Another five days passed.

Yesterday, Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan went to Yingtianfu and met Wei Tai.

Wei Tai cried with a sad old face.

Please, God wet my eyes...

Freeze my heart...

Let me stop suffering from the truth and come to me.

The Luzhou Prefecture did not receive a report of the missing persons, and the Luzhou Prefecture also sent people to investigate the counties below, but there were no useful clues.

Sure enough, the clue was broken again.

Emperor Xia had already inquired about this matter in the early court, and ordered him to solve the case as soon as possible at any cost, and there was a lot of discussion in the capital, and Wei Tai felt that the pressure was too great.

The 10,000 taels bounty didn't help, and no one provided clues.

As Xiao Rui guessed, things are not that simple.

But Xiao Rui also believes that it is impossible for the system to let him solve the headless case, and there must be some clues that he has not yet discovered.

……

"Brother Seven, are you free at night?" Xiao Yan ran over and asked.

At this time, Xiao Rui had just finished practicing riding and archery, and when he heard Xiao Yan's question, he said vigilantly: "What do you want to do?" I'm too busy to spend with you. ”

Xiao Yan complained: "Seventh brother, am I such a person in your mind?" Tonight is a big event, Lord Xu's son-in-law got married today, and there is a dinner party in the evening, and the emperor will go, won't you go? ”

Xiao Rui was stunned for a moment, and read: "Lord Xu? Which Lord Xu? ”

Xiao Yan said disdainfully: "Seventh brother, you are so low-key that you don't even know Lord Xu?" Who else can Lord Xu have a big face and let his father come out in person? ”

"Xu Xianyang!" Xiao Rui reacted suddenly.

The political system of the Great Xia State was a six-part cabinet system, and the emperor formed a cabinet to handle the imperial court for him, and the cabinet members could state their opinions in the cantata, which was called "vote drafting". Then the eunuch of the Ministry of Rites and Supervisors approved the red and inherited the emperor to ensure that the six ministries were directly responsible to the emperor and realized the emperor's centralized system.

Today's Xia Huang attaches great importance to the cabinet, so the power of the cabinet is extremely high, and naturally the status is also very high.

Xu Xianyang is one of the five cabinet elders, Ren Wenhuadian University scholar and secretary of the Ministry of Engineering, Zheng Erpin, his son is married, and Emperor Xia should be present in person, expressing his attention and trust to his ministers.

As a prince, he naturally has to talk about his heart.

Xiao Rui didn't want to go, he never participated in the weddings and funerals of the ministers of civil and military affairs, but this time Emperor Xia went, not a reward, and if he didn't go, he would be too withdrawn.

"Let's go together after class." Xiao Rui said.

Xiao Yan smiled: "Okay, I've also prepared your congratulatory gift for you." My father had ordered officials to accept bribes on the grounds of congratulatory gifts, so I prepared two sets of celebrity calligraphy and paintings. Seventh brother, don't shirk it. ”

Xiao Yan knew that he had no money, so he prepared a congratulatory gift in advance. Xiao Rui felt warm, and said with a smile: "Then I will take advantage of the ninth brother." ”

"Hehe, who is with whom, the two brothers have a good relationship, and the younger brother and sister are sisters-in-law." Before Xiao Yan finished speaking, Xiao Rui gave him a slap. Hurry up and swallow the last sentence back in your stomach.

After class, Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan took a carriage to Xu's mansion.

Three streets away, before they got close to Xu's Mansion, they were jammed by a busy carriage. There are too many people, and all civil and military officials have to come to congratulate them, and even if they don't come, they have to send congratulatory gifts.

The steward of the Xu Mansion was coordinating the road conditions, and when he found the carriage of the Nine Emperor Princes, he immediately sent someone to maintain the passage.

Hearing that the carriage of the Nine Emperor Princes was coming, the carriage blocking the road immediately pulled over and made way for it.

When they came to the door of Xu's mansion, Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan got out of the car.

Xu Xianyang's younger brother Xu Xianda stepped forward and said, "The two highnesses are not welcome to come, and I hope to forgive the sin." ”

Xiao Rui said with a smile: "Today's big day in Xufu, we came to bother. What about Lord Xu? ”

Xu Xianda said: "The eldest brother is entertaining guests in the mansion, the two highnesses, please follow me in, the seven highnesses have arrived, they are chatting in the mansion, and the dinner will not start until more than an hour later." ”

Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan entered the Xu Mansion and met Xu Xianyang and his son Xu Haoran. After a brief chat, they were all congratulatory words, and then under the guidance of Xu Xianda, they came to the main hall of the house next door.

Entering the room, Xiao Rui saw six elder brothers and one younger brother.

His Royal Highness Xiao Lie, 25 years old, gentle and peaceful, bookish.

Second Highness Xiao Yiheng, 24 years old, has a cold and arrogant personality and is unruly.

His Royal Highness Xiao Ze, 22 years old, is easy-going and casual, with a lazy personality.

The Fourth Highness Xiao Feng, 21 years old, has high martial arts skills and a reckless personality.

Fifth Highness Xiao Yuan, 20 years old, has a suspicious personality and likes to speculate.

Sixth Highness Xiao Ming, 20 years old, has a violent personality and is greedy for beauty.

His Royal Highness Xiao Jing, 16 years old, has an arrogant personality and is self-righteous.

This is Xiao Rui's impression of the seven highnesses, and he doesn't have deep contact with them, so he can't figure out his true character.

Together with Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan, the nine princes of Emperor Xia have all arrived.

When they entered, the seven highnesses looked at each other.

His Royal Highness Xiao Lie smiled and said, "Xiao Qi and Xiao Jiu are here." ”

The Third Highness Xiao Ze quipped: "Especially Xiao Qi, in your busy schedule, it is rare to see you participate in the event." ”

The other princes did not speak.

Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan gave up their hands and called brother one by one.

Xiao Rui said shyly: "This is not being pulled by Xiao Jiu. ”

Xiao Yan shouted: "Yes, if I don't say it, the seventh brother doesn't know that Lord Xu's son-in-law is married." ”

The two of them sat down, and the nine princes lived in the same room, some of them chatted, not to mention how depressing the atmosphere was.

Xiao Rui didn't sit for a quarter of an hour, so he found an excuse to run out.

Of course, Xiao Yan also followed.

The two of them wandered around the Xu Mansion, as the residence of the cabinet scholars, the scale of the Xu Mansion was not inferior to the Duanwang Mansion, and there should be a lot of pavilions and pavilions. Xiao Yan and Xiao Rui wandered around, and they ran into Zhang Lianchuan and Tian Boguang.

The two of them were chatting with a group of teenagers, looking at their clothes, all behind the gate.

When Zhang Lianchuan saw Xiao Rui, he was about to open his mouth to call "brother-in-law", so frightened that Xiao Rui hurriedly covered his mouth and said: "Little Hou Ye, don't scream, there are many people, give some face." ”

Zhang Lianchuan pouted and shouted aggrievedly: "Your Highness! ”

Tian Boguang also came to visit, and then introduced others to Xiao Rui.

There are the sons of the Marquis of Xiaoyong, the sons of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, the sons of the Marquis of Pingbo, and the sons of the Marquis of Baizhan...

Sure enough, like things gathered, and ten of the sons and daughters of the twelve military marquis came.

The little marquis gave up their hands to see Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan, and they didn't bother the group of little marquis to chat, and after a few simple words, they left.

slipped into a house and saw a group of young talents, Xiao Rui saw Ding Jian among them.

Xiao Yan said that this group is the heirs of the six ministers.

Continuing to wander, Xiao Rui saw the clear streams of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

I saw the great Confucians and Confucian scholars in the capital.

I saw the servants and officials of the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Crime, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Households.

I heard that several bigwigs in the cabinet also came, but they just didn't see them.

……

On this night, the power in the capital was almost all there.

Half an hour later, Emperor Xia arrived.

This is the first time in the past five years that Emperor Xia has personally left the palace to participate in a happy event held by the important minister's family, which shows Emperor Xia's favor for Xu Xianyang.

Emperor Xia sat down, Xiao Rui also sat down with other princes, and there were only two tables in the main hall, one table for Emperor Xia and several princes, four cabinet ministers, and one table for nine princes.

The other ministers of civil and military affairs were in the adjacent room.

Officials below the fifth rank can't even get a seat in the house, so they can only sit in the courtyard.

At this time, the worship ceremony is also begining.

Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan couldn't bear the depression of the main hall and sneaked out to see the worship ceremony. Emperor Xia is a guest, so naturally he will not stop them.

Xu Menghao married the county lord of the Ruyang royal family, and among the four county kings, the king of Ruyang was brave, and even the current Xia emperor dared to scare.

Therefore, Xiao Rui suspected that Emperor Xia personally came to participate in the marriage, not because he favored Xu Xianyang, but because he was afraid of being scolded by King Ruyang.

Xiao Rui and Xiao Yan stood in a corner and watched the worship ceremony, he looked at the groom Xu Haoran, and always felt that this groom was weird.