At the fourth watch, Yang Yuanqing got up. Today he not only had to practice martial arts, he also had an important thing to do. There was a well in the small courtyard where he lived. He usually fetched water from the well when washing, but today he
But he was sitting by the well, shirtless and wearing only a short trousers. He was struggling to wash his military uniform. At his feet was a small box of powder ground from dried soap beans.
Today he is going to attend Princess Leping's birthday banquet. Wearing blue clothes and cloth robes is definitely not allowed, but he only has four sets of clothes in total, two sets of cloth robes, one set of military uniforms, and one set of Mingguang armor. After thinking about it, he can only
Wearing a military uniform also represents his identity to a certain extent.
It's just that his military uniform was stained with blood and needed to be washed. Yang Yuanqing grabbed a handful of saponin powder, spread it evenly on the corners and front of his clothes, and began to rub it hard. The military uniform was made of fine linen and was very strong.
It's also very comfortable on the body.
Washing clothes by yourself is completely unimaginable to other children of the Yang family, but to Yang Yuanqing, it is perfectly normal. He has been washing clothes since he was five years old. When he was a child, he often followed his aunt to Wuben River.
I'll help my aunt with the laundry.
Under the faint moonlight, the dark blood stains on his chest and shoulders had faded away. Yang Yuanqing filled two more buckets of water and rinsed the clothes clean. Then he wrung the clothes dry, shook them, and hung them on a string in the yard.
Go up, so that by noon, the uniforms should be dry.
After washing the clothes, it was still early. Yang Yuanqing moved his shoulders slightly, pulled out the horizontal knife from under the tree, walked slowly to the courtyard, concentrated his mind, and found the best condition. Huo Di struck out with a sharp knife.
The light flashed under the moonlight.
…
Princess Yang Lihua's birthday preparations for Leping began a month ago. According to Yang Lihua's quiet character, she doesn't like such extravagant celebrations. The best way to celebrate her birthday is to have a quiet meal as a family. Besides, this
It's not a big birthday either.
But she couldn't help it. This was Yang Guang's first important birthday since he came to the throne. The filial piety had been removed, so Yang Guang decided to use Princess Leping's birthday to invite hundreds of officials to win over the feelings of the ministers.
In order to make his birthday more grand and lively, Yang Guang decided to invite not only the officials of fifth grade and above, but also their families, wives and daughters.
But in this case, it was inappropriate to hold the birthday party in the palace. After discussion with the ministers, they decided to move the birthday banquet to Lanting Mansion. Lanting Mansion was the original residence of Yang Liang, King of Han Dynasty. A huge mansion happened to be empty.
It can be used to hold this birthday party.
Yang Guang spent a lot of money on Princess Leping's birthday banquet. Not only did it cost a lot of money, but he also ordered relevant ministries and temples such as Zongzheng Temple, Guanglu Temple, Taichang Temple, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Jingzhao Mansion to organize it. The ministers knew very well that
The Holy Drunkard is not interested in drinking, so this birthday banquet was planned with extra care.
Lanting Mansion is located in Chongyefang. It is a mansion covering an area of 200 acres. The interior of the mansion is extremely magnificent and magnificent. There are only three main halls that can accommodate more than a thousand people, not to mention all kinds of exotic flowers and plants throughout the mansion.
, various pavilions, lakes and pavilions, their beauty and luxury are comparable to the palace.
At this time, lanterns and colors were put up in front of the mansion, and the atmosphere was full of joy. Two days ago, five hundred female eunuchs stationed in the mansion, using various silks, silks, and colorful lanterns and colorful tiles to decorate the birthday banquet mansion with rich splendor and auspiciousness.
thousand.
The officials and their family members who are eligible to participate in the birthday ceremony this time are all above the fifth rank, but they are not limited to civil servants, military officers, casual officers, honorary officers, and noble officers. All officials above the fifth rank in Beijing are eligible to participate.
Depending on the official position, the number of family members that can be brought is limited. Even so, the scale will immediately expand several times, and the number of people attending the banquet will be thousands.
But compared to the grandest banquet, this kind of banquet can only be considered small-scale. The banquet usually lasts for several days, and the whole country carnivals. It is the emperor's accession to the throne, canonizing the prince, changing the Yuan Dynasty, suburban temples and celebrating the harvest.
Only happy events will be held.
Starting from noon, officials and their families who came to attend the birthday banquet began to arrive in the direction of Chongye Square one after another. Horse-drawn carriages, ox-carts, horses, and donkeys were all coming to the street in front of the Hanwang Palace.
[Square], but it was impossible to park hundreds of carriages. Besides, there were the emperor's chariots and foreign dignitaries, so all the vehicles had to go back, and no servants were allowed to stay.
Several hundred government officials from Chang'an County and Daxing County were in front of the gate to divert traffic. In addition, nearly 10,000 soldiers from the left and right armed guards were deployed to patrol and guard the palace. The defense was very thorough.
Yang Yuanqing appeared in the square in front of the palace in the late afternoon. He rode a horse to avoid the crowd and walked forward with difficulty. It was the peak period for guests to arrive, and the crowd was surging, especially at the palace gate.
In the [square] in front of them, horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts were making difficult U-turns, and their owners were explaining things to their servants. The road was blocked and seemed overcrowded.
But after passing the square, there was a different scene in front of the mansion. More than a dozen large tables were lined up, and twenty officials were busy registering the names of the guests and exchanging banquet cards. Many familiar people
When officials meet at the door, they always have to exchange pleasantries.
Most of the guests came with their wives and daughters. The men were dressed in much the same way, wearing regular clothes, gauze hats, and black leather boots, but the women walked lightly and made a rustling sound. Although it was late autumn, it was expensive.
Most of the fuss wore half-moon high buns, narrow-sleeved coats, long striped skirts, half-arm short jackets, and long skirts on their shoulders and arms, making them look slender and pretty. They wore green belts and were all slim and smooth.
It is like fat and the pink light is greasy. Looking from a distance, you can see the green and flowing red flowers in front of Lanting Mansion, which is dazzling.
Yang Yuanqing's horse had been taken away by a special person, and a new horse brand was changed. He looked at the empty table and came to an empty table. His face felt a little hot. He found that everyone was well-dressed, but he was the only one wearing a half-worn jacket.
The military uniform has been washed white, especially the chest and left shoulder, which were washed too hard in the morning. The color has been lost, leaving two large mottled old white patches. I still feel nothing when I came all the way, but I can't walk away from the bright robe.
When compared with the long skirt, his military uniform looks very shabby.
There were also people who came in military uniforms, but what they wore were neat and bright palace guard uniforms, made of fine silk. The military uniforms were straight and straight, with a long sword on their waist and riding boots on their feet, which made them look particularly energetic.
For example, his military uniform was old, yellow, and wrinkled. The frontier fortress military uniform he wore was actually the worst quality among all military uniforms, even worse than the clothes of a servant.
Fortunately, he was tall and tall, and although his clothes were shabby, they did not affect his mental appearance. He was barely stopped by the guards, but countless pairs of contemptuous eyes swept towards him. The feeling of being looked down upon did make him feel a little uncomfortable.
Comfortable.
When the registration official saw him wearing military uniform and holding an invitation card, he cupped his hands and said with a smile: "General, please register first."
There were several large register books on the table. Among them, Huang Pi was a guest of the Ministry of War. He opened the book and searched line by line. He found his name on the fourth page. He picked up a pen and signed his name on the back, and then added the family column.
He drew a circle, put down the pen and said with a smile, "Is this okay?"
"That's it!"
The registration officer had already exchanged his invitation for the banquet card, number 531, which was not too bad. It was probably because of his title. The registration officer smiled at him and said, "That's all right, please come in, General Yang!"
At this time, Yang Yuanqing had already seen the pair of sisters who had broken the enamel bottle. They were talking to the girls from the Zheng family whom he met in Zheng Mansion the day before yesterday. Yang Yuanqing was afraid that they would be in a hurry to pay back his money. As he was about to enter the house, someone suddenly called him from behind.
"Yuanqing!"
Yang Yuanqing turned around and saw that it was Chang Sun Sheng calling him. He couldn't help but be stunned. Isn't Chang Sun Sheng in Taiyuan? When did he come back? Has his grandfather come back?
He quickly stepped forward and saluted, "General Changsun, when did you come back?"
Changsun Sheng chuckled and said, "I just came back in the morning. Your grandfather went to Luoyang and received the order halfway to inspect the location of the new capital. It is estimated that he will not be back for two days until he comes back. He is very worried about you!"
Yang Yuanqing's face heated up. He guessed that Changsun Sheng already knew something about He Ruobi, so there was something in his words. He saw Changsun Sheng followed by a young man, about nineteen years old, wearing a brocade robe, handsome in appearance, and he looked quite like Changsun.
Sheng then smiled and said, "Is this your master?"
"This is Quanzi Wuji."
Changsun Sheng pulled his son and said, "Why don't you show your respect to your brother?"
Changsun Wuji quickly saluted Yang Yuanqing with his fists raised, and said loudly: "Younger Wuji, please see Brother Yuanqing."
"So you are Changsun Wuji."
Yang Yuanqing also bowed his hands to him and said with a smile: "I have heard for a long time that my dear brother is a child prodigy. Now that I see him today, he is indeed extraordinary in appearance."
Changsun Sheng loved his youngest son very much. Yang Yuanqing praised Wuji, which made him extremely happy. He stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It's a pity that my son is not afraid of martial arts in his studies. Unlike my other apprentice, who is both civilized and martial arts."
"General Changsun is talking about Shimin, the son of Li Longzhou! I have already met him, and it is indeed true. He is a rare prime minister, and he will be an extraordinary person when he grows up."
"That kid, many people say that about him."
While Chang Sun Sheng was talking to Yang Yuanqing, he nodded to the people on both sides. He was an old minister in the court and had a wide network of contacts. Seeing that he was taking up too much of his time, Yang Yuanqing cupped his hands and said with a smile: "General Chang Sun, please help yourself. We have time.
Talk again."
He patted Changsun Wuji's shoulder lightly again and whispered: "You must have the ambition to be a prime minister in order to make more progress."
Changsun Wuji showed an eager look in his eyes, cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Brother Yang, for your encouragement. Wuji will remember it."
Changsun Sheng was moved, but he did have a lot of people to greet, so he nodded and said: "Okay, you go in by yourself! I will come find you later when I have time."
Changsun Sheng took his son to the other side, where several ministers were waving to him. From afar, Changsun Sheng laughed and said: "Xiangguo Su, long time no see. I heard that you have married a concubine again? You must be strong!"
Yang Yuanqing shook his head and was about to enter when he heard a commotion behind him and a guard shouted, "His Royal Highness King Qi is here!"