C3671 (1/2)

In the clear sky, right after Ai Xinjueluozaichun got off the imperial boat and stood at the pier of Tongzhou, a black mass of civilians and soldiers kneeled in worship facing him.

”Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor!”

The praises came in wave after wave, the figure that was bowing and undulating was really like the waves in the Pacific Ocean on the east coast of Ryukyu.

It was time to return, Zai Chun had finally returned to the center of his power, and the moment he disembarked the ship, it was as if five years had passed!

In these five years, all he came in contact with were new ideas, and under Xiao Letian's protection, he lived the lives of a normal rich kid.

He went to the New barracks to stand as a soldier, practice spearmanship in a shooting-range, learn to sail in the Pacific Ocean, and study military and diplomatic studies in the European continent. He seemed to have forgotten what he had been living in five years ago.

Even in Tanggu, all one could see were heavy machines that could spit out steam. There were dirty industrial pollutants everywhere.

It was only at this moment, when Zai Chun stepped onto the capital's grounds, that he finally understood that the Great Qing was still the same.

The commoners humbly kneeled in the dust. They were all wearing the best new clothes they could bear to wear during the new year, but most of them were just ordinary cotton-padded jackets.

The houses in the distance were short and shabby, with only a few shops that were built on the second floor. However, their grandeur was incomparable to the shops on the bustling streets of London.

All of the civilians and soldiers had the color of food on their faces. The first impression the group gave was that they were thin. Other than those who wore silk clothing, there was not a single fatso among the civilians and soldiers.

The most tragic thing was the fear and terror on everyone's face. Of course, Zai Chun couldn't see their expressions, because everyone had buried their faces in the dust, and no one dared to raise their head.

This was the capital city, the place with the strictest rule in the Qing Dynasty for the past 200 years. The citizens had seen too many bloody battles, and no one dared to challenge the might of the heavens.

Zai Chun took a deep breath of the cold air, and thought of Na Ba, London, Berlin, hamburger … Those free cities, where was the cheerful atmosphere?

Every time Xiao Letian's voice appeared in the public, you would only see people bowing respectfully without any sort of bow. Wherever the Head of the Guards went, it would be filled with laughter and cheers.

The children could give the flowers to Xiao Letian, the street artists could chase after the leader's guards and play music. The people would raise their heads to greet the leader, the smiles on their faces not showing any hypocrisy at all.

Looking at Europe, even if the Queen Victoria and the King of Germany were to travel, the people would only welcome them with applause. In fact, the army would cheer the most.

The victorious army would receive even more applause than the emperor, the kisses of the ladies would be sent to the young men, and the nobles of the king would never put on airs.

In the open carriage, they also had to take off their hats to wave to the public!

It was only in those places that Zai Chun could feel that this was a mortal world and not an ice-cold grave!

That's right, everything in front of him was as lifeless as a grave. Everyone was waiting for his orders, waiting for the next step.

The emperor got off the boat and everyone kowtowed. The emperor mounted the imperial carriage and set it on fire before setting off the firecrackers. The imperial carriage moved forward and then began to dance dragons and lions … Then, the group of people followed the direction the imperial carriage was moving in, bowing like wheat to it.

This was a rehearsal scene, from the inside, one could not even see the slightest bit of people's hearts, there was not even a hint of true meaning!

Letting out a long sigh, Zai Chun changed his expression into a slightly smiling one and walked towards the imperial carriage with his right foot!

”The Holy Son has returned to the capital!” The old eunuch gave a long tune, and then the sounds of whips came from the streets. The people continued to kneel and touch their foreheads to the ground.

After the sound of the whip, the imperial guards and various classes moved forward. There were 981 eunuchs kneeling on the ground as they welcomed His Majesty on the imperial carriage!

Right in front of the imperial carriage, the courtiers and officials led by Prince Kung had long kneeled on the ground. On the scarlet carpet, there were a large number of splendid officials.