Chang'an Avenue is narrow and slanted, with green cattle, white horses and seven fragrant chariots.
The jade chariot criss-crossed the main building, and the golden whips flowed towards the Hou family.
In the early morning of late autumn, the first ray of sky passes over the high Mingde Gate outside Chang'an City, and spreads on the wide and square blue bricks of Zhuque Avenue, reflecting a layer of white frost.
The horse's hooves slowly passed through the mist, and gradually approached from a distance, reflecting the tall and straight figure of the man on the horse.
He is about twenty years old, with dark complexion, firm outline, sharp and bright eyebrows and eyes. Nowadays, it is rare for Han men to have such a straight nose, and his lips are always slightly pursed habitually, so that although his profile is handsome, it is a bit indifferent and sharp.
It was cold in the late autumn morning in the north, and he was only wearing a coarse monk's robe, as if he didn't feel the chill at all. The shoulders, arms, and back under the thin black material are strong, and with the bumps of the horse, the tight muscle lines are slightly raised.
A long sword was tightly wrapped in gray and white cloth strips and tied obliquely to his back.
——Although the cloth strips have been cracked and faded due to the long-distance travel, it looks dilapidated and inconspicuous, but people with discerning eyes can see the hidden sword aura around the long sword, like a glimmering blue light in the dark night, exuding awe-inspiring chill.
The sound of hoofbeats stopped suddenly, and the man raised his head.
The vermilion gate with glazed eaves, and the lacquered gold characters on the plaque are clearly visible through the mist.
— Xie Mansion.
The man got off his horse and stood under the steps for a moment, his back was as vigorous and silent as a black rock.
It wasn't until Wuyun Taxue finally snorted impatiently and pressed his mouth against his back shoulder that the man let out a long breath, stepped forward and knocked on the door knocker.
Shaoqing's side door squeaked, the porter poked his head out, and bowed his hands respectfully: "This master is..."
"I beg to see the master here, please inform me."
The concierge looked at the man up and down, and saw that he was untidy but described as powerful, so he didn't say anything, but asked with a smile: "Dare to ask your name, do you have a greeting card?"
The man hesitated for a moment.
Then he slowly lowered the long sword behind his back and handed it to the porter, saying in a deep voice, "This is my greeting card..."
After a pause, he said again: "I am exempting you from the list of your surnames, the single name is Chao."
The porter was full of doubts, but he didn't show it. He bowed and turned around. After a while, the side door opened again, and this time a maid in a crimson gauze dress in her twenties came out.
Shan Chao was slightly surprised, and only listened to the maid calmly said: "Your Majesty, please follow me."
This is the second time that Shan Chao stepped into Xie's mansion.
The irony is that Xie Mansion, one of the most popular places in Chang'an City, with countless daily visitors and horses and horses gathering, and those with lower official ranks who want to peek at the door but are not allowed to enter, Shan Chao, a commoner, came in through the main entrance of Zhu Hong twice. of.
It was still too early at this time, and the air in the garden was cold and fresh, and the moss and white frost on the path were slippery; bamboos were green on both sides of the Chaoshou veranda, and large chrysanthemums of various colors bloomed in the green jade pots under the veranda. The maid was extremely graceful, but she just led the way in silence, passed through a curtain of flowers and a moon gate, and finally heard the sound of warm water gurgling past amidst the drizzling birdsong in the distance.
Shan Chao looked around and found that this turned out to be the inner courtyard of Xie Mansion.
The maid suddenly stopped and blessed herself:
"Commander, the Shanlang people brought it."
Shan Chao paused in astonishment.
I saw a hot spring built with white jade in the garden in front of me, and it was steaming, and Xie Yun was sitting in it with his back to him!
"Well," Xie Yun said casually, with a lazy and hoarse voice: "Tea."
The maid left without saying a word, and Shan Chao stood stiffly on the spot.
From his angle, he could only see Xie Yun leaning against the edge of the hot spring, his long hair was casually tied in a bundle hanging outside, and only his thin and strong shoulders were exposed on the water. The sky was dim in the early morning, and it was hard to see which was more crystal clear, the skin on the back shoulder or the white marble pool wall, so Shan Chao hurriedly looked away.
"What are you here for?" Xie Yun asked lazily.
"..." Shan Chao's Adam's apple slid up and down, and he said hoarsely for a long time:
"I think since the sky is big and the earth is big, if I go wherever I want, I can naturally come to Chang'an Xie Mansion, so..."
Xie Yun interrupted him, "You can also go back to Mobei."
Shan Chao's mind was a little confused, his eyes were at a loss, and even the base of his tongue felt slightly numb.
It felt so weird.
He bit the tip of his tongue inconspicuously, and while the smell of iron permeated the air, the tingling pain finally woke up his mind.
"I went all the way from the north to the south of the Yangtze River. I didn't need paperwork to enter the country and leave the city. There was always someone to meet me along the way, and someone even fed the horses when I stayed at night. Sometimes I went wrong in the wilderness, and I could still see the horseshoes and road signs left by the imperial guards. , the red rope is tied to the tree and points to the official road, and you can follow it directly to the front of the outer city of Chang'an... "
Shan Chao paused, and said in a deep voice: "So I think, someone should want me to come to the capital."
Xie Yun finally laughed, and turned his head to look at Shan Chao mockingly. His skin color was almost transparent in the steaming heat, but his eyelashes were extremely dark because of the tiny water droplets: "You are passionate. You go to the Yangtze River to throw water Or hang yourself in Mobei, no one will stop you."
The ring pendant jingled, and the maid in the crimson dress led a few little maids over, holding tea, snacks, gold plate bath towels and other things.
The name of the dim sum was not recognized at all, only three of them were placed on a plate, the pink and white crystal celadon jade bowls were as delicate as flower petals, at first glance they could not be recognized as edible. The tea was emerald green, refreshing and mellow. Shan Chao felt his mouth was dry and he drank two or three bowls before stopping. Putting on the cloth robe in a snap, he casually threw the towel to the maid.
"How did you feel along the way?" Xie Yun asked.
Shan Chao looked away from his back, staring at the bright green leaves under the tea bowl: "... I have thought a lot, but I mainly want to understand one thing."
"Oh?"
"That day in the Temple of Mercy..."
The big maid at the side waved her hand and dismissed the little maids.
"...The ancestral snow lotus in Liu Ge's old mansion is not a lie. It is indeed there, but it was stolen. And the next day, three people drank the poisonous sour fruit soup. You and the prince both had poisonous attacks. Not because I drink the least."
Shan Chao said slowly: "—It's because I ate the snow lotus in Liu Ge's old mansion."
There is a couch in the small pavilion next to the hot spring, and the maid spreads white fox fur as a cushion. Xie Yun didn't even look at Shan Chao: "Oh, where did you eat?"
"Late at night on Zhongzheng Street, you gave me a bowl of hot tea. The snow lotus flower must have been dissolved in the water. As for the number one oiran of Jinyan Tower, it was you..."
"People don't live long if they think too much." Xie Yun interrupted him: "If you have time to think about the oiran, why not think about something useful."
This is simply unreasonable, and I just don't want to listen to Shan Chao asking why. The corner of Shan Chao's mouth twitched slightly, and he said kindly: "Yes, I didn't think about the oiran, but I thought about you, Master—"
"... what do you miss me?"
This time it was finally Xie Yun's turn to be surprised. Shan Chao narrowed his eyes, and raised the jade cup in his hand chicly: "I was thinking, Master, you have a golden house and a white horse, and you enjoy the romance, so you lived in the bitter cold of Mobei for several years, and you actually suffered a lot in your heart, didn't you? "
Xie Yun laughed, then raised his hand and ordered Dan Chao in the air.
That action was very playful, it seemed a bit unwilling and helpless, and a bit reprimanding, Shan Chao suddenly felt a subtle elation.
However, before he finished his breath, Xie Yun suddenly pulled off his belt and waved his arms—
The soft ribbon whistled like a wind, and rolled towards his head like a spirit snake. Before Shan Chao could react, he was wrapped around his throat like lightning, and pulled hard!
-boom!
The hot spring water splashed everywhere, and Shan Chao didn't even have time to make a sound, so he fell headfirst into the water!
"Gululu..." Shan Chao struggled up from the bottom of the water, spat in embarrassment, and glared at Xie Yun.
Xie Yun stood beside the Baiyu Pond with his arms folded, his condescending eyes full of teasing: "You are welcome, apprentice. This water is directly brought in by a pipe dug in the Palace Zhonghua Qing Pond. It is said that prolonging life can cure all diseases, so you just take a good soak in it." Will."
"..." Shan Chao said angrily, "I'm not sick..."
"But you are dirty," Xie Yun said.
Coming to the capital from the wind and dust in the south of the Yangtze River, Shan Chao, who had never had a room in an inn before taking a bath, suddenly became speechless.
Xie Yun turned around and left.
"Wait!" Shan Chao suddenly said, "What did you just say? You called me apprentice—"
Xie Yun said: "If you knelt down and called grandpa, I can still call you grandson. Do you want to try?"
Shan Chao was speechless immediately, and Xie Yun drifted away without turning his head.
The maid has already laid out a soft couch in the small pavilion, lighted the aromatherapy, and placed a few plates of snacks with her own hands. Xie Yun lay prone on the white fox fur comfortably, and the maid massaged and massaged the back of his neck and shoulders, her technique was extremely skillful, and she followed the meridians all the way, obviously specially trained.
Shan Chao soaked in the hot spring water and watched quietly, only to hear the maid whisper softly: "The commander's meridians are condensed, with many knots, and seem to be very damaged. It's better not to use force as much as possible recently."
Xie Yun let out a "huh" and said after a while: "The key point."
The maid strengthened her hand, and it took about half a cup of tea, and Xie Yun said vaguely: "Focus on it."
In the early morning, the breeze passes through the pavilions, the light gauze rises in the water pavilions, and the warm fragrance wafts.
The maid noticed that Xie Yun's breathing was gradually calming down, so she stopped her hands, stood up, and walked away lightly.
"..."
Shan Chao was soaking in the hot spring, looking at the lush and lush garden in front of him, the exquisite and elegant water pavilion, and Xie Yun who was lying on the soft fox fur couch and sleeping peacefully not far away, he suddenly had a particularly absurd and unreal feeling. a feeling of.
He imagined that there would be several possibilities when he came to Xie's mansion to ask for an interview. The worst was to be locked up directly, and the best was to force his way in, ask a few words, and then be driven out by Xie Yun to sleep on the street.
In any case, it would not be like this, staying in the hot spring in the inner courtyard of Xie Mansion, watching the commander of the imperial army just a few steps away, and just fell asleep so casually.
Shan Chao stood up and walked to the edge of the pool, crossed the jade wall as quietly as possible, and threw the wet monk's robe on the ground. The gold plate brought by the little maid just now and the bath towels and robes seemed to be clean, so Shan Chao wiped a few hastily and got dressed, and suddenly felt that the meridians and acupoints all over his body were indeed stretched, giving him an indescribable comfort.
He walked up to the water pavilion, Xie Yun didn't move, and let out a deep breath on the couch.
Shan Chao had no doubt that if an assassin suddenly appeared in the garden to take Xie Yun's life, Xie Yun would wring the assassin's head off and throw it on the ground before the guards arrived.
However, at least at this moment, the commander of the imperial army is sleeping very peacefully, and there may be a little fatigue that is hard to detect.
Shan Chao didn't know what he was thinking, and he didn't even realize what he was doing. By the time he realized it, he had already stepped forward and stood by the side of the couch, stretched out his hands to press the meridian on Xie Yun's back shoulder and began to massage.
——Shan Chao has never learned massage, but martial arts practitioners have strong hands, and the internal force is infiltrated into the meridians under the skin through the palm, producing a slightly warm touch, and the astringent and damaged meridians also follow the internal force Infuse and slowly stretch out.
Xie Yun let out a low whisper.
The commander of the imperial army was not physically strong, or Shan Chao didn't realize until then that he was thinner than ordinary people. His muscles were not stretched at all, and they were thin against his bones. Because of his thinness, he had a slender and graceful appearance.
Shan Chao pressed down a little bit along the spine to the side of the waist, and stopped at the deepest part of the waistline.
"Hmm..." Xie Yun stretched long, and said hoarsely, "The service was good."
He got up to stay on the bed, and Shan Chao also retreated to the side. For some reason, his footsteps were a little hasty, and he almost knocked over the white porcelain flower pouch in the corner of the waterside pavilion.
"how?"
"...it's nothing," Shan Chao took a deep breath, and said coldly, "it's right for an apprentice to serve the master."
Xie Yun paid him a smirk: "Even if you become the emperor one day, you should serve me."
Shan Chao didn't know what to say. Fortunately, Xie Yun didn't continue on such a rebellious topic. He straightened his clothes, walked out of the waterside pavilion without looking back, beckoned to the maid and said: "Go get a carriage and horse, and prepare a suit for the monk to go out."
The maid took the order and left, Shan Chao said in amazement: "Go...what are you doing?"
"Follow me into the palace to offer medicine," Xie Yun replied bluntly, casting mocking eyes from outside the waterside pavilion: "—The crown prince waited until the snow lotus flowers were exhausted, and you don't know whether you are going to visit a brothel on the road or have a baby , I didn’t come to Chang’an until today, do you know how much business I’ve delayed everyone?”