Hanhou

"I want to return, but I can't."

At the six-character exit, Yunmei fell on the ground, put her hands together in front of her forehead, covering her pale pretty face, and said nothing.

Liu Rong stared at her for a long time before he opened his mouth and said, "Yun Ji, if you don't return today, you may never come back again."

"My lord, I can't return." Yunmei's heart began to beat wildly, her fingers trembled slightly, and she bit her lip hard.

"Forget it, then stay." Liu Rong sighed.

"Thank you king."

"Go down."

"Respect." Yunmei stood up and saluted again.

Perhaps because she was too nervous, Yunmei's footsteps were vain, her eyes turned black, and she forced herself to leave the main hall.When walking down the corridor, a gust of cold wind happened to hit, and when I looked up at the gloomy sky, I felt a sudden soreness in my nose.

Yunzhong County, should it snow?

Not long after returning to the residence, a visitor sent five bolts of silk, two gold hairpins and a jade ring.The visitor asked the maidservant to put down the things, smiled and said to Yunmei: "Congratulations Yunji, the king rewards you."

Looking at the gorgeous silk and jewelry, Yunmei didn't feel much joy, but more uneasiness.Before the visitor left, he plucked up his courage and asked tentatively: "Excuse me, elder, where is Fang Ji who came with me now?"

"Fang Ji?" The visitor stopped, turned to look at Yunmei, the smile on his face remained unchanged, but his pupils were dark, and no emotion could be seen.

"Yunji is Yan Xingping's family member?"

"indeed."

"He has not entered the palace, and his old disease relapsed a few days ago, and the doctor said there is no cure."

Yunmei froze, comprehending the meaning of the eunuch's words, her face gradually turned pale.

"Yun Ji is smart, there will be good luck in the future. Fang Ji developed an old illness before entering the palace, and she never had the chance to see the king. She is really a blessing." The visitor said with a smile.

After leaving these words, the audience turned and left.

The door closed, and the light in the room suddenly became dim.

Yunmei's back was chilled, she held the screen with one hand, slowly moved back to the side of the low couch, sat down tiredly, her legs were bent in front of her body, her head was deeply buried in her knees, her breathing became short of breath.

Did not see the king, did not enter the palace.

Blessings.

Thinking of the two traveling in different carriages and she never seeing Fang Ji again, Yunmei couldn't help but start to tremble, tears rolled down her cheeks, she bit her lips desperately to keep silent.

After an unknown amount of time, the door opened from the outside, and the servants lit poke lamps to dispel the darkness in the room.The orange light was reflected on the wall and the screen, and the shadow of the servant was continuously twisted and elongated, revealing an indescribable weirdness.

Yunmei raised her head, her eyes were red.Maybe it was because of crying for too long that my throat was burning.

An elderly maid walked around the screen, turning a blind eye to the tears on Yunmei's face, and said with a slight smile, "Has Yunji rested well? It's time to eat."

The implication in the servant woman's words was obvious, Yunmei breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away her tears, and stood up from the couch.

Slowly moving out of the screen, seeing the lacquer bowl on the low table, Yunmei's eyes fell on the servant woman, who bowed her head slightly, and said respectfully: "There is a chef from the north in the palace, and the steamed cakes and roasted meat made are very delicious. Delicious, the king is very pleased."

The steamed cake was only the size of a palm, and the roasted meat was already sliced. Yunmei ate a steamed cake and a few pieces of roasted meat, then put down her chopsticks, turned to look at the maid, and said, "I know a new way to make steamed cakes, please Say it to the Pao people, and choose a day to present it to the king."

The servant girl raised her head, observed Yunmei's expression carefully, and added two pieces of sincerity to her smile: "You don't need what you say, Yunji is smart."

It was night, and there was a cold rain in Jiangling City.

Liu Rong sat alone in the hall, the bamboo slips in front of him had not been turned for a long time, and the ink in the inkstone had already dried up.His eyes fell on the wick that was about to burn out, and he remained motionless for a long time, as if frozen.

Yunmei tossed and turned until the middle of the night before she fell asleep in the sound of rain.

In her sleep, the girl returned to Bianjun, and she changed her clothes into sarongs, and walked across the field with a rattan basket on her back. The sky was blue, and green shoots grew in the fields, and the laughter of her parents and younger brother was heard, even the lazy elder brother They all picked up Leisi and helped Ah Weng weed...

When it was raining in Jiangling City, a thin snow fell in Chang'an.

The music of the court meeting sounded in Weiyang Palace, and the officials lined up to enter the palace. Their hair crowns and shoulders were covered with a few pieces of silvery white, which were fumigated by the warm indoor air, leaving dark water marks, which soon disappeared.

In Changle Palace, Empress Dowager Dou was leaning on the couch, and Chen Jiao was sitting beside the couch, detailing the interesting things that happened in the city.

After Tang Yihou recovered from illness, Chen Jiao was sent to Changle Palace by Liu Xing.

Ever since Chen Jiao started talking back, the relationship between mother and daughter has taken a turn for the worse, almost dropping to freezing point.Tang Yihou acted as a peacemaker, with little effect.Really feeling a headache, Liu Xun simply sent Chen Jiao back to Changle Palace, out of sight and out of sight.

Now, Princess Guantao is not doing well in front of Empress Dowager Dou, and Emperor Jing's thoughts are becoming more and more difficult to guess.

Since Li Ji's death, Emperor Jing has confiscated beauties into the palace again.Previously, according to Wang Zhi's plan, he persuaded Emperor Jing to consider Liu Che and Chen Jiao's marriage, but now there is still no further action.Guantao didn't know what to do, but it was a troubled time, so he didn't dare to go to Weiyang Palace at the risk of offending Empress Dowager Dou.

Recently, the court is not peaceful, and the princes and kings participating in the memorial are constantly sparse. Previously, the firepower was concentrated on Linjiang King, but now it is even bringing out Liang Wang.The king of Linjiang was accused of occupying the land of the ancestral temple to build a palace, and the crime was convicted, so it is hard to guarantee that he will not go to the Lieutenant's Mansion.The charges against King Liang were also not light. Some officials accused him of conniving and treacherous assassination of courtiers, and uncovered the assassination of Yuan An and others, which caused quite a stir in the court.

When Liu Rong was criticized, Empress Dowager Dou was already very angry; Liu Wu was also brought up, which made her even more furious.

How Yuan An was assassinated, Changle and Weiyang Palaces are well aware of it.At the beginning, he tried his best to prevent Emperor Jing from making Liang Wang his heir, and he was one of them.

Now, the masterminds Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui are hiding in King Liang's feudal state. If they really want to send someone to arrest them and send them to the Lieutenant's Mansion, they will definitely be sure at first instance.However, Emperor Jing didn't make an order for a long time, and let the situation continue to escalate. In Chang'an City, rumors began to spread that Liang Wang was domineering, ordered guests to assassinate court officials, and even covered up and connived after the fact. He didn't even care about the emperor's will.

Hearing the rumors in the city, Empress Dowager Dou was so angry that she refused to eat, and Chen Jiao's persuasion was useless.

After the court meeting, Emperor Jing personally came to Changle Palace. Empress Dowager Dou asked Chen Jiao to go down. After closing the palace door, she asked sharply: "For the sake of the prince, the emperor wants to kill his own son, and even more so my son?!"

Emperor Jing said in a deep voice, "Mum, how could I be like this."

"Don't prevaricate me!" Empress Dowager Dou stood up and said sharply, "Aqi, are you really going to come to this point? Parents, children and brothers are all heartless? Do you know what the consequences of what you do today will bring in the future?! "

"Mum, I'm not a person who has no intentions." Emperor Jing wanted to continue, but suddenly coughed violently, and couldn't stop it.

Empress Dowager Dou froze, and immediately asked the palace servants to bring warm water, and then asked Emperor Jing to come forward, and raised his hand to cover Emperor Jing's forehead.

"Aqi, your illness has not recovered?"

Emperor Jing drank half a cup of warm water, and barely stopped coughing.Looking at Empress Dowager Dou, I knew I couldn't hide it, so I could only slow down my tone as much as possible: "Mother, there is no need to worry, but the weather is getting colder, so I didn't pay attention for a while, it will be fine in a few days."

Empress Dowager Dou obviously didn't believe it, she clasped Emperor Jing's shoulders, and realized how thin Jing Emperor was, she was shocked in her heart.

"Aqi, is it... that you are in such a hurry?"

Empress Dowager Dou's words were very vague, but Emperor Jing heard it clearly, and said softly: "Don't worry, Aunt, I can always survive these few years."

"You, you!" Empress Dowager Dou's voice was hoarse, she suddenly stopped in the middle of her words, closed her eyes forcefully, and said after a long time, "Choose a concubine for the prince, and make all the princes kings as soon as possible. Call the king of Linjiang to Chang'an to talk to Bo, Remove the feudal kingdom. Ah Wu... I will send someone to King Liang, and ask him to hand him over, and personally go to Chang'an to plead guilty, and then reduce the kingdom's military guards."

"Aunt..."

"Prince Concubine Dingtang Yi Hou Daughter." Empress Dowager Dou's voice was low, and her hands on Emperor Jing's shoulders became tighter and tighter, "Aqi, I will give in and leave the lives of King Linjiang and King Liang. After I die, let the crown prince stay with Dou. One of his blood."

Emperor Jing lowered his head and coughed violently again.

"Mom, it's my fault."

"Good or bad, it doesn't matter now." Empress Dowager Dou withdrew her hand and said wearily, "Aqi, I won't stop you anymore, but you have to think clearly, what will happen if the crown prince doesn't meet your wishes."

"Mother, Ah Rong is generous by nature and sympathizes with the common people, but like me, he will eventually become a ruler of success. The Huns occupy the grasslands and have a vast territory. If this powerful enemy cannot be eliminated, it will eventually bring disaster to future generations."

"Can the prince do it?"

"The prince is smart, and he is the most like me and the least like me among the princes." Emperor Jing drank the warm water in the cup and suppressed the itching in his throat, "After A Weng and me, the king of the Han Dynasty needs to be pioneered, and he will kill decisively. Only then can the troubles of northern Xinjiang be eliminated."

"It's not a blessing for the country to be aggressive." Empress Dowager Dou said in a deep voice.

"Now the Xiongnu and nobles are at odds, and there are signs of chaos in the grassland. If we can't take the opportunity to get rid of it, there will be another Modun in the future, and there will be no chance for military violence." Emperor Jing's voice became more serious.

When it came to the Xiongnu, Empress Dowager Dou was silent.

The hall was silent for a long time, the wind whizzed past the hall, snowflakes fluttered one after another, and the stone steps were soon covered with a layer of silver.

Chen Jiao strolled down the corridor and saw the snow blanket all over the floor, she suddenly felt playful, lifted the hem of her skirt, and stepped on the snow with pearl-studded silk shoes, leaving tiny footprints one by one.

"My Lord, be careful of catching a cold." The palace man put on a cloak for Chen Jiao and reminded her aloud.

Chen Jiao didn't take it seriously, and stepped down the stone steps all the way, just in time to meet Liu Che who came to pay respects to Queen Mother Dou.

The two stood in the snow, neither of them spoke.

The smile on Chen Jiao's face gradually disappeared, she tightened her cloak and turned to leave, her delicate figure disappeared behind the hall.Liu Che stepped up the stone steps, and accidentally stepped on the footprints left by Chen Jiao.

The first snow fell in Chang'an, and Yunzhong County in the far north was already covered in silver.

The withered grass was pressed under the snow mattress, and strings of ice ridges hung down from the eaves, which were broken off by curious children and put into their mouths, bringing the coolness to the heart.Before the child could bite off the ice edge, it was snatched away by the mother, and the buttocks were slapped twice.

"What should I do if I catch a cold? There are no medical craftsmen in the village!"

The pasture is covered with white snow, looking from a distance, the sky and the earth are vast.The marmots all hid in their holes, and the familiar cry was no longer heard until the snow melted.

The snow has been falling for several days without any sign of stopping.

Zhao Jia discussed with He Lao and gathered the young and strong in the village to repair the houses, inspect the walls, and thicken the wooden boards on the top of the walls to prevent the buildings from being crushed by the snow.In addition, patrol manpower is increased every day to strictly guard against wild animals in the forest and grassland.

"There is too much snow to hunt, and wolves and even tigers and leopards will come."

"Kids stay at home as much as possible, don't go out, and take dogs with them when they go out."

"There are notices posted in the city that there are bandits and savages fleeing to Lin County, so be careful when you go out. You must also be alert at night, and shoot arrows immediately if there is anything suspicious. Don't be merciful!"

He Lao's voice was stern, and he told the gatekeeper and Qing Zhuang not to let outsiders in easily.

According to the notice posted by Guansi, a village in Yangshou County was attacked by bandits, killing and injuring more than 30 people, and five or six houses were burned down.It was bandits and savages who did the fighting, but the relatives who took refuge in the village led the way!

What's even worse is that this person was taken in by his relatives, and he didn't think about gratitude. Instead, he took advantage of the young and strong to go hunting, put bandits and wild men into the village, and burned, killed, looted and committed all kinds of crimes.

When the young men returned, all the villains fled.

Several children who were hidden in the cellar by their mothers told the truth, and everyone was furious. Regardless of the cold weather, their eyes were blood red, they took hounds, falcons, bows and arrows and chased for more than ten miles, shot and killed several bandits and savages, and even led the way. The man tied behind the horse was dragged to death, and the body was thrown to the wolf.

Coincidentally, bandits also appeared in the adjacent Yanmen and Dingxiang counties.

Official temples have posted notices one after another, not to take in suspicious people.If there are relatives who come to vote, you must not hide it, and you must report it to the official temple in time to prevent bandits from sneaking into the village and similar tragedies happen again.

Zhao's and Wei's villages were well guarded, plus Zhao Jia's reputation as a murderer, and the number of young and strong people in the villages, few bandits dared to sneak into Shaling County to attack these two places.

A few days ago, Zhao Jia went to the city and presented the method of improving the poisonous chimney to Wei Taishou. After that, he exchanged several carts of grain with the caravan from the south.

As in the previous practice, all the villagers who came to receive the millet would register with Huber to receive a wooden card, and pay back with labor after the snow melted.

Zhao Jia didn't stay at home very long. Since the heavy snow fell, he has been at the livestock farm almost every day, patrolling the fence with Uncle Xiong to drive away the hungry beasts.

There are so many beasts, even if Wei Yue led troops to clean them up, they still couldn't kill them all.

Wolves are not uncommon, and they can be seen every few days.During the inspection, Zhao Jia also saw a leopard with his own eyes, and his movements were flexible beyond imagination.The tiger had never been seen before, only a few huge footprints were found in the snow. After comparing it with the palm of his hand, the hair on the back of Zhao Jia's neck stood on end.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to worry. The fiercer the animal, the smarter it is, and it won't approach the farm easily." Uncle Xiong stood up and patted the snow off his hands. "It's probably because he couldn't find prey to go so far. Be alert, you should Nothing will happen. Leopards are hard to guard against, so we need to arrange more people in the circle."

Zhao Jia nodded, seeing that the north wind was blowing again, and there was a sign of heavy snow, so he was going to turn his horse around and rush back to the livestock farm as soon as possible.

The patrol team seldom traveled so far, and they followed all the way because they found tiger paw prints.

Border County is vast and sparsely populated, and this place is even more desolate.As far as the eye can see, apart from the white snow, there is only a solitary elm forest, and there is not even a single abandoned cottage.Since the beginning of winter, almost no border residents have been active here.

A few hundred steps away, a wild wolf with its tail dragging was digging through the snow, dragging something vigorously.Probably because they were too hungry, the wild wolf found Zhao Jia and his party, but they didn't want to hide at all, and just dragged things under the snow blindly.

Crows began to gather in the sky, and two foxes appeared not far away, seemingly coveting what the wolf found.

"Probably frozen to death gazelle." You Qing Zhuang said.

The wild wolf is thin and thin, and the skeleton is really not small.It dragged so hard, Xuexia could never be a rabbit, ninety percent of it was a big prey.

It was getting late, and the crows gathered more and more. They were worried that more wild animals would come, and they didn't intend to stay any longer. Just as they were about to ride their horses and leave, a young man suddenly shouted: "Your Majesty, it's a man!"

"what?"

Zhao Jia tightened the reins, followed Qing Zhuang's direction, and saw the wild wolf dragging out a human leg, immediately made a serious expression, and asked everyone to shoot arrows, and chased away the wild beasts around the corpse.

After the wild beasts dispersed, everyone rode their horses and rushed to the front. They were all shocked when they saw the broken corpse that had been dug out of the snow and recognized the clothing left on the corpse.

"Huns?!"