Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

It's spring time again. Although the events in Henan have made people anxious and uneasy, it has not hindered the changes in seasonal scenery. Grass grows in the fields and warblers fly, and everything becomes full of life again.

The Shangsi Festival on March 3rd is the most grand festival in spring and even in the first half of the year. Many dignitaries in Beijing will choose to go out for an outing on this day. Ordinary people will also put down their farm work and take their families to bathe in the river. I hope to get rid of evil spirits and maintain good health.

In addition to seeking good luck and avoiding evil, the Shangsi Festival also has the custom of men having fun with women and seeking a good spouse. Therefore, there are many young men and women dressing up to go out on this day, which has become a moving scenery in the warm spring.

However, the scenery of this year's Shangsi Festival is much less impressive than in previous years. Although people playing and having fun can still be seen everywhere near the rivers and canals around Chang'an, there are only a few truly gorgeously dressed and ceremonial teams.

Compared with the slightly deserted spring outing scene in the suburbs, several places in the city are a bit too lively.

As early as early in the morning, Grand Sima and Duke Du Guxin of Hanoi were already busy with traffic on the street in front of the capital's residence, and the courtyard was even more crowded. They had to have their personal guards come in and out with sticks to maintain order.

Today is the day when the daughter of Dugu Xin's family comes out of the palace. Dugu Xin has deep qualifications and a grand position, and has many relatives, friends, and disciples. In addition, the woman who is about to get married is also the adopted daughter of the late Grand Master He Basheng. Therefore, Countless people from both the court and the public in Beijing came to congratulate him.

Because there were so many guests coming to congratulate them, although Dugu Xin arranged for many relatives, friends and disciples to entertain them in advance, the guests who poured into the residence in a continuous stream were still not enough to entertain, and the hall in the middle of the house was already overcrowded. The domestic slaves had no choice but to go to the nearby neighbor's house with gifts and ask for the temporary use of the living room to entertain guests.

Dugu Xin did not need to greet the guests in person in the front hall. Instead, he drank and chatted with the guests in the middle hall who had unusual relationships and status. Hearing the guests' blessings for the marriage, Dugu Xin's eyebrows were filled with joy. .

It is a happy event for parents to see their children get married. If this marriage is envied and blessed by relatives and friends, it will naturally be doubly joyful.

Dugu Xin, the son-in-law, was not only from a well-known family, but also accomplished at a young age. He was already in a high position at a young age, and was highly valued by the Taiwanese government and respected by his subordinates. Looking at the entire Kansai, it was almost impossible to compare him with him.

Therefore, while the guests in the hall were congratulating Dugu Xin, it was hard to say that they did not feel envious and jealous. They poured their thoughts into the wine and frequently toasted to congratulate him. In particular, Li Hu, who had a close friendship and similar status, made the most noise. They almost never left the cup without taking turns.

On the big day, Dugu Xin was in a good mood and accepted all comers, and his drunkenness soon became apparent.

When the general came to advise him to be restrained, he waved his hands and said with a smile: "These veterans hate me for getting a good son-in-law, but there is no one who can match them in their own homes. If they are not allowed to secretly punish me in the name of toasting, , I'm afraid I won't be happy to come into my hall again because I'm depressed, but I'll keep the crowd entertained today."

Hearing him show off like this, the guests in the hall all yelled in anger, and worked harder to persuade them to drink. Since they were all familiar and informal fellow villagers here, they certainly wouldn't get angry because of Dugu Xin's joke about calling him a veteran. .

What really makes people a little unhappy is that what this guy said is really right. His son-in-law Li Boshan is an immediate choice regardless of his family background, character, or talent. Who wouldn't envy anyone here who has a girl waiting to be married? ?

Seeing Dugu Xin's somewhat complacent look, another old friend laughed evilly and said, "I saw that the dowry prepared in the inner hall was higher than the wall. It was luxurious and magnificent. The items were so rich. Brother Ruyuan, are you not afraid of the onlookers laughing at you for buying a wedding?"

Although Duguxin has a respected position, when it comes to family background, he is naturally not as good as the Li family in Longxi. Spending money on marriage is indeed one of the choices of many new rich people nowadays to improve their family status.

After hearing this, Dugu Xin smiled instead of being angry. After finishing the glass of wine, he sighed again: "My son-in-law is good at everything, but there is only one thing that makes me regret growing up, and that is He is good at doing good deeds in public and private life, so that his relatives will be ashamed of his old age and weak hair, and it will be difficult for him to support him in his power and teach him at home. "

When everyone heard this, they were even more speechless. When it comes to official status, some of them here are not as good as Li Boshan today. When it comes to family property, all of them here have more or less purchased military rations and other commodities from Li Boshan and contributed to the growth of his family property.

Therefore, it is indeed nonsense to say that Li Boshan entered into this marriage because he was greedy for Duguxin's power and assets. Although Dugu Xin is not bad, Li Boshan's current status and power are beyond the reach of even many princes and even Daxingtai disciples. It is obviously not due to Dugu Xin, his father-in-law.

Dugu Xin was already a bit drunk and was not as self-possessed as usual. When the topic turned to praising his son-in-law, he became even more uncontrollable.

Taking advantage of his excitement, he stood up from the banquet and said with a smile: "You all only see that my little daughter has a rich dowry, but you don't know that my virtuous son-in-law has given so many gifts. It is inevitable that you will secretly have biased thoughts. The shooting hall was just completed in the house the day before yesterday. I plan to go to court next year to enjoy myself. The furnishings in the hall are probably from Boshan, and I would like to invite you to take a look."

As he spoke, he walked out of the hall and walked to the left with his head held high. After seeing this, everyone got up and followed him, and soon they came to a tall and spacious archery hall.

The most conspicuous thing in this archery hall are several large rows of bows, swords, armor, staffs and other equipment, including long bows, short bows, riding lunges, even lacquered and colorfully carved ceremonial bows, etc. The materials and craftsmanship of each are very good. The same long swords, short swords, broad swords, horizontal swords, and horse knives are also arranged on the shelf. The blades are thick and well-proportioned, and the cold light of the blades flows. It is obvious at a glance that they are all extraordinary.

As for those armors, they are even more eye-catching. Each one has different styles and shapes, but all of them are exquisite, making people dizzy.

Most of the people present were veteran generals who had been on the battlefield, and they were far more obsessed with these ordnance than others. When they saw these dazzling treasures that almost occupied half of the shooting hall, everyone was amazed and walked forward to touch them. Appreciation and envy are beyond words.

When Dugu Xin was showing off to all the guests the arsenal that his son-in-law had gifted him with a proud look, a group of people gathered together somewhere in the inner hall of the residence to discuss something in a low voice.

"You all know what is going to happen at home today, right?"

In a slightly secluded room in the inner courtyard, a child held a short horned bow in his hand. He frowned and looked at the other boys and girls sitting in the room with a serious expression and said in a deep voice. asked.

After hearing this, some of these boys and girls nodded repeatedly, while others raised their hands in confusion and asked: "Brother, what's going on at home? It's so noisy..."

"Stupid, really stupid! Then let me tell you again, someone is going to kidnap our sister today! That's why so many relatives, friends and slaves have gathered at home today, and there are so many boxes and cages arranged, all to stop the thief. !”

This older child is Dugu Xin's second son Dugu Shan. He came to Beijing with his family just before last year's festival. Now he told his younger brothers and sisters in the room with a stern look that something bad was going to happen at home.

But as soon as he finished speaking, a girl of similar age stood up and said: "Futuo, you are wrong! Where is the thief who wants to take away my sister? My sister has already said that today is the day when my sister is going to get married." The house of Li Boshan who often visited us earlier..."

Dugu Shan curled his lips with some disdain and said: "What do you know, a little girl? My mother is afraid that we are young and worried, so she lies and deceives. This morning Li Tun entered the room and whispered to me to arrange a car barrier tonight to block my sister's car." Car driving.

Li Tun is our general under Aye's sect, and he will never deceive me. If it was really something good, would he ask me to stop the car? In the past years, my sister had gone to live in another house. Do you need to prepare so many boxes and cages? It's obvious that the thief is very vicious, so we need to put more protection in the wall! "

Hearing Dugushan's eloquent analysis, the children, who were already a little ignorant, all nodded: "Brother is right, second sister is wrong!"

Seeing that all his brothers and sisters expressed their support for him, Dugushan nodded with satisfaction, and then sighed: "Our sister is also strange, very vicious, but there are so many people fighting for it, which makes people worry. Before." Fortunately, it was a false alarm because I failed to protect my sister. But this time, you have all eaten rice and meat for a few more years. You must protect your sister and prevent her from being snatched away. Can you do it? "

"Can, can I?"

The boys were still a little unsure of themselves, and they couldn't help but feel more guilty when they heard that such a big battle was going on at home to protect their elder sister.

"It must be possible!"

Seeing that the team was distracted and a little unable to lead, Dugushan glared and encouraged them again, and immediately ordered them where to ambush and how to stop the enemy. Fortunately, these little guys were also worried about their sister's safety. Although they were not confident, they still followed the instructions seriously.

After arranging all the brothers and sisters, Dugu Shan took a small and delicate sister straight to the attic where his elder sister lived. While the slaves were busy inside and outside, he took his sister and tiptoed into the inner room and opened a door. He filled the lacquered cage with silk and satin and said to his sister: "Fourth sister, hide here. I'll give you a bamboo shuttle as a weapon. If you can't hear my signal, don't come out!"

The little girl looked at the small space of the paint cage and resisted instinctively. After hesitating for a moment, she still raised her legs and walked in and whispered: "Brother, don't forget me..."

"Don't worry, eat this first if you're hungry."

Dugushan also thoughtfully stuffed a piece of Hu cake, shook the fabric to make it more fluffy, and then covered the lacquer cage again.

After doing this, he was going to inspect the hiding places of his other brothers and sisters. However, when he turned around the screen, he saw his sister sitting deep in the curtain, hiding her face and crying. He immediately stepped forward with his bow and said angrily: "Sister, don't worry. "Whoever dares to rob you will be killed by me!"