On the ninth day of November in the sixth year of Huangfeng's reign, the wind was calm and the sun was clear, and it was a rare sunny day for early winter.
Before dawn on this day, the palace people in the palace were busy non-stop. Starting from the Yingtian Gate at the main entrance of the palace, they spread all kinds of pendant canopies all the way to the harem.
All the palaces in the palace and the open space outside the palace were cleaned, and festive red cloth lanterns were hung on the palace doors and on the four corners of the eaves.
Because Zhao Yu issued an edict, this time the concubines should be accepted according to the queen's specifications, but the number and scale were reduced by half. Therefore, the main road of the harem was not paved with a red carpet embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, but only an ordinary red carpet.
Nuanchun Pavilion, the palace where the imperial concubine is about to move in, is the top priority of this decoration.
The palace people carefully arranged the emperor's throne, preparations, festival plans, and the roster needed for the emperor's wedding, as well as silk flowers, colorful trees and many other items.
In addition to the palace people, the palace guards also started patrolling early. They opened their eyes wide and stared at every corner of the palace carefully, fearing that there would be any mistakes.
Zhang Xiu, who had always been valued by Zhao Yu, even got up early and left his mansion under the instructions of his aunt Zou. After entering the palace, he led the imperial army to patrol without stopping.
After a round of inspection, he and his men found that there were no flaws, so they felt a little relieved.
"Commander Zhang, a brother from the Forbidden Army is looking for you, saying he has something to report."
Just as he was taking a nap with his eyes closed under the shade of a tree, a guard came to him quickly and whispered.
"I'm going to call the commander of a certain capital. If I do it again next time, I won't let him go leniently!"
Zhang Xiu opened his eyes and said angrily.
Regarding his current boss, Huang Wenbo, the commander of the front department, Zhang Xiu did not have a high opinion of him. Although he was a somewhat capable guy, he was conceited.
Although he has talents, if he didn't have his elder brother who is now King of Taihe, he might not be able to achieve his current status.
Therefore, as His Majesty's only direct descendant in the Forbidden Army, he would try his best not to do some taboo things to avoid incurring further hostility from the other party.
Mr. Wang came to me in private a few days ago and talked about His Majesty's affairs. His words often meant that he would take on more responsibility.
Although I don’t know why Mr. Wang said this to me, he is very resourceful and I think there must be a deep meaning in what he said.
As for whether there is anyone in the Forbidden Army whom Zhang Xiu admires, to be honest, there is, that is, General Fan Zhenfan, who he had briefly cooperated with.
Regardless of his martial arts, military skills, strategic integrity, this person can be regarded as a temporary choice. If he can be used by His Majesty, he will definitely be a great help.
It's a pity that we are enemies rather than friends after all, and there will always be a day when we meet in arms.
The guard didn't know that his immediate boss was thinking about so many things in just that moment, but he knew his sharp-tongued temper and quickly agreed with a smile.
Zhang Xiu, who calmed down, patted the guard on the shoulder and said.
"Call that brother over."
Not long after, an imposing young guard came to Zhang Xiu.
"Wang Xiongdan, the subordinate of Commander Fan Du, has met Commander Zhang Du!"
The commander of Fandu was none other than General Fan of Fanzhen, whom Zhang Xiu had just longed for.
As soon as he heard what the other party called him, Zhang Xiu's favorable impression of him increased.
Between warriors, one should be straightforward, and there is no need to play tricks. However, where did I seem to have heard the name Wang Xiongdan?
Putting aside the doubts in his heart, Zhang Xiu asked kindly:
"I heard someone say that Brother Wang has something to do with someone?"
Seeing that Zhang Xiu was straight to the point, Wang Xiongdan took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Zhang Xiu without hiding it.
Zhang Xiu took it and saw the six characters "Brother Youwei in person" under the fire paint, and a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind.
This handwriting was extremely familiar to him. It was the handwriting of Mr. Wang Wenbo, and this Wang Xiongdan...
I remembered that in Taihe Mansion, when His Majesty was still the Marquis of Anguo, Mr. Wang mentioned this Wang Xiongdan, saying that he was his distant cousin who was skilled in bow and horse. At that time, His Majesty asked Mr. Wang to write a letter and asked him to go directly to God. Beijing surrendered to the imperial army.
By the way, His Majesty also gave me a seal as a proof of recognition in the future!
Looking up and glancing at Wang Xiongdan, Zhang Xiu tore off the paint, took out the letter and read it carefully, his heart suddenly relaxed.
"Brother Wang has a letter from Mr. Wang, and I have already accepted 90% of it. But for the sake of caution, I would like to ask Brother Wang one more question."
Zhang Xiu looked at Wang Xiongdan with bright eyes.
"General Zhang, please speak."
Wang Xiongdan is neither humble nor arrogant.
"I wonder if Brother Wang has any credentials?"
Zhang Xiu stared into the other person's eyes and asked in a deep voice.
"When my brother sent the letter to the villain, he sent a seal with the letter. I wonder if it can be used as a certificate?"
As Wang Xiongdan spoke, he took out a finger-long scarlet seal from his personal clothing and handed it to Zhang Xiu.
"This thing is precious. I don't dare to treat it lightly, so I can only hide it close to my body."
Zhang Xiu took it and looked at the place where the seal was engraved. Sure enough, he saw nine white words "Zhao Yuyin, the eldest son of the Marquis of Chu An" engraved on it, and he was completely relieved.
Seal engraving can be divided into Zhuwen and Baiwen, which are what people often call Yangwen and Yinwen.
The so-called Yang script means that the characters are convex on the stone, while the Yin script is just the opposite, and is concave. The characters or images on the seal have two shapes: concave and convex. Those on the four sides are called Yin characters, and vice versa are called Yang characters.
"Okay, okay, okay!"
Zhang Xiu said "good" three times and handed the seal back to Wang Xiongdan, then he lowered his voice and said:
"His Majesty is getting married today. The guards have already been arranged and cannot be moved lightly. Brother Wang, you were recommended by Mr. Wang, so your skills are excellent. In a few days, at the beginning of December, the Imperial Guards in front of the palace will For the martial arts competition, prepare early and strive to win the jackpot and win the favor of His Majesty. Unfortunately, I am just the commander of the capital and have no right to mobilize the imperial army at will. Otherwise, why bother so much."
At the end of the sentence, there was a hint of boredom in his tone.
Wang Xiongdan is also a decisive person. He knows the difficulty of the person in front of him, so he clasped his fists and said:
"General Zhang, don't say that. The general's kindness will be unforgettable."
There are people in the court who are easy to do, and taking the extra month to prepare in advance will give them a better chance of winning out of thin air in the competition.
"If you really remember my kindness, then just serve your Majesty well."
Zhang Xiu raised his hand and patted Wang Xiongdan's shoulder armor with a sigh in his tone. He looked up at the most conspicuous palace in the deep palace - Funing Palace.
Mr. Wang said in the letter that he was being pressed step by step by King Taihe's party and had no choice but to compromise with them. Therefore, the number of times he contacted His Majesty and provided advice to His Majesty may be further reduced from the date of receipt of the letter. He has the important task of protecting His Majesty. I can only leave it to Youwei for the time being. I hope Youwei will not betray the emperor or His Majesty.
But although I, Zhang Xiu, am struggling in the Forbidden Army, how can it be difficult for Your Majesty to walk on thin ice and deal with tigers and wolves?
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiu was heartbroken for a moment, and tears filled his eyes.
"General, besides that, I have a favor to ask."
At this time, Wang Xiongdan's voice sounded again.
Zhang Xiu put away the turbulent emotions in his heart, blinked, and then looked at the other party.
"Don't be so polite. You are the one recommended by Sir, why should you be so reserved? As long as I can help you and it doesn't violate your loyalty, it doesn't matter."
Zhang Xiu smiled.
"To be honest, General, when Xiong Dan was in his hometown, he had a good friend from the same village. In terms of martial arts and military tactics, he was not inferior to Xiong Dan. It's just that he joined the army in his early years, and Xiong Dan didn't know his whereabouts. Who knew that Xiong Dan got a letter from his cousin? After entering Shenjing and joining the Imperial Guard, Fang reunited with the other party by chance."
"oh?"
When Zhang Xiu heard this, he immediately became excited and asked hurriedly.
"Your friend from the same village is also in the Forbidden Army? To be praised so much by Brother Wang, he must be an extraordinary person. I don't know the name of your friend, but he is also under the commander of Na Fandu?"
"In reply to General Zhang, my friend's surname is Kan Mingling."
Before the other party could finish speaking, Zhang Xiu's eyes widened.
"That Kan Lengzi is the friend from the same village you mentioned?!"
