The carriage arrived all the way outside the gate of the imperial city. After getting off the car, Qining discovered that many officials had gathered outside the imperial city. It was a dark place, all wearing court uniforms. The gate of the imperial city had not yet been opened, and all the officials were standing there. There were five groups of people, all whispering in low voices.
After Qi Ning came down, the carriage left and went to a special parking area. Li Tang and others could only escort him outside the imperial city gate. Naturally, they could not follow him in, so they all followed the carriage.
Qi Ning straightened his clothes and approached him. Many people bowed their hands to him wherever he passed, but their expressions could not be described as showing any respect.
Qi Ning knew in his heart that in the eyes of these officials, he was young and shallow. Although he had a title, he was still a fledgling in terms of qualifications and prestige. These people would not have any awe in their hearts. If it were Qi Jing who was still alive. , the current situation is naturally different.
He glanced around casually and found that there were many acquaintances among them. The Marquis of Wuxiang, Su Zhen, was chatting and laughing with several officials. Lu Xiao, the left minister of the Ministry of War, was also whispering to several officials. It was Dou Kui, the Minister of Household Affairs. They were also among the crowd, but the Sima family members, the King of Huainan and other court giants did not appear.
Su Zhen happened to catch a glimpse of Qi Ning and was startled for a moment. The smile on her face froze slightly, but she quickly turned around and continued to joke with others.
It was already summer, and the sky was only bright, but the weather was not cold. Qining was a little bored when he heard the sound of footsteps beside him, and a voice said: "Master Hou."
Qi Ning hurriedly turned around, only to find that it was Xue Lingfeng, the commander of the Tiger God Camp. The epidemic had spread in the capital before. Although Xue Lingfeng had exerted great strength, Qi Ning was very fond of him and said with a smile: "Xue... Commander Xue !" I thought that Xue Lingfeng was in charge of the garrison in the capital, so naturally he also wanted to participate in the morning court.
Xue Lingfeng nodded slightly and said: "I heard that the Black Scale Camp is training hard day and night. Can the Marquis go and review it?"
Qi Ning was startled, wondering why he brought up this topic at the first time, but thinking that Xue Lingfeng was a military commander, it was normal for him to care about the training of the Black Scale Battalion.
After the formation of the Black Scale Battalion, he went to Xichuan. After he came back, he never had time to go there and take a look. He really didn't know the specific situation. He said softly: "I will take a look in the next two days if I have time."
Xue Lingfeng also said softly: "The Black Scale Camp was a banner created by the general. It is not easy to rebuild it now. Whether it is for the court or the general, the Marquis must put more thought into it. Duan Canghai and the others are all veterans from the Black Scale Battalion. Being trained by them will not be a problem, but...!" He glanced left and right, glanced at Dou Kui who was whispering over there from a distance, and then said softly: "Heavy weapons cost a lot of money. Even if the Marquis has a court meeting, he can also ask for more money from the emperor."
"Payment?"
Xue Lingfeng said softly: "As far as I know, the Black Scale Camp has been in preparation for nearly two months, but I have never heard of any funds being allocated. The Marquis has been in Xichuan, and Duan Canghai may not have reported it to the Marquis in time. Again. If brave and loyal soldiers cannot eat, their hearts will be hard to recover, and they may even start a mutiny."
Qi Ning frowned, glanced at Dou Kui from a distance, and then glanced at Lu Xiao, the Minister of War, and said softly: "Thank you, Uncle Xue, for your advice. I know it well."
When Xue Lingfeng spoke to him, her words were serious and thoughtful, and she seemed to be talking to him in the tone of an elder. However, Qi Ning understood that Xue Lingfeng was promoted by Qi Jing as the general and had followed Qi Jing for many years. They also have special feelings. Everyone knows that the Black Scale Camp is Qi Jing's heart. Now that the Black Scale Camp can be rebuilt, Xue Lingfeng certainly hopes that the Black Scale Camp can regain its former glory.
At this moment, several carriages arrived, and the person who got off the first carriage was none other than King Xiao Zhang of Huainan. Xiao Zhang got off the carriage, looked back, and saw that the person coming out of the second carriage was Ma Lan from the Zhenguo Company walked over and said with a smile: "The Duke is nearly seventy years old, but he is still in good spirits. He is still full of energy this early in the morning. He is getting younger every year."
At this time, Sima Changshen, who was in the last carriage, also came quickly, saluted Xiao Zhang, and then supported Sima Lan. Sima Lan smiled and said: "Your Majesty, you dislike me for being old, hahaha...!" Looking up He looked at the sky and said: "It's not bright yet. When I retire and return to my hometown in the future, I won't have to get up in the dark."
The King of Huainan smiled and said: "Long live the emperor, and a hundred years old for the country. With the bodies and bones of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, they will serve the emperor for at least thirty years."
Sima Lan waved his hand and said with a smile: "My lord, you are joking." At this time, all the court officials saw the two giants arriving at the same time, and many of them came over to greet them. They lined up on both sides. King Huainan passed first, and Sima Changshen looked at Sima Lan. From behind, he sneered and whispered: "If I work for another thirty years, some people will hate me to death."
Sima Lan glanced at Sima Changshen, and Sima Changshen did not dare to speak and helped Sima Lan over.
Before he had taken a few steps, he heard the sound of a carriage again. Sima Lan did not look back, but Sima Changshen looked back, with a look of surprise on his face, and then lowered his voice and said: "Dad, look, he also Here we come, that’s the Tantai family’s carriage.”
Sima Lan turned around and saw that the carriage was quite spacious, but there was a strange pattern engraved on the carriage body, which was a big sword with golden hair all over.
Many officials looked at each other when they saw the carriage, and many showed surprise.
In fact, everyone in the court knew that the golden sword was the emblem of the Tantai family of Jindao Hou. The carriage of the Tantai family could be recognized at a glance when walking on the street.
The Jindao Tantai family is one of the four hereditary marquises in the empire. As early as the Taizu era, it was the number one general. It was not until Emperor Taizong took over the throne and promoted the Jinyi Qijia that another great martial arts family in the empire shined. As everyone knows, the two great martial arts masters of the Great Chu Empire are the Jinyi Qi family and the Jindao Tantai family.
Thanks to the achievements of two generations of Jin Yihou, the Qi family's fame spread far and wide and was known all over the world. The Qi family led the army to conquer Xichuan and went north to fight against the Han Dynasty, all of which were great military exploits, while the Tantai family went south to quell the banditry. He was also the commander of the East China Sea Navy of Dachu, so the world called the Jinyi Qi family the tigers on land, and the Tantai family the ferocious dragons on the sea.
However, in recent years, the Tantai family has been extremely low-key in the court, even a little lonely, and rarely interacted with officials in the court. Tantai Huang, the Golden Sword Marquis, has been recuperating in the mansion all year round, and his two sons are also in the palace. Among the Donghai navy, when the former emperor was still alive, he had already given permission for Tantaihuang not to go to court.
It had been many years since we had seen Tantaihuang appear at the court meeting. At this time, the carriage of the Tantai family suddenly appeared. Except for Tantaihuang, no one dared to ride in this carriage. Everyone was a little surprised and wondered why Tantaihuang would do this. Suddenly came the morning.
After the carriage and horses were opened, two golden sword guards carefully helped an old man out of the carriage. Qi Ning could see clearly at this time. He saw that the old man was wearing an official robe. Although he was old, he could tell that He was a tall man, but when he got out of the car, his body swayed slightly, and he knew that there was something wrong with the old man's body.
King Huainan and Duke Zhenguo, who had already walked towards the city gate, turned back and faced Tantaihuang, the Golden Sword Hou.
Not only these two people, but Wuxiang Hou Suzhen and other officials from the DPRK and the Central Government also stepped forward and saluted Tantaihuang. No one made a sound, but Qi Ning could feel it from everyone's expressions and movements. The officials were in awe of this old man.
"It's Jin Daohou!" Xue Lingfeng whispered in Qining's ear and stepped forward to greet him.
Qining saw the family emblem on the carriage and already guessed it, so he walked over there. After Tantaihuang got off the carriage, he looked up at the sky. King Huainan had already walked over quickly and handed over his hand. He said: "Old Marquis, why are you here?" Although he was a prince, when he was still in his infancy, Jin Daohou Tantai Huang had already followed Emperor Taizu to conquer the world, so Huainan Wang also had extraordinary respect for Tantai Huang.
Of the four hereditary princes bestowed upon them at that time, Qining was already the third generation of Jinyi, Wuxiang Hou Suzhen was the second generation, and only Sima Lan and Tantai Huang were still alive.
Now Sima Lan has been named the Duke of Zhenguo. Among the four hereditary queens, Tantai Huang is the only first-generation hereditary marquis.
Although Tantaihuang has retained the momentum of the past, he has grown older and has to accept his old age. He is over seventy years old, with gray hair, a face full of wrinkles, a pair of eyes without much luster, and a gray beard. The sideburns reach to the chin, which shows how majestic he was back then.
"It has been many years since I came to court." Jin Daohou's voice was slightly hoarse and he showed a smile: "If I don't come to court again, I'm afraid I won't have a chance in the future...!" At this point, there was a cough. King Huainan was very considerate. , regardless of the fact that he was the prince, he went over to hold Tantai Huang's arm, then raised his hand and patted the Huainan King on the back, saying: "Old Marquis, I sent people to deliver medicine several times, and they are all rare medicinal materials. , it will be of great benefit to your old body, but... Hey, you never accepted it, so why are you suffering."
"Birth, old age, illness and death are beyond the power of human beings." Tantaihuang coughed for a while and then said with a smile: "I am already half-stepped into the coffin. It is better not to waste your precious ointments on old losers like me." After saying that, he coughed a few more times.
Ma Lan from the Zhenguo Company said softly: "Old Marquis, you are not in good health, so you should rest in the palace. If the emperor sees you like this, he will also feel sorry for you." He is several years younger than Tantai Huang, and looks like He is also in good spirits, but compared with Tantaihuang, Tantaihuang seems to be more than ten years older than him.
One is old and healthy, while the other is senile, but their physical condition is completely different.
"Brother Sima, I haven't seen you for a while." Tantaihuang saw Sima Lan and smiled: "You are getting better and better, but I can't compare with you. I think back then...!" After coughing for a while, he continued: "I remember when you and I were drinking together, there was no time when you were so drunk that you fell unconscious in the middle of the drink. Hehe... I can't catch up with you now."
Sima Lan was also quite emotional and said: "Brother, we are all old. Looking back on the past, my brother was so heroic and my younger brother was so gentle. These years are like passing by. In a blink of an eye, you and I are already dim. Hey, we can't go back. It’s time for that year.”