The Tartars were in the north of the Central Plains. They were repelled by Dagan’s iron hoof decades ago. Since then, they have withdrawn from the Southern Desert. For many years, they have succumbed to the Central Plains and no longer invaded the border. The land is vast and barren, and the people live as nomads, with few settled places. Only the Oron River flows through the territory.
The capital of the Tatar kings was built in the middle reaches of the Oron River.
After nightfall, lights were lit in the tooth tent adorned with five-color silk ribbons, which looked like a huge lantern from a distance from the outside.
There are a few hills in the distance.
On one of the south-facing hillsides, a tall horse could be faintly seen, and beside the horse stood a woman wearing a Hu robe.
The maid came from a distance, and when she saw this slender figure, she almost burst into tears.
She finally calmed down, walked forward with a smile on her face, and happily shouted to the front: "Your Highness, it's getting late, and the wind is so strong at night, you can be careful not to blow your body. Let's go back to the tent!"
Shen Zhiyi stood still.
She looked at the southeastern homeland submerged by the misty smoke and deep purple darkness from a distance, and only asked: "Is there still no news?"
The north is cold, the climate is dry, and the wind and sand are heavy.
Without the feng shui of the Central Plains, her once charming cheeks will inevitably leave some traces of wind and frost. Although she is as beautiful as before, her once plump cheeks have lost a lot of weight, and they are still a bit fractal. feeling.
Just compared to the change in appearance, the most amazing thing is probably those eyes.
The deep twilight fell into her eyes like ink.
The vivid divine light of the past years has disappeared under the tempering of suffering, but it is like a dagger hidden in a sheath, with an unprecedented and forbidding edge!
The maid naturally knows what the princess has experienced over the years.
When they first entered the Xiongnu royal court, they had more than 20 palace servants.
However, in less than a year, only four remained. Those who left, some couldn't bear the hardships of Beimo to flee, some wanted to leave their homes thousands of miles away, and some were tortured and punished by the Tatar nobles and could not bear it...
On the surface, it looks like an extremely noble, imperial princess who has come to be with her;
But under the splendid crown, it is a cruel shackle!
It is not so much a princess of a dynasty, a Tatar princess, Moruo said that she was a prisoner who could not help herself.
The maid couldn't bear to reveal the news from outside, she just walked up and gently tugged at the princess' sleeve and said, "The secret letter has only been sent out soon, presumably even if they reach the border, those people will not dare to act without authorization, and they must be sent to the capital to report it. Only after the sage can decide. You are the princess of Dagan, the blood of the royal family, the sage and the empress dowager will definitely order to send troops to attack the Xiongnu and save you!"
Will you save her
Shen Zhiyi's gaze fell. In the late autumn, the trees were withered and yellow, and the grass was dying. She only looked at the grass under her feet that had been gnawed by the horses. She bent down and picked up a rotting grass root from the yellow and black soil. , smiled sharply.
The peonies in the Forbidden City are carefully managed by people, and they cannot be blown by wind or rained.
The wild grass in Mobei is deeply rooted in the barren soil, abandoning its delicate color and placing itself low, just to find an inch of soil to survive in the dry and cold invasion.
With the breeze blowing, the fingers are already cold.
She looked at the grass roots and let out a long sigh: "I used to think that turning into a piece of grass would one day wait until spring comes. But this autumn or winter, it's too long, too long... "
In the distance, an evening horn blew by the tooth tent.
In the bleak wind, it was like a long whimper.
The last bit of light on the hillside disappeared, and Shen Zhiyi's figure finally merged with the boundless darkness, regardless of each other.
On the night of his departure, Jiang Xuening had a nightmare.
She dreamed that she was standing on the high wall of the capital, the faces of the people around her were blurred, and the voices were one after another, noisy and indistinguishable, she seemed to be trying to distinguish something from it.
It was a cry from the end of the long street.
The snow-white ceremonial guard is like a thin river, gradually approaching, and a grand and solemn coffin floats silently on this river.
She was on the city wall, clearly separated that far, but she could see it clearly.
So, at this moment of seeing clearly, the city wall under his feet suddenly collapsed.
She fell from a height, and in panic, she shouted in a panic, "Don't—"
The man suddenly sat up from the bed, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but the hazy and paradoxical feeling in the dream still lingered in his body.
She got up and opened the window and looked outside.
This time, the sky in the south of the Yangtze River was bright.
A solitary lamp hangs in the hallway.
Xiebaiju was originally located in Wuyi Alley, and there were no merchants nearby. At this time, there were neither common people who worked hard nor merchants who woke up early and turned into the dark, so it was quiet and isolated from the world like an island.
Today we are going to leave for the border.
Jiang Xuening didn't know what her dream heralded, and was unwilling to speculate whether everyone in the world had their own destiny. She only knew that if she wanted to change, she had no choice but to keep moving forward.
Even if you seek skin with a tiger, make a fool of yourself for the tiger!
At the end of Mao Shi, the two maids carried the luggage, and Jiang Xuening went out from Xiebaiju.
A carriage had stopped outside the door just in time.
The sky will be bright.
Standing beside the carriage was neither a sword nor a sword book, but Lu Xian in a literati gown.
This profiteer from the capital has knowledge and insight that his peers cannot match. Even though he is full of philistine calculations, he looks elegant and polite on the face, which makes the uninformed see the heartbreak.
When Jiang Xuening saw him, his footsteps stopped.
Lv Xian met her yesterday outside Xie Wei's door in the annex. At this moment, he bowed his hands in salute and said with a smile, "Miss Ning doesn't seem very happy when she sees Lu."
Jiang Xuening didn't have much opinion on him, but it was very unpleasant to chat with Xie Wei yesterday.
She never wanted to be held on her head to do things.
Although the accounts of the big and small have been sorted out, in order to save the princess, he has indeed made plans to give his entire net worth, but these plans do not include being threatened.
But Xie Wei chose to use the eldest princess as a threat.
Therefore, it is not so happy to see the first dog-headed military division under Xie Wei's command.
Her attitude was not enthusiastic, and she only returned the courtesy: "Yesterday, Fangyin has been told to stay in Jiangnan, and if Boss Fan Lu has any business, she will take care of it. All things are complicated, although the industry is not large, with hundreds of thousands of cash in cash. But I can get it. Boss Lu should be too busy right now, come here in person today, is there something that doesn't match up with the accounts, and can you give me some advice?"
Lu Xian shook his head: "Not really."
It should be known that he appeared here at the moment, but even Xie Wei was hiding it.
Jiang Xuening raised his eyebrows: "Oh?"
Lu Xian looked at her and said, "I'm here to support you."
What's the matter
Jiang Xuening was confused.
It's just that she is going north today, and she and Xie Wei agreed to meet outside Jinling City on the second day of the first day of the first day of the first day, but there is not much time to waste.
She asked, "Long story short?"
Lu Xian was startled: "It's a long story."
Jiang Xuening waved his hand and said, "I have to hurry, so please ask Boss Lu to get in the car and talk while walking."
Lu Xian: "..."
Looking at the carriage, his face almost turned green, as if he was not looking at a sturdy and spacious carriage, but at a death row.
Jiang Xuening wondered: "Boss Lu won't come up?"
Lu Xian held down his throbbing eyelids, gritted his teeth, and thought that he might not be so unlucky. When he turned around and was caught, he closed his eyes and followed him into the carriage.
The two sat opposite each other.
Jiang Xuening instructed the driver to go outside the city first, then turned to Lu Xian and said, "Boss Lu, what is your support?"
Lu Xian put his fingers on his knees, but looked Jiang Xuening up and down.
After a long while, she said, "Miss Ning has been selling silk, transporting salt, and traveling all over the years. Have you ever heard of a place called 'Yin County'?"
As Lu Xian said, Jiang Xuening has been to many places over the years.
The map of the Central Plains is basically engraved in the mind.
It is a small place in Ningbo, Zhejiang.
She thought about it and said, "I heard it, but I haven't been there."
Lu Xian's face showed a bit of memory, and he said with a slight smile: "To be honest, Lu Xian visited this place when he was studying. The folk customs are simple and the countryside is safe. It's just that many years ago, this place When I took office as a county magistrate, there was an unwritten rule for collecting taxes over the years. The common people paid taxes and wrote their names on white paper and put them in the box; , also into the box."
Jiang Xuening frowned slightly when she heard this.
Although she didn't know why Lu Xian said these things, the common people and the wealthy households of the country gentry paid taxes and used different colored papers to distinguish them.
Sure enough, Lv Xian continued: "If you pay taxes on red paper, the government should act according to the law; but if you pay taxes on white paper, the government officials will ask the people to collect more money on top of the taxes set by the court, which is called giving Officials and gentlemen have worked hard for tea, at first only 10% more, and later they will give 20%.”
Jiang Xuening said: "The dog officer is bold enough."
Lv Xian laughed: "Yes, you are a jerk. So as time goes by, the tax will be heavier, and the people will be unhappy. So there will be a commotion, and the crowd will gather to petition. There happened to be a person who knew the language and could read the words passing by. Here, knowing that what the government had done was against the law, they wrote a complaint for them. A group of people led by this person went from the countryside to the city, went to the yamen, and asked the government to abolish the distinction between red paper and white paper, and settle the grain tax. "
Jiang Xuening said: "The government has soldiers, it is easy for the people to make troubles, but it may not be easy to get things done. This gentleman has to read and know the law, and he has to be more busy.
Lu Xian glanced at her, and his smile faded a little.
He only said: "That's right. It's nothing more than a bunch of village husbands who asked people to write a petition. How could the county magistrate take them seriously? As the saying goes, kill chickens to show the monkeys. , I was charged with the crime of ''gathering a crowd'. I ordered the court that gathering a crowd is a serious crime, and at the least, it should be sentenced to death."
Jiang Xuening frowned.
She already felt that Lu Xian's storytelling was second, and that this person might be the main point.
Eyeballs rolled, she said, "Is this the person you are talking about yourself?"
Lu Xian shook his head suddenly, and said, "Lu Xian is an ordinary person who seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages. It's too late to hide in such a situation. Where would he go to this muddy water?"
Jiang Xuening was noncommittal: "What happened later?"
Lv Xian said: "This person asked for orders for the common people, and was suddenly sentenced to be executed. Who wouldn't be angry in the countryside? In addition, in a disaster year, domestic and foreign troubles, and in a rage, a large number of people gathered into the city and besieged the county government. Not to mention that he rescued the person, he also pulled the county magistrate from the hall, beat him, and escorted him to the outside of the Chenghuang Temple. Burned."
As the so-called is, poor mountains and bad waters make troublesome people.
The folk customs are simple and not false, and the agility is also true.
Jiang Xuening said: "This is a big disaster."
Lu Xian sighed lightly, "Who said no? Every piece of it is the crime of Xiaoshou, and burning the county government office is equivalent to treason. The county magistrate did this, naturally it was useless. The governor's yamen soon dispatched a new county magistrate named Zhou Guangqing. Ning Er girl has been to Ningbo, and she should know that this person is now an official to the prefect, and she is quite capable. "
Jiang Xuening was curious: "How does he solve it?"
Lu Xian said: "When Zhou Guangqing takes office, first call these troubled villagers to ask them one by one, do they want to rebel?"
Jiang Xuening's heart was slightly cold.
Lv Xian sneered: "The villagers are full of anger, and they calm down to realize that burning the county government is a crime of treason. How dare they admit it? They just wanted to settle the grain tax. In front of Zhou Guangqing, they denied it repeatedly. Zhou Guangqing asked the clear reason, but he asked with a stern voice, the yamen was on fire, and they still screamed
The villagers do not know the law, and burning the yamen is a momentary insolence, but with a knife on the neck, who can not be greedy for life and fear death
Jiang Xuening had already expected this result.
She said: "Coaxing and scare, it's effortless like this, and the matter is settled."
Lu Xian sneered: "More than that! Zhou Guangqing has been an official for many years, and he knows very well that as an official, he needs to govern the people, but he can pay taxes from the people. If he wants to prosecute the crimes of so many people, he is afraid that the officials will force the people to rebel. The idea, saying, the matter is so big, the imperial court will definitely send imperial officials to investigate. If you are afraid, you might as well get rid of yourself first, and write a letter to the county government to declare that you have not entered the city to make trouble. He also said that you should immediately pacify them. After paying the grain tax, I want them to pay this year’s grain tax as soon as possible to prove that they have no objection. In this way, the imperial government sent officers and soldiers to investigate, but also to capture the thief and capture the king, only to arrest the leader, but not them.”
At this point, he stopped for a while.
Jiang Xuening admired it very much: "Divided and turned them, even cutting and beating. It's a pity that this nosy, I'm afraid of bad luck."
Lv Xian listened to the sound of the wheel rolling over the ground, and the sound of the bustling street market, and smiled lightly: "Within seven days, hundreds of submissions for dissociation were handed over to Zhou Guangqing's table, and Chen and No trouble, obeyed the dispatch, obeyed the laws, paid taxes as usual, and made a clear line with the 'leader'. This person has been rescued and disappeared. The government posted a notice for this person, offering a reward of 300 taels, not allowed Hide and call the villagers to report their whereabouts to the government.”
Jiang Xuening was silent.
Suddenly, I felt a bit sad: "The people support their families, who can not back down in the face of life and death? It's just human nature. It's just that this person has helped them in the end, shouldn't he report it to the government?"
Lu Xian laughed loudly and said, "Miss Ning has already said that this is human nature. In this way, money and silk are moving in front of people's hearts, and if you can't catch someone, the matter will not end in one day, how can you not blame it again? To the villagers? Within three days, someone reported it to the government."
Jiang Xuening was speechless.
Lu Xian said leisurely: "It's just that this person was not arrested by the officials and soldiers sent by the government in the end, he came to submit the case himself."
Jiang Xuening was suddenly stunned.
This was a big surprise to her: "How could it be?"
Lu Xian said, "I thought the same way back then, how could it be?"
It was a sunny afternoon.
In the county town, everything is as usual, bustling.
Lv Xian was in the inn, thinking about writing a poem, when suddenly he heard a police officer running across the street, shouting as he ran, saying that he was the chief culprit who gathered a crowd to rebel, and he came to surrender himself and went to the county office.
All of a sudden, the streets were empty.
When the villagers heard it, they all went.
The gate of the reconstructed county government office was crowded with people, and the spectators were blocked.
Zhou Guangqing sat high in the hall.
Lu Xian squeezed into the crowd, but looked down the hall.
He has always had nothing to do with himself, he just wanted this person to get involved in the game, soaked in mud, he was already stupid enough, and now he has surrendered himself, I wonder what kind of bookworm and reckless man he is
However, when he saw it clearly, he was shocked.
He was standing at the foot of the hall, dressed in a snow-white Taoist robe, standing tall and straight.
Where is the half-mob gangster attitude
Only five points of composure, five points of calm calm, although standing in a dangerous yamen and being witnessed by everyone, there is no half-point of anxiety and unease.
On the other hand, looking at the surrounding villagers, all eyes dodged and their faces were ashamed.
That day was the trial conducted by Zhou Guangqing himself.
Lu Xian thought that Zhou Guangqing should be like himself, and he still remembers that day freshly: "This person has confessed to what he did. Although Zhou Guangqing made this plan to divide people's hearts, he did not expect this person to be himself. Surrendered. At that time, I probably felt that a man should be like this, and he couldn't help but appreciate his words, saying that he was doing things by himself, but he looked at the villagers for a long time, and everyone didn't dare to look directly at them and lowered their heads. This person is still calm Very, I can't see joy or anger. Then, I said a word."
Jiang Xuening was a little fascinated, and subconsciously asked, "What did you say?"
The wind blew the curtains of the car, and pedestrians passed by outside.
Lu Xian's eyes fell out of the window. When he recalled this incident, it seemed like a dream, and he only said: "He said, the world is fixed, and I will cook it!"
The world is fixed, I must cook it!
In the history books, Han Xin once said when he was at the end of the road: if the cunning rabbit dies, the lackey will cook it;
It is the bustling world for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world for profit.
People turn their backs, and they can change in an instant.
Jiang Xuening pondered and was speechless.
Lu Xian said, "What does Ning Er girl think of this person?"
Jiang Xuening stared at him for a while and said, "Boss Lu is from Chen Youshi, and he is a talented person. There are not many people in the world who can make you look up to him. I don't know, Mr. Xie still has this past story. "
She had guessed it.
Lu Xian couldn't help sighing.
Jiang Xuening was very indifferent: "But what does this have to do with me?"
Lu Xian stared at her, and only recalled Xie Wei's unusual appearance in the past two years. After a long time, he said, "Lu, who was born in the imperial examination in the old years, was a jinshi, but was willing to serve under Xie Ju'an's command. Does the girl know why?"
Jiang Xuening said: "It's not because he may not always win, but he won't lose anyway?"
Lu Xian was stunned at first, and then laughed out loud and said, "That's not bad."
Jiang Xuening chuckled lightly.
But Lu Xian continued, "It's not just that."
Jiang Xuening said: "Is it possible that you still respect his character?"
Lu Xian was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "You may or may not believe it. The reason why I served my life is not only because of his strength, but also like a drowning person on the road, wanting to pull a hand."
Drowning man, pull a hand
What a ruthless means for the surnamed Xie, where do you need the mercy of others
Jiang Xuening felt that Lu Xian had a hole in his head.
Lu Xian said: "I came here, but I just think, the world is like a furnace, and the world is like purgatory. Xie Ju'an is struggling, but he is just a poor person. This journey to the border is unpredictable. Although the book is there, Lu knows that it may not be useful. Therefore, I sincerely ask Ning Er, who is a bodhisattva, to give him a hand."
This is an ordinary entrustment, but it sounds rather heavy.
Jiang Xuening didn't understand the deep meaning: "What accident could happen?"
Lu Xian only hoped that the clues in the past two years were his own worries, but he couldn't make it clear to Jiang Xuening, he just said, "I hope Lu will think more."
After he finished speaking, he heard a shout from the driver outside: "The city gate is here."
He was shocked and almost jumped up and hit the roof of the car. He fell down and said in remorse, "It's broken, it's broken!"
Jiang Xuening was at a loss: "What's wrong?"
Without a word, Lu Xian lifted the curtain of the car and was about to drill out.
However, the carriage had stopped by this time.
The gate of Jinling City is in front of you.
Xie Wei's carriage waited quietly under the city wall.
He stood beside the car in a pale green robe, stared at Lu Xian who got out of Jiang Xuening's car, his pupils shrank slightly, and then glanced at Jiang Xuening in the car, a smear was pulled out from the originally expressionless face. Laughing, he only said lightly to Lu Xian, "You seem to be very busy?"
Lu Xian's hair stood on end!
The person got out of the car, almost like a conditioned reflex, and immediately said, "Miss Ning invited me to get on the carriage!"
Jiang Xuening: "..."
No, although it was the car I asked you to get in, does it matter
Before she could react, she was about to say "Yes", but she turned her head and met Xie Wei's eyes.
For some reason, he was shivering in a cold war all over his body.
At that moment, her intuition of danger made her subconsciously deny taking the blame: "No, it was Boss Lu who said he had something to call me!"
Lu Xian: ? ? ? ?
Can't believe what I heard!
He instantly turned his head and glared at Jiang Xuening—
How can you just throw the blame, this motherfucker will have a life lawsuit, okay
However, Xie Wei's gaze had already drifted back to him at this time: "Lu Xian?"
Lu Xian: "..."
It's not someone who is a girl, but also a fucking vinegar jar. Please stop shouting, call your grandfather again and I will die on the spot for you to see!