On the evening of the seventeenth day of the first lunar month in the third year of Zhongping, the northwest wind suddenly grew stronger, and the dark sky was covered with dark clouds. Soon it began to rain, and for a moment the sky and the earth were engulfed in a gray blanket.
"It's raining outside?" The room was quiet for a moment. After the two young men and women listened to the sound outside and confirmed it, they looked at each other and smiled, and then they took a break from the fierce battle just now.
"Is it bad for us to do this? Others will gossip." Although there was some worry in my words, I still hugged her tightly. In the previous battle, I successfully broke through the enemy's position. Now the whole army has evacuated safely, but the battlefield has not been cleaned up yet. At this moment, we are having some substantive discussions on post-war affairs.
"I've been ordered to be a pig, how would I know?" The person in his arms was pretending to be stupid, so he was still smiling, and there was no trace of sinisterness between his brows.
Since she is like this, I must be sunny and bright.
"Have you ever done that with anyone before?" she asked thoughtfully, and her words were spoken quickly enough for me, who was listening patiently, to digest my temper in my stomach.
"Another nonsense. I have to punish you severely." He immediately deployed reserve troops and continued the attack, thinking that this time he would make you sign a humiliating treaty.
At the dinner table, we were the first to sit down. The teacher and the others seemed to be discussing something in the back. Brother Ziyu did not show up either. Only the couple who went to look for the north wall showed up later.
I was sure that someone was watching us, because when I carried Yinling in, she asked me to close the door but wouldn't let me use my hands or feet. I had to use my face to close the door, and then I saw a figure behind the door.
So when they asked us, we didn't feel surprised, but I believe they all felt surprised.
"You didn't do anything?" Zhou Yu's eyes widened, totally unable to believe it.
"Your question is really vulgar. We really didn't do anything. Who do you think we are? Am I such a rude person?" I answered with disdain.
Yinling smiled strangely, but she also opened her eyes wide to show that she completely agreed with what I said.
"You guys are not very polite. What were you doing in the room?" Li Zhen decided to jump out from behind his wife.
"Just like last time - fighting, but with some changes." Yin Ling choked out in a relaxed tone. She seemed a little tired, and was even slightly adjusting a strand of hair on her temples. I also hurried over to help her, so as not to waste this opportunity to take advantage of her in a blatant manner.
"What changes?" they asked in unison.
"At first, I only used one hand, and he used both hands and feet, so I could easily flatten him;" Yin Ling suddenly answered naively like an eight-year-old child, "But it was not because I pressed him, but because he couldn't stand steadily, so he came over to punch and kick, and as a result, he often turned around and then fell down. When he could stand steadily, he was only allowed to use both hands, and I still used one hand. Although it was more laborious, I was still able to straighten his hair." The two teenagers laughed so hard that there was no place to stay. If the three elders saw it, they would definitely scold them for being unruly. Provoked by these two people who had no image, Yin Ling began to be a little fearless and presumptuous, "Then, he used both hands, and I had to use both hands and feet, and could only take advantage slightly; and now I am going all out, and he is only allowed to use his right hand, and I need to resist with all my strength to defend against this horse..."
She suddenly covered her mouth, turned her head to look at me, but still couldn't help laughing.
"This quantifier is not used very well!" I said expressionlessly.
The three elders finally came out. I originally thought that only Yinling and I looked a little dishevelled, but I didn’t expect that these three people were also in disheveled as if they had just done something big.
I suddenly had a very dirty idea, but when my third uncle saw my facial expression, he told me to stop and said they would never touch those maids.
I was surprised and asked him why he knew I was thinking this. They came over and hit me on the head one by one before sitting down.
"You are just thinking nonsense. Do you think we are that kind of people? You can't even think about it! We had a fight. Your teacher beat me and your third uncle."
"You guys are fighting too? Do you know what Brother Zirui and Sister Yinling are doing?" Zhou Yu obviously couldn't grasp the significance of this sentence.
"Teacher, are you okay?" Li Zhen asked this seriously. At the same time, there was a response to Zhou Yu's question.
"We knew it a long time ago. They were fighting too." Third Uncle realized that he had let the cat out of the bag immediately, so he immediately used Zi Yu's cushion to block the sneak attack from Master's waist. I couldn't help but sincerely admire Third Uncle's quick hands.
"I'm fine. If there is something wrong, it must be them." In fact, it was the teacher who was breathing heavily.
"How did you know?" Yin Ling was still a little confused about what was going on. Later, I thought that this conversation clearly showed the generation gap between the two generations. Their interests were completely different. There were two topics being discussed at the dinner table at the same time, so there were always two or three people talking at the same time. I was interested in both issues, so I had reason to believe that I was mature. However, just listening to two sentences from two people at the same time made me feel very confused, let alone thinking about how to reply and then talk back.
"Don't listen to him. He swung the broom for a long time and almost sprained his waist, and he still wouldn't let me and your uncle escape from the yard. We couldn't fight back so we had to hide, which of course was more tiring."
"Of course. We heard such a loud noise inside at the door. If it was that kind of thing, there shouldn't be that kind of noise. Their noises were not the sound of a marriage consummation at all. Instead, they sounded like the sound of a thief... ah... that... trying unsuccessfully to have sex, or dàng... ah... that... deliberately shirking responsibility." The two people answered two questions at the same time, and were not affected by the others at all.
"Uncle San, your jokes are really not very good!" Yinling and I blushed at the same time.
"Of course I know." Uncle San's voice sounded very anxious. Because the master and the teacher were attacking him at the same time, the mat was also very busy.
"Hmm? Where's Ziyu?" When the mat stopped, it was found that the person who was originally on the mat had not appeared, and the two topics finally focused on the same place at this moment.
"You're probably thinking about the girl from that night, right?" After discussing for a while, we came to a unanimous conclusion.
"We should help Brother Ziyu find that girl. Does anyone know that girl?" The master was very reasonable.
"It should be a daughter of a high-ranking official," Li Zhen, as an eyewitness to the entire case, had every reason to express his opinion: "But the girl of that family could leave the daughter behind and walk around alone, could it be..."
"who?"
"Female thief!" He spat out word by word, but it was a very unoriginal and uncreative answer, but a very interesting one.
"What female thief?" Brother Ziyu came in confused, obviously not knowing that we were using him as a topic of conversation.
"Ziyu, what are you doing this afternoon?" the teacher asked with a smile, and it was obvious that he was also very interested.
"Go to sleep!" He yawned to prove his point. The whole action was very natural, without any affectation.
Now everyone seemed disappointed, and some even scolded him for being heartless. When he asked us what was wrong, we just ate and stopped talking. Although the matter seemed to be resolved and everyone started eating, Ziyu smiled slightly, which was secretly pointed out to me by Yinling who pulled my collar under the table.
After dinner, the rain stopped for a while, and I decided to take my future wife out for a walk. She had no objection, and neither did anyone else. So we were soon riding on the street.
We went to the Imperial Academy because we were sure it was empty, and Yinling suggested that we imitate Ziyu's adventure and show this love story again. I was more interested, especially the hug at the end, which would give me an opportunity to talk about something off topic. But I didn't expect to catch another couple in love there, who had been there since the rain began.
It is true that heroes are not easily tempted by beauties. Many stories sung on the street have told us this, and today it can be proven once again by real people. But Sister Qi pulled me aside and told me that Brother Meng De's writing is so good, probably even better than mine. I felt very strange. Was the reference level of my writing too low when comparing it to hers? Did Sister Qi take me for someone else
Through the eloquent talk of the great scholar Meng De, I also learned an anecdote. Twenty years ago, there were two twin daughters of the Qi family in Jingzhao Yin. They were both stunningly beautiful. Many literati and scholars wrote poems for them, praising their beauty. In the end, they married two brothers from the Shen family. Sister Qi seemed to have learned something new after hearing this, and she also admired that her mother and aunt were so famous when they were young.
My sister obviously has this excellent bloodline, but it's worse for me. In any case, there has never been any rumor about my biological father being handsome or his wife being beautiful.
I also learned that my mother was such a famous beauty in her past. Although I can still see the same look now, she looks much older than her age, especially her voice.
Suddenly I thought, why didn't I see my benefactor's wife? Is there anyone else in his family? I think I should find a chance to ask my father.
Brother Meng De finally realized that it was too late, so he said goodbye to us and left. I immediately said coldly, "Can you at least escort my sister home?"
Brother Meng De was quick-witted. He immediately went to Yinling and asked her to go with him. When I quickly added that it was Sister Qi, he smiled and gracefully invited Sister Qi to go with him.
Sister Qi's scabbard gave me a slap, but she turned back and smiled at me when she left.
"I just realized that Sister Qi is so beautiful." As soon as they left, I looked at Yinling and said with a smile.
I knew I had violated a taboo because I forgot that Yinling suddenly became suspicious at some point, and very seriously. She turned her head and walked away.
This time I had to spend a lot of time talking to make her happy, but she still wanted me to swear to the heavens that I had not lied to her, and that I had never had that kind of thing with any woman before. I immediately asked her what she meant by "that kind of thing", but she blushed and could not answer. In the end, she had nothing to say, and she complained to me again, saying that I had lowered her status a lot, and that if she married me in the future, she would have to call me Sister Qi. I felt that I was a little too tolerant of this person's recent changes, perhaps just because she was Yinling.
Finally, the dark clouds in her heart were dispelled, but the sky, which was originally covered with dark clouds, suddenly started to rain again. This rain wore out our patience in waiting for the rain to stop, and it kept soaking us all the way back to the inn, but our spirits were still not affected. I held her hand and happily hid in the hallway, because now I felt only happiness in my heart when I looked at her smiling face.
But God played a big joke on me at this moment.
As soon as we entered the post station, I felt a little strange. The soldiers all looked at me in strange ways. I felt something was wrong, so I asked them what happened. They turned out to be my wife. Yinling immediately realized and smiled at me, saying that Sister Guo was here. She wanted to drag me away quickly, but she found that I was still in a daze. She stamped her feet, uttered a scolding sound, shook off my hand, and ran in first.
I don't know what happened to Yinling recently. She suddenly became stupid or something. At least I have a bad feeling. How could this person be Guo Pei? Now the two passes are locked. The only way is the Luoshui waterway. It is hard to believe that Sister Guo came here at this time. Besides, few outsiders know about this waterway except Shanghe people. How did the teacher know about it? Another question came to my mind. But thinking that the teacher is well-versed in history and knows the general situation of various places, it is not surprising. Let's consider the current problem.
I thought about what the gatekeeper of Situ Mansion told me; so, I also expected to see tears on Yinling's face when I saw her again.
The moment I saw her face, my head felt swollen and I couldn't think of anything else.
She bit her lip and asked me to explain. I told her the rumors I heard in Situ Mansion. I thought that the woman might not know that she was deceived, so she came to me.
I lied to her. She moved to a place that was indeed very suspicious. This happened a long time ago. She heard Zishe talk about this at the Imperial College during the Lantern Festival. Now that she has brought this up, it is really hard for me to explain why.
Maybe it was destined that I would encounter this, otherwise why would I have missed the road when I went to the north and finally entered Luoyang through the north gate? In fact, I forgot one thing at that time. If you calculate the time, I almost didn't have time to "commit the crime".
I wanted to pull her, but she lowered her head and hid away, refusing to pay any attention to me.
"I didn't. I had no choice but to do this because I just wanted to go to the Far North to calm down, so I ran over. It's ridiculous, but it's true." I began to get a little annoyed, not at Yin Ling, but at this kind of thing. "I can go in and confront her. She'll know it as soon as she sees me."
"It's no use. She can't see now and can't even tell the difference between any two people's voices. Now she can only keep repeating these three words: Ping'an Fengyun Hou, daughter, and his." Yinling didn't look at me, but just shook her head and cried.
"Daughter, mine?" This was probably the most incredible and shocking thing I have ever heard in my life. Even though I knew that the person with me was not my sister, I was very calm, but now I can't be calm.
"Go in and see your wife and children." She tried to hold back her tears and turned away coldly. Looking at her, if I was not sure that I had not done such a thing, I would feel that I was really a person worse than an animal.
With my numbing scalp, I went in anyway. The teacher, master, and uncle all had serious expressions. Zhou Yu avoided me when he saw me, as if he disdained to be associated with me. The two brothers did not move, and when they saw me, they did not react at all, but just used their eyes to guide me.
In fact, there was no need to point. As soon as I entered the room, I saw the poor woman on the couch. She was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a pale face, eyes closed, and her left hand bent into a bow, as if she was trying to protect her crying little daughter. Her right hand was so stiff that it couldn't close naturally, and the doctor who was treating her just sighed and shook his head.
The woman kept making such intermittent sounds, and each cry was like a sledgehammer hitting my heart.
After a while, the doctor stood up and turned around, saying to everyone, "This woman is dying. The fetus seems to be premature, and she has been running all the way. She has suffered a lot of trauma before, and she was poisoned by snake venom. It is incredible that she can hold on until now. Now we can think of a way to save this child."
Seeing this scene, everyone must be sympathizing with her, and I have obviously become the kind of slut who abandons her lover in the end.
At this moment, my mind suddenly became clear. I walked to the bed, looked at the young woman in front of me who was dying but kept muttering about me, and waved my hand to tell everyone to stop talking.
He held her shaking hands with his hands and said softly, "I am Ping An Fengyun Hou. You are here? I am sorry for your hardship."
Her hand suddenly tried to hold mine, and her trembling mouth seemed to want something, but she could only exhale a few long and short breaths. Her whole body was shaking like a dead leaf in the wind. Her hands always wanted to hold me, as if she was afraid that I would disappear and leave her again, but she never succeeded. I reached out my hand, and she finally held it tightly, but finally slowly let go.
I gently put her hand back, breathed a sigh of relief, and said to the doctor, "Please, sir, save this child."
"Okay, I'll try my best."
Then I faced many people with incredible and suspicious eyes, tried my best to suppress my excitement, and said, "This child is not mine. I don't know whose it is. Don't say anything, wait a moment."
I asked the doctor to search the man's body, but found nothing. Then I called a few people in and told them what I had just thought of.
I sighed again, knowing that I couldn't clear my name anytime soon.
"Wait until the child is well, and then we can do a blood test to identify our parents." I offered a relatively simple solution. "Also, they will find out where this woman is from. If we go together, we will know if I am the one."
"I believe you, but you have to give results." The teacher said, then turned and walked away.
Many people left without saying anything, leaving me alone there, sorting out all the things in my mind.
There were only me, the woman, the doctor and the sick child in the room.
God really played a big joke on me.
But at this moment I am not afraid of it, I will not let it control me, I will definitely find a way to clear my grievances. I clenched my fists, but I still felt so sad in my heart.
I looked at the poor child who was helplessly sleeping, rubbed her hot cheek, and told the doctor before leaving the house. I even bumped my head against the door lintel, but I didn't feel anything at the time.
I walked alone in the courtyard, letting the rain soak me. It seemed as if I was the only one left in the world amidst the drizzling rain.
Suddenly, someone hugged my waist from behind and said to me from behind: "Zi Rui, forgive me, I have been too cautious recently."
"Don't you doubt me?" I smiled bitterly.
"I have grown up with you for eighteen years, and I know what kind of person you are. And you were still like this just now. I feel that my heart is too narrow and can't tolerate anything. Why do you still do this?"
"This woman is so pitiful. She was deceived, got pregnant, and insisted on raising the child. She also came to me. If I didn't recognize her in the end, she would not be able to rest in peace. It's a good thing to let her go quietly, happily and at ease now. I can't take responsibility for this matter, so I can only be worry-free." I didn't feel very happy, so I came out directly, "Also, you still have doubts about me in your heart, but you think I am too isolated and helpless at this time, and you can't let me go, so you come to help me, but I don't need this kind of concern, I will prove my innocence."
"No, I believe you." The voice was hasty, but lacking in confidence, and a little panicked.
I ruthlessly broke away from her embrace, turned around and said coldly again, "Don't lie to me, but I know you still have doubts in your heart, so I will be with you again after everything is completely clarified."
"Do you think you're a hero?" She bit her lip and said in a much calmer tone, "I'm still skeptical, but I've decided to believe you."
"Don't believe it. Maybe I really am that kind of hypocritical person. Wait until I make you believe it, then you can believe it." I left the station with some paranoia, no longer paying attention to the call from behind.
I had been so lucky, so lucky that I was envied, but something like this happened suddenly, which was beyond belief. Did it think that giving me a daughter was my good luck? After thinking about it, I could only wait for the next news.
Finally, I was still rational, so I told myself: I have to go to Tongguan in a day or two, and I need to calm down now.
After leaving the post station, I walked aimlessly and unknowingly walked back to the Imperial College. I sighed in my heart: God is really a trick, and the extreme joy and extreme sorrow have been separated since then. I closed my eyes, raised my face, and let the cold rain wash over my face, just like the harsh accusations, frame-ups, ridicules, deceptions, and hypocrisy that arise in this world all the time, ruthlessly cutting myself.
I thought to myself: I must not retreat. Although my heart was still bleeding.
In a trance, I no longer felt any feeling of rain or wind, and my heart suddenly became peaceful. I didn't feel strange, but just enjoyed this moment of tranquility with my whole body and mind.
Later, I always thought that I was really useless, fragile and impulsive at that time.
In fact, it’s not that I can’t feel the wind and rain, because someone is holding a hat for me, and she is using her thin body to shield me from the biting northwest wind that comes with the rain.
When I came to my senses, I looked at her, my heart full of regret, but I couldn't utter a word of thanks or anything else.
And she did nothing, just letting the tears mixed with the rain flow down her pretty face.
I picked her up, and she didn't object. Looking at her, I felt guilty and tried to wipe away the tears on her face with my own cheek, while my feet continued on the afternoon road, her chún left her footprints on my cheek, and I admit that I was only happy at this moment.
Half an hour later, I appeared in front of my adoptive father, who looked a little sleepy and resentful.
The look in his eyes when he looked at me was definitely angry and anxious: "Aren't you too impulsive?"
The stepmother also arrived soon: "What are you doing here, Zirui?"
"This guy actually wants to marry Yinling now? It's the middle of the night. Are you kidding me?"
"I am tomorrow." I felt the need to explain my thoughts.
"Don't talk nonsense, my Lord!" The emperor seemed to be angry.
"My son Zirui, why are you so anxious? You came here to see me in the middle of the night, and just for this kind of thing."
"What do you think happened to this idiot? Yinling was caught in the rain outside and he was afraid that Yinling would catch a cold, so he carried Yinling into the house, and forcibly wiped Yinling's body and changed her into dry clothes." I added the word "forced" at that time because I had to take Yinling's image into consideration.
"This is a bit disrespectful, so let's do this. The ancestral rules require fasting, but it doesn't forbid marriage. Your Majesty, just let Zirui get married. Anyway, the imperial edict has been issued that they are not siblings, so they can get married at any time. Tonight, you order them to get married, and then tomorrow you issue an imperial decree to give Yinling a title. As it is an emergency, keep everything simple, with only a few people attending, and then have a grand ceremony later."
This time, the emperor and I stood together and looked at the queen. The emperor felt that I was almost there, and I also knew that my request was a bit excessive, but we didn't expect that there were people who were more anxious.
"What's wrong? There should be special treatment for luàn." She thought it was normal.
"How about this?" The emperor quickly agreed with his wife's opinion, and then drafted an imperial edict that was a typical example of inappropriateness because there were even corrections in the middle.
Then he read it out, and I was married, even though the bride was not present.
"You'd better go with Shen Gong." This was the only instruction they gave me when they drove me away.
My father was still busy with work, but when he heard about this, he slammed his pen on the table and scolded me for being such a bastard and making such a fuss. However, since he had the imperial edict in his hand, he had no choice, and the imperial edict must have omitted all my requests. In the end, I had to deceive the emperor, causing him to make such a hasty decision. Finally, he gave me a few more instructions before letting me go.
I came out and quickly thanked my sister. It was she who kept speaking for me and calmed down my father, so that I could escape unscathed.
But she had a purpose, and in the end I had no choice but to leave with a letter that was bound to be filled with all kinds of disgusting words.
It was getting late. When I arrived at Brother Meng De's place, he was already lying on the couch reading a book. When he smelled me coming, he didn't even bother to put on his shoes, but ran out and pulled me into the house.
"Brother Zirui, you are here so late at night, there must be something good." The ladies were busy bringing his shoes to him, he put them on casually and smiled at me.
Seeing his expression, there was nothing else I could say. I just suppressed my smile and handed him the letter.
After reading the letter, Brother Meng De was not happy but angry, "Qi, you are so reckless. It's cold and rainy on this cold night, and you still bother to deliver the letter. Is the love between a son and a daughter more important than state affairs?"
He hurriedly explained: "This is not the main matter, there is another matter."
I told him the whole story honestly with a few omissions. After that incident, the man's facial expression was hard to describe. His facial expression could be described as a feeling of dragons flying and phoenixes dancing, the world was created. But he told me that the woman might have done this because she coveted my noble status, but the person was already dead, so forget it. And we people in Jingzhou are too self-righteous. In fact, this kind of thing is very common everywhere. Usually, the solution of officials is to bring the child in and beat the woman out.
He finally said: "It is true that the love between parents and children is more important than state affairs."
After I got back, the teacher had already gone to rest, so I couldn't go and talk to them. When I returned to the Silver Bell House, I was stopped by the brothers. They asked me if I had done that, and I said no. They asked me why I said that at the time, and I told them my reason. They trusted me, patted my shoulder, and left.
Yinling had been waiting for me, she was sure I would come back, because we had an appointment, so she didn't close the door. But now she was in a daze, sitting on the couch with her knees hugged in my clothes, which she brought me from Xiangyang, but she didn't expect to use them at this time of year, but the clothes were too big, it seemed as if she was wrapped in several pieces of cloth.
She rested her chin on her knees, looking at the dim light, as if she was thinking about something, with traces of tears on her face.
I didn't tiptoe over, and she didn't notice me approaching.
I pressed my hands on her cold feet and said to her with a smile: "Why don't you light a fire? It's so cold, don't catch a cold."
"You're back?" She wasn't surprised, but just happy. But she suddenly seemed to remember something. "Fire? Oh, I forgot. I put all the charcoal away, but I forgot to light the fire."
"Let me do it." I pulled her, but pulled out half of her slender arm. She hurriedly wrapped her clothes, but I smiled and went over to make a fire. I dipped a little charcoal in lamp oil, lit it, and threw it back. Watching the red spread, countless evil thoughts arose in my heart, and my face kept changing expressions.
"Zirui, what's wrong with you?" Apparently she became suspicious because I was squatting there motionless.
But I always find an excuse at times like this, even if it's not very tenable, but I'm sure it will make her change the subject: "My clothes are wet, I need some comfort to keep me warm."
"Then take them off quickly, or you'll catch a cold! You've never liked wearing a straw raincoat or a hat, and you still do so even at this age. Even if it's raining, you'll get soaked if you keep getting wet like this. Change quickly."
"Oh, I see." He then stood up, untied his cloak, and slowly began to undress.
"Wait a minute," it seemed that she was embarrassed and not as thick-skinned as me. She wanted me to find a place, and then I would not listen to her, just to see how she blushed. However, I completely underestimated my new wife, even though she didn't know about the imperial decree yet, because she said firmly: "I'll do it."
"What?" My face got hot, so I didn't turn around.
"Why are you pretending to be stupid? What did you do just now? I want to take advantage of you." Her tone didn't sound like a joke, and her voice was getting closer and closer, so I slowly took out the imperial edict from my arms. This was probably the strangest imperial edict in the world. When her stumbling footsteps dragged her clothes and were about to reach me, I didn't even turn around and directly handed the yellow silk to the back.
As a result, I was hit on the head immediately. I guess Yinling still didn't trust me, at least in this regard, she always felt that I would do something. Then when she found that I didn't turn around and just let her look at something, she stopped the follow-up action and just gently took the imperial edict. I suddenly felt that the imperial edict was really not something worthy of respect.
After a while, I heard the sound of silk closing, but no sound of speaking. I only felt my clothes being untied.
The charcoal fire in the brazier made my breasts red and my face was very hot, so I decided to hide under the cover of the fire and watch the white mist rising from my body.
A piece of dry cloth was wiping me. It had been many years since Yinling had wiped me like this. She obviously skipped some important parts. And she obviously had no intention of wiping me, because as soon as she wiped my ankle, a cloth was immediately stuffed into my hand. "If there are any places that haven't been wiped, wipe them yourself. I'll get you clothes. You stand by the brazier. Don't move. You'll catch a cold. Wipe quickly. I'm not watching you. Be careful."
Yinling saw through all my bad plans, forcing me to change my original plan. But her tone was still as if she was taking care of her naughty younger brother, which made me feel a little hurt, but I didn't lose my temper when I thought it was Yinling. After all, I was still a suspect who had been abandoned and abandoned.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but sigh.
Suddenly my body shook, and I realized that she was behind me. She wrapped her clothes around me and whispered in my ear, "Come and sleep."
The lights were blown out, and the only light in the room was the flickering light of the brazier, but I could still make out Yinling's face.
"Your face looks different when you lie like this." My mouth suddenly became so clumsy and stupid.
"What's the difference?" She seemed determined to be silly with me.
"It looks like Bai." Actually, I'm not that stupid.
Such a strange couple did many very strange things on such a strange wedding night, but they did not do what a couple should do at such a time. Instead, they muttered to themselves and felt restless in the slanting wind and drizzle outside the house that night.
The next morning, I was woken up by her at dawn. I asked her why she woke me up so early. She said that my snoring kept her awake, and when she woke up, she found that I was still sleeping so soundly. She thought it was unfair.
This was obviously an excuse, otherwise she would have woken me up in the middle of the night. So, I naturally put my lips to her to apologize, and she accepted the apology and decided to visit her to show her sincerity.
Of course, business was more important, so Yinling quickly put an end to this endless exchange of courtesies, got me out of bed, and tidied my clothes for me. She herself was disheveled and her hair was messy, but she wanted me to look like a human being.
During this time, my stomach made a long growl, and she laughed so hard that she could hardly straighten her back. In the end, I had to eat vegetarian food recently and it was really hard for me.
My first night of marriage was spent in such a daze, almost like a child playing around.
This morning, after hearing the imperial edict, the teacher was very surprised and kept staring at me. I also stared at him from time to time, but it was obvious that he couldn't get any more information from my eyes.
My father's eyes were full of curiosity, as if he wanted to ask me if there was any substantial progress last night. I could only tell him with my eyes that there was no progress. In fact, we both deliberately avoided this matter last night, probably because of her in Xiangyang.
Meng De's look was much more direct, and there was a hint of provocation in it, so I decided to pretend I saw nothing.
My brothers held me back when the court was dismissed because I didn't even look at them when I was in court. They couldn't even signal me. When they asked me how I felt about my marriage, I didn't know.
Actually, I had a lot to say, but the key was that when the court was dismissed, the three elders and one big brother asked me to go to them quickly, which made me unable to cope with everything. In the end, my mind was in a daze and I couldn’t think of anything.
After all, the emperor is the most powerful, so I will go and talk to him first.
When he asked me questions, I played dumb. But since he used his status as the emperor to pressure me and ask me what I had done, I decided to tell him the truth. But he thought I was lying until I left. As for the queen who was listening in, she almost kept covering her mouth and laughing, trying her best to maintain her dignity.
My father should be the second one. He and my stepfather actually have the same hobby. After sending everyone away, including Sister Qi, he also asked a lot of questions. This made me feel helpless and I had to repeat it calmly again.
But I didn't expect that he believed my honest words and taught me some tricks, which made me blush, and then he let me go.
When I came out, I saw Sister Qi smiling in an unmannerly manner under the window.
When I went out, I ran into Zhang Liao, whom I had rarely seen recently. He kindly asked me why my face was so red, saying that it was hot. When he was still feeling strange, I quickly changed the subject and asked him what he was doing recently. He got along well with the Xiahou brothers under Gaolinghou, and because I had nothing to do recently, I often drank and chatted with them.
I guess Brother Meng De is planning to take over Zhang Liao. Although I have no evidence yet, based on the way he came to me last time, I guess this should be the case.
The teacher scolded me, but he knew that I was just fighting and arguing last night and hadn't done anything serious.
Brother Meng De didn't give me a chance to speak. He interrogated me again in a disgusting way, and then asked me to deliver the letter.
After I went out, I went to find Sister Qi. I, the great Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun, ended up being like a messenger delivery boy, because Sister Qi still had to reply to my letter.
Fortunately, Brother Meng De was very understanding. He didn't open the letter and let me go back to rest. He also expressed his gratitude and apology to me, as well as his blessings, and then sent me out the door.
When he finally got back to the post station, the person he had sent out just happened to come back and report that a person from the neighborhood of Liangcheng had escaped with a child, but the child was said to not be a premature birth.
The teachers were listening nearby. After hearing the whole story, they only said, "It seems that it is 90% not Zirui's doing. It seems that someone is using Zirui's name to do such evil things."
I was about to take Yinling with me to collect evidence again, but the teacher stopped me. I had to return before I set out, but the teacher asked me to take on such an important task and leave my post at this time. It was too unreasonable.
I was indeed a little hot-headed. Although I was unwilling to accept it, I still thanked the teacher for his teachings. The teacher was also relieved and asked Uncle San to take Li Zhen, Zhou Yu, and Yin Ling to check. I asked why so many people were needed, but the teacher didn't answer, only telling me that I would know later.
When asked what I should do with my child, I looked at Yinling and said nothing.
My daughter's condition is much better now. She doesn't know about her mother's death and sleeps soundly. I didn't disturb her. I came and left quietly.
It was me who sent Yinling away. I showed her her imperial edict and she blushed. I asked her to come back early and she did.
Finally, Uncle San couldn't stand it anymore. He rode his horse between Yinling and me in a very powerful way and taught me that we would have a lifetime of love affairs and I shouldn't rush at this moment. My face turned red. Later, I thought it was beautiful.
But that night I had to sleep alone again.
Very bored, stroking the pillow next to Yinling, really bored so he put Lady Pingguo's seal on her pillow and stroking it. And very helpless, but it was the longing that made it hard for people to rest.
On the 19th day of the first lunar month in the third year of Zhongping, at the hour of Mao, all officials in black clothes followed the emperor to the south to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao. At noon, the altar was opened and sacrifices were offered to the four directions with white flags and white banners. The sacrifices ended at the hour of Shen.
Immediately, they were given a ceremonial staff and went to welcome the "loyal ministers and good generals" outside the two passes. This etiquette was finally performed properly. It is unknown whether the people outside the pass would be grateful after knowing it. Recently, I have been fasting and everything else is fine, but I always feel hungry easily, but I feel that I can still cope with it.
There are still many of Brother Meng De's troops stationed outside the city. Those soldiers looked at us passing by, many of them were confused, and they had no idea what was going on. I believe this is the case, because I don't know either.
Unless there is a major epidemic, we have to go before the New Year. For example, in the first year of Zhongping, we set off in the twelfth month. If there is no such major event, we will go to the capital together after the Lantern Festival. What is the purpose of this now? It seems to appease the victorious garrison.
I encountered such an incongruous task again, which made me almost want to pull out those white hairs.
I don't know what's going on in Liangcheng. Today they should know that it wasn't me who did the dirty work, but I feel a little embarrassed about what to do with that child.
I've been feeling a bit confused these past few days. I always feel like something is not right, but I don't know what it is.
When I arrived at Tongguan that night, I saw the campfires of three large military camps swaying in the rain. There were at least hundreds of thousands of people, but I couldn't give an exact number. It is worth mentioning that the two guards of Tongguan were two talented people. They respected me very much and asked me to convey their greetings to my two brothers in Beijing. When I asked why, it turned out that these two were recommended by my brothers.
They told me about the situation outside. There were three military camps and three groups of troops. The southernmost camp was the strangest. Many people were wearing strange clothes. It might be that the Fanfan troops from the Western Regions Protectorate had come. The spies went to investigate several times but found nothing. The other two groups, one Ding Yuan and one Han Sui, greeted each other according to the etiquette. However, the envoys who came back to the camp over there were confused and still couldn't figure out what kind of troops they were. The three groups were separated by more than ten miles, and they didn't seem to interfere with each other.
The two generals were named Li and Yu respectively. I quickly forgot their names, but it was easier to remember their surnames because one of the famous dishes here is called Yellow River Carp (Li, Yu).
But I can't enjoy that delicacy, and I'm still thinking about what to say tomorrow morning. I don't want my brain to become stupid at this time. I heard that children must not eat fish roe, as it will make them stupid. This is the knowledge that Yinling has instilled in me.
At the hour of Mao on the second day, the drums roared and I led the ceremonial guard out. I was lying if I said I was calm and not nervous at all, but I felt that I could definitely find a resignation. When I left, neither my teacher nor my father came to take care of me, but they took care of Ziyu a lot.
It was still a gray and rainy day, which I didn't like very much. Either it didn't rain, or it would pour down all at once. This kind of drizzling rain made me feel very uncomfortable. In addition, the rain was too strong, and the wind was too strong. I had to wipe the streams of rain from my face from time to time. All I could do was exhale white air, squint my eyes, and search for the troops coming out of the military camps to greet me in this vast spring rain and fog, and calm my heart by the way.
If this morning is the end of all the days of my poor sleep due to being a vegetarian, then this is too much. Recently, things always tell you that you are over when you are fully prepared, and sometimes you are not prepared but are told to start now.
Since there were no problems, they all agreed, and then followed me into the customs with their followers. The whole process only took one morning.
The only interesting thing was that the people heading south were actually them, but when everyone followed me back, I could only show that I could not be partial, so I glanced at them and said nothing. Obviously, the others' attention was all on these foreign barbarians and they didn't notice my abnormality, but they certainly understood my relationship with these people, especially Ding Yuan.
The three groups of people were clearly separated and kept their distance.
The teacher didn’t even tell me about Deng’s arrival, and I don’t know why.
There was nothing going on during the trip. The only thing worth noting was that at noon that day, less than a hundred miles away from Luoyang, the sky and earth suddenly became more colorful because of the appearance of two deer. It seemed that the deer were also a couple, which made me feel warm. They were wrapped in thick dark red wool for winter, and the two were always snuggling together. They were searching for something among the dry grass on the ground, but they were still on guard against us passing by, and they raised their heads from time to time to watch our every move. The female deer was obviously pregnant. It is estimated that there will be deer in April this year. I was tempted at that time, thinking about whether I could raise two deer myself. But because of the staff in my hand, I couldn't make trouble or talk nonsense.
The people behind me had different ideas from mine. They all seemed to have the idea of hunting.
Especially Ding Yuan's followers were all clamoring to kill it and eat it, as it was just right for supplementing the fetus, and then there was a burst of laughter. I just knew that thing was called roe deer, I really couldn't tell the difference, and I thought it was a deer when Han Lieya shot it last time, but he called it a spirit deer.
But Lu Bu did not give in, and there was still a look of sadness on his handsome face with clear edges and corners. Ding Yuan, who understood his adopted son, advised him not to be too sad, to think positively, and to remarry as soon as possible while he was still young.
Everyone knew about this, but the original barriers between them could not be severed by the human relationships and they all fell silent. From then on, no one mentioned the matter again, and only the two animals that had escaped danger were still looking at us tremblingly.
I know it's not nice of me to say this now, but I have to admit that my heart was moved.
Outside the city gate, the teacher came out to greet me. When he saw the people behind me, he was shocked and said, "Zhou Mi has delayed everything. How can we let them come?"
Quickly send someone to lead them to the light tent, and we will not discuss this here.
A day later, Jiang Wei also came with a group of people. That group was much larger than the group behind me. Most of the "old friends" who had gone north and returned south came.
Since then, the troubles have been mostly settled. Some things have gone too smoothly, and I always feel something is wrong. I am afraid there will be some consequences. Suddenly I feel a little bit cheap. I feel something is wrong when nothing happens, and I feel very depressed when something happens.
The people who went to Liang came back and finally cleared my grievances, because the person described was very different from me, especially the scar on my face. For this reason, Uncle San looked at me for a long time and was sure that the location of the rumored scar and the adjacent area on my face had no overlap. Moreover, that person was at least as black as charcoal. They believed that except for my hair, eyes and some parts of my hair, there was no other part of me that was this color.
However, there is one thing that may be very strange, that is, this woman only arrived in Liang at the beginning of last year, and then the person pretending to be Ping'an Fengyun Hou found her, but after thinking about it, I still think it can only be a coincidence.
But it's still hard to decide how to deal with that child. Yinling doesn't express her opinion. I think I have become a henpecked person, so I don't have an opinion for the time being.
When I met Yinling again, I was criticized and pointed at. So I decided to bend the finger of the person who pointed at me so that its owner would not dare to do anything disrespectful. But I found that the elders also had such bad tastes. When I was helpless, I was scolded for bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
The teacher secretly asked Deng and the others to go back, and scolded Zhou Mi in front of us for being greedy, and this time he was too greedy. I didn't understand, and I didn't even want to understand, so I let it go. Just like the morning court these days, I didn't say a word.
On the twenty-third day of the first lunar month in the third year of Zhongping, except for Jiaozhou, the Protectorate of the Western Regions and Yizhou, all other princes and vassal states had arrived, so there were suddenly many more people in the morning court that day, but I did not feel crowded because I was still standing in the same place, where there were only four people.
On this day, the emperor praised the contributions of everyone and ordered that everyone would be rewarded and stay in the capital temporarily, waiting for promotion.
The reign was changed to Chuping, and in the first year of Chuping, a general amnesty was declared throughout the country except for the ten evils.
The Grand Historian Zhu Jianping (a historical figure, not fictional, but historically he had resigned from office at this time, author's note) said: "It is because of the old days when the sky was in the winter that today's year is insufficient. Now it is still winter, so we need to make up for it with one month to follow the will of the sky."
The memorial was approved and, as suggested, an intercalary month was added between the first and second months to form an intercalary month with 23 days added. The intercalary year would be counted from the eighth day of the intercalary month to the thirtieth day, which would be the first month of the spring festival. Farming across the country would follow the new season.
Shen Gong said lightly: "You don't need the last sentence. Farmers know their own weather and don't care about other people's instructions."
I heard this and sighed, "I don't know where the heavy snow last year was the worst. Could it be that only the farmers in Jingzhou don't know how to farm? Moreover, if it is promulgated now, I'm afraid that when it spreads to other places, there will be another round of chaos. Those places with many laymen will have to keep their clerks busy for a long time."
Later, the emperor drafted another decree, adding Prince of Ping'an, Duke of Han Chu, Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun, and Marquis of Gaoling as the "Four Assistant Ministers", who were in charge of all affairs of the world and were the heads of all officials.
So, the 18-year-old me inexplicably "climbed" to a position that I absolutely should not be in. Before that, as a regent, I hardly said a word in the palace.