It is certainly no small matter for an emperor to marry a daughter. Even if Xixia does not have as many red tapes as the Song Dynasty, the rules that should be followed still have to be followed, and all of them are indispensable.
Li Luoyan was already dressed up early in the morning, and the majestic guard of honor left the palace gate and headed to Chengtian Temple. This is the largest temple in Xixia. The tombs of all the emperors of Daxia are placed in the temple. In a high tower, the princess is the darling daughter of heaven, so important events such as her marriage must be reported to heaven and earth to her ancestors.
The staff of the Ministry of Rites have already prepared the sacrificial items and set up an altar in front of the Chengtian Temple Tower. Chongzong Li Qianshun is in front, Princess Yuping Li Luoyan is on the side, and the accompanying officials are behind. They all kneel respectfully and listen to the master of ceremonies of the Ministry of Rites. The sacrificial inscription of Parallel Four and Liliu was read out in a cadence, and the altar was completely silent.
Today's wedding ceremony will be held in the palace. The person responsible for security is the Forbidden Army, one of the three military departments of Xixia. The Forbidden Army is under the Ministry of War, but it is the Privy Council that can be mobilized. Neither of the two military masters can control this power alone, so the Forbidden Army It can also be regarded as the personal weapon of the royal family.
The commanders of the Imperial Guards in Xingqing City were all members of the royal family. They were Li Qianshun's cousin. However, this cousin was an old man who knew how to survive. He had been doing his job peacefully over the years. He didn't offend the Xiao family, but he managed to get here until now, preventing Master Xiao from seizing power.
The Imperial Guards of the Imperial Household were extremely majestic. They were armored with long swords and steel, and they were covered with hundreds of pieces of leaf armor made of fine steel. They made a scraping sound when they moved around. The princess's sacrifice to heaven was a big event, and the entire Chengtian Temple was covered inside and outside. There were a total of five hundred Forbidden Army soldiers, standing tall and motionless.
Many people outside the temple heard the news and came to watch the fun. They stood at a distance and pointed, and made a sound of admiration. With such strict protection, the princess would never be in any danger.
The sacrificial ceremony lasted for nearly two hours before it ended. The guard of honor resumed and returned to the palace. The imperial army was divided into several groups. Those who opened the way first, those who supported on both sides, and those who followed on defense. They were in an orderly manner and there was no disorder at all. An accident happened at the first street intersection. Dozens of men wearing black clothes and black scarves suddenly burst out from the houses on both sides, shouting loudly that they wanted to kill the emperor. The Imperial Army reacted very quickly and immediately separated into a group. Came to greet him.
After all, the number of assassins was too small. Facing the iron-barrel-like column of imperial troops, they couldn't attack them. In the end, they had no choice but to fire some crossbows from a distance and fled in a hurry. They didn't even see the emperor's face, but Chongzong was obviously frightened. Not light, her face was pale and her butt was trembling like a tremor. In contrast, Princess Yuping was calm and calm. Without saying a word, she ordered a hundred forbidden troops to be sent out to hunt down the assassin.
The guard of honor continued back to the palace, and the Imperial Guards who had been separated to hunt down the assassins also returned half an hour later. Although they shocked the emperor, there were no casualties after all. Today is a good day for the princess's wedding, so we will let them go for the time being. , but no one noticed that the one hundred forbidden soldiers who came back and the original one hundred had changed people at some time.
…
This is the suburb west of Xingqing City. The smell of early spring has begun to grow here. The green on the Helan Mountain in the distance has begun to become thicker. At the foot of the mountain is a village. In fact, it is a village, but there are only a few households in total. One of them has The courtyard is quite large, with high walls and a deep courtyard, like a wealthy family's home.
It is now past noon, and there is a group of people ambushing outside the village. They all have tough faces and sharp eyes. They all use short weapons and fast swords and strong crossbows hanging on their waists. There are about two hundred people. This is a private armed force secretly cultivated by Master Xiao. They are all skilled in martial arts.
A man with high strength and quick reflexes, just for an opportunity like today, to work hard for the success of the Xiao family.
This group of people has been laying an ambush since early in the morning, but it's not time to move out yet. They are still waiting for everyone in the yard in front to arrive before they rush in with a thunderous force, leaving no chicken or dog behind.
Every once in a while on the road leading to the village, people would rush back. They were very careful and looked behind them very cautiously, as if they were worried about being followed. Then they entered the village and quickly got into the courtyard, never to appear again.
This is the address given by Yun Shanglan, which is the secret headquarters where the Yun family discusses important matters.
Among the people in ambush, there was a young man with a smooth head and a pink face, but it was Xiao Yi. He had not received professional training and was already impatient with waiting. Seeing another person getting in, he couldn't help but ask the person next to him: "Who is this?"
How long does Mom have to wait?”
A middle-aged man dressed as a general next to him smiled apologetically and said, "Master, please be patient. I have told you not to leave out any remaining members of the Yun family, otherwise there will be trouble in the future."
He moved Grand Master Xiao out. Xiao Yi did not dare to say anything in the end. He just spat bitterly and still lay obediently, muttering: "I don't believe you can still wait until dark to get together."
together."
…
The whole city of Xingqing Mansion was full of joy, and the palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Chongzong returned to the palace and rested for a while before giving orders to drive to Chengtian Palace.
Chengtian Palace and Chengtian Temple have the same name. They are both places used for royal sacrifices, but they have slightly different functions. It is a perfect place for the princess's wedding ceremony, because the space here is spacious and can perfectly hold the wedding ceremony.
It can also be used as a formal royal place to receive envoys from all sides.
The envoys from several countries who had arrived a few days ago had arrived early, and under the arrangement of Honglu Temple, they each occupied a piece of space. Outside the main hall of Chengtian Palace was an open garden. The ground was paved with slender stone strips.
The roller pressed it tightly and then spread it with a bright red blanket, which was both solemn and festive.
The number of escorts in each envoy group was not too many, and they were all within the reasonable number of people according to the diplomatic rules. The ceremony had not officially started, and the envoys from various countries also abided by the rules. They just sat there quietly in twos and threes and talked in low voices.
The guards stood around and watched the excitement with a relaxed expression.
All the civil and military officials of the Great Xia Kingdom have also arrived here, standing upright according to their official ranks. The leader is naturally Xiao Taishi, the minister of humerus of the Great Xia Kingdom, while Mou Xianting, another Privy Councilor who can compete with him, is still there.
In a coma, I can only miss such an important event today.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
A sharp shout came from afar, and all the civil and military officials immediately knelt down with a roar, shouting "long live the mountain". The foreign envoys also stood up gracefully and waited respectfully.
Chongzong walked to the dragon chair at the top of the palace with frivolous steps and sat down. He waved his hand below with a smile and said, "I will go down without any ceremony."
There was a sound of thanksgiving below. The palace deacon had already arranged for the table to be seated. Hundreds of officials took their seats, and a row of palace maids brought the general up with melon and fruit wine flowing like water.
The sky has gradually darkened, but lights have been arranged here, and the palace lanterns wrapped in red gauze illuminate the huge garden as bright as day. Chongzong looks good today, holding up the jade glass in front of him: "My lords,
, how about drinking this cup with me?"
The officials and envoys below hurriedly stood up, raised their glasses of wine, and prayed loudly: "Long live my emperor!"
Chongzong was happy, stroking his beard and just about to take a glass of wine, when Master Xiao suddenly winked at a distance.
"call out!"
A firework soared into the air from a corner next to Chengtian Palace, let out a sharp and loud whistle, then went straight into the night sky, finally exploding into a ball of colorful sparks.
"This..." Chongzong didn't react for a moment, and was stunned with the jade gong in his hand.