Chu Qiao's eyes darkened, she almost passed out, and her heart could hardly bear the load for a moment. She clutched the girl's skirt tightly, and asked each word in a hoarse voice: "How long have you been walking, how long have you been walking?"
"It's been an hour, Yue'er, there's nothing to save."
Chu Qiao turned her head and looked at Xiao Ba who was standing at the door. The child's eyes were red, and he raised his head to look at her. As soon as the eyes of the two met, tears began to flow down, but neither of them cried out.
"Yue'er, I have to go back. Be careful yourself. I heard from the people in the laundry room that Housekeeper Zhu deliberately targeted you. Did you offend him for something?"
The house gradually became quiet, and there was a vast expanse of pale white ground in the yard. The two children stood quietly without saying a word for a long time.
The third watch drum had just sounded, and the last two children of the Jing family quietly walked through the Qingshi forest to the Ting Lake behind Zhuge's house. The cold wind is bleak, the bamboo forest is swaying, the pavilion lake is dead silent, the waves are calm, it looks no different from the usual countless days and nights.
Chu Qiao knelt on a high slope, and said to Xiao Ba beside her, "Xiao Ba, kneel down and kowtow to your brothers and sisters."
Xiao Ba is not yet seven years old, this child has undergone major changes tonight, his little face has lost the innocence that children should have. She quietly knelt beside Chu Qiao, bowed deeply towards the direction of Tinghu Lake, and kowtowed heavily three times.
"Xiaoba, do you hate this place?"
The child nodded without saying a word.
Chu Qiao said calmly, "Then do you want to leave?"
The child said in a deep voice, "I want to."
Chu Qiao stared ahead, her voice was calm, she narrowed her eyes slightly, frowned slightly, and said slowly: "I promise you, I will take you away soon. But before that, we still have some things to do." Do it, and when it's over, we'll get out of here."
The child nodded silently, kowtowed on the ground, and said in a deep voice: "Sister Zhixiang, you always ask for blessings from gods and Buddhas, but you don't know that God has already blinded you. You brought your brothers and sisters Go slowly, wait and see, wait and see Xiaoba and sister Yue'er avenge you."
The cold wind was raging, and the night was dark. On the high slope of the bluestone forest, two small figures leaned on each other, holding hands tightly.
In December, there was a large-scale invasion by the Quanrong people on the northwest border.
Within 20 days, the fighting intensified, and tens of thousands of people outside the customs were involved in the flames of war. The Northwest Pass has a special geographical location. It is located between the jurisdiction of the Batuha family in the western fiefdom and the King Yan of Yanbei. The position in the DPRK became increasingly stable, and the Batuha family gradually gained the upper hand. Years ago, the military power of the Northwest Pass was finally taken away, blood was exchanged wantonly, and the officers and officers of the Northwest Pass were cleaned up. Other clans in the court also successively sent their direct descendants to the northwest in an attempt to infiltrate the largest military system in the empire. As a result, the experienced generals who have guarded the border for many years have stepped down one after another, and the ones in charge are all imperial dignitaries who have never seen blood.
It was precisely because of this that the Quanrong people had the opportunity to knock open the first stop outside the Northwest Pass at a small price, allowing the soldiers to enter the fertile soil outside the Northwest Pass like sharp knives.
Even though the Batuha family made a gesture of resistance in a timely manner and sent elite soldiers from the Northwest Pass to quell the chaos, but because the enemy was unknown and there were many factions in the pass, many resistances were carried out like a mess. Not only did the military chaos not ease at all, but it became more and more intense. Emergency documents were sent to the imperial capital like snowflakes, requesting the Zhenhuang Presbyterian Church to send troops to quell the chaos.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, the Pojun star appeared, and Zhaoming returned to hermitage. Qin Tiangong Taizhu showed the oracle: Taihe Xuchong, Chishui contains ice, and it is very fierce.
The seven great clans discussed overnight and decided to send the Huangtian Department to go outside the pass to pacify the chaos in the northwest.
After the announcement of the Calligraphy, it was submitted to the Shengjin Palace, read by the emperor, and the reply: yes.
All of a sudden, there was a turbulent wind in Emperor Zhenhuang's capital, and the major families were tense. In the pitch black night, a turbulent undercurrent surged rapidly under the thick ice.
At this moment, Chu Qiao was busy in the withered grass in the North Pavilion, carefully looking for those Maodong snakes, but suddenly heard the sound of a horn resounding in her ears, like a white crane's long cry, thick and majestic. She slowly stood up straight, and looked at Zhenhuangzhinan with half-closed eyes. There is the Shengjin Palace.
The night is thick, and the night road is very difficult to walk.
In the afternoon of the second day, when the snow was heavy and the sun was clear, under the glazed tiles of the Qingshan Pavilion, two snow dogs made of jade, which were as cute as snow jade, were crystal clear, bright and clean under the morning light. It snowed heavily last night, and the snowflakes were piled up more than a foot thick. The servants who cleaned them passed by the snow dog without looking sideways, as if they were afraid that if they looked too much, they would cause trouble to their upper body.
Jin Si was wearing a small bijia draped in sable, a flowery pink skirt, and a tender pink ribbon tied around his waist. Standing on a piece of pure white snow, he looked even more graceful and glamorous. This girl who has been serving the Fourth Young Master all day is only thirteen years old, but she looks slim and beautiful. She was usually dexterous and docile when she was by the master's side, but now she was a little domineering. Her tone was cold, and she said coldly to a group of children who were only wearing a thin blouse and hugging a jade snow dog tightly, "Hold them tightly, the young master said, this jade is alive." , as long as you borrow your popularity, it will become clearer and clearer. You lowly servants are fortunate to be able to contribute to the Fourth Young Master today, so don't be lazy. If I come back later and see who is disobedient, I will drag them all to Tinghu Lake to feed the fish."
The children shyly nodded and agreed, Jinsi sneered, turned and walked towards the warm greenhouse.
After the snow, the weather is getting colder, even wearing a ferret and hugging the heater is a bit unbearable, let alone standing in the snow wearing only a thin shirt. Within a moment, the children's lips were frozen blue.
Chu Qiao had just come from the Blue Mountain Courtyard with a plate of fresh peaches, when Jin Si saw this and hurried out of the greenhouse to say hello.
Chu Qiao turned around and stopped, with a ruddy complexion and a delicate appearance, she tilted her head and said, "Sister Jinsi, what's the matter?"
"The fourth young master is taking a nap, just give me the peach."
Chu Qiao nodded with a charming smile, and handed Tao Zi over. Jinsi turned around and entered the greenhouse, but before he could sit still, he heard an angry shout from the pavilion. Jinsi put down Taozi in a panic, and ran away.
Before reaching the door, a colorful shadow flew out from the door, and hit her face with a swish. It was soft and cold to the touch, and there was a hint of fishy and slippery feeling.
Jinsi looked down and saw that it was a little snake with its head raised and spewing out a letter. She was frightened out of her wits and sat on the ground with a cry of surprise.
Chu Qiao ran into the room, and saw Zhuge Yue frowning tightly, wearing a lake green brocade shirt and leaning on the soft couch, with black blood flowing from his wrist, apparently bitten by a snake. She hurried forward a few steps, grabbed Zhuge Yue's wrist, picked up the small fruit-peeling knife on the table, and slashed at the wound.
The servants outside the door shouted when they saw it, and someone came forward to take this rebellious little slave.
Zhuge Yue frowned, waved his hands slightly, and stopped the servants from moving. But seeing that Chu Qiao only made a small cross wound, after squeezing it a few times, she lowered her head and sucked it with her mouth, then spit out a couple of mouthfuls, and said anxiously: "Master, please don't use force, or the poison will hurt you." The spread is faster, and this servant will go to the doctor."
In a short while, a large number of servants had gathered at the door, Jin Zhu rushed forward in panic, pushed Chu Qiao away, knelt on the ground and grabbed Zhuge Yue's hand and shouted, "Young Master, how are you?"
Zhuge Yue frowned, seemed annoyed that she grabbed his hand, kicked Jin Zhu's chest, and shouted in a deep voice, "Get out!"
Jin Zhu's hand touched the ground, and she screamed. There were more than twenty insects and snakes crawling all over the ground, which looked strange and terrifying.
Chu Qiao pulled out the candlestick, lit it quickly, and drove the snake away with fire. The snake was afraid of the fire, and immediately scattered away.
The doctor from Zhuge's family rushed over quickly, and the crowd was dispersed. The servants of Qingshanyuan all knelt at the door tremblingly, with ashen faces.
After a while, a doctor from the inner room came out and said to the servants, "Who is Miss Xing'er?"
Chu Qiao stood up from behind the crowd, with a short stature and immature face, she raised her hand and whispered, "Sir, I am."
The doctor didn't expect it to be such a big child, he was a little dazed, pondered for a while and said: "Come in, the fourth young master said you took drugs for him, and I want the old man to take a look for you too."
The hundred and ten servants on both sides were shocked and looked up at Chu Qiao.
Chu Qiao looked panicked, kowtowed a few times to thank the master for her mercy, and then followed the doctor into the hall.
The cold wind was coming, and the servants of Zhuge's family, who stepped on the high and low, turned their thoughts quickly.
After a while, Chu Qiao came out with a submissive expression, without any arrogance.
After the doctor left, Jin Si and Jin Zhu walked into Zhuge Yue's room with a few senior servants. Zhuge Yue leaned on the back of the chair, with his eyes half closed, and asked calmly, "Who is on duty in the house today?"
Jin Zhu took a look at Jin Si, his face was ashen, and he said stammeringly: "Master, yes, it's a slave girl, slave girl just now..."
"Needless to say," Zhuge Yue said in a cold and deep voice, "You know the rules here. I never support idlers. Go down and get thirty boards by yourself, and then take my letter to the Anjunyuan to seek a job. Bar."
When Jin Zhu heard this, tears immediately flowed down, and she knelt on the ground and cried loudly: "Master, please spare this time, my servant, I will never dare again."
Zhuge Yue frowned slightly, and two powerful men immediately stepped forward, set up the candles and walked out.
"Who is guarding the gate?"
The two servants knelt on the ground, trembling all over, and kowtowed unceasingly, they were too scared to even speak.
Zhuge Yue opened his eyes, glanced at the two of them lightly, and said, "It's you two?" After finishing speaking, he snorted softly, "You always beat others, if that's the case, go to the courtyard and exchange each other with boards. Let's fight, whoever dies first will not be punished."
The room was dead silent, Zhuge Yue injured his wrist and was upset, he frowned and said, "Get out, I'm upset just looking at you."
If everyone encounters an amnesty, they will withdraw in unison. At this time, a small voice suddenly said: "Young master, can this servant move those pots of fire-burning vine corners outside the hall?"
Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows and looked over Xunsheng.