Zhao Tong put down the letter in his hand and thought secretly in his heart.
White Crane King Fang Jiu, this person was on the list Lianaza gave him, but unexpectedly he went to Liangshan.
Fang Jiu is very skilled in martial arts. He learned from Hai Tian Yi Dao and Chen Gu Tong.
Chen Houtong was not originally a member of the Mingjiao, but after Shao Fangqing's death, he continued to help the Mingjiao.
This man is extremely famous in the southeastern coastal area. Although he does not have the title of Grandmaster, there are rumors in the world that his martial arts has already reached the Grandmaster level!
Zhao Tong knew that the rumors were true because Liyanaza had told him that there were two masters of the Ming Cult in the Central Plains.
One is Wang Gong Lao Fo who has retired behind the scenes, and the other is Chen Houtong, who although he does not hold any position in the Ming Cult, has been helping the Ming Cult.
Zhao Tao touched his chin between the two grandmasters. Although the grandmasters could not withstand the army, they were almost invincible if they were to fight against each other or assassinate them from ambush.
It is no wonder that when the Western Army conquered Fang La, it lost many soldiers and generals and suffered heavy losses.
After thinking for a moment, he put the matter aside for the time being, stood up and walked out, calling Qi Hongyu to ask about the wedding preparations.
Qi Hongyu has been taking care of things in the house during this time, making decisions on big and small matters. He said politely: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, everything is basically done. It will not delay the auspicious day in three days."
Zhao Tong nodded, called Su Shi again, and then ordered someone to take the horse and go straight to the military prison outside the city.
You Siniang and others have been detained in the military prison, but they are not considered prisoners. They are under house arrest. After all, Zhao Tao plans to use them to do something, so he does not use any harsh measures.
After arriving at the military prison, the interrogation took two or three hours to complete.
Then You Siniang was escorted out alone and returned to her residence on Niuxing Street.
Zhao Tong judged that it was hard to say whether Fang Jiujiu would come to Tokyo after leaving Liangshan, but the Rouge Leopard Du Hongmian was very likely to come.
After all, he was entrusted by Fang Baihua to find a way to catch him. This matter must come to an end, otherwise Du Hongmian would not be able to explain to Fang Baihua when he returns.
So no matter what, Du Hongmian should come over and take a look. If he can hold his own, it will be considered a meritorious service. If he can't, he should find several reasons to go back and explain.
Originally, he sent people to simply ambush the house, but now he felt that it was not enough. After all, although Fang Nineteen might not come, he might come, and he had to plan for the worst in everything.
Not only would this require You Siniang to be used as bait, but the number of manpower would also need to be increased several times.
Naturally, You Siniang didn't know about Zhao Tong's plans. So far, she didn't know Zhao Tong's true identity. She could only have such great power if she was the right envoy of the Ming Cult and infiltrated into the army.
After returning to the house behind Niulou Hotel, Zhao Tong still felt unsafe.
Fang Jiu's martial arts skills are too high, and ordinary people are no match for him. If he really comes, and he can't mobilize a large army to encircle and suppress him, he is afraid that he can escape by relying on his skills.
But at the moment, Huang Gu and Ouyang Bei have not yet returned to Tokyo, and there are limited people with strong martial arts skills at hand. Zhao Tong has no choice but to let Lu Junyi and Yan Qing go and take charge.
Another day passed in the blink of an eye, and the house became more and more lively. Due to the big banquet, the east chef was short of manpower, so he went outside to hire a cook. However, before he could take action, Fan Lou looked smart and sent a dozen people.
At this moment, everything was ready, just waiting for the happy event. My mother wanted to get into the sedan chair from home, so she returned to Coach Zhang. Zhao Tong also followed the rules and did not see his mother for several days, only writing some letters to pass back and forth.
Then two more days passed, and finally the auspicious day arrived. Firecrackers went off outside the palace early in the morning, and the whole street was covered with a red carpet until the intersection.
Two edicts were issued from the palace at the same time. One was the imperial edict, which was to be announced before the young lady got into the sedan chair.
This matter is indeed against the rules. After all, the lady has sealed the imperial edict even before she came to the door.
But Emperor Daojun felt that it was too valuable. He was willing to get the title of "Leader of Princes in the World" for a mere imperial edict. Not to mention one, he would be willing to accept ten or eight, not to mention the county prince, even the county's wife. He will give it all.
When the imperial edict arrived at the headmaster Zhang's house, it was Zhang Di, the chief superintendent, who personally came to deliver it.
It turned out that Empress Zheng was very thoughtful. Normally, people who were granted imperial titles would stay in the husband's official residence, and they knew all the rules. This had never happened to someone who came directly to the girl's family. She was afraid that the girl's family would not know the rules and lose their etiquette, so she asked Zhang Di to come over. Guidance.
The usefulness of this imperial edict is actually very great, and it is not just as simple as joining the clan with status and status.
With the decree in hand, Zhao Tong can come to pick up the bride.
If you have a royal decree, you can go through the front door when entering the house, not the side door.
If there is a royal decree, all the etiquette of worshiping in the church will be complete, and the woman will not be thrown into the bridal chamber directly.
These are treatments that an ordinary concubine would never receive.
This is why Zhao Tong would rather break the rules and ask for permission from his wife first.
Coach Zhang was bursting into tears at this time, never thinking that his daughter would actually marry into the prince's palace.
Originally, the King of Qin saved his life and his daughter's life, and also supported Xiao Lang. After a few years of confusion, he finally admitted it, but he always felt that there was a hurdle in his heart that he couldn't get over, and he was always panicking.
Now I didn't expect that King Qin really wanted to marry his daughter, and he also invited a royal decree.
That is a imperial edict, and an imperial edict is a status. With a imperial edict, one has a status, can be registered in the clan, and can be recognized by the world.
The Zhang family was extremely lively at this time. Neighbors on the left and right came to congratulate him, as well as a group of old brothers from the Forbidden Army.
Because of their status, people like the Forbidden Army cannot eat at the banquet of Prince Qin's Palace, but it is the same on both sides. After all, the lower-level officers and soldiers like the etiquette members in Prince Qin's Palace can't afford it.
After Zhang Di gave some guidance, the ceremony was completed, and then she waited for the sedan chair from Prince Qin's palace. The young lady changed into a big green wedding dress in the room, put on a phoenix crown, a Xiapei, and then covered her head.
In the Song Dynasty, red men and green women were admired. The groom wore red and the bride wore green. The phoenix crown and harem were standard and could be used by even the common people. As for the hijab, it was also available at this time.
The Prince of Qin's Mansion had just received the imperial edict at this time, but if the woman did not have a royal decree, the imperial edict would probably not have been issued.
Because not to mention princes, even ordinary third- and fourth-grade ministers, most families have more than a dozen concubines in their chambers.
Even if it is impossible for a prince to marry one, the emperor will issue an imperial edict, which is too disrespectful to take the edict seriously.
Normally, the decree would only be given when the prince marries his wife, but at this time, the woman already had the decree, so the decree came naturally.
This imperial edict is relatively long, and it contains some standard words over and over again. It is just laid out in the royal ceremony of Zongzheng Temple, and it does not need to be drafted in advance.
After receiving the order, Zhao Tong continued to wait before the auspicious time came. Only at the auspicious time could he go out to meet the bride.
At this moment, there was an endless stream of people coming to the palace to give gifts. Although Zhao Yu was not popular in the court, at most only half of the people gave gifts, and at least 50% of the half were not present. They just sent people to deliver gifts and wrote gift lists. , but still overcrowded.
Because those who are hostile to the court may not come, but he is in charge of the Mabu Army Department. The total number of officials in this army is no less than that of the court, or even several times more.
With so many people, it is natural that there must be a distinguished guest in charge. The status of this guest cannot be too low. After all, even if there are few people in the court, there is still no shortage of second- and third-rank officials present. In this case, Tan Zhen is somewhat unqualified.
In the end, it was Xue Ang, the Minister of the Ministry of War, who stood up. He had a sufficient status. Although he had never done this kind of thing, he had seen it a lot on weekdays. He had seen many important wedding ceremonies and weddings in the palace. Although it was all Bai Shizhong, the Minister of Rites. Host, but you can do it in person.
Although Bai Shizhong gave a gift today, the person did not arrive, so Xue Ang wanted to show off his skills.
He had sufficient status and a certain prestige in the army. Although the Ministry of War did not care about soldiers, the directors under him were all related to the army, so he called Tan Zhen over to be his deputy. Once the two of them cooperated, everything was in order.
However, there were so many people who came to give gifts. Although the seats prepared were enough, the warehouse containing the gifts was so crowded that it could no longer accommodate them. This was something Zhao Tong did not expect.
First, someone sent a gift that was too big. They actually thought that he also liked rockeries and the like like Emperor Daojun, so he sent a large piece of Taihu stone.
There are also a lot of people from the army. After all, Zhao Tong often goes to the army for training. Not only the senior officers, but the middle-level officers are also very familiar with him. Moreover, he gained prestige in the battle against Wang Qing, so most of them come to give gifts. In this way If there are many people, there will be countless gifts.
In the end, Lei San had no choice but to direct a few houses to be moved out, but they were packed to the brim again.
After giving gifts, the guests took their seats according to their status. There were stages on three sides. The guests watched the show while waiting for Zhao Tan to come back to marry the bride and start the banquet.
Zhao Tong was waiting for the time here, and Si Tianjian and people from the Hanlin Academy of Astronomy were keeping an eye on him. Once the time came, he would set off immediately without any delay.
At this time, another servant came to the palace to give gifts. Zhao Tong went to see them in person. Emperor Daojun, Empress Zheng, and some familiar concubines all gave gifts. Most of them were interesting things, at least there were no Taihu stones. thing.
But because he is not marrying his real wife, Emperor Daojun and Empress Zheng will not come in person. If Zhao Tao marries his real wife, then the two of them will definitely be there, and the wedding ceremony will be even more grand and grand.
The royal family of this dynasty is still relatively down-to-earth, not the kind that the previous dynasties and later generations were aloof, with many rules and majestic momentum.
From the beginning to the end of the Song Dynasty, there was no custom of kneeling down, calling the emperor, or wearing dragon robes. The imperial palace was the smallest, not even as big as the gardens of some wealthy noble families in the south, and the internal rules of the royal family were not much different from those of the private sector.
Even from the top of Fan Tower, you could see the interior of the imperial city. At first, the royal family didn't care. Later, more and more people became curious, so they climbed up to have a look, and then went home to brag. Even so, the royal family didn't care. Those people imposed a punishment, only ordering Fan Lou to change the roof of the building so that no one could go up to take a peek.
Therefore, the royal family of the Song Dynasty was not so far away. Generally speaking, no matter whether the prince was a concubine or a concubine, as long as he married his wife, the emperor and the queen would be present, just like the common people.
Although it is a pity at the moment, there is nothing that can be done. According to the rules of the royal family, the first wife that Zhao Tao marries must be the daughter of a noble or a civil servant. Otherwise, not only will the emperor not agree, but even Zongzheng Temple will resist.
In fact, this was one of the reasons why he was reluctant to marry. He had no feelings for each other, could not even see each other's appearance and did not understand each other, so he had to marry her as his official wife. This was unacceptable to him.
Even if there is a portrait, you will hear some reputation, but the portraits of this era are not so reliable. As for reputation, you will understand after listening to Zhao Kai's Zhilan Yushu.
After some time, the auspicious time came, and the officials of Qin Tianjian reminded him, so Zhao Tong got up and walked outside the house.
In front of the palace gate, there was a guard of honor, various sword and gun teams, and sedan chairs, followed by a hundred young men from the Scarlet Pioneer Regiment, who went to the home of Teacher Zhang with a lot of playing and playing.
Along the way, many onlookers shouted auspicious words. Zhao Tao had already had a very high reputation in the Tokyo city, and after pacifying Huaixi, his reputation reached an extreme level.
As for his troubles in Fanlou and the celebration banquet, most of the people laughed it off. They had watched the second king grow up, how could they not know his nature? If the other party hadn't been wrong, how could the two kings have caused trouble?
Reputation is like this. It is always preconceived. It is extremely difficult to change the opinions that have been implanted in people's hearts. Even if the world is falling apart, there will still be people who don't believe it.
Originally, the people of Tokyo did not have much respect for the royal family, and Zhao Yu had been living in the market since he was a child. Naturally, these people were not afraid. Although they could not enter the palace to watch the ceremony, even shouting on the street could be regarded as expressing their feelings to the second king. Friendship.
Zhao Tong naturally gestured left and right on his horse. He knew what these people were thinking. He even recognized many of them. Although he couldn't name them, he knew that this one was a pear vendor on the East Street and that one was a vendor on the West Bridge. The shopkeeper, the one who smiles with bared teeth is Liba who eats on the river, and the one who is obviously young but has no teeth is the quickie. His teeth were knocked out by a gangster a few years ago. He feels sorry for this quickie. The footman sought justice.
The procession passed through the street amidst the hustle and bustle, and arrived in front of Coach Zhang's house. The coach's house set off firecrackers, and then picked up the girl on the sedan chair according to the rules, and continued to play and beat before heading back to the palace.
At this time, there were more and more people on the street, but they all took the initiative to get out of the way so that the team could pass normally.
Halfway through, I came to Yulang Street. This road is neither wide nor narrow. There are some shops and restaurants on both sides. Because it is not a main road, it is not particularly lively on weekdays. But when passing by a restaurant, Zhao Tong suddenly raised his head and looked towards Look upstairs.
The moment he raised his head, there was a flash of cold light from upstairs, and a figure jumped down like a white chain.
Zhao Tong frowned slightly, and the white shadow came closer in the blink of an eye, and there was a sword light, going straight to his neck!
The knife was so fast that I couldn't even tell what kind of person was behind the knife. I could only vaguely see a white shirt.
Zhao Tong snorted coldly, moved the sleeves of his robe slightly, and the silver snake's light in the sleeves spit out, and the light of the sword was cut off at the waist.
Mo Xie's sword slashed the opponent's weapon, and the opponent let out a cry of surprise, then stepped back.
Just as Zhao Tong was about to chase and kill him, he suddenly saw a red figure leaping out from the crowd and running toward the sedan chair with two swords.
He immediately turned cold and sneered, "Looking for death" and jumped directly from the horse.
The red shadow was very fast, but it was a false move. It seemed to be to cover the retreat of the white shadow coming down from the restaurant.
Under normal circumstances, even if Zhao Tong has extraordinary martial arts skills, but the opponent only feints a shot, then when he turns to protect the sedan chair, Hong Ying will definitely be able to escape.
It's a pity that the red shadow didn't know how fast Zhao Tong was, and he almost only arrived in front of her in a blink of an eye.
Hong Ying was immediately shocked, but it was too late to regret, so he had no choice but to slash at Zhao Tong with his two knives.
Zhao Tong moved again and reached the side of Hong Ying in an instant. At this moment, a sound of breaking through the air suddenly came. Zhao Tong didn't even look at it. He knocked over the sneak attack weapon with Mo Xie sword in one hand and aimed at Hong Ying with a fist in his other hand.
With these few flashes of lightning, the rabbit rose and the falcon fell, the hidden weapon was knocked away, and Hong Ying was knocked down by his punches and screamed miserably, unable to move.
At this moment, the Scarlet Pioneer Regiment and the Forbidden Army Sword and Gun Squad were surrounding. Zhao Tong looked at the red shadow on the ground, and it turned out to be a woman dressed in red. He said coldly: "Tie this assassin to me!"
(End of chapter)
