtain wasn't lifted.
Xu Qinghuan's voice came from inside the carriage.
"Li Sheng, give it to him."
The centurion grinned.
A fair hand reached out from the crack in the carriage window, holding something between its fingers, and lightly tossed it forward.
A golden light flashed.
"Smack!"
The object hit the centurion squarely on his breastplate, then fell into his arms.
The centurion was furious.
"How dare you throw things at me..."
He looked down.
The cursing stopped abruptly.
In his arms was a plaque made of pure gold, with two large words engraved on it: Imperial Grant. Below it hung bright yellow tassels.
It was a gold medal imperial edict!
The color drained completely from the centurion's face.
His knees went soft.
With a "thud," he fell straight to his knees in the yellow dirt.
"Long live the Emperor, long live, long, long live!" the centurion howled at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking.
The merchants watching the fun around them were all dumbfounded, and a large swath of them fell to their knees.
Xu Qinghuan's indifferent voice came from inside the carriage.
"Can we enter now?"
The centurion scrambled up from the ground, raised the gold medal imperial edict above his head, and handed it forward with trembling hands.
Li Sheng took it and handed it back into the carriage.
The centurion turned around and waved frantically at his subordinates.
"Make way! Everyone make way! Open the Imperial Way!"
Rumble.
The main gate in the middle, which was normally kept tightly shut and only royals and generals who had made great contributions could pass through, was pushed open by a few guards.
Without even lining up, the Xu family convoy swaggered through the Imperial Way under the shocked gazes of hundreds of people.
As soon as they entered the city, the atmosphere changed completely.
Zhuque Street was terrifyingly wide, more than enough for eight horses to run side by side.
There were no weeping willows and small bridges over flowing water like in the water towns of Jiangnan. Both sides were lined with gray walls and red tiles, exuding an air of solemnity and austerity.
The pedestrians on the street walked with a brisk pace.
The convoy traveled unimpeded all the way to the foot of the Imperial City.
Further ahead was the Meridian Gate, where carriages were not allowed.
Everyone got off at the edge of the square.
It was still early, and the palace gates hadn't opened. Many officials waiting to be summoned for the morning court were already standing in the square.
Xu Youde got out of the carriage, stood in the wind with his hands in his sleeves, his legs trembling uncontrollably, not knowing whether it was from the cold or from fear.
Xu Wuyou stood nearby, looking around.
Xu Qinghuan jumped out of the carriage and rolled her stiff neck.
It was the fourth month of the lunar calendar. In Jiangnan, the flowers had long since withered, the leaves were green, and people were enjoying the cool breeze of early summer.
But in this northern region, the air was still chilly.
Xu Qinghuan looked up at the imperial gardens in the distance.
Behind the high rockeries and pavilions, a section of red wall and yellow tiles peeked out. Over that wall, a few branches of blooming peach blossoms actually protruded. The pink petals swayed in the north wind.
She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and muttered.
"What nice weather."
"The fragrant flowers of April have faded in the human world, but the peach blossoms in the mountain temple are just beginning to bloom."
She casually commented on the climate and the blooming season.
Xu Qinghuan didn't deliberately lower her voice.
A few minor capital officials in green official robes nearby heard her.
They looked at each other.
An official with a goatee curled his lip and snorted through his nose.
"A merchant magistrate reeking of copper, who managed to get his daughter the title of Commandery Princess, actually came to the foot of the Imperial City to pretend to be cultured. Morals are truly declining."
Another slightly older official didn't respond.
The older official pulled his companion and silently stepped three paces away.
He stayed far away, afraid of being tainted by these plagues from Jiangnan.
Creak—
A dull, heavy friction sound rang out.
The Meridian Gate opened.
The officials quickly entered the hall according to etiquette.
An old eunuch in a purple eunuch uniform, holding a fly whisk, walked out with small, quick steps.
He stood still on the steps and shouted in a shrill voice.
"Summoning—Commandery Princess Ci'an of Jiangning, Xu Qinghuan, and her father Xu Youde, for an immediate audience!"
Hearing this shout, Xu Youde shuddered.
He rubbed the cold sweat from his palms and turned to look at his daughter.
Xu Qinghuan smoothed the hem of her clothes and stepped forward.
"Let's go, Father."
Xu Youde gritted his back teeth and followed.
The two walked across the long white marble square.
On both sides of the Meridian Gate stood two rows of fully armed Imperial Guards.
Gleaming swords and spears pointed straight at the sky.
The Xu father and daughter walked in the middle, and the soldiers on both sides turned their heads in unison, their armor rubbing together with a harsh "clatter."
The sound converged and pressed down heavily.
Xu Qinghuan kept her back perfectly straight, walking steadily, step by step.
Xu Youde fell half a step behind. His breathing was heavy, his calves were cramping, and he barely managed to keep his balance by pinching the flesh on his thighs, preventing himself from collapsing in front of the entire civil and military court.
Past the Meridian Gate, they arrived at the bottom of the jade steps outside the Golden Throne Room.
The old eunuch leading the way stopped.
He turned around, flicked his fly whisk, and pointed at Xu Wuyou and Xu Zijin following behind.
"You two lords, please stay here."
"The rule for an imperial audience is that attendants are not allowed in the hall."
"Remove your swords, take off your shoes."
Xu Youde looked back.
From the moment they stepped onto these jade steps, it would just be the two of them, father and daughter.
He had to follow his daughter, empty-handed, to face the supreme ruler of the world who held the power of life and death.
Taking off their boots, they changed into soft-soled palace shoes.
The father and daughter stepped into the Golden Throne Hall.
The great hall was incredibly high. It was so high that it felt vast and empty.
The lighting was dim. The windows were half-covered by heavy yellow silk curtains.
On the several massive coiled-dragon pillars inside the hall, the dragons' eyes glared fiercely. In the branching bronze lamps beside the pillars, candles as thick as a child's arm were lit, their flames dancing.
The civil and military officials were lined up on both sides, forming a dense, dark crowd.
Just as Xu Qinghuan stepped over the threshold, hundreds of gazes swept over in unison.
Probing, disdainful, sinister, and wary looks all pierced the father and daughter.
Ambergris incense burned in the hall. The scent was extremely heavy, making one's chest feel stifled.
There was not even the sound of a cough.
"Summoning the father and daughter of the Xu family for their audience!"
The announcement echoed back and forth in the cavernous hall.
Xu Qinghuan walked forward along the red carpet in the center.
Passing the ranks of officials, she arrived beneath the nine-tiered imperial steps.
She stopped and raised her head.
Immediately after, Xu Youde and Xu Qinghuan knelt solemnly on the ground:
"Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long, long live!"
Above the imperial steps sat a broad dragon throne made of golden thread nanmu wood.
Hanging in front of it was a curtain strung with eastern pearls.
Behind that heavy bead curtain sat a blurred figure.
The facial features could not be seen clearly.
Emperor Tiansheng.
The figure on the dragon throne did not speak immediately.
A moment later.
The figure leaned forward slightly.
Clink.
The jade beads on the twelve-tasseled imperial crown atop his head struck together, emitting an extremely crisp sound.
It rang throughout the great hall.
