With the Holy Birthday Festival over, it was time for the representatives of the barbarian and vassal states, who had lingered in the Capital City, to return home.
Every time this happened, the entire court would fall into chaos.
What kind of chaos?
Take the court's financial rewards to the various vassal states, for example. The barbarians came to the Wei Dynasty to congratulate the Emperor on his coming-of-age ceremony and to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday. They didn't arrive empty-handed; they brought gifts for the Emperor and Empress Dowager, along with their expected annual tributes.
This made them "guests." Since ancient times, the people of the nation treated guests based on the principle of giving much more than they received.
The meaning was obvious: the court had to reward them with gifts far richer than what they brought. This was a gesture of goodwill between both sides.
Disputes often arose at this exact stage.
