Chapter 717 May st
No matter how disappointed, reluctant, or conflicted she was... Zhao Xin's wedding day still arrived cruelly and ruthlessly as scheduled.

On the first day of May, the sky was covered with dark clouds and it rained continuously.

It was clearly morning, but the sky was dim as if the sun was setting, just like the mood of Zhao Xin, the "protagonist" of the marriage, at this moment, gloomy and chaotic.

But even so, it is still difficult to conceal the excitement and enthusiasm of the ignorant people.

Outside the north gate of Lin'an City, the rituals, music and ceremonial guards were all set up, and everyone was dressed in red and decorated with colorful ribbons, in high spirits, waiting for the protagonist to appear. Three thousand imperial guards used their spears as barriers to block tens of thousands of people on both sides of the street.

At this moment, there was a huge crowd of people inside and outside the city gate, shoulder to shoulder, and the noise was deafening, as if all the people in Lin'an City had come to witness the unforgettable moment of the princess's wedding.

"Look! Here comes the princess!"

In the bustling crowd, someone shouted in a shrill voice, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

A single stone caused a thousand ripples, and the noisy crowd suddenly became boiling. The cheers, one wave higher than the other, seemed to make the air between heaven and earth buzz, and the whole city of Lin'an tremble slightly.

At this moment, even though the Royal Guards shouted at the top of their lungs to maintain order, their response was like a stone falling into the sea.

The gong leads the way and the ceremonial procession goes ahead.

Fifty guards from the prime minister's residence armed with knives and swords went to both sides. Feng Tianba rode his horse in front and behind the convoy, looking around cautiously with a sharp gaze, holding the reins with his left hand and holding the hilt of the knife with his right hand.

The convoy came slowly, and at the front were two tall and handsome horses of equal strength, one black and one white, with red silk on their heads, which were particularly eye-catching.

The one riding the black horse is the Mongolian envoy, Su He, while the one riding the white horse is the Song Dynasty envoy, Liu Xunyi.

After the two horses passed, there was a four-wheeled carriage, on which sat the Mongolian envoy, the "King of Hexi".

Afterwards, several eunuchs from the Ministry of Internal Affairs followed on foot, led by Ding Qinghong, the "Right Deputy Chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs".

After Ding Qinghong, it was the princess's float that everyone had been waiting for, an eight-wheeled carriage tightly wrapped in silk curtains. The people on both sides of the street stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks, desperately looking into the carriage, but they could only vaguely see Zhao Xin's figure through the layers of gauze curtains, which disappointed many people who wanted to see the princess's beauty.

Wherever the floats passed, there was a roar like "mountains and seas".

However, Zhao Xin, who was sitting in the car, did not move. Facing the enthusiastic people, she turned a blind eye and turned a deaf ear. It seemed that Zhao Xin's mood at the moment was incompatible with the surrounding bustle.

Behind the flower carriage were ten carts of rare treasures, which were the generous dowry prepared by the Song Dynasty court for Zhao Xin.

In fact, these "dowries" were just a drop in the bucket compared to the military pay and food donated to Mongolia during the negotiations with the Western Palace.

At the end of the convoy were two ordinary carriages, which were driven by Lord Jia, the Minister of the Eastern Palace, and Lord Qian, the Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council. The two gentlemen came to see him off at the order of the Emperor, so they walked at the end of the procession.

At this moment, Zhao Yuan and Lord Jia were riding in one car, and Bai Jin and Lord Qian were riding in another car.

Around the two cars, there were a dozen minor officials and guards from the East and West prefectures, including Qin Wei and Ding Chou.

As for Sui Zuo and Xu Guangsheng, they were leading their troops to welcome them outside the city gate at this time.

Inside the carriage, Zhao Yuan would occasionally lift the curtain to look at the packed streets, and sighed, "Today's event is even more lively than we expected."

Lord Jia said in a veiled manner: "In troubled times, the more lively a place is, the more dangers it is surrounded by. Marquis Tianji should know that Lin'an City is not peaceful now."

Just these words froze the smile on Zhao Yuan's face, and he said awkwardly: "Don't worry, sir, as long as Liu Xunyi leaves Lin'an, those troublemakers will surely disperse."

"A mob is a mob." Lord Jia sneered, "They usually do some dirty things like stealing and cheating. Now that Liu Xunyi is riding a tall horse and parading through the city, why don't they come out to chase and kill him? They are just shouting loudly, but in fact they are all cowardly rats."

"Today's scene is so grand, with thousands of imperial guards armed to the teeth inside and Mongolian cavalry and the Imperial Guards waiting in full battle array outside. No one dares to act rashly. To cause trouble at this critical moment is either because you are tired of living or because you have a mental problem."

Suddenly, Lord Jia changed the subject and asked with great interest, "Marquis Tianji, do you think...will Liu Xunyi elope with the princess?"

"This..." Zhao Yuan's heart tightened, and he hesitated, "It should be... not possible? After all, Chen and Su He are guaranteeing him. If Liu Xunyi does something stupid, they will have a hard time explaining themselves in front of the Mongolian Khan."

"Su He is a martial artist with a lot of martial arts spirit, so he was easily deceived by Liu Xunyi. As for An Chen... he was kept in the dark from beginning to end, and knew nothing about Liu Xunyi." Lord Jia sighed, "If something goes wrong, the Mongolian Khan will definitely put this bad debt on the head of our Song Dynasty. After all, the person who kidnapped their princess now has the title of 'Song Dynasty Marriage Envoy' and is a formal imperial envoy."

"If that's the case, why did the emperor give the title of 'Marriage Envoy' to Liu Xunyi?" Zhao Yuan asked in confusion, "In terms of official rank and status, he is far from qualified."

"First, as a general of the guard, Xu Guangsheng has occupied half of the bride's escort. He is from the West Palace. In order to balance the contributions of the East and West Palaces, the emperor must select someone from the East Palace to serve as the 'marriage envoy'. One civil and one military, each with half the credit." Lord Jia said helplessly, "The only person from the East Palace who is escorting the bride, except Liu Xunyi, is Feng Tianba. In terms of official rank and status, Feng Tianba is a guard of the Prime Minister's Palace, which is even inferior to Liu Xunyi. Therefore, the emperor has no other choice except Liu Xunyi. You can't let Ding Qinghong, a eunuch, serve as the 'marriage envoy' of our Song Dynasty, right?"

"The East Palace is full of talented people, why not send another person..."

"This is the second reason." Lord Jia interrupted, "This trip to see the bride off is definitely not a sightseeing trip. If you are not careful, you may never come back. Who among the civil and military officials in the court is willing to go? Who dares to go? According to etiquette, for such an important marriage, the emperor should send an important minister or even a prince to serve as the 'marriage envoy'. However, there is the precedent of the 'Emperors Huizong and Qinzong' in the past. What if the Mongols imitate the Jin people and take them hostage? Moreover, the princes and important officials in the court are mostly in possession of secrets. What if the Mongols force them to reveal the secrets?"

"Master Jia is right." Zhao Yuan could not deny it. "So the only way to be safe is to send an unimportant person to escort the bride."

"Yes! The emperor bestowed a great honor on Liu Xunyi, which was actually a matter of course. After all, Liu Xunyi is a 'friend' of the Mongols, and giving him face is giving face to the Mongols."

"Alas! Thinking of our great Song Dynasty, we have now fallen to the point of having to look at the faces of these Tartars. It is really..." "Shh!" Before he finished speaking, Lord Jia quickly covered Zhao Yuan's mouth with his hand and reminded him, "Marquis Tianji, please be careful with your words!"

"My Lords, we're here!"

As Lord Jia and Zhao Yuan were talking, the swaying carriage gradually came to a stop. Then, Qin Wei's voice came from outside the curtain.

At this moment, the wedding caravan stopped three miles outside the north city gate. Sui Zuo's eight hundred cavalrymen and Xu Guangsheng's three hundred elite soldiers were also there.

With the help of the guards, Lord Jia, Zhao Yuan, Lord Qian, and Bai Jin got out of the carriage one after another and walked towards An Chen who was coming towards them.

"Hexi King" An Chen is an old man in his sixties. Different from other Mongolians, he is tall and thin, and his speech and behavior are quite elegant, and he is very easy-going and approachable.

Although Chen is not young, he has sharp eyes and sharp ears and is in high spirits. He can chat and laugh with Lord Jia and Lord Qian fluently and with ease.

Several adults were greeting each other and saying goodbye, while Su He, Liu Xunyi, Xu Guangsheng, Feng Tianba, Sui Zuo and his deputy Tao Amu were also getting to know each other.

"Why don't we introduce ourselves to each other!" Su He seemed to sense that the atmosphere among the people was not harmonious, so he took the initiative to break the deadlock and said to Liu Xunyi, "General Sui is an old friend, and Brother Liu has known him for a long time. The one next to him is his deputy general Tao Amu."

"This is the guard general Xu Guangsheng!" Liu Xunyi introduced, "That is Feng Tianba, the guard commander of the prime minister's residence. Feng Tianba once served as a captain under General Xu."

"So you are General Xu and Commander Feng. I am Su He. I am so sorry!" Su He bowed and said, "It is a long journey to the northwest. I hope you two can take good care of me."

"Of course." Xu Guangsheng glanced at Liu Xunyi inconspicuously and said, "I am ordered to be responsible for all matters concerning the Song Dynasty. If you have any trouble, just come to me."

"General Xu, you are wrong!" Feng Tianba retorted expressionlessly, "Lord Liu is the 'marriage envoy' appointed by the emperor, so all matters concerning the Song Dynasty should be arranged by him. General Xu only needs to protect the princess, and there is no need for him to interfere in other matters."

"Feng Tianba, you..."

"General Xu, Commander Feng!" Before Xu Guangsheng could refute, Liu Xunyi suddenly interrupted, "We are all family, don't let Brother Su and General Sui laugh at us."

"If you don't know the priorities and everything goes wrong, what a joke!"

Before Su He could speak, a strange laugh suddenly came from a distance. Ding Qinghong came closer with a charming step, first showing a strange smile that was hard to tell whether it was good or evil to Liu Xunyi, then turned to Su He and Sui Zuo and said, "I can testify for General Xu that he has the final say on matters concerning the Song Dynasty on the way to the bride's house."

"Eunuch Ding!" Feng Tianba said angrily, "As a eunuch, why don't you stay by the princess' side and come here to talk nonsense? I have never received any orders to follow your arrangements..."

"Humph!"

As Feng Tianba and Ding Qinghong were sarcastic and arguing with each other, Sui Zuo's expression became more and more contemptuous. He snorted in annoyance and left with Tao Amu.

Before setting off, disagreements arose among the Song Dynasty's wedding procession, a scene that made Su He, who was unaware of the truth, very embarrassed.

"Master Liu!"

Ding Chou's voice suddenly sounded from behind Liu Xunyi. Taking this opportunity, Liu Xunyi bowed to Su He to apologize, and turned to meet Ding Chou and Qin Wei who were hurrying over.

"You are here!"

"Master Liu, you must come back safely." Ding Chou tried hard to hold back his tears and showed a smile that was uglier than crying. "Now I stand in the stance every day and I don't feel tired anymore. I will definitely pass the next test. Little Dingzi will wait for you to come back and continue to teach me martial arts."

"Okay! I will definitely come back safely." After saying that, Liu Xunyi stretched out his little finger and asked with a smile, "Do you want to make a pinky promise today?"

“This…” Ding Chou hesitated, wanting to reach out his hand but not daring to. After hesitating for a while, when Liu Xunyi was about to withdraw his hand, he suddenly made up his mind and hooked Liu Xunyi’s finger with his little finger, and said seriously, “Previously, our pinky promises didn’t count, but this time it’s real. Master Liu must come back safely. If you break your promise, you’re a puppy. I’ll be waiting for you!”

"It's a deal!" Liu Xunyi felt warm in his heart and rubbed Ding Chou's head with his hand.

Qin Wei stood aside, silently watching the warm scene in front of him. For some reason, the smile on his face twitched involuntarily after hearing Ding Chou's "vow", but it was fleeting and no one noticed.

"Brother Qin, I'm leaving!"

Liu Xunyi's voice broke Qin Wei's trance. He was shocked and without saying anything else, he gave Liu Xunyi a tight hug.

"Brother Liu, be careful!"

"You too, be careful!"

Liu Xunyi and Qin Wei hugged each other tightly and said take care of each other. The estrangement during this period became insignificant because of the upcoming separation.

We have been brothers for more than twenty years, but only at this moment did we realize that our friendship and loyalty are indestructible.

……

(End of this chapter)