Chapter 88 The prince’s betrothal gift and the enthronement of the princess!
Soon, the sound of people exclaiming in surprise was heard outside.
"It seems to be Mr. He from the Ministry of Rites. Is it the Ministry of Rites that has come to deliver the betrothal gifts to the Bo Mansion?"
"Wait, the person behind Lord He is Minister Pei, right?"
"Which Minister Pei?"
"Of course it's Minister Pei Jun, the most talented man in Dayan!"
"It's not just the Ministry of Rites. Look, that's the carriage from Prince Jingbei's palace. Prince Jingbei is here too!"
Marquis Anping suddenly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, his face as gloomy as ice as he asked word by word, "Who is here to bring a betrothal gift to the Xie family?"
On the street outside, four snow-white horses with golden saddles and bridles were pulling the Jingbei King's carriage with the Xiao family emblem printed on it, and they slowly stopped at the door of the Earl's Mansion.
Even the wheel tracks were painted with gold, shining brightly in the morning sun.
Following closely behind were twenty imperial palace guards wearing golden armor and holding long spears, escorting a middle-aged man in crimson official uniform, two green-robed officials, and Pei Jun in crimson official uniform.
The middle-aged man was slightly fat and had to jog to keep up with King Jingbei's carriage, but he gave people a dignified and elegant feeling.
Behind them was a gong and drum team dressed in festive red clothes, and boxes of goods painted with gold-painted auspicious patterns, with glittering silks and satins faintly visible inside the boxes.
Six pairs of wild geese tied with red silk and two coral trees as tall as a person are also dazzling.
There was also a team of a hundred armored royal guards standing on both sides like iron towers, exuding the iron-blooded aura of battlefield experience.
The personal guards of Prince Jingbei's Palace are all veteran soldiers in the army.
At this moment, although the palace guards were not as beautiful as those in golden armor, their murderous aura was still frightening.
The people on both sides of the road were already shocked. This scene was even more grand than when Anping Marquis' wife Jiang married Anping Marquis a few years ago.
But Marquis Anping was once Prince An, the emperor's younger brother!
This is just the betrothal gift from Prince Jingbei’s Palace!
"So many betrothal gifts, are they all for Xie Yao?!"
Xie Zhi's voice was trembling, and a sour feeling rushed from the bottom of her heart to the top of her head, making her chest ache.
Yesterday, she was still mocking Xie Yao for not even having a betrothal gift, but in the blink of an eye, the Jingbei Palace made such a grand ceremony that it was not an exaggeration to say that it was a royal prince who offered the betrothal gift!
"Why does she do that? Why does she do that..." Xie Zhi muttered to himself.
Why is Xie Yao, a girl who grew up in the countryside on the border, so valued by King Jingbei?
Marquis Anping also stared at the troops outside, with crazy hatred surging in his eyes.
The coachman outside had heard the Marquis's question and went to inquire about it.
At this moment, he lowered his voice and reported, "My Lord, it was the Prince of Jingbei who came in person to propose marriage to the second daughter of the Xie family. Also coming with him was the Minister of Rites, Lord He Yu, and a detachment of imperial guards were also sent from the palace. As for Minister Pei, he said he came here on the emperor's orders to share in the good fortune."
"I heard that the reason why Prince Jingbei has not yet proposed is because he is waiting for the wedding dress that Madam Jingning personally made for Princess Jingbei to be delivered by express delivery over 800 miles."
"Really?" Anping Hou said softly, "My brother is really generous to Xiao Yizi."
With a betrothal gift, a third-rank minister and a fourth-rank minister with real power were sent.
The twenty palace guards were only there to support Xiao Yizi.
In the entire Yan State, the only one who no longer leads troops but still has such a team of fierce and ferocious personal guards in his own quota is Xiao Yizi!
Why does Xiao Yizi have his own personal guards?
As the Marquis of Anping and the emperor's younger brother, if he had a few more guards and servants in his mansion, he would be criticized by the pedantic censors in the court.
When Marquis Anping heard Xie Zhi muttering to himself, "Why?", he became even more angry.
"This bitch." Xie Zhi gritted his teeth, his nails digging deep into his palms.
She was almost able to marry the King of Jingbei. All these betrothal gifts and the glory she had today should have been hers, but Xie Yao had snatched away her future.
"Didn't you say Xie Yao didn't have any betrothal gifts, stupid woman?"
Suddenly, Marquis Anping shouted impatiently, and his hot body covered him again.
The carriage was small, and he got angry again, so Xie Zhi was bumped into the wall of the carriage, hurting his back.
She couldn't help but scream and gasp, begging for mercy in a delicate voice.
The coachmen of the Marquis' Mansion all blushed when they heard the noise coming from inside the carriage.
Seeing that she was still struggling, Marquis Anping pressed her tightly into his arms, bit her ear, and spoke in a cold and low voice.
"Shut up! If you make any noise, don't blame me for having you here! Let the people outside see how slutty you are."
Xie Zhi shed tears of grievance, but dared not say anything.
Inside the Earl's mansion, the gatekeepers shouted, "Master Earl, Master Earl, hurry up and come to receive the imperial edict! The Jingbei Palace has arrived to deliver the betrothal gifts, and the Minister of State has also arrived with the imperial edict!"
If it was just a betrothal gift from the palace, the lady would just have to accept it.
But the King of Jingbei came in person, followed by the Minister of Rites and two officials from the Ministry of Rites. The scene was different.
You know, his uncle is the Minister of Rites, and he is his immediate superior.
The Bo family treated Madam He with great courtesy and did not dare to neglect her, let alone He Yu himself.
The Ministry of Rites does not have as much real power as those officials in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, but Lord He has presided over the Spring Examinations in the past two years. In the hearts of the literati of Yan State, his status is almost catching up with that of Prime Minister Jiang, and he is known as the most noble of Yan State.
Xie Ming'an hurriedly walked out of his study, quickly tidied his hair and clothes, bathed and changed his clothes, brought out the incense table, and led everyone in the Earl's Mansion to receive the imperial edict.
The Minister of Rites He Yu took out the imperial edict and everyone knelt down to listen to it.
Behind He Yu, Prince Jingbei was sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a red and purple robe embroidered with python patterns. Compared with the solemn robes of yesterday, he looked more noble.
The two brothers Baizhu and Baimi were wearing exactly the same brocade clothes, one wearing a sword and the other holding a sword. They stood on both sides of the prince like door gods, and they also had no intention of kneeling.
Lord He saw the three of them out of the corner of his eye, his eyelids twitched, but he endured it.
The first decree issued by the emperor after he ascended the throne was that Prince Jingbei could not bow to princes and dukes, could not bow to the emperor, could wear a sword and shoes to the palace, could pay homage to the emperor without naming his name, and he was even allowed to meet the emperor without kneeling.
Lord He opened the imperial edict and behaved properly and politely.
"The Emperor, by the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, decrees that Xie Yao, the legitimate daughter of the Earl of Wenchang, is from a distinguished family, virtuous and dignified. I have chosen her as a virtuous and suitable match, and hereby appoint her as the Princess of Jingbei with the golden decree and seal. I decree this."
Prior to this, Eunuch Qingcai came to announce the imperial decree, which was to grant a marriage between Prince Jingbei and the legitimate daughter of the Xie family.
This time, the Minister of Rites, the most noble of the entire Great Yan, came to confer the title of Princess on Xie Yao, and came with the King of Jingbei to deliver the betrothal gifts.
This is the first time in the entire Yan State that such grace has been bestowed upon it!
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
Xie Yao was the first to receive the imperial edict from Lord He, bowed to express her gratitude, and then stood up.
The other members of the Xie family hadn't reacted yet and all lowered their heads.
Xie Ming'an rested his forehead on the cold ground, his eyes greedily gazing at the betrothal gifts that were being transported to the Duke's Mansion in an endless stream behind King Jingbei, and he felt secretly delighted.
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