Gu Qinghan's waist twisted wildly, trying to break away, and her plump and round buttocks rubbed against Qining's abdomen, making Qining's body soft and soft, but he held her in his arms to prevent her from breaking away, and said softly: "Sanniang, I'm leaving soon. I don’t know how long it will take to get here, so just let me hold you, I won’t do anything random.”
Hearing his soft tone, Gu Qinghan stopped twisting, sighed, closed his eyes, and whispered: "Ning'er, I... Hey, I know what you mean, but if we... If we continue like this, we are just playing with fire. Sooner or later something will happen."
"What does Sanniang think is going to happen?" Qining whispered: "I do think something is going to happen, but Sanniang...!"
"Stop talking." Gu Qinghan said softly: "This is already my biggest concession, and it will never exceed this line." He sighed, closed his eyes and whispered softly: "Sanniang knows that you are good to me, but there are some things , it’s not about doing whatever you want.”
Qi Ning smelled the fragrance on Gu Qinghan's body and suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. He felt keenly and let go immediately. At this time, he heard Qi Feng's voice coming from outside: "Master Hou, everything is ready. You can go to the imperial city." ”
When Gu Qinghan waited for Qi Ning to let go, he arranged his clothes in a panic. Qin Ning turned around and walked to the door. He hesitated, looked back at Gu Qinghan, and said softly: "Sanniang, I'm leaving first."
Gu Qinghan hesitated to speak. Qining knew that the envoy team would leave after seeing the emperor. At this time, they were all already waiting for the imperial city, so he went out without hesitation.
Gu Qinghan looked at Qining's back and disappeared, stunned.
Qi Ning led the retinue of the Hou Mansion and rushed to the imperial city on Pegasus. The city gate had been opened and the guards let Qin Ning into the city. When they arrived at the square in front of the palace, they saw many people waiting, including Yuan Lao Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites. They got up early and were waiting. In addition to some officials, two hundred Yulin guards were dressed in bright armor. They lined up like guns in the morning breeze.
Ma Lan from the Zhenguo Company was also among them, but King Huainan was nowhere to be seen. Qining stepped forward and saw Chi Fengdian, the commander of the Yulin Camp, coming towards him and saluted: "Master Hou!"
Qi Ning nodded with a smile. Chi Fengdian turned around and waved, and saw two generals in armor coming over. They both saluted Qi Ning. Chi Fengdian had already introduced: "Master Hou, this is the time. General Yu Lin is accompanying the delegation, this is Wu Dalin, the leader of the guard, and this is Liang Xiong, the deputy leader of the guard, the safety of the delegation can be left to them."
The two of them handed over to Qining again. Qining saw that Wu Dalin was not handsome, with a long figure, thick eyebrows, a straight nose and a wide mouth. He was not handsome and mighty, but he gave people a sense of depth. Liang Xiong, on the other hand, has a strong back and thick waist, and a beard as thick as a needle. He looks like a fierce general at first glance.
Yuan Lao Shangshu also came forward at this time. Hu Bowen, the Minister of Civil Affairs, followed him. Qining immediately raised his hands and said: "Old Shangshu!"
Yuan Laoshang wrote: "Master Hou, my mission to the Eastern Qi Dynasty was originally a matter for lower officials. Unfortunately, I am old and frail, so I can only ask Master Hou to do it for me. In terms of many etiquette aspects, I have Minister Hu to assist me. You don’t need to worry too much.”
"I have to rely on Mr. Hu's help this time." Qi Ning said with a smile. When he saw Sima Lan coming over, he cupped his hands and said, "Old Duke."
Sima Lan said: "Jinyi Hou, this time you are sent as an envoy to Dong Qi to ask for marriage for the sake of the alliance between the two countries. It is a matter of great importance. Whether or not the alliance can be reached depends entirely on the Marquis."
"I will definitely go all out to promote this matter." Qining nodded.
Suddenly I heard a eunuch shouting: "The Emperor is here!"
The officials immediately lined up and saw Longtai coming surrounded by more than a dozen eunuchs and maids. Although it was not bright yet, Longtai was in good spirits. Everyone knelt down and saluted. Longtai ordered everyone to stand behind him, and then he walked to Qining. In front of him, he said: "The auspicious time is coming soon. I have prepared a farewell wine for you. Drink the farewell wine and leave it to you as envoy to Dong Qi."
Without waiting for the emperor's instructions, the eunuchs had already brought gold cups of wine. Not only Qin Ning, but also Hu Bowen, Wu Dalin and Liang Xiong also gave them a cup each. Longtai himself also took a cup in his hand and said warmly: "My dear friends, I am on a mission this time." , is related to the national destiny of our country, the success or failure depends on your ability." Without further ado, he raised his cup and drank it in one gulp.
Everyone didn't talk nonsense and drank it all in one go.
Hearing the sound of drums and horns, Longtai stared at Qining, pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Go, I'll wait for you to come back with good news."
Qi Ning bowed his hands and saluted without saying anything, turned around and walked over, got on his horse, and everyone else on the mission also got on their horses, and followed Qi Ning out of the city gate. Qi Ning saw that there was already a motorcade waiting outside, and there were seven people in front and behind him. Eight large carts were packed with goods.
It was crowded with people. In addition to the two hundred guards, there were also thirty or forty drivers driving the carriages. The entire team had more than two hundred and fifty people, which could be regarded as a huge force.
After leaving the imperial city, the entire team was in good order. At the front were more than a dozen cavalry leading the way, with Qining and Hu Bowen behind, and the Yulin guards guarding the convoy. All the Yulin guards, one man and one horse, carried long bows on their backs and waists. Wearing swords and clanging armor, they marched toward the north gate of the capital along the main avenue of the capital.
"Master Marquis, there are three carts of gifts purchased." Hu Bowen followed Qining on horseback and explained: "The rest of the carts are loaded with daily necessities on the road. The Duke of Zhenguo has ordered that we are on this trip as envoy to Dong Qi , try not to disturb the local officials along the way."
Qi Ning nodded and said, "That's what I mean too." He asked, "Has the route to Dong Qi been determined?"
Hu Bowen said: "After crossing the Yangtze River, go all the way north to the Huai River. Walk east along the Huai River and approach the East China Sea. Then you can cross the Huai River and enter Xuzhou, then go north to Qufu, and then turn to the northeast. Then we can come to Zilu City, which is the royal city of Eastern Qi."
"How long will it take on the road?" Qining asked.
Hu Bowen said: "If everything goes well, we can rush to Lucheng in about ten days at most and go back and forth. It will take about a month."
Qi Ning nodded slightly, but in his heart he was thinking about his entrustment to Baiying.
Xiang Baiying said that on June 18th, the Aoki Conference was held in Gulongzhong, Xiangyang. Today is May 18th, and there is still a full month before the Aoki Conference. If nothing unexpected happens, Elder Baihu will definitely be on top of the Aoki Conference. He was trying his best to win the position of gang leader, and later various forces even supported him in taking the position. This was certainly not what Xiang Baiyingxiang saw.
Previously, Qi Ning had always thought that the backer behind Elder Bai Hu was Ximen Wuhen. If this was the case, the Shenhou Mansion's control of the Beggar Gang would naturally be beneficial to the court. Although Qi Ning extremely loathed and even hated Elder Bai Hu as a person, he really could not reverse the situation. In fact, there was not much loss to the court and himself.
However, after a secret conversation with Longtai on the Qinhuai River, Qining knew that there was someone else behind Elder Baihu, so he had to re-examine the matter.
Having just traveled to this world, Qining's pursuit is very simple. He just hopes to survive in this strange world.
But when they arrived in the capital, as things developed, Qi Ning had already carried the Jinyi Hou Mansion on his shoulders because of Gu Qinghan. The little emperor had just ascended the throne and he thought highly of him. Qi Ning was indeed determined to help the little emperor stabilize his life. In the overall situation, this is certainly for the sake of friendship with the little emperor, but the more important reason is for his own future.
Qining naturally understands this simple truth, and now he has adapted to his new role in this world.
Qi Ning is very clear about the situation in the DPRK. If he wants to have enough food and clothing to live freely, being a marquis is of course an excellent choice. If he wants to keep what he has now, and even keep Gu Qinghan's safety, he must first keep Jin Yi. If you want to keep the Jinyi Hou Mansion, you must of course tie yourself to the little emperor and make the little emperor's position as stable as a mountain.
Occasionally thinking of the original intention of coming to the capital, Qining inevitably felt a sense of guilt in his heart.
He pursued all the way from Huize City, originally to find Xiaodie, but what happened after that completely disrupted his plan. Xiaodie's escort was taken away and was robbed on the peninsula. Since then, Xiaodie's whereabouts are unknown. , Xiaodie was originally a refugee. After the Qinhuai War, there were countless refugees, and there was no way to check their household registration. Qining didn’t know where Xiaodie came from, let alone where Xiaodie was going. Sometimes when he thought of it, he could only pray silently in his heart, I hope Xiaodie can escape from the sea of suffering.
The envoy to Dong Qi left Jianye capital in great numbers and began to head north.
The previous trip to Xichuan was just a secret trip, with only a few followers from the Hou Mansion. This time, as an envoy to Dong Qi, he was accompanied by two hundred Yulin warriors. Compared with the last time, he was much more majestic.
After leaving the capital, the initial excitement gradually faded away, and soon everything I could see was replaced by green mountains and green water, with white clouds and clear water, and the sky was high and the clouds were light.
It was May, the weather was suitable, and the scenery we passed along the road was extremely beautiful. If it were for the funeral, many of the scenery could only be seen in tourist areas, but in this era, you can see it everywhere.
The Ministry of Rites had planned the mission's route in advance, and there were cavalry ahead to clear the way. Qining was quite leisurely. On the way, he occasionally passed a few villages and saw large groups of people. The villagers took shelter early to avoid disaster.
Less than two days' journey north of the capital city of Jianye is the Yangtze River. The journey went smoothly, and it only took a day to reach the river bank. After crossing the river, they headed northeast. The team was not in a hurry. Wu Dalin, the leader of the guard, He is a taciturn person, but he often goes around in circles to supervise the guards. Although Liang Xiong looks very rough, he is a cheerful person who is good at talking. He occasionally jokes with Qi Feng and others on the road. When I came down, I was already very familiar with it.
Although Hu Bowen is a civil servant, he is not weak, and his horse riding skills are not bad. He always follows Qining. He obviously knows that the young marquis in Jinyi is not clear about many diplomatic etiquette, and he explains it from time to time. From Hu Bowen's point of view, Jin Yihou's mission to Dong Qi was just a symbolic meaning. It was a sign of sincerity from the imperial court to Dong Qi. When the time came, he would have to rely on himself, the Minister of Rites, to handle various matters.
He told Qining about the etiquette, but he was just worried that Qining would not know the etiquette when he came to Dongqi. If there were any mistakes, he would cause misunderstanding or even ridicule from the people of Dongqi.