Mu Mingtang still stood there looking at the direction where Xie Xuanchen was leaving, and couldn't bear to stagger at a glance. The young daughters-in-law of the Xu family turned their faces away to wipe their tears, and Mrs. Xu sighed and said, "It's windy outside, please come back, Princess."
After Xie Xuanchen left, Mu Mingtang stayed at the Xu family temporarily. The life of the Xu family is really lively. Mu Mingtang gets up every morning and someone comes to play with her until she goes to bed at night, and the schedule can't be finished. The Xu family had many sons, and they also married women from all over the world. Most of these women were daughters of military generals. Although some of them were gentle, some of them were cheerful, but they didn't have any thoughts of going around in circles, and they were very comfortable to get along with.
Several daughters of the Xu family who have not left the cabinet also like to come to Mu Mingtang. Mu Mingtang has been trained by the Jiang family and has been a princess in Tokyo for two years. The experience is far beyond the comparison of these little girls who grew up in Zhongshan City. She sometimes instructs the girls of the Xu family to embroider or write, and when their mother finds out about it when they go back, she will thank them again.
Madam Xu was like this. When Mu Mingtang heard Madam Xu thank her dearly, she was surprised for a moment, and then smiled: "The lady is serious, and I can't help other things. It's just to instruct the sixth lady to embroider. It's just a hands-on effort."
"It's an effort for the princess, but for me, it's a big favor." Madam Xu said with a very solemn expression, "Liu Niang is about to discuss a relative soon, and I won't hide it from the princess. We are military generals. , it is very troublesome for my daughter to discuss marriage. Civil servants don’t like it, and I am really distressed to marry into a family of military generals. Now this is just the beginning, the Beirong people tore up the agreement, and there will be wars in the next few years. My father and brother are both warriors. After getting married, the Xu family has also been in the army for generations. Over the years, my mother and husband have treated me well, and the concubines have also gotten along well. In theory, I shouldn't have any more dissatisfaction, but every time they go out on patrol in the morning, I always I am worried, for fear that one night, I will not be able to see my husband and son."
Mu Mingtang heard a sigh. She couldn't understand this kind of mood all the more. The Xu family's life was very warm, and the Xu family treated her very well. They were afraid that she would be uncomfortable by herself, so she would change the way to make her happy. But Mu Mingtang's heart was never at peace for a moment.
She couldn't help thinking every day, where did Xie Xuanchen go, and whether he would be in danger. The slightest change in the weather made her tremble. Mu Mingtang understands Madam Xu's mood very well, and she also understands Madam Xu's feeling that she doesn't want her daughter to marry someone who joins the army.
However, there was a clear distinction between civil and military, and Zhu Yang Hong was promoted to the Privy Council, and entered the center of the imperial court seriously. The Xu family is still in Zhongshan, so the difficulty of discussing relatives can be imagined.
Mu Mingtang only sighed and said with relief: "Liu girl is still young, don't worry, eldest lady, we have seen each other slowly over the years, maybe fate will come."
Madam Xu didn't know that Mu Mingtang was comforting her, she sighed and said, "I hope so."
After Mrs. Xu finished speaking, she said: "Liu Niang grew up in Zhongshan City since she was a child. From the outside, she gave her the face of the Xu family. The family was full of boys, and her uncles and brothers also spoiled her. I made her look like a skin monkey. I tried to control her several times, but I myself am not literate, and I am powerless. If the princess is willing to waste time and is willing to give her some advice, the concubine will be very grateful. No matter what the princess has in the future If you need it, just open your mouth, and the concubine will stay wherever she goes."
"The eldest lady is serious." Mu Mingtang quickly declined. She also sighed slightly, and said, "I'm actually not good at writing and ink, and I'm far inferior to the prince and other officials. Since the eldest lady doesn't dislike it, you can let the sixth girl come to me in the future. As long as I know how to do it, I won't Keep it, do your best."
Madam Xu saluted when she heard that she got up: "Thank you, Princess!"
Mu Mingtang hurriedly stopped: "The eldest lady can't be, please get up quickly."
The maids also stepped forward and pulled Mrs. Xu, but Mrs. Xu insisted on salute and said to Mu Mingtang, "Thank you, Princess. I will never forget the kindness of Princess."
"What are you talking about, eldest lady. I'm living in the Xu family now. Madam Xu and all the ladies have treated me very well, and I should be grateful to you. The lord also highly appreciates the Xu family, saying that the Xu family in Zhongshan is full of heroes. , is a role model for the world."
Madam Xu didn't know if this was true or not, but when she heard it from Mu Mingtang's mouth, she couldn't help but smile: "It's not a great honor to hear what King Qiyang said. Go back and let my boys hear it. It is estimated that I am very happy to be able to open the roof."
After Madam Xu finished speaking, she was stunned for a moment: "Oh, look at me, I always forget. It should be called An Wang."
"It doesn't matter." Mu Mingtang didn't care much about the title. King An was appointed by the emperor, but King Qiyang was cast by Xie Xuanchen himself. He became famous in the first battle in Qiyang, and the title of King of Qiyang originally meant military exploits.
Although King Qiyang is only the king of the county, and King An is a prince, and his rank is one level lower, Xie Xuanchen himself prefers the title of King Qiyang.
Madam Xu no longer bothered about this topic. She felt sorry in her heart, and said, "It takes a lot of energy and effort for the children, the princess is so kind, I really feel bad. I don't know what the princess has to do with me, you can say it directly. "
Mu Mingtang thought about it for a while, and really remembered one thing: "I wonder if the eldest lady can ride a horse? I have always wanted to learn to ride a horse. When we negotiated peace before, I even thought of learning how to ride with the princess of the Tayan tribe. , and riding has been delayed."
Madam Xu was stunned when she heard it, and laughed heartily: "What's so difficult about this? Princess, this is the right person to ask. We can't do anything else in our family, except that there are many people who dance with knives and guns. I have grown old in recent years. Not as good as young people, but the other younger siblings are all good hands. The third younger sibling is good at whipping, and the fifth younger sibling’s family has passed down the practice of guns. Sometimes even the fifth younger brother can’t compete with the gun. The sixth younger sibling is good at horseback and archery. Even the fourth younger brother and sister are slender, but there is no problem in getting on the horse. If the princess doesn't think Liu Niang is frizzy, she can also watch the horse for the princess."
Mu Mingtang was surprised. Was she the weakest in the audience? Even Xu Siniang, who looked at the weakest, could draw a bow and shoot arrows.
Mu Mingtang was a little sad, she was no better than Xie Xuanchen in civil and military affairs, and when she arrived at the Xu family, she was crushed by everyone. She nodded her head in grief, and said, "I have Mrs. Lao. I know nothing. Which lady is free, just give me one or two pointers."
Mu Mingtang's original intention was not to go to war, so as not to cause trouble to the Xu family. Unexpectedly, the next day, all the ladies of the Xu family came to teach her to ride horses.
Mu Mingtang was surrounded by the crowd, and was helped stiffly on the horse. All the enthusiastic ladies gathered around, chattering and pointing out where her posture was wrong and what skills to use. Later, when Mrs. Xu heard the movement, she came out to see her on crutches.
Mu Mingtang was so embarrassed that he didn't even know how to move his hands and feet.
Later, the impatient Xu Wuniang looked anxious and took out her own horse to demonstrate to Mu Mingtang. Mu Mingtang studied hard and managed to take two steps by himself.
Mu Mingtang had a sore back all day, but it was rewarding anyway. The next day she went to learn horses again. She was trying to get on the horse herself when she suddenly heard movement outside.
Mu Mingtang looked back and asked, "Who's here?"
Xu Wuniang didn't turn her head back, and said carelessly, "What about him, the borderlands, those people who come and go back and forth."
On the contrary, the weak fourth lady Xu sent the maid out to ask. After a while, the maid came back, followed by the heavy-faced Mrs. Xu.
As soon as Mu Mingtang saw Madam Xu's expression, she knew something was happening, she immediately got off the horse and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Wuniang and Xu Siniang also gathered around: "Sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
Madam Xu's face was gloomy and she whispered, "Princess, someone from the imperial court is here."
Mu Mingtang was stunned when he heard the news, and then reacted: "Is it because of the lord, or me?"
Madam Xu thought that she was from Tokyo, and her reaction was fast. She sighed and said, "I don't know either. Now the imperial envoys are still talking to her father and Dalang in front of them. My mother saw that besides the imperial envoys, there were two Beirong people coming. She was afraid that something might go wrong. So I was sent to inform the princess, and quickly take the princess to the back to avoid it."
Mu Mingtang understood the importance, she nodded, and said, "I see. There is Mrs. Lao."
When Xu Wuniang and Xu Siniang heard it, they hurriedly accompany Mu Mingtang to leave. They sat in the house, closed the doors and windows, and called several wives who knew martial arts. After a while, Mrs. Xu sent a woman to deliver a letter to Mu Mingtang and the others: "Princess, eldest lady, fourth lady, fifth lady."
Madam Xu asked, "What did the imperial envoy say?"
Mu Mingtang, Xu Siniang, and Xu Wuniang also stared at the old lady, and the old lady sighed deeply and said, "The messenger said that the emperor has agreed to hand over five million taels of gold and fifty million taels of silver to the Rong people, but Yelu Yan still refused to withdraw his troops, so the emperor had no choice but to agree to Yeluyan's request, ceding the three towns of Taiyuan, Hejian and Zhongshan to Beirong, and immediately relieved King An Xie Xuanchen of all military power."
"What!" Everyone in the room stood up in shock, and Mu Mingtang was shocked and horrified when he heard the ceding of the three towns, "Didn't we already let King Dongdan go as Yeluyan asked? Why didn't he not? Withdrawal of troops as agreed, but let the court cede the three major military towns instead?"
The old woman also kept sighing: "The old slave doesn't know either. The old generals and the lords in the front hall have already quarreled with the messengers. The old lady was afraid that the princess would wait for a long time, so she specially asked the old servant to inform the princess, so that I could let the princess know. The princess is ready."
Mu Mingtang reacted suddenly: "No, if Zhongshan Town is ceded to Beirong, wouldn't I be exposed?"
Madam Xu also reacted suddenly, Xie Xuanchen left Zhending Mansion, and Yeluyan guessed that Mu Mingtang was no longer in Zhending, and most of them were in Zhongshan and Hejian towns. So Yeluyan asked for these three places as soon as he opened his mouth. Taiyuan resisted for a long time. Yeluyan held a grudge against Taiyuan, while Zhongshan and Hejian were hiding Mu Mingtang. Once these three places fall into the hands of Yelu Yan, Ye Chao will no longer have a barrier to the north, and it will be almost exposed before the iron hoofs of the North Rong people, and will no longer have the power to protect himself. Not only that, Yeluyan can also use Mu Mingtang to blackmail Xie Xuanchen to avenge the revenge of King Dongdan.
Everyone looked at each other in dismay, and a huge cold feeling rose behind them. Xu Wuniang was in a hurry, and at this moment she walked out without saying a word: "Bring my gun, I will kill those dog thieves!"
"Hurry up and stop her!" Madam Xu immediately asked someone to stop Xu Wuniang, Xu Wuniang struggled hard and scolded: "These dog thieves, we are here to protect the territory from life to death, they will cut Zhongshan to Beirong at the touch of their mouths. If Zhongshan falls, In the hands of the Northern Rong people, there is no way for the soldiers and civilians in the city to survive! I killed this group of traitors!"
Xu Wuniang was so powerful that the maid could hardly stop her, and Madam Xu suddenly said, "Fifth younger brother and sister, that's the imperial commission, do you want to rebel?"
Xu Wuniang calmed down after being yelled at by this sentence, and her tears couldn't help falling: "Then what should I do? Could it be that watching Zhongshan Gui Beirong and watching Wulang's life-defying foundation be destroyed?"
Others in the room also wept. Mu Mingtang felt sad in his heart. They gave up their lives here, but they didn't know that when they were desperately resisting the foreign enemy, the imperial court had already ceded them to the enemy.
They were still crying here, when a maid suddenly stumbled in and ran in: "Princess, hurry up. The two Beirong people insisted that they should be familiar with the terrain, so they brought the imperial envoy to the back to search."
Mu Mingtang was startled, knowing that they were coming for her. Everyone panicked for a moment, and the maids hurriedly said: "Princess, what should I do? Shall we go?"
"Where are you going?" Mu Mingtang said with a sullen face, "They dare to come to the backyard to search, how can they not be guarded outside? If we go out, we will be caught in the net."
"Then what should we do? The back house is so big, where can we hide?"
Mu Mingtang also felt at a loss, yes, she can't walk, she can't hide, where else can she go
When Xu Wuniang heard it, she immediately sent someone to get her gun and said, "Since the lord left the princess in Xu's house, he can trust our family. Even if I die here today, I will never let the thieves enter this gate."
Xu Siniang, who has always been weak, heard that and asked people to get weapons. Madam Xu sighed, patted Mu Mingtang's hand slightly, and said, "Don't worry, Princess, Zhongshan is the foundation of the Xu family after all. The court cedes land and asks for peace, and I, the son of the Xu family, will never do it."
They closed the door, and although the room was full of female relatives, everyone had weapons in their hands. Xu Wuniang was lying at the door to stop the movement outside, only to hear a few people rushing into the backyard, followed by many people, and the voice of General Xu: "Lord Imperial Commissioner, this is where Zhuojing and his daughter-in-law live. Women's family, there is much inconvenience, please don't be abruptly behind the house."
However, the imperial envoy in General Xu's words was repeatedly persuaded not to change. In the end, Xu Qilang couldn't bear it any longer, and said angrily: "It's too deceiving, do you really think that there is no man in my Xu family?"
Xu Qilang was young and vigorous, and he was always reprimanded by his father and brother, but this time Xu Qilang yelled at the imperial emissary, but no one in the audience stopped him. The atmosphere outside became stalemate, and finally, a voice sounded: "Two warriors, don't be angry, the Xu family is disrespectful to you, and Xiao Zi will teach them a lesson."
After he finished speaking, he turned to the Xu family, and his voice immediately became arrogant: "Rude! Are you rude warriors, dare to disrespect the imperial court? The Holy Master personally ordered to hand over Zhongshan City to the friend Beirong. If you want to resist the order, don't you? Comply?"
Old General Xu and the others did not speak, and the courtyard was silent and repressed. Inside the house, Xu Wuniang clenched her weapon quietly, and Mu Mingtang clenched her hand unknowingly.
There was a stalemate in the yard, and suddenly there was another noise from outside, probably because it was too quiet at the moment, and the sound of horse hooves came clearly into Mu Mingtang's ears.
Mu Mingtang stood up suddenly: "Your Highness?"
The people in the yard also turned around suddenly, and one of the Beirong people was blocked by a sword before he could react. The imperial envoy was startled by the sudden appearance of the horse, and hurriedly fell to the ground: "An Wanger dares! The sage has ordered that all your military power be lifted."
Xie Xuanchen rode a horse and rushed directly into the backyard, causing a lot of movement along the way. Fortunately, everyone in the Xu family knew kung fu, and no one was injured at the moment. Xie Xuanchen originally brought people back to the capital in a hurry, but he received an order on the way to dismiss him on the spot, and the three northern towns were also ceded to Beirong people.
Xie Xuanchen laughed so much when he heard it at the time. After he finished laughing, he tore up the imperial decree in front of the messenger, and immediately took the people back to Zhongshan.
What to save, this kind of emperor deserves to be killed by outsiders. If you want to cede the land and seek peace, it depends on whether he will allow it or not.
The people below tacitly followed Xie Xuanchen back. Strange to say, they were here to rescue the capital, but at the moment they returned without success, and they walked faster than when they came out.
Fortunately, Xie Xuanchen showed his face when he escorted Mu Mingtang to Zhongshan City before. His face was so impressive that Xu Shilang, who was guarding the city, recognized it at a glance. Xu Shilang personally opened the city gate to welcome Xie Xuanchen into the city.
Xie Xuanchen learned from Xu Silang's mouth that the imperial envoy and two Beirong envoys had entered the city, and without saying a word, rushed directly to the Xu residence. When he came in, he didn't get off his horse, so he rushed to the backyard and directly killed one of the Beirong people.
The imperial envoy was so frightened by the sudden change that his legs were weak. Xie Xuanchen rode on the horse, and when he heard the words of the imperial envoy, he smiled lightly. When he laughed, he was very flamboyant, but this flamboyance suddenly turned into murderous aura. Xie Xuanchen pointed at the imperial envoy with his sword, and said condescendingly, "The general will be outside, and the emperor's order will not be accepted. I will not pay, what can you do?"
Hearing Xie Xuanchen's voice, Mu Mingtang couldn't bear it any longer. He pushed open the door and ran out. There were so many people in the room who didn't stop her. When Xie Xuanchen saw Mu Mingtang running out, he immediately stopped killing intent, jumped off the horse, and hugged Mu Mingtang firmly: "I'm back."
Mu Mingtang didn't expect the reunion to come so quickly, let alone meet under such circumstances. She hugged Xie Xuanchen, as if all her emotions had found an outlet: "Are you injured on the way?"
"No." Xie Xuanchen put Mu Mingtang down and lightly brushed the broken hair on her temples, "I won't lie to you this time, really not."
After Xie Xuanchen finished speaking, without turning his head, he threw a dagger with his backhand and nailed the other Beirong man who was trying to sneak away to the ground. The Beirong people groaned while covering their legs, and shouted in unfluent Chinese, "Your Emperor of the Ye Dynasty has already ceded Zhongshan City to Dayong, and now this is our territory!"
Xie Xuanchen sneered, he let go of Mu Mingtang and whispered to her, "Close your eyes."
Mu Mingtang covered his eyes subconsciously, and then heard Xie Xuanchen slammed out his long sword and walked slowly towards the Beirong man: "Whose territory is this, you never have the final say. I don't care about this imperial decree. Admit it, I refuse to deliver."
After he finished speaking, he pierced the opponent's throat with a puff. Xie Xuanchen pulled out the sword, with the blood of Beirong people dripping on it, and pointed straight at the imperial envoy: "I see that you are from the Ye Dynasty, and spare your life. Go back and tell Xie Rui that he Such a useless person is not worthy of being the Lord of Great Ye."
After speaking, his eyes changed, and his killing intent was surging: "Go away."