Duan Shao climbed up the steps, bowed to Longtai in front of him, and then handed over the red silk in his hand.
As far as the country is concerned, Longtai is the emperor of the Chu Empire, but privately speaking, Duan Shao is also Longtai's uncle, so Longtai took the red silk and nodded slightly to Duan Shao. Duan Shao bowed again. He stepped aside.
At this time, Sima Wanqiong stood on one foot and was supported by two palace maids on the left and right as she walked upwards. However, with every step she took, Sima Wanqiong couldn't help but scream in pain. Sima Changshen waved to the side to avoid looking too ugly. The maids in the palace all gathered around Sima Wanqiong and surrounded her to hide Sima Wanqiong's embarrassed look.
Longtai stood condescendingly and looked at Sima Wanqiong quietly.
If it were anyone else, Longtai would have led Princess Tianxiang away long ago, but after all, Sima Wanqiong came from the Sima family, and Longtai was quite tolerant, just standing high and waiting for Sima Wanqiong.
Sima Wanqiong seemed to have already climbed the thirty-six steps, but the next dozen or so steps were really like a mountain of swords and a sea of fire for Sima Wanqiong. She endured the pain and walked up.
When Sima Changshen handed the red silk to Longtai, Longtai glanced at Sima Wanqiong, but without saying much, turned around and led the queen and Sima Wanqiong into the palace.
Many of the following procedures only require the participation of some officials from the Ministry of Rites of the Old Minister Yuan, and the ministers just need to wait outside the palace. For Qi Ning, this is not a bad thing.
The emperor's wedding is different from ordinary people's weddings, and the etiquette is complicated. Watching and waiting on the sidelines will undoubtedly be a kind of torture for Qining.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites entered the palace to continue the following etiquette. Qi Ning and other officials breathed a sigh of relief, and their bodies that had been tense just now relaxed.
Dou Kui looked at the sky. After struggling in the morning, it was already noon. He glanced at Qining and saw Qining looking at him. The two of them looked at each other, but they were both heartbroken. Know everything.
Today is the day of the emperor's wedding. For Qi Ning and Dou Kui, there is still one important thing that needs to be completed today.
The treasures in the treasure room of the Huainan Prince's Palace are of great value. Yesterday, the Ministry of Household Affairs transported away a large amount of property. In the eyes of outsiders, the confiscation of the Huainan Prince's Palace has ended, but Qining and Dou Kui have already planned to take advantage of the emperor's wedding. Tonight, all the treasures in the treasure room will be secretly moved.
"What is Jin Yihou thinking about?" Qi Ning was thinking to himself when a voice came from the side. Qi Ning turned his head and looked over, but it was Su Zhen who came over.
Qi Ning didn't have a good impression of Su Zhen, but he couldn't say how much he hated him. He smiled faintly and said: "Marquis Wuxiang, after the emperor's wedding, Prince Dong Qi should lead the Dong Qi delegation to leave. You guys Miss Su will also go to Dongqi with her, right?"
Longtai has already married Su Zixuan to the Crown Prince of Dong Qi, and the Crown Prince of Dong Qi has also promised to appoint Su Zixuan as the Crown Princess of Dong Qi. This matter is a very glorious thing for Su Zhen. He smiled and said: "Already here Make preparations, but I don’t know who the emperor will send to see you off.”
"I think the Marquis of Wuxiang is the most suitable one." Qining said with a smile: "The Marquis of Wuxiang is a hereditary Marquis of Chu, and he will soon be the head of the Eastern Qi Kingdom. If he sends Miss Su to Dong Qi in person this time, Dong Qi will You must be treated like a distinguished guest." He leaned close to Su Zhen's ear and lowered his voice: "Although Dong Qi is a small country, I heard that there are many rare and rare treasures, and they will never let the Marquis of Wuxiang return empty-handed."
Su Zhen suddenly laughed, looked around, then leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Jin Yihou, you went too far today. As you can see just now, Sima Lan and his son's faces have always been ugly. This time you But it offended them to the core.”
Qi Ning said "Oh" and said softly: "Is it wrong to maintain the court's etiquette?"
"This... is of course correct." Su Zhen said softly: "I don't blame you. Young people are motivated to do things, and that's not a bad thing." He looked around and whispered: "It's just you Doing this will bring disgrace to the Sima family today. The father and son are the ones whose flaws must be repaid, and they will definitely be a thorn in your flesh, and they will definitely give you stumbling blocks in the future...!"
Qi Ning whispered: "Is Marquis Wuxiang looking after me?"
"It's not about caring." Su Zhen sighed softly: "But after all, your family and I have a very deep connection. Your father is not here, so I can remind you so I can't pretend to be dumbfounded. Qining, you have to remember, as long as You are no match for the Sima family who can manage the family with your royal clothes." He lowered his voice and said, "Fortunately, the Sima family is arrogant and arrogant, and many people in the court dislike it. If you get closer to these people in the future, it won't be a problem. Alone and alone."
"Alone?" Qining smiled and said, "Marquis Wuxiang, I don't quite understand what you are saying."
Su Zhen said: "What I mean is that you should take care of those officials in the court who oppose the Sima family. With their help, you will not be alone in the court."
"The Marquis of Wuxiang is talking about yourself, right?" Qining said softly: "Do you feel that the situation is not good and you want my Jinyi Qi family to take more care of you?"
Su Zhen blushed and said, "What do I have to worry about, and why do I need your care?"
"Marquis Wuxiang, with all due respect, what do you think the Sima family thinks of you?" Qining whispered, "Do you know that you made a huge mistake today."
"Error?" Su Zhen was startled, "What error?"
"Excuse me, please turn around and take a look at what our Duke is doing now." Qining said leisurely: "When you see him, you will understand what mistake you have made."
Su Zhen was puzzled and looked around, looking for the trace of Duke Zhen. Soon he saw Sima Lan in the distance with his hands behind his back, looking here from a distance. Su Zhen's eyes happened to meet Duke Zhen. Sima Lan Su Zhen looked away calmly and naturally, but Su Zhen felt a chill in his heart.
"Understood?" Seeing Su Zhen's slight change of expression, Qining chuckled and said: "Wuxiang Hou, your mistake is that you should not come over and say this to me. When you came here, the Duke of Zhenguo was starting from the beginning. You have been staring here until the end, think about it, the Sima family regards me as a thorn in their flesh, but you don’t have the sense to whisper with me here, what do you think Duke Zhen Guo thinks now?”
Su Zhen looked around and found that all the ministers were gathered together in small groups. Only he and Qi Ning were standing together. The most terrible thing was that the surrounding area was empty, and everyone could see the two of them whispering in low voices.
Su Zhen smiled dryly and said: "That... that's nothing...!"
"The Marquis of Wuxiang is wrong." Qining whispered: "If I were the Duke of Zhenguo, I would definitely think like this. You, the Marquis of Wuxiang, were very close to the King of Huainan, and then the King of Huainan fell, and you and Jinyi were together again. By being close together, it is clear that we will fight against the Sima family to the end. Do you think Duke Zhen Guo will feel comfortable?" Hehe smiled and said softly: "The Sima family has lost face this time. We really need to find opportunities to save face. The best The way is to overthrow an important opponent, so that we can regain our authority in the government, do you think this is the truth?"
"Who is the opponent you are talking about?" Su Zhen's eyebrows clearly showed worry.
Qi Ning chuckled and whispered: "Of course Marquis Wuxiang thinks it will be me, but from my point of view, it is possible for anyone, but it is impossible for me."
"Oh?" Su Zhen asked curiously, "Why?"
Qi Ning glanced at Sima Lan, and then said softly: "Of course the Sima family wants to get rid of me, but it's a pity that they don't have that ability yet. Don't forget, although I have no qualifications, the Jinyi Qijia's signature I am not fooling people. Now at least I still have the Black Scale Battalion in my hands. In addition, there are many people in the Qinhuai Army who are former members of the Jinyi Qi family. No matter who wants to touch the Qi family, they must think about the consequences. "
Su Zhen remained silent, knowing that what Qin Ning said made sense.
Although many ministers in the court worshiped the Sima family, and Sima Lan was also in charge of the government affairs, the strongest sword in the Sima family's Tezuka was the Black Knife Camp.
If the Sima family really had complete control over the court and had no scruples, then they would not have to endure the humiliation today.
What the Sima family still has concerns about in the court is that there are two forces. One is the Jindao Tantai family, and the other is the Jinyi Qi family. This is because both of them hold military power. If the opportunity is not available, Sima will Naturally, the family did not dare to take action easily.
"Although the Jindao Tantai family keeps a low profile and their influence in the court seems to be deteriorating, the Sima family does not dare to act rashly with the Donghai navy in the hands of the Tantai family." Qining whispered: "The four hereditary princes, Only you, Marquis of Wuxiang, do not have military power in your hands, and if the Sima family wants to re-establish its power, it is natural to find an opponent with a very high status. Marquis of Wuxiang, do you understand who this person is now?"
Su Zhen's eyelids twitched: "You... do you think the Sima family will... deal with me?"
"I'm just guessing. Marquis Wuxiang can just look back and think about it." Qining gave an unpredictable smile, "Yes, Marquis Wuxiang, now that I'm talking about it, let me make it clear to you. In fact, the so-called isolation and helplessness, I really I don’t care, the Jinyi Qi family is loyal to the court. If someone deliberately attacks the Qi family, even if I am the only one, I will not submit. So of course I will not go around asking people to stand with me, but... If the Sima family really wants to deal with it, Your Su family, with the current strength of the Su family, I'm afraid you really need to ask for personal protection...!"
The corners of Su Zhen's mouth curled up, and Qining's understatement came out with a sentence that pierced Su Zhen's weakness.
At this moment, they heard the sound of footsteps. They looked at the sound and saw Sima Changshen walking over. Qi Ning had his hands behind his back and was calm and composed, while Su Zhen was a little nervous.
Sima Changshen glanced at Qining, then looked at Su Zhen, and said with a faint smile: "Marquis of Wuxiang, my concubine will be marrying to Dong Qi in a few days. The emperor is getting married today. There are many etiquettes that Marquis Wuxiang can pay more attention to. , it will be your Su family's turn soon, be prepared." He snorted lightly and left slowly.
Su Zhen looked at Sima Changshen's back, his expression became extremely stiff, his lips moved slightly, but he couldn't say anything.