In the twenty-seventh year of Dayong Wuwei, the northern Han border, the autumn wind was rustling, on the road from Yanmenguan to Daizhou City, a red knight galloped with flying horses, and the smoke was billowing, only to faintly see that it was a horse covered in blood. A rouge horse with a red mane like flames, although the knight's body was blocked by the cloak and the hood on it, his appearance and posture could not be seen, but he could faintly see that the man was wearing a strong red suit, covered with a cloak of the same color, and a piece of ebony on his back shoulders. Sandalwood bow, a bag of white feather arrows hanging beside the saddle, the hilt of the knife inlaid with gold and jade is faintly exposed at the waist, the body of the knife is covered by a large cloak, and the style of the scabbard cannot be seen, but just by looking at the hilt, you know it is a piece of gold. A hard-to-change sword.
The red-clothed knight was running wildly, and suddenly five knights rushed out diagonally from both sides. They were all barbarian knights with left-haired hair, and rushed towards the red-clothed knight. When the two sides were about to collide, the red-clothed knight came Quickly open the bow and shoot the arrow, the white feather arrow is like a streamer of lightning, with three arrows in one bow, and the sound of the bowstring. Two knights did not expect this red knight to shoot arrows at such a short distance, turning over and falling from the horse. However, one bow and three arrows were a bit reluctant for the red knight, and the third arrow was weak and was pushed away by a knight with a knife. The remaining three knights shouted loudly and slaughtered fiercely. The red knight had no time to shoot the arrow, so he had to draw his sword to greet him. The four of them were all knights who were skilled in horse fighting, and the battle was in full swing. Although the red knight had a sharp sword and excellent riding skills, the three barbarian knights were also brave warriors. Gradually, the red knight began to be unable to resist. Suddenly, the red-clothed knight shouted, "Look at the poisonous powder." He raised his left hand, and a cloud of pink smoke rushed towards the two barbarian knights. The two knights dodged left and right, revealing a gap, and the red knight took the opportunity to rush the horse, rushed out of the encirclement, and rushed forward. The few barbarian knights chased after them, but just as they were about to encircle, the red-clothed knight lifted the reins, and the rouge horse raised its front hooves and reversed its head, as if walking in the clouds and flowing water, and the speed was undiminished to Daizhou. Run to the city. The few barbarian knights did not expect that the red knight's riding skills would be so powerful, and could not help but stagnate for a while. When they turned around and chased, they were already behind a lot.
The red knight looked back in distress. The barbarian knights were still chasing after them. The red knights were clenching their silver teeth. She was not worried about safety. Twenty miles ahead was Daizhou City. The barbarian knight who sneaked in would never dare to chase after him, but if someone knew that he was traveling alone and was ambushed, then he would not think about being so free in the next few months. At this moment, her eyes lit up, and there was a grey knight walking slowly in front of her. That horse was also one of the best horses in a hundred miles. The knight on the horse also carried bows and arrows. All men and women in this state are fighters who are familiar with bows and horses. , This knight can stop it no matter how bad it is, and the two can join forces, or they can kill the barbarians. Thinking of this, the red knight shouted loudly, "Brother, let go of the arrows."
The gray knight turned his head back in amazement, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he turned around to greet him. The yellow horse and the red knight passed by, and the red knight heard the sound of the bowstrings in his ears, and just by the sound of the strings, the red knight knew that this bow was not strong, and generally only women would use it in Daizhou. But when he heard the sound of the bow and arrow breaking through the wind, the red knight couldn't help being stunned, it was clearly one bow and five arrows. When she rode her horse back, she happened to see five feathered arrows arranged in an array of three arrows at the back. One of the feathered arrows shot into the throat of a barbarian, and the other two feathered arrows were just blocked by the other two. The two feathered arrows had already arrived. Although the two of them tried to dodge, they only avoided the key point, and both were seriously injured by the arrows. The two of them looked at each other and ran off on their horses, taking away their dead companions and the ownerless warhorse when they were about to leave.
The red knight breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward and said, "Thank you, Xiongtai, for saving your life. Lin Tong is here to thank you."
The knight in gray turned his head, his eyes lit up, and he saw that the knight in red was wearing three buns and a golden hairpin next to the red silk scarf on his head. He was only sixteen or seventeen years old. The eyebrows are curved, the black eyes are crystal clear, and the pink and delicate cherry lips are slightly upturned, looking naughty and delicate.
The red knight was also stunned. The gray knight was also a young man in his early twenties. He was handsome and handsome, even a little weak, but his brows had a bit of insight into the world and a cynical idleness. . This red-clothed girl usually sees a big man with five big and three rough, and even the handsome men among them are mostly handsome and handsome. Where have you seen such a handsome and handsome man, she couldn't help blushing and asked: "Who are you? , I see that you don't look like me from the Northern Han Dynasty, wouldn't you be a spy?"
The knight in grey has calmed down and said with a smile: "Miss, this is not the reason for repaying your kindness. How can you regard your benefactor as a spy?"
The red-clothed girl Lin Tong blushed again, and said, "It's one thing for you to save my life, and it's another matter for you to be a spy. If you don't tell me, I'll send you to see an official."
The knight in grey deliberately exaggerated: "Oh, Princess Hongxia is really good, it seems that I saved the wrong person?"
The girl in red couldn't help being stunned. She was the second daughter of the Yingyang General Lin Yuanting, who guarded Daizhou and Yanmen. Lin Yuanting was the head of an aristocratic family in Daizhou, an important official of the Northern Han Dynasty, and married Princess Anqing, who gave birth to four sons. The second daughter and four sons are all famous tiger generals. The eldest daughter, Lin Bi, was adopted by Liu You, the current ruler of the Northern Han Dynasty, as a righteous daughter, and she was given the title of Princess Jiaping. She is 23 years old this year.
Lin Bi is not only beautiful and intelligent, but also rare in martial arts. Marrying Lin Bi has always been the goal of the warriors of the Northern Han Dynasty, and Lin Bi also vowed not to marry for life unless he is a like-minded hero. But such a woman, how many people are worthy of it. It was not until two years ago that Weiyuan General Long Tingfeifa's wife passed away that Lin Bi fell into the Long family. Long Tingfei was only in his twenties or thirties at the time, and he was handsome and mighty, with a high position and great power. The Lord of the Northern Han Dynasty used him heavily, but he was also a little bit afraid. In order to win over important officials, marriage was the best way. With both appearances and from a royal family, he is naturally the best candidate, and Long Tingfei is also a hero worthy of Lin Bi, so this marriage became a good talk for a while. However, because Long Tingfei's deceased wife had just passed away and he was busy fighting with Dayong, the two sides agreed not to get married for the time being.
This red-clothed girl came from such a background. Although she was pampered on weekdays, she was not a young lady who didn’t understand anything. If it was the identity of the princess of Hongxia, whoever saw her rouge horse and red-clothed in this area of Daizhou would have no doubts. Recognized, but this young man is obviously not a local, but he knows his identity at first sight, which makes her suspicious.
With suspicion, her tone became a bit more stern, and she said, "Who are you, if you don't tell the truth, don't blame me for being ruthless under the knife." As she spoke, she held the handle of the knife.
The young man was startled, and hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "The county owner is going to be angry. Caomin's surname is Wang, and his single name is Ji. He is not a spy."
Lin Tong's expression softened a little, looked up and down the boy for a moment, and asked, "You don't look like a Northern Han person, so please tell the county master about your origins."
The young man smiled wryly and said, "The county lord, the Caomin are from the Southern Chu region. Later, they lived in all directions. The Caomin moved to the north last year. Because they are good at treating horses and livestock, they often walk in the barbaric land. I heard about Daizhou a few days ago. This autumn, we set up a farm, so I came to Daizhou specifically to see the prosperity of the farm, but unexpectedly met the county owner, because Caomin had already heard that the rouge horse of the county owner was a famous horse in Daizhou, so they recognized the county owner. , what Caomin said is the truth, please also ask the county master to learn from it."
Lin Tong looked at the young man in surprise for a long time, and said, "Wang Ji, you are not the 'Bole's genius doctor' that is passed down by word of mouth among the barbarians, right? I heard that you are not only good at treating livestock, but also good at horses?"
The young man smiled and said, "I don't dare to be the county master. Caomin does have a little reputation in the barbarian land. I didn't expect the county master to have heard of it."
Lin Tong said: "Of course, I am close to the barbarian land on behalf of the state, and I dare not ignore the movement of the barbarian land every day. Unfortunately, the barbarian land is vast and sparsely populated, and the tribes live by water and grass, and all kinds of information are always insufficient. Detailed. I originally thought that the 'Bole genius doctor' that people were talking about must be an old gentleman with high morals, but he was so young, Wang Ji, the county master asks you, you are originally from Southern Chu, where did you come from? How can the veterinarians and Soma skills that I learned go to the barbaric land?"
The young man smiled bitterly again: "The county master, you can't just say it like this, blocking the road is not the way, right?"
Lin Tong was shocked to realize that there were already pedestrians on the road, and said: "This county master is going to Daizhou to visit the market, you can go with me, and tell me slowly on the road, but you are not allowed to escape, Otherwise, the county master will let Daddy send out a large army to hunt you down."
The young man smiled and said, "The grass people don't dare, the county master please."
The two rode their horses towards Daizhou Xing. For some inexplicable reason, neither of them let their horses gallop, but walked slowly, continuing to talk while walking.
Lin Tong asked, "Wang Ji, you haven't said who you can learn from?" Although it was the same question, his eyes were a little less skeptical and a little more curious.
The young man seemed to have fallen into deep thought, and only woke up when Lin Tong asked again, smiled and said, "It is said that the master of Caomin is a rare man in the world, and what he has learned is unpredictable, Caomin was originally his old man. There is a maid next to him, but he was fortunate enough to learn some fur skills. A few years ago, his old man dismissed many servants, and Caomin was one of them. Although Caomin also received a lot of gifts of gold and silver, he couldn’t sit and eat. After thinking about it, Caomin has no other ability, and can only rely on being a veterinarian to make a living. But if this veterinary business is in Nanchu and Dayong, it can only be eaten by people, and Caomin is the most unwilling to be left to others. Afterwards, I thought about it, I could never be mediocre in my whole life, so I went to the barbarian land, where there are the most livestock and the most incurable diseases. There is no need to worry about their livelihood. In the end, the Caomin has good luck and has practiced medicine for several years without making any mistakes. Although the barbarians are brave and bloodthirsty, they respect the veterinarians the most, so the Caomin is at ease in the barbaric land. As for Bole, It's just that the grass people recognized a few rare horses, the news was spread with falsehood, and the result reached the ears of the county master, which is a bit exaggerated."
Lin Tong rolled his eyes and asked, "It seems that although you are young, you have traveled a lot. This county master wants to ask you something?"
Wang Ji immediately bowed and said, "Please ask the county master. If the grass-roots people know about it, they will not dare to hide it."
Lin Tong said, "You even recognize the princess, so you must have heard of my sister, Princess Jiaping Lin Bi?"
Wang Ji nodded and said, "Caomin has naturally heard that Princess Jiaping is a hero among women. She led the army to repel the invading barbarians many times. No one in the Northern Han Dynasty knew the princess' name. I heard that the princess has been betrothed to General Long. There is no one in the world who does not envy the peerless love."
Lin Tong said proudly: "Yeah, my brother-in-law is a great hero, and the world means that he is worthy of my sister. However, I always hear that other people put a princess Changle and my sister side by side. Is there anything in the world? A woman compared to my sister? I don't believe it, but no one is willing to tell me about this Princess Changle, you won't tell me and you don't know?"
Looking at Lin Tong's wide-open almond eyes, Wang Ji couldn't help but burst out laughing, until seeing Lin Tong's increasingly annoyed expression, he stopped smiling and said, "It's no wonder they refuse to tell you that Princess Changle's They have experienced ups and downs, and they are from Dayong, so they won't tell you."
Lin Tong excitedly said: "Then you know it, tell me quickly."
Wang Ji thought for a while, and said, "The title of Princess Changle is actually Princess Changle of Ningguo. He is the eldest daughter of Li Yuan, Emperor Taishang of Dayong. Her biological mother was originally a noble concubine, and she was promoted to the queen three years ago. It's the Queen Mother. Her Royal Highness, the princess, has a virtuous and virtuous temperament. At the age of sixteen, she married the Prince of Southern Chu as a concubine. Later, when the prince ascended the throne, the princess became the mother of the state of Nanchu.
Lin Tong asked suspiciously, "That's why others put her next to her sister?"
Wang Ji shook his head and said with a smile: "Of course not. Although this princess has a distinguished status, it is a pity that Dayong and Nan Chu are enemies. Although no one in Nan Chu dares to treat her badly, this princess is afraid that she will not be happy for a moment, and she lives in seclusion all year round. Shen Gong, later, in the 22nd year of Xiande in Southern Chu, that year the country lord changed to Yuan Zhihua, but this era name has been abandoned. At that time, Li Zhi, the king of Yong, led his troops to break through the capital of Southern Chu and brought Princess Changle back to Dayong."
Lin Tong said with a happy expression: "Is this good, the princess is not happy in Southern Chu, although I hate Dayong people, but the emperor of Dayong still does a good job."
Wang Ji smiled and said: "Not long after the princess returned to Dayong, the lord of the state was released back to Southern Chu, but he died on the way, so the emperor of Dayong wanted to find another consort for the princess. At that time, the emperor took a fancy to three people. One was Qin Qing, the son of Qin Yi, the general of Fuyuan of Dayong, the other was Wei Ying, the son of Wei Guan, the prime minister of Dayong, and the other was Xiahou Yuanfeng, the deputy chief of guards before Dayong. One of these three people was a military general. One is a civil official, and Xiahou Yuanfeng is both civil and military. He looks like a son, and is known as the number one handsome man in Dayong. It stands to reason that no matter how high the princess's vision is, there should be one that you like."
Lin Tong excitedly asked, "So which one did the princess like?"
Wang Ji shook his head and said, "The princess doesn't like a single one."
Lin Tong said in surprise: "She doesn't like it. Could it be that she likes people like my brother-in-law?"
Wang Ji smiled and said, "How many people like General Long are there in the world? Caomin doesn't know if Her Royal Highness likes a hero like General Long, but in the end, Emperor Dayong said, as long as it is someone that Her Royal Highness likes. , No matter what status you are, you can be the concubine?"
Lin Tong asked curiously, "Who did Princess Changle choose in the end?"
Wang Ji sighed and said: "How can this consort can be chosen at will, no matter what dynasty or generation, the so-called princess, the honor of a thousand gold, the word happiness is the most rare, not married to a hero's family. The tool to win over the courtiers is to be the victim of the relatives. Princess Changle and the relatives of Nanchu are such victims. Although she was lucky to return home, Emperor Yong arranged for her a few candidates for consorts, all of whom were children of famous families. His Royal Highness chose the concubine at random, I am afraid that Princess Changle really has a crush, either to kill Emperor Yong, or to assassinate the young sons who were not selected. Moreover, although the matter of Shangzhu is extremely glorious, for real heroes, it may be possible However, she would feel that she was a gentleman in the township and would not give in. So in the end, Princess Changle kept her mouth shut and refused to choose a son-in-law. Later, Emperor Yong ordered the princess to be betrothed to Wei Ying, but Princess Changle would rather be a monk than a son-in-law. After getting married, in the end, the emperor could only let her keep the festival and not marry. At that time, there were rumors that Princess Changle might be grateful to the lord of Southern Chu for her kindness, and she wanted to observe the festival for the lord."
Lin Tong didn't speak this time, but there was disapproval in his eyes.
Wang Ji knew that this was because the Northern Han Dynasty was located on the frontier, and young and strong men were easy to die in battle, so in order to maintain the population, widows were not encouraged to observe festivals. He didn't say anything wrong, and continued: "It was only later that people guessed that Her Royal Highness, the princess, had a flaming gaze, and could see through a person's loyalty and future at a glance, so they didn't want to choose a concubine from those young talents."
Lin Tong couldn't help but ask, "How do you say this?"
Wang Ji smiled and said: "The county master must not remember, in the 21st year of Rongsheng, that is, the 25th year of Dayong Wuwei, Dayong had a civil strife, and the then prince Li An committed a rebellion and was forced to commit suicide. ."
Lin Tong said: "I remember, that year my sister and brother-in-law got engaged, but brother-in-law was busy sending troops to attack Dayong, and the marriage was delayed until now."
Wang Ji said: "The son of the prime minister, Wei Ying, participated in the rebellion, and later fled with Fengyimen. Now he doesn't know where he is, but he was implicated in his father's suicide. If it weren't for the emperor of Dayong, he remembered his father's credit. , I am afraid that even the nine clans will suffer. That general Qin Qingqin married the wrong person, and his wife, Li Hanyou, the master of Jingjiang County, was a rebellious and attempted to assassinate Princess Changle, but the general Qin was killed by his wife, and it is said that Feng Yimen successfully forced the palace to rebel, and it was also because this General Qin was tricked by his wife."
Wang Ji paused for a while, then picked up the water bag next to the saddle to drink water. Lin Tong took the opportunity to ask, "Then what about the one named Xiahou Yuanfeng?"
Wang Ji thought for a moment and said, "How can I say this, this person has now become a new noble in front of the new king. Although he is still the deputy general manager, it is rumored that King Yong has established a 'Mingjian Division' in the inner court over the past few years. This Xiahou Yuanfeng is the person in charge of the Mingjian Division. Caomin doesn't know what the Mingjian Division does, but I just heard that if Dayong's civil servants and generals hear the name of Mingjian Division, most of them will frown. I want to come here. Xiahou Yuanfeng is not a good candidate for a concubine anyway, right?"
Hearing this, Lin Tong asked, "So that's the case. This Princess Changle is really smart, but if she can compete with my sister based on this, I'm not convinced."
Just as Wang Ji was about to answer, his expression suddenly changed, and he said, "The princess! There's a—"
Lin Tong was startled and couldn't help but look back, only a few feet away, a female knight in a green riding suit and a yellow cloak embroidered with a brocade phoenix was looking at him with a slight smile. The female knight was in her twenties, and her appearance was 70% similar to that of Lin Tong, but her long eyebrows, flamboyant eyes, and graceful appearance were far above Lin Tong's. Twenty feet behind the female knight, there were four men, four women and eight knights, all of them standing there motionless.
When the female knight saw that Lin Tong had noticed herself, she smiled and said, "Tong'er, you sneaked out again."
Lin Tong exclaimed in surprise, "Sister." Then he jumped up from the horse and threw himself into the embrace of the woman in green clothes. The female knight stretched out her hand and just happened to hold Lin Tong's slender hand. Lin Tong turned around and landed on the saddle of the woman in Cuiyi. She sat gently and skillfully in the woman's arms with a bright smile on her face: "Sister, Tong'er just wanted to see the excitement."
The woman in Cuiyi smiled slightly, a hint of doting flashed in her phoenix eyes, and then her eyes fell on Wang Ji.
Wang Ji was startled, he quickly turned over and dismounted, and said, "King Ji of Caomin, I'll meet the princess."
That girl in green clothes, Princess Lin Bi of Jiaping, stretched out her hand to help, and said kindly: "No ceremony, it must be Tong'er who asked you about Princess Changle, right? This palace listens to your elegant words, and it is very precious. If you want to come, you must know the inside story. already."
Lin Tong took her sister's arm and said, "Sister, he is the legendary doctor of Bole in the barbarians. I pestered him to ask questions, and he saved my life just now. My sister can't blame him."
Hearing Lin Tong's words, the expression in Lin Bi's eyes softened a lot, but she was a little bit suspicious, she immediately bowed gently and said, "It turns out to be the Doctor Wang. I heard that Doctor Wang is good at treating horses. Gong Jiu has heard the reputation, and the two fish that slipped through the net have been captured by this palace, they originally wanted to take advantage of the crowds in the market to intercept the general's spies, thank you Mr. Wang for saving the sister."
Wang Ji said respectfully, "Caomin dare not be His Highness to thank each other. It's nothing to worry about. If there is nothing else, please allow Caomin to say goodbye."
Upon hearing this, Lin Tong tugged at her sister's sleeve anxiously. Lin Bi said calmly, "Mr. Wang, I just heard you talk about Princess Changle's deeds, and this palace is also very interested. You might as well go on and let this palace hear it."
Wang Ji smiled bitterly, what kind of identity is Lin Bi, I'm afraid she is familiar with the anecdote of Princess Changle, but since she said that, what can she do? At the moment, they had no choice but to mount their horses, and the group continued to walk slowly towards Daizhou.