Duan Shao turned around and said, "Huo Cong, please pay homage to me!"
The attendant holding the gift box took a few steps forward, knelt on the ground, and said loudly: "Huo Cong, the Iron Guard of the East Palace, pays homage to the Lord!"
"East Palace Iron Guards?" Long Tai smiled and said: "Are you the prince's bodyguard? When I was in Dong Qi and established the crown prince, I went to your Qi country. I heard that there were eight guards of the East Palace beside the prince. You must be one of them. "
Qi Ning thought that this was the first time he heard about the East Palace Iron Guards. When he went to Dongqi before, he encountered the rebellion caused by King Taishan. At that time, Duan Shao was followed by a group of guards, but he had never heard of the title of the Eighth Guards of the East Palace.
But since Longtai said this, the Eighth Guards of the East Palace are naturally not ordinary people. From the name, you can tell that they are powerful figures around Duan Shao. The Eighth Guards of the East Palace should have been hidden among the guards that day, but there were many soldiers and horses that time. Qining also has no memory of whether Huo Cong was present that day.
Duan Shao said: "Your Majesty, Huo Cong is one of the Eight Guards. Huo Cong grew up by the sea, but he has practiced martial arts since he was a child and is very brave. It was because he learned that he went into the sea to kill sharks that he was admitted to the East Palace."
Huo Cong's appearance is not striking, his skin is the unique bronze color of seaside residents, but it can be seen that the muscles on his body are unusually strong, and there does not seem to be any excess fat. He looks like a cheetah ready to go, exuding a thick fragrance all over his body. sense of power.
"He is indeed a warrior." Long Tai said with a smile: "Duan Xuan, it is not polite to come and go without reciprocating. I have accepted the congratulatory gift from your Qi country. What reward do you want?"
Duan Shao said respectfully: "Reporting to my lord, Duan Shao came here for the sake of the alliance between the two countries and did not dare to accept the reward."
King Huainan smiled and said: "Prince, you escorted Princess Tianxiang to the Chu Kingdom smoothly, and you have done a great job for your hard work. Since the emperor has spoken, you don't need to be polite."
"This...!" Duan Shao hesitated for a moment and then said: "My lord, if there is any reward that Duan Shao wants, he really has one in mind. The emperor's sister married the Chu Kingdom for the sake of the alliance between the two countries, and Duan Shao Shao has not yet established a crown princess. If, thanks to the Lord's favor, a marriage is granted and I have a crown princess in Dong Qi, Duan Shao and the entire Qi Kingdom will be extremely grateful."
Qi Ning remained calm at the side. This scene was what he had expected, and his mood naturally did not change at all. However, very few civil and military people in the court knew about this matter in advance. As soon as Duan Shao said this, many people were surprised. color.
Qi Ning glanced at Ximen Wuhen and saw Ximen Wuhen standing with a bow, his expression calm and without any change.
"You want me to grant you a marriage?" Long Tai said with a smile: "Duan Shao, is this a request made by the king of your country?"
Duan Shao said respectfully: "Reporting to Your Majesty to ask for marriage from your country is a decision made by Duan Shao after discussing with his father. The purpose is to bring the two countries closer together and to form a good alliance from generation to generation. Moreover, Duan Shao has already asked his father for the imperial edict. , as long as the Lord grants her a marriage and returns to Da Qi, she will be canonized as the Crown Princess immediately to declare to the people of the world our sincere friendship between Da Qi and the State of Chu."
Duan Shao's request for a marriage from the court was something that many ministers did not expect. At this time, the ministers were whispering, and Qining could faintly hear that the ministers seemed to be very concerned about this marriage.
At that time, the two heroes of Chu and Northern Han were indistinguishable. They tried their best to win over Dong Qi to become their ally. Because of this, both the Northern Han and Chu made many overtures to Dong Qi, and Dong Qi Between Qi and Han and Chu, they did not ally with any country, but they did not offend any country.
Both countries are also worried that once hostility is released against Dong Qi, Dong Qi may be pushed to the enemy. Therefore, for many years, both countries have acquiesced in Dong Qi's existence. Dong Qi used this as a bargaining chip to win over Chu and Han. preserved to this day.
Now that the State of Qi has agreed to the marriage proposal of the State of Chu, and the prince personally led the delegation, this also shows that from now on, the world situation will undergo tremendous changes, and this change is undoubtedly the most beneficial to the State of Chu, so the government and the public Everyone from top to bottom was overjoyed at the arrival of the Chinese delegation.
Today, Duan Shao proposed marriage to the Chu State. Although it was unexpected by the Chu State courtiers, all the officials knew that this was of course a great good thing for the relationship between the two countries. The two marriages will definitely improve the relationship between Qi and Chu. Strengthen further.
Longtai nodded slightly and said: "Qi's request for marriage is for the permanent friendship between the two countries. This is naturally my deepest concern. However, our Dachu royal family currently does not have a princess suitable for marriage, and your country must also know this."
Duan Shao smiled and said: "My lord, Duan Shao also knows a little bit about this, so he has never thought about asking for the royal princess."
"Oh?" Longtai said with a smile: "Could it be that your country has another wife?" At this point, he glanced at Qi Ning and saw Qi Ning standing among the ministers, calm and composed, as if he was confident.
Duan Shao said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Duan Shao has been fond of horseback riding and archery since he was a child, and he likes the style of military service. Therefore, before coming on this trip, he asked his father for a decree. If he finds a girl he likes in Chu Kingdom, he can ask the Lord for marriage. .”
"So, you already have a girl you like?"
Duan Shao's body was upright, his demeanor was graceful, and he nodded and said: "Duan Shao has indeed found the person he likes since he came to Jianye Kyoto."
"I wonder who it is?"
Duan Shao took a step forward and bowed deeply to Longtai again, "Duan Shao sincerely asks the Lord to marry the daughter of General Ximen Shenhou to our country of Qi!"
Although Qi Ning already knew Duan Shao's goal, when he heard Duan Shao say it in the court, his brows were still slightly furrowed and he looked towards Ximen Wuhen. Variety.
On the other hand, the other ministers in the palace had different expressions, one of them looked even more surprised, and many people quickly turned their attention to Ximen Wuhen.
"The daughter of the divine lord?" Long Tai looked at Ximen Wuhen and asked, "Duan Shao, do you want me to marry the daughter of the divine lord to you?"
"May the Lord grant me permission." Duan Shao handed over his hand again.
At this time, many people were secretly thinking that since the crown prince of Dong Qi was imploring for marriage, even the emperor would not be able to refuse. In this situation, not to mention the daughter of Ximen Wuhen, even if Duan Shao asked to marry the four hereditary It is difficult for Chu State to refuse the young lady who is waiting for her.
The Qi State sent Princess Tianxiang to show their sincerity towards the alliance between the two countries. If the Qi State proposes marriage but the Chu State refuses, it will definitely give the Chu State a reputation of being ruthless and ruthless, and it will also directly affect the relationship between the two countries. Therefore, all the ministers thought that since Duan Shao had spoken, there was still no room for maneuver in this marriage.
Longtai thought for a moment, then looked at Ximen Wuhen and asked: "Ximen Aiqing, is your daughter old enough to get married?"
Long Tai knew Ximen Zhanying's age, and was already planning to marry Ximen Zhanying to Qi Ning, but he asked Qi Ning this way. Qin Ning knew that Long Tai was giving him a chance to turn around.
At this time, Ximen Wuhen finally walked out from among the ministers, bowed and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I am nineteen years old and have reached the age of leaving the court." After a pause, he said: "It's just that the prince has a distinguished status. She really cannot match the crown prince, and she is not qualified to become the crown prince of Qi."
Duan Shao had already smiled and said: "Master Ximen, Duan Shao was indeed a bit reckless when he proposed marriage. But for the sake of the permanent alliance between the two countries, Duan Shao can only boldly ask the Lord to grant marriage. Privately speaking, , Duan Shao already knows a little bit about your daughter. Her daughter has practiced martial arts since she was a child, has a heroic appearance, and is a master of martial arts. Duan Shao thinks that her daughter is the most suitable candidate for me, the Crown Princess of the Eastern Qi Dynasty, and please give her love to her! "
Ximen Wuhen slightly cupped his hands to Duan Shao, his tone was calm, and he cupped his hands slightly and said: "Your Highness is serious." Turning to Longtai, he said respectfully: "Your Majesty, since His Highness has taken a fancy to my daughter, this is also my honor. For the sake of The two countries have a good alliance. If the Holy One decrees marriage, I should obey it!"
Qi Ning's eyebrows twitched slightly, thinking that something seemed wrong with this old guy. How did Ximen Zhanying persuade him when he went back last night
Longtai glanced sideways at Qining and saw that Qining was about to make a move. He pondered for a moment and then said: "Duan Shao, since Ximen Aiqing...!"
"Your Majesty!" Before Long Tai could finish speaking, Ximen Wuhen took a step forward and said respectfully, "I still have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not!"
Longtai said with a smile: "I will get married soon. The prince of Qi proposes marriage today. This is a matter of great joy. If Ximen Aiqing has something to do, it's okay to say so."
"Your Majesty, her mother passed away when Zhan Ying was young, and I raised her single-handedly." Ximen Wuhen sighed: "It is also because of this that I did not dote on her, but also developed her to be quite... Unruly temper. When the prince asks for marriage, I will naturally act in accordance with the order, but I am worried about Zhan Ying’s temperament...!"
Duan Shao immediately said: "Don't worry, Lord God. If your concubine becomes the Crown Princess of Qi, I will protect her well and won't let her suffer any injustice in Qi."
Ximen Wuhen cupped his hands to Duan Shao and said, "Thank you, Your Highness." After a pause, he sighed: "Your Highness, with your care, I won't worry even if Zhan Ying marries to Dong Qi. It's just... I was with Zhan back then. Sakura made a promise, and at the time I just thought it was the kid's joke, but later every time I talked about his marriage, the kid would mention the promise made back then, and then I knew he was serious about it."
Qi Ning's expression was originally a little solemn, but when Ximen Wuhen said this, his expression relaxed slightly.
"Ximen Aiqing, what's your agreement?" Long Tai seemed to be very interested, leaning forward slightly and looking down at Ximen Wuhen.
Ximen Wuhen said: "Your Majesty, Your Highness's proposal for marriage is a major event between the two countries. There is no need to consider personal matters. It's okay not to talk about the agreement made back then. As long as the Holy One has made a decree, I will definitely abide by it and escort him to the East. together."
"Ximen Aiqing, you are a veteran of two dynasties." Long Tai said earnestly: "If you have any difficulties, just say it. The prince of Qi wants to marry your daughter. Naturally, he likes it in his heart. I don't think the prince wants to see it either. She married Qi State with grievances."
Duan Xuan immediately said: "What the Lord said is absolutely true." Xiang Ximen Wuhen said: "Honor, if there is any difficulty, it's okay to say it."
"Actually, it's not that difficult." Ximen Wuhen said with emotion: "I have been teaching Zhan Ying to practice martial arts since she was three years old. Although her martial arts skills are mediocre so far, she can still do some boxing and kicking. It's just that the child doesn't know how high the sky is. , In the eyes of famous masters, her martial arts skills are really not worth mentioning, but she thinks that her martial arts skills are great...!" She sighed and shook her head, and all the officials present couldn't help but smile when they heard this.