On the morning of the third day of the new year, the king prepared early and waited for the guards sent by the palace to pick him up.

Today's clothes are carefully selected under the moon, and watching the king change his clothes and walk out of the room, he was stunned to see the moon.

I saw that the king was wearing a white silk scarf tied his hair in a bun, wearing a snow-white straight-placked robe, and a wide belt embroidered with moon white auspicious cloud patterns with silver silk embroidered on his waist, and only a white jade pendant was decorated on it. Covered with pure white fox fur, the snow-white slender fox on the big goose trembled lightly.

Looking at the face next to the king, the facial features are handsome and angular. There is a slight unruly face in the eyebrows, but under a pair of sword eyebrows, there is a pair of black and white eyes, full of affection, the nose is like a hanging gall, the lips are red and the teeth are white, and the smile is slightly upturned. I actually looked at the moon and felt that the deer in my heart was colliding, and my face was red.

Wang Fang smiled slightly, squeezed his eyes at the moon and said, "What? Don't you see that your husband is too handsome, and you like it very much? Yuexia was caught in his mind by him, and turned his face shyly. Wang Bei teased her a few more words just now, and Lu Shenyan came in and said that the guards next to the king had arrived.

Wang followed the guards to the South Imperial Garden, only to see the magnificence when entering the garden, the forbidden army courtyard in the city was lined up, and the high sitting in the middle of the viewing platform was the position of Emperor Renzong and the queen, and the emperor had not yet come at this time. Behind the seat were supposed to be the crown prince, the prince, the princess, and the lady of the county. However, Renzong had no words, but seeing Zhao Zongshi standing behind Renzong, he remembered what he had heard recently that Renzong wanted to establish a prince.

The two lower viewing platforms on the east and west of the main platform are the positions of the envoys of various countries. Secondly, the thing is the seat of the civil and military officials, and when the chief Shi saw that the king was here, he arranged his position, which was naturally relatively close, but it could be seen clearly.

At this time, officials and envoys took their seats one after another. With the sound of a clear foot, the band played. Then came the Emperor's Imperial Palace. Emperor Renzong walked to the Lord to watch the Queen Mother and sat on the throne. The king saw that the emperor was wearing a crown of heaven and a red robe. Very majestic.

The king distinguishes the envoys of these countries from the side of the viewing platform: the ambassador of the Great Liao wears a golden crown, the tip of the back is as long as a big lotus leaf, he wears a purple narrow robe, and his waist is tied with a gold troop (the ornament on the belt). The deputy envoy bowed with the Han salute.

The ambassador and deputy envoy of the Xia State all wore short gold crowns, crimson narrow robes, and crossed their hands to worship.

The envoys of Goryeo (present-day Korea), Nanfan, and Jiaoju had the same etiquette as the Han people.

The Uighurs were all long-haired, high-nosed, wrapped around their heads with silk, and draped in long robes.

The Khotanese envoys all wore small golden felt hats, golden silk robes, and belts, and brought their wives.

The five surnames of the Nanban are spine-haired black felt, and the monks are ritualized.

In addition, envoys from Zhenla (now Cambodia), Dali, Dashi (Persia) and other countries also traveled thousands of miles to the Song Dynasty to congratulate. In accordance with the etiquette of the Han people, they all bow down like the emperor.

Seeing this, the king couldn't help but sigh, this is the first time I have seen this spectacular scene in this life, not to mention that in my previous life, I could only watch the handshake and the like from TV.

However, during the observation, Wang found that there was no ambassador of the Japanese slave country, and he was wondering what kind of moth this little devil was, and the archery competition began.

The envoy of the Liao State tried the crossbow to shoot arrows, only to see that he first put the crossbow at a place about 200 meters away from the grass target, and then a Liao man with a small head wrapped in a footless head and wearing a brocade jacket stepped forward, stepped on the crossbow, danced and swirled, set up arrows, and aimed.

The Liao envoy walked up triumphantly, took aim, and as soon as the trigger in his hand was released, the crossbow arrow shot out like lightning, and the red dot in the bull's-eye immediately attracted everyone's applause.

Waiting for the cheers to stop, a member of the Song General also stepped forward, only to see that this person is burly, thick shoulders and round waist, at first glance it is a long-time trained person, and the two eyelids that are a little worried, occasionally unfolded, the eyes are extremely sharp, this look swept over the crowd that had just finished cheering, and everyone in the crowd suddenly felt a little chill all over their bodies.

When the crowd's cheering stopped, this Song general didn't need the help of others, and stepped on the crossbow with one foot, danced and swirled, set up arrows, and aimed and shot arrows in one go. In an instant, the arrow had already flown out, and it also hit the bull's-eye. The cheers were thunderous.

The king couldn't help but ask an official sitting next to him who this person was, and the official said, "This person is the son of the world." The deputy envoy of the Zuozang Treasury, with the recommendation of his father, served as the prefect of Qingdong City"

When Wang heard the name of the plant, and he heard the fifth uncle talk about this in Yanzhou, he felt a little admiration in his heart.

But seeing that the Liao ambassador laughed, he stepped forward and said to Emperor Renzong: "Dare to ask if the general who shot the arrow just now is a kind of soldier?" ”

Renzong sat on the throne behind the stage, he had already seen the situation under the stand, please see clearly, and when he saw the envoy of the Liao State stepping forward, he said: "Liao envoy Xiao Ying, this year the Liao State sent you to my court for the first time, no wonder you don't know my general." The general who drew just now was General Plant. ”

Renzong used the word tie to show the demeanor of a great country, and everyone can see it very clearly, Liao is two people shooting arrows, and one of our generals has already hit the target, and I have already given you face.

How do you know that Xiao Ying, the ambassador of Liao, looked up to the sky and laughed, and said after laughing: "I think I won this time in Liao." ”

Renzong smiled and said, "You can tell the truth." ”

Xiao Ying said with a disdainful expression: "Although this is the first time I have come to the Central Plains, I heard that when I was shooting last year, it was also this kind of general who came to compete with me. Any ambassador from our Liao Kingdom can be shot, is there only this kind of general after General Di of the Great Song Dynasty? ”

After he finished speaking, the group of envoys of the Liao State laughed.

Seeing that this person was so arrogant, the envoy of the Liao State in his heart was deliberately making things difficult, it turned out that there were naturally crossbowmen in this forbidden army, if it was said that no one could shoot arrows, it would be wrong, but if it was said that the generals of the Song Dynasty, or the generals of the same level as the ambassadors, it would be different to compete. You can't compare it with a soldier who trains day and night, that is to lose your appreciation.

So Renzong smiled and said, "I don't need to answer these questions. ”

Xiao Ying said: "Su asked your country's civil servants to be fickle, if the emperor doesn't admit what I said, then forget it, even if it's a tie?" ”

Renzong looked at the scoundrel appearance of the envoy of the Liao State, and it was a tie, so what was the matter?

I thought to myself: I heard that the Liao envoy was going to make things difficult at this time, and it was so. He had already seen the king sitting at the end, and it was said that the distance was not too close, but among the officials wearing purple and green court clothes, the white suit next to the king was particularly eye-catching, this handsome and upright young man, wherever he walked, he would attract people's attention. Renzong had a plan in his heart.

Emperor Renzong ordered the king to get up, and then said to Xiao Ying of the Liao State: "You may have heard of Wang Ruowu? ”

Xiao Ying shook his head: "I have heard of the military generals of your country, but I have never heard of the king. ”

After Renzong finished speaking, he ordered someone to summon the king. The king walked to the front of the stage and said: "The grass people are next to the king and knock to see the emperor." "Renzong gave the king a flat body.

Xiao Ying looked at Wang Bei, and he was really not very old. And the grass people, who were called grass people, went round the king twice and looked around. Seeing that this young man next to the king is very handsome, he just doesn't look at himself, but he is also an ambassador. Then he asked Renzong: "I don't know what Emperor Song called this kid for?" ”

Renzong asked, "Wang Bian, did you hear what the Liao ambassador said just now?" ”

Wang Bei's heart is most annoying for others to call himself a child, he looks at this Liao ambassador, this Xiao Ying is also a burly figure, but a little fat, I have to be forty or fifty years old, with a square face, a flat nose and a big mouth, and a shy belly.

"The grass people heard it, but they still didn't understand what he said about winning."

Xiao Ying sneered and said: "As soon as one soldier surrenders in my country, you can open the bow, there are many wild soldiers, and there are only one or two generals in your country, isn't this still winning?" ”

Wang Bei sighed and said, "This ambassador, do you know that you may not be able to match my Song general?" You have a lot of soldiers, but there are many people in my Great Song Dynasty?"

The king continued: "Civilians like me will shoot arrows, and I am afraid that you will not be able to have many soldiers. ”

Xiao Ying squinted at Wang with cold eyes, and said in his heart that this little child actually spoke wildly, and he was psychologically disdainful. There was also a lot of discussion among the envoys of various countries, Wang Fang thought to himself, he couldn't use a crossbow himself, he saw Xiao Ying's disdain, and said: "Ambassador Xiao dares to compete with me with a bow and arrow?" ”

Xiao Ying said: "What's so difficult about this? "Renzong ordered people to set up arrow targets, and each person prepared a bow and arrows, and each of them had three arrows, all of which were bullseye.

Xiao Ying knew in her heart that she had underestimated the enemy, but when she saw that she hadn't lost, she said: "This is one person and one shot, at most it is a tie." ”

Which king smiled and asked, "May I ask Lord Xiao Guigeng." ”

Xiao Ying laughed, stroked his beard and said, "Little doll, the old man is twice as old as you."

Wang also laughed: "According to Ambassador Xiao's algorithm just now, isn't the ambassador considered to be a loser?" ”

In addition to the envoy of the Liao State, the other envoys were all watching the excitement, and the officials of the Great Song Dynasty were naturally annoyed by Xiao Ying's arrogance. Hearing this, the audience burst into laughter.

Renzong also smiled, and when he saw that Xiao Ying was speechless, he said: "This imperial shooting is entertainment, not a competition to win or lose, even then it is a tie." Everyone is trying to celebrate. ”

Xiao Ying saw that Renzong said this, and smiled to show the demeanor of the Liao country, and returned to his seat. Emperor Renzong gave the envoy of the Liao State Han costumes, brocade jackets and the like. And he gave him silver saddles, and horses, and garments, and articles of gold and silver.

The matter of the royal shooting next to the king was spread among the envoys of various countries, not to mention how the envoys of various countries returned to the country to talk about the king, after the royal shooting, the king came out of the South Imperial Garden, and rode the horse rewarded by the emperor to walk on the royal street, and the people in the city have learned that the king accompanied the shooting of the Liao envoy. They all cheered on both sides of the palace, and here they have long known and heard of the name of the king.

The king rode on a tall horse, and was in high spirits. Behind him a pair of envious and hateful eyes were looking at him, and in the near future, that man was about to become the new king

(Note to this article: Although the Northern Song Dynasty served colorful people, strictly speaking, the people could only wear white, especially on this occasion, white was forbidden since the Southern Song Dynasty)