After the largest gang of horse thieves in the desert was completely bloodbathed, the eastward journey of the King of Khotan and his party returned to calm. Except for the occasional harassment by small bandits, any large-scale invasions disappeared.
Shan Chao's behavior style is very clear: all those who come to harass will be killed, even if there are escaped bandits, they must be captured and beheaded as a deterrent.
Soon the name of General Dingyuan's fierce god spread throughout the desert, even in Xizhou, and even a mosquito didn't dare to fly to them.
Everyone in the mission was a little apprehensive towards General Dingyuan, and even King Khotan, who wanted to make friends with him, could not find any openings in this steely and indifferent young general.
Only Princess Sadari is different.
After Sha Dali witnessed the horse thief being dismembered that day, she was "escorted" back to the camp in trepidation, and then she didn't eat for a whole day and night.
As long as she closes her eyes, countless chaotic and bloody images will appear in her mind. At one time, an arrow point protrudes from the horse thief's chest, splashing blood, and falls on her back at her feet; The living person was cut in half by the cold light, and the bloody internal organs flowed all over the floor.
That night, Shadali woke up several times from nightmares, and as expected, she had a fever the next day, and the mission team was forced to stop its journey.
The princess was in poor health, and no one dared to forcibly go on the road, which made her condition worse, so she stopped in the desert for three or four days. The people in the Khotan mission didn't feel much, but the war horses had to be carefully fed, and the army had to drink water. Princess Shadali was no longer well, and all the horses had to run out of food.
So on the sixth day, Shan Chao personally came to the royal tent in Khotan and asked politely, "How is the princess' condition?"
The king of Khotan sat cross-legged beside his beloved daughter's couch, with a very embarrassed expression: "Thank you general for your concern, Sha Dali is much better, but she still can't eat. Right now, the medical officer visits the doctor three times a day, saying that the fever has subsided, and she can rest up again." Two days to go…”
Shan Chao nodded, and the order was concise and powerful: "Princess, please get up and freshen up. We must go on the road today."
Everyone in the tent was stunned. Princess Sadali turned over and said weakly and angrily: "Why? I have a headache, even if I wait until tomorrow—"
Shan Chao squatted down, looked down at Sha Dali's eyes that were extraordinarily beautiful and bright because of the burning anger, and said, "Princess."
"..."
"My master once said that it is not easy for women to survive in this world, so we must take extra care and tolerance for women. But unfortunately, I have not learned all his excellent qualities, including this point."
"We must set off on the road today, otherwise, from now on, all personnel of the Khotan mission will have limited rations and water, and will be distributed by the army." Shan Chao stood up, nodded politely to the stunned Khotan king, and said: " Your Highness, please think twice before acting... I will leave."
After all, he turned around and walked out of the tent without waiting for King Tian and the princess to react.
Princess Sadali was dizzy, and was helped by the maid onto the camel, feeling that she was about to be burned by the scorching sun and collapsed. She looked at Shan Chao not far away with his back turned to her, and felt gnashing her teeth, wishing she could rush up and kick him.
"Princess," the maid carefully brought snacks and honey water, and persuaded in a low voice, "Please use some, the sun, the sun is scorching..."
In the past few days, Sha Dali has no appetite at all. Even when she saw the mutton in the mustache, she could still think of the bloody scene that day. But now that she was forced to go on the road by Shan Chao, she didn't care so much. She ate a few bites of snacks and drank all the honey water. When he became more energetic, he wiped his mouth resentfully, and stuffed the empty bowl back to the maid: "Bring me another bowl of honey water!"
The evaporation rate is extremely fast at high temperatures, and a lot of water can be taken away by sweating alone. Sha Dali lay on the camel listlessly, drank a bowl of water without knowing how much, and was finally able to come down when camping at night.
At this time, the dignified princess was already very hungry. Seeing the eyes of the roast leg of lamb gleaming, she picked it up and devoured most of it.
She came alive!
Sadari was satisfied, sat by the campfire and stretched for a long time, and suddenly remembered something: "—Has our water limit been limited?"
The maid nodded.
"Then what did I drink today?"
Sadali's first thought was actually that what General Dingyuan said was so cruel, but in fact he was not completely unkind, at least he knew that he was lenient to the princess.
But then the maid timidly shook her head:
"I... princess, the water you used today is General Shan's own share..."
·
The camp was stationed along the stone slope, Sha Dali wrapped her fur robe tightly, and climbed to the top of the slope along the gravel path. I saw the unobstructed moonlight shining on the sandy sea, the stones and crystals reflected the shimmering light under the moon, the poplar euphratica was sparse and scattered in the distance, and the branches were bare and decayed, pointing straight to the night sky.
With his back to her, Shan Chao sat cross-legged on a black rock that had almost merged with the ground due to years of weathering, lowering his head and cutting something.
Sha Dali stood still, hesitated for a while, and stepped forward and said: "...General Shan."
Shan Chao didn't look back.
Only then did Shadali see clearly what he was doing, and it turned out that he was cutting a wood carving.
This carving is really bad, the wooden villain has unusually long legs, and a particularly short body, with crooked eyebrows and facial features, and the nose and mouth are simply touching together. Sha Dali looked carefully for a long time, and finally found the clue—the knife and wood used by Shan Chao are not good, the tip of the dagger is too thick for this kind of small carving, the wood is probably picked up from the desert, and it has completely decayed. It's almost unbearable.
Sha Dali blinked her eyes and hesitated: "The general carved... this is..."
She was suddenly blessed in her heart: "Is it the girl you want to give away when you pick up your face under the moon?"
Shan Chao paused with his fingers, did not answer, and then suddenly cut the wood carving into two pieces with a knife, and threw it away.
"No." He asked coldly, "Do I look like someone likes me?"
Sha Dali came here to thank her, but she was stunned when she asked this question.
"Why not? General Shan—er, a good-looking talent, who became famous at a young age, a general who is cruel, ruthless... Wait for the last slip of the tongue..."
Sha Dali stammered and wiped off her sweat, but Shan Chao glanced at her, and the sculpture-like three-dimensional and deep man's face seemed to be smiling but not smiling: "There is no general. I was born in a poor family and was born as an orphan."
Sadari: "..."
"General, don't underestimate yourself. Although you are sometimes strict, why don't girls like you? It's just that the ladies from the Central Plains are very strict, and they are not as enthusiastic and frank as our Hu girls!" Sha Dali looked at the moonlight and placed an order. For some reason, the tall and straight silhouette moved in his heart, and his cheeks became slightly hot: "—Besides, General Shan is a good person, with good looks... good looks, good skills..."
Shan Chao couldn't hear any meaning and laughed: "Then if he doesn't like what I have, and I don't like what he likes, so what?"
Sardari asked in amazement: "Then what does she like?"
Shan surpassed God for a while, and then slowly said: "Power, status, wealth, ambition."
Sha Dali is a bit confused, all the ladies in the Central Plains like these? It is worthy of being a kingdom of heaven, and the girls are too pursuing!
"If a person only likes these things, then you don't need to pursue her. Everyone has their own ambitions, and you can't come if you are reluctant. It is not wrong for her to be ambitious, but it is difficult to get together with different interests. Why don't you find a girl who agrees with you? Woolen cloth?"
The little princess blushed again when she said the last few words. Fortunately, it was difficult to see clearly in the night, but she saw Shan Chao casually shaking his head, and said, "If people's hearts are so changeable, how can there be so many idiots complaining about women in the world?"
Shan Chao put away his dagger, stood up from the rock, and slapped the sawdust off his hands. Every move of his has a neat and crisp temperament. Although he is not as elegant and graceful as a dignitary, he has a heart-wrenching, resolute and masculine charm.
If people's hearts are so changeable, how can there be so many foolish men and women in the world
Sha Dali chewed these words carefully several times, and suddenly felt a sore and numb feeling in her heart.
"… Hey!"
Seeing that Shan Chao was about to leave, Shadali blurted out subconsciously, and then stopped talking.
Shan Chao turned his head and frowned: "Huh?"
Sha Dali twisted the small golden bell hanging from the cloak, and rubbed the sand with her toes in circles. After a while, she murmured: "That girl... what's so good about that girl? What does General Shan like about her?"
Shan Chao was silent.
The desert in the Western Regions is vast, and the cold wind on the mountain tops in the distance sweeps over the sandbars and Yumen Pass under the moonlit night, and runs along the majestic Great Wall to the distant Mobei.
The small mud hut in the desert was empty, and the worn wool felt on the roof was blown by the wind, making a rhythmic sound of "pa-pa-".
Shan Chao laughed, even though the smile was more like a sigh:
"Because she looks beautiful."
·
"Am I beautiful?" Shadali put down the bronze mirror, listlessly, and asked the maid with her chin resting on her hand.
After more than half a month, the mission finally crossed the desert, crossed the Yumen Pass, followed Suzhou and Liangshan, headed east along the Weishui River, and soon set foot on the official road leading to the capital.
The little princess never suffered from a fever or illness again, but she was sluggish all day long and couldn't raise her spirits, making the maids run around in a hurry. The King of Khotan brought a medical officer to ask him several times, but no matter how much he consulted, he couldn't find out why. In the end, he could only conclude that the princess was not acclimatized to the environment after a long journey, and it would be good to wait for a period of rest after Chang'an.
"Beautiful!" The maid immediately put down the work in her hand and nodded her head in affirmation: "His Royal Highness is the most beautiful girl in the Western Regions. Even Hua'er blush when she sees it. What's wrong?"
Sadari sighed, threw her head on the couch, and fell silent.
A cruel and cold-blooded person like General Dingyuan would have a girl he likes
Is that girl beautiful, how beautiful
Sha Dali touched her tender and firm face and lost her mind for a while. Her hair is oily and black, her eyes are bright, and her bright red lips seem to be smeared with powder; her skin is a healthy and beautiful wheat color, soft and smooth, without any blemishes.
Everyone said that her skin was like precious satin since she was a child, but since she entered the Central Plains, whenever she stayed at the official post, all the official ladies she met were timid and white, and her face made of makeup and powder was like snow. Like Tuan'er, he speaks softly, as if.
Shadali imagined what General Dingyuan's dream lover should look like in her mind, but after much deliberation, she didn't think so, and snorted dissatisfied.
·
At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month of the first year of Shangyuan, the Khotan Mission finally entered Beijing after traveling all the way for nearly two months. Under the guidance of officials from Honglu Temple, they temporarily stayed in the Sifang Pavilion.
General Dingyuan Shan Chao, as the leader of the guard army, also lived in the envoy compound because he had not yet returned to his command and the capital mansion was in disrepair for a long time.
Chang'an! Imperial city! Prosperous and rich, full of tourists!
Hiding the small thoughts of a young girl, Princess Sadali, who had been depressed for more than half a month, was finally distracted by the new gadgets that came in and out of the Sifang Pavilion every day, and she wanted to go out to go shopping. King Khotan knew that it was not good for foreign envoys to run around before the audience, especially since Sha Dali might want to get married.
Helpless, the little princess has been spoiled by her father, and after two days of hard and soft torture, King Khotan finally let go and said, "It's not impossible...but General Shan agrees to bring someone to follow you, otherwise you won't be able to take a step forward." Get out of this door!"
Since the mission entered Beijing, Shan Chao has become more and more silent day by day, his brows are always furrowed unconsciously, as if there are many things that are hard to express in his heart. Especially after staying in the Sifang Pavilion, he has been shutting himself out, like a prisoner who has locked himself in a prison waiting for trial.
Sadali ran to beg him to go out, but as expected, he refused several times on the grounds that he was busy with business. Sha Dali, who wanted to go out to play, made a big fuss with the mission. Her father was so helpless that he had to bring generous gifts to visit General Dingyuan in person. Shan Chao finally reluctantly agreed to King Khotan's request.
Sha Dali finally got her wish, she was so happy, she jumped back to her room and painted her eyes like black grapes, her lips as soft as ruby, and she specially changed into a tunic brocade dress with rose red gold and silver embroidery, youthful Delicate and passionate, like a peony flower in full bloom on the branch.
But Shan Chao negative sword came out, only glanced at the expectant princess, then calmly looked away: "Let's go."
Sadari: "..."
The princess twisted her body and walked ahead in a fit of anger. She walked straight through the courtyard of the Sifang Pavilion, and walked down the zigzag corridor without looking back.
Unexpectedly, there were steps at the corner at the end of the veranda, Shadali was so focused behind her that she didn't notice it at all, and just after turning the corner, she said, "—Ouch!"
As soon as Sadali's lambskin boots slipped, her body immediately lost balance and fell straight down the steps!
In an instant, the only thought in Shadali's mind was: This fall will definitely be a bad fall. But before she had time to react, her arms tightened in a flash, and she was held firmly in the air.
"what!"
Sha Dali staggered and stopped, her whole body was still in shock, and she turned her head like an electric shock before she could fully stand still.
— Following her grasped arm, she saw a slender and graceful hand with well-defined joints, and then looked up, and there was a face that she didn't know how to describe for a moment.
It's so pretty, she thought.
Different from General Shan's toughness and sharpness, this man's facial features had a kind of indifference that was frightening because of their perfection. The slim brocade robe made him look straight and straight from his shoulders, back to his long legs. The cloth was white and fine in texture, a rare and precious material in the Western Regions, but the luster of the brocade was less than one percent of the whiteness of his face.
Looking at the light blue blood veins on his side neck, Shadali even had the thought "this person's skin is transparent".
Sardari swallowed her saliva, her mind was buzzing, before she could react what to do, she saw the man's gaze shifting under the bushy eyelashes, and she glanced at herself condescendingly.
"..."
Sha Dali thought that the murderous yet serious and cold general Shan was scary enough, but at this moment she suddenly felt a kind of trembling and strange fear, which spontaneously rose from the bottom of her heart.
Then out of the corner of her eye she saw something.
——Behind the man stood a few officials respectfully, they were officials of Honglu Temple.
"Thank you..." She gasped and whispered, "Thank you, thank you..."
The man withdrew his gaze and let go of her arm casually.
Sha Dali staggered and stood still, looking back for help—then she saw Shan Chao.
Shan Chao stood under the porch, looking a little strange.
Although his face was still expressionless, his brows were slightly furrowed, his thin lips were tightly pursed, and his standing posture was as tall as a stretched bowstring; but Sadali just felt that there was something strange and unusual about him.
Suddenly she understood, it was the eyes.
She had never seen General Shan staring at a person with eyes like this.