Chapter 35 Chapter 6 The Great Fire in Tianjing - In the solemn auditorium of Prince Zhong's Mansion, the collective wedding ceremony was held grandly

The Zhongwang Mansion built in the Mingwa Corridor in Tianjing is full of joy. From the outside of the gate to the palace, there are red hangings and green decorations everywhere, and the huge screen wall that used to be painted with the rising sun and rippling sea waves has been pasted with yellow satin. The big red “囍” character radiated light like a fireball, making the faces of men, women and children coming in and out bright red. Today is a happy day for Prince Zhong's Mansion.King Zhong's second daughter, Zhonger Jin Jinhao, married British officer Biers, and King Zhong's third daughter, Zhongsan Jinmiao, married Mu Tian'an Tan Shaoguang. The weddings of the two sisters were held simultaneously in the auditorium of the palace.There are also two couples who announced their marriage to the world at this moment. They are British military officer Ling Li and Portuguese girl Mary, Greek military officer Bao Xi and Anqing girl Yao Ruoqin.Four couples held a group wedding at the same time, which is an unprecedented anecdote in Jinling City, not to mention the marriage of a prince and daughter, a marriage between China and foreign countries!It tickled the hearts of tens of thousands of Taiping soldiers and hundreds of thousands of residents in Little Paradise, and everyone wanted to witness the grand occasion with their own eyes.However, the palace is heavily guarded, everyone can only watch from a distance, discussing in the streets, the wedding being held in the auditorium, how can ordinary people see it!

The spacious palace auditorium, which is usually a solemn place to worship God, was used as a wedding hall today, adding a strong festive atmosphere.Forty octagonal glass lamps with colored tassels hanging from the roof are burning brightly, and ropes covered with small pennants of various colors link these corner lamps with the four walls. On the front is an extra-large bar-shaped coffee table. Eight huge red dragon and phoenix candles are burning on it.In front of the tea table, there were eleven large tables lined up, all of which were covered with red silk, on which were gifts from the kings in Tianjing.They are Gan Wang Hong Rengan, Attendant Wang Li Shixian, Fu Wang Yang Fuqing, Zhang Wang Lin Shaozhang, Wo Wang Zhang Luoxing, Gu Wang Wu Ruxiao, Xin Wang Hong Renfa, Yong Wang Hong Renda, Youdong King, Younan King, and Youxi King.Most of these gifts are quilts, pillows, clothing, jewelry and so on.On a table in the middle, the gift of the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan was unique, and they were four beautifully framed "Tianwang Imperial Poems".Surrounding this row of gift tables are pots of blooming flowers.A pair of congratulatory couplets are hung on both sides: China and foreign countries unite in one heart, the Great Wall protects the kingdom of heaven; the Huayang couple, the century-old beautiful family enjoys peace.This is a gift from Kang Lu who has been promoted to Chutian Anjue.The entire auditorium is full of flowers and jewels, only the picture of Jesus Mengnan in the middle adds a bit of solemnity to the warm and jubilant atmosphere.

Newly dressed male and female VIPs have already been seated on the left and right sides.Sitting on the left are men, all in court clothes and crowns.The first person to sit was Li Xiucheng, the owner of the palace.As the host, he shouldn't be the first one, but because he is not only the father of the two princesses, but also the boss of the four bridegroom officials, and there are no elders from other new families, King Zhong made the four couples The representative of the parents was pushed to the top spot by everyone. The second seat was Hong Rengan, and the following sat down according to their titles.The female guests on the right are all adorned with flowers, embroidered robes and trousers.Sitting in the first place is the biological mother of the two princesses, Song Wangniang, followed by the Qianwang's Zhengjiluo Wangniang, and then the princesses and wives, and some female officials.The wedding ceremony was presided over by King Qian's friend, Henbulo, a mentor of the London Missionary Society.

Pastor Heng Buluo walked to the center of the coffee table with a smile on his face, holding the Bible in his hand, and announced in fluent Chinese: "Zhong Er Jin Jin Hao and Biers, Zhong San Jin Jin Miao and Tan Shaoguang, Ling Ling and The marriage ceremony of Mary, Bao Xi and Yao Ruoqin will begin now." The majestic "Song of Victory of the Eastern King" was played in the hall, and the crowd surrounded the four couples, walking into the auditorium in a stately manner, following the beat of the music like stars holding the moon.At this time, applause and cheers sounded, and people threw pieces of red and green colored paper at them one after another.The four brides were all wearing long white silk dresses that swept the floor, and each was followed by a bridesmaid in a red jacket with gold flowers in her hair.The four grooms were all dressed in the uniforms of senior generals of the Taiping Army, and behind each of them was a best man in military uniform.The four couples walked slowly step by step, with youthful and happy smiles on their faces.Yes, the marriages of these four couples are brand new and enviable, and each of them has a happy memory that will never be forgotten.

Zhong Er Jin Jinhao, who walked in the front, had not only the graceful and beautiful appearance of his mother, but also the courageous and pursuing temperament of his father.Her husband-in-law, Biers, came to Tianjing from England via Hong Kong with Ling Li to join the Taiping Army. Because of his bravery and honesty in combat, he was soon highly regarded by the King Zhong.Later, Bao Xi also came, and the three foreign brothers became close friends, and together they were the beloved generals of King Zhong, and they often went in and out of Prince Zhong's mansion, just like family members.Biers' handsome demeanor and elegant conversation won the admiration of the second princess, Jin Hao.Jin Hao put aside the dignity of a princess, broke through the barriers of ethics, and took the initiative to express his love to Biersi, which flattered Biersi.When Jin Hao told his mother the secret in his heart, she was firmly opposed by her mother.It turned out that the mother had already found a son-in-law for her daughter, and that was Tan Shaoguang who stayed behind in Suzhou.

When Tan Shaoguang joined the Taiping Army with his father, he was only a boy of twelve or thirteen years old.Soon after his father died in battle, Li Xiucheng's wife Song Shi saw that Tan Shaoguang was lonely and pitiful, so she took him by her side.Tan Shaoguang is smart and sensible, he respects Li Xiucheng and the Song family very much, and is deeply loved by them.Because the Song family has no children, they regard Shaoguang as their own. Shaoguang grew up in the flames of war, tempered himself into a man of steel, and gradually took on the important task of leading the Taiping Army.From then on, the Song family had a secret intention to recruit Shao Guang as his son-in-law.The eldest of Song's three daughters died early, so she tied the other end of the red thread to Jin Hao's feet.Unexpectedly, the daughter found a man by herself without telling her parents, and he was actually a foreigner!Mrs. Song talked about everything, but Jin Hao was unswervingly loyal to Biersi's love, and the mother and daughter were in a stalemate.Biers told Ling Li and his fiancée Mary about the matter.

Marie is a strong Portuguese girl who came to Hong Kong with her parents when she was very young.My father was a wealthy businessman who ran a ship repair yard in Hong Kong.When she was sixteen, her mother died, and her father forced her to marry a rich Chilean.Mary didn't want to, and hid alone in a small steamboat.It happened that Ling Li also arrived on this boat.The girl's misfortune aroused Ling Ling's deep sympathy, and Ling Ling assisted her escape from Hong Kong and came to mainland China together.During the turbulent journey, the two fell in love. Mary gave them an idea: to elope to Hangzhou and win the support of King Zhong who is besieging Hangzhou. I believe that King Zhong, who is broad-minded and loves his daughter as well as his generals, will accomplish this good deed.Jin Hao and Biersi readily accepted.Mary's idea is not only beneficial to Jin Hao, but also beneficial to herself.

It turned out that as soon as Mary arrived in Tianjing, she aroused the love of Meng Shiyong, king of Youzan, because of her outstanding beauty. He tried to capture Mary twice on the way, but fortunately she avoided it cleverly.Ling Li and Mary were unwilling to cause the king of heaven to condemn Meng Shiyong because of this incident, and also wanted to use this to leave Tianjing for a period of time.They went to Hangzhou with them, as well as a man and a woman.The male is Bao Xi, and the female is Yao Ruoqin.Speaking of the union of the lovers, it is even more dramatic. Last year, King Chen Yucheng of England lost in Anqing, Tianjing sent a large army to help, and Bao Xi led the cavalry to join the expedition.In Yaojia Village outside Anqing City, Bao Xi's vanguard cavalry was attacked by Bao Chaoting's battalion.Bao Xi injured his arm, tired and hungry, and came to a big house in Yaojia Village.

There is only an old man who is over sixty years old, a daughter, and a maid in this house.Bao Xi explained why he came, and the old man ordered the maidservant to make tea and cook immediately, and then bandaged Bao Xi's wound.Bao Xi was very grateful to the old man and gave him the money.The old man does not accept money, but begs Bao Xi to protect his family and house.Bao Xi agreed without hesitation, wrote a note and pasted it on the gate of the old man's house, forbidding others to come in. Bao Xi bid farewell to the old man and walked halfway. He remembered that there were many people in the rear who surrendered from the Qing army.Bao Xi hurriedly turned around and rushed back.As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the village, I saw that the rear team was looting and burning wantonly, and there were also several soldiers laughing around a woman at the gate of the old man's house.Bao Xi was so angry that he ordered to stop, and saw that it was the maid who bandaged his wound.He rushed into the gate and met two soldiers dragging the old man's daughter out.Bao Xi kicked one soldier to the ground, the other ran away in fright, he helped the young lady up.The young lady told Bao Xi in tears that her father had been killed.Bao Xi hurried into the inner room, and saw the old man lying on the ground with a puddle of blood beside him.Bao Xi carried the old man to the bed.

The old man recovered his breath slowly, pointed to his daughter beside him, and pointed to the jujube tree outside the window, and said to Bao Xi in a very weak voice: "Under the jujube tree, there are sixty gold bars I buried, all of them Here you go, you have to take good care of my daughter Ruoqin." After saying that, she died. Bao Xi buried the old man, dug out gold bars from under the jujube tree, placed Yao Ruoqin in good condition, and took her to Tianjing after the war. When Jin Hao, Biers and his party came to Hangzhou, just in time for the Taiping Army to conquer Hangzhou, Li Xiucheng was very happy to see his daughter and these handsome foreign brothers in the former Zhejiang governor's yamen.Jin Hao stated his wish to his father, and he really got his father's understanding.Soon, Li Xiucheng took them back to Tianjing, persuaded Song Wangniang, and decided to promise the third daughter Jin Miao to Tan Shaoguang.

"Now, it's up to the bride and groom to pray to God the Father." Henbulo announced the first order of the wedding. Biersi took Jinhao by his arm, knelt down to Jesus Mengnantu, and read: "Little daughter Jinhao and boy Biersi knelt on the ground and prayed to the heavenly father, the emperor God: today there is a little girl and boy who are going to marry their relatives and be pious. Eat tea and rice, worship the Father God, and beseech the Father God to bless the little girl Jinhao and the boy Biersi, the husband and wife are harmonious, the family is auspicious, and everything goes well. I entrust the savior brother Jesus to make atonement, and ask the Heavenly Father God, The decree of heaven is carried out, and it is as if it is in the sky on earth. I bow down to what I ask, and I sincerely wish." Then Jin Miao and Tan Shaoguang, Ling Li and Mary, Bao Xi and Yao Ruoqin all followed the above format and prayed to the heavenly brother Jesus. "Now, King Zhong bestows wedding rings on the bride and groom." In front of the court clothes and crowns of the male guests, the luxurious and comfortable casual clothes of the loyal king are particularly eye-catching: the robe is made of yellow satin, the lower half is embroidered with a brown lion, and the top is covered with a big red jacket; It is made of jujube red silk, and on it is a unique decoration designed by King Zhong himself——a huge emerald gem in the middle, four oval gold medals are arranged on the left and right sides of the gemstone, and the gold medals are engraved with knives, spears, swords, halberds, Patterns of eight weapons: claw, hammer, bow, and axe.King Zhong is just 40 years old this year, and he already occupies the throne, and has become the father-in-law of two Chinese and foreign generals. The success of his career and the happiness of his family have brought joyful smiles to his cheeks.He gave each of the eight newcomers a large gold ring inlaid with gemstones, and watched them put the rings on for each other with a smile. According to the usual wedding ceremonies in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the main content has been completed at this point, and the pastor began to issue them the marriage certificate at that time.But to follow King Zhong's order, he had to perform three prostrations according to the old rules in Teng County before the uprising, which was also the whole country. Heng Buluo shouted: "Bow to heaven and earth." The four couples bowed to the auditorium. "Second worship to parents." Li Xiucheng and Song Wangniang accepted their kneeling on behalf of the parents of the newcomers. "Husband and wife bow to each other." The four couples bowed to each other. The elderly guests and friends in the auditorium have not seen this kind of ceremony for a long time, and they all feel very cordial when they meet again in Prince Zhong's mansion today.After the worship, Heng Buluo solemnly waved the four dragon and phoenix cards to them, and kindly wished them mutual respect and love, and fly together. "King Youzan is here!" The doorman's loud report suddenly sounded in the auditorium, except for Li Xiucheng and Hong Rengan, all the staff stood up to greet him.The hearts of the four couples, especially Ling Li and Mary, suddenly jumped. They didn't know how to deal with the sudden and unpredictable conflict.Nineteen-year-old Youzan Wang Meng Shiyong, dressed in royal clothes, walked in with a dejected expression, followed by a large group of entourage.Li Xiucheng stood up, smiled and said to Meng Shiyong: "Please take your seat, King Youzan!" Meng Shiyong nodded and walked straight to Mary.Ling Li clenched her fists tightly, Mary's face was pale, and other people in the auditorium watched happily without knowing the details.Meng Shiyong stopped in front of Mary and stared at her closely.Mary was extremely nervous at first, but she was relieved when she saw that King Youzan's eyes were getting darker and blurred, and finally rolled down two crystal clear tears.Ling Ling and the others were also relieved. "Miss Mary." Meng Shiyong said with tears, "you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. You once took away my soul. You did not become my princess. My heart is broken. Ben I didn't want to come here to witness this painful scene, but I couldn't help coming." Youzan Wang, who grew up among the women in the deep palace, couldn't control his emotions and burst into tears.He turned his face away, wiped away his tears, and shouted: "Bring the gift!" Two attendants came up.The one in front is holding a large wooden plate covered with a large piece of green silk.King Youzan uncovered the green silk, revealing two things on the plate: a phoenix crown full of pearl flowers, and a Xiapei embroidered with peonies.Under the candlelight, the phoenix crown and Xiapei shone brightly, glamorous and dazzling. "Miss Mary, these two gifts were originally made for you in secret. I hope to see you wearing them in Prince Zan's mansion one day. I will give them to you in front of Ling Li today. I wish you happiness!" King Youzan said Here, the tears flowed down again. "Thank you, King Youzan." Mary's voice trembled. After a while, Meng Shiyong uncovered the green silk on the second wooden plate, revealing three jade bracelets and four short swords.He gave three jade bracelets to Jin Hao, Jin Miao and Yao Ruoqin respectively, and three daggers to Biers, Tan Shaoguang and Bao Xi respectively.Finally, he picked up the remaining dagger, walked up to Ling Li, and handed the dagger over.Ling Li took the sword and was about to say "thank you", but saw Meng Shiyong staring at him fiercely, cursing in a low voice: "I wish I could kill you!" After finishing speaking, he turned his head and left the auditorium in a hurry! "Now, King Zhong, please speak to the guests on behalf of the parents of the newcomers." Heng Buluo's festive tone sounded again. King Zhong left his seat again and walked to the tea table, and said to everyone with a red face: "The parents of Biers, Ling Li and others are either far away in a foreign country, or have passed away. Today, I would like to say a few words to all brothers and sisters on behalf of them. .Firstly, thank you all for coming, so that their wedding can have such a grand and warm scene. Second, I wish them harmony and longevity. Third, I want to take this opportunity to talk about how to build and defend the kingdom of heaven. Although Anqing has fallen into the hands of Qing demons, and Tianjing has lost an important barrier, but our kingdom of heaven still has a vast territory and many people, and our strength is strong. In the past two years, the people of Sufu province have lived and worked in peace and contentment. .Many people ask me how Suffolk prospered, and I can tell you that governance in Suffolk took the form of a wedding today." All the guests in the auditorium were attracted by this sentence. Why is governing Sofuku the same as a wedding?Everyone listened with great interest. "Today's wedding, we have adopted the combination of the heavenly system and the ancient system. Governing Sufu Province is also a combination of the heavenly system and the ancient system. Everyone is equal, men and women are equal, there are fields and food, this It is the system of the kingdom of heaven; benevolence, lenient punishment, and etiquette are ancient systems. Combining the system of the kingdom of heaven and the ancient system, Sufu Province will be governed well." Qian Wang Hong Rengan was sitting there, hearing Li Xiucheng's remarks, he was very disturbed.The combination of the heavenly system and the ancient system of loyalty to the king not only violates the policy of the king of heaven, but also is far from the outline of the country he proposed in the new chapter of the senior minister.He worries about serious divisions at the highest levels of heaven. "To build the kingdom of heaven, we must first defend the kingdom of heaven. Now Zeng Yaotou has sent several troops in Anqing to attack our Tianjing. Li Yaotou relies on the power of foreigners to move around in Shanghai, and Zuo Yaotou is also harassing in Zhejiang. The situation remains dire." A guard came in and whispered something to King Zhong, and King Zhong's face immediately darkened. "Brothers and sisters, I just received information that the striker of the Qing demon Zeng Guoquan has arrived at Yuhuatai outside Jubao Gate." There was an uproar in the auditorium, and people talked a lot, and they were all surprised.It has been two full years since the Jiangnan camp was completely destroyed, and there is no more Qingyao outside Tianjing City.Although the front line was constantly bombarded every day, the city of Tianjing was peaceful and peaceful.Now it's time to fight another big battle, so why not make people nervous!Especially at the female guests' table on the right, it was even more noisy and chaotic. It was obvious that the wedding could not continue.King Zhong looked around and announced calmly: "The wedding is over, all the generals will follow me to the flower hall to discuss matters!"