Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 185 Farewell
After leaving the gate of Fufeng Mansion and out of everyone's sight, I finally felt relieved.
After a long sigh of relief, I remembered to ask Yuan if the banquet was over. He said it hadn't ended yet, and it would probably last until very late. However, he and his relatives and friends said that he had an appointment with me, so he had to go back to Shanglin Garden in the evening. Since he had to leave tomorrow, I gave him a day off today just to go home and visit his parents. After my parents told him that I was in Fufeng Mansion, he left with his relatives and friends seeing him off.
I hope your father and mother don’t blame me
How could it be possible? My parents also sighed, maybe the Yuehou personally gave him this reward, so they arranged it this way. According to him, he was full of praise for me. Yuan tried to answer lightly, but some of the answers were heavy: But when I was leaving, my mother still cried.
When you have made some achievements in the future, you can take your parents to the State of Yue, where the climate is mild and the winters are not too cold, making it a suitable place for their retirement.
My father also told me to do something successful and not let the emperor down.
He finished his passionate speech, but his face was still a little gloomy. Thinking that consolation might not have any effect, I deliberately teased him, and said angrily: When did I tell you that you must go back to Shanglinyuan at night? Why did you let your uncle be the bad guy who stole someone's child
Isn't it just using your order as a cover? Anyway, you are going back today, so I must accompany you. I really have to ask you, is this reward arranged by you
No, this should be my father's arrangement. But I guess he didn't expect me to bring you here, it just happened. And... Don't change the subject. Wenxiong, you really learned bad things.
I think he must have learned this from me. Although I don't know when he learned it, his attitude of lying with his eyes open in public is very similar to my shameless style.
This boy can actually smile innocently, which means he can be saved. But if someone like Lao Si can show an innocent expression after being criticized by me, then he has completely learned bad habits and there is no hope for him.
The bastard finally started to giggle, that was good. I was really afraid that my nephew would cry when he suddenly thought of being away from his parents. Seeing his flushed face, I suddenly remembered the red wine here, so I mentioned buying some to bring back.
Yuan was even more excited: This wine is called Huailihong. It is brewed with local red sorghum, and the taste is so mellow and sweet. In the past, I could only drink it secretly in Huaili, but today I can finally let it go at the banquet, and I drank a lot. But the wine is not strong, as long as I can hold on, I will be fine. I often feel sleepy, but I can wake up in a moment. After drinking, I still feel dizzy from time to time, which is very comfortable. (Sorghum, at that time, was called Shushu, but Liang was already referred to in the Book of Poetry)
I thought about my own reaction at the banquet today, clapped my hands and said: That's good wine, it won't cause any trouble, I'll buy some back with my brothers.
Without saying much, we headed straight to the market. It was near dusk, and the wine shop had just opened for business, with only a few customers in the shop. The shopkeeper saw Yuan and came out directly, asking about our well-being, and it was obvious that he was an old acquaintance. Not only did he charge us less, he also helped us pack the jars with bamboo and put them on the horse's back. It's amazing how easy it is to get things done with fellow villagers. When I was still worried about not bringing a carriage and it would be difficult to carry the jars, these street people always had a solution.
But this sentence doesn't seem to be completely applicable. For example, in Xiangyang, when most shopkeepers saw two fellow villagers from Jingzhou - me and Zishe before I was thirteen years old - appear together, they would probably check whether they had anything that we had destroyed. I couldn't get the discount of saving money on shopping; first, Zishe's family was rich, and my family was not poor; second, it was always Yinling or Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang who went to buy various things in my family, and I was the type who didn't care about anything. Not complaining to Yinling was already a gentleman's agreement between me and these shopkeepers.
I drank a lot that day, and there are two things that can prove it: first, the assistant often stared at me for a while, and then repeatedly asked me if I was different from when I came. I felt it was difficult to explain the origin of the scarf on my head, so I always said that there was nothing different, and he actually believed me every time; second, I often had to stop the assistant and go down to find a secluded place to relieve myself; sometimes the assistant suddenly stopped and went down to the bushes to relieve himself. But most of the time, one saw the other was about to relieve himself, and thought that since we were free, we would go together to relax.
There was only one exception. A group of wild geese flying north suddenly flew very low. They might have gone to the north to drink water from the Weishui River or the Shanglinyuan Lake. I took advantage of the fact that Yuan hurriedly loosened his belt and rushed into the bushes. I quickly drew my bow and shot. This way, even if I missed, I would not embarrass myself in front of my nephew. It was really hard to maintain and show the power of the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun in front of my family. God bless me, I actually hit one. I quickly shouted to Yuan to stay where I was, and chased to the direction where it fell to pick it up. When it comes to shooting skills, I am far inferior to my fourth son. That kid sees everything as a target for arrows. He can shoot whatever he wants. I can only shoot it with a bow. I feel guilty about these flying in the sky and running on the ground. It seems that it is right to calm down and practice hard.
I saw it not far away. I had always thought that wild geese were all gray, but it turned out that they were distinctly white and brown. There was a circle of white feathers on the neck, but the tail and wing tips were brown. It was just too far to see clearly. But I had to dismount to pick it up. Here I had to be jealous of my damned Old Four. He could pick up things from the ground by sliding off his horse. He would turn the horse's head and sit on the horse steadily. I wanted to take the opportunity to practice, but I was worried that I would not be able to get up after sliding off, and then fall down and get covered in mud. It would be bad if I went back and was laughed at by Yuan. I was not too afraid of them laughing at me in person, because currently in Yue State, except for Yin Ling who I couldn't afford to offend and Old Four who needed to be dealt with, there was also a secluded person: Ge Liang. No one else should dare to do that. My Bo Da Sima might be a slight exception. He probably was too lazy.
When he came back and saw the anxious rescuer, he raised his hand to lift up the wild goose on the arrow for Wenxiong to see clearly.
I really enjoy the feeling of being admired, especially as a helper of a still-behaved child.
Just like this, I was leisurely and lazy, the sunset and spring breeze sent me home, and I brought wine and game back home. Sometimes other groups of wild geese flew by, and Yuan would look up at the sky in a daze, until he almost fell off his horse, and then he managed to pull the reins to sit up, and then he couldn't help but exclaimed: The more... the more... Uncle Hou, you are really a god.
I was quite dissatisfied with the location of his burp. Such a good flattery, but it changed its meaning. So I decided not to tell him: the geese I shot just now were flying low and wanting to drink water, not the few birds that were so high that I couldn't see them clearly.
Of course, I had no intention of explaining it to him. Anyway, I didn't make up any nonsense to lie to him.
At least, I still feel at peace with myself.
When I thought of this, I suddenly recalled something that made me angry today: Why did no one ever tell me that the Han Dynasty custom was to have a day off every five days
I wonder why no one has told me this. But when I think about it, when we talk about this, it's either among a group of people from Jingzhou, and everyone thinks so. Or it's for the Rongdi people like the eldest and the fourth, who might think it's pretty good to have a break. Then there's Bo Cai, Han Xian and others, who are all from the common people, and probably never had the law of rest, but why didn't Xu Zheng and the others object? Do they think that I'm new to Yue and need to be self-motivated and diligent? Plus, I've always been the leader, so I guess no one would ask me questions, which would make me think they're lazy, let alone complain.
Anyway, I still feel indignant. I worked so hard for so long, but luckily I didn't get sick. Otherwise, I should have had children a long time ago, maybe even several, and my father wouldn't have to nag me for no reason.
Suddenly I thought, this doesn't make sense. Women have to be pregnant for ten months, there is no rush. I suddenly felt that in the next few months, a major demand problem was facing an awkward situation that could not be solved. How could my two wives get pregnant within a few months of each other? I thought there was a major mistake in my family and work arrangement.
Although Ge Liang has only commented on the "sexuality" now, if a month or two passes, with his kind of outsider energy, he might do the same. He might even add something like "very" or "special"; and then raise it to the influence of the universe on this matter day and night. In short, he cannot be allowed to be a historian.
After some drunken fantasies, he finally started pretending after returning to the Pingle Pavilion where the lights were already on.
I asked Yuan to lead the horse and carry Yan to clean up Qiuluan and the others, and then leave the wine for the dinner to share with everyone. I got off the horse first and walked forward to support Yingying's wife. Although Yinling felt that she was not yet staggering, she enjoyed my courtesy.
I still supported her carefully and asked her how her appetite was today.
But Yinling's attention was attracted by the silk scarf on my head. She asked me where my crown was. Yuan suddenly turned around and said, "Ah, uncle, where is your crown?" I had no choice but to send Yuan away first, and then whispered to Yinling briefly about the situation.
Why are there words on this silk scarf? Take it off and let me see.
Oh, Yan got a piece of silk scarf from somewhere in Youfufeng Mansion, maybe it’s Lord Zhong’s handwriting.
It is very beautiful, and seems to be a woman's handwriting.
My heart skipped a beat and I quickly took it off to take a look. I didn't know if Yinling would be able to recognize it at a glance, but I knew clearly that the handwriting was hers.
Many years ago, in the snow of Qianshan, her words were already engraved in my heart.
I thought I was being plotted against. Maybe Yan didn't mean it, but the first person to find out was Yinling, who had just gotten pregnant and had been emotionally unstable recently. I felt like I was in big trouble.
However, Yinling did not mean to blame her, she just smiled gently: "Yan'er, that girl... is she here today?"
No. He shouldn't be here, or I wouldn't have missed him all afternoon.
Does Zirui want to see her
Frankly speaking, my heart skipped a beat. My eyes unconsciously glanced at Yin Ling, but I couldn't say anything.
Yinling seemed to be grinning: I'm laughing at you, a gentleman can keep his integrity and there will be no fault.
I remember the following was Pei'er's divination. I am really sorry for Pei'er, she knew that I liked Yinling but she still chose to marry me. Now she is pregnant with my child and waiting for my return thousands of miles away, and everything she talks about in her daily life is all for me.
The infatuation of a woman is the most lingering, which makes people sigh. Yinling watched, and I also accompanied her, not knowing how to comment.
I lie alone in a lonely house, feeling sorry for myself in a secluded garden. Tears stream down my face, how can I be so beautiful? The country is in chaos, and the people are afraid; the rich are killing each other, and the dukes are entangled. I have you, who is unparalleled, and I swear to make up for the heavens; I stand alone, and I have fought many battles. You have feelings for me, and I have not moved away. We held hands and promised to grow old together in front of the window, but we have to keep the old promise, and we have been apart from each other. The old dream is hard to catch up, but the voice and shadow can still be seen. I once sent you a letter in the next life, hoping to continue our previous relationship. Can you tell me when you will be born
There were suddenly some words on the side, as if they were written casually: If my son was born early, I could wait for my daughter to be beautiful. If you were born late, don’t blame me for being old.
There was silence for a moment, and neither of us knew what to do.
Ge Liang appeared beside us at some point and suddenly said: She had to be born early, and it would be best if she grew up with you, otherwise she would definitely not be able to catch up with you.
"This is my fault?" Yin Ling beside my ear started laughing.
"You are like the meat cooked in the cauldron. When it is cooked, people can share it and eat it, or they can share it and eat it." I think he should have heard that there is another Lady Anguo in Guangxin.
I always thought that after completing the instructions of Lord Hua En, Ge Liang would only explore the mysteries between heaven and earth. It turns out that he can still say such provocative words. Not far away, ** heard it and laughed, but of course he didn't dare to laugh too loudly.
I decided to deal with him early, so I said to Yinling, you go in first, I'll deal with someone else.
** was shocked and said: These words are not mine.
I looked at him sideways and said angrily: I may not beat you every time.
Ge Liang is not stupid, he has already run away.
After chasing him for a while, I just turned around the yard and saw that Ge Liang had stopped running. He turned around and waited for me to swing my fist in front of him, then he bowed and said to me: "My lord, I have something to tell you, is it okay now?"
"Who did you learn this from?" I stopped abruptly, shocked. To be honest, this was definitely not the same person I had seen before. I even wanted to tear his face off to see if there was another person behind him.
"Do you need to learn this? You can see it everywhere here." He had indeed been hanging around Shanglin Garden for quite some time, and he must have seen a lot of etiquette from various families. But he could learn it so well, and he didn't even ask you for a long time why you have to bend so much when bowing, whether it's to see other people's shoes or to let others see your back. I think this is the most amazing thing.
"What are you talking about?"
"Although I have been here for a short time, I have seen and heard many things, and listened to many stories of the lord. I have something in my heart that I need to remind the lord. Although the lord is extremely decisive in critical situations and can make decisions on major issues, he has an easy-going personality and a pure nature. He does not want to force others to do things, but often sacrifices himself for others. Therefore, he will be taken advantage of by those close to him, and when facing ordinary things, he will often fall into the schemes of those he trusts. This needs to be dealt with carefully."
"So, I just need to get close to the good and wise people who are worth getting close to. It doesn't matter." I felt that he was not lying, and the previous words were quite pleasant to hear, so I put my mind at ease to beat him up. As for his danger, I really don't mind it. Since I don't care too much about many things, I can save some trouble by following the wishes of my close friends. The affairs of the court and the world are what I need to think about and deal with carefully.
However, I still feel something is quite wrong: "Did you really grow up in the mountains?"
The fellow was not panicked, and said with a smile: "My lord, have you forgotten who lives in the village where Liang lives?"
It suddenly dawned on me.
"Those who used to call me uncles and aunts were mostly honest and virtuous officials in the government, and perhaps they were also quite famous in various places. They hated treacherous people and advocated virtue. What they said and did in their daily lives were all in line with the nature of gentlemen, and they have been the same for more than ten years. What they taught in their daily lives were all about justice and good ways to govern the world. But when the disaster came, why did they have no ability to resist? Apart from escaping with their lives and saving their families, what stories of punishing evil and eliminating evil could they praise?" His tone seemed a little excited. "That day, you were so open and honest in your words and deeds, and you trusted me so much, I really thought you were the same as them. But what I saw and heard later made me feel that you were different from those uncles and aunts."
I didn't ask him what was different, but just waited silently for his next words.
"I have been traveling around these days, and I often hear servants and clerks gossiping. They often say one thing in front of others and another behind others. Their meanings are often completely different, just like the two of them. It's different only with you. Whether you are here or not, what they say is almost the same." He seemed to laugh: "But I can travel freely between the inns and post stations, and I can pass through without any hindrance just because I am your follower. I am used to listening to the teachings of masters, and I really can't imagine how you can be so unguarded in the officialdom with your character, or how no one dares to be jealous of you. I have never heard of a gentleman approaching people and making them unprepared. You must be better than my masters. It seems that I am much luckier than my uncles and masters."
To be honest, it was very comforting to hear. Of course, I was also very touched: "Thank you very much, you can be so open with me, I am very happy. In fact, many things can't be explained in a few words, and some of them are not my credit. I will take my time in the future. Go and have a rest and prepare for dinner."
"There is one more thing I need to report. ** is eavesdropping." He bowed again, ending our conversation gracefully.
As expected, in the end, it was still ** who was taken care of by me. In fact, I don't understand why it was always him. Just like he didn't understand why it was him again. But from his performance, as long as I had the idea of picking up people in Shanglinyuan, he could consciously estimate this target as himself, which is also very valuable.
Thanks to Ge Liang's heartfelt talk, it seemed as if everything was lightly revealed. I don't know if he did it on purpose or not, but I don't plan to ask anymore. If he gets her affairs out of me and spreads them around, I'll have more trouble in the future. He might even be able to analyze this issue from the perspectives of yin and yang, heaven and earth, and heaven and earth.
Suddenly it occurred to me that his behavior might just be a trick to deceive people.
Yinling didn't really care about me cleaning up **. As far as I understand, maybe she also thinks ** needs to be cleaned up. Everyone seems to be calm about this. ** is indeed very extraordinary. I really chose the wrong word for his name, Songtao. Since everyone supports me so much, I almost have the inspiration to clean him up again. But I am tired today, so I will get up early tomorrow to do it.
When she returned to her room to wait for dinner, Yinling was reading the court newspaper. The silk scarf had been neatly folded on the table beside her, and she only saw Quan Youyuan's self-pity.
"Which day?" I hung up my coat and leaned against Yinling. I was really tired after a day of hard work.
"It was the one from a month ago, the one from the Chencang incident." Yin Ling suddenly covered her nose and frowned, "How much did you drink? I didn't pay attention when it was windy outside, but now that I've sat down, I smell so much alcohol."
"I don't think I drank too much. I drank more mainly to accompany Uncle Cai and Zhong Fufeng." It's still necessary to pretend to be a good child. Since I can remember, this has been the only way to deal with Yinling's criticism and blame.
"You are not a good person either. You must be taking this opportunity to get drunk." Yin Ling smiled and pointed at my head, finally letting me off the hook. But she still ordered me to rinse my mouth and change my clothes.
I also smiled foolishly to get through this part: "Why did you read the court bulletin today, it's so early?"
Yin Ling was surprised. "This month's reports were all copied from the Shangshutai residence in Shanglinyuan, and we could see them on the day. Didn't you read this one after you came back?"
"Of course I have seen it. My father has always had people send it to me. But I know most of the things, and I arranged many of them, so I am too lazy to read it. I have been involved in the Chencang incident. Is there anything I don't know? I just casually read the end to see how the matter was arranged in the end."
Yin Ling sighed, "You should have read the whole thing. I just suddenly remembered that this report should be sent to Sister Pei, so I took a look to see if there were any inappropriate words. After reading this... Oh... I hope Nalan is smart and doesn't let Sister Pei see it."
"What's wrong? Am I going to be killed in the battle?" I was still very relaxed.
"Nonsense." His ear was pulled as expected: "Sister Pei is pregnant and alone in her empty room. She is lonely. What should she do if she gets upset? Look at this sentence about you: You defeated hundreds of thousands of people with a small force; look at this paragraph: A stray arrow pierced your chest, but you fought to the death and refused to retreat. And there is also this: You were wounded a hundred times, your armor fell off, and blood soaked the ground for ten feet..."
Before the speech was finished, I was so scared that I sat up straight and said in surprise, "Which idiot clerk wrote this? I thought it was the chief clerk of Chen Cang who was foolish, but I didn't expect that the Shangshutai was full of such people. It must be that the nerds in the Shangshutai read Chen Cang's speech and made up their own nonsense. Anyway, the emperor has not experienced all kinds of things, so he released it in a muddle. If this is copied out, won't Pei'er be scared to death? Even if I am alive, Pei'er will definitely think I am missing a few pieces. Ling'er, take the pen and give me, I will immediately write a letter and send someone to send it to Yue State by express horse to comfort Pei'er."
Just as I was writing furiously to show how lively and almost insane I was, what Yinling was worried about happened thousands of miles away.
At least one of Yinling's beautiful wishes came true. That day, the official report arrived at Yuehou Mansion in the afternoon. While the lady was taking a nap, Nalan took it on her behalf. Although Nalan didn't know many words, most of the words she knew in the official report were not good words, so she kept an eye on it and looked for a good friend of hers named Huolan. Of course, that person was also my good friend, so when I went back, I soon knew the whole thing. And based on my understanding of several of them, the scenes came to life before my eyes.
Although the weather in Guangxin was already quite hot in late spring, it was still cool indoors. However, Nalan rushed to Huolan's room, took a look at him, and made him sweat.
Holland was obviously shocked, and predicted very correctly: this thing must not be shown to the lady.
Nalan said in embarrassment: "But the lady looks forward to the court bulletin every day, hoping that there will be news about Brother Zirui in the court bulletin. Moreover, each copy has the date when the court bulletin was sent out. If there is a sudden gap of time in between, it will definitely not be concealed."
Holland still had an idea: Let's make a copy. Just hide this part and write that after one day of fierce fighting, all the Rong tribes were defeated.
Just as Nalan was grinding ink and Huolan was about to start writing, Huolan suddenly said in surprise: Should this be given to Madam first, or should it be copied somewhere else and kept
Nalan waved her hands and said: I have never done this before, so I really don’t know.
Holland immediately kept the report and went out to inquire. He soon got the confirmed bad news from Mr. Zhang who had just been woken up.
Isn't there a Shangshutai? In the past, they were asked to copy and archive the court reports for future reference. Let's go there and take a look. Don't rush. Hand me a sip of the bowl of water on the table. Hmm... It's really hot. From now on, you have to go to the East Wing to work in the morning.
Huo Lan was extremely anxious, but he still served the old man obediently before rushing to the Shangshutai, which was close by and also in the palace. It was afternoon, and no one was in the office except Xu Wei, who was leisurely sorting out the letters while fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.
Upon asking, it turned out to be a coincidence that he had spent the whole morning copying it. Holland quickly instructed him to make some minor changes to the middle part of the report.
After the explanation, Xu Wei suddenly understood and immediately made some changes. He took out the inappropriate and angry parts of the bamboo slips and burned them. The trouble finally stopped for a while.
After all, Huo Lan was in the officialdom before, and although he was only in the court of a county, he was quite rigorous. He sighed, wiped his sweat, and added: After this report was delivered, did anyone else read it
I was the only one copying, and when I finished, my colleagues and officials had gone back to eat and rest, and none of them had a chance to review it. However, according to the rules of conduct for the various offices issued by Lady Pingguo, all kinds of reports must first be sent to the Supervisory History Master Zhang for review, and then he will distribute them to various places, so he took away the court reports and various memorials.
Huo Lan felt like vomiting blood, so he had to rush into Uncle Zhang's house again and wake up Uncle Zhang who was dozing off in the shade behind the screen.
"Huo Lan, are you going to torment your old man Zhang to death? The memorials these days are basically all about the disturbances in the southern counties. You know that the Grand Marshal is on a tour outside, and the Right Marshal is training the navy in the South China Sea. They haven't been back for a while. I naturally compiled a file for today and passed it to the Left Marshal. You go find the four generals... I have read the court reports. At my age, I naturally understand that I won't be mean to anyone. Just assume that I don't have time to read. Spare me, an old man. The weather is hot enough. Can't I get some sleep?"
Holland apologized hurriedly and offered the water again before leaving again.
Holland rushed to the Fourth General's Mansion breathlessly. The Fourth General was reviewing documents in a serious manner, with only a maid fanning him.
After a few words of advice, the fourth brother dismissed the maid. After another explanation, the fourth brother was generous, saying that no one had ever come to the mansion, and now that he knew about it, he would not come again.
Then, the thief asked how to explain these words in the text, whether these words were related to any stories, etc. He also asked Holland not to disturb his wife and children's nap. He even shamelessly asked the temporary teacher to fan him, showing no respect for his teacher.
After all the work was done, this fellow even rudely "asked" Holland to "take the way" to bring these memorials and approval documents to the Shangshutai. Then he was going to sleep for a while.
But Holland finally put his mind at ease, delivered the things "on the way", came back and copied them once, and that was it.
Naturally, I will wait for my wife to wake up, and then present her with the official report, and report the good news that I am safe and have made great contributions. Seeing Pei'er reading the official report in a good mood, Holland turned around and left leisurely. So she saw the hesitation of the wife of the fourth general holding Xue'er, and the sudden nervousness on the face of the wife of Zuo Sima who had just entrusted the child to her. Before she could figure out what was wrong, she heard the words she didn't want to hear the most: Sister-in-law... Did you read the official report? It's okay, it's all there. Although the arrow pierced the chest, his life is not in danger.
When talking about this, Holland gnashed his teeth. How could he have overlooked that although the fourth general knew all the characters, he was still a novice in the rules of writing and the use of allusions. If no other officials came to the mansion to make memorials and reports, I would definitely have to trouble my wife. It just so happened that I and the two wives of the fourth brother were close friends, and the damn Zuo Sima might have been sleeping soundly somewhere at that time.
"It's destiny, it's not your fault." This is the only thing I can say to comfort Holland.
That night, arrangements were made for the postman to deliver the letter to the State of Yue, and the atmosphere in Pingle Village returned to normal, so the dinner began.
Everyone was drinking and praising the wine and the delicious Hongyan. But I had no appetite. After dinner, my husband accompanied me to deliver wine and food to E, He, Shao and Ge, while the others packed their bags and prepared to leave.
Yinling knew that I was feeling upset, so she could only squeeze my hand from time to time, saying: Even though Nalan was careless, Huolan was still very attentive.
It suddenly dawned on me: No matter how I overlooked Huo Ran, it would be fine as long as she was there.
I finally felt a little relieved, but suddenly I remembered something that made me feel really uneasy.
Everyone could sense that I was not in a very good mood, and there were fewer drinks afterwards.
After finally finishing the meal, I asked Song where the woman was buried.
It was buried outside the garden, on a sunny slope north of the Wei River, just north of Guzhu Pavilion. It was considered a good place.
Feeling a little relieved, he asked Qiu Luan, "How is the child?"
As long as they drink goat milk on time every day, all three of them are fine.
Yinling wanted to go with me, but I thought it was not appropriate for her to run around now, so I refused.
Of course, in order to reassure her, I put on a playful expression.
We need to discuss going to the Qiang camp again. The south is hot and humid, and the climate is very different from the north. They can choose to settle in Zhao State. I can ask my father to arrange it for them.
But after some discussion, they decided to follow me. They felt relieved and knew they could survive anywhere as long as no one bullied them.
I have nothing to do, just help me raise cattle and horses there. But the horses are war horses and the cattle are oxen for farming.
It doesn't matter who it is, as long as there is pasture.
This is what the people want.
They even expressed their gratitude for my repeated visits to care about their future livelihoods and often sent gifts. In the past, local officials were too lazy to deal with these tribes and would only drink and chat with the big tribes. I, a high-ranking official, was so friendly to them.
I was not happy, on the contrary I felt a little uncomfortable. Isn't it natural to pity the people
I couldn't sleep for a long time that night. Yinling, who was resting her head on my arm, obviously sensed it quickly and wanted to talk to me.
I didn't want her to be bothered by troubles, so I mentioned Yuan's marriage and the two sisters of the Li family.
Silver bells are good. I also sighed that if Zhu Jun could have married us earlier, he would not have died and his country would not have been stolen by others. Or General Huangfu felt something was wrong and quickly married his teacher, fearing that his subordinates would follow suit. In such a chaotic world, a backer is necessary.
Ling'er's idea makes sense, why didn't I think of it
Because my Zirui is not so scheming. I also heard a lot of what Ge Liang said just now, and he is actually right. Isn't even Ling'er like this
Yiren actually began to blame herself.
I'm sorry, Sister Pei. Because I couldn't bear to leave you, I didn't tell you the truth. In fact, I did want you to misunderstand me. I could even predict your actions. Many times, I was just waiting for you because I knew you would come.
Yiren even cried: Is Ling too selfish
"What the wife did is what the husband secretly thinks is the best. If not, how can the husband be so happy?" I couldn't bear to see women cry, especially Yinling, so I immediately wanted to make Yinling laugh: "In fact, it may not be as Liang said. There are fewer men in the world today, and more women. Women must get married before the age of 15, otherwise they will be taxed five times. And there are very few unmarried men in the world compared to women. Therefore, a man can get married when he grows up; but if a woman does not get married, she will be fined and her family property will be emptied, and she will be sold into a wealthy family as a slave, and will no longer be a loan. Zhi is not the only one like this. Didn't you also mention that your former close friends all got married around the age of 14? If it weren't for your father-in-law to get you through, wouldn't you have to get married early, and Zhi would not be able to wait for Ling. If I didn't stay with you, I'm afraid that one year my parents would suddenly decide that I would marry a girl from a certain family. At my age now, if I'm poor, I'm afraid I'll have a lot of children; if I'm rich, I might have a group of wives and concubines."
Yinling suddenly hugged me tightly, bit my ear and smiled at me and shouted: No,
I usually sleep well, but I couldn't sleep well that day. In the middle of the night, the child cried again. I woke up when I heard a few maids coaxing the child. Yinling seemed to be woken up by the noise. She felt that I was not asleep, so she suggested that I go to see her, maybe I could feel at ease. I was also anxious when I went to Luoyang that year to look for her. I could only fall asleep after coaxing Yiyue.
As soon as I entered the room, Yinling followed me in.
It's still a bit chilly at night. Have you put on your clothes
It doesn't matter, the clothes are all put on. Yiren waved her sleeves, there was no sleepiness in her eyes, maybe she was not sleepy either.
The children finally finished their meals and became quieter. But I was worried about Yinling, so I put my clothes on her. Yinling didn't refuse, she just smiled at me.
I took Xinyi, Yinling had already taken Yixin, and Qiuluan was holding Xueqing. I sent the other maids back to rest. I wanted Qiuluan to go back as well, but she was used to it. She was fine, and she would go back after coaxing her to sleep.
I actually can’t tell these three children of similar age apart. They all have the same chubby faces, are equally cute, and equally pitiful.
It was Yinling who told me how to distinguish these three, and she also came to coax them when she had nothing to do these days.
Yinling seemed to suddenly remember something, and gently placed Yixin on her lap. She took out a pair of very large silver anklets from her sleeve, and put one on the center of Yixin's left foot, and then took Xinyi from me and tightened one on Xinyi's right foot.
"This pair of ankle bells..." He looked at them carefully and thought: "Is your silver bell derived from this pair of silver ankle bells?"
"Well, adults are afraid that children will get lost, so they use this anklet. My sister and I both have nicknames... But I stopped wearing it very soon and just kept it with me." Yinling suddenly smiled: "I wanted to put it on you, but you grew up so fast, and I was afraid that if I put it on, I wouldn't be able to take it off, which would be troublesome."
I suddenly leaned close to her ear and asked, "So your lost sister should have a pair of golden foot bells?"
Yiren looked at Qiu Luan who was not far away and replied softly, "Let's not talk about this now, let's talk about it when we get back."
"Oh, Zirui." Yiren suddenly remembered something: "Should we change Xinyi's name? She has to go back with us, right?"
"Of course she'll follow us back, so let's call her Yiyi?" I nodded.
"All right."
Qiu Luan suddenly interrupted, "Lord Yuehou, Yiyi... this name is a bit difficult to pronounce."
"It's okay. He's the father of the child. Just follow his wishes. Oh, Qiuluan, are you going back to Yue with us, or are you planning to stay in Luoyang? And what about your good sisters? Do you have any plans? I'll go back and tell my parents-in-law."
I didn't expect that Yinling and Qiuluan suddenly became so close.
"Should I discuss this matter with my sisters?"
No one spoke after that. After a while, the children all fell asleep. We put them back in their respective baskets and left quietly.
Of course, I went back to my own bed. I had to continue asking questions.
Yinling first mentioned that Qiuluan was already a young girl who was beginning to fall in love, and it would not be good for the two of us to be too intimate.
Naturally, I was surprised. When did Yinling and Qiuluan become so close
Qiu Luan is a very nice person. She is friendly and polite to everyone, neither humble nor overbearing. She has the flavor of a wonderful woman, and people can't help but respect her. Moreover, despite her miserable life, she can distinguish right from wrong, has not plotted against you, and is still so loyal to her duties...
This Qiu Luan is really amazing. I was frightened again and sat up straight: Did she tell you everything about her
Yeah, yeah, lie down... You're an adult, yet you're still so jumpy.
Yiren was still very quiet: "I always felt that she was different from you, so I was on guard against her, and she took the initiative to tell me these things. I was also shocked at the time. I didn't expect that she would trust me so much... And according to her story, her background might be unusual."
What does this mean
The Eternal Courtyard Commander was able to move her from the palace to the other garden, and eventually transfer her to your Sili Xiaowei Mansion, and she could be deployed with the eunuch. This should not be something that he, the Eternal Courtyard Commander, can decide. But she was so frank about my assassination attempt on you that day, and she didn't shy away from it. It's obvious that she trusts me very much, and naturally she won't lie to me here. But why is this
I also felt strange at the time, but there have been many strange things in recent years, so I didn’t care about this one more.
That's true... especially you. Yinling smiled.
I laughed too.
We finally left the next day and let them go first as I still needed to say goodbye to my old friends.
I only brought aid with me.
There were hardly any people left in Shanglin Garden, and in many halls and gardens only a few servants were seen cleaning.
The father and daughter seemed to have taken all their luggage with them when they went to Fufeng Mansion. The villa where they originally lived was already empty. Naturally, the others were no longer here.
Maybe I still have hope of meeting you by chance, but things don’t always go as we wish.
My main purpose of this trip is to visit Zishi. I don't know when we will meet again. But he must still be here, and he still has to prepare all the preparations for the Northwest Changshi Mansion.
Seeing us two grown men sighing and feeling sad, Zhou Yu suddenly stood up without saying a word and rode away on his horse.
I guess she wanted to say goodbye to Yinling.
The aid was quietly beside us.
I naturally need to introduce Yuan to Brother Zishi (Note 1), explain my purpose, and discuss it with him. Zishi has no objection, which shows that he trusts me very much. However, I must discuss this matter with Uncle Zan, who is only the cousin of the two sisters. I headed the head and explained that I need to at least talk to their eldest brother. If you want your sister to marry a nearby family to support you, I can also get a firm understanding and not mention this idea.
Zishi shook his head and punched me in the chest: "I am lucky to be able to show my skills and see my relatives. How can I use my sister as a hostage to seek personal gain? Besides, I have Ziyu behind me and your father beside me, so it's not a big deal. I married into your family in the hope of living a peaceful and happy life. And I'm not marrying you. My sister doesn't need to worry day and night in the future, which is also a great blessing."
I swallowed my saliva. Actually, I really wanted to spit at him, but I couldn't lose my manners in front of my nephew: Don't bother with me for everything.
I don't know who he is, but he always gets himself half killed in every battle, and he always makes a gamble even when there's nothing wrong.
Humph, some people's arms often fall off on their own even when they are not fighting.
Now they have been cured by miracle doctors, but some people still need veterinary treatment.
That day, we laughed and cursed together, hugged and cried together, punched and kicked each other, and danced together. When Zhou Yu came back with red eyes, we were still there talking about the past, present and future.
When it was time to leave, Zishi suddenly pulled me to the map to discuss something with me: Zirui, if the conditions are acceptable, it would be better to persuade your father to move forward a little further, cross the Yellow River, and build a fortress at the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain. In the past, the city of Shoujiang was built during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu to wait for the Xiongnu. After the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu advanced and retreated here several times, but it is now abandoned. However, if a few fortresses are rebuilt along this line, it will echo each other from a distance, which is the greatest support for the two Changshi Mansions in the northwest and northeast.
I also saw the problem: Oh, the area between Yinshan Mountain and the river is very narrow. If we build a city on this line, it will be difficult for the Xianbei to take care of each other in the east and west. If the eastern and western tribes want to unite in one place and attack the Han Dynasty, they will either need to cross Yinshan Mountain or be forced to detour thousands of miles to the north... This is truly a quick solution.
Zi Shitou said: "But this is not easy. We are isolated outside the river and have no place to protect ourselves. It is not easy to supply food and grass and recruit soldiers. Moreover, we are likely to be attacked by the two Xianbei tribes in the east and west. It is really dangerous. If we can succeed, it will be the best. If we can't succeed, we must not force it. At most, they can help me in the first few years. When I train the nomadic cavalry of my Han Dynasty, I will no longer be afraid of their harassment. After all, it is difficult for the Xianbei to recover in a few years, and the time of civil strife in the Han Dynasty is not far away. By then, I can only do my best to suppress the rebellion and delay the foreign enemies for my Han Dynasty."
All these words did not escape the child, so that the child was still solemn when he returned.
It was not until we were on the official road that he suddenly asked me: Is there going to be civil unrest in our Han Dynasty? Hasn't it been settled? Are we going to put down the rebellion together this time
From the moment of the enfeoffment, this matter was set in stone.
Then why did we divide the princes into different states
If the fiefdoms had not been divided, the world would have been in chaos for several months by now, and the Xianbei would have taken the opportunity to invade long ago.
Moreover, through the misplaced enfeoffment and the control of the princes, we have almost eliminated the evil of the Han Dynasty for a hundred years - the power of local tyrants and wealthy people. I didn't say this sentence, I think this is not what Wenxiong needs to understand now.
In fact, I really hope that he will never understand. I also hope that when his children, my children grow up, they will no longer need to understand these things, and by that time, the Han Dynasty will have returned to the right path.
I hope this is more than just hope.
It was the end of March in the second year of Chuping, I was 20 years old and Yinling was 23. If I had to express my feelings on that day, it would be that the weather was getting hotter and summer was coming.
Note 1: In the previous chapters, I wanted to make a special note, so I'll do it here. In the official history, Sheyuan is Huangfu Song's son-in-law. In addition: This book is neither history nor unofficial history. It is more and more fictional as it goes on. It is just a borrowing of the geographical background of the characters, which can be seen as a lazy and opportunistic trick. You can understand it as something that might happen in another parallel time and space.