After deciding to go to Chang'an, Xu Zhen didn't rush to go directly, but first arranged economic and agricultural affairs in the army, improved the law along the way, and invited several Legalists to manage the administration.
Xu Zhen's life has been comfortable these past few days, the days are nourishing, her chilblains and wounds have all healed up, she went out to do errands, walking on the road, and saw the half-faced female slave before.
The female slave was still wearing thin clothes, standing in the snow, sweeping the snow with a broom in hand.
Seeing her, Xu Zhen stepped forward and greeted her warmly: "Long time no see, how are you doing recently? Has the food improved a lot?"
The female slave nodded when she saw her.
Immediately, he thought of the rumors that he had heard the most, and knew that Xu Zhen was the sweetheart of King Zhenbei, and was about to kneel down to salute.
Xu Zhen hurriedly stopped: "You helped me before, why are you still so polite?"
The female slave said, "It's just a matter of course."
Xu Zhen thought that the female slave knelt down to thank her for improving the food, so she said, "Then it will be easy for me to help you improve your life, so you don't need to thank me."
The female slave gave Xu Zhen a grateful look.
Xu Zhen continued to chat with her in a good mood, and the two walked to the side of the tent, Xu Zhen handed her a piece of thick cloth, and the slave girl wore it on her body, and felt the difference between today and the world in just a few days. The illusion of the past.
She continued to thank Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen smiled and said no thanks, then scanned the surroundings and found that a large area was covered with snow, and no one had cleaned it. She asked a little strangely, "Why are you cleaning it alone today?"
Hearing this, the female slave looked up at Xu Zhen in shock.
Xu Zhen asked: "There were quite a few people in the tent earlier, what about that group of people?"
After a long silence, the female slave opened and closed her mouth, and finally said slowly, "They were sent away."
"Sent away?" Xu Zhen didn't quite believe it, but she could only take it as true for the time being when the female slave said so.
Xu Zhen stepped on the snow and returned to the military tent that was burning charcoal, and saw that the dim candlelight had already been lit. Xun Qianchun was sitting at the table, and there was food on the table, including meat and vegetables. The life of the two of them was much better than before.
Xu Zhen walked over and sat down.
She thought for a while and asked, "Where did you send those female slaves?"
Xun Qianchun did not speak.
Xu Zhen looked at Xun Qianchun, probably guessed it, and asked directly: "Did you kill them all?"
Xun Qianchun's fair face was a little sad, but he still didn't speak.
Xu Zhen said: "Looking at your reaction, you should have killed them, but why did you kill them for no reason? It took me a long time to tell them how to survive in troubled times. No wonder I didn't get merit points a few days ago."
She almost said it, but fortunately the system still has a protective effect. When she almost said these three words, the siren in her mind was loud, forcing her to swallow the words back.
"Is that so?" Xu Zhen asked repeatedly.
Seeing that Xu Zhen knew about it, Xun Qianchun nodded in response.
Xu Zhen continued to ask, "Why did you kill them?"
Xun Qianchun remained silent.
Xu Zhen asked, "Did the poison in your body become more serious, so your body hurts uncomfortably?"
Xun Qianchun didn't want to worry Xu Zhen, so he didn't say anything.
Xu Zhen threatened: "If you don't tell me, I won't be with you in the future."
Xun Qianchun frowned slightly, raised his eyes to look at Xu Zhen, made a difficult decision for a moment, and then said: "It really hurts, the breath inside is unstable, and I can't restrain it."
"Is it just some?" Xu Zhen asked back, but the little beggar didn't answer. Xu Zhen knew that the little beggar's condition had reached a serious point. According to this rhythm, she might hack herself to death at any time.
When she first learned about this setting, Xu Zhen was terrified. In order to cherish her precious life, she even drove the little beggar away.
But now, she really has lost all her thoughts. There is no one or anything in this world that worries her more than the little beggar.
Xu Zhen thought for a while, and said: "I told you before that I will not die." She said, her face was a little pale, but she continued, "So if you are really in pain, just Stab me with a knife, I'll be in pain at most."
Xun Qianchun said: "No."
Xu Zhen said in a low voice: "I'm just making a hypothesis, just in case such a day..."
Xun Qianchun repeated: "No. If there is such a day, my sword will stab my own chest."
Xu Zhen was stunned when she heard this, then moved over and whispered: "Don't do that, but no matter what, I'm just saying casually, your poison can be cured anyway, after we finish solving your family's affairs, we will quickly Get some seclusion."
Xun Qianchun looked at Xu Zhen, wanted to talk but didn't say anything, finally nodded, and the two stopped talking about this topic.
On the second day, geese flew from north to south in the sky, and the Chinese New Year was only a few days away. After discussing for a while, the two decided to leave today and enter Chang'an before the New Year's Eve ban.
It was a rare sunny day on the day of departure, the golden light reflected the snow, the snow on the rice paddies melted, and there was an extra muddy path.
Everyone in the army thought that King Zhenbei was returning to the city, so they rushed out to see him off, but they didn't know that Xun Qianchun and Xu Zhen had already driven their horses out of the city gate, heading towards the dark Chang'an due east.
The Seven Kingdoms in the troubled times are about to set off another storm with Chang'an as the eye of the storm.
Broad Yangguan Avenue.
Xu Zhen was wearing light gray sheep's fur and a small felt hat, and she sat crookedly on the horse's back. She obviously didn't know martial arts, but she insisted on carrying a long red copper sword on her back.
Xun Qianchun, who is a master of martial arts, sits steadily on the other horse, with only a bag tied around his waist and luggage on the horse's buttocks.
Xu Zhen struggled to ride a horse, Xun Qianchun asked her to ride with her, but Xu Zhen was unwilling and had to sit alone, so the two of them took three days to get to the journey that was supposed to take one and a half days.
When the majestic attic in Chang'an was about to be seen, the number of people on both sides of the official road gradually increased, but these people were not the splendid silkworm clothes or the unrestrained literati wanderers before, but refugees who came from nowhere, ragged Lying on the ground, if you don't enter the city, you won't be strong, just guard outside.
Chang'an is no longer as prosperous as it used to be, it is lifeless, it is full of despair as far as the eye can see, and it can still smell the stench of decay.
Is this really the glorious Chang'an in the past
Xu Zhen was a little skeptical.
Driving forward, Xu Zhen didn't see any of the features that Chang'an should have. Feeling strange, she hurriedly approached the little beggar and asked, "Has Chang'an been like this for the past two years?"
Xun Qianchun said: "No, it happened after the Holy Majesty passed away."
Xu Zhen nodded. It was understandable. After all, after the absence of the Holy Majesty, wars became more frequent. Even Ge Xier and Li Sanlang had a fight a few days ago.
In the troubled times, who else can keep his heart.
The mountains and rivers are turbulent, the white grass is luxuriant, the green pines are blown by the north wind, and the snow is constantly shaking.
When there was still a distance from Chang'an, the two stopped first, found an inn, walked into it with the wind, and asked for a room.
Putting down the luggage, Xun Qianchun reached out and pressed something cold on Xu Zhen's face.
Xu Zhen thought that the little beggar was playing with her, so she ran to the window to grab a ball of snow, and stuck it on Xun Qianchun's face.
Xun Qianchun smiled and called: "Sir."
Xu Zhen rubbed her face a few times: "Why?"
Xun Qianchun's face was deformed by rubbing, and he explained: "It's disguise."
Xu Zhen was stunned and asked, "Are you going to disguise yourself now?"
Xun Qianchun pointed to Xu Zhen's face.
It was only then that Xu Zhen realized that the little beggar was just posting things for her to change her appearance!
Have you already been disguised?
Xu Zhen was a little excited.
It was the first time she enjoyed the treatment of disguise, and hurried to the brown wooden table, looking for the bronze mirror to observe her face carefully, and the bronze mirror showed an image with slightly dark skin, pockmarked face, and wide lips.
Xu Zhen thought it was amazing.
She didn't look like this at all, but with just one piece of sticker, it can be compared with the PS technology thousands of years later, it's amazing!
Xu Zhen kept raising her hand to touch her face, and there was still a tactile sensation on her face. She grabbed her cheek again and found that there was indeed a very thin layer covering her face, which could be torn off as long as she used force.
Xu Zhen dared not touch her again.
She got a new look and was ready to go out in a good mood, but Xun Qianchun couldn't control her, so he could only change into a new face and go out with her.
The two walked around together.
As the sky gradually darkened, the golden light shrank, the lights were lit, and the official road gradually became lively. Xu Zhen went over to ask, and only heard a group of people scrambling for food.
It seems that the officials and nobles in Chang'an City threw out the food they didn't want to eat after the banquet, thus making it easier for the people at the door.
Xu Zhen said: "It looks like a waste, but I didn't expect to do a good thing invisibly?"
Xun Qianchun said: "It's not a good thing, waste, never a good thing."
Xu Zhen looked at Xun Qianchun's new look, which was obviously more ordinary than her own. With the bamboo hat on her back, she looked like she was going to plant seedlings in the field. She smiled and said, "You're right."
Xun Qianchun glanced at her.
This ordinary face suddenly revealed an unusual kingly spirit.
Xu Zhen immediately shut up.
A gust of wind blew from the Wei River, bringing with it the smell of alcohol and carrion in Chang'an City, as well as the bustling noise inside. Xu Zhen first saw it like this outside, and thought that it should be almost the same inside, but she didn't expect that it was still so lively inside.
She was a little curious.
Xun Qianchun knew a lot of news, and explained to her: "It's still the same inside, with lantern festivals and imperial learning."
Xu Zhen asked, "Is the Hongdu Academy open?"
"I don't know." Xun Qianchun said, "Many officials take refuge in the new emperor, and they don't have to worry about food and clothing every time."
Xu Zhen was a little shocked: "Are you satisfied without worrying about food and clothing? This group of people is too easy to deal with. But since the lantern festival is still there, we can go and see it after we enter the city."
Xun Qianchun nodded.
Xu Zhen said, "We still have to guess the lantern riddles."
Xun Qianchun said: "Okay."
Xu Zhen was very excited: "How about the rabbit lamp? It was placed in the room before, and it looked pretty."
Xun Qianchun said: "Okay."
Xu Zhen said: "I saw one made into corn last year, have you seen it?"
Xun Qianchun said, "No."
The two walked in a secluded alley, their voices drifting with the wind, after talking about the lantern festival, they began to talk about the strength of the current favorite concubine, Xun Qianchun didn't know much about it, and then talked about other things.
Walked a few steps forward.
Xu Zhen suddenly saw a person sitting in the alley.
The man was white-haired, wearing a tattered bamboo hat, and a muddy toga, revealing loose and frostbitten skin.
Through the half face exposed by the bamboo hat, Xu Zhen recognized this person.
This man is a homeless prince.
This duke once did not support Xu Zhen's cessation of Confucianism and reform, but today at the entrance of this alley, he sat in the corner of the wall in tears and said silently: "Let the palace walls fall, come and overthrow this place. "
Xu Zhen didn't stop.
Just pulled the little beggar and continued to walk forward.