Now, these leaders of the Northern Barbarians, who once commanded hundreds of thousands of people, were as obedient as quails. They dared not speak, raise their heads, or resist, and only dared to beg for mercy. Their previous mannerisms were nowhere to be seen.
Now, they were scolded by the common people and smashed by them with all kinds of things. They were dizzy, and their faces were covered in blood, but they did not dare to make a sound. They looked miserable.
The common people who had been harmed by the Northern Barbarians vented their anger and dissatisfaction to their hearts' content.
Shi Xing led Xiao Ruxun all the way from Yongding Gate to Zhengyang Gate, the main gate of the palace. Halfway there, Shi Xing stopped. Xiao Ruxun saw his old superior, the current Minister of Justice, Song Yingchang.
In terms of relationship, Song Yingchang and Xiao Ruxun had a much deeper relationship, at least more than Shi Xing. On the battlefield in Korea, Song Yingchang had talked with Xiao Ruxun cordially more than once, and helped Xiao Ruxun many times, saving Xiao Ruxun from many unnecessary disasters.
Xiao Ruxun was very grateful to Song Yingchang.
Just like how he treated Shi Xing, he dismounted from the horse, led the horse, and bowed to Song Yingchang.
"It's been a year. How are you, Lord Song?"
"Thank you for your concern, Xiao Zhennan. I'm fine."
Song Yingchang looked at Xiao Ruxun as if he had thousands of words to say, but this was obviously not the place to talk. Song Yingchang stretched out his hand and said to Xiao Ruxun, "Xiao Zhennan, please get on the horse. I'll lead the horse for you!"
Xiao Ruxun bowed again, and then mounted the horse and continued forward.
Along the way, banners and cheers could be heard incessantly. It was as if all the people of the capital had come out to cheer for Xiao Ruxun and his achievements. Xiao Ruxun even wondered which was more worth pursuing, the chance to be praised in the imperial streets after becoming the top scorer, or the thunderous cheers of the entire city.
To Xiao Ruxun, compared to a soft pen, Xiao Ruxun preferred a straight sword.
Song Yingchang walked Xiao Ruxun all the way to the Zhengyang Gate of the palace before stopping.
Xiao Ruxun looked into the distance. There were also people waiting outside Zhengyang Gate.
"Ji Xin, the person standing outside Zhengyang Gate is the Minister of Personnel, Tsai Kuo-chen. Further ahead, the person waiting for you at the Gate of Sky Bearing is Shen Yicheng, and the person waiting for you at the Gate of Sky Bearing is Grand Secretary Zhao Zhigao. You have to be careful."
At this moment, Shi Xing was also standing not far behind Xiao Ruxun, and he whispered to Xiao Ruxun, "Especially when facing Shen Yicheng, you have to be careful. This person is extremely shrewd, and you can't let others gossip about you."
Xiao Ruxun was secretly on guard when she heard the warnings of these two old superiors who were friendly to her.
"Thank you for the information, we'll talk again in the future!"
Xiao Ruxun got down from her horse and led the group forward.
Once they reached the Zhengyang Gate, they would arrive at the palace. Ordinary commoners wouldn't be able to enter the palace, but as they walked along the Zhengyang Gate, Xiao Ruxun could still see the soldiers standing on both sides. He could still hear their slogans, as well as the sounds of war drums and bugles.
It would be better to say that without the shouts of the commoners, the shouts of the soldiers were even more majestic and imposing, allowing Xiao Ruxun to feel the atmosphere that an empire should have.
Tsai Kuo-chen led Xiao Ruxun's horse to the Gate of Sky Bearing. The Gate of Sky Bearing was Tiananmen, and it was renamed to Tiananmen during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty. The person waiting for Xiao Ruxun here was the person with the greatest authority in the Daming Dynasty.
Compared to the old Grand Secretary waiting at the Gate of Sky Bearing, he was an even more authoritative figure.
Shen Yicheng.
Speaking of which, Xiao Ruxun had never met Shen Yicheng before. He had only heard of the latter's name, but had never seen him. However, from the descriptions of so many people, as well as Xiao Ruxun's own conjectures, the image of a smiling tiger appeared on the paper.
Looking at Shen Yicheng from afar, the image in his heart and the image in front of him had already overlapped, and there wasn't any difference between the two.
This was a smiling tiger who chose to devour anyone he wanted.
Towards him, Xiao Ruxun was extremely wary.
The two of them gradually approached each other, and when they were still a few steps away, the two of them stopped at the same time.
"I, Xiao Ruxun pays my respects to the Second Grand Secretary!"
Xiao Ruxun bowed towards Shen Yicheng.
Shen Yicheng didn't want to take advantage of him, and immediately returned the greeting. "General Xiao need not be so courteous. This time, this old man has come under His Majesty's orders to lead General Xiao's horse, in order to commend General Xiao's great contribution in expelling the Northern Barbarians for the country. Such a great contribution, General Xiao is worthy of any kind of courtesy! Daming's future needs the support of a great general like General Xiao. "
Full of pretty words, but when he turned around, he would come up with dirty tricks. The smiling tiger was such a terrifying creature, and it just so happened that the success rate of a smiling tiger was very high, because most people would be deceived by the smiling tiger's face, and thus let their guard down.
And the more Shen Yicheng flattered Xiao Ruxun, the more vigilant Xiao Ruxun became.
"I, I, am not worthy of the Second Grand Secretary's words!"
"You deserve it! You deserve it! If you can't do it, who can? Hahaha! Alright, alright, let's not talk anymore, His Majesty is still waiting for General at the Meridian Gate! "
Shen Yicheng stretched out his hand. "General, please get on the horse!"
Xiao Ruxun bowed again, and got on the horse. Shen Yicheng stepped forward to hold the horse's reins, and led the way for Xiao Ruxun.
In the eyes of those who didn't know the truth, there was no telling how envious they were. Not to mention the big shots of the departments, even the assistant minister leading the horse was an unimaginable opportunity for a general.
Compared to the Han Dynasty Emperor's action of worshipping generals and rewarding them with rewards, Daming's general could only be considered a horse guard, with a low status, little power, and no right to speak. Even a third-ranked general could be controlled by a sixth-ranked civil official, beaten and scolded at every turn. How humiliating was that?
And now, right in front of them, the Second Grand Secretary of the Daming Cabinet was leading the horse for Xiao Ruxun.
If this kind of difference in treatment could be exchanged, they would be willing to die!
It was a pity that this kind of treatment was only given to one person.
From the Gate of Sky Bearing to the Duan Gate, there were flags flying all along the way. These should be the soldiers from the capital. They were dressed very valiantly, and their aura was enough. However, as vases that didn't fight, they were only good to look at.
Xiao Ruxun was thinking about how she could give these vases an earth-shattering makeover.
They arrived at the Duan Gate. As the last important gate before the Meridian Gate, the First Grand Secretary of the Daming Cabinet, Zhao Zhigao, was waiting at the Duan Gate.
Originally, Zhu Yijun felt that Zhao Zhigao was old and shouldn't torment him. However, Zhao Zhigao was unwilling and insisted on coming. He said that he didn't do many things for Zhu Yijun, and now, he wanted to do something simple for Zhu Yijun.
This was because he didn't have many chances to repay the kindness he received to Zhu Yijun.
Zhu Yijun felt very sour in his heart, so he agreed to Zhao Zhigao's request.
Now, the white-haired Zhao Zhigao was leaning on his cane as he looked at the slowly approaching Xiao Ruxun and Shen Yicheng.
The older one gets, the more shrewd they become, especially those with stories, experiences, and extraordinary identities. Their wisdom and perception of life really make the younger generation gasp in amazement. That's why the ancients have a saying — having an old person in the family is like having a treasure.
When one's experience reaches a certain level, there will always be something that shines. Although most people are ignorant and may not understand even one thing in their entire life, there will always be something that they understand.
Zhao Zhigao was obviously a treasure, although he was too weak and didn't have the courage to face the country.
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