The carriage rolled on. As it was the carriage of the Prince of Zhennan, no one dared to stop it. When it reached the moat on the outskirts of the capital, the carriage came to a halt and quietly waited for the return of the Prince of Zhennan and his lieutenants.
They waited from early morning until past noon. Finally, they heard the Royal Guards in the distance shouting, "The prince is returning to the capital! The prince is returning to the capital! Lower the drawbridge!"
At this, all the commoners immediately knelt down and roared, "Long live the prince! Long live the prince!"
Such a spectacular scene was something Lu Wanning had only seen on TV. Stunned, she lifted the curtain and peeked out. There she saw the freezing commoners, shivering on their knees but still shouting at the top of their voices. Behind them loomed the figures of the Royal Guards.
Lu Wanning was deeply shocked. Could it be true that, as the book said, the Prince of Zhennan had grown so powerful that he overshadowed the king?
Gritting her teeth, she got out of the carriage, walked up to a guard, grabbed a horse, and was about to mount it.
The guards dared not let her. Hastily, they tried to dissuade her. "Princess, it's freezing out here. The prince will be back soon. Please don't be in such a hurry."
Lu Wanning turned around and looked at the snow - covered outskirts of the capital. It was truly freezing cold, yet all the commoners were kneeling in the ice and snow. She had only walked for a short while before her shoes and socks got completely wet. She wondered how soaked these people, including the old and the young, must be. Did they deserve to suffer like this?
"Get out of my way! My father and elder brothers are coming back. I must go and greet them myself."
Lu Wanning was always arrogant, and no one dared to disobey her words. The attendants could only follow closely around her on horseback, afraid that she might fall.
Fortunately, the original owner was from a family of military generals, and was skilled in riding and shooting. After a short adjustment, Lu Wanning knew how to ride a horse.
When she saw a group of a hundred soldiers and generals in the distance, she knew that the Prince of Zhennan had returned.
She shouted all the way, "Father, elder brothers, Ning'er is here to greet you!"
Lu Hongxi had excellent hearing. When he heard the voice, he was overjoyed. He looked back at his two sons and said happily, "Did you hear that? It's Ning'er."
He whipped his horse to speed up. Sure enough, he saw a young girl in a silver fur coat on a horse in front, riding towards them against the wind and snow. When the girl saw him, she reined in her horse, flipped off it, and ran towards him cheerfully.
Lu Hongxi also dismounted and hugged his daughter tightly. Feeling her cold little face, he quickly took off his cloak and wrapped his daughter in it. Then he asked, "Ning'er, what are you doing here? Your father and elder brothers will be home soon. You should have waited at home. Aren't you cold? Look, your hands are all red from the cold."
Lu Wanning looked innocent. Pointing at the moat behind them, she laughed and said, "Father, the commoners in the city braved the wind and snow to kneel and welcome you back. As your daughter, how could I not come?"
Hearing this, Lu Hongxi frowned and asked, "Kneel and welcome me?"
Lu Wanning asked in surprise, "Wasn't it arranged by you, Father? Just now I asked, and they were forced to do it. After all, it's freezing cold in the twelfth lunar month with wind and snow. Even if some people were willing to welcome you, it's impossible for the whole city to come. There are so many women, children, and the elderly!"
Lu Hongxi's eyes darkened, and his displeasure deepened. But in front of his daughter, he said nothing.
Lu Wanning knew when to stop. She reached out to touch Lu Hongxi's face and giggled, "Father, your face is so cold too. You've given me your clothes. What will you do?"
Lu Hongxi laughed and tapped Lu Wanning's nose. "Don't worry about your father, Ning'er. Let's go. It's time to return to the capital."
Not wanting his daughter to ride in such cold weather, he put her behind him on the horse and rode on.
After crossing the moat, they saw groups of commoners kneeling on the ground, shouting "Long live the prince!"
As a general of the Great Zhou, Lu Hongxi was used to being welcomed by commoners every time he returned in triumph. But after what his daughter said, he took a closer look. Sure enough, there were many old, weak, women, and children in thin clothes, shivering in the cold but still kneeling there.
His heart ached. He dismounted, made his daughter stand still, and then knelt down in front of the commoners and shouted, "I am Lu Hongxi, a general of the Great Zhou. Protecting the country is the duty of the Lu family. You don't need to be so polite. I am unworthy of such respect!"
After shouting, he kowtowed three times in each direction.
The commoners, who had been freezing and were complaining in their hearts, were at a loss when they saw the high - ranking prince, the bravest general of the Great Zhou, kowtowing to them.
Some clever commoners started to kowtow again. "Congratulations on the prince's triumphant return. We did this voluntarily."
One took the lead, and the others quickly followed. This kowtowing back and forth seemed to go on without end.
Lu Hongxi thought for a moment, stood up, took off his outer clothes, walked up to the nearest old woman, and put the clothes on her. He said with concern, "Grandma, please don't kneel in the ice and snow. Be careful not to hurt yourself."
The old woman refused to accept his clothes and shook her head.
Lu Hongxi was strong. He wouldn't let her refuse. He said coldly, "I, Lu Hongxi, as a member of the Lu family, am born to serve the people. How can I accept such great courtesy? Grandma, don't decline. You all get up quickly. It's too cold. Don't freeze yourselves. Go home and boil some ginger soup. Take good care of yourselves."
Seeing this, the soldiers he brought back also took off their cloaks and outer clothes one after another, gave them to the old and the young in the crowd, and advised them to go home.
Seeing such kind - hearted prince and soldiers, the commoners had no trace of resentment left. They all had tears in their eyes and left reluctantly, looking back every few steps.
The Royal Guards knelt awkwardly beside them, not knowing whether to stop the commoners or follow them.
Lu Hongxi said nothing. He just winked at his eldest son and was about to pick up his daughter and mount the horse.
Lu Wanning thought for a while. Now the returning soldiers had no cloaks or outer clothes and were only wearing thin shirts. If she insisted on returning the cloak to the Prince of Zhennan, he probably wouldn't accept it.
So she let out a soft, coquettish cry, bent down, covering her leg, and looked at Lu Hongxi with teary eyes. "It hurts..."
Lu Hongxi quickly supported Lu Wanning. "What's wrong, Ning'er? Get on the horse quickly. Father will take you to see a doctor."
Lu Wanning shook her head. "Maybe I was just too excited to see you and elder brothers. I hurt my foot when I got off the horse in a hurry. My feet were numb from the cold before and I didn't feel it. Now that I'm warm in your cloak, it hurts so much."
The lieutenant following behind looked down. "Hey, General, the princess's shoes are all wet."
Lu Hongxi was extremely distressed. He quickly supported his daughter to the carriage and called out to Jiyue waiting by the carriage. "Hurry up and help the princess into the carriage."
Lu Wanning refused and coquettishly said to Lu Hongxi, "I haven't seen you for a long time, Father. I want you to accompany me."