Xiahou Ninghan did not hear wrongly. Ashina Zhijin indeed wanted to personally bury Li Chengwu, the emperor of the Holy Tang Dynasty.
This news has spread throughout the imperial capital a few days ago, and the funeral date is set for the day after tomorrow.
The Battle of the Imperial Capital has been over for more than a year now. Li Chengwu died for his country, and his body had already been put into a coffin and buried in the palace in the north of the city.
However, according to the rules, he should be buried in the Holy Tang Emperor's Mausoleum, so Ashina Zhijin's proposal to be buried separately is not without any basis.
However, why a Holy Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, who had been buried for more than 500 days, was brought out again and transferred to the imperial mausoleum, and why the Turkic Khan, an enemy, personally carried the soul to the funeral, is worth pondering. .
Xiahou Ninghan was full of doubts, so he decided to stay for two more days to see what the Turks were playing.
Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye it was the day of funeral for the emperor.
Xiahou Ninghan got up early, took a bath and freshened up, and even changed into plain clothes. With white flowers in her hair, she walked alone to Zhuque Street and waited for the funeral procession on the side of the road.
At this time, both sides of the broad Zhuque Street were already crowded with residents of the imperial capital and people from surrounding villages and towns. People looked gloomy and solemn, and they all looked eagerly in the direction of the imperial city.
At three o'clock in the morning, a signal cannon soared into the sky from the square across the imperial city, rose far into the air, and exploded suddenly.
Before the sound of cannons stopped, the bell and drum towers in the imperial capital began to echo in unison. Suddenly, the whole city's bells and drums were ringing in unison.
Amidst the melodious and stirring sounds of bells and drums, the Chengtian Gate directly south of the imperial city slowly opened.
There was a heavy sound of horse hoofbeats from the dark and deep doorway, and in the blink of an eye, a thousand fully armed Turkic warriors, riding tall horses and holding white prayer flags, lined up with solemn expressions.
There are a thousand white flags with swords and flags that are two feet high and about three feet wide. They are densely covered with various scriptures and runes, both from the Holy Tang Dynasty and from the Turks. The flags and banners are like a forest, fluttering in the wind as the horses march, and it looks very impressive at first glance.
Not long after the flag forest composed of cavalry passed by, three thousand Western Xinjiang infantrymen behind them, all holding round shields in their left hands and scimitars in their right hands, formed five columns and marched out of Chengtian Gate with neat steps.
Those Western Xinjiang warriors were tall and burly, with rugged and solemn faces, and large beards. Together with the round iron shields and horn knives in their hands, they showed a strong exotic style.
Following closely behind the Western Xinjiang Guard Infantry Regiment was a strange team composed of hundreds of Turkic shamans and Shengtang monks and Taoists. Each of the three religions has its own prayer flags and instruments, and each chants its own salvation scriptures. At this moment, they are just mixed together. From a distance, it looks mysterious and solemn, but also lively and funny.
Just as people were whispering and discussing this weird scene, a huge coffin suddenly appeared in sight.
The giant coffin was about two feet square, and was covered with gold foil from top to bottom. There is an eaves roof built on top of the coffin, and bright yellow curtains hang down from the top to all sides. When the breeze comes, the curtains sway gently, as if they are silently telling the story of the owner of the coffin.
Sixty-eight sturdy Turkic strongmen, shirtless, lifted the sedan bars wrapped in white cloth on their shoulders, and slowly moved forward carrying the giant coffin.
Nearly a hundred concubines from the harem of the Holy Tang Dynasty, all wearing linen and mourning, covered their faces and wept while marching behind the coffin.
Not far behind the coffin procession were dozens of Turkic princes and nobles headed by Ashina Zhijin. There are not only the Golden Tribe, but also the elders of the Eight Pillars of the Turks such as Yunhe, Shenying, Guidou, and Blood Wolf.
They were sitting high on their horses, with equally ashen faces. Under the protection of three thousand blood guards, they walked at the end of the entire funeral procession.
As the funeral passed by, people on both sides of the road knelt down and knelt down to worship. Their cries echoed throughout the sky.
It was a belated tribute to the old man.
He may not be a wise emperor, nor may he have any great achievements. Compared with the emperors of the eight hundred years of the Holy Tang Dynasty, he can even be evaluated as "cowardly". But at the last moment of his life, when the dynasty was on the verge of danger, he used his courage and the glory of his royal blood to personally annotate his life.
Li Chengwu is worthy of the country and the country.
Compared to the people who were crying and wiping away their tears, Xiahou Ninghan looked very calm. She bowed respectfully three times to the coffin in front of her as she passed by. One bow is for herself, one is for her father Xia Houmei, and the other is for Prince Li Bing.
Your Majesty, please go away. Let us clean up the broken rivers and mountains.
Xiahou Ninghan prayed silently, then stood up and turned his attention to Ashina Zhijin who was walking towards him.
She was very curious about what kind of person this man who swept across the Western Continent and was known as the greatest monarch in the history of the Turkic Empire was.
Sitting upright on the horse, Ashina Zhijin looked much younger than his actual age. He was wearing a snow-white warrior uniform, with a well-proportioned and graceful figure, and a hint of melancholy between his handsome brows.
Unlike most Turkic nobles, this Khan was more like a gentle scholar.
However, Xiahou Ninghan's eyesight was sharp, and she had certainly seen that beneath her gentle and frail appearance, Ashina Zhijin actually possessed outstanding martial arts, and his combat prowess was probably no worse than that of his father, Xiahou Mei.
This is a terrible person.
Xiahou Ninghan thought silently: It is extremely difficult to achieve this by being weak on the outside but strong on the inside without extraordinary wisdom and perseverance. Perhaps because of this, he was able to conquer the wild and untamable Turkic tribes one after another and unite them to conquer the Holy Tang.
Although the funeral procession is long, it sometimes ends. After the last group of Blood Guard cavalry passed through Zhuque Street, the common people, under the command of the Turkic soldiers, followed the funeral procession and spontaneously headed to the imperial mausoleum in the eastern suburbs.
The funeral procession came all the way to the imperial mausoleum. The soldiers and horses responsible for guarding the altar surrounded it three levels inside and three outside, making it heavily guarded. The accompanying people were divided into three sides, southeast and west, separated by the Turkic cavalry and Western Xinjiang warriors, and looked at the altar from a distance.
Xiahou Ninghan was also among them.
Under the guidance of the ceremonial officer of the Holy Tang Dynasty, Ashina, the great Turkic Khan, lifted his saddle and dismounted from his horse, and stepped onto the altar that was more than three feet high. The musicians who had been waiting nearby quickly started playing traditional music used to commemorate and mourn the emperor.
Ashina Zhijin had a solemn expression. After looking around, he suddenly began to recite the sacrificial inscriptions in memory of the emperor Li Chengwu in the Shengtang language.
"Oh my god! It's parallel prose! He actually used parallel prose!"
There were many academics and scholars who were well-read in poetry and literature in the crowd. When they heard the sacrificial words spoken by the Turkic Khan, they all couldn't help but exclaimed.
Parallel prose is a style of writing in which words and sentences are paired into chapters. It is a treasure in the classical literature of the Holy Tang Dynasty. It cannot be written without a great talent!
Everyone never expected that the foreign monarch in front of them could not only speak the Holy Tang language fluently, but was also proficient in the Holy Religious poetry. He was not at all as barbaric and ignorant as previously imagined.
Ashina ignored the reaction at the altar and recited the memorial text solemnly. His loud voice was full of sincere feelings:
"Heaven is jealous of the heroic hero, and I have lost my best friend. The friendship between hunting and hunting is unknown to ordinary people... The Turks are heroic, their bows and horses gallop across the world; the Holy Tang Dynasty is majestic, and their civilization spreads far and wide... Since you are far away, how can you be rivaled; since you are so far away, The sorrow is far away, my heart is lonely..."
As he spoke, Ashi's eyes were filled with tears, and his voice became choked with sobs.
The people of Shengtang around the altar did not know whether it was because they were infected by him or because they admired the courage of the late Emperor Li Chengwu to sacrifice his life for the country. Everyone could not help but shed tears on their clothes and burst into tears.
The entire imperial mausoleum in the eastern suburbs was immersed in an atmosphere of sorrow and sorrow. Even God was moved by it, and raindrops fell all over the sky.
After Ashina finished reciting the sacrificial inscription, he clenched his fists tightly, faced up to the sky, let the cold raindrops hit his face, and shouted loudly: "Brother Emperor Xian, may your heroic spirit rest in peace in heaven. Please rest assured, I Ashina Zhijin will definitely help you fulfill your last wish and protect your heirs to rule the Holy Tang for generations to come!"
Nearly 10,000 Turkic warriors and infantrymen from Western Xinjiang responded to his words, raised their weapons and shouted loudly.
Xiahou Ninghan, who was standing in the crowd, was slightly startled, and suddenly noticed something strange in Ashi's words.
What does "help you fulfill your last wish" mean? What does "protect your heirs to rule the Holy Tang" mean?
Could it be...
Sure enough, Ashina raised his hand to stop the shouts of the soldiers, and turned to the people in the audience and solemnly said: "People of Shengtang, please listen carefully. Our Turkic Empire has no intention to interfere with the country of Shengtang. A hundred thousand troops came to the west just to protect the Holy Tang!"
As soon as this statement came out, there was a buzz of discussion in the audience, and many people shouted: "Quiet! Keep your voice down! Listen to what he said."
Ash's stern gaze swept across the crowd and spoke calmly: "I think you all know that there was a rebellion in the imperial capital. It was Prince Li Bing who colluded with Xuanjia Army Commander Xie Guang to usurp the throne. , in an attempt to overthrow the emperor and ascend to the throne in advance. After the failed rebellion, they led their troops to leave, established a small court in Luoyi, and forced the emperor to admit the legitimacy of his supervision of the country. Since then, the internal affairs of Shengtang Huge divisions arose, and political instability and chaos arose.”
"The careerist Li Bing is the source of all these disasters!"
Ash's words were like a bolt of lightning, hitting the hearts of everyone present.
Just listen to him continue: "In order to quell the chaos for many years and restore peace to the people of Shengtang, just a few days ago, I have reached an agreement with the emperor's eldest son, the true heir to the throne of Shengtang, and His Highness Li Kuang, King of Huaiyang. In agreement, both sides will raise the flag of righteousness, work together to put down the rebellion, and completely eliminate the conspiracy to usurp Li Bing and the puppet court behind him! At the same time, the righteous men in the Xuanjia Legion also stepped forward and killed the traitor Xie Guang. Comfort the late emperor’s spirit in heaven!”
Xiahou Ninghan's heart trembled, and she finally understood why the Turks performed today's scene.
