In the ninth month of the lunar calendar, in late autumn, it was cold morning and evening. Qiao Wei put on a jacket, stepped out of the tent, and took a breath of fresh morning air. The cold breath invaded her lungs, and she shivered from the ice.
All the way north, the temperature is getting lower and lower. If you are in the capital, a small cotton padded jacket can handle it properly, but now you have to add a cloak over the small jacket.
It was just dawn at this time, and the surrounding area was foggy, and the distant mountains and bushes were all shrouded in a white mist. Occasionally, a carriage passed by not far away, but they could only hear the sound of chorus, but no one could be seen.
Qiao Wei stretched her muscles and bones, and soon saw Ji Mingxiu coming from the direction of the small hill to the east. His shoulders and shoes were covered with frost, it seemed that he had been there for a long time.
Qiao Wei took out a dry cotton cloth from the curtain, wiped the frost on his shoulders, and asked, "How?"
Ji Mingxiu said: "The front should be Qishui Town. Let's stay in the town for one night and never have a round with Yan Fei."
Yan Feijue went to the villa to detain Mu Qiuyang. Since the villa was in a different direction, they went north first and asked Yan Feijue to come later.
Qiao Wei raised a fire and roasted a dozen sweet potatoes and corn cobs, and the group's breakfast was settled.
Compared with the days when they went to the Yin tribe to eat, drink, live and be taken advantage of, they are now living a life of homeless people. They rush wherever they go, less chances of encountering inns, and more times of exposure .
Qiao Wei is bitter, this kind of thing is commonplace for her, but Ji Mingxiu is different, he is a young master who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, and he has never even drank raw water, but this time he is just like them, gnawing Hard dry food, eating black sweet potatoes and corn cobs, and drinking raw water from the stream.
Of course, stomach troubles are inevitable.
Fortunately, more than ten days have passed, and I have almost developed a pair of copper intestines and iron stomach.
The group quickly ate breakfast, packed their luggage and tents, and boarded a carriage to Qishui Town.
Qishui Town is a small town very close to the northern border, and it is also a transportation hub in the north. Many businessmen traveling from south to north will transit here. Yeluo is in the desert farther than the Xiongnu. To go to Yeluo, you have to go through The Xiongnu, but where to pass is a question that requires careful consideration.
Qiao Wei is really not familiar with the geography of Daliang. After Ji Mingxiu talked to her about the science, she finally understood roughly how the boundary between Daliang and the Xiongnu was.
Generally speaking, the two countries are large countries with a vast territory. There are three cities on the border with the Xiongnu—Pucheng, Liaocheng, and Yuan'ancheng. It is the straightest distance. If that person is in a hurry to take Jing Yun and others back to Yeluo, then he should still choose this city.
"Are General Duo Luo and Li Yu stationed in Yuan'an City?" Qiao Wei asked.
Ji Mingxiu nodded. Originally, there was only General Doro, but in order to please his future father-in-law, Li Yu also volunteered to take the title of temporary lieutenant general, and went north with his father-in-law: "I have sent a letter to General Doro with a pigeon. Let him pay attention to the movement in the city, and take down any suspicious people immediately."
"What about the other two cities?" Qiao Wei asked, she was worried that the other party would not choose to jump into the fire pit knowing the relationship between General Doro and Ji Mingxiu.
Ji Mingxiu said thoughtfully: "Among the remaining two cities, the lord of Liao City is still on good terms with the imperial court, but it's hard to say about Pucheng."
Qiao Wei was stunned for a moment: "What does it mean to be on good terms with the imperial court? Aren't they all the cities of Daliang? Could it be... not under the jurisdiction of the imperial court?"
Ji Mingxiu explained: "They are a small clan in the northern border. Although they submit to the imperial court, they also have the right to self-administer, just like a small feudal kingdom."
Qiao Wei seemed to have an epiphany: "Then what happened to Pucheng you just mentioned? Listening to the tone, it doesn't seem to get along well with the court?"
Ji Mingxiu's eyes darkened: "That's right, the Lord of Pucheng is indeed very dissatisfied with the imperial court."
Not only dissatisfied, but also very dissatisfied. It is not as simple as being dissatisfied in Pucheng if the prime minister of the first dynasty can give such an evaluation.
Qiao Wei wondered, "Why?"
Ji Mingxiu paused, and said, "The former empress who has passed away is the younger sister of the Lord of Pucheng."
"What?" Qiao Wei was completely shocked.
This matter is a bit long to say. In the early days of Pucheng’s surrender to the court, the old city lord brought a pair of sons and daughters to Beijing to be enshrined. At that time, the former empress was only a seven or eight-year-old girl, and the emperor had not even become a prince. In fact, to be exact, his father had just become the prince, and he was just a poor little wretch with a runny nose all day long in the East Palace.
The imperial palace is a place that changes rapidly, some mothers are more expensive according to their sons, and some sons are more expensive according to their mothers, the poor little wretch's mother and concubine are not of high status, and even he is not valued very much.
But no matter how much he is not valued, it can't stand that his father is the prince, and the two daughters of the old city lord lived in the East Palace without any suspense.
What does it mean to get the moon first if you are close to the water, this is it.
In fact, there are quite a lot of emperor brothers, but the first empress got blind somehow, and played with the little wretch with a string of snot all day long.
The little poor thing loves this young lady very much—
Of course, it took a long time for the little poor fellow to realize that the little girl who was half a head taller than him was actually a year younger than him.
The old city lord only stayed in the palace for half a year before returning to Pucheng with his son and daughter. After that, he didn't come back for several years.
When the emperor was thirteen years old, he went to Pucheng with the late emperor and met the late empress again. The little girl in his childhood became a slim girl. The emperor felt like he had met a fairy. To be honest, the appearance of the late empress She can only be regarded as average in appearance, and there is still a big gap from the great beauty who is all over the country. This time it is the emperor's turn to be lame, and he thinks she is beautiful, and she is beautiful everywhere, so he wants to marry her shamelessly.
At that time, the emperor already had a place in the prince's mansion. He was smart, hardworking, and would please his father and grandfather. After hearing this, the first emperor thought it was a beautiful thing, and asked the old city lord if he would like to be beautiful.
The old city lord was not very willing. His daughter grew up in his hands. Marrying into the royal family may not necessarily follow the royal rules.
The emperor swore to the old city owner that he would treat the queen wholeheartedly in the future and would not let the queen be wronged.
Facts have proved that the emperor was talking big. The concubines in the harem are one after another, and they don’t have the same style, but the old city owner was furious. In addition, the queen died young, and the old city owner felt that his daughter was squandered to death by the emperor. Yes, in a fit of rage, he simply broke up with the emperor.
The emperor knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't dare to confront his father-in-law. He tried his best to pretend to be blind about Pucheng. In the early years, Pucheng would pay tribute every year. After the new city lord took office, the tribute was stopped.
Hearing this, Qiao Wei understood how the relationship between the emperor and the empress came about. She wondered how the emperor was so ruthless since ancient times. How could the empress never be wronged in matters such as palace fighting? There is no love without reason, nor hate without reason.
Qiao Wei rubbed her chin: "It looks like we can only pray that they don't leave Pucheng."
Otherwise, given the city lord's hatred for the emperor and the court, he should be happy to let the prime minister's enemies go.
However, to the detriment of the heavens, what Qiao Wei was most worried about happened.
In the evening, the group arrived at Qishui Town and stayed in the small inn that General Doro had informed about beforehand. When they entered the inn, General Doro's guards had been waiting here for a long time.
The guard saluted Ji Ming and said solemnly: "My lord, the general sent people to search the city on the first day he received your news. Yuan'an city was searched three times by the general. There is no one the Prime Minister wants to find."
Ji Mingxiu's eyes turned cold.
Qiao Wei squeezed her fingers tightly and asked, "Could it be that they are disguised?"
The guard said respectfully: "Return to Madam, the general said, no."
In other words, they did not leave Yuan'an City.
Where will they go? Liaocheng? Pucheng
Not long after, the guards of the city lord of Liao City also arrived at the inn. The city lord of Liao City had a good relationship with the court. Although he himself would not search as hard as General Duo Luo, he opened the city gate and welcomed Li Yu to lead his troops in. After searching the city, Li Yu also turned Liao City upside down, but did not find any trace of Jing Yun and Wang Shu.
Li Yu's conclusion is... not in Liao City.
"Are you leaving Pucheng?" Qiao Wei looked at Ji Mingxiu.
Ji Mingxiu's big palm was clenched into a fist little by little, and a trace of coldness gradually appeared between his handsome brows: "Have a night's rest, and Pucheng tomorrow morning."