Chapter 212 What’s wrong with Gukan?
“Princess, some of the cities we passed along the way are almost as big as Xingqing Mansion. I don’t know how prosperous Bianjing is.”
On the official road more than 20 miles west of Bianjing City, a thousand Imperial Guards were guarding several carriages, heading towards Bianjing City.
In one of the carriages, the curtains were opened, and a maid of fifteen or sixteen years old looked at the scenery outside and chirped.
In the middle of the carriage, there is a seventeen-year-old woman sitting, wearing a tight orange-red dress, with a peach-shaped bun on her head and a swaying step, with a veil covering her face. She is looking sideways out of the window in trance, hearing the words He curled his lips and said: "No matter how prosperous it is, what's the use? The population of the Song Dynasty is dozens of times larger than that of the Xia Dynasty. We were defeated by my father back then."
"The men of the Song Dynasty do look much weaker than those of the Xia Dynasty." The maid nodded in agreement.
As a maid next to the princess, she often saw the imperial guards. She felt that the power of the imperial guards of the Song Dynasty who escorted them was inferior to that of the imperial guards of Xixia.
"My father was good at fighting, but it was a pity that he died young. However, my younger brother was also very smart. After getting rid of the traitorous officials, he will definitely be able to continue his glory. In the future, he may be able to take over the Central Plains." The corner of the princess's mouth rose. , with a confident look on his face, as if he had already seen the scene of Xixia taking over the Central Plains.
While he was talking, a galloping horse came by. He slowed down beside the carriage and said with cupped hands: "To inform the eldest princess, Mr. Chu said that the crown prince of the Song Dynasty is waiting in front to greet the eldest princess. She will be there in a few miles. Let's go. Princess, get ready.”
“I understand.” Princess Xixia replied and asked the maid to lower the curtains.
.........
In the Shili Pavilion outside the west city of Bianjing, hundreds of forbidden troops put the area within several hundred meters under martial law.
Zhao Xingduan sat in the pavilion and said with a smile: "Zhonghuai, it's a pity that your marriage has been decided, otherwise I would have asked you to marry the eldest son of Xixia."
"Your Highness, please don't tease me. Yes, the eldest princess of Xixia is getting married to His Highness, how can a rough guy like me be worthy of it?" Gu Tingye said with a bitter smile.
“This is not necessarily true.” Zhao Xing said with a smile: “My father said that Xixia has not decided to get married, and that Princess Xixia must fall in love with Gu. But Gu doesn’t think so, and Gu feels that marriage is Of course, if the Song Dynasty insists on marrying the Princess of Xixia, Xixia may not agree.”
Zhao Xing also felt at first that the so-called marriage was just a cover, and Xixia wanted to express goodwill in this way.
After all, the Song Dynasty suffered a big loss at the hands of Xixia, and Xixia also took some cities from the Song Dynasty.
Even Lingzhou City, the gateway to the Western Regions, was lost.
If Lingzhou City had not been lost, the Song Dynasty could still obtain war horses through the Western Regions, and there would not be such a shortage of war horses.
Although the little emperor of Xixia succeeded in seizing power, his uncle had been in power for more than ten years and there were a lot of internal troubles.
The Song Dynasty was worried that Xixia would send troops to invade the border, and Xixia was also worried that the Song Dynasty would send troops.
Revenge aside, it is still possible to recapture Lingzhou City.
And the relationship between the Three Kingdoms is somewhat similar to the Three Kingdoms period in history.
There are conflicts between Xixia and Song Dynasty, which are as big as the conflicts between Liao Kingdom.
The last emperor of Xixia, the founding emperor of Xixia, among other things, was really powerful in fighting.
Not only did the Song Dynasty suffer at his hands, but so did the Liao Kingdom.
Although the Song Dynasty was the strongest on the surface, in the eyes of Xixia, the Liao Kingdom was the strongest.
The best choice is to unite Xixia and Song Dynasty.
At this time, Xixia sent a princess here, saying that she wanted to get married, and she had to let the princess fall in love with her. Isn't it funny?
Zhao Xing is the prince of the Song Dynasty and the only son of the official family.
If Princess Xixia missed this, it would be humiliating for Zhao Xing.
Xixia intended to repair relations with the Song Dynasty, how could it do such an offending thing.
So Zhao Xing estimates that Xixia does intend to make peace, but there should be some conditions.
I say this just to take the initiative when negotiating terms.
Xi Xia, the marriage partner, may not care much about it.
"Your Highness, please stop joking." Gu Tingye shook his head.
He guessed that Zhao Xing intended to launch troops against Xixia in the future.
If he marries a Xixia princess and sends troops to Xixia in the future, his identity will be a bit sensitive and it will be difficult for him to go to the battlefield.
"Haha." Zhao Xing smiled and said nothing more.
Anyway, he made up his mind. If the Xixia princess is beautiful, he will accept it. If she is not beautiful, he will find someone with similar status to marry Xixia.
"Your Highness, the eldest princess of Xixia is still two or three miles away. Your Highness should get ready." Huang Song, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, came over and saluted. "I understand." Zhao Xing nodded, stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked out.
In the middle of the road, Zhao Xing stood at the front, while Huang Song and Gu Tingye stood beside Zhao Xing on the left and right.
After a while, bursts of smoke and dust rose in the distance, and soon they saw the Forbidden Army riding war horses ahead, followed by several carriages guarding them on foot.
There are also some Xixia soldiers in the queue.
Still two to three hundred meters away, the team stopped.
"Play music!"
Drums and melodious horns sounded. Huang Song saluted Zhao Xing and stepped forward to negotiate.
After waiting for a while, Huang Song came back with a group of people.
The one in the front is a woman, who can’t see clearly because of the distance. Behind them are officials from the Song Dynasty and Xixia’s envoys this time.
Although the Song Dynasty recognized Xixia's independence, the two countries had equal status.
But Xixia also declared to the outside world that it was a brother country with the Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty was the brother, and Xixia was the land.
The reason why Xixia would admit this is that it had to be bought with money.
After the Song Dynasty was defeated in the Song-Xia war, the two countries held peace talks.
The Song Dynasty paid a sum of money to Xixia, and Xixia recognized the Song Dynasty as a brother country.
The same is true between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Kingdom. The Song Dynasty is a brother.
However, the Song Dynasty and Xixia were a one-time deal, unlike the Liao Kingdom, where coins had to be given every year.
Although this name was bought, the Central Plains dynasty has had a common problem since ancient times, and that is saving face.
Anyway, the Song Dynasty was nominally higher than the two countries. Prince Zhao Xing came to greet Gui, but there was no reason to go up to greet him.
As he walked closer, Zhao Xing also saw the eldest princess of Xixia clearly.
Wearing an orange-red dress, the dress is embroidered with unique Xixia patterns. The overall appearance is not very different from the clothes of the Song Dynasty, but the sleeves are not as wide as those of the Song Dynasty, but are very tight.
She has a graceful figure, but her face is covered with gauze, making it difficult to see her appearance.
"The eldest princess of Xixia has met His Highness the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty!"
The eldest princess of Xixia placed her right hand across her lower abdomen and bowed slightly in salute.
"The eldest princess is polite." Zhao Xing returned the gift and said with a smile: "I heard that both men and women in Xixia like to hunt, and the women are more cheerful and generous. Why does the eldest princess cover her face with a gauze veil? Put down the gauze and let Gu Yi admire the beauty of the eldest princess.”
The eldest princess of Xixia frowned slightly. Zhao Xing was right. The atmosphere of Xixia was indeed more open than that of Song Dynasty.
Song women did not cover their faces when going out, and Xixia naturally did not have this rule either.
The reason why she covered her face with gauze was because there were so many soldiers accompanying her to protect her, and dust would inevitably be brought up when walking.
Enjoy the scenery along the way and wear a veil to avoid the dust.
It’s not impossible to take it off.
It's just that what Zhao Xing said was somewhat frivolous. As a princess, how could anyone dare to talk to her like this.
"This is a personal preference. I'm afraid it won't satisfy His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's wishes." The eldest princess of Xixia said in a cold tone.
"What if I must watch it?" Zhao Xing looked at the Xixia Princess with a smile on his face, still looking up and down her body.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty!”
A Xixia official in the crowd came out and said: “The eldest princess is here not only to represent the Great Xia Dynasty as an envoy to the Song Dynasty, but also to make peace with her. Your Highness Such frivolous words are not only humiliating to Her Royal Highness the Princess, but also to Daxia!”
When Zhao Xing heard this, he glanced at him and said, "Since we are here to get married, she is Gu's woman. What's wrong with Gu?"
Zhao Xing did this not out of urgency, but just to test Xixia's attitude. , and at the same time gave Xixia a disincentive.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince!" The man said with some anger in his voice: "The marriage has not been decided yet. Even if it is decided, Your Highness the Crown Prince cannot humiliate me, the eldest princess of Great Xia, like this."
< br>(End of this chapter)