After more than a month of long journey, more than 2,500 Tang soldiers led by Chu Liangshan crossed the Haodi River and got closer and closer to the Snow Mountain.
Along the way, this partial army was short of food and clothing. It had to avoid both the Tubo people and the Tang army, making the march extremely difficult.
However, compared with the difficulty of marching, the bigger problem is military morale.
Rebelling against the Tang Dynasty, abandoning the commander-in-chief, and having an uncertain future. Together, these factors could overwhelm the most determined soldiers in the Tang army.
When Chu Liangshan patrolled the camp every night, he could always hear the soldiers sobbing. He wanted to go into the camp and reprimand him, but then he thought about it and decided that was all.
"General Chu, there is the Snowy Mountain in front of us. The scouts have just returned and said that there is a post village at the foot of the mountain. There is a business in the village, and a signboard with the surname "Jin" is hanging."
The person who spoke was Wu Kedi.
Chu Liangshan looked at Wukedi and responded softly.
At first, Chu Liangshan was angry with Wukedi for fleeing the war, and when he first set out, he wanted to kill him for an excuse.
Immediately afterwards, Chu Liangshan heard from his subordinates that Wu Kedi had rescued a seriously injured brother when he returned to the camp, and then he had a slight change in his view.
Later, Chu Liangshan led his troops to march north, and Wuke worked hard on the first road. No matter he was beaten or scolded, he silently endured it. Everything assigned by the superior officer was completed seriously and without any mistakes. This made the former's impression of the latter even worse.
Feeling better. Reading a book
Nowadays, morale is low and people's hearts are unstable. Chu Liangshan valued Wu Kedi's honesty and diligence and promoted him to the leader of the team.
First, he ordered the army to stop. Chu Liangshan called for the generals in the army and said: "In front of us is the Snowy Mountain. In the post village at the foot of the mountain, there is a Jin family trading company."
You Zijiang said: "I just don't know if this firm is the person we are looking for."
Chu Liangshan nodded and said: "Even if you find the right person, you still have to be careful. The sky is unpredictable and no one can predict what will happen."
All the generals nodded.
Chu Liangshan: "Find some good players in the army and form a team. Take off your armor, disguise yourself, and let someone lead the team to go to the trading house to explore the bottom. Form another group and stay outside the village to prevent things from changing."
A general said worriedly: "General Chu, why not stay in the army and let others explore?"
Chu Liangshan shook his head and said: "I have made up my mind, go ahead and prepare."
Not long after, Chu Liangshan and others, disguised as merchants, entered the village on horseback and stopped at the gate of Jin's Trading Company.
Chu Liangshan got off his horse and saw that the paint on the signboard of the trading company was still new, but the business was bleak.
There was an old man sitting in the concierge of the trading company. His hair and beard were all white but he was full of energy.
The old man was warming a pot of tea. The aroma of tea, accompanied by the white smoke of boiling water, filled the air, making Chu Liangshan and others' throats roll.
When the old man saw the group of people at the door, he didn't say anything. He just put down the teapot and walked into the courtyard again.
Chu Liangshan gave his subordinates a careful look, raised his legs and followed him into the courtyard.
The old man walked into the door of the trading company. After a while, a man wearing a fur coat walked out of the hall.
When the man approached, Chu Liangshan saw his appearance clearly and could not help but frown slightly.
One of the man's eyes was white and translucent, but it was a prosthetic eye, and there were several shocking scars on his throat.
Seeing that there was no one else in the courtyard, Chu Liangshan had no choice but to raise his hands to the man and ask, "Where is the manager of this Jin family business?" The man in the leather jacket returned the gesture and replied with a smile: "I am the manager of this business."
, Kong You.”
Chang'an, Zhoujiazhai.
Zhou Dinghai got off the horse, his legs and feet were weak. Without Zhou Jun's support, he might have collapsed directly to the ground.
Today, Zhou Jun accompanied his father to the inner garden of the imperial city and performed the fourth step of the six rituals - accepting the levy.
Different from the marriages of ordinary people, when a prince-in-law marries a princess, the process and details of the six rites are somewhat different.
For example, the first three of the six rituals are nacai, asking for names, and naji.
The first ceremony is to accept the gift. The Prince Consort’s family will send a more important member to take Dayan to make a marriage agreement. The envoy sent by the Zhou family here is Zhou Jun’s eldest brother Zhou Ze.
The second ceremony is to ask for the name. The Prince Consort's family will send a matchmaker to the palace to find out that the princess is the emperor's daughter Feng X. After the name is asked, the bad luck will be determined through divination. Here, Zhou Jun asks Pang Gong to come forward and asks someone to do it.
The ritual of asking for your name.
The third ritual is Naji. If you get a good omen through divination, you will then ask an envoy to go to the palace to inform you.
The first three rites are actually just formalities, but when it comes to the fourth rite, it is the consort's family who has to issue a betrothal gift of property and send it to the palace.
Although the betrothal gift given is just a ceremonial gift of "binding silk and riding a horse", the person who comes forward must be a close relative of the prince-in-law.
Zhou Dinghai, a Nu Yalang who only met the county magistrate at most on weekdays, spoke eloquently and was full of ambition before setting off.
However, when the Zhou family's team arrived at the palace gate and Zhou Dinghai saw the imperial city from the doorway, his face turned pale, his body was trembling, his legs seemed to be filled with lead sand, and he could no longer take a step forward.
Zhou Jun and Zhou Ze had no choice but to hold up Zhou Dinghai, one on the left and the other on the right, as if leading a prisoner to the execution ground, and entered the palace together.
After receiving the betrothal gift and returning home, Zhou Dinghai finally sat down on the folding chair and murmured: "I never thought that I, Zhou Dinghai, would have the opportunity to enter the imperial city in this life."
Luo Sanniang brought a bowl of soothing soup and put it on the table. She looked at Zhou Jun and said, "My mother never thought that Jun'er could actually marry the princess..."
Zhou Dinghai shook his head and said: "These days, it's like a dream... When walking in the street, the neighbors would always look askance at someone because of their status as servants of the Zhou family. Now when they meet, they all treat each other respectfully and respectfully.
I call you Duke Zhou."
Zhou Jun reminded from the side: "Don't think that just because you are related to the royal family, you can be arrogant and do whatever you want. The Zhou family comes from a humble background, which has attracted a lot of criticism. If you are not careful, you may cause trouble.
"
Zhou Jun was going to become the consort soon, and Zhou Dinghai couldn't refute, so he could only respond vaguely.
Zhou Ze was standing aside and asked Zhou Jun: "Where do you plan to live after Erlang gets married?"
Zhou Jun: "His Majesty originally granted a palace in Gongrenfang, but the princess did not like the control of Chang'an and insisted on living in Bachuan. The princess's palace in Bachuan is still under renovation, and Pang Gong plans to transfer the palace to Bachuan.
The inner garden was cleared out and used as a temporary princess residence."
Zhou Ze nodded.
Zhou Jun asked Zhou Ze again: "My eldest brother's position has expired. Is there any change next year?"
Zhou Ze: "There are rumors in the Ministry of Officials that someone will be transferred back to Chang'an next year and will be appointed as a deputy minister in Shangshu Province."
Zhou Jun: "Only when you pass the examination and receive a letter of recommendation from an official, you can enter the Shangshu Province from a foreign position. This shows that your eldest brother's ability has been recognized, which is gratifying."
Zhou Ze smiled bitterly: "When you are sent out as a small official, you are doing all the errands of Chen Pan. How can you recognize it... You became the consort, which is the biggest reason why I was transferred back to Chang'an."
Zhou Jun was stunned for a moment, and seeing Zhou Ze's waning spirits, he persuaded him: "No matter what, it is always good for the eldest brother to stay in Chang'an with his family and serve Aye's mother."