If given a choice, Li Chongrun would actually choose to take a carriage back to Luoyang.
Because I am riding on a horse with others in the classic horseback riding style from Princess My Fair Princess.
It's just that he is sitting in front, and the person holding him while riding is still a fat old man.
Li Chongrun felt very embarrassed.
Fortunately, Mang Mountain, where the Black Cavalry Barracks is located, is not far from Luoyang. It only took a short time to enter the city through the upper east gate.
Di Renjie was dressed like a rich man at this time, and many children in the city were held in the arms of their elders when traveling in this manner, so Li Chongrun did not enjoy the attention of the public.
Entering Luoyang from the upper east gate is Beicheng. Although you can see many luxurious houses of high-ranking families, most of them are peddlers and lackeys. Especially near Beishi, most of them sell livestock, firewood, etc.
Very noisy.
However, in a noisy place, there is naturally a variety of food to eat. Master Di could not hold his mouth shut along the way, eating various snacks such as biscuits, glutinous rice and glutinous rice soup into his mouth like water.
But I only focused on eating along the way, so the originally short journey actually took longer than the trip from Mangshan to Luoyang.
"Master Di, aren't you in a hurry?"
"Why are you so anxious? If you wait a little longer, maybe you can still see something good." Di Renjie was sitting on a stool at a street stall, drinking a bowl of goat's milk soup, and motioned to Li Chongrun to drink a bowl too.
Li Chongrun, who had been eating with Di Renjie all the way, felt that he had never been so full since he traveled here. However, the goat milk soup tasted really delicious, so he couldn't hold it back for a while, so he started drinking it too.
Seeing Li Chongrun's rude eating behavior, Di Renjie smiled noncommittally, slowed down his drinking of goat milk, and sipped it one mouthful at a time, as if he was thinking about something.
But when he entered the east city of Ziwei City from Xuanren Gate, Li Chongrun saw a group of officials wearing five-color official uniforms, rushing towards Xuanwu Gate.
"Master Di, why are they doing this? Is it too late to go to court at this time?"
"Today is not the New Year's Eve, nor is it a court meeting, so naturally there is no need for people like them to attend court."
Di Renjie seemed to have some privileges. He had not dismounted before in the East City. Even after he had passed through the Yaoyi Gate and entered the area of the official imperial city, the two knights in black who were guarding him had already stopped at the gate.
Waiting outside, Di Renjie was still sitting calmly on the horse under the leadership of a palace servant.
"It's just that among the officials, Di has some familiar faces. They seem to be from the Lu family in Fanyang, the Zheng family in Xingyang, and the Wang family in Jinyang."
Li Chongrun was a little horrified. No wonder Qiwang, the fifth surnamed man, was so famous all over the world that he would rather marry a daughter of the fifth surnamed woman than join the emperor's family.
But when we arrived at the Xuanwu Gate, the scene became even more spectacular. A group of officials, big and small, knelt down outside the Xuanwu Gate. Although they didn't make any sound, they just knelt there, but there was a vague formation.
Like a dark cloud, it suppressed outside Xuanwu Gate.
The three people headed by them were already third-level officials wearing purple robes, gold turtle bags, and triple beams on their heads.
In the Tang Dynasty, because Emperor Taizong once served as the first-rank Tiance General and the second-rank Shangshuling, the so-called first-rank and second-rank titles are basically empty titles, usually posthumous titles. If there is a clan lineage,
You might get better treatment.
For example, Princess Taiping, who was quite favored a few days ago, enjoyed the special promotion treatment, which is the second rank. However, this special promotion is a false title and has no actual duties. The work she does seriously cannot be said to be known to outsiders, so
On weekdays, Princess Taiping rarely wears formal official uniforms and enjoys some preferential treatment.
A number of imperial pillars, large and small, were kneeling below. An old man wearing rich man's clothes was riding a horse and holding a child while leisurely passing under the eaves of the Five Ridges and Six Beasts corridor. Li Chongrun felt that this scene seemed a bit ironic.
"Why is Master Di allowed to ride a horse in the palace?"
"The little old man is old and his legs and feet are not good. The Holy Spirit is considerate of my old age and frailty. A few years ago, when he was the prime minister of Dali Temple, he gave the little old man permission to ride horses in the palace."
Li Chongrun secretly cursed in his heart: When you ate four biscuits just now, I didn't see that you were old and frail. Now you are taking care of me.
But he said a very respectful compliment: "Lord Di, the Holy Family is indeed prosperous. I think it will not be far away when I wear purple robes."
"You little brat, who did you learn this skill of saying one thing and thinking another?"
"Every sentence comes from the sincerity, so how can it appear that one thing is true on the surface and another behind the scenes?"
"When you think about it, your left index finger will shake unconsciously. This can't be deceived."
Li Chongrun himself didn't realize that he had such unconscious actions, but he was discovered by this harmless old man who looked like a rich man. He couldn't help feeling that this old man's vision was really vicious.
"It's not that Mr. Di has a bad eye, he just likes to pay attention to things that others don't like to pay attention to."
"Holy shit, you old man can't read minds, isn't it?" Li Chongrun was shocked and almost fell off the horse in his excitement. Fortunately, Di Renjie caught him in time.
"When you are in front of the emperor later, remember not to speak filthy words. If you are charged with misconduct before the emperor, I am afraid that even this little old man will not be able to save you and you will be beaten."
Li Chongrun suddenly felt that it was not unreasonable for people in the ancient Hunchaotang to wear long robes with long sleeves and hold wat tablets in their hands. At least they could cover their small movements and micro-expressions.
Fortunately, we have arrived at the Xuanwu Gate. Entering the Xuanwu Gate is the back garden of the palace. Even Di Renjie, who had obtained the special permission, did not dare to ask for help. He got off the horse and took Li Chongrun to the Qianniu Guard who was guarding the gate.
After putting on his turtle charm, it was like swiping an access card, and the heavy vermilion door slowly opened in front of Li Chongrun.
"Master Di, it seems that the emperor summoned you, not me."
After entering the Xuanwu Gate, there is a harem garden. However, I am a woman, so there are no beauties from all walks of life in the harem. Instead, there are only a few sweeping palace servants who are busy.
Not a single eunuch was seen.
Walking among the neatly trimmed flowers and trees in the garden, Li Chongrun remembered at this moment that it seemed that the emperor's oral instructions were given to Di Renjie, and did not include him. But for some reason, he followed him honestly.
Already.
"The emperor has summoned the young man. Someone wants to see you. Just come."
Turning around a pavilion, a very simple Podocarpus tree suddenly came into view. Li Chongrun felt a little ridiculous in his heart. He had lived in this palace for many years, and today he saw the scenery of the palace back garden for the first time.
There is no ceremonial display under the Arhat pine tree, but a mat is spread out. The mat is white in color and I don’t know what it is made of. A slightly purple desk is placed on it, and a bean-shaped Boshan stove is glowing.
The aroma came out, and a middle-aged woman wearing a bright red palace dress and a phoenix crown on her head was writing on the desk.
Seeing the rather complicated phoenix embroidered with gold thread on the red palace dress, Li Chongrun naturally recognized that this was the famous Wu Zetian.
I just didn't expect that she looked so young.
"Your Majesty, Di Renjie, has met with you!"
[Author's digression]: In the second year of Tianshou, that is, 691 AD, Wu Zetian changed her name to Kuangmo's attribute and changed the famous fish talisman into the tortoise talisman. The second volume of "Shuo Yong" quotes Zhang Jue of Tang Dynasty's "Chao Ye Qian Zai"
: "The Han Dynasty used copper tiger talisman to send troops. In the early Tang Dynasty, it was a silver rabbit talisman. In the Pseudo-Zhou Dynasty, Wu's surname was Xuanwu and Guiye, and copper was used as a turtle talisman. Add an explanation, is this useless trivia added?