The royal family's ancestral worship has never been a private matter for the imperial family.

  According to the national custom, when the imperial family holds ancestral worship ceremonies, the offerings are provided by the inner court or the left warehouse, but the expenses for accommodation, food, defense, and shopping along the way need to be borne by local governments.

  Zhao Xi also heard that in the early years, the Taizu royal family held ancestral worship ceremonies with 3,000 guards, and local officials tried every means to flatter and present offerings... it's easy to imagine what kind of scene it would be.

  After hearing this, Zhao Xi suddenly felt a bit disappointed and unenthusiastic.

  Originally, Zhao Xi thought that this was just a Qingming Festival tomb sweeping, although it wouldn't be limited to just relatives, at most there would be three or two hundred people accompanying him.

  I didn't expect it to be several thousand! How frightening is that? Later generations have seen the emperor go out, but not like this, I've never heard of it.

  Several thousand? Don't mention disturbing others, just talk about your own feelings. Want to see the real human world at present, but have to go through several thousand people's minds. Just thinking about it is boring.

  But he couldn't help it. Since the imperial court had made its decision, he could only obey.

  Chen Lin, who was stuck with him, couldn't leave and had to accompany Old Man Chen. As a result, he dragged Li Xian over.

  The closest guards to himself were the Imperial Guard Cavalry Commander Cao Lin, and the Imperial Guard Infantry Commander Gao Jingxian.

  These two prefixes confused Zhao Xi for half a day, and he only understood after asking that this title was eighth rank or from the eighth rank, equivalent to the county-level chief in later generations, also known as the camp commander, roughly the same level as when he changed industries.

  The two of them were in command of... still didn't understand, but probably it meant being in charge of a battalion or an enhanced battalion.

  The reason why these two people are close to me recently is that one of them, Cao Lin, should be considered my elder cousin, while the other, Gao Jingxian, is Tuo Niang's younger brother, which means he will be my future elder uncle.

  The arrangement of these two people is normal and within expectations.

  Putting aside the cookie incident, these two families will definitely be Zhao Xi's supporters in terms of future development.

  Zhao Xi finally knew that it was his mother who told him this. As for how many people and what kind of people accompanied him, he had no idea. It wasn't his turn to worry about it yet.

  Tao Niang continued to tell Zhao Xi, her brother Gao Jingxian's martial arts skills were very impressive... Little girl, I reckon she was also telling herself not to worry.

  Whether martial arts are strong or not, Zhao Xi truly doesn't care. From what he originally knew and what he learned after coming here, he's clear that in every dynasty, the downfall of the imperial court wasn't caused by internal strife among its subjects, which means that in this era, the sense of happiness among the imperial court's subjects is still passable, and they don't have much resentment towards the royal family.

  As for having a mountain bandit or a thief, if they see regular troops and still come out to stir up trouble, that's absolutely someone who thinks their life is too long.

  There is still more than half a month before the Qingming Festival, and the itinerary has been arranged in detail on the court. From what time to set off to when to pitch tents, even the position of the halfway rest stop and how to camp are all arranged very carefully.

  It's just a matter of arranging when to go to the bathroom!

  Zhao Xi was perplexed and couldn't understand how the officials in the imperial court knew whether it would rain or not, how they knew if the roads were passable, and how they knew if there would be any unexpected events on this road.

  He had no choice, he saw the schedule for the day and was very puzzled, but neither his parents nor Li Xian, who had experience with palace affairs, thought it was unusual. As for Wang Zhongzheng, the fool didn't understand either.

  Only after asking did he realize that even if troops were sent to fight, the imperial court would arrange it this way... Zhao Xi was speechless.

  A soldier being late is no small matter. With such a strict schedule, there's no room for unexpected events, and giving them ample time would be a luxury they can't afford if they have any ambition at all.

  This is also the first time Zhao Xi saw Guo Chao operating like this. It can no longer be said that he was working behind closed doors, this is simply absurd!

  Zhao Xi originally wanted to chat with his father for a few more sentences, to see the satisfied look on his face... Shut up! It's probably only this arrangement that will make Father feel at ease.

  As for the Forbidden Army going out, it disrupted the established internal and external balance of the country. The emperor's old father must be worried, let him be.

  Fortunately, there are also people in the Ministry of Rites who are specifically responsible for this matter and have been temporarily assigned to it. It is estimated that the person in charge has the authority to make emergency decisions.

  Whatever, I'll just tag along and take a stroll around, see what the world is like nowadays.

  It wasn't until the second day that Zhao Xi left Bianliang City did he realize what his imagined leisurely stroll was like...

  It's really a waste of manpower and money, what's the point of this?

  When he went from the inner courtyard to the palace wall, there were more than 20 people who followed him with their own retinue and took care of his food and lodging, including Wang Zhongzheng and Li Xian, each bringing a dozen or so attendants.

  However, from the beginning of the palace wall, there were about 400 to 500 people. Cao Lin led more than 200 cavalry and infantry, Gao Jingxian led more than 200 infantry, as well as officials in charge of rituals arranged by the imperial court, and their relatives who went south to worship their ancestors.

  Four or five hundred people, from close attendants to officials in the imperial court, then infantry, and on the outer periphery were infantry and cavalry... that is, armored cavalry, forming three layers, with a procession advancing half a mile.

  What Zhao Xi couldn't have imagined was that after leaving the palace gate, there were actually drum and music teams blowing and beating... Is this going to pay respects to ancestors?

  This is not the end! He remembered that last time he went to the horse stable outside the city, the streets of Bianliang were bustling and had not changed much, but today... Although it was a bit early, it was impossible to see that this was a city with nearly a million people.

  He finally understood what it means to yield to pedestrians, and this yielding was absolute.

  He finally understood what was meant by "pouring clean water on the street" and "spreading yellow earth on the ground".

  Is it really necessary to go this far?

  Zhao Xi originally thought that he would be able to walk out of the palace with his entourage, but as soon as they exited the palace gate, officials from the Ministry of Rites came over to reprimand him, and even his entourage was scolded.

  Well, just go with the flow and let others carry you along.

  He didn't feel a bit of shaking, and his body didn't have any feeling of tilting left or right, or forward or backward.

  There's no point in arguing about this, just follow reason and rules, it doesn't matter either way.

  As soon as they left the city gate of Bianliang, Zhao Xi finally knew what it meant to have a sea of people, with banners and flags waving in the air, gongs and drums thundering, and firecrackers exploding simultaneously.

  Kangri, Tianwu, Longwei, Shengwei, all four armies were dispatched to command the guard of worship.

  This is just one of his royal highness's outings, if it were really the old man going out... surely he wouldn't take all the garrison troops of Bianliang with him?

  It's really like that.

  The Upper Four Armies were after all accustomed to imperial reviews and were garrisoned in the Imperial City, so they looked... looked rather flashy.

  I don't know what others think, but Zhao Xi feels this way. He thinks that the upper four armies do not want to fight in sequence, and they are a bit like the ceremonial troops and cultural soldiers of later generations.

  They look quite handsome, all with uniform crew cuts, bright helmets and armor, and their swords, guns and halberds are also shining.

  I guess their use is limited to this extent.