The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

"That's great! We sailors are just fine rowing in the water. Asking them to drive a carriage is indeed unprofessional."Tao Liao said happily. The two Murong soldiers took the whips and sat in the driving position of the carriage. Xiaohua and Xiaocao's faces were filled with happy smiles. The two sisters held hands and got into the first carriage. Tao Liao and Si Two soldiers got into the second carriage. The two Murong soldiers flicked their horse whips one after another, and two crisp"pa, pa" sounds came from the open space. The two carriages drove towards the seaside, one behind the other. The two carriages drove towards the seaside. A Murong soldier was familiar with the road, and the two carriages would soon reach the seaside. The dock was right in front of him, and the two boats that came were still moored at the dock. Suddenly there was a"clack-clack" of horse hooves behind the carriage, and Tao Liao shouted With:"Stop! parking!"

"Call!"The two Murong soldiers stopped their respective carriages. Tao Liao got off the carriage at the back and looked behind him. It turned out to be two women dressed as Huns. The horses were very fast and they arrived at the carriage in a blink of an eye. The two Huns The woman got off the horse. Tao Liao looked at the two Huns women. They were both under forty years old and looked okay.

Tao Liao hesitated and asked,"Where are you from? Was he passing by?"

"Are you Master Tao from Jiangnan? We are the servants of the inn, and we are here to dress the two brides."The Hun maid who was close to Tao Liao said. Another maid added:"We have been at this inn for five or six years. A few days ago we went back to our hometown in Tiefu to visit our parents. As soon as we came back today, we were sent by Brother Murong.

Hearing what the two maids said, Tao Liao was overjoyed:"Yes, yes, we just lack people to dress up the bride, so let's go to the beach together!""

Tao Liao got on the second carriage again, and the two Hun maids also got on their horses. Soon the two carriages and the two horses arrived at the pier by the sea. Hearing the sound of horse hooves, the little leader guarding the pier took a few A soldier came over. The other soldiers went to patrol other parts of the dock. The two carriages stopped. Tao Liao got off first, and the others also got off the carriage. The little leader joked with Tao Liao:" Mr. Tao, today we are going to marry our two daughters to the Murong brothers. Are you happy or sad?"

"You asked this question well, I am really happy and sad at the same time."Tao Liao said. The little leader added:"Some of my brothers are in their twenties, and they haven't gotten married yet. Next time I come to Liaodong, remember to bring more beauties from the south of the Yangtze River!"

"sure! In life, sometimes it is fate that brings two people together. If we have no chance of meeting each other, we will meet each other thousands of miles away."Tao Liao said with a smile. The little boss and the soldiers at the dock stood in a line on the east side. The soldiers Tao Liao brought also stood in a line on the west side. Tao Liao handed the red hijab and wedding clothes to the two The Hun maids and others were waiting at the pier. The two Hun maids each held the hands of Xiaohua and Xiaocao and slowly walked towards the wooden bridge on the pier. After passing the wooden bridge, there were two large ships tied to the seaside. One maid came to the east boat with Xiaohua, and the other came to the west boat with Xiaocao.

Another sound of horse hoofbeats came from the north of the pier. Everyone looked back and saw two handsome and dashing Xianbei grooms coming. Tao Liao's entourage became Hui, Wu Fu and four sailors also rode their horses to the dock together. Murong Shan and Murong Shui dismounted one after another. They came to Tao Liao and kowtowed to Tao Liao, shouting:"Father!" My son-in-law is so polite! Tao

Liao pulled the two people up and said,"Today is a happy day for the four of you. The two brides are on a boat by the sea, and the boat is their natal home." Two grooms are going back to marry their two beautiful brides. Are they going to go back in a carriage or on horseback?!"

"Foster father, we Xianbei people are a nation on horseback and have always been informal. When I looked back, I asked the two newcomers to get on our respective horses and let the soldiers clear the way in front, and the four of us followed. You and others get on the bus and ride the horses."Murong Shan said. Tao Liao thought for a moment and said,"Okay, do as the Romans do. That's not bad!"

"Two brides, your groom has come to marry you, please come ashore quickly!"Tao Liao shouted toward the boat. After a while, two Hun maids walked out of the cabins of the two boats, each holding small flowers and grass. The people on the shore saw two people whose faces could not be seen. The bride covered with a red hijab. Supported by two Hun maids, Xiaohua walked in front and Xiaocao followed. The soldiers on both sides were applauding and cheering. The two brides came to Tao Liao and gave them to Tao Liao one after another. Liao saluted. Tao Liao looked at the Murong brothers, then at the two brides, and said happily:"The bride is getting married!"

Murong Shan came over and helped Xiao Hua onto his horse. Xiao Cao was also attracted by Murong. Shui helped him get on the horse. The Murong brothers were elated, let alone their joy. Then Murong Shan and Murong Shui also got on the horse. The two brothers each looked at the beloved woman on the horse and couldn't help but kiss her. , the people on the pier couldn’t stop laughing. Xiaohua and Xiaocao had their backs pressed against their chests with Murong Shan and Murong Shui respectively. Except for Tao Liao, everyone else also got on the carriage. Tao Liao said to the little boss at the pier:"At noon I must come to have a wedding banquet with my brothers!"

"Mr. Tao, there are often thieves at the beach these days, so I won’t do it today. After waiting for a few days, let the Murong brothers hold a special wedding banquet for us!"The little boss said. Tao Liao replied:"That's fine, I won't force it. Thank you!"

Tao Liao said, bowed deeply to the soldiers at the dock, and then got on the carriage.

The wedding carriage and horses left the dock and headed to the inn to the north. Soldiers on horseback, two pairs of bride and groom, two carriages He and other people on horseback returned to the open space to the south of the tent. The two Hun maids got off their horses skillfully, and then tied their horses to the pine trees. After hearing the noise, the two cooks who were busy in the tent also came out to take a look. It was lively. Two Hun maids came to Murong Shan and Murong Shui's horses, and helped Xiao Hua and Xiao Cao off the horses. One maid held Xiao Hua in front, and Murong Shan followed, walking to the east tent. The other maid Carrying Xiaocao, Murong Shui followed and walked to the west tent. Tao Liao smiled with Cheng Hui and Wu Fu and sent Xiaohua into the east tent first. Then he quickly returned to the west tent, Xiaocao and Murong Shui was still waiting at the entrance of the tent on the west side. Seeing Tao Liao coming, she supported Xiao Cao's maid, and walked into the tent with Xiao Cao and Murong Shui.