Outside Golden Light Gate in Chang'an City, what should have been the busiest, most crowded eight-lane avenue in the outer county town had its traffic sealed off for ten li in every direction. Every shop was closed, every window shut, and all idlers were forbidden from approaching.
Both sides of the avenue were lined with guards clad in gold and jade. They raised banners that blotted out the sky and sun, slicing the sunlight into carpets that only one person could enjoy at a time. Behind the attendants stood the court's high officials in vermilion and purple. Their crowns linked together into the sky of Zhou Kingdom. The ministers of the Six Ministries stood to the left, while the generals of the various guards stood to the right. In their respective offices, they were all powerful figures capable of affecting the livelihoods of millions with a single stomp of their feet. Yet now, every one of them was an inconspicuous underling.
That was because the emperor's carriage stood before them. This young emperor, who had spent the previous ten years nearly confined within the imperial palace under Yaoshi Mo Ke's restraint, was leaving the palace for the first time since reclaiming control of the court—and he was leading all the officials to welcome the new Duke of Jin.
When the carriage appeared on the horizon, the guards began blowing their bright, sonorous horns. Every five steps the carriage took, another row of guards blew their horns. By the time it arrived before the imperial carriage, the horn calls had merged into one, resounding across the wilderness and throughout Chang'an!
"Welcome the Duke of Jin home victorious from suppressing the rebels!"
The congratulations of all the officials surged like a tide, while the music of the ceremonial guard stirred the hearts