Chapter 282

Translation

Dignified in appearance, with gentle brows and eyes, her attire not overly luxurious yet everywhere betraying the meticulous bearing of a noble house, the Northern Peace Princess Consort held a cup of tea, sipping it unhurriedly, her gaze occasionally drifting westward, exuding utter composure.

She came this time without much purpose; she simply wanted to witness this rare grand spectacle of the Da Han Dynasty!

Since the founding emperor, the court has never before witnessed such a grand, ostentatious arrival at Lugou Bridge to welcome the victorious troops—an unprecedented spectacle!

Even if she had seen the grand scenes of the retired emperor's southern tours while in Jiangnan, she had never before witnessed such a breathtaking sight of the entire civil and military officials lining up to welcome him!

Among these carriages, a few bearing the bronze plaque of Rong Guo Mansion with blue canopies were positioned at the foremost, conspicuous spot, their drapes lowered and curtains tightly drawn.

On the carriage shafts sat several maidservants, each stretching her neck excitedly to look westward.

While looking, they reported the situation to the masters inside the carriage, and around the carriage there were a dozen or so armed guards escorting.

Rong Guo Mansion arrived with three carriages; the foremost carriage's curtain was made of light blue fine silk.

From outside nothing could be seen, but from inside one could glimpse the outside through the woven seams.

Inside the carriage sat Yuan Chun, Yingchun, Tan Chun, and Xichun.

Yuan Chun sat innermost, leaning against the carriage wall; today she wore a pale blue gauze shirt, with only a white magnolia hairpin in her hair, her expression calm.

With one arm she embraced Xiao Xichun, and with the other she lifted the corner of the carriage curtain, creating an extremely narrow slit.

Sunlight leaked through the slit, falling on her face and making her brows and eyes especially distinct.

Today she wore light makeup, her eyebrows lightly brushed, a thin layer of rouge on her lips—unlike her usual plain appearance at home.

Xichun sat beside Yuan Chun, holding a brush and a small sketchpad; having finally come out, she wanted to sketch the scenery outside Shenjing City.

Tan Chun and Yingchun sat properly, hands folded on their knees, eyes gazing into the distance through the fine silk, full of anticipation.

In the second carriage sat Mrs. Xing, Xing Xiuyan, and Feng Jie.

Mrs. Xing had come of her own accord, even bringing her niece Xing Xiuyan, whereas Jia Mu and Lady Wang had not come.

Mrs. Xing watched her nominal 'son' return to the capital and create such a grand scene, her expression showing a hint of unbearable excitement.

Her body was tense, she sat bolt upright, striving to bear the dignity of a great clan's matriarch.

Xing Xiuyan sat beside Mrs. Xing, wearing a slightly faded moon-white shirt, with only a silver hairpin; nothing about her stood out.

Yet her composure was self-possessed, exuding a pleasant, tranquil, leisurely aura.

Feng Jie sat near the carriage door, her body slightly turned, one arm resting on the window.

She wore a crimson satin jacket, its collar trimmed with gold, and on her head a gold-inlaid phoenix hairpin of pure red gold, from which dangled several strings of rubies that swayed with her movements.

Feng Jie had rouged her cheeks, her lips red and face powdered; her phoenix eyes were lifted at the corners, their glances flashing with an indescribable allure.

At this moment her demeanor was far more relaxed than Mrs. Xing's; having lifted half of the carriage curtain, she saw that Mrs. Xing's forehead was beaded with sweat.

She could not help but laugh coquettishly and say:

"Madam, don't be so nervous; the triumphant return of our Third Younger Brother is a great joy for our family—relax a bit!"

Since Feng Jie and Lady Wang fell out, her relationship with Mrs. Xing, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, has actually grown somewhat closer, after all they now share a common enemy!

Mrs. Xing, upon hearing this, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead and explained:

"I'm not nervous; it's just that the weather is a bit muggy, and I added an extra layer when I went out today. Jing'er should be arriving soon, right?"

Feng Jie smiled, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly as she gazed westward, and said:

"It should be soon! We can't keep the Emperor waiting!"

In the third carriage sat Lin Daiyu, Xue Baichai, and Shi Xiangyun.

Daiyu and Baichai sat facing each other, while Xiang Yun furtively lifted the carriage curtain to gaze outside.

Baichai today wore a honey-colored gauze shirt, over which she had draped a pale blue half-sleeve, and on her head she pinned two small pearl blossoms.

She wore a rare pair of white jade earrings, which complemented her pear-blossom-pure fair face, making her complexion appear as smooth as snow and her bearing dignified and splendid.

Daiyu wore a moon-white gauze shirt, her hair styled in a hanging cloud bun and fastened with a jade-green hairpin.

Still as plain as ever, merely her lips red and teeth white, showing that she too had applied a touch of light makeup.

Her eyes, as dark as lacquer, now sparkled like starlight as she gazed toward the northwest.

Of course, she also occasionally glanced at Xue Baichai opposite her, her expression inscrutable.

Shi Xiangyun could not sit still in the carriage, now lifting the curtain, now leaning against the window, chattering away to relieve her boredom.

Suddenly, she pointed to the Nian family's carriage not far away and said:

"Lin sister, Baichai sister, look, the Nian family's young lady has also come!"

It turned out her keen eyes had spotted Nian Shilan through the seam of the Nian family's carriage curtain.

Baichai glanced at her briefly, the faint joy on her face fading a little, and she said softly:

"It would be strange if she didn't come!"

After all, given her daring character of frequently calling on the Jia Mansion, how could she miss such a grand event!

Daiyu then turned her head and smiled, saying:

"It's not just her—look at the carriages all around; probably every person with an interest in Shenjing City has come!"

Daiyu's face bore a smile, but her lacquer-dark eyes dimmed a little, and she couldn't help letting out a soft sigh.

Waiting for Third Brother to return to the mansion—who knows how lively it will be then!

Xiao Jiaoer was also on this carriage, but she was not inside; she was on the carriage shaft outside.

Being young, she naturally had no need to avoid anything.

Xiao Jiaoer today wore a red gauze shirt, her hair done in double buns, each bun adorned with a small velvet flower, making her attire quite festive.

But when she smiled, she would reveal her hollow front teeth, looking rather comical.

At this moment, Xiao Jiaoer was swinging her legs, looking westward under the care of Qingwen.

She muttered, "Third Uncle, why haven't you come yet?"

Before her words had finished, a yellow plume of dust suddenly rose on the distant official road.

The sound of horse hooves, drums, and horns rolled over from the horizon, rumbling like summer's muffled thunder pressing against the ground.

The cicadas' chirping was instantly drowned out, noisy human voices fell silent, and even the gentle flow of the Eternal Peace River was suppressed.

Only the resounding drum, horn, and horse-hoof sounds over dozens of miles remained between heaven and earth.

Xiao Jiaoer's eyes lit up instantly; she stood on the carriage shaft, tiptoed, shaded her eyes with her hand, stretched her neck far, and looked into the distance.

She shouted excitedly:

"Here they come! Here they come! Third Uncle has returned!"

Xiao Jiaoer's voice was sharp and crisp, instantly reaching the dozens of nearby carriages.

Countless carriage curtains were lifted or half-lifted, revealing faces either startled or delighted, and countless gazes simultaneously focused on the official road where the horse-hoof sounds came from.

The two women naturally stopped chatting at this point, letting Shi Xiangyun lift the curtain and look toward the direction of the yellow dust.

Meanwhile, the bustling crowd around the official road fell silent, holding their breath in anticipation of the triumphant army's arrival.

Beneath the imperial tent, Jing Sheng Di also suddenly lifted his head, descended the steps, stood before the incense altar, and gazed west, unable to hide his excitement.

The drum and horse-hoof sounds drew nearer, and gradually the sound of someone shouting a horse's neigh came over.

Only then did a crimson banner appear first, embroidered with a large "Jia" character in black with gold trim, fluttering loudly in the sunlight.

Following the banner came the four directional divine flags: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Zhu Que, and Black Tortoise, placed at the four corners.

Behind them were various military signal flags in red, yellow, blue, white, and black, arranged according to the five phases' directions, forming a dense forest of banners that blotted out the sky.

Beneath the great banner led a horse wholly crimson, like blazing flames galloping, without a single mixed hair, a chestnut-colored steed.

The red horse trod the yellow earth of the official road, appearing remarkably divine and swift!

The rider wore a triple‑hair‑bound purple‑gold crown, donned a West Sichuan red‑brocade hundred‑flower robe, girded with an ornate lion‑belt, held a bright silver spear, and his cape billowed high, fluttering loudly.

That person wore no helmet, revealing a young face…

His sword‑like brows met his temples, his eyes were like cold stars, his face was chiseled, and his bearing was godly martial.