Chapter 3: Marriage
"I see. No wonder she longs for the desert..." Mingjiu was overjoyed. "I knew she was different from those girls who were always clamoring!"
Princess Gao naturally had no idea that what he meant was actually Jiaodi, but she didn't have time to pursue the matter. She simply said in a long voice, "It's just that—with her background and looks, there are naturally many men who want to marry her. However, she relies on her beauty and is probably overwhelmed by the choices, so she hasn't decided yet."
Ming Jiu thought about how she had looked up at the Qifeng Pavilion, and how her extraordinary face had immediately caught everyone's attention among the crowd of women. Then she thought of the group of handsome men who had just surrounded her, and she agreed, "She's so beautiful, and it's only natural."
Seeing him confidently defending Qian Deng, Princess Gao sneered again and said in a long tone, "There are so many choices and so many men. Therefore, if Huihe can't finalize this matter in front of the emperor, empress, and all the court officials today, those who want to marry her will definitely obstruct her, and her father's and grandfather's power will also do everything they can to prevent her from marrying far away."
Mingjiu fell into deep thought. "Hmm, you mean, we should make the flour into pancakes first?"
Princess Gao swallowed the "fait accompli" in her throat, lifted her skirt and stepped onto Qifeng Pavilion, leaving only a sarcastic remark: "In short, the possibility of her marrying is very small. I just said it casually. If the prince thinks it is not feasible, then retreat."
The sky gradually darkened. Chang'an was exempt from curfew today, and millions of people were celebrating in the streets. Inside the Daming Palace, candles were lit and banquets were held all night long.
The palace lanterns illuminated the jade palaces and the golden towers, the drums and music continued, and at the feast, all the civil and military officials in the court were drunk.
The emperor and empress offered wine together to toast heaven and earth, and then went down to the hall together to drink and chat with important officials in the court and the heroes who had contributed to the suppression of the rebellion.
The Uighur envoys were all slightly tipsy. When they saw the emperor coming, they brought up the matter of marriage and asked whether the court had decided on the candidate.
The Minister of Rites in charge of this matter hurriedly said, "The marriage between the two countries is of paramount importance. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Imperial Divination Bureau are currently calculating the four pillars and eight characters of the most noble ladies from prominent families in Chang'an, hoping to establish a lasting friendship between the two countries..."
Mingjiu scoffed, standing up with his cup in hand. "What a dead pig target! We Huihe people don't talk about that. For a husband and wife, the most important thing is to be attracted to each other. Otherwise, how can hair turn white? Right?"
The Huihe envoys all echoed this sentiment, but the messenger, with a wry smile, explained to the Tang side, "What our prince meant was, 'Grow old together, grow old together.'"
Amidst the knowing smiles of the Emperor and Empress, the Minister of Rites readily agreed, "Of course. The ladies of our Tang Dynasty are so naturally beautiful and charming..."
Ming Jiu, under the influence of alcohol, put his arm around the Minister of Rites' shoulders and asked, "Do you know if I prefer tall or short women? Big eyes or small eyes? Round cheeks or pointed cheeks?"
The Minister of Rites had never seen the frankness and vulgarity of these foreigners, so he said stubbornly, "I hope the prince will explain your request in detail to me, and I will order my men to pay close attention to it."
"It's hard to say. Is this what I really want..." Mingjiu said, turning back to look at Qifeng Pavilion. His eyes suddenly lit up. He pulled him to the palace gate, raised his hand and pointed at one of the women watching the fire-breathing acrobatics across the way, and said, "Choose her for me. I'll choose her."
The Minister of Rites is old, and although the Qifeng Pavilion is just to the right of the Hanyuan Hall, it is still dark under the lights at night, and there are many beautiful women on the opposite side. In the dim light, how can one see who he is referring to?
He could only ask with a bitter face, "Prince, please tell me in detail, which lady do you like?"
Seeing the Uighurs' amusement, the officials in the surrounding halls gathered around. The emperor, having had a few extra drinks today, was in high spirits. He walked hand in hand with the empress to the eaves outside the hall, glanced at the Qifeng Pavilion to his right, and said with a smile, "After all, the Uighurs are not particular about small matters and indulge themselves freely. If they could really hold a night banquet to get married, it would be a wonderful story."
The empress originally thought the Uighurs' behavior was absurd, but upon hearing the emperor's words, she smiled and agreed, "Your Majesty is right."
The prince looked up at the Qifeng Pavilion. The loud gongs and drums and various performances below drowned out the noise on this side. The women on the opposite side were crowded together at the railings watching the excitement below, unaware of the farce in front of the Hanyuan Hall.
He searched for a long time before catching sight of a faint figure emerging from the crowd. Feeling slightly relieved, he advised, "This seems inappropriate. After all, there are ladies of high rank and noble birth in Qifeng Pavilion. If the prince mistakenly chooses a married woman, wouldn't it be embarrassing for both parties?"
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is absolutely right!" The surrounding officials, looking across at their families, quickly echoed. Especially the royal family, who knew that the court had no princesses of marriageable age and was determined to pull one from their family, confer it upon them, and send her to the grasslands? How could this be allowed?
"We Huihe men have sharper eyesight than eagles on the steppes. How could we fail to see how a woman is dressed?" Mingjiu said without hesitation, patting his chest. "Give me the arrows, and I will choose my relative right away!"
The fire show in front of the temple was in full swing, with iron flowers, various fireworks and box flowers blooming, causing cheers.
On the Qifeng Pavilion, the noble ladies were still watching the acrobatics by the railings, and no one noticed that the guards on the side of the Hanyuan Hall took out the colorful feather arrows used in tossing pots, wrapped the arrowheads in silk, stained them with the palace maids' rouge, and handed them to Mingjiu.
The sounds of stringed instruments became more and more complex, and the firelight suddenly became brighter. It was the iron flowers that were struck and swung out by the craftsmen. The bright sparks scattered in front of the Hanyuan Hall, illuminating the carved beams, jade buildings, and vermilion lacquered railings.
Just when everyone in Qifeng Pavilion was attracted by the dazzling flames, a colorful arrow shot straight behind the crowd like a meteor.
The sparks illuminated the dark night, as well as the light-colored figure standing quietly in the corner of the pavilion, making her face instantly appear in the dazzling light, her appearance bright and beautiful, a stunning sight.
The colorful arrow shot straight at her heart, and the silk wrapped around the arrow stuck heavily to the lapels of her chest, leaving a scarlet rouge mark that was particularly eye-catching on her light-colored clothes.
The dazzling light of the iron flowers faded away in an instant, and cheers rang out from the side of Hanyuan Hall. The Uighur envoys applauded and cheered together, boasting about their prince's archery skills of hitting the target from a hundred paces away.
The emperor also clapped his hands in admiration. Under the bright light that burst out in the blink of an eye and faded away just as quickly, although he could not see the appearance of the woman who was shot, just one impression was enough to leave him with the impression of her peerless beauty.
"No wonder the prince wanted to make his own choice. It turns out he already had someone in mind." The emperor asked the queen with a smile, "Does the queen know the family of the girl who was shot by the prince and was favored by the prince?"
The Queen's smile was somewhat forced. She glanced at the Crown Prince, who stood stiffly at the side of the palace, and said slowly, "It's the Princess of Lingling County of the Changhua Palace."
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