The dusk is sinking, and as the sun sets below the horizon, the glow in the west is still bright, reflecting the busyness of the entire Partridge Pass. As the gate of the checkpoint slowly closed, business travelers who had not caught up with the pass had to stay in small hotels outside the pass, waiting to enter the customs early the next morning. The streets and alleys inside Partridge Pass were also filled with smoke, and the view from the top of the city was With the clouds and mist swirling around, both ordinary people and hotels and inns began to light fires and prepare dinner.
Partridge Inn is the largest hotel in Partridge Pass. It is located near the intersection not far from Jiaochang. It is extremely convenient in terms of location and environment. The words "Partridge Inn" are still written on a horizontal plaque on the street. It's quite ancient, probably a few years old. The store is not big, but there are quite a few courtyards behind the store. In addition to the spacious main courtyard, which is divided into two rows, there are also several quiet independent courtyards on both sides of the main courtyard. These are specially designed for passing big merchants and wealthy gentry. What we have prepared, although it is expensive, is full every day.
"Shopkeeper, please arrange a small courtyard for our lady." The middle-aged man came to stand next to the desk and said in a deep voice. The waiter had already greeted him and took the carriage to the backyard stable and the courtyard.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. It's such an unlucky time today. The courtyard is already full. Can you please rest in the upper room for the night?" The sophisticated shopkeeper has a more accurate vision than anyone else. He has already seen Since the other party has an extraordinary aura and is just a servant, the host's family is naturally even more extraordinary. But the inn is only so big, and whoever comes first will naturally have priority as long as he can afford it. right.
"How can that work? Shopkeeper, please think of a way, money is not a problem." The middle-aged man's face sank, and he said without anger, "How about I give you more money and see who can come up with it."
"Hey, uncle, don't say that. We are all away from home. We, the shopkeepers, don't dare to say that to our customers." The shopkeeper shook his head like a rattle and refused again and again. This is not a trivial matter. We all have to pay for accommodation. Store, who dares to let the customers who came first move out? Unless you don’t want to do business anymore.
The middle-aged man was also a little anxious. He also knew that it was a bit difficult to do so, but he couldn't let the young lady be in the same courtyard with other people. "Shopkeeper, please help me. I have to find a way no matter what. My young lady is not in good health." No, I like peace and quiet, what do you think if we pay three times the amount?"
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, something strange happened to me today. Just now, there were three people, a master, a maid and a servant. The master and servant asked for a courtyard that can accommodate more than a dozen people, but they have If the money is willing, no one can say anything, but now here comes another one, scratching his head, the shopkeeper is also a little helpless, "We collect the money according to the rules here, and we won't charge an extra penny. It's just that the small courtyard is gone, but There have just been three guests who booked a large courtyard, and I guess they won’t be able to stay there all the time, so why don’t I go and ask them to discuss it and see if we can—? But I don’t dare to guarantee whether it will work out or not.”
"Okay, I'll help you. If it doesn't work out, I wonder if you can ask the shopkeeper to help us find a place to stay for one night nearby. We'll give you more money." The middle-aged man also knew that the shopkeeper was telling the truth. No one wants to live with them.
"Hey, there is nothing I can do for this old man who is staying abroad. Now there are regulations in the garrison camp in the pass. Anyone who visits relatives and friends in the pass must report and register within the day of staying at a relative's home. If they are business travelers, they must stay in hotels and are not allowed to stay in the pass. Residents' homes." The old shopkeeper shook his head repeatedly, with a solemn look on his thin face, "If you are found to have violated the rules, you will be yoked for three days and fined."
"Oh?" The middle-aged man was surprised, "When was this a rule? I remember we passed here last year, why didn't we hear about it?"
"Hush, sir, please keep your voice down. This is a rule set by Mr. Li Wufeng, the Military and Political Envoy of the Northwest and Governor of Northern Luzon, after he took over our Partridge Pass. It is a measure taken to prevent the Taiping and rebellious parties from sneaking into our pass. I heard that many rebellious gangs have been arrested in our customs. If these Taiping rebellious gangs cause trouble in our customs, I don’t know how many villagers will be affected." The old shopkeeper obviously supports this approach, although The words were much softer, but the look on his face was very pleased.
"Oh, so that's it." The middle-aged man asked casually without revealing anything on his face: "Don't these garrison soldiers come to check every night?"
"Haha, the soldiers in the camp will not come to inspect. They are only responsible for city defense patrols and will not care about these things. But we have a police station in Partridge Pass, and the patrol officers will come to inspect every day." The old shopkeeper Thinking that the other party was worried about being harassed and extorted by the local military police, he said with a smile: "Don't worry, sir, our patrol police here are directly under the jurisdiction of Bonan Mansion over there, and their reputation is well-known. It is just a routine inspection, there will be no What trouble."
"Oh? When did Partridge Pass come under the jurisdiction of Bonan Mansion again? Isn't it the jurisdiction of Longdong?" the middle-aged man asked casually, while also thinking carefully in secret.
"That's not true. It's just that our Longdong Fucheng has been occupied by the Taiping rebels. All the original garrison officers and officials have fled. It was only after Master Li's army came and fought with the Taiping rebels that we were saved. It's safe here. No one is taking care of the security here right now, so some patrol policemen came from Bonan to help clean up the order here." The old shopkeeper is also quite talkative, and he can't stop talking when he talks. Absolutely.
"Oh, by the way, I have to go help the guest to discuss it with you. Sir, sit down slowly." After shaking for a while, the old man remembered that there were still things that had not been arranged properly, and he called the waiter to hurry up and help him. A few visitors made tea, and I quickly went.
After some twists and turns, the girl in snow clothes and her party finally moved into the large courtyard. Unexpectedly, although the other party could tell that he was not an ordinary person, he was very talkative and seemed to be a young female guest. After a brief inquiry, the other party readily agreed to the request.
After dinner, the girl in snow clothes was accompanied by the maid in green clothes to get some fresh air. She happened to meet the guest who lived in the same hospital and came back from the same hospital. Their eyes met each other. Although the two women were hiding their true colors, However, the mutually exclusive function of same-sex people still made the two girls feel the pressure brought by each other on them, especially since their incompatible grace and aura could not be hidden at all by the disguise drugs and facial masks used to cover up. In an instant, , the entire courtyard was so quiet that you could even hear a pin drop on the ground. The eyes sizing each other up seemed to be tangible, passing over each other's bodies in waves, and the air in the entire courtyard seemed to be filled with the squeeze of the two women's momentum. One ripple after another.
"Is this Miss Mu Er?" The clear, round and slightly magnetic voice sounded indescribably sweet to human ears, as if an iron had been pressed against the pores, which was extremely relaxing.
Somewhat surprised by the other party's proficiency in Tang language, the girl in snow clothes raised her eyebrows slightly, raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and a seductive smile appeared on her face: "That's right, my little sister. I wonder what I call my sister?"
Although the other party was wearing a veil and couldn't see his face clearly, the color of his exposed eyes could tell that he was not of pure Tang ethnic origin. However, after hundreds of years of ethnic integration in the empire, thousands of people from the central and western continents Immigrants came to settle in the Empire because they admired the empire's culture and frequent economic exchanges. Therefore, the number of white and mixed-race residents who have settled in the empire has reached about 30%. Being able to speak fluent Tang is not a big deal. thing. However, although the woman in front of her was proficient in Tang, her accent clearly had a foreign accent, which surprised her.
"Little sister Feiya." Sophia, who was dressed in purple, looked deeply at the girl in snow clothes and replied with a slight smile. Cleverly missing one word from the front of her name, Sophia smiled.
"Oh, Sister Feiya, I would also like to thank my sister for relieving the emergency, otherwise I really don't know what to do." The girl in snow clothes also chuckled, bowed and bowed deeply.
"Sister, you are too polite. We are all away from home. Who doesn't have an inconvenient time? It's a simple task, sister, please don't mention it again." Sophia's eyes moved, and she took two steps to help the girl in snow clothes who was saluting. She looked at her slender body. It looks a little thin up there.
"It's been a long night since I couldn't sleep. I feel like I've hit it off with my sister at first sight, and I want to talk to her. Why don't I come sit in my sister's room?" The girl in snow clothes also took advantage of the opportunity to get up, and then generously invited her.
"Well, okay, the journey has been long, and I haven't met anyone who can talk to me. My sister also wants to have a chat with her." Sophia readily accepted the other party's invitation, and the two girls showed humility to each other before entering. Enter the girl's room in snow clothes.
As soon as the fish candles on the four walls were lit, the room was immediately illuminated. Under the warm light, the two women smiled and whispered, seemingly in perfect harmony.
"Where did the girl come from?" The bright *** seemed to close the distance between the two of them. Sophia looked at the other party carefully under the light. The shopkeeper told her that there was a group of people like her, hoping to When they shared a courtyard with her, her curiosity was aroused. During this time of war and chaos, there was actually a female guest like herself embarking on this war-torn westbound trade road. She couldn't help but find it strange, and she had an idea. As soon as I saw the other party's thoughts, I readily agreed to the shopkeeper's request.
"Oh, my little sister has lived in Jiangchuan Mansion, Sanjiang County. This time she was entrusted by my father to celebrate the birthday of an uncle from Gaochang State. My father is old and in poor health. He can no longer withstand such a bumpy journey, and my brother is here. When doing business in Milan, it is usually difficult to return home, so only my little sister came to make this trip." The girl in snow clothes had already thought of her words, and calmly stated the purpose of her trip, "Where is sister? Now this It’s not peaceful at all, why did sister choose to go out at this time?”