The eighteenth day of the seventh lunar month was an auspicious day chosen by Qin Tianjian, and everything was suitable.
All officials from the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple came out, and almost all the eunuchs and maids available in the palace were used. Tens of thousands of pieces of high-quality red silk were transferred, and they were used to cover the yellow glazed tiles of the palace. The entire palace was The copper nails on the door, the lanterns, the pillars of the porch, and even the spears of the Yulin warriors were all tied with red silk to show the emperor's peace and benevolence in prohibiting fighting during the wedding.
According to the etiquette of the Chu State, the emperor's wedding must be presided over by the first and second envoys.
As the job requires a highly respected elder, it is naturally the most suitable candidate to be selected from among the royal family members. A few days ago, the King of Huainan was naturally the best candidate. However, with the incident of the Imperial Mausoleum, things naturally changed. After deciding on the candidates for the chief envoy, Ma Lan of the Zhenguo Company was finally appointed as the chief envoy, while the deputy envoy was naturally appointed by Yuan Laoshang, the Minister of Rites.
In the early morning of July 18th, just after dawn, the palace gates were opened. Two teams of burly soldiers were holding gold melons, jade, gold stoves, incense boxes and other utensils. Behind them were the eunuchs in brown robes who led the team, holding up the utensils to represent the queen. Thirty-six people carried a huge golden jade chariot with a nine-winged screen fan. The Yulin warrior holding a halberd opened the way and slowly set off from the palace to the Yuan Mansion, the Minister of Rites.
The procedures for the emperor to marry a wife are similar to those for the people to adopt, ask for names, and recruit wives, but the details are much more complicated, and the use of manpower and material resources and the impact on the world are naturally not comparable to those of common people getting married.
The process of asking for names has already been carried out by officials from the Ministry of Rites on behalf of the emperor. According to the etiquette system, the emperor does not have to go out of the palace to marry. After all, the emperor is the emperor, the most respected person in the world, and cannot be easily touched. Therefore, the envoys and deputies at the wedding are The envoy carried out this procedure on behalf of the emperor.
Princess Tianxiang of the Eastern Qi Dynasty was not from the Chu State, so it was not easy for the procession to go out of the palace to welcome the bride. Therefore, the Ministry of Etiquette had discussed it beforehand. Before welcoming the bride, Princess Tianxiang would be sent to the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Etiquette. The procession to welcome the bride would then start from The Minister of Rites marries Princess Tianxiang.
Naturally, the people in the capital already knew the date of the emperor's wedding, so not long after the honor guard to marry the queen left the palace, the streets were already overcrowded with thousands of people.
This kind of scene has been expected for a long time, so the Kyoto Prefecture and Tiger God Camp have already made preparations. There is a post every two steps to keep the people watching the excitement far away from the support. The main entrance of the palace has already been blocked. A smooth avenue was cleared, so the honor guard's time was not wasted.
The crowd was so crowded that it was inevitable for someone to fish in troubled waters, reach out to steal some money, or take the opportunity to touch the wife's butt.
The wedding was held at the Zhenguo Company. Although Ma Lan was old, her responsibilities were to hold a roll of bright yellow silk high in both hands and walk at the front of the honor guard. Deputy envoy Yuan Laoshang was also with him. Behind them, the two people looked solemn and did not look away. Amidst the respectful eyes of the onlookers, they walked in a straight and steady pace and moved forward unhurriedly.
One of the considerations for arranging Princess Tianxiang to stay in the Minister's Mansion of the Ministry of Rites was the issue of transportation.
The Office of the Minister of Rites is not far from the imperial city. After all, the two envoys for the emperor's wedding are very old, and according to the etiquette, they are not allowed to ride in cars and horses. Therefore, if the journey is too far, it will be difficult for the two old ministers to support it.
Marrying the queen of the empire is naturally no small matter. There were dozens of courtiers accompanying the honor guard to welcome the bride, and Qining was also among them.
Qi Ning himself was a Marquis of Jinyi, and he was the official envoy when he went to Dong Qi to propose marriage. Now he is indispensable for marrying Princess Tianxiang.
Like other officials, Qi Ning can only walk on foot. Although there are many officials, Qi Ning is still very conspicuous among the crowd. Those who can become important ministers of the imperial court are not young, but Qi Ning is young and has left. It's in the front, so it gets a lot of looks.
The welcoming team arrived at the Shangshu Mansion of the Ministry of Rites in huge numbers, and the Yuan family had already made preparations.
The Crown Prince of Dong Qi dressed in fine clothes, and the officials leading the Dong Qi delegation were already waiting thirty feet outside the palace gate. All the young and old of the Yuan family were also in the team. Yuan Rong was also dressed in brocade clothes, following the crowd. Inside, I saw the emperor's procession approaching to welcome his bride. Drums and drums sounded immediately outside the gate of Yuan's mansion. A gong and drum band composed of hundreds of people started playing, resounding through the sky.
Yuan Lao Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites raised his hand and signaled the team to stop. Ma Lan of the Zhenguo Company stepped forward, slowly unfolded the yellow silk in his hand, and said loudly: "The imperial edict has arrived. The Crown Prince of Qi will receive it!"
Duan Shao, the crown prince of the Eastern Qi Dynasty, lifted up his brocade robe, bowed his head, and everyone behind him also knelt down and worshiped.
Unfolding the yellow silk, Sima Lan read slowly: "I have been blessed by heaven, and the emperor has issued an edict: I inherit the heavenly order, the great plan, the way of running the country, and the family is the foundation. The relationship between husband and wife, the meaning of the universe, are actually based on the worship of each other. The respect, the sincerity of support, and the value of the capital are all important. Now I am sending envoys to uphold the integrity and choose according to etiquette. I hereby enthrone Princess Tianxiang of Qi State as the queen. I order the ministers to uphold the integrity and present the treasures in the register and perform the welcome ceremony. I admire this!"
After reciting the imperial edict, Duan Shao bowed three times and respectfully received the edict with both hands, his face looking very high-spirited.
Amidst the sound of gongs and drums, the female officer helped Princess Tianxiang, who was wearing a phoenix crown and harem, out of the palace and presented her with a golden jade chariot carried by thirty-six people. Prince Duan Shao of the Eastern Qi Dynasty would also enter the palace with her.
This time Princess Tianxiang married into the Chu State, the Qi State also carefully selected thirty-six attendant maids. These maidens will also follow Princess Tianxiang into the palace and serve around her.
Princess Tianxiang, surrounded by female officials, came out of the palace, walked to Duan Shao, and bowed to Duan Shao three times. Now she was in a foreign country, and the king of Qi was not in front of her. Her eldest brother was her father, and Princess Tianxiang saluted Duan Shao. That is to say goodbye to parents and marry far away.
Duan Shao stepped forward to help Princess Tianxiang up, but there was a look of emotion on his eyebrows. After three bows, the female officer helped Princess Tianxiang to the golden jade chariot. Yuan Laoshang, the Minister of Rites, shouted with a high voice: "Kneel down to welcome the Queen. !" The first one knelt down, and the ministers who came to welcome the bride immediately lifted up their robes and knelt down one after another.
The queen is the mother of a country, and the emperor issued an imperial edict for her canonization. Although Princess Tianxiang has not yet entered the palace, she is already the legitimate queen of Chu. As a subject of the Chu State, it is natural for her to kneel down and worship the queen of her country.
Ma Lan from Zhenguo Company frowned, hesitated, and finally knelt down.
After the female officer sent Princess Tianxiang to the jade chariot, Sima Lan took the lead in getting up. Yuan Lao Shangshu also stood up and said loudly: "Welcome the queen, let's drive!"
Thirty-six burly men stood up almost at the same time and lifted the golden jade chariot steadily. Twenty female officials arranged by the Chu State were waiting on both sides of the jade chariot, while the thirty who followed Princess Tianxiang to the Chu State The six accompanying maids were divided into three teams, with twelve people in each team, and lined up neatly behind the jade chariot.
These thirty-six accompanying palace maids are not all young and beautiful. Twelve of them are around forty years old. Everyone also knows that although these older palace maids are not as young and beautiful as the younger palace maids, they must conduct themselves in a certain way. She is much more experienced, and there are many beauties in Chu's harem. Qi sent these maids here, naturally, to make Princess Tianxiang foolproof in the Chu court.
The honor guard holding golden melons and jade laos walked at the front to clear the way, followed by the eunuchs' honor guard holding high the nine-winged screen fan, and behind them was the golden jade chariot where the queen was sitting. Ten female officials on the left and right held the golden jade chariot and moved forward slowly. , followed by thirty-six palace ladies from Qi State. Behind the palace ladies, Sima Lan took the lead, closely followed by Yuan Lao Shangshu, and Qining followed a few steps behind Yuan Lao Shangshu.
Qi Ning knew in his heart that the wedding ceremony had just begun when Princess Tianxiang was welcomed from the Yuan Mansion. Once she entered the palace, the following ceremonies would be overwhelming and they would all be complicated until dark.
After walking for a while, Qi Ning felt something was wrong. Logically speaking, after marrying Princess Tianxiang, he would go back to the palace directly. Qi Ning knew the way back to the palace, but the team in front suddenly turned to another road. , obviously not the way back to the palace.
He was a little strange. He caught a glimpse of Wuxiang Hou Suzhen beside him and couldn't help but asked in a low voice: "Wuxiang Hou, where are we going?"
The Marquis of Wuxiang was startled and said in a low voice: "Don't you know, Marquis Jinyi? After marrying the Queen, you have to go to the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion. Today, not only do you want to marry the Princess of Qi, but you also have to welcome the eldest lady of the Sima family." In the palace.”
Qi Ning frowned and said, "Sima Wanqiong?"
Su Zhen nodded slightly, and Qining said doubtfully: "There is something wrong. How can you marry a queen and then marry another woman halfway? Even if you get married on the same day, you should send another team to marry her. "
The team walked slowly, winding like a long dragon. Qining saw soldiers standing guard on both sides of the road to the Zhenguo Palace, and thought that they had already been prepared.
Su Zhen chuckled, leaned slightly closer, and whispered: "Send another team? To marry the Princess of Qi, all the important officials in the court have come, who should be sent to the other team?"
Qining understood immediately.
To send a team to marry Princess Tianxiang, regardless of the status of the queen or the face of the Qi State, the important ministers of the Chu State must be among the team to marry the queen. In this way, even if another team is sent to the Sima family, it will They are all officials with low status, and the Sima family certainly does not want such a situation to occur.
"According to the etiquette, only when the queen marries the queen will the wedding team be sent out." Su Zhen lowered his voice and said: "Although the Sima family is an important official in the court, the emperor has not yet issued an order to appoint Sima Wanqiong as the imperial concubine. It should be done by the Sima family. There won't be any ceremony to send the young lady directly to the palace, hehe... The key is that Sima Wanqiong was born in the Sima family, so she would be so aggressive. However, I heard that this is the Queen Mother's wish. Since there is a decree, we will obey it. "
Qi Ning sneered inwardly, thinking to himself that it was so wrong for the Sima family to allow Sima Wanqiong to enter the palace on the same day as marrying the queen. Today, they actually asked the queen's jade chariot to turn halfway to the Sima mansion to welcome the bride. Really ignoring etiquette.
But at this time, the team was moving forward in an orderly manner, and Qi Ning didn't cause too many troubles. He raised his eyes and looked at Sima Lan. Although the old man's beard and hair were white, he still seemed to be in good health and walked as before. The gait is square.
Qi Ning was bored and looked over. In front of Sima Lan was the group of palace maids from Qi State. The palace maids from Qi State were all wearing red makeup. However, he had discovered before that the young palace maids were all wearing bright red. The older palace maids all wore dark red wedding dresses. The three teams of Qi palace ladies were all lined up with young palace ladies in front, while the older palace ladies were all at the back.
At this time, his eyes randomly fell on a palace maid at the back. The palace maid was dressed in dark red, so she was naturally an older palace maid. But looking from behind, the palace maid's figure was really not bad, although her bloated red makeup could not let her down. The figure of the palace maid was completely exposed, but when walking, the palace maid had a charming gait, her waist was swaying lightly, and her buttocks wrapped in the red skirt were plump and swaying.
Qi Ning couldn't help but sigh in his heart, thinking that when this palace maid was young, even if she was not a stunning beauty, she was definitely a charming and alluring stunner. At this age, her figure still maintains a charming and enchanting figure, full of charm. Alluring femininity.