The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 412: Wedding (Ten)

In the city of Bianliang, the eastern capital, from Nanxun Gate to Gujiao Gate, it was already a scene of flowers in profusion when the Qin prince's wedding party arrived in Luoyang.

The Imperial Street on the main axis is paved with blue bricks or stone slabs. Water is sprinkled repeatedly these days, making the streets clean and refreshing. The city's canals and garbage have also been cleaned up by Kaifeng Prefecture, and the alleys that have not been taken care of have also been cleaned up by citizens on their own, making the scene as lively as during the New Year.

It is the time of cool breeze. The Bian River running through the city is like a piece of golden silk, winding through the world's most beautiful city dyed in autumn colors. The willows guarding the river are drooping yellow, and their golden light is reflected on the rippling river surface. A few maple leaves whirl gently with the waves, adding lively touches to this autumn picture of the water city.

Starting from Nanxun Gate, the red buildings and embroidered pavilions on both sides are all covered with gold and colorful decorations, and the second floor railings are full of autumn colors. The newly picked autumn chrysanthemums are piled in Xiang bamboo baskets, and the golden petals and jade stamens are stacked into thousands of waves; the red osmanthus is hung on the wooden frame, and the tiny yellow flowers weave the clouds of autumn. Some wealthy merchants also hang colorful satin from the upper floors, which are colorful and dazzling. Even the copper bells on the eaves are tied with tassels, which sway in the wind and spread the fragrance of osmanthus all over the city.

Arriving at the Qin Palace outside Donghua Gate, on both sides of the street under the five-colored glazed tiles, there were ten-meter-long brocade screen corridors built. The Shu brocade collected by the palace was hung up like this, and the layered ones looked like clouds, making it hard to tell whether it was a palace in heaven or an imperial palace on earth.

This scene is so luxurious.

However, when they heard that the King of Qin was getting married, the military governors of Wu, Wuyue, Nanping, Chu, Raojiang and various places came to offer precious gifts in congratulations. For more than half a month, there were large ships traveling on the Bian River. After all, the things on display were dead objects and could be reused after use, such as rewarding ministers and so on.

Speaking of the grand ceremony, when Princess Taiping of the Tang Dynasty got married, in order to show off her status, she directly demolished the wall of the county government office in Wannian County, Chang'an, to allow the wide wedding car to pass through. The lighting torches even scorched the trees along the way, which shows how luxurious the scene was.

Until now, there are too many people who are willing to please the King of Qin. However, the 21-year-old King of Qin is the most powerful person in the world. If he gets married right now, no matter how grand the ceremony is, it would not be excessive.

"I rely on..."

In Anle Pavilion, Li Xingyun, with an ordinary face, followed a sturdy man with his sleeves tucked in, looking around like a passing tourist, and said in amazement: "I didn't come in earlier to see the world. What a pity."

The man in front of him had a stern face, but the voice he heard through his inner strength was a woman's voice: "Your Highness, be careful with your words."

Li Xingyun shrugged and followed the man through the pavilions. He saw many people on the way. Today was the day when the King of Qin and his wife returned to Beijing. All meals at Anle Pavilion were 50% off. Although many seats had been booked long ago, it was still crowded, especially the attics above, where the view was better. Even at 50% off, the prices were still much higher than usual.

This was clearly a den of money, and a public one at that. I wonder how much money went into the Qin Palace every day.

Thinking about this, the two of them had gradually gone inside. The people they met became fewer and fewer. If they went even deeper, they would need to check the badges. Fortunately, the face and badge of the man leading the way were correct. When they reached a remote place, Li Xingyun heard a burst of music coming out.

When Yan Ming entered with his identity, he saw a silver-haired young man with a hairpin flower on his ear. He was holding a short flute and playing music with several young girls. The girls were obviously unfamiliar with the music and had difficulty keeping up with the rhythm. Fortunately, the silver-haired young man was very considerate. If he saw a girl disrupting the rhythm, with a flushed face and about to cry, he would stop and comfort her with kind words.

This……

This made Li Xingyun, who was ready to make a big scene, feel the wind was noisy and he was at a loss for what to do. He thought he had gone to the wrong destination.

But this also made Li Xingyun understand why he had to come here alone. This guy didn't look like a prisoner at all. On the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying it!
Shi Yao, who was dressed as a sturdy man, was also speechless and remained silent for a long while.

Fortunately, the silver-haired young man noticed the two inappropriate strangers in a blink of an eye. He looked around, then said something to the girls, put his short flute at his waist, walked over and bowed.

"Zhang Zifan greets you two. I don't know why you two are staying here. Are you..."

Li Xingyun had a cold face and returned to his original voice.

"Zhang Zifan, you are so happy that you don't want to go back to Jin anymore, right?"

------

"Mom."

In the Qin Palace, Duan Chengtian, who was dressed in brocade today, met Shangguan Yunque, who was exhausted, in the courtyard. Shangguan Yunque looked exhausted, but he did not forget to introduce the man with a headband beside him to Duan Chengtian: "Wen Tao, you should have met Old Duan before."

"Nice to meet you." Wen Tao said very little, at least for the time being. Duan Chengtian greeted him and then smiled at Shangguan Yunque: "Have you done what the king asked you to do?"

"It was done, but we almost missed the Qin King's wedding. We rushed all the way and almost exhausted Wen Tao and I." Shangguan Yunque sighed, but subconsciously patted Duan Chengtian's big belly, walked around him, and said, "Old Duan is rich now, look at this..."

Duan Chengtian was not angry, or rather, he did not take the teasing seriously at all. He just said seriously, "Where is the person?"

"I get angry just talking about this!" Shangguan Yunque complained indignantly, "Wen Tao and I tracked him down for at least eight hundred miles, and finally found that crazy old man. He refused to believe that his son was in our hands, and even attacked me. He took advantage of our unpreparedness and ran away."

Duan Chengtian was stunned: "Just disappeared like that?"

"That's not the case." Shangguan Yunque put his arm on Wen Tao's shoulder with his fingers pinched, and said complacently: "My Wen Tao is known as the King of Thieves. He can find the slightest clue. How could he get away? But since this guy is a little troublesome when he takes action, I will let the people below keep an eye on him for the time being, and then come back to discuss it with you."

Duan Chengtian hesitated and said, "Zhang Xuanling is the Chongxuan Master of the Tianshi Mansion. If he were just an ordinary brother, I'm afraid it would be easy for something to go wrong..."

"Brother Duan, don't worry." Wen Tao's voice was a little muffled because he was wearing a mask. "Although Zhang Xuanling's martial arts skills are high, he has already suffered from insanity. He has martial arts but no mind. He is completely crazy. As long as we find him, everything will be easy. As long as there are no unnecessary conflicts, the people below are enough to secretly monitor his whereabouts."

"That's good." Duan Chengtian nodded after thinking, "If we forcibly bring him back, it might cause unnecessary losses. As the contemporary Zhang Tianshi, he was able to fight against the Dark Emperor and not be defeated. He must have extraordinary means and should not be underestimated."

"I don't understand." Shangguan Yunque spread his hands. "Such a crazy old man, not only is he crazy, but he also seems to have no other merits except lust and drinking. Why would the King of Qin go out of his way to look for him?"

Duan Chengtian was an honest man. He knew that he should not judge the King of Qin behind his back. He also did not know the deeper meaning of the King of Qin's decision.

"Zhang Xuanling disappeared in the Tianshi Mansion that year, and his whereabouts have been unknown for more than ten years. Everyone says that he is dead, but if he can recover, he will continue to be the leader of the Tianshi Mansion."

Wen Tao held his chin up and said, "Although the Tianshi Mansion fell into decline in the siege more than ten years ago, it still has a far-reaching influence. It plays a pivotal role in the Taoist tradition and the Jiangnan martial arts world. If we can win over the Tianshi Mansion, Ye Bushou will be able to use the Tianshi Mansion to spread his tentacles throughout Jiangnan."

Duan Chengtian and Shangguan Yunque suddenly understood.

"Moreover, Zhang Xuanling himself also possesses considerable strength. If he can work for the King of Qin, Ye Bushu will be able to..." Before Wen Tao could continue speaking, he saw a man hurriedly coming and whispering a few words to Duan Chengtian.

Duan Chengtian's face changed instantly, and he said to the man in a deep voice: "No matter what the cost, you must detain this person and don't make any noise!" "What happened?" Shangguan Yunque asked in surprise.

"Someone disguised as one of ours sneaked into Anle Pavilion. Their badges and identities are real. If they didn't want to take Zhang Zifan away and expose their purpose, they could be called fake and real." Duan Chengtian's face was a little ugly. "Today is the Qin King's wedding, and there can't be any accidents. Someone wants to take advantage of the opportunity to kidnap Zhang Zifan. Two people have died in Anle Pavilion."

Wen Tao's face became serious, and he subconsciously thought to himself: "Just talking about the badge and identity, there must be a traitor in Ye Bushou..."

Shangguan Yunque suddenly felt a "thump" in his chest. He had a criminal record and was afraid that someone would take the opportunity to throw dirty water on him. He almost jumped up and said, "Then what are we waiting for? We must not let anyone ruin the King of Qin's joy today. Old Duan, I will go with you!"

He took out the sword from his waist, and was inexplicably angry: "Damn it, I'll see who is so bold today!"

------

When the Qin King's ceremonial procession entered from the Nanxun Gate, the entire Eastern Capital seemed to be greeted by a rain of flowers and the cheers of the people.

Two hundred brocade-robed Yebushou men holding spears rode in the front as ceremonial guards, with carriages and horses in a continuous line behind them. As for the leading wedding carriage, the coachman was wearing a crimson wedding suit, a jade belt tightly tied around his waist, with handsome brows and eyes. Who else could it be but the King of Qin?
On both sides and behind the wedding car there were huge welcoming and farewell processions. At this time, the people who had come all the way from Fengxiang to Dongdu were almost instantly shocked.

Not only did the royal band play music to welcome the emperor at the gate, but also beautiful girls in the theaters on both sides of the street played the harp and the flute to bless the newlyweds. Such a dazzling scene, and the fact that the King of Qin, who had been the dream of countless girls in the East Capital for the past two years, was marrying his princess, how could any girl who thought she was beautiful not join in the fun?
As dusk fell, the Imperial Street outside the Suzaku Gate had turned into a sea of ​​lights. The colorful gates of the Anle Pavilion were tied with red silk for hundreds of feet, and the copper bells on the eaves rang amid the noise. The sword swallower had a cold light in his throat, the man who was pushing the pole and the jar was bare-chested with his tendons exposed, and the fire-breathing artist puffed up his cheeks and exerted his energy, and the golden snake-like flame startled the crowd of onlookers and made them retreat in an uproar. The most amazing thing was the magic troupe, who pulled out a bunch of peonies out of thin air with their bare hands, and the crimson petals fell with the sound of the flute, just in time to sprinkle on the red lacquered and gold-painted boxes carrying the dowry.

"Look!" A young man from an unknown family cheered loudly, and the copper coins hit the bluestone slabs with a clear and crisp sound. In front of the various performance sheds along the street, the rain of money gradually accumulated on the linen felt carpet into star-like silver spots. The old man who performed puppets weighed the heavy saddle bag with smiling eyes - today's grand ceremony of the Qin King's wedding brought in 30% more income than the Lantern Festival.

In the spotlight, soldiers in brocade armor rode by. Colorful ceremonial guards were as magnificent as clouds, and eighteen boxes of precious objects passed by the people one by one. The dowry of Qi State was not stingy.

As the ceremonial procession turned into the long street in front of the Qin Palace, twelve street-cleansing whips were sounded at the end of the street, and the crowd knelt in layers on both sides of the street like wheat waves weighed down by strong winds.

"Today the king is very happy, so all of you please stand up."

When they arrived in front of the gatehouse, Xiao Yan jumped off the carriage nimbly from the front. After saying this to the crowd with a smile, he strode straight to the side of the carriage steadily. Guangmutian and Yangyan Tianben also came over, and when they saw this, they smiled and retreated.

The empress bent over and walked down from the carriage. Seeing Xiao Yan reaching out to hold her hand, the corners of her mouth behind the fan couldn't help but rise. She gave her hand to Xiao Yan and asked him to help her get off the carriage.

Luo Xiaobei mixed in the crowd and shouted "Here comes the immortal from heaven". The whole city was in an uproar. The wine stalls of the taverns were shaking. The copper wind chimes on the eaves of the brothels were clanging. Even the evening drums of the Daxiangguo Temple seemed to be cut off by the overwhelming sound. As the red silk umbrella passed by, the golden sunset just happened to cover the golden embroidered phoenix on the empress's phoenix robe, as if the goddess of the sky had descended into the mortal world covered with clouds.

Xiao Yan looked towards Luo Xiaobei with amusement. It turned out that his master was not there, otherwise he would definitely not have the chance to shout out this sentence.

However, the scene was so lively that even Xiao Yan felt dizzy. He had traveled for ten days to get back.

Next, they took the empress to offer sacrifices to the ancestral temple and the country. Xiao's father was posthumously conferred the title of king, and even the former Master Lin was posthumously conferred the title of marquis. Their tablets were all placed in the ancestral temple.

The wedding ceremony was held in the ancestral temple at a perfect dusk. The so-called wedding took place at that moment.

After working until late at night, Xiao Yan finally left the banquet, dragging his tired body as if he was filled with alcohol from head to toe. Bago wanted to help him, but Qian Wu glared back at him. He immediately went back to drink in grievance.

After being in an excited state for the whole day, Xiao Yan now felt a little tired. The restless and excited feeling made him sit in the corridor for a while.

It was autumn now and the night wind was already a bit chilly. Xiao Yan squinted his eyes to enjoy the breeze, and Qian Wu stood beside him.

He hadn't seen Xue'er for most of the day, so he guessed she had gone somewhere else. Xiao Yan felt a little guilty, but he thought that if he messed up everything, it might make both of them sad, so he thought for a while, asked Qian Wu to prepare some hot water to wash up and dilute the alcohol before heading to the back garden.

Under the red brocade lanterns, the maids who came from Fengxiang saluted one after another, showing a unique sense of wealth and elegance. Guangmutian and Yangyantian opened the door outside the bedroom with red faces, and walked Xiao Yan straight through the hall, and then lifted the bead curtain to the bedroom.

Inside the room, red candles with dragon and phoenix patterns were burning brightly, and a lot of candle wax had already accumulated on the lamp tray. The empress was sitting on the wedding bed, covered by a veil with a pearl curtain in front and a heart-shaped knot in the back. She sat there very quietly, until she heard Xiao Yan coming in, her shoulders trembled slightly.

In front of the wedding bed, there was a jade ruyi, a Jun porcelain wine pot and two cups on a table. The surroundings were decorated with colorful decorations, giving a warm feeling.

There were some new items in the room, a large wardrobe, a dressing table, a big red box on the floor, and the bedding was also brand new red silk... Xiao Yan looked at it carefully for a while and felt it was very fresh. It was also his first time to get married.

He walked forward slowly, stretched out his hand gently, and lifted the thin pearl curtain in front of the empress. He saw that the stunning face behind the pearl curtain was already smiling.

"Miss?"

"Husband." After hearing this, the empress felt a little embarrassed. She tilted her face slightly to one side, looking very gentle and pitiful. However, her posture and movements were gentle, soothing and dignified, and her movements were very steady.

Xiao Yan had completely taken off the empress's veil. Her face was flushed. Noticing that Xiao Yan was looking at her seriously, she would secretly glance at him from time to time, her eyes somewhat evasive.

"When your name is on the list of successful candidates, and on your wedding night..." Xiao Yan said with a smile.

The empress blushed and whispered, "There is still wine for the wedding."

"Why are you still drinking?" Xiao Yan had already taken off his shoes and got on the bed. He gently put his arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "A moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold..."

------

"Aogu."

Shulido clenched her fists lightly, turned her back to Yelu Zhiwu, and after a long silence, she suddenly turned back and asked Yelu Zhiwu to take off the ancient shaman mask on her face. Looking at her face that was somewhat similar to his own, he couldn't help but look a little dazed.

"Mother?" Yelu Zhiwu frowned and tilted his head.

Shuliduo smiled, and finally asked calmly: "What do you think of Xiao Yan?"

(End of this chapter)