The ministers waited outside the Fengtian Hall for more than an hour before they heard the eunuch in charge of the ceremony proclaiming the salute. The eunuch in charge led the ministers to bypass the Fengtian Hall and go to the Qinghe Hall in the inner court.
Qinghe Hall is the center of the imperial palace and the place where the emperor gives banquets. After passing through the inner court, there is the harem, and Fengyi Hall, where the queen lives, is in the middle of the harem.
Arriving outside Deqinghe Hall, there was another complicated procedure. Qining could only do what others did. After struggling for more than an hour, it was already dusk. Qining sighed in his heart, thinking to himself that the emperor was so powerful. Marriage is a pain from top to bottom. Until I left home early in the morning, not to mention eating, I didn't even drink a glass of water.
After a while, I saw a group of female officials and palace maids surrounding Princess Tianxiang in the phoenix crown and Xiapei, walking along a road to the harem. The officials immediately knelt on the ground and watched the queen leave.
By the time the officials entered Qinghe Hall and took their seats, the sky had darkened.
At this time, Qi Ning just hoped that the dishes would be served quickly, and he would have a full stomach first, but he waited and waited. When it got dark, the palace banquet was belatedly arrived, and all the ministers present were also hungry, but the dishes After coming up, none of them dared to be rude, they only tasted the food briefly and were very reserved.
Qin Ning saw that all the officials at the table were so reserved, so he couldn't let go and eat and drink. He thought that it was impossible to endure it in the palace, and then have a full meal when he returned to the Hou Mansion. Anyway, it was already over. After being hungry all day, I don’t mind waiting an extra hour or two.
In fact, after the founding of the Chu State, successive emperors promoted diligence and frugality. Today's etiquette seems to Qining to be very cumbersome. However, in fact, many of the etiquette sequences that can be saved have been omitted, otherwise the ministers would have to be delayed for one or two days. hours.
At first, the officials were still reserved, but after a while, the Qinghe Palace became lively, and they pushed cups to the cup. Qining was not polite when he saw this, but at this time, all the officials at the table started to ask Qining. Hold a glass and toast.
If Qi Ning did not have much prestige among the ministers before, the change in the imperial mausoleum and the etiquette dispute for today's wedding have made the ministers not dare to underestimate Qi Ning. At first, many people thought about Qin Ning several times. The tit-for-tat confrontation with the Sima family was overwhelming, but Qining had the upper hand both times. Many people began to feel that although Jin Yihou was young, he was not as simple as he seemed.
Hundreds of ministers gathered together in the Qinghe Hall. Today is a festive day, and the Qinghe Hall is also very lively.
Because of the emperor's wedding, all parts of the capital were decorated with lights and colorful decorations. The entire capital of the Chu Kingdom was shrouded in a festive atmosphere. Even on the Qinhuai River, there were singing and dancing. Many boats had happy words posted on them. I don't know what they meant. In order to celebrate the emperor's happy day, it was also to create a warm atmosphere for the patrons and girls.
There are many deserted places in the capital, and Huainan Palace is one of them.
After the Huainan Palace was confiscated, the officers from the Kyoto Palace came to take over the Yulin Battalion to temporarily guard the palace. Later, a hundred soldiers from the Black Scale Battalion transferred from outside the city took over from the Kyoto Palace officers to change the defense. The troops who led this hundred-man team The general was Zhao Wushang who walked out of the Hou Mansion.
After the Black Scale Battalion was rebuilt, Qining sent Duan Canghai and Zhao Wushang, the bodyguards of the Hou Mansion, to take command, leaving Qi Feng and Li Tang to continue to be responsible for guarding the palace.
Zhao Wushang doesn't talk much and is low-key, but he is very reliable in his work. Guarding the palace is no small matter. When Qining sent people to mobilize troops, he specifically asked Zhao Wushang to lead the troops.
The front and rear of the palace were guarded by soldiers from the Black Scale Battalion, as well as the surrounding streets. Zhao Wushang would personally lead people to patrol from time to time.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Two carriages were parked in the alley at the back entrance of the palace. The back door was open. Several men in black carried boxes out of the palace and carefully loaded the boxes onto the carriages.
Dou Kui, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, was wearing casual clothes, looking around and beckoning people to speed up from time to time. The two soldiers of the Black Scale Battalion guarding the back door turned a blind eye, like stone sculptures.
Five or six boxes were carried out one after another and loaded into two carriages. After the last box was carried out, Zhao Wushang came out from the back door, cupped his hands and said to Dou Kui: "Master Dou, the Marquis has ordered that we Prepare all these goods, no more than a few, and Mr. Dou will go back and check them."
Dou Kui knew that Zhao Wushang was Qining's confidant. Although his status was much higher than that of Zhao Wushang, he still said politely: "Thank you, brothers. Please tell the Marquis that I will handle this matter properly and don't let it go." The Marquis has worries about his future." Without saying much, he hurriedly boarded the carriage in front and waved, "Let's go!"
The two carriages began to move slowly, and each carriage was followed by four men in black with swords on their waists. They escorted the carriages away under the moonlight.
Dou Kui only walked along remote streets. After crossing two streets, he suddenly felt the carriage slow down. Dou Kui was leaning in the carriage with his eyes closed to relax. He felt the carriage slow down and frowned. He stood up and stepped forward, opening the door. He opened the car curtain and was about to ask questions, but suddenly he saw a group of black figures appearing on the street in front of him.
Dou Kui's heart sank, but the coachman had already shouted: "Get out of the way, who is blocking the way? Don't you want to live?"
"Shut up!" A voice from the other party shouted coldly: "I am loyal and loyal here. How dare you be so presumptuous? If you say another nonsense, be careful to tear your mouth apart."
When Dou Kui heard the words "loyalty lord", his heart trembled. He immediately got out of the carriage, jumped off the carriage, and looked up. Sure enough, he saw the loyal lord Sima Changshen, who was dressed in brocade and splendid clothes, holding his hands behind his back to block the front. , behind Sima Changshen, followed by more than a dozen big men, each with a fierce look.
"So you are the Marquis of Zhongyi? I am going to pay my respects to the Marquis." Dou Kui has been in the officialdom for many years and is quite good at acting. With a smile on his face, he stepped forward and said with cupped hands: "The Marquis left the banquet so early? Is this a banquet in the palace? Haven’t you rested yet?”
"It's true that we haven't rested yet." Sima Changshen smiled half-heartedly, glanced at the carriage, and then said calmly: "But I was looking for Lord Dou at the banquet and wanted to offer him a drink, but I couldn't find Lord Dou. Listen, People say that Lord Dou has left the table first, so I personally came out to look for him."
"The Marquis... came out to find my subordinate?" Dou Kui was startled, but his expression remained unchanged and he smiled and said: "How dare you? Today is a grand day for the Duke's Palace. The Marquis should have a few more drinks in the palace. Marquis He Lao takes care of my subordinates."
Sima Changshen smiled and said: "Master Dou, if others don't thank you, I must thank you." He walked forward slowly and walked around Dou Kui, keeping his eyes on Dou Kui: "This If the Second Emperor's wedding had not been fully provided by the Ministry of Revenue, it would not have been as smooth as it is today. Others don't know it, but I know that you, Lord Dou, have done the most good work."
"This... the Marquis is really over-honored, and I really don't dare to accept the official commission." Dou Kui cupped his hands and said, "I don't dare to delay the Marquis's banquet. I will definitely bring some good wine to pay homage to the Marquis someday."
Sima Changshen laughed and said: "That's good. But Lord Dou, I have something unclear, please enlighten me."
"Master Marquis... If you have any orders from Master Marquis, just tell them!"
"Today is the emperor's wedding. All the officials are having a banquet in the Qinghe Hall, and it is very lively." Sima Changshen said: "Why is Master Dou the only one to leave the banquet first? Could it be that Master Dou is not feeling well?"
"This...!" Dou Kui rolled his eyes and sighed: "Xiaguan is really not feeling well these days, and it is not advisable to drink too much. If you stay there, you will be confused and drink too much, so... so I can only start with Farewell."
"So that's it." Sima Changshen put his hands behind his back, raised his neck slightly, and looked at Dou Kui with a condescending look: "Since he is unwell, Mr. Dou should rest in the mansion, why did he come here in the middle of the night? Come?" He turned slightly sideways, looked towards the carriage behind him, and said with a smile: "Master Dou, you are not having a tryst with a beautiful woman in the middle of the night, are you afraid that others will find out?"
Dou Kui laughed dryly and said: "Master Hou is joking. I am a very old official. How could...how could I have such thoughts?"
"In that case, who is in the carriage behind?" Sima Changshen looked slightly concerned: "Master Dou will never tell me that there is no one in that carriage, right? Could it be your family members?"
"This...!" Cold sweat broke out on Dou Kui's forehead.
He and Qi Ning agreed to take advantage of the night banquet in the palace to smuggle away the palace's treasures in order to prevent the Sima family from getting involved. Who would have thought that despite careful arrangements, they were still blocked on the long street.
Sima Changshen said that he came out to look for him to drink. Dou Kui naturally knew that it was nonsense. He knew that he was afraid of being watched by the Sima family from the beginning. When he left the palace banquet, he must have been noticed by the Sima family, and the other party even guessed it. He took action, so he left the palace banquet and came to block him.
The situation is extremely troublesome right now. The wooden boxes in the carriage are all filled with rare treasures from the royal palace's treasure room. If Sima Changshen opens the boxes and sees them, whether these treasures can be saved is the second best thing. He will also be accused of embezzling treasures, and the consequences will be disastrous.
When Sima Changshen saw Dou Kui sweating on his forehead, he was even more proud and said with a smile: "If there are Lord Dou's family members in the carriage, and we meet them today, I will pay my respects." He lowered his voice and said deliberately: "If Lord Dou is in private Let me see how the beautiful lady I meet also looks like. Lord Dou, don’t worry, everyone has this thing about a man, and I won’t make it public."
Dou Kui tried his best to calm down and said: "The Marquis is marrying his daughter today. It is an important matter. How can we delay it here? The next day, I will take my concubine to see the Marquis. It is getting late, so the Marquis should return to the palace as soon as possible." Lest others look for the Marquis but fail to see him."
"What?" Sima Changshen's face darkened: "Master Dou, don't you want to give me this honor?" He walked forward to the carriage: "Master Dou doesn't want me to see you, but I must see you today. Let's take a look. What kind of beauty can make Mr. Dou ignore the emperor's wedding banquet and come out to meet her in the middle of the night?"
When Dou Kui saw Sima Changshen heading straight for the carriage behind him, his expression changed drastically. He raised his hand and said in a voiceless voice: "Master Marquis, you can't...!"