Luo San and Gongyang Yongye prided themselves on their age and experience. What kind of spectacle hadn't they seen? In their youth, they'd been battle-hardened generals who had swept across the battlefield and won a hundred battles. Whenever they returned victorious, the welcome they received had been grand, so they'd assumed that no matter how extravagant this one was, it couldn't be all that different.
As it turned out—
Their imaginations had still fallen far short.
And they'd badly underestimated Qi Shan's capabilities.
The royal court received the news and, several days in advance, plastered the good tidings across every street and alley, determined to make sure every stray cat within the royal capital knew! They also sent the news to the capital region by relay station and announced that checkpoints would be free of charge during the festivities, allowing commoners to come and go as they pleased.
Oh, and naturally, there was also an egg giveaway.
In short, whether people had come of their own accord to catch a glimpse of the Sovereign's bearing or simply to join the fun and get free eggs, the royal capital—freshly thawed from the cold snap—was so lively it seemed to have leapt straight into summer. Large crowds made trouble more likely, so naturally security had to be tight to prevent anyone with ill intent from taking advantage of the occasion. The cordons stretched far into the distance, looking from afar like neat rows of troops.
If the view from the ground wasn't good enough, the nearby rooftops and tree branches were nice alternatives. But getting to those spots required a certain degree of skill; anyone not nimble on their feet was advised to stay put. Getting up was easy, getting down was hard. One careless slip, and you could lose your life.