In the first month of spring, the city of Wei Bo was full of greenery, and the back garden of the Jiedushi Mansion was filled with apricot rain and pear blossoms.
There was a stone chessboard under the largest apricot tree in the garden, and a little girl of about five years old had a chess box on each hand. She picked up a black chess piece from the left chess box with her chubby left hand and slapped it on the chessboard in an expert manner. Then she picked up a white chess piece with her right hand, stood on tiptoe, and almost lay flat on the chessboard before placing the chess piece on the opposite corner.
A boy with a slightly upturned nose and a big head squatted on the side, holding his chin with both hands and looking at it for a while, then yawned: "Xiao Lu, what's so fun about this? Let's go to the training ground and ride horses. My father Chen gave me a little white horse, it's so cool..."
The little girl named Xiao Lu raised her eyelids and glanced at him: "No."
She had a pair of obsidian eyes, so black that the pupils were almost invisible, with slightly bluish whites. They were as clean and cold as the water in a lake in late autumn. Her whole body was cold, too, spotless from head to toe, even the crevices between her nails were spotless. She didn't fit in with the group of kids in the governor's mansion who were playing with swords and sticks and playing in the mud all day long.
The boy said, "Then let's have a sword fight. My uncle asked me to make an iron sword, which is much more powerful than a wooden sword."
Xiao Lu's long eyelashes fluttered like a small fan, and her delicate eyebrows slightly frowned: "I want to play the score."
The little boy scratched the back of his head, and the little brother seemed to sigh: "It's either playing chess or reading books, what's so fun about it."
Xiao Lu raised his eyes and said bluntly: "You can't play chess and you can't read, how do you know if it's fun?"
Duan Dalang was stunned for a moment, then he said in a good-tempered manner: "Then can you teach me?"
Xiao Lu hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "Forget it." Duan Dalang was too stupid. Instead of spending energy to teach him, it would be better for him to play with himself.
Duan Dalang said, "Please teach me."
Xiao Lu thought for a while and said, "I'll ask you to do some questions. If you can answer them well, I'll teach you."
Duan Dalang blinked his eyes and said, "Okay, ask."
Xiao Lu asked, "There are rabbits and chickens in a cage, with five legs and ten legs. How many rabbits and chickens are there in total?"
Duan Dalang opened his mouth and said, "Wait, I didn't hear you clearly, please say it again..."
Xiao Lu patiently said it again.
Duan Dalang scratched his cheek and said, "If chickens and rabbits are kept together, won't the chickens peck at the rabbits?"
Xiao Lu: “…”
Duan Dalang said again: "Do you like rabbits? Let's go catch rabbits."
Xiao Lu couldn't help wanting to ask Duan Dalang why he was so stupid, but suddenly remembered what Nanny Gao had warned him - everyone is good at different things, don't offend others just because they don't like something, so he put on a polite fake smile: "... Brother Duan, go by yourself."
After saying this, he lowered his head and continued to play the music.
Duan Dalang's mind was now full of catching rabbits: "Then I'll go and catch the most beautiful rabbit in the world for you."
Xiao Lu wondered how you knew the most beautiful rabbit in the world was in Wei Bo, but Nanny Gao said yesterday that you shouldn't always find fault with others, so she nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Duan."
In the pavilion not far away, Sui Sui lazily leaned on Huan Xuan's shoulder, squinting his eyes at the two small figures under the apricot tree, and said worriedly: "Why is this child always playing and not moving? He either plays music or reads books all day long..."
She paused and squinted at Huan Xuan: "Is it up to you?"
Huan Xuan did not hesitate to distance himself from the matter: "Don't wrongly accuse me. Have you forgotten how well we played together at that time?"
Sui Sui said: "That's right." Although it was not very normal for a young girl to dig a palace.
As she spoke, she placed her legs on the man's knees: "I worked out too much this morning, my legs are a little sore."
Huan Xuan naturally began to massage her, with just the right amount of strength, neither too light nor too heavy.
"Don't worry," he said as he pinched her, "our little deer is precocious, so it's normal that he can't play with other children."
Sui Sui sighed: "That day I asked her who her best friend was, and she said it was Grandma Gao..."
Huan Xuan couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth: "After all, it was Nanny who brought her up."
Sui Sui said: "She doesn't have much to say to us, but she has endless things to say to Grandma Gao."
She paused and said, "How about we go back to Chang'an during the New Year?"
Huan Xuan paused and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to go to Chang'an?"
Sui Sui said, "My sister sent me a letter a while ago mentioning this matter. It would be a good idea to go back and take a look while there is no trouble at the border these two years."
The Turks surrendered, Tubo was in internal strife, the Xi and Khitan were not a force to be reckoned with. After defeating the Turks, the Heshuo Army put down another rebellion in Bohai. There has been no trouble on the border for five years. It will take at least a few more years for any of the tribes to become a force to be reckoned with.
Sui Sui looked at her daughter with a gentle gaze: "Xiao Lu hasn't seen her father's hometown yet. Besides, Grandma Gao is old. She doesn't say it, but she still wants to go back to her hometown. Gao Mai and Guan Liu can also go back and reunite with their relatives."
As she spoke, she became interested and sat up straight. "How about we set off at the end of July, travel and have fun along the way, spend the New Year in Chang'an, and then set off back to Heshuo after the New Year?"
Huan Xuan asked, "Is it okay for us to be away together for half a year?"
Sui Sui said: "There is the North..."
Glancing at the man's expression, she quickly changed her tone: "With Sima Duan and General Ye in charge, there's no need to worry."
Huan Xuan's expression eased a little, but he still said sourly: "Fortunately, Sima Duan is here to help the general."
Sui Sui burst out laughing: "Sima Duan is already a child, and you are still upset about something that happened when you were a kid."
Huan Xuan hugged her tightly and said, "I'm just jealous that he grew up with you."
Sui Sui looked at him with a half-smile: "It's not like I didn't grow up with you."
Only then did Huan Xuan realize that he had shot himself in the foot.
Sui Sui narrowed his eyes and said, "I heard that the crabapple blossoms at the Bailong Temple in the south of the city are in full bloom. How about we go and enjoy the flowers?"
Huan Xuan said: "I know I was wrong, I beg the general to give me a chance to make amends."
As he said this, he started to massage her shoulders.
Sui Sui snorted comfortably: "I don't want to bother with you."
She took out a piece of letter from her sleeve, put away her half-hearted jealousy, and turned serious: "I received news from Luoyang today. You decide whether to intervene or not."
Huan Xuan took it and glanced at it quickly, then folded the letter and returned it to her, saying indifferently, "It has nothing to do with me."
Sui Sui was a little surprised. She knew that although Huan Xuan looked cold, he was not heartless. When Ruan Yuewei was in danger during the autumn hunt, he rushed to save her without hesitation. Now that the Zhao family was in trouble, their titles were stripped, their property was confiscated, and they were thrown into prison. She didn't know what would happen to them. If he dealt with it impartially, Ruan Yuewei would most likely be exiled with her husband's family. Logically, he should not stand idly by.
She raised her eyebrows: "Is there something I don't know?"
Huan Xuan didn't tell her about those things because he didn't want to bring up Ruan Yuewei's matter. Now that she was asked, he said frankly: "She knew about Zhao Qinghui's plot against you and was happy to see it happen. Whatever happened to her is her own fault. I won't care anymore."
Sui Sui suddenly realized. She had doubts before. Why did Huan Xuan spare Zhao Qinghui's life and title when he attacked the Zhao family so quickly and accurately? She also thought it was too coincidental that Ruan Yuewei later married Zhao Qinghui. Now she knows that all this was not a coincidence, but a trap set by Huan Xuan from the very beginning.
When Huan Xuan saw that she was deep in thought, he knew that she had figured out the whole story.
"Do you think I'm too cruel?" Huan Xuan said.
Sui Sui raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "Don't I know who you are?"
She stood up and kissed him on the forehead: "Don't worry, I'm not that good either."
Huan Xuan felt warm: "Who said you are not a good person."
Sui Sui smiled and said, "I am a Yaksha Po."
Huan Xuan's face darkened: "You are not allowed to talk about yourself like this."
Sui Sui said, "I'm not here again."
Huan Xuan pulled her into his arms, resting his forehead against hers: "I'm here."
Sui Sui said: "There's nothing wrong with Yaksha Po."
Huan Xuan lifted her chin and said, "Where in the world can you find such a beautiful Yaksha Po?"
Sui Sui said: "There are such handsome Yaksha men in the world, so of course there are also beautiful Yaksha women."
Huan Xuan turned his head and was about to kiss her, but he caught a glimpse of Shuhu's daughter from the corner of his eye and quickly pushed him away: "Don't be serious, the little demon is watching us."
Xiao Lu didn't like seeing her parents being so affectionate. They had been like this since she could remember. She lowered her head and continued to think about the move in the chessboard that was stumping her.
Huan Xuan said: "She has been playing for half a day. Let's go see her."
The two stood up and walked towards the apricot tree.
Sui Sui bent down and plucked a few fallen petals from her daughter's tiny hairpins: "Little Deer, why don't you go play with Duan Dalang, Guan Da Niang and the others?"
Xiao Lu said, "They are always rolling in the mud, and I don't want to get my clothes dirty."
As he spoke, he put the chess pieces back into the chess box and closed the lid. Then he stood up, raised his two short arms, held his mother with one hand and his father with the other: "Let's go back. Mammy will miss me."
Huan Xuan said, "It's almost the Little Deer Festival. What do you want? Duan Dalang and the others have their own ponies. Aye, can you find a prettier one?"
Xiao Lu thought for a moment and asked, "Was the little black-faced boy given to my mother by my father?"
Huan Xuan said: "Yes."
Xiao Lu said: "Then I don't want it."
Huan Xuan: “…”
She gave a polite fake smile: "Thank you, Aye."
Sui Sui couldn't help but squat down and kissed his daughter's chubby face: "Little Deer, do you want anything? If you don't like horses, you can raise something else, such as cats, dogs, rabbits, or birds..."
Xiao Lu: "Whatever you raise?"
Sui Sui said: "Of course, as long as our little deer likes it."
Xiao Lu thought seriously for a moment: "I want a lion, a tiger or a leopard will also do."
Sui Sui: "... You have to wait until you grow as tall as your mother before you can raise these."
Xiao Lu said "Oh" in disappointment.
Huan Xuan asked, "What else do you want to do? It doesn't have to be a living thing. How about I ask you to play a set of White Jade Nine Links? Isn't this what you like to play the most?"
Xiao Lu said: "That's for children to play with. I'm already grown up."
Huan Xuan: "... Then what do our little deer want?"
Xiao Lu thought for a moment and said, "Anything is fine."
Huan Xuan said: "As long as my father and mother have it."
Xiao Lu's eyes lit up: "Then I want a whirlwind cannon and a crossbow."
Huan Xuan: “…”
Sui Sui glared at Huan Xuan and said in a threatening manner: "I told you not to use the military book, so keep it!"
She turned and pulled her daughter's bun: "... Actually, children don't accept gifts on their birthdays. Just a bowl of longevity noodles will be enough."
Huan Xuan agreed: "Yes, it's good to have the noodles."
Without waiting for his daughter to find the loophole, Sui Sui immediately changed the subject: "By the way, does Xiaolu want to go to Chang'an?"
Xiao Lu asked, "Is this the Chang'an that Grandma Gao mentioned?"
Sui Sui said, "Yes, Chang'an is your father's hometown. There are your aunt, your cousin, your uncle, and your cousins... There are a lot of delicious food and fun things. Do you want to go and have a look?"
Xiao Lu nodded solemnly: "Yes."
She paused, then turned to Huan Xuan and asked, "Should I take my whirlwind cannon and crossbow with me to Chang'an?"
The two elders said in unison: "No!"