Chapter 857 The Emperor

The sun rises.

As agreed, Prince Pingxi was to keep his appointment with the Lord Han today.

"Change clothes."

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Chen Xianba, Liu Dahu, and Zheng Man took out the Prince's black armor, preparing to help him put it on.

But the Prince said faintly:

"What I mean is, change clothes."

Change clothes, without armor.

The three personal guards were a little dumbfounded; if not armor, what to wear?

Ordinary clothes certainly existed, but those were mostly for inner lining. When marching and fighting, there wasn't so much attention to detail; basically, armor was never taken off.

Chen Xianba's mind reacted quickly, and he directly asked:

"Your Highness, are you going to wear the python robe?"

Zheng Fan nodded.

"Your Highness, wait a moment."

Chen Xianba walked out of the command tent, mounted a horse, and galloped through the military camp to another corner of the camp.

Here, there was a group of people who were out of place in the military camp. They were the direct relatives of the Fu Prince's mansion.

Since the army left Chuzhou City, the Prince had not summoned the Fu Princess, let alone favored her.

The Fu Prince's family could only move with the army. These days, they, who had originally lived a life of luxury, had indeed suffered a lot.

But Zhao Yuannian was quite ambitious and often had the opportunity to enter the command tent to be consulted by the Prince about matters of Qian, and at other times, he would actively help the army with some clerical work.

This family had never complained about being tired or suffering.

When Chen Xianba arrived in front of this tent, he happened to see the Fu Princess washing clothes.

Her clothes were much more casual than before, but her complexion was actually much better than before.

The Fu Princess's three daughters-in-law, the eldest daughter-in-law, who was Zhao Yuannian's wife, was sitting beside the Fu Princess helping her;

The two concubines, one was feeding the horses fodder, and the other had just returned from the military supply officer with the rations for the next two days.

Zhao Yuannian did not allow his family to be delicate,

The Fu Princess even set an example,

At the same time,

They brought some direct line guards of the royal mansion, quite a few of them. They could have continued to be "worshipped" in the army, but Zhao Yuannian took the initiative to send these royal mansion guards into the Yan army, without leaving a single one by his side.

Chen Xianba dismounted and saluted the Fu Princess, saying:

"Please, Queen Mother, move to the command tent."

The Fu Princess was a little surprised,

Did he,

Want her?

Chen Xianba added: "Also, please bring the python robe and accessories. Our Prince wants to change clothes."

When the Fu Prince's mansion moved out of Chuzhou City, most of their belongings certainly couldn't be brought, but some things wouldn't be left behind, such as...the finery.

They knew that this was where their Prince's mansion would settle down, because for a long time to come, they could only be regarded as political puppets, and dressing up nicely was essential.

Although she was a little puzzled, the Fu Princess immediately said:

"Okay, I understand."

Saying that,

The Fu Princess called her three daughters-in-law to take things with her. Finally, she simply took her three daughters-in-law with her to the command tent.

When they arrived at the command tent, they found that Zhao Yuannian was already inside, continuing to introduce some things about Han Cui to the Prince.

Zheng Fan saw the Fu Princess,

Nodded to her,

Said:

"Help me change clothes."

The Fu Princess bowed slightly and said, "What this concubine brought this time is Yuannian's python robe and accessories."

"Just follow your Qian people's rules; after all, the one I'm going to meet later is also your Qian people's Lord."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The Fu Princess and her three daughters-in-law began to choose clothes and accessories.

In fact, before Marquis Jingnan and Marquis Zhenbei were granted the title of Prince in the Yan Kingdom, the Ministry of Rites had taken the lead in designing and producing python robes belonging to the military merit princes of Great Yan together with the embroidery workshop in the palace.

After all, the Yan Kingdom had never had a prince with a different surname before.

At that time, a member of the Yan royal family with a high seniority heard that the imperial court was preparing python robes, so he kindly submitted a memorial to the late Emperor Ji Runhao, saying that the royal family's prince python robe system could be used directly. He dared to guarantee that the royal family was very sensible and no one would say anything about transgression.

Even, in order to let the emperor see the royal family's "overall situation" and "inclusiveness," he also called on a group of royal family members to jointly submit a memorial, wanting to push this matter through;

As a result, the emperor's reply was very simple, very direct, and very in line with the Yan Emperor's own character:

"It would be too neglectful to let the two princes with different surnames wear the royal family's prince python robes."

"........." The royal family.

The royal family was directly dumbfounded. It wasn't that they generously wanted to give up their own privileges, but in the eyes of the emperor, it was a little embarrassing to let the two princes with different surnames wear the royal family's prince python robes.

Zheng Fan also had two sets of military merit prince python robes in the Yan Kingdom, one was white, which could be worn at home, and the other was black, simple and majestic, inlaid with golden pythons, like a dragon, which could be described as extremely domineering.

The needlework and the choice of fabrics were very exquisite, which was Si Niang's evaluation.

However, Zheng Fan didn't regret not bringing that set of Great Yan's python robes over. Wearing the Qian people's was actually fine, and it was more appropriate.

"Yuannian."

"Your Highness."

"Feed my Pixiu a few more handfuls of fodder."

When Zhao Yuannian heard these words, a look of joy immediately appeared on his face.

The tradition of adoptive sons was actually popular in the Qian Kingdom. The predecessor of the Liang Dynasty was a separatist force established by another great general. The Liang Emperor was his son-in-law, and the founding Emperor of the Qian Kingdom was equivalent to that great general's adoptive son.

The old father wears armor, and the adoptive son leads the horse;

To be honest, compared to calling Zheng Fan "Father" again and again, there was nothing emotionally resistant to calling him "Godfather."

Because Zheng Fan's current status was enough.

After Zhao Yuannian left the command tent excitedly to find the Pixiu, four women continued to help the Prince change clothes in the room.

The python robe was one thing, the most cumbersome thing was the accessories from top to bottom. The Yan people were free and easy, the Chu people valued etiquette, and the Qian people valued details.

How to tie the belt, how to wrap the tassels, how to hang the jade pendant, and how to match the rest of the clothes, there was a set of procedures and rules.

Chen Xianba gave Liu Dahu and Zheng Man a look, and then walked out of the command tent, followed by Liu Dahu and Zheng Man.

Inside the command tent,

Only the Prince and four women were left.

One of Zhao Yuannian's concubines was squatting in front of Zheng Fan, tying golden tassels. Her figure wasn't fat, but her characteristics were prominent. It was summer now, and the climate in the Qian land had always been warm, so her clothes weren't thick. When she was concentrating on tying the tassels, the reflected mountains and valleys could be clearly seen.

Zheng Fan remembered a saying that the body that men like the most should belong to their lovers, because wives often have other factors added.

Zhao Yuannian's royal wife must be related to marriage, as for the concubine.

Just then,

Zheng Fan sensed that the concubine squatting in front of him was leaning back, and that exquisite millstone was pressed against him;

There was no flustered and rapid avoidance like a dragonfly skimming the water, but instead, she began to grind.

Zhao Yuannian's wife and another concubine were tying his belt, and the Fu Princess was helping him hang accessories on his side waist. The three women must have seen this scene, but they were all pretending not to see it.

Zhao Yuannian went to feed the Pixiu happily,

In his opinion, after losing the Fu Prince's mansion, his future could only be pinned on Prince Pingxi.

He didn't deliberately leave his mother and his wives and concubines here wanting to do anything,

After all,

He had long accepted his mother,

As for his concubines, he didn't plan to send them away... because he didn't care about it at all.

His father-in-law was a retired Minister of Rites, very noble, and could have helped him brush off the "filth" of a prince.

But now, he had betrayed his country, and his father-in-law was naturally useless, so the Princess.

However,

Zheng Fan didn't let this seemingly ambiguous atmosphere continue, but slapped the millstone with a "pa."

"Pa!"

"Ooh..."

After slapping it, he took advantage of the situation to push the millstone away.

The concubine, who was half-bowed with half of the golden tassels in her hand, turned her head and looked at the Yan Prince with watery eyes;

At the same time, the movements of the Fu Princess and the other two concubines also paused slightly.

Zheng Fan shook his head,

Said;

"Since I promised to take you away, I will protect your safety. After the triumphant return, I will also be responsible for settling the Fu Prince's mansion. It may not be as rich and prosperous as before, but being wealthy and safe is not a problem.

No need to do this anymore."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The millstone concubine turned around,

Respectfully bowed to Zheng Fan, and began to hang the golden tassels.

The Princess and another concubine breathed a sigh of relief, and a stone fell from their hearts.

A smile also appeared on the Fu Princess's face;

After changing clothes, the python robe of the Qian Dynasty's prince, which originally showed grace, revealed a domineering aura when worn on Zheng Fan.

Although people depend on clothes and horses depend on saddles, Zheng Fan's temperament was bound to be firmly grasped because of his years of experience.

"You guys go down first." The Fu Princess said.

"Yes."

"Yes."

The three daughters-in-law withdrew from the command tent.

The Fu Princess threw herself into Zheng Fan's arms, sniffing hard on Zheng Fan's python robe with her nose, seeming to restrain some kind of emotion.

Zheng Fan didn't push her away;

After a while,

The Fu Princess smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. You have left too much face for this mother-in-law."

Zheng Fan thought she was talking about him not touching her three daughters-in-law for her sake,

Who knew,

The Fu Princess said the next sentence:

"The mother-in-law is more pleasing to Your Highness than the daughters-in-law. This concubine's face is radiant."

"Hehe."

"What is Your Highness laughing at?"

"Since we left Chuzhou City, there is no need to be so cautious. There used to be a guy who often humbled himself when he first came to my side. I scolded him, and now he is much better."

Zheng Fan was talking about the Wild Man King.

"Alright, alright, my Prince, this concubine understands, but..."

"But what?"

"How does it feel?"

"You're still a mother-in-law."

"In troubled times, people's lives are as cheap as grass, especially for wealthy families; it's not like losing a piece of meat, is it?"

Zheng Fan looked at the Fu Princess and said:

"You see things very clearly."

"Look at what Your Highness is saying. Don't you understand these principles more than this concubine?

Besides, is there any reason why a man bending his knees is called being able to bend and stretch, while a woman lowering her waist is rebellious?

Isn't it all for the sake of living?"

"Alright, alright, I know."

"Does Your Highness think this concubine is talking too much today? This concubine rarely sees Your Highness these days."

"I'm going to talk to your Qian Kingdom's Lord later, so I have to save some saliva."

The Fu Princess covered her mouth,

Smiling brightly,

She even dared to tease him:

"Heavens, could it be that even the old Lord Han has surpassed this concubine?"

This woman's courage is getting bigger.

"Pa!"

This time,

It didn't bounce back,

It sank in.

…

When he lifted the curtain of the command tent and walked out, he realized that the sky outside had become gloomy under the cover of dark clouds, like night, and rain was gradually beginning to fall.

This foreshadowed that a heavy rain was coming.

Pixiu came, led by Zhao Yuannian,

Yes,

How could Prince Pingxi's Pixiu be led away by others?

Zhao Yuannian really didn't dare to be angry with this "divine beast," holding the reins in his hand, but only daring to walk behind.

Pixiu walked to the Prince and knelt down.

Zheng Fan jumped on, and Pixiu stood up again.

Wearing a python robe and riding a Pixiu, he was as heroic as a figure walking out of a painting.

The Fu Princess leaned against the command tent, with some luster flowing in her eyes.

Once, the Great Chu Princess had compared Zheng Fan, who was still a Baron, to Qu Peiluo more than once before her wedding;

Now,

The Fu Princess was also habitually, almost instinctively, thinking of her late husband, the former Fu Prince, when looking at Zheng Fan.

On the other side, the Sword Saint, dressed in white, was sitting on horseback, waiting long ago.

He didn't carry a flag, nor did he disguise himself as a flag-bearer by wearing armor;

Zheng Fan might guess whether the flag-bearer beside Lord Han would be Baili Jian;

But on the opposite side, almost without guessing, Prince Pingxi's flag-bearer was bound to be the Sword Saint of Jin.

Chen Xianba handed over Wu Ya,

But the Prince refused,

He looked up at the dark sky and felt the coolness of the drizzle on his face, and said;

"On a rainy night, I won't bring a knife."

"Your Highness, it's still daytime now," Chen Xianba asked.

"Whether it's night or not doesn't depend on whether the sun is there, but on whether people's eyes can see."

Chen Xianba was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand something,

Said;

"This subordinate understands."

"It's good that you understand."

Without whipping, after these words were finished, Pixiu consciously moved closer to the Sword Saint's position.

The Sword Saint's mount was originally a black horse, but after Pixiu deliberately bullied it a few times, the black horse accidentally broke its leg in the stable, so it was replaced by a sorrel horse.

The Sword Saint looked at Zheng Fan and smiled;

"It's rare to see you dressed like this."

"How is it, do I look like a prince of the Qian Kingdom?"

"The princes of the Qian Kingdom wouldn't dare to stand so straight."

"There is a kind of demon beast in the Skybreak Mountains called the Black Shiba Wolf, which is very cunning, very similar to me."

"How so?"

"If you get your way, you'll be rampant. I finally managed to stand up and sit like a proper human being. How could I be willing to bend over again?

Alright,

Let's set off before the rain gets too heavy.

Old Lord Han is over eighty years old. If he gets soaked in the heavy rain, he'll die on the way back. I'm afraid I'll win unfairly."

"If that really happens, then it will probably be rumored that Lord Han was scared to death by your Prince Pingxi."

"That would be a win-win."

"Oh? Where does the Qian people win?"

"No, I won twice."

…

According to tradition, both sides should send a small number of troops to clear the area where the two commanders would meet.

But on the Qian army's side,

Old Lord Han had been waiting there early, skipping this step directly.

However,

The Yan army still dispatched eight hundred riders to sweep around the Qian army's banner position, and after confirming that there were no tricks, the Yan army withdrew, and Prince Pingxi and the Sword Saint slowly came out.

Under the Qian army's banner,

Lord Han, dressed in a scholar's white robe, was sitting there, with a long white beard, exuding an air of majesty.

Beside Lord Han, stood a young man, holding the flag pole. There was wind and rain, and the young man had to squint, but he still saw Prince Pingxi coming over on the Pixiu.

The young man opened his mouth and smiled.

"What are you smiling at?" Han Cui asked.

"Prince Pingxi."

Starting from a commoner and rising step by step to his current position, he shook all of Xia;

Prince Pingxi was no longer just an idol in the hearts of Yan children. In later words, Prince Pingxi had already broken the circle.

"Look at your promise, you are of noble birth, why do you need to admire him like those commoners?"

The young man smiled and said, "Lord, I am of the lineage of the founding emperor, maybe, not even as good as a commoner."

The young man's father was the Prince Rui of the Qian Kingdom. He was the heir of Prince Rui. Prince Rui was of the direct lineage of the founding Emperor of the Qian Kingdom.

Prince Rui's fief was in Han Cui's hometown. Han Cui, who had retired at home, forcibly summoned a force of loyalists with his identity. Prince Rui, as a member of the royal family, should have contributed, but his health was poor. It was said that he had been bedridden for two years, so he sent his heir to Han Cui's side to represent Prince Rui's mansion.

Everyone could clearly see what kind of life the lineage of the founding emperor had been living for the past hundred years.

If the princes like Prince Fu were cautious, then the lineage of the founding emperor, the Prince Rui's mansion, had actually been sleeping on a knife's edge.

Prince Pingxi and the Sword Saint arrived.

Lord Han stood up,

Said;

"I have met Prince Pingxi of Yan."

"I have met Old Lord Han."

"Zhao Mugou, the heir of Prince Rui, has met Prince Pingxi."

When Zheng Fan heard this, he smiled and nodded at the young man holding the flag. Through his exchanges with Zhao Yuannian these days, he of course knew what kind of background Prince Rui's mansion had.

The Sword Saint on the side directly inserted the black dragon flag of the Yan Kingdom into the ground, and then, holding Longyuan, half-closed his eyes and began to doze off.

Baili Jian was not here.

He, a dignified Sword Saint, was facing a young child.

Fortunately, the Sword Saint had long been accustomed to this kind of "awkward" scene and no longer valued things like "reputation."

Lord Han saw the Qian-style python robe on Zheng Fan,

And smiled:

"Does Prince Pingxi intend to submit to our Great Qian and work for our Great Qian?"

This was originally a joke;

But Prince Pingxi nodded,

Said:

"Lord Han is right, I, have that intention."

"Oh? If my Emperor knew about this, he would definitely be overjoyed!"

Prince Pingxi pointed at the young man holding the flag beside Lord Han,

Said:

"Huh, why, isn't the Qian Kingdom's Emperor right here?"