Chapter 1204 Arriving at the Capital

Because Gao Yi had taken a hundred personal guards to escort people back to Xuehai Pass, the number of personal guards around Zheng Boye was greatly reduced, but the problem wasn't too big. First, there was a Sword Saint by his side, and second, after continuing west from Li Tian City and entering the territory of Yan, safety was guaranteed. Unless a large number of people were lying in ambush, there would be basically no threat to Zheng Boye.

The journey was smooth,

and before the date required by the imperial decree,

Zheng Boye's team

arrived outside the capital.

The last time he entered the capital, he was a personal guard beside Marquis Jingnan.

This time, as early as in the Tian Tai County within the territory of the capital, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Guards were waiting early.

Generally speaking, the return of generals stationed outside the capital was the responsibility of the Ministry of War.

Lower-ranking generals would obediently report to the Ministry of War after entering the capital on the designated date. From the moment they entered the gate of the Ministry of War, they had to smile at everyone and, perhaps, bring some local specialties, otherwise people would think they had no manners.

For high-ranking generals, the Ministry of War would send people to wait for them, accompany them into the capital, and report to the Ministry together. Inside the Ministry, you could talk and laugh freely with anyone except for the big shots.

But once the Ministry of Rites was involved,

it often meant that you didn't need to go to the Ministry of War, the roughnecks' office. They would send someone to your residence or find you to complete the formalities.

And you,

would either directly enter the palace to meet the emperor,

or prepare for the ceremony of entering the city.

Zheng Boye was the latter. This Deputy Director of the Ministry of Rites was specifically here to inform Zheng Boye that there would be an entry ceremony when entering the capital.

The accompanying Imperial Guards were there to serve as security and also as an honor guard.

Zheng Boye himself had to wear the gold armor bestowed by the Emperor, with the barbarian saber also bestowed by the Emperor. At the same time, the princess had to change into gorgeous clothes, and the imperial carriage was already waiting here.

Perhaps fearing that the princess's jewelry was not enough, the people from the Ministry of Rites also brought exquisite clothes and various imperial ornaments. These were originally rewards and would not be taken back.

After everything was ready,

Zheng Boye first entered the imperial carriage and sat with Xiong Liqing. After all, the team still had a distance to travel before reaching the capital gate.

"Alas, Yan had never been so particular before."

He recalled that the last time he entered the capital, the etiquette was not so cumbersome.

In fact, the reason why the Yan people had been called Yan barbarians by the Qian and Chu people for hundreds of years was precisely because the Yan people did not care about these formalities.

But now, in recent years, Yan had continuously beaten the Qian and Chu countries and annexed the Jin country. As the most powerful empire in the East, it had finally consciously begun to pay attention to its "face."

Xiong Liqing said, "The strong are respected, and whatever the strong do is right and makes sense. In fact, the etiquette here in Yan is not as cumbersome as in my Chu."

"Do you feel tired with so much on your head and body?"

"I'm used to it."

"Do you want to lie down and rest?"

Xiong Liqing shook her head and said, "Let's just sit like this, otherwise it will be troublesome to put it all back on later."

Zheng Boye nodded, leaned against the carriage wall, and closed his eyes.

"Is this your second time entering the capital, Husband?"

"Yes, the first time was with Marquis Jingnan. I was his personal guard, but I also came in a carriage."

Xiong Liqing saw a clear hint of pride in her husband's tone when he said this.

"At that time, Husband was already valued by the Marquis."

"I guess so. At that time, I was thinking that in the future, I would also have a big carriage, with beautiful women adding fragrance, and two or three kittens shivering in front of me."

"That's easy, Zhao Cheng."

"This servant is here."

"Come in."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Eunuch Zhao bent over and came in, kneeling there.

Zheng Boye opened his eyes, looked at Zhao Cheng, and shook his head, saying,

"He's not as clever as I was back then."

"What Your Grace says is true, how can this servant compare with Your Grace."

"Get out."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Eunuch Zhao went out again.

Xiong Liqing said with some emotion, "So, Husband, it wasn't easy for you back then."

"When you first start climbing up, you definitely have to be careful, show that you are useful, and also please the people above. Looking back now, I really think I was quite amazing before."

"What about now?"

"Now, I can't stand being wronged anymore."

"Is Husband proud?"

Zheng Boye shook his head and said, "If I still have to bow down to everyone I see, what's the point of my previous struggles?"

"Husband's words are always thought-provoking."

"Actually, I'm looking forward to my next time in the capital. It should be different from this time."

At this moment,

the voice of the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Rites came from outside:

"Your Grace, it's time to come out."

"Okay."

Zheng Fan took a deep breath, looked at the princess, and said,

"Once today's process is over, it will be almost over. In the future, if you don't want to, I won't let you show your face in public again."

"Is Husband serious?"

"Even in the common world, which normal man would like his wife to show her face in public and earn money to support the family?"

"But people feel happy to be able to do something for you."

"There's always a happier way to live."

Zheng Boye reached out and touched Xiong Liqing's chin, then walked out of the carriage.

Golden armor,

Pixiu (a mythical beast),

The Imperial Guards clearing the way on both sides;

Behind, a beautifully decorated carriage.

In front of the city gate, a dense crowd could be seen.

Li Tian City was, after all, in Jin territory, but in the territory of Yan, the people of Yan were naturally extremely enthusiastic and excited about the Earl of Pingye. After all, the Earl of Pingye, like them, was a Yan person.

Marquis Jingnan had made great contributions, but the stain of exterminating his entire family made his reputation among the people not good. Instead, the Earl of Pingye, who had risen from humble beginnings and made repeated military exploits, naturally became the object of praise among the people of Yan.

What's more, he had also snatched back the princess from Chu!

The team advanced to the city gate, and the surrounding people kept cheering.

There were so many people that they couldn't be counted.

But Zheng Boye was still missing Xuehai Pass at this time, because the soldiers and civilians of Xuehai Pass knew better how to cooperate with him. Everyone knew how to follow the Earl of Pingye in a unified manner.

Moreover,

perhaps when he followed Marquis Jingnan into the capital, he had envied Marquis Jingnan's independence and fantasized about how excited he would be if he encountered a similar situation in the future;

But when he was able to stand in this position, facing such a scene, he felt very indifferent in his heart.

What you can't get is always stirring, but when you really get it, it's just like that, because your vision has long risen with your status.

Guo You, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward with the imperial decree, and beside him stood a young man in a python robe.

He should be a prince, a prince of such a young age;

Was he a prince?

"The Emperor has decreed."

Zheng Boye prepared to dismount to receive the decree.

"Earl of Pingye is allowed to receive the decree on horseback."

Zheng Boye stopped and cupped his hands, saying:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness."

"By imperial order of the Emperor, the General of Xuehai Pass, the Great General Who Pacifies the Nation, Earl of Pingye, Zheng Fan, has returned with merit, and I am greatly pleased. My Yan is in an era of expansion, and we should have such national heroes as Earl of Pingye to be the wings of the country. In this way, my Yan's foundation can be forever green.

For all meritorious officials, I, will never be stingy, specially bestow the honor guard to enter the capital, the prince leads the horse, announcing it to the world."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long, long live!"

Guo You, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward and handed the imperial decree to Zheng Boye. At the same time, the Fifth Prince, Ji Chengmin, stepped forward and reached out to hold the reins on Pixiu's neck.

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

Ji Chengmin smiled and said, "This is what I should do."

Then,

the team entered the capital.

Zheng Boye had always wanted to ask, which one was he, the Fourth Prince or the Fifth Prince?

Zheng Boye had met the eldest, second, third, and sixth princes. The seventh was still a child, so Zheng Boye had only not met the fourth and fifth princes.

But Zheng Boye noticed the other party's hand holding the reins, and there were traces of old ink on his fingernails, which should be caused by frequent use of ink lines.

Zheng Boye suddenly realized that he should be the one who liked to do carpentry work.

The team walked on the imperial road in the capital, and on both sides and on the buildings on both sides, there were people watching, a sea of people, very lively.

When the team reached Yumi Street, a team of Imperial Guardsmen was ready in front, and the leader, wearing a yellow robe, was standing on the platform.

It was Crown Prince Ji Chenglang.

From a long distance away, Zheng Boye saw the Crown Prince, and he could clearly perceive that the Crown Prince had lost weight, and his spirit was very listless.

He was clearly wearing a yellow robe that was a higher grade than the other princes, but it gave people the feeling that his thin body could not support the clothes.

This Crown Prince had first experienced the destruction of his mother's family in these years, then the marriage with the princess was permanently put on hold, and then the death of the Empress. It was already remarkable that he could continue to stand there after this series of blows.

In fact, if things went smoothly, the Crown Prince's uncle was Marquis Jingnan, the Crown Prince's father-in-law was Marquis Zhenbei, and the Crown Prince himself was in charge of the East Palace, with the position of the foundation of the country. It couldn't be smoother.

But Zheng Boye knew that the more likely he was to be so smooth, the more unlikely he would be able to smooth things over.

After all,

no emperor could sit idly by and watch the existence of an heir of this level while he was in power.

To put it bluntly, if that were the case, with the strength of the Crown Prince, he could really directly clear the emperor's side or play "Xuanwu Gate". Anyway, the two marquis of the north and south were behind him, the two strongest troops of Yan supported him, and he was also the crown prince and the foundation of the country. If he promised the officials a gentle policy in the future, then the Yan Emperor might really become the Supreme Emperor at any time.

Standing on the platform, the Crown Prince put his hands behind his back, as if he might be blown off the platform by the wind at any time, but he still said loudly:

"By order of the Emperor, Earl of Pingye is allowed to listen to the edict on horseback."

Receiving the edict on horseback was already a kind of special honor. Even in the Qian Kingdom, it was the same. When meritorious officials and famous prime ministers entered the capital, in order to show respect, they were naturally exempted from kneeling. Otherwise, it would be too destructive to the atmosphere to kneel all the way while proclaiming the decree.

Zheng Boye cupped his hands and said:

"This subject respectfully asks for the Emperor's well-being."

The Crown Prince clasped his fists in the direction of the palace:

"The Emperor is well."

Then,

the Crown Prince faced Zheng Fan,

said:

"Earl of Pingye has made contributions to the country, and the Crown Prince is ordered to greet you in front of the palace and enter the palace gate directly."

The meaning was to let the Crown Prince lead the way for Zheng Boye.

"This subject thanks the Emperor for his kindness."

Next,

the Crown Prince rode his horse and walked in front, and Zheng Boye rode Pixiu, following behind.

With a prince leading the horse in front and the crown prince leading the way behind, this honor can be said to be unprecedented.

When the Emperor of Yan issued the edict when entering the city, he said that he wanted to "buy bones with gold," and he did arrange it that way.

Perhaps this time, the entry of the Earl of Pingye into the city was not as exaggerated as the last time the Sixth Prince got married, but the specifications were obviously higher.

In the next few years, whenever the people of the capital mentioned the Earl of Pingye, they had to mention the scenery of the Earl of Pingye's entry into the capital today.

And the Fifth Prince was also considered to have completed the task at this time, and he no longer continued to lead the horse. Instead, he retreated to a carriage following behind.

In the carriage, the Fourth Prince was sitting there peeling peanuts and eating. Seeing the Fifth Prince coming up, he smiled:

"Are your legs and feet still okay?"

"I'm exhausted." The Fifth Prince took off his boots directly.

The Fourth Prince waved his hand in disgust.

"Alas, that Pixiu's breath kept spraying on my back, making me feel like I was in a steamer, and I was almost cooked."

"Hehe, okay, anyway, you will soon leave the capital with this Zheng Fan to go to Jin, and it's good to have a good relationship with him first."

"Fourth Brother, we are princes."

"Then tell me, if hailstones fall from the sky and one person must be killed, let the Emperor choose, who should die?"

"Wow, Fourth Brother, I know you're upset because you didn't get the job in Nanwang City, but there's no need to directly mock me like this, right?"

"The eldest is on the Nanwang City side, relying on making contributions from the Qian people, and has stood up again."

In fact, the Fourth Prince had also been working on this matter.

Among the seven princes of Yan, the eldest and the fourth were truly knowledgeable about military affairs, because the Fourth Prince's mother's family, the Sanshi Deng family, was a family of military merit.

But the Deng family escaped the horse trampling on the family, but on the Wang River, they burned the family's heritage and reputation to ashes.

The Fourth Prince originally thought that the eldest, who had married a barbarian princess, would no longer have the opportunity to lead troops to fight, but who knew that the barbarian envoy suddenly lowered his status, and the sixth prince operated up and down, and finally the eldest prince actually made a posture in the court against the pillar, saying that he would rather die than let him lead troops to serve the country, and actually forcibly snatched the job of Nanwang City from himself.

"After all, it's our eldest brother, hehe, I said, Fourth Brother, listen to my advice, let's not think about those things for now, hurry up and seize the opportunity to sell a favor to Little Six, after all, we are brothers, even if the bones are broken, the tendons are still connected."

The Fourth Prince's face was gloomy.

Some things,

he couldn't say,

because when the third prince calculated Zheng Fan, he was actually fanning the flames behind the scenes, and finally made the third prince completely collapse.

The Fourth Prince didn't know if Zheng Fan knew about this.

The Fifth Prince rubbed his feet and continued:

"Huff, anyway, I've figured it out. This position is not easy to fight for, and I didn't want to fight for it. Although the Ministry of Works is hard, I finally have something to do. It's better to go out and see the world than to be imprisoned in this capital all the time."

"You see it clearly." The Fourth Prince perfunctorily said, "But can Little Six let us go?"

"What if he can let us go, what if he can't let us go? The second still occupies the position of Crown Prince, and although he is so downcast now, and the foundation of the country seems to be shaking, the second still has a chance.

Needless to say, Little Six, the eldest is already standing behind him.

What else can we do?"

"Fifth Brother, I'm not convinced."

"If you're not convinced, hold it in."

The Fifth Prince put his boots back on and continued, "Why don't you change into your python robe? The Emperor might call for a banquet later."

"I brought it, but it's too hot, and I'm sweating, I'll put it on later."

"By the way, don't just eat peanuts, where's the dish I asked you to bring?"

"The Emperor will be hosting a banquet later, and we have to accompany him. What do you want me to bring dishes for?"

"You didn't bring it?"

"I forgot."

"You... alas, Zheng Fan is the same generation as us. When we attend the banquet, the Emperor will definitely use Zheng Fan to beat us, saying how useless and unmotivated we are, etc. At that time, we will only be kowtowing and pleading guilty, how can we care about eating?"

"Oh, that's right, I'll send someone to buy some food."

……

Zheng Boye's team arrived at the palace gate.

The team stopped at this time.

The Grand Clan Elder with white hair stood in front of the palace gate, holding an imperial decree in his hand.

The Crown Prince turned his head and looked at Zheng Boye, saying:

"This is to request the Princess's conferment."

This was the first sentence the Crown Prince had said to Zheng Boye along the way.

The conferment of the princess should not be done by officials, but by the Grand Clan Elder, that is, the head of the Ji family.

More than 800 years ago, both the Marquis of Yan and the Marquis of Chu were subjects of the Great Xia Emperor and were ordered to open up the borders. Although the two countries had just been at war not long ago, it was like two neighbors, and the adults were fighting, so they wouldn't get angry with a child who came to play at their house. That would be too embarrassing.

Therefore, letting the Grand Clan Elder issue the decree of conferment represents a family relationship between the Ji and Xiong families.

"Princess Xiong Liqing of Chu receives the decree."

Xiong Liqing walked out of the carriage, and in her gorgeous dress, she slowly knelt on the ground.

"By imperial order of the Emperor…………"

The imperial decree praised the princess's arrival in Yan, and did not treat the princess as a prisoner or a trophy. The Emperor of Yan did not lack this kind of grandeur.

Being happy was natural, after all, it was a matter of saving face, but when doing things, one must also have a pattern.

"Therefore, Xiong Liqing is conferred the title of Princess Zhaode of my Great Yan, and her fief is Cang County, where a princess's residence will be built. By imperial order."

Princess Zhaode, the title was good, much better than something like "Princess Guiyi."

Of course, what caught Zheng Boye's attention more was the princess's fief, Cang County, which was very poor and broken, with almost no population.

Because Cang County was just south of Xuehai Pass, it was the county town that originally belonged to the Cheng Kingdom that was closest to Xuehai Pass.

The Emperor of Yan's choice of Cang County as the princess's fief was actually giving Cang County to Zheng Boye, who was the princess's husband.

It could also be regarded as handing over the governance of the area around Xuehai Pass to Zheng Fan.

"This subject thanks the Emperor for his kindness. Long live the Emperor!"

Xiong Liqing received the decree.

The Grand Clan Elder said kindly:

"Girl, get up."

Then,

the Grand Clan Elder looked at Zheng Fan,

and took another imperial decree from the servant:

"Zheng Fan, the general of Xuehai Pass and the great general who pacifies the nation, the Earl of Pingye, receives the decree."

This time, he didn't ask you to dismount, so Zheng Boye still knelt down obediently to receive the decree.

"By imperial order of the Emperor, I have granted marriage today. Princess Zhaode will marry Zheng Fan, the Earl of Pingye. I hope you will respect each other like guests and have a happy marriage."

This was a process.

Although Zheng Boye hadn't done anything yet,

in the eyes of outsiders,

Zheng Boye and the princess should have already done what they should have done.

However, since the princess had just been conferred in Yan, she naturally had to go through a new recognition, complete the formalities, and marry the Earl of Pingye.

At the same time,

this also meant that Zheng Boye's already long list of titles would have to add another prefix:

Zheng Fan, the general of Xuehai Pass and the great general who pacifies the nation, the Emperor's son-in-law, and the Earl of Pingye of the Great Yan.

Zheng Fan felt that if he worked harder, he could catch up with Daenerys.

"This subject thanks the Emperor for his kindness."

While the edicts were being announced here,

there,

behind the team,

Wei Zhonghe took the initiative to walk into Zheng Boye's team and came to the white figure.

"I have seen the Sword Saint, please come with this humble servant, there will be accommodations."

In fact, only Zheng Fan and Xiong Liqing could enter the palace later, and everyone else would be settled elsewhere.

But the Sword Saint was different from others. Not only could he not be settled casually, but he also had to be watched by someone special.

This was the right thing to do, and the Sword Saint did not refuse.

Who asked,

him to have a history of regicide?

After Zheng Fan and Xiong Liqing received the decree and stood up, the Grand Clan Elder made way and said:

"Enter the palace, the Emperor is waiting for you."

At this time,

inside the palace gate, Ji Chengjue's figure appeared there, with two horses behind him, and he was also holding an imperial decree in his hand.

The Grand Clan Elder smiled and said, "It should be an imperial decree allowing riding horses in the palace."

Zheng Boye smiled at the Grand Clan Elder, and then, holding Xiong Liqing's hand, walked inside. At this time, the Crown Prince, the Grand Clan Elder, and a group of officials and eunuchs waiting outside the palace gate also prepared to enter the palace together.

At the same time, everyone was ready to receive the last imperial decree allowing riding horses in the palace today, and they were ready to take a few more steps and kneel down.

Who knew that Ji Chengjue would hold the decree like this, and had not unfolded it. He waited until Zheng Boye led the princess to walk in front of him, but Ji Chengjue was still not in a hurry to announce the decree.

Just when everyone was a little confused,

Ji Chengjue looked at Zheng Fan,

and uttered two extremely crisp words;

Then,

Zheng Boye also looked at the Sixth Prince, and returned two equally crisp words,

For a time, everyone inside and outside the palace gate was stunned.

"Beast."

"Bitch."

————

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