In her previous life, Gu Shiba Niang was a stay-at-home woman, a woman who knew nothing about anything but her parents-in-law and husband. But as Gu Hai said, she still knew about the major events that shocked the whole country. After all, the national funeral, the new emperor's ascension to the throne, and the number one scholar in the scientific examinations were all known. Every household needs to participate in corresponding ceremonies.
Originally, the death of a prince's son was not within the scope of major events that Gu Shiba Niang knew about, but it happened that Prince Wenjun had another identity besides being the son of Prince Xiu.
"He is the brother of Prince Zhe?" Gu Shiba Niang's expression changed, and she clenched her collar with both hands.
For Gu Hai, a young boy from a poor family, there was no way of knowing how many sons King Xiu or other princes had and what their names were.
"... Mr. Shen is a supporter of Prince Zhe. When Prince Zhe was made a prince, the family sent people to send congratulatory gifts. You also know what it means to the Shen family that Prince Zhe becomes a prince... ." Gu Shiba Niang calmed down and said slowly.
Gu Hai nodded. These few short months of traveling to the capital had given him more shock than he had experienced in the past sixteen years. It was the first time that he had come into contact with the officialdom of the Zhou Dynasty, and it was also the first time that he felt that its mysteries could not be learned in books. .
"...Everyone was very happy at that time..." Gu Shiba Niang tried hard to recall the bits and pieces of this past life that she had planned to forget, "Shen Anlin..." A smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, "Make an exception. After drinking, he said a few words to me.
Gu Hai looked at his sister, a little nervous, and suddenly wanted to interrupt his sister before continuing.
Gu Shiba Niang noticed his thoughts and waved her hand to indicate that she was fine.
"... This is the first time that he has been so kind to me. It is also the first time that he has been in good spirits since he came home after his leg was disabled..." She laughed a little at herself as she said this, "However, when I think about it now, That's just because I happened to be in front of him. If it had been anyone else or no one at the time, I think he would still have smiled, said a few more words, and talked to himself even if he was facing the pillar in the study room. However, , and I remember this clearly because I was so flattered.
"What did he say?" Gu Hai asked, wanting to know the result quickly and also wanting to end this topic quickly.
This person has nothing to do with them anymore. He doesn't want his sister to think of this person again and again, repeating the sadness and resentment. Only by forgetting can his sister be happy.
"He said that Prince Zhe was very good... but his brother Prince Wen was even better. If he hadn't died of a sudden illness and lost his qualification to run for election, the prince would have been settled long ago and there wouldn't have been such a big fuss. , The emperor was a little more sick after being tortured for so long..." Gu Shiba Niang said slowly, her tone seemed to be imitating Shen Anlin's words at that time. You know, I was a fool at that time, and I was always nervous and excited, so I said it was Prince Wen, so don't be sad."
Gu Hai couldn't help but smile when he heard this, his sister's words were true. . . . . .
"Actually, I was afraid that he would become unhappy again as he talked. After all, everyone would be sad when thinking about the deceased, not to mention that he had been depressed... Then," Gu Shiba Niang also smiled, her expression was worse than before. He felt much more relaxed, "Then surprisingly, he was not unhappy, but smiled and said he was not lucky..."
Gu Hai looked at his sister with a smile on her face, turned her head slightly and nodded. He suddenly seemed to see Shen Anlin standing in front of him and making this expression.
"Yes... The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit... History is written by the winner, no matter how you write it, it will be right..." Gu Shiba Niang said.
After saying this, there was a moment of silence in the small pavilion. It was obvious that for Gu Hai and Gu Shiba Niang today, the meaning of these words was not just as simple as the literal meaning.
A gust of autumn wind blew by, and the leaves swirled and fell on their shoulders.
Gu Shiba Niang reached out and picked off the fallen leaves on Gu Hai's head.
"So, why is he not dead now?" Gu Hai whispered.
"I think of two possibilities." Gu Shiba Niang has completely calmed down. "First, he is reborn, just like me..."
If he had said this before, Gu Hai, a disciple of Confucius and Mencius, would never believe it, but with his sister's example before him, he had no choice but to believe it.
"That is to say, at the moment when he suddenly fell ill and died..." Gu Hai whispered, emphasizing the word "severe illness", "Just like my sister, I returned to the time before the sudden illness and was able to start everything over again..."
"It's possible." Gu Shiba Niang smiled bitterly, "This is just a guess."
Gu Hai was silent, they couldn't just run over and grab Prince Wen and ask if you were reborn
"What about the second one?" Gu Hai asked.
"The second thing is that fate has changed." Gu Shiba Niang replied.
"Why?" Gu Hai couldn't help but smile, "You were reborn, and my mother and I didn't die, so he didn't die either?" He then shook his head, "Eighteen Mother, who are we..."
Gu Shiba Niang was also silent.
Who are they? From the moment she was reborn, how much effort did she make to avoid a repeat of her fate, and how many crises did she face before she managed to reach this day and change the fate of a county king
The two brothers and sisters smiled bitterly at each other.
"However, no matter which possibility it is, it's the same for us." Gu Shiba Niang said firmly, "He lives his life, we live our life, it has nothing to do with each other."
Gu Hai nodded, "Yes, we are just living our lives."
As if unwilling to continue this topic, Gu Shiba Niang talked about General Ye Zhen again.
"Brother, I don't understand the big things in the court, but you also said that who we are, who General Ye Zhen is, and who the adults in the court are, this matter is not something you can change... "She said solemnly.
Gu Hai looked a little sad, sighed, and said no more.
"Brother, study with peace of mind and become a good official in the future, serving the country and the people." Gu Shiba Niang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he didn't mention it anymore, and picked up the umbrella placed aside, "I'm going to the medicine shop."
Gu Hai nodded with a smile, told her not to be too tired, and watched his sister holding an umbrella and walking out.
At the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the weather in Jiankang became much colder, with more sleet and snow.
In the misty snow early in the morning, a young man wearing a bamboo hat circled around the door of Shunhe Hall for several times. When he saw Gu Shiba Niang in a brown cloak coming out, he hurriedly stepped forward.
"What are you doing?" the little girl holding the umbrella shouted immediately with sharp eyes.
The boy stopped a few steps away and took out a letter from his arms.
"Ms. Gu, please accept the letter..." He whispered, then handed the letter over without saying more.
Gu Shiba Niang passed by him with an expressionless face.
Seeing the carriage rumble away, the boy stood up straight with a dull look on his face, looked at the letter in his hand, shook his head, and turned to leave.
"Hey, hey." Someone called him from inside the door.
The boy looked over warily and saw a tall, middle-aged man winking at him.
He was very familiar with the situation here and recognized this person as the doctor here, whose surname was Peng.
"Where are you from?" Peng Yizhen asked with a smile.
The boy snorted and ignored him, speeding up his pace and blending into the crowd.
Peng Yizhen felt bored and touched his nose.
"Is there another medicine shop looking for Mrs. Gu?" A young boy followed behind him and poked his head around.
In these days, countless messages, invitations and letters were sent overtly or covertly, some from the local area and more from other places. They promised various benefits in the hope that Mrs. Gu could move to their place, including food, accommodation and freedom.
Gu Shiba Niang shied away from everything and only concentrated on studying skills every day.
"This... doesn't look like..." Peng Yizhen said with a mysterious face.
"How come it doesn't look like it?" The boy was puzzled.
Peng Yizhen chuckled, but did not answer.
"What do you think, sir?" the boy asked in a different way.
"It looks like cardamom and cloves to me." Peng Yizhen said with a playful smile.
"Cardamom and cloves?" The boy was even more confused, "How do you say it?"
"The cardamom doesn't let go of the hatred in the heart, and the lilacs bear the sorrow in the rain..." Peng Yizhen staggered out and said, "Tong'er, come quickly."
The medicine boy who gave Peng Yizhen immediately followed with the medicine box on his back.
"Master, there are three medical clinics today. Which one should we go to first?" the eleven or twelve-year-old apprentice asked after wiping his nose.
"Which family is rich?" Peng Yizhen asked.
"The king's big family in the east of the city." The young apprentice replied.
"Go so quickly to help the rich and the poor." Peng Yizhen got on the carriage and whipped his whip.
The horse was frightened and ran away quickly. The boy almost didn't sit on it and shouted, "Master, wait a minute." I jumped on the back of the car and hugged the carport.
At this time, a layer of white curtain has been laid outside the city of Zhengzhou, and the snow is still flying. Compared with a few months ago, the place is more desolate, with few human beings, and only the occasional hurried cavalry passing by.
On the undulating hillside, there were three or four people strolling, all wearing armor and military uniforms. However, in addition to the murderous aura on their faces, there was a bit of desolation. They were silent with their thoughts, and they could only smell the snow under their feet. Voice.
"Go straight to Huanglong Mansion and have a drink with you. Ye Shuai's voice is still there, but..." Suddenly one person clenched his fist and choked.
These words broke Xiao Sha's atmosphere, and the three of them all raised their heads, their faces sharpened by the wind and frost swords full of grief and indignation.
"Colonel Shen, is the news really accurate?" They looked at the person who spoke first and asked hoarsely.
Shen Anlin raised his head, his cold eyes slightly red, and he nodded slowly.
"The Duke of the country can't be saved? The Duke of the country can't be saved either..." The three of them couldn't help but shouted sadly, "The sun is shining brightly, the sky is shining brightly."
"I don't care anymore, I want to fight back. Ye Shuai gave me this life. Go to the tribunal..." A big man tore off his military uniform and armor, exposing his scarred upper body, covered with snow. It instantly turned into snow.
These words made the other three people excited and angrily wanted to undress.
"Stop" Shen Anlin shouted.
In everyone's eyes, although he had fought several times, his age of twenty and the name Shen still made these colleagues look down upon him. They didn't expect this young boy to dare to yell so loudly, and all three of them were filled with murderous intent. Hiding in his heart, he wanted to vent his anger on those important officials in the capital who were ruining the country with their empty talk.
"Have you forgotten Ye Shuai's instructions?" Shen Anlin showed no timidity. He raised his eyebrows and shouted in a deep voice. He pointed at the vast surrounding areas, "There are still ten thousand people who have not left the Central Plains. Now that Ye Shuai is not here, you can't Go, who else is dedicated to protecting thousands of people, do you want to see them die tragically under the iron heel of the golden thief's revenge? "
These words made everyone calm down instantly. The three of them looked at each other and sighed weakly and tragically.
"Every method that the capital city can think of and everyone who can be mobilized have been used. As long as this year can be delayed, Ye Shuai can pass this test." Shen Anlin said in a low voice.
"Let's endure it like this. Ye Shuai will endure it like this. Is there no other way but to endure it?" Someone waved his fist in grief and anger.
"When you are inferior to others, you have to endure it. If you can't tolerate it, you will risk your life. If your life is gone, why talk about anything else..." Shen Anlin whispered, the words coming out of his mouth. , has a different meaning.
This is like using troops on the battlefield. The enemy is strong and we are weak, so we have to avoid its sharp edges and wait for the opportunity. As long as we wait for the opportunity, we will hit with one blow without mercy.
Everyone doesn't understand this truth. It's just that when this matter really comes to you, it's really uncomfortable to endure it.
"By the way, Lieutenant Shen, Mr. Zhao has allocated troops and deployed them. Where are you guarding?" someone asked with a forced smile.
A weird smile appeared on Shen Anlin's lips, and he cast his gaze towards the vast city not far away.
"Zhengzhou." He said calmly.
The expressions of the three people changed and they looked shocked.
Now that the army is being escorted back to Beijing by Ye Shuai, its morale has plummeted. Dajin Inquiry, who has retreated in defeat, will definitely go south. At this time, the strength of the two sides is completely different. It is said to be offensive and defensive at this time, but in fact it is just staying behind. Ye Shuai Although he was gone, Ye Shuai's order to ensure that all the people moved south to Xianghan was still maintained, except for the ulterior motives of some people in the army. However, it was only a matter of time before Zhengzhou and other places fell.
The gold thieves who fight back will be arrogant and cruel. Zhengzhou is a dangerous place.
"We are all from the Xianghan area..." The three of them looked a little solemn, looking at Shen Anlin with increased admiration, "I didn't expect Mr. Zhao to avoid relatives so righteously."
Mr. Zhao, the new envoy of Zhenwu Shengding National Army, one of the adults responsible for the appeasement and retreat of the army, is also Shen Anlin's maternal uncle.
"This is my job, it has nothing to do with intimacy." Shen Anlin said after plastic surgery.
"Captain Shen, take care." The three of them also put on their faces and clasped their fists.
The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and in the vast white mist, the three people had left, and Shen Anlin stood alone.
Two soldiers ran over holding umbrellas and persuaded him to go back.
"Xiao Zhuo hasn't come back yet?" he asked.
The soldier shook his head and said, "Sir, are you waiting for a letter from my family? The letter from the master arrived yesterday..."
Shen Anlin didn't say anything, smiled, and shook his head. It didn't matter if he came back, it was still the same as before. He just brought the letter back intact.
That girl is really not stubborn in general. Is this really just because her family is too poor and regrets the marriage, so she is arrogant and wants to break up
Back at the camp, the warm brazier quickly melted the snow on his body. He didn't bother to change his clothes. Shen Anlin's eyes fell on the desk. There was an unfinished letter there. It was only two letters. sentence.
"Life or death in this battle is unknown..." He stared at it blankly for a moment, then suddenly stretched out his hand to pull it and threw it into the brazier, causing a puff of green smoke to rise.
"Prepare your horses and march out of camp." He turned around and shouted the order. The soldiers received the order, turned around and went out, and the sound of horns sounded one after another and spread.