Xiao Niangpi was woken up by Aunt Mei. After hearing the reason, she grabbed the Patek Philippe watch in the box beside her pillow and looked at the time. She found that it was already early eight o'clock.
She hurriedly got up and dressed up.
Holding up her skirt, she and Yang Fan got into the carriage. Dongxiang took a drawer of steamed buns and a thermal bucket from the window.
Yang Fan and Xiao Niangpi were on the carriage and ate steamed stuffed buns with shrimp and beef fillings and seaweed soup. The four-wheeled carriage was pulled by two white horses and surrounded by servants and cavalry from a hundred households, and took the official road outside the city to Fu.
Enter the city through the gate.
Yang Fan sent people to repair the official road around the city outside the city. It is very smooth and easy to walk on.
It's not that Yang Fan is willing to serve the imperial court, but the largest merchant in the capital is the Yang Mansion. His transport fleet needs an easier road to supply supplies to businesses in the city.
So, Yang Fan used lime and sand, plus mountains of slag from Zunhua, to build a four-lane road surrounding the imperial capital's city walls and moats.
These roads are all pavements with a slightly higher center for drainage. There are drainage ditches on both sides and poplar trees are planted. There are also sidewalks on the outside for pedestrians to walk on.
The road surface was compacted with a steam roller and became very solid. A light four-wheeled carriage walked on it briskly and smoothly.
At nine o'clock, Yang Fan and his party entered Fucheng Gate.
When the officers and soldiers guarding the city saw Dingyuan Hou's flag, they quickly let him go. They were all locals in the imperial capital, and they all knew that Dingyuan Hou had two tigresses in his house. If they dared to go up to investigate, they would most likely get a riding crop.
Mo Zuo threw out a linen bag and shouted: "Take it for the brothers to drink tea."
The hundreds of households guarding the city quickly caught him and shouted: "Young men, thank you for your reward."
I weighed it with my hands and found at least twenty silver coins. I suddenly became excited.
They didn't have much money a month. In the early days of Chongzhen, the monthly salary for a hundred households was only one tael of silver and one load of rice. They were often in arrears. This was his income for twenty months.
Even though he has to give some to the following, there is still no problem for him to take half.
It is said that the Dingyuanhou family are generous, and they certainly live up to their reputation.
The motorcade entered Fucheng Gate and walked directly east. It took about five or six miles to reach Xi'an Gate, the west gate of the imperial city.
The southern wall of the imperial city in the Ming Dynasty was just north of Chang'an Street in today's imperial capital. We see Zhongshan Park and the Imperial Ancestral Temple, as well as the tall red walls on the north side of the square, which are the preserved southern walls of the imperial city in the Ming Dynasty.
It was no longer suitable for Yang Fan to take a carriage here. After all, this was already a royal ground. He and Xiao Niangpi got off the carriage, took a few entourages, checked the Jin Yiwei's waist badge at Xi'an Gate, and walked in
Imperial City.
The Imperial City is also a road heading east, reaching the west gate of Nanyuan.
Yang Fan and his wife were going to Nanyuan for a banquet, so taking this road was the shortest way.
The western half of the imperial city is all warehouses. After entering Xi'an Gate, on the north and south of the road are the Xixinsi, Sutra Library, Daguangming Hall, etc. After passing the Yangfang Road, there is a small alley south of Sanxi Palace, here is
The west gate of Xiyuan (today's Haili).
This door is not big, it is about three gatehouse buildings with a width of ten meters. The red walls are wide and thick, and the door is made of heavy hardwood. There are nine rows of nine copper door nails in each door. The captains of Jinyiwei hand-embroidered
The handle of the spring knife is heavily guarded.
However, Yang Fan was the second-ranking figure in Jin Yiwei, and they all knew him and saluted him one after another.
After Wang Chengen came back, he had been waiting here for a long time. He took Yang Fan and Tu Shanyue to Yingtai.
This time, Yang Fan didn't look like he didn't care when he entered the Forbidden City with Xiao Niangpi. Because the Forbidden City in later generations was open to the public. As long as he had been to the imperial capital, almost no one had not been there. On the contrary, it was Xiao Niangpi's first time here, and his eyes were filled with tears.
It's not enough.
Yang Fan laughed at her for being a country bumpkin, and she stepped on her hard.
This time Yang Fan watched it with great interest. After all, this is the sea of later generations, and no one is allowed to enter. Xiyuan is a royal garden with many ancient buildings and beautiful scenery.
Ziguang Pavilion, Fengze Garden, Jinggu, Shuiyun Pavilion, Jiaoyuan, Qinzheng Hall, Wanshan Hall, Yingtai, etc., any one of them is extremely grand, such as Xiangluan Pavilion to the north of Yingtai, which is two stories high, left and right.
There are fourteen rooms in total, and there are thirty-eight rooms in the left and right buildings. The building scale is grand.
Wang Chengen took them to Yingtai.
Yingtai is a small island, and you have to pass a white marble stone bridge to get up to it.
At this time, the emperor had not yet arrived, and the eunuchs were setting up the venue for the banquet. Wang Chengen saw that Dingyuan Hou and his wife were very interested, so he took them around and introduced each building by the way, acting as a tour guide.
Yingtai is a small island in the South China Sea. The island has towering palaces and pavilions, surrounded by corridors and pavilions, and is shimmering with golden light. It looks like the legendary Yingzhou, a fairy island in the East China Sea, like a fairyland on earth.
The main building of Yingtai is Hanyuan Hall. The northernmost part of Yingtai is Xiangluan Pavilion. To the east of Zaoyun Building is the later Qianlong study "Bu Tong Bookstore". To the south of Hanyuan Hall is Zaoyun Building. To the northeast of Zaoyun Building is
Waiting for Yuexuan.
At this time, the banquet at Yingxun Pavilion in the southernmost part of Yingtai Island had been arranged. Wang Chengen took the Yang couple to their seats first.
Because there is no reason for the emperor to wait for his ministers, the emperor must come at the right time.
It is midsummer now, and the climate in the imperial capital is the hottest in August. The heat wave is rolling, and you are covered in sweat at the slightest movement. Just now, when you were in the carriage, you opened all the windows to enjoy the cool breeze brought by the carriage.
There was also a maid fanning the girl. She was the most intolerant of the heat. She held a stainless steel thermos cup in her little hands and sipped the sour plum soup with ice cubes in small sips.
When we arrived at this pavilion, the wind blew from the water and the heat immediately disappeared. It was extremely cool and very comfortable.
Yang Fan not only sighed, what a great place. No wonder the emperor likes to come here to escape the summer heat.
The venue was very interestingly arranged. It was not in the pavilion, but under the tree on the platform in front of the pavilion.
Yang Fan and the emperor's mistresses were arranged under a tree by the water's edge, sitting opposite each other. The mistress was received by the queen under a tree at the back, in front of the pavilion.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Yingxun Pavilion is said to be a pavilion, but it is actually a building with doors and windows on all sides.
As soon as Yang Fan saw this arrangement, he knew that the emperor had separate and confidential matters to discuss with him. The banquet was just a cover. On the surface, it was because he had driven away the slaves, and the emperor specially gave the banquet to show his favor.
Taking this opportunity, there are some things I want to talk to myself about.
Yang Fan sat cross-legged on the carpet that had been laid in advance, looking at the water and thinking about the emperor's intentions.
Xiao Niangpi is sitting at the back, which is a separate small table. Opposite are three small tables. The one in the middle is probably the Queen, and on both sides are the concubines Tian Guifei and Yuan Guifei who are accompanying her.
"Master, Master, do you think His Majesty wants to propose a marriage? Should we decline it later and then agree?" Xiao Niangpi said nervously.
"According to etiquette, we should be humble, but not too much, so that the queen will think that we have other ideas." Yang Fan said. In all likelihood, the queen and Tu Shanyue will mention this matter first to see if the Yang family
reaction.
The Yang family's generals are different from ordinary officials. Many times, the generals are more cautious when dealing with the royal family, and their thoughts and opinions need to be considered. If the little girl has no objections, the emperor will formally issue an edict on the matter.
Just as he was talking, a eunuch with a drake voice shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, the Queen has arrived."
Yang Fan and Tu Shanyue quickly stood up and bowed to greet them.
Chongzhen burst out laughing and came out from behind the screen and said to Yang Fan: "You went overseas to enjoy yourself, but you left me to suffer in the capital. I must punish you with three cups of wine today."
Yang Fan had no choice but to smile and say: "I know that I am guilty, but please be punished by Your Majesty."
As soon as Chongzhen came out, he was followed by Empress Zhou, Concubine Tian and Concubine Yuan. One wet nurse was holding the prince, and the other was holding the eldest princess.
Yang Fan was convinced that it was indeed true. Your Majesty invited him to a banquet today to test whether the Yang family was interested in a marriage alliance.
