Chapter 31: Welcoming King Qian with Due Reverence

The brilliant sun rose in the east. Its morning glow swept across the thousands of households in the capital of the Shun Dynasty, eventually engulfing the majestic imperial palace.

Bold citizens arrived at the East Gate early in the morning to watch from afar. By the time the hour of the dragon arrived, they saw the civil and military officials of the entire court, dressed in their official robes, gathered beneath the East Gate.

The onlookers gazed at the sea of officials, whispering among themselves.

"Which one is the Minister? I've never seen so many officials before; if you recognize the Minister, point him out to me."

"What do you want with the Minister? Look over there—hey, do you know who that is? The Prince of Beijing!"

"A mere Prince of the Commandery is nothing; look there, the Prince of Yi, the Emperor's sixth uncle!"

"Thanks to the Prince of Qian, we are truly getting an eye-opener today!"

Under their watchful eyes, the city gate slowly opened. It should have been opened long ago, but while the other gates had been occupied by the Prince of Qian's forces yesterday, this final one was reserved for the Shun officials to exit and surrender today.

Thousands of civil and military officials, ranked by their official attire, filed out of the city in order. They took their positions as they would for a grand court audience, facing the Prince of Qian’s military camp, and stood in formation.

Jia Zheng was among them. Looking toward the camp from afar, he saw dozens of horsemen emerge. After patrolling for a moment and questioning the Prince of Zhongshun, they returned to the camp to report to the Prince of Qian.

Jia Zheng let out a long sigh. There was nothing left to say; he could only wait for the Prince of Qian to appear. The thousands of Shun officials standing with him also remained silent, waiting for the new sovereign to emerge from the camp.

Inside the command tent of the Prince of Qian’s camp, Chu Yan leaned back on a bench, reading a volume of the History of Tang, specifically the section on "Rebellious Ministers."

On the long table in front of him sat a sandalwood box. He glanced at it twice, reached out as if to pick it up, but after a moment of hesitation, set his hand back down.

He muttered to himself, "The day I agreed upon with Zhaojun is only a few days away; there is no need to rush."

In his residence in Jinling, Jiangnan, Chu Yan had a concubine named Xie Zhaojun. She was the daughter of the powerful Xie clan of Jiangnan, a woman of peerless beauty, gentle and virtuous. Chu Yan had originally intended to make her his wife, but due to various concerns, he had not yet given her the status. Before this northern expedition, Xie Zhaojun had given him the box, urging him to open it only after the city had fallen and the capital was stable.

Chu Yan had initially thought the box contained some words of caution, but since realizing he was in the world of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, and recalling several miraculous events surrounding Zhaojun, he had begun to suspect her true identity.

"Your Highness."

Chu Ming entered the tent with a look of joy. He bowed and reported, "The civil and military officials of the Shun Dynasty are lined up at the East Gate, waiting only for Your Highness to enter the city!"

"And the Emperor?" Chu Yan asked.

"He has not been seen. The Prince of Zhongshun sent men to the palace before leaving; the word from inside is that the Emperor has not stepped out of his bedchamber, and the Retired Emperor is also inside."

"Ha."

Chu Yan chuckled and said, "It seems he has some backbone and intends to seek death."

"Your Highness, should I send someone to the palace to keep an eye on him?"

"No need. I have already sent word. Whether he succeeds or not is up to Heaven; it matters not if he dies."

As they spoke, civil and military officials began to enter the tent, all looking at him with fervent eyes.

Chu Yan smiled. "I know you are anxious to enter the city, but the task must be completed first. I have no desire to end up like the character in this book." He shook the *New History of Tang* in his hand.

Xu Zhiyi took one look and knew which passage of the Tang history he meant. He laughed, "Your Highness is only twenty-five this year, while Huang Chao was already a sixty-year-old man when he entered Chang'an. How could you be compared to him?"

The officers vied to flatter him.

Chu Yan smiled and commanded, "Sit. Chu Ming, tell me again about the arrangements for entering the city."

Wu Xin'an, Su Dingbian, Wei Liang, and Xiahou Xin were all impatient now that the Shun officials had surrendered, but since the Prince of Qian had spoken, they had to sit.

Chu Ming said, "Your Highness, fifty thousand of us will enter the city. Ten thousand have already secured the gates. Your five thousand personal guards will accompany you into the imperial city to serve as the Imperial Guard, while the rest will maintain order and begin disarming the remaining Shun soldiers. Those forty thousand have already left the camp and are ready to enter with you."

Chu Yan asked, "What of the rest?"

"They will not enter," Chu Ming replied, shaking his head. "The remaining eighty thousand troops will remain stationed where they are to guard against any loyalist reinforcements arriving at the capital."

Chu Yan nodded and inquired about a few more details.

More and more officials and generals arrived, crowding the tent until it was packed.

Chu Yan laughed, "It seems you are all impatient to enter the city to be enfeoffed as marquises and ministers!"

Everyone laughed, saying in unison, "We are here to support Your Highness in ascending the throne!"

"Good!"

Chu Yan stood up, his tall stature standing out among the generals. He opened his arms to them and smiled, "Come, help me into my armor one last time. Once we enter the city, who knows when I will have the chance to wear it again!"

Once he entered the city, he would be the Emperor, the master of the realm. He would rarely leave the capital and would likely never have the chance to fight on the battlefield again.

"I will bring the armor for you, Great King!" Wu Xin'an rushed to fetch the armor. Several high-ranking commanders stepped forward to help Chu Yan put it on; the civil officials could only watch, as they were not permitted to touch the royal armor.

Once armored, Chu Yan exited the tent. His personal guards had been waiting for a long time. Seeing him emerge, they cheered in unison, "Welcome, Your Highness, to the city!"

Chu Yan smiled, mounted his horse, and said loudly, "There is one more thing I must do."

No one knew what he intended, except for Chu Ming, who said, "Your Highness is going to see those who cannot enter the city."

Indeed, the crowd watched as the Prince of Qian, surrounded by his guards, rode toward the rear. Before long, they arrived at a central military camp. The soldiers stationed there, hearing that the Prince of Qian had come, rushed out, looking at the Prince atop his towering horse with excitement.

"Brothers!"

Chu Yan’s voice was resonant. He rode slowly past them and shouted, "Today, we have conquered the capital of the Shun Dynasty. This should have been a day for five hundred thousand of us to cheer together!"

Thousands of soldiers in the camp listened to him.

"Regrettably!" Chu Yan continued, "With three hundred thousand either left in Jinling or stationed elsewhere, only two hundred thousand of our great army have reached the capital!"

"Of those, over one hundred thousand cannot enter the city with me due to its limited size, to share in the glory of being greeted by the officials!"

"But!"

Chu Yan looked at them. "The land and silver promised to you will not be a single coin short. Once the city is stable, I will come out again to personally reward all of you, my brothers!"

Upon hearing his words, the men shouted: "Long live the Great King! May the Great King enter the city and ascend the throne!"

The thunderous roar echoed throughout the camp. Everyone knew that the Prince of Qian, who was about to enter the city, had not forgotten them and had come specifically to speak to them.

Li Changjin, the commander of the march, witnessed this and couldn't help but think: with such astonishing prestige in the army, who would dare to harbor any disloyalty?

Chu Yan bid them farewell and led his generals to the East Gate.

Seeing his arrival, the forty thousand troops waiting to enter the city joined the camp soldiers in a loud cheer: "We invite the Prince of Qian to enter the city!"

The sheer scale of the spectacle left the thousands of Shun princes, ministers, and officials stunned. Wang Ziteng couldn't help but admire, "With such prestige, it is no wonder he could conquer the Shun empire... We were not defeated unjustly."

Chu Yan rode to the city gate. The five thousand Shun officials knelt in unison. A eunuch from the Palace Ceremonial Office cracked a long whip, and they shouted in unison:

"Welcome, Prince of Qian, to the city!"

Chu Yan, in his armor, rode to the front. His gaze fell upon the jade seal and ribbons held by the Prince of Zhongshun. He leaned down and took them.

After a brief glance, he handed them to his guards for safekeeping and said to the kneeling officials, "I accept your surrender. Once I enter the city, except for those guilty of heinous crimes, not a single person shall be killed. Merit will be rewarded, and crimes will be punished. Officials of the fourth rank and above will be dismissed; those below the fourth rank who are innocent may remain in their posts for now, awaiting reassignment."

The officials looked relieved. They had not expected to keep their positions, knowing that as the Prince of Qian stabilized the situation, many would eventually be dismissed. But at least those below the fourth rank would be able to walk away unscathed.

"Thank you, Prince of Qian, for your mercy!"

The officials kowtowed once more.