Tangning sat on the horse, looking at the towering city wall in front of her, and let out a long sigh of relief.
We set off from the capital on the third day of March and arrived at the capital of Chu State on the ninth day of June. After more than three months of bumps, this journey could finally come to an end for the time being.
The main city gate is wide open, and no one is allowed to travel. There are people watching on both sides. Countless soldiers are guarding both sides of the road. At the front, more than ten people in official uniforms are standing there. It seems that the waiting time has not been long.
.
"Congratulations to Princess Pingyang!"
An official bowed his hands, and the people behind him followed suit.
This time when the envoys and princesses of the Chen State arrived, the Chu State gave them a big pomp. They were greeted by many officials headed by the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Honglu Temple. Both sides were filled with people, making it extremely crowded.
Although this is not the highest courtesy, the emperor of Chu is seriously ill, the prince avoids suspicion, and there are no other members of the royal family. This camp can be considered extremely sincere.
The Minister of Rites of Chu State, a middle-aged man with a short beard, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said: "Your Majesty has heard the news of the princess's arrival in Beijing. Please ask the princess and the envoys to move to the Jinxiu Palace first."
The group entered the city gate and, led by the Minister of Rites, arrived at a palace outside the imperial palace.
The princess has not yet been officially married, so naturally she cannot live in the palace. Splendid Palace is said to be a palace, but it is actually a large royal garden with mountains and rivers in the forest. It is large enough to accommodate nearly a thousand people in the envoys, and it does not look like a palace.
Crowded.
Although he had arrived in Chu State, Lu Teng immediately arranged for manned patrols after entering the courtyard without relaxing his vigilance at all.
The Minister of Rites bowed his hand to Tang Ning and said, "Princess and the envoy have worked hard all the way. You might as well rest in the Splendid Palace first. In three days, the court will hold a wedding banquet for you all. At that time, I will send someone to come.
Pick you up."
When the Minister of Rites left, he also took away Zhao Man's birth date, saying that he wanted to combine it with the prince's birth date to calculate an auspicious date for the wedding.
Along the way, most of the time was spent in a narrow carriage. Zhao Man's spirit had always been a little sluggish. Now that she finally didn't have to ride in a carriage, her mood did not improve at all.
After Tangning had dealt with the Chu officials, when she found her, she was sitting by the lake in the garden in a daze.
A little palace maid saw him walking over, walked to the lake, pointed to the back, and said to the patrolling soldiers: "Go patrol over there, don't disturb the princess."
Tang Ning sat next to Zhao Man and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhao Man looked at the lake and said, "This place is far, far away from the capital. Can we still go back?"
"Don't worry, it will definitely work." Tangning held her hand and said with a little force, "I swear."
Zhao Man leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "My heart has been given to you, and I will never marry anyone else even if I die."
Tangning coughed lightly. She originally thought that the girl's impulse would eventually change with the passage of time, but she didn't expect that along the way, her dependence on him would become even more serious.
It's not the right time to think about something deeper, but at least he must be worthy of her trust in him.
There was no movement around her for a long time. When Tang Ning lowered her head to look, she realized that she had fallen asleep at some point.
This place by the lake was hers. Tangning picked her up and didn't have to worry about others seeing her. He walked back to the dormitory, placed her on the bed, and then returned to his own residence. Not long after, a guard came in to report.
: "He Rui, please see me."
Tang Ning poured two cups of tea. Seeing He Rui come in, she handed him a cup and asked, "Master He, have some tea."
He Rui had already picked up the tea cup out of habit. He seemed to have thought of something, so he put it down again and said, "Master Xie Tang, I am not thirsty."
Tangning took a sip of her tea and asked, "What does Mr. He want from me?"
He Rui stood up, cupped his hands and said: "Master Tang, among the envoys arriving in the capital this time, there are two more who were placed by King Duan. The purpose is to help him seek to marry Princess Changning. The lower official has already
They have talked about it, and Mr. Zhang and Mr. Li are willing to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side, and obey your arrangements in everything."
No wonder He Rui was able to sit in the position of Prime Minister of Honglu Temple. Along the way, other envoys installed by King Duan did not have his eyesight and ability.
He Rui looked at him and said: "The initiative regarding marriage proposal is in our hands. When the time comes, you will only mention King Kang, not King Duan. When you go back, you can just make up a random reason to get rid of it."
Whether it is King Duan or King Kang, there is no difference in this matter. Besides, he doesn't know much about the situation in Chu State yet, so he doesn't want to act rashly for the time being.
He looked at He Rui and said, "I have my own plan for this matter."
He Rui didn't say much. He stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Then I will resign first."
He sat in the room for a while, and then Butcher Zheng walked in and said, "I have some things to do and I have to be away for a few days. You should be more careful during these days."
Lao Zheng was originally escorting him along the way. Although he encountered dangers along the way, Tang Ning was able to solve them before he took action. When they arrived in Chu State, the Chu State's court was more concerned about their safety than their own.
There is no need to have him by your side for everything.
Tangning thought for a while and asked, "How long will it take to leave? Do I have to wait for you when I get back?"
"Ten days and a half are enough."
Tang Ning, who was still unable to leave after ten and a half months, nodded and said, "Be careful yourself."
In fact, Tangning originally wanted to go out with him, but now that he had something to do and left, she had to go out alone.
On a street somewhere in Kyoto, a young man stopped a woman and asked, "Madam, how can I get to Xinwang Mansion?"
The woman stopped, pointed ahead, and said: "Go forward from here, turn right at the second intersection, turn left again at the third intersection, and keep walking straight ahead."
"I know, thank you, ma'am."
Half an hour later, Tang Ning stood outside the city gate, looking back at the towering city wall in a daze.
He followed the route pointed by the lady and actually walked out of the city gate. Beyond that was the wilderness. Where could he find Prince Xin's Mansion?
It is true that the world is declining and people's hearts are not as old as they used to be. I didn't expect that the people's customs under the feet of the Emperor of Chu would be like this. If you don't know, you don't know. You will give him random directions and let him run for half an hour longer with just a few words.
He walked back to the city gate, stopped a carriage carrying goods, and asked: "Brother, may I know how to get to Prince Xin's Mansion?"
The man pulling the cart scratched his head and said, "Prince Xin's Mansion, that's far away. This is the west of the city, and Prince Xin's Mansion is in the east of the city."
"Who are you talking to?" A voice came from inside the carriage, the curtain was opened, and a middle-aged woman stuck her head out and scolded: "Hurry up and hurry up."
Tangning looked at her and said, "Sister, I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask for directions..."
"Sister?" The middle-aged woman touched her wrinkled face with a smile on her face and said: "Little brother, you are going to Xinwang Mansion. We are on the way, so why not give you a ride...
"
Tangning was stunned for a moment, then immediately held up her hands and said, "Then thank you, eldest sister..."
…
Things like folk customs cannot be generalized. There are still good people in this world who are willing to help others. Tangning stood at the door of Prince Xin's Mansion, sighed in her heart, walked forward and said, "May I ask if Princess Changning is in the mansion?"
The soldier guarding the gate looked at him and asked, "Who are you?"
Tang Ning cupped her hands and said, "Excuse me, I'd like to inform you that an old friend from the State of Chen is here to visit."
"Some old friend..." The soldier looked at him and said, "Eight out of ten people who ask to see the princess every day have this reason. Can't you change it to something fresh?"
Tangning was stunned for a moment, and then she said, "I am the wedding envoy from the State of Chen. I have something important to do with the princess. Please let me know."
"No one has ever used this reason." The guard glanced at him and said, "But when you said you were a wedding messenger, did you mean you were a wedding messenger?"
Tangning took out a sign from her arms and threw it over.
After the guard took it, he was stunned for a moment, looked over it over and over, and then said, "Wait here for a while."
He walked into the house, walked out quickly, handed the sign back to him, and said with a cupped hand: "It turned out to be the wedding messenger, but it's a pity that Her Highness the Princess has gone on a far journey, and you came at the wrong time."
"Going on a long trip?" Tangning was stunned and asked, "When will you come back?"
"Then I don't know." The guard shook his head and said, "It could be a month, it could be three months, if it's more, it could be a year and a half..."
"so long!"
Tang Ning frowned. Doesn't this mean that he won't be able to see her when he comes to Chu country this time?
In Prince Xin's Mansion, the middle-aged man took a sip of tea, shook his head and said: "A mere fifth-grade official of the Chen Kingdom also wants to defraud my daughter..."
