Chapter 199 Chapter 199 is the only genuine version...
Oh.
Duo Leng sneered and slammed the table in anger: "Da Qi is trying to trick me, the Daliang warrior, into giving up my life?"
"Are you still teasing me, Da Liang?!"
"Of course not."
Duke Cheng'en waved his hands repeatedly: "Your Highness, Third Prince, perhaps, perhaps he went to change clothes."
He made an excuse that even he himself didn't believe, and in return he was met with a series of cold sneers from Duo Leng.
Ji Nanke, who had been sitting silently in the corner, suddenly said, "I'll go take a look."
She left the private room, looked around, saw him coming down the stairs, and hurriedly chased after him, catching up with him in the lobby.
Ji Nanke pulled him and walked towards the courtyard behind Tianxi Tower.
The small building hadn't been repaired yet, and there were few guests in the courtyard. Ji Nanke quietly walked with him for a while, then asked carefully, "Your Highness, are you unwilling?"
Xie Jing stood in the pavilion by the water, watching the koi carp wagging their tails in the pond. He sighed, "Ke'er, Liang is a barbarian nation, and they have a feud with Daqi. They are not of our race, so how could they be so kind as to help my father? Duoleng must have some ulterior motive."
At this point, you still consider Xiliang to be a barbarian?
"Your Highness, it's a bit premature to worry about Xiliang's ulterior motives. How many people are there in the wedding procession? Duoleng is in Daqi. Even if he wants to transfer troops from Xiliang, the Western Frontier General is there to stop him."
She said slowly, "As for the plot, Princess Jiaye did tell me about it."
Xie Jing looked at her.
Ke'er was popular, and had always been like that. Everyone got along well with her. Only Gu Zhizhuo disliked her for his own reasons.
"Prince Duoleng isn't the Liang King's biological son; he's only his brother by blood. The Liang King is quite wary of him. Princess Jiaye also said that by helping you and the Emperor, Duoleng is also helping himself. When you ascend to the throne, he intends to leverage the power of Daqi to seize the throne from the Liang King."
"We have mutual motives. How can you say he's intentionally using you to plot something bad?"
Xie Jing thought for a moment and did not refute.
There is some truth to this.
Ji Nanke's words eased some of the uneasiness in his heart.
That’s right.
This time, Liang Kingdom brought only 3,000 people to escort the bride, so it was impossible for them to take advantage of the chaos to overthrow Da Qi.
As for the future, when my father has purged the treacherous officials, whether to go to war or make peace will depend on whether Liang State knows its place in the world.
In fact, when it comes down to it, who would want to fight if peace is possible?
War means death. Who would be willing to die?!
His father had once told him that the constant wars in the northern border had resulted in countless casualties and exhausted the nation's strength. This was because the Gu family had used war to gain power and wealth.
"Besides, I've also heard that the Western Frontier General has been ordered to press the Liang Kingdom step by step, repeatedly launching wars. Whether it's Princess Jiaye's marriage or the eldest prince's cooperation with you, it's actually for the sake of friendship between the two countries."
Xie Jing nodded silently.
When I went there myself, I also discovered that the troops were stationed at the border of Western Xinjiang and no one from Liang was allowed to take a step forward.
Xie Yingchen had been a hostage in Liang State for many years and must have suffered humiliation. He had always harbored ill will towards Liang State and was warlike.
My father said that what Daqi needs is rest and recuperation.
Only when Daqi is handed over to my hands in the future will I have enough foundation to usher in a prosperous era.
I am doing this for Daqi!
Xie Jing leaned on the railing of the beauty's backrest, holding the railing tightly with both hands.
He said to himself over and over again: Yes. Everything he did was for Daqi.
"Your Highness."
Ji Nanke raised her face slightly, and her bewitching voice echoed in her ears: "Do you want the Crown Prince to always be superior? You don't want to see Gu Zhizhuo..."
"Do you regret it?
When mentioning the three words "Gu Zhizhuo", Ji Nanke's tone was complicated, but Xie Jing did not notice. He just subconsciously followed the lead of her gaze and went to the second floor of Tianxi Building. From the open window, he could vaguely see the beautiful figure.
Ji Nanke's eyes flashed with resentment and jealousy. She had learned her lesson and said without showing any emotion, "I used to think that Gu Zhizhuo insisted on breaking off the engagement with you because he misunderstood me. But is that really the case..."
"Your Highness, she actually did it for the Crown Prince."
"She abandoned you and chose someone who could help her ascend to the throne."
Xie Jing recalled the day when Xie Yingchen just returned to Beijing. He saw with his own eyes that Gu Zhizhuo sent Xie Yingchen to the palace gate.
The two of them had a very pleasant conversation.
From then on, Gu Zhizhuo no longer cared about herself. He also colluded with Xie Yingchen to break off the engagement with her and wholeheartedly supported Xie Yingchen.
"Don't you want her to regret it?"
When she said this, Ji Nanke felt a little sad, and she clenched her handkerchief nervously.
She wanted to hear him say that he didn't care whether she would regret it or not, but all she heard was one word -
"good."
So, Xie Jing had indeed been thinking about Gu Zhizhuo all the time.
Because you can’t get it?
Ji Nanke felt heavy and uncomfortable in his heart.
She had clearly replaced Gu Zhizhuo easily, but why was she still no match for Gu Zhizhuo in the end?
Ji Nanke recalled Duo Ling's wolf-like eyes, shuddered, took his arm and said, "Let's go back."
Xie Jing: “…”
He reluctantly let Ji Nan Ke pull him back to the private room.
As soon as I pushed the door open, I was greeted by a cold snort from Duoleng.
"Your Highness." Duke Cheng'en quickly winked at him and said exaggeratedly, "You've changed your clothes and are back."
Xie Jing did not respond, he walked to the Eight Immortals Table.
He thought of his father, the emperor, who was blind and under house arrest in Hanzhang Palace.
I also thought of my helpless mother who was forcibly taken away from the palace banquet that day...
Xie Jing closed his eyes.
The late emperor passed the throne to my father, who was ordained by heaven, so it is the legitimate right.
Xie Yingchen is the treacherous villain. Xie Yingchen is the one who is wrong!
He picked up the dagger and cut his wrist. Blood dripped down the blade into the wine and merged with the blood-colored wine.
With trembling hands, he picked up the large bowl, and the full bowl of wine splashed on the back of his hand.
Wine and blood mixed together.
Xie Jing drank it in one gulp.
The strong liquor poured into his throat, burning his mouth and throat with a fiery pain. A thin layer of sweat suddenly appeared on his body, and the back of his neck was wet, which made him feel very uncomfortable.
Pop.
He put down the half-empty bowl heavily, pushed it in front of Duoleng, and wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth.
The strong liquor rushed to his head, and his steps staggered and he leaned on the eight-immortals table.
"good!"
Duoleng clapped his hands on the table and praised.
"As expected of my multifaceted brother-in-law."
He picked up the bowl and drank the remaining half in one breath.
Duke Cheng'en finally let go of his worries and continued, "From now on, Daqi and Daliang are connected by blood!"
He personally helped Xie Jing sit down. Xie Jing was not good at drinking. He felt dizzy after drinking one bowl of wine and was still staggering when he went back.
Xie Jing originally lived in the palace. On the day of the palace banquet, the emperor conferred upon him the title of Prince Rui and granted him a palace. This palace had once been the emperor's private residence, and had been renovated annually, so it was fully furnished. Xie Jing had already moved out of the palace two days in advance.
As the wedding was approaching, the palace was decorated with lights and big red lanterns were hung in front of the door.
Xie Jing's wedding was arranged urgently, and since it was a marriage for a foreign princess, there was no precedent in Daqi for marrying a foreign princess. The Ministry of Rites could only look up the "Book of Rites" and historical materials from past dynasties, and was extremely busy.
Although Liang State didn't follow the tradition of Daqi, where elaborate dowries were often arranged, it also offered a dowry of 10,000 cattle and sheep and 10,000 taels of gold. According to Daqi custom, the dowry list was personally presented the day before by Duoleng, accompanied by the Ministry of Rites and Liang State officials.
However, the emperor was "sick" and the letter could only be sent to Xie Yingchen's desk.
"Grandson." Duo Leng walked around the main hall of Wenyuan Pavilion where Xie Yingchen was staying, then pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him. "We have been friends in Xiliang for six years."
Xie Yingchen smiled and said, "Seventy-three lashes. I do have a good relationship with the eldest prince."
The Liang State respected military power.
Xie Yingchen was extremely sick and frail. He was an abandoned child of Daqi and a hostage of Daliang. Of course, he could be bullied by everyone.
Duo Leng met his eyes.
Xie Yingchen was a black-hearted man. When he had a hard time in Liang, he plotted to instigate a war between him, his father, and his eldest brother, stained the entire capital with blood. He then plotted to kill his eldest brother...
I only whipped him a few times, and he actually counted!?
After a moment, he suddenly laughed heartily and said, "...There's a saying in Daqi: Don't talk about the past. From now on, you and I are one family. If you ever come to Liang Country again, I will definitely treat you well. I'm sure you'll soon forget those seventy-three whippings."
Xie Yingchen said slowly, "The eldest prince is thoughtful."
That's all. After trying this time, Duoleng completely gave up.
Xie Yingchen is insidious and vindictive, and his mind is full of twists and turns. It is more reassuring to cooperate with such a stupid person.
"This is the dowry of my Princess Daliang."
Duoleng handed over the dowry list, and Xie Yingchen accepted it on behalf of Daqi, saying some polite words like "I hope there will be no more war between the two countries", and then handed it over to the Ministry of Rites to carry out the next wedding ceremony.
"Grandson, I have something to report."
"explain."
Minister of Rites Fan Heng reported to Duoleng, "It's about the wedding ceremony. I want to ask the eldest princess to escort Princess Jiaye to her wedding."
This is the custom of Daqi.
A bride will be accompanied by her married sisters and will live together from the day before until the ceremony is completed.
If there is no one to see the bride off, it will be considered unlucky.
Generally they are biological sisters, or cousins, or at least sisters from the husband's family.
Jiaye did not bring her sisters to the capital, and Xie Jing only had one eldest sister, the princess, who was married.
However, since the eldest princess was imprisoned, Xie Yingchen needed to make an exception and agree.
"Then let the eldest princess go."
Fan Heng bowed and agreed.
Everything was done by the Ministry of Rites according to the rituals, and Xie Yingchen did not interfere. Fan Hengqiu reported everything carefully, and he couldn't help but think about his own wedding.
Thinking about my own wedding, I couldn't help but feel that Xie Jing's wedding was too simple. If I...
We can’t let Yaoyao suffer like this.
Xie Yingchen's eyes were so soft that it seemed as if water could drip from them.
Duoling:?
can't read.
Walking out of Wenyuan Pavilion, Duoleng stood on the high stone steps and looked towards the east. At the palace he had only visited once, the glazed tiles reflected golden light in the sunlight, full of luxury and making people yearn for it.
"Prince, please."
Fan Heng then hurried to Prince Rui's Palace, explained the wedding procession rules to Xie Jing again in detail, and personally walked the wedding route.
The third prince was the first prince to have a grand wedding since the emperor ascended the throne. The Prince Rui’s Palace was decorated with lights and was extremely lively.
Xie Jing tossed and turned and couldn't sleep all night.
Before daybreak, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Court had already arrived at the Prince Rui's Mansion and the Huitong Hall where Liang Ren lived.
The wedding invitations were spread throughout the capital, and the Zhenbei Palace was of course no exception. However, only Gu Zhizhuo and his sister went to the banquet.
For the old lady, the most important thing now is Gu Zhizhuo's coming-of-age ceremony. She has been preparing for the coming-of-age banquet for three whole months. Now that the day is approaching, everything needs to be checked again.
She had to stay in the mansion to take charge, otherwise she would feel uneasy.
Before leaving, the lady warned them repeatedly, "Neither of you is allowed to drink, no matter who tries to persuade you."
"Also, don't quarrel with others."
"Especially you, little girl Zhuo, you are not allowed to fight with others, do you hear me? If you get hurt anywhere, you won't be able to dress up properly when you come of age, and you won't be pretty."
Gu Zhizhuo:?
She got into a fight at someone else's wedding? Hmm. Grandma was overthinking it.
"Madam," the housekeeper came over and reported, "The osmanthus flowers have been picked. Please take a look..."
The lady said that she wanted to pick fresh osmanthus flowers and make flower curtains to replace incense.
To prevent the smoke from the incense from blocking my eyes during the coming-of-age ceremony.
"Let's go."
Gu Zhizhuo pulled Gu Yican, and the brother and sister ran away quickly.
The streets were bustling with people waiting to receive wedding money.
Gu Yican accompanied her in the carriage, laughing and joking all the way. Gu Yican fiddled with the tassels on his sister's pearl flower. Suddenly, the groom outside announced, "Your Highness, the procession ahead is from the Rui Palace, welcoming the bride."
"Move aside."
"yes."
Gu Zhizhuo lifted the carriage curtain and just happened to see Xie Jing riding a tall horse passing by the carriage, with the sound of gongs and drums coming from behind.
It seemed as if the scene of Xie Jing marrying Ji Nan Ke in the previous life overlapped with each other.
It is far less grand than the previous life.
There was no red wedding paved for Ji Nan Ke with the flesh and blood of the Gu family in the previous life.
Not long after they arrived at Prince Rui's Mansion, the bridal sedan came in.
Gu Zhizhuo did not go to the front to watch the ceremony. The continuous sound of firecrackers and the chanting of the Ministry of Rites could be heard clearly even in the backyard. Soon, the ceremony was over.
A few familiar noble ladies laughed and pulled Gu Zhizhuo over, saying, "Let's go and take a look. I haven't seen Princess Xiliang yet. Miss Gu, have you seen her?"
Gu Zhizhuo followed quickly and briskly.
"Can Princess Xiliang play polo? We are short of one person."
"No, no, you're a scoundrel. Girls in Xiliang all grow up on horseback."
"Sister Gu," Song Jiuniang said softly, holding her arm, "Would you please take me in as your medicine boy? My grandfather said your medicine is very effective. He now eats three times a day and has gained a lot of weight. His lower abdomen doesn't hurt at all."
"I'll teach you how to make medicinal wine. Your grandfather can drink a small cup whenever he craves it."
Song Jiuniang rubbed her affectionately: "Sister Gu, you are so kind, Jiuniang likes you the most!"
As they were talking, they arrived at the main courtyard.
The wedding wine had been drunk, and in the bridal chamber, apart from the eldest princess, there were only a few princesses from the royal family.
As soon as the ladies arrived, the place suddenly became lively.
After being imprisoned for half a year, the once glorious Princess Zhaoyang had long lost her former beauty and charm. Her back was hunched and her face showed no joy.
The noble ladies did not dare to talk to the eldest princess. After looking at Jiaye's appearance, they smiled and praised her for a few words, then found an excuse to slip away.
The banquet starts at noon and ends at midnight.
The food was quite delicious. Gu Zhizhuo was about to go and wait for Gu Yican, but just as he walked through the hanging flower gate, he was stopped by someone.
"Miss Gu."
Gu Zhizhuo twitched his ears and ignored it.
"Miss Gu!"
His voice became a little higher, and Gu Zhizhuo walked forward on his own.
Her eyebrows suddenly moved, and she looked over the partition wall of the hanging flower gate. Her eyes passed through the dense woods. From afar, Gu Zhizhuo saw Xie Jing escorting the eldest princess Zhaoyang out. They arrived in front of a carriage, and then got on the carriage one after another.
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