In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 727 - 726: Reward!_1

Chapter 727: Chapter 726: Reward!_1

From a distance, it was impossible to see clearly. All that could be seen was a frail figure sitting high on the dragon carriage. This person was dressed in a dragon robe, and the beads hanging from the dragon crown obscured most of his face and was barely discernible.

Feeling his gaze, the slender figure seated on the dragon carriage looked towards his direction. Consequently, the eyes of the accompanying Imperial Special Guards all simultaneously turned in his direction.

Su Huarong shuddered, hastily lowering his head further and dared not move a muscle.

Once the dragon carriage had passed, Su Huarong felt a sudden alleviation of pressure and hurriedly submerged himself within the crowd, moving far to its other end.

Looking back, he saw that two soldiers bearing large blades had appeared at the spot he had previously stood. Startled, he quickly wormed his way further into the crowd. Assured that he was no longer the subject of any attention, he then carefully looked outwards.

The army receiving the prisoners had arrived!

At the front were five hundred scouts, all bearing large blades and stepping in sync, kicking up dust as they stamped on the loess!

Trailing behind were two gigantic iron spheres, drawn by ten sturdy mules that rumbled ominously as they passed, shaking the ground beneath them and obscuring vision with the dust that they kicked up. This astonishing scene extended from the far distance to the nearby.

The people by the roadside had already gaped, feeling as though their eyes couldn’t keep up with the procession. After they had regained their senses, they curiously returned their gaze to the road, only to behold an unending honor guard following behind!

The grand palanquin soared into the clouds, the dragon flag fluttered, and nearly a hundred burly men held their scepters and marched forward. Trailing behind them were two long rows of stern-faced soldiers walking with calm and composed expressions.

Despite straining his eyes, Su Huarong, who was being sandwiched behind others, could still not clearly see. Observing that the colorfully assorted honor guard had already been opening their cavalcade for the time it took to finish two cups of tea, yet he still didn’t spot Qin Yi and the others, he started feeling anxious.

Just as he was about to squeeze himself to the front, he noticed a group of nearly a hundred soldiers, escorting a carriage that bore a large flag, slowly coming from afar.

The carriage was exceptionally wide and sturdy, drawn by eight tall mules. Standing erect in the center of the carriage was a flag, its pole measuring around two Zhang (6.6 meters) tall. The flag was outlined with bright golden yellow and fringed by red tassels, with the character "Qin" written grandly at its center! The four generals protecting the flag stood at each corner of the carriage exhibiting their might, sternly holding their weapons as they stood tall guard, commanding an awe-inspiring presence.

Following the flag-bearing carriage was Qin Yi’s central honor guard—a group of ten royal guards on horseback leading the way, followed by several dozen front-line soldiers escorting the imposing presence of the Great General, Qin Yi.

Qin Yi was certainly living up to their expectations!

He was seated on a great steed, surrounded by several deputy generals. His shining heavy armor with a half-covered face underneath his helmet, obscured by a rugged beard, made it difficult to see his true features. This sight, however, was a great relief to Su Huarong.

He scanned the soldiers and horses in the army again, looking for Su Pan’er’s figure. But the crowd was a sea of faces, how could one distinguish?

Qin Yi, of course, also couldn’t spot Su Huarong in the crowd. At this moment, surrounded by a myriad of cavalrymen, he was full of pride riding a white horse whose hooves seemed to tread on snow.

Thousands upon thousands of commoners welcomed him on both sides of the road, their applause nearly drowning out his triumphant procession. General Qin, whose merits were renowned, was making his victorious return!

When His Majesty’s honor guard arrived at the Ten-mile Pavilion, His Majesty then descended from the dragon carriage, with the civil and military officials gathering around Qin Feimo, quietly waiting. As soon as they saw the flag-bearing carriage arrive, the ceremonial officer suddenly cried out loudly!

"Officials, kneel to welcome!"

All the officials, big and small, knelt on the ground.

Qin Yi and the others had also already dismounted their horses, kneeling on the ground with them.

With the palace’s front gate wide open, sixteen tall horses pulling the dragon carriage came to a slow halt. Qin Feimo dismounted the dragon carriage and stood in front of the palace gate. Suddenly, the striking sound of the yellow bells chimed in a great symphony. The Eunuchs, heads hung low, stood by the side, mumbling and singing.

"Bless the peace of all civilians, this is the virtuous act of the saint, rewarding for merit, this is the right of the ruler... auspicious clouds, peaceful rivers and mountains, sending homebound saddles from great distances..."

The bright yellow Imperial Decree was as long as five meters, with detailed and lengthy content, not only recounting the exploits of Qin Yi and others but also granting rewards to all!

Qin Yi was conferred the title of the First Class Duke, doubling as the Great General and Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and his lineage will be hereditary without replacement. Su Pan’er was also promoted to the First Class Duchess, her stipend and rewards included an official residence, fifty plots of land, four shops, two sets of three-layer houses, one set of five-layered houses, six plum estates... The abundant gifts for each type of item were so dizzying, one could not remember them all. The remaining soldiers, big and small, were each given a corresponding reward based on their military achievements.

By the time the Imperial Decree was finished being read, almost half an hour had passed, and the music began again.

Qin Feimo came forward with a smile, walking to Qin Yi amidst the melodies, personally removing Qin Yi’s battle robe. Only then did Qin Yi "remove his armor" in formal protocol, throwing himself to the ground in the ’three kneel nine knock’ gesture. He held up the bright yellow Imperial Decree, which His Majesty had personally bestowed upon him before he had set off for the battle.

"Minister Qin Yi returns victorious, presenting the Imperial Decree to His Majesty! Long Live the Emperor, long live forever!"

Qin Feimo smiled in acceptance of the customary gesture, personally taking the Imperial Decree and handing it to the eunuch at his side, then personally helped Qin Yi up, speaking highly of him: "My minister, you have brilliantly defeated the enemy army, capturing the commanding General Zhou Zhenchao, and taking thousands of prisoners. The long journey on horseback must have been tough on you!"

"It is His Majesty’s sage and martial virtues, the fortune of the Heaven and Earth, that scared the enemy army into submission, making this lowly official lucky enough to emerge victorious. Along the way, I was further blessed by His Majesty’s protection, and it was all smooth sailing. I do not dare to speak of hardship." Qin Yi bowed again.

"General Qin, you are too modest."

Qin Feimo then turned to meet other generals one by one. Eventually, his gaze traveled over the crowd in search of Su Pan’er and, finding no sign of her, couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He quickly invited Qin Yi to ride with him in the dragon carriage.

Qin Yi didn’t dare to accept and hurriedly declined again and again.

Despite Qin Feimo’s persistence, Qin Yi had no choice but to ride his tall horse and follow alongside the dragon carriage, making his way towards the city gate in a grand procession. Upon reaching the city gate, he looked up at the city walls for a moment before leading his horse into the city, stepping into Chang’an.

Every household along the way had red lanterns hanging high, firecrackers were popping everywhere, and there were fragrant teas and fine wines. On both sides of the road, cheerful commoners crowded the scene, making it incredibly lively! The closer they got to the inner city, the more fireworks and firecrackers were launched towards the sky. The crowd surged like the tide, people transfixed and frenzied, competing to get a glimpse of the grandeur of General Qin.

The three thousand ceremonial guards in charge of keeping the path open were, despite the cold winter, sweating buckets and appeared to be in great distress.

Su Pan’er, on the other hand, was following in the last group of horse-drawn carriages.

In the carriages were a few womenfolk of the meritorious officials, and naturally, Su Pan’er was protecting little Yan Yan in the front carriage.

Along the way, the common people couldn’t help but cheer and jump for joy at the sight of Qin Yi and the others. Even more, Bravura and Lovely, hiding in secret, were secretly taking in the imposing figure on the tall horse! No one knows how many hearts were secretly pledged.

As for Zhou Zhenchao and the others following behind, they too were the "special care" targets of the common people!