There was a grand banquet in Prince Qin's palace. This was the most lively New Year's Eve event for Zhao Tong since he left the palace and established his palace.
Except for Huang Gu's absence and Wu Song returning to Shandong to take care of his brother, even Ouyang Bei also rushed back from outside.
There are more than thirty tables, with the female family members in the back hall and most of the subordinates. The tables spread from the middle hall to the front hall, and even the servants have a place to sit down and eat the New Year's dinner.
As bursts of firecrackers sounded, Zhao Tong's words were passed down layer by layer, and New Year's red envelopes were distributed to everyone. Everyone had one. He has gained a lot this year, and the red envelopes are bigger than before.
Moreover, there is a happy event this year. During the winter months, she officially married Zhu Xiuniang. Now Zhu Xiuniang is pregnant, and she is expected to give birth in the spring.
Zhao Tong was sitting at the main seat in the back hall, with Zhang Zhenniang and Zhu Xiuniang next to him. Zhao Yuannu was also called over by him. Although he hadn't figured out how to get in because of the same surname and not being close, she couldn't be left alone to spend the New Year outside. After all, he has left Fan Lou.
In addition to the three, there are the young and old maids. Qi Hongyu and Jian Suyi, as the eldest maids of the palace, are also in the back hall. The remaining ones are Jin'er, Nongyu, Mei Niang, He Xiang, Qing Xing, and Zhu Xiuniang's new bride. The two little maids Cuiyu and Hongling found sat at the table next to them.
After the red envelopes were distributed, Zhao Tong spoke for a while. At this moment, even Zhu Xiuniang, whether it was true or false, smiled.
Then, Zhao Tong raised his glass and the New Year's banquet began.
Most of the heroes in the palace have no homes. It can be said that the most lively and joyful time of the year is to celebrate the New Year in the palace.
Zhao Tong moved his chopsticks a few times on the main table, then stood up and went to the central hall to have a drink.
Zhu Xiuniang raised her head slightly at this time and looked at Zhao Tong with a pair of water-cut eyes: "Your Majesty..."
"Huh?" Zhao Tong looked at her: "What's wrong with Xiu Niang?"
Zhu Xiuniang said: "There is a difference between superiority and inferiority. My lord, you..."
Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes and walked straight out without saying a word.
Zhu Xiuniang went to see Zhang Zhenniang: "Sister, why don't you persuade the prince? How can you sit at the table with your subordinates?"
At this time, the young lady was already aware of the grudge between her and Zhao Tong. She didn’t know that she was deliberately causing trouble for Zhao Tong, so she could only explain with a smile: “The prince is used to fighting on the battlefield. What kind of."
Zhu Xiuniang was about to speak again, and she said again: "Sister, let's eat some vegetables. This braised Yellow River carp is specially made for my sister. It is said that pregnant women eating fish will make their fetuses smart. Please try it quickly."
Zhu Xiuniang looked at the plate after hearing this. She gave her a piece of cloth. She tasted it and her face lit up: "It really tastes good. Thank you sister."
Zhao Tong ate wine in the middle hall until midnight. After the New Year's Eve, the banquet was just over. He stumbled to the study to rest and slept until dawn.
I went to the palace to pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the banquet continued in the palace. The eating and drinking did not stop until the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. However, I received a message from Tong Guan's order, and the banquet ceremony was scheduled for the fourteenth day of the first lunar month. He accepted Mu Shuang as his adopted son Qian'er.
Zhao Tong always felt that Mu Shuang was familiar and couldn't remember where he had seen him before. However, Mu Shuang was Tong Guan's person and Tong Guan would definitely investigate secretly, so there was no need for him to worry about it.
When the day came, I ordered people to prepare gifts and drove the carriage straight to the Evil Alley. By this time, Tong Guan's house was already overcrowded.
Tong Guan has been working in the court army for many years and has a wide network of contacts. However, because he is a eunuch, he has no heirs and has no birthdays, so he has never held a wedding banquet. This time, it was so grand that officials at all levels came to give gifts. Countless people, even those who could not come from the local area, were sent to deliver gifts. Among the Western Army, every general was not far behind. The weight of the gifts was as heavy as the ministers in the court.
Even Emperor Daojun sent people to deliver gifts and even specially wrote a message. Tong Guan ordered people to hang it on the wall of the central hall and introduce it to people he met.
Tong Guan has many houses in the capital, but he always likes to live in Bixie Alley. This house is not very big, and it is only used for holding ceremonies here. As for serving wine, it takes over the entire Pan Building.
Pan Lou is also one of the seventy-two restaurants in Tokyo, and ranks among the top five. The food and wine are no worse than Fan Lou, Gaoyang Restaurant and other places.
Zhao Tong watched the ceremony and saw that Mu Shuang's face was still covered with a mask. He knew that he was disfigured, but others did not. Tong Guan explained it one after another.
Although Tong Guan has no children, he does have brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. It was very lively for a while, and the ceremony took two or three hours to end.
Afterwards, they went to Pan Lou for a banquet. Zhao Tao naturally sat at the top. Na Mu Shuang came to propose a toast. Seeing his weak steps, Zhao Tao couldn't help but ask: "Have you ever started in martial arts?"
Mu Shuang hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty is concerned, I have just practiced, so I can't be a beginner."
Zhao Tong nodded. There are only three people in the world who know the Sun-turning Needle martial art, Tong Guan, Mu Shuang and him. However, he practiced it fakely. He originally thought he was 20 to 30% powerful until he went to Hero Island. Knowing that the Sun Transformation Needle is so powerful that even the Six Paths of Heaven Transformation at the master level are invincible, I couldn't help but feel concerned.
But no matter how much he cared about Yan Yan, he couldn't practice the original version, but just think about it.
After drinking Tongguan's wine, time flew by and the first month came out in a blink of an eye. At this time, news came from the palace that Emperor Maode would be betrothed to Cai Jing's fifth son, Cai Ji.
Zhao Yu was a little surprised when he first heard about this. He did know Cai Chi. This man was appointed as a servant of the Xuanhe Palace and was considered a close minister of the emperor. His character could not be said to be good or bad, but he was a member of the Cai family after all!
Princesses of the Song Dynasty generally choose to marry in noble families. This has been an unwritten rule since the time of Taizu. On the one hand, it shows the royal favor and does not forget the hardships of founding the country. Therefore, the two parties marry, and on the other hand, there is a sense of surveillance. Yes, but now that the nobility of the Song Dynasty has declined, there is no talk of surveillance.
In addition to nobles, there are also those who marry officials, but they are also young talents, born in the second class, gentle and elegant, and behave like gentlemen.
But this is an extremely rare thing, and the palace will study it for a long time before it can be determined. Why is it so hasty? Moreover, Cai Chi is not considered a young talent, so deciding this matter like this is extremely confusing.
Zhao Tong intuitively felt that something was wrong. If Emperor Daojun's favorite son was Zhao Kai, then there was no doubt that his favorite daughter was Zhao Fujin.
Even Zhao Tong had thought before that if Fu Jin was a boy, Zhao Kai would not be able to do anything. If Emperor Daojun wanted to establish a prince instead, he would directly establish Fu Jin.
If you love Fu Jin so much, why would you let him marry into the Cai family? The Cai family did not have a hereditary title. Although Cai Jing was granted the title of Duke of Lu, he could not inherit it hereditary. Even Cai You, the eldest son, could not inherit it, let alone Cai Chi.
Other princesses marry into noble families, and when the elders pass away and their husband ascends to the title, she becomes the Duke's wife. Who does this Cai Ji count?
In the Xuanhe Hall servant system, although the emperor's close ministers are considered good officials in the eyes of outsiders, they are not even direct bachelors, and even if they are direct bachelors, they are just names, just honorary titles.
Emperor Daojun wanted to marry Fu Jin in such a hurry, and the family was not in the right place, Zhao Tong was puzzled.
He does have some say in this matter. After all, although his sister is not of the same mother, the mothers of the Fujin siblings died early and they were all raised by Empress Zheng, so his brother can still say something. of.
If the Fujin family agrees, then there is no need to worry. It is unlikely that the two have met before and are interested in each other. Even if the Cai family is not a good match, he will not care about it. If there is chaos in the world in the future, the worst he can do is to bring the two to safety. The place is.
If Emperor Daojun makes random suggestions about marriage, or if the Cai family proposes marriage with intention, and Fu Jin disagrees with the matter and cannot resist, he will take care of it.
When Zhao Tong was thinking wildly, someone suddenly came from outside and reported that Zhao Tong was here.
This time, Zhao Yan was alone. After being expelled from the palace, Zhao Yan had drifted away from the princes. Even his brothers Zhao Mo and others would rarely see him without Fu Jin.
Zhao Tong's face was not very good. Zhao Tong asked him to sit down, and he asked anxiously: "Second brother, is the fifth sister betrothed to Cai Ji by the official?"
Since he was demoted as a commoner and driven out of the palace, Zhao Chu no longer called Emperor Daojun daddy, but only called him an official.
Zhao Tong asked curiously: "Where did you find out? Did Fu Jin go to your place?"
Zhao Yan lived by himself. Although it was a house bought by Empress Zheng, there were no palace servants to serve him inside. Zhao Yan did his own daily life and went outside when eating. Ordinarily, he should not know such secret information in the palace.
Zhao Yan shook his head: "No, the fifth sister came here to deliver snacks on the third day of the lunar new year. I didn't see her again, and there was no information."
Zhao Tong said: "Where did you know about this?"
Zhao Yan said: "Second brother, it's been talked about outside. Even some tea shops and restaurants know about it, and the people are talking about it."
Zhao Tong frowned, how could this be possible? Logically speaking, it is impossible for the public to know about such a royal matter so quickly. I just found out about it, so why did the rumor spread in the market?
It must be the Cai family... Zhao Tao touched his chin. It must have been spread intentionally by the Cai family, but why would the Cai family do this? Using the name of marrying the princess to build momentum for the family? It seems that the Cai family does not need to use such clumsy methods. After all, they have long been in the position of supreme ministers and have all the power in the government.
"Second brother, I can't enter the imperial city and see the fifth sister. I heard that Cai Ji, although he is not a bad guy who robs men and dominates women, but..."
"But what?" Zhao Tao had never heard of anything bad about Cai Ji. He was not as famous in Tokyo as Gao Yanei.
"But he likes to go to brothels!" Zhao Yan said sadly: "He is already twenty-five years old and has not gotten married yet. It is because he likes to go to brothels. He lives there for half a year and does not even go home!"
"Visiting brothels..." Zhao Tao was stunned. To be honest, in this era of the Song Dynasty, visiting brothels was not a problem. It was even considered a kind of elegance among literati. But you spend half of the year living there. In a brothel, it's a little unreasonable. Do you think you are Liu Sanbian?
"It's not about visiting, it's about making the brothel your home!" Zhao Chu said angrily: "I heard from the people in the tea shop that he had a passionate affair with an oiran before and actually wanted to marry him back to the Cai Mansion as a concubine. Master Cai didn't agree so he just let it go. , How could Fifth Sister marry such a person!"
Zhao Tong was a little embarrassed when he heard this and frowned: "The rumors in the market may not be taken seriously. It still depends on what Fu Jin means."
"Second brother, I, I have a letter here. Please come to the palace and bring it to Fifth Sister." Zhao Yan took out a double carp seal from his arms and handed it over.
Zhao Tong took it and said: "There is no problem in bringing the letter. I also need to go to the palace. But if the Fujin family agrees to this marriage, Bago should not worry about it anymore."
Zhao Yan lowered his head and said: "If Fifth Sister still agrees after reading the letter, then there is nothing I can do."
Zhao Tong smiled: "Have you been wandering on the street recently?"
Zhao Yan smiled bitterly and said: "Second brother, I don't have any skills. I can't do anything except wandering around. I have only studied since I was a child. I have no other skills. I can't take the imperial examination. I just eat and wait to die."
Zhao Tong thought for a while: "I'll find something for you, are you willing to do it?"
Zhao Yan heard this and said hurriedly: "Of course I am willing. If I continue like this, I'm afraid I will rot."
Zhao Tong nodded: "This matter has something to do with studying. You should be able to do it. Just wait for my news."
Zhao Yan quickly said: "It's best this way. If it's like dancing with a knife or a stick, I don't know how to do it. If I had known, I would have learned some boxing and kicking with Brother Jiu when I was young."
Zhao Tong shook his head: "He is born with half-hearted strength, and I have learned a lot from him. I will go to the palace now to have a look."
The two of them went out together, Zhao Tong asked someone to prepare the car, and then went straight to the imperial city.
After entering the palace, he first went to Empress Zheng's place. A large group of concubines were chatting and eating fruits. Seeing him, they were not unreasonable. After the etiquette was over, they talked about the marriage granted by Emperor Daojun. They were all a little confused as to why the Cai family was granted. .
Zhao Tong listened for a while and asked where Fu Jin had gone.
Concubine Xiao Qiao said: "You were here just now. After hearing what we talked about, you ran away shamelessly. Maybe you can go back to your home."
Zhao Tong thought for a while, then went out and left. Not far away, he saw Zhao Fujin and Zhao Huer building a snowman next to the palace where the emperors and concubines lived.
However, there was no joy on either of their faces. Even though Zhao Huer was young, she had a melancholy expression.
Hearing Zhao Tong's footsteps, the two looked at each other. Zhao Huer then ran over and said, "Second brother, fifth sister is getting married. I don't want fifth sister to get married."
Fu Jin whispered: "I will not marry anyone, not anyone."
Zhao Tong laughed and said, "What the hell are you talking about? There has to be a reason not to get married. You don't get married just because you don't want to get married."
After saying that, he handed over Zhao Chu's letter: "Bago just went to my place and gave it to you."
Fujin took the letter and opened it, his face suddenly turned pale: "Second brother, I, I..."
Zhao Tong said: "Although I haven't read this letter, I can still guess what is written. It's just hearsay and may not be completely credible. But Bago asked me to give it to you. Don't just listen to him. After all, he heard What comes may not be true.”
Fu Jin shook his head and said: "Second brother, I won't marry even if you don't believe this."
Zhao Tong said: "But why?"
Fu Jin said: "...I, I have no plans to get married right now, I don't want to get married."
Zhao Tong thought about it: "But dad has already approved the marriage. Although the specific date has not been set yet, I'm afraid it won't happen this year."
Fu Jin said: "No matter what, I just won't marry!"
Then she turned around and walked away, heading towards her home.
Zhao Huer held Zhao Tong's hand: "Second brother, please go and beg daddy, don't let fifth sister get married so early."
Zhao Tong looked at Fu Jin's back and sighed: "Second brother, let's go and give it a try."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Huer immediately clapped her little hands and chased after Fu Jin: "Fifth sister, fifth sister, the second brother has agreed to find his father, and the fifth sister does not need to get married."
Fu Jin trembled when he heard this, and turned around and said, "Second brother, how can dad agree to such a thing?"
Zhao Tong said: "Let's give it a try. I don't think the Cai family is a good choice. I don't know what dad thinks. There are so many distinguished families, why he chose the Cai family."
As he spoke, he walked towards Yanfu Palace.
Fu Jin saw him walking away and whispered: "I won't marry you either..."
(End of chapter)
