Linzhi

The tall Turkic man spoke: "Who are they?"

The woman prostrated herself on the ground, trembling: "They, they are honored guests of Ketun."

"Kedun's honored guest?" The other party narrowed his eyes, looking back and forth at He Rong and the three of them, "Kedun is sick in bed, why would you invite guests over?"

Xue Tan nodded and bowed at the right time as a merchant, and said with a smile: "You don't know something, but I miss my hometown, so let us bring some..."

The Turkic interrupted him roughly: "I didn't ask you, I asked her!"

The Han female slave tremblingly said: "Some of them are the descendants of Ke Dun's old man, and they want to see Ke Dun..."

The Turkic man walked in step by step, and the guards behind him also wanted to follow in, but he raised his hand to stop him.

The other party stood still in front of Gao, and said in Chinese: "You, raise your head."

Before Gao could move, the other party pinched her chin with one hand, forcing her to raise her head.

"What's your name?"

Gao wanted to back away, but his jaw was tightly pinched, and the pain was so painful that he couldn't break free. "My concubine's surname is Gao, and I came to see Ke Dun!"

The Turkic man sneered: "You don't need to bring Ke Dun out to scare me, that woman can hardly protect herself now!"

The other party looked at Gao Shi like a falcon staring at its prey. Gao Shi was seen to be chilled, and before he had time to rejoice that he deliberately smeared his face black, he saw the other party reach out and wipe her face vigorously.

Gao groaned, feeling a burning pain on his face.

Turkic man: "You look pretty good, as expected, you deliberately pretended to be black, come with me, and be my woman!"

Only then did Gao really panic. She thought to herself that she had gone through hardships since she was a child, and she was able to remain calm no matter what kind of difficulties she encountered. It will be even scarier.

But she still didn't forget her pretended identity, calling "Brother" and asking He Rong and the others for help.

Naturally, He Rong and Xue Tan were not idle. When the man was about to forcibly drag Gao Shi away, they had already rushed forward. One separated the Turkic man from Gao Shi, and the other pulled Gao Shi away and protected him behind him. .

Xue Tan said angrily: "Who is your Excellency who dares to be rude to Ke Dun's guests? Aren't you afraid that Ke Dun will punish you!"

He Rong frowned tightly. He saw that this man's status was unusual, and he might not even be below Princess Zhending's status, so he was so confident.

If he took the initiative to reveal his identity now, at least he was an envoy to the imperial court, and the other party would not dare to touch them easily, so that Gao could be temporarily saved.

It was too late to say it, but it was so soon, the Han female slave who had been daring to speak at the side suddenly raised her head at this moment, stood up and hugged the Turkic man's arm, begging softly: "Ye Hu, I don't want to serve you anymore. Dun, please take a look at me, please accept me!"

The Turkic man was about to get angry, but was interrupted, and couldn't help but look at the Han female slave.

He Rong and Xue Tan saw that the Han woman was clearly terrified, but she still forced a smile on the Turkic man: "I also want to serve Ye Hu, please give me a chance!"

Ye Hu is not a name, but a Turkic official position.

He Rong guessed correctly, this man was Jia Luo, one of the two contenders for the next Western Turkic Khan, and now he is the official residence of the Western Turkic Khan, second only to Moli Khan.

Jia Luo narrowed his eyes and looked at her: "Do you want to serve me?"

The Han woman suppressed her fear and swallowed a mouthful of saliva: "Yes..."

Jia Luo chuckled, put his hand on her face, and stroked it gently, much gentler than he had treated Gao Shi just now.

But at the next moment, he suddenly kicked up and kicked the girl out!

The strength was so great that the Han woman's slender body flew directly into the wooden pillars in the tent, and then fell heavily!

Xue Tan was furious: "How dare you!"

He hurried forward to help the Han girl up, the latter coughed a few times, and spat out a mouthful of blood, her face was like gold paper.

Jia Luo looked at the Han woman contemptuously: "You deserve it too!"

Xue Tan's eyes were about to split open: "You deceive people too much! She is a human being, not an animal!"

It's not that he doesn't know that Jia Luo's status is special, but at the moment he can't care so much, because this Han girl was treated for Gao Shi just now!

Jia Luo was condescending and looked at them as if she was looking at a dead thing: "She was originally a Turkic slave, and I can deal with it as I like. Now you have become my slaves too!"

He called the guards outside to come in: "Take them all away!"

He Rong was about to reveal his identity, but someone outside said: "Wait!"

As soon as the words were finished, a middle-aged woman walked in. Facing the fierce and surly Jia Luo, her expression remained the same and she only gave a half salute.

"Kedun is ordered to summon these guests!"

Jia Luo: "I'm not sure, they are already my slaves!"

The middle-aged woman said coldly: "These guests were specially invited by Ke Dun from the Central Plains. They are her old friends, not your slaves! Ye Hu, Khan is still alive now, but Ke Dun is still alive." The Khan's wife is also the Turkic Queen, please show more respect, if the Khan finds out that you have offended the guests of Kedun, don't blame the servants for not reminding you!"

Jia Luo stared at her, murderous intent flashed across his face.

The middle-aged woman was not afraid at all, she still looked at him, and she didn't even look away.

After a while, Jia Luo grinned: "Very good!"

But he didn't make any further moves, he just turned around suddenly, stomped on the ground hard, and strode out.

The middle-aged woman kept watching the other party disappear from sight, and then she breathed a sigh of relief, and said to He Rong and the others: "Come with me, Ke Dun wants to see you."

He Rong pointed to the Han woman and said, "She just sacrificed her life to protect us, and asked the lady to send someone to treat her."

Middle-aged woman: "Follow me to see Ke Dun first, and I will send another person to find the doctor."

Xue Tan glanced at the woman worriedly, carefully put her down, and then left with He Rong and the middle-aged woman.

The area around here is full of Ketun sites. Compared with the place where they stayed just now, this tent dedicated to receiving guests is obviously much more spacious, and there are all kinds of utensils and low cabinets. Most of them are in the style of the Central Plains. On the contrary, exotic ones account for a very small number. It can be seen that the host family tried their best to decorate this place like their hometown, and it is even very likely that they are restoring the furnishings of her former residence.

There is a woman sitting in the middle, she looks a little old, and the beauty of her youth can be vaguely seen between her eyebrows. Naturally, she is not ugly now, and she is still a beautiful woman.

The most obvious facial features made He Rong and the others immediately know each other's identity.

"My villain pays homage to the princess, I wish the princess good luck and well." The three bowed and saluted.

Princess Zhending was also looking at Gao Shi: "Excuse me. Are you Mingyu's descendant?"

Mingyu is the palace servant who once served Princess Xiangyang.

Gao Shi: "Exactly."

Princess Zhending: "You raise your head and let me see."

Gao raised her head according to her words, Princess Zhending looked at it carefully for a while, but shook her head, a little sad: "I have forgotten Mingyu's appearance."

"Before the concubine left, my mother told me that if I had the opportunity in the future, I must kowtow in front of the princess in person. She said that she was going to go west with the princess, but you pitied her for her young age and specially gave her to the princess. Princess Xiangyang, let her die peacefully in Chang'an, and finally get married and have a son with me."

Princess Zhending sighed: "I don't have many kindnesses in my life, and Mingyu is one of them. I didn't expect this unintentional one, but people will never forget it for decades, and they still miss me in Chang'an. Mingyu What about her, is she still alive?"

Mrs. Gao nodded: "After the previous dynasty was gone, my mother was accepted into the new dynasty and continued to be a member of the palace. Later, when my mother got old, she was released from the palace. Now she is enjoying her old age at home."

Although what she said was discussed with He Rong Xue Tan and the others long ago, it was not all fabricated.That palace lady did continue to be a palace lady in the new dynasty, and she was quite favored by the nobles in the harem, but later she did not leave the palace to marry, but stayed in the palace for the elderly, so naturally there would be no such thing as getting married and having children.

When He Rong asked the emperor to find such a candidate, it took a lot of painstaking efforts, because this person not only had to be familiar with the affairs of the previous dynasty, be able to arouse the feelings of Princess Zhending, but also have something to do with Princess Zhending's own experience, so that he could receive it. Get twice the result with half the effort.

Princess Zhending got up and helped her up herself: "It's rare, Mingyu is grateful, and you are also very filial. This journey must have been a lot of hardships, right?"

Gao Shi said: "If you go back to the princess, there are two friends traveling with you on this trip. It's not hard work to take care of the little girl."

"Friend?" Princess Zhending looked at He Rong and the others, playing with taste, "What? Isn't one of them your elder brother?"

Gao's performance is good, now it's his turn to play.

He Rong took half a step forward, cupped his hands and said: "To be honest, He Rong is not the elder brother of the Gao family, but the grandson of Emperor Wende of the Celestial Dynasty. Because He Rong is the third in the family, he is called Sanlang. The princess can call me He San, or call me Zhenguan."

Princess Zhending was in shock, and even the middle-aged woman who had just led them in was also taken aback, and looked at He Rong carefully.

Immediately, Princess Zhending's face darkened, and she squinted her eyes and sneered: "It's nonsense! How could your majestic grandson risk your life and come to such a place? Who are you!"

He Rong asked indifferently: "Even if the princess can sacrifice her life for the country, why can't the emperor and grandson come here in person? This is my identity jade card. This dynasty follows the tradition of the previous dynasty. There is a jade badge to prove her identity, and the princess will know it at a glance."

He took out the jade tablet from his pocket and offered it with both hands.

The middle-aged woman took it and presented it to the master.

Princess Zhending only felt that her hands were delicate and moist. Apart from the word "Rong" proving her identity, there was also a four-clawed cloud dragon on the jade card, which was indeed a jade card issued by Zongzheng Temple.

But she didn't believe in it: "Jade badges can be forged. This place is far away from the Central Plains. It is impossible for me to send someone back to the Central Plains to prove it. Moreover, what you just said just revealed a flaw, proving that you are a fake." !"

He Rong: "Which sentence?"

Princess Zhending sneered: "Don't forget, I am the princess of the previous dynasty, not the princess of this dynasty. This dynasty destroyed my country, and there is a sworn hatred between us. I sacrificed my life for the country, not for this dynasty! The emperor of the Central Plains would not say such words to flatter me!"

He Rong shook his head: "The princess is wrong."

Princess Zhending snorted coldly: "There is no need to quibble, no matter what the purpose of your coming here is, I can't protect myself now, and I can't do anything else, Hongyan, see off the guests!"

The middle-aged woman stepped forward: "Several, please go out."

He Rong suddenly smiled: "I didn't expect that the princess has survived these decades, and now she doesn't even have the patience to listen to me, and she is willing to be imprisoned here! If I guessed correctly, she just wanted to be rude to us." Is that Turkic man in your family supposed to be of unusual status? Even the princess can’t do anything to him, maybe he’s the candidate for the next Khan? He doesn’t care about you now. Will there be a place for you?"

Princess Zhending said coldly: "Why are you telling me this?"

He Rong said: "Although the former dynasty died, it was the end of its life. The establishment of this dynasty is also the destiny of heaven. Although the princess is the princess of the former dynasty, you went far to make peace outside the Great Wall. The border has peace because of you, and the people are because of you." Instead of being displaced, this is a merit to the common people in the world. What does it have to do with which dynasty and generation you are a princess? After all, we are all descendants of Yan and Huang, speak the same language, look at the same sun and moon, and live in the same place. We grew up in the same city of Chang’an. Compared to the Turkic people, we are of the same origin and are truly connected by blood!”

It is hard to remain indifferent to these words, especially for those who are far away from beyond the Great Wall and have not seen the landscape of their hometown for decades.

Hongyan's eyes were red, she lowered her head and quietly wiped her tears.

She thought of the relatives she had given off to the palace when she was young, and the good sisters in the palace. After so many years, the wind and sand outside the Great Wall had already ruined her face, but not her homesick heart.

Although Princess Zhending did not shed tears, she was slightly moved, and looked at He Rong without blinking.

He Rong: "I didn't lie to the princess. I am indeed the grandson of His Majesty. Originally, His Majesty even gave me a sword with the name of His Majesty engraved on it. But I was worried that if I brought the sword here, I would be found abnormal, so I let it go." Let someone keep it in the customs. This trip is also my initiative to ask His Majesty, in order to pay a visit to you and inform the princess of Your Majesty's intentions and thoughts."

Princess Zhending sneered slightly: "Last time, the East Turkic, Western Turkic and Xiao Yu went south to commit crimes in three ways. I was the one who pushed Khan to send troops to the Western Turkic. Your Majesty knows it clearly, and you still don't hold grudges?"

He Rong: "Yesterday is the end of yesterday. There is no permanent enemy in the world. The princess is so talented. How can she not understand this simple truth? I have just said that the princess has contributed to the people. How can the common people be divided into the former dynasty?" The common people and the common people of the new dynasty? Even if there were gaps in the past, each was his own master and had his own position, so we can’t talk about being harshly held accountable.”

Princess Zhending fell silent, and there was no sound in the tent.

After a long time, she said: "I know what your emperor wants. I just hope that I will cooperate with the Central Plains court to help you contain the Western Turks and continue to play the role of peace."

This woman is really extraordinary, and it is worthwhile for him to come all the way to gamble, He Rong let out a long sigh of relief: "Princess is wise!"

Princess Zhending laughed at herself: "So what if you are wise? I'm afraid you are going to make a trip in vain. The old Khan is dying, and the interior of Western Turks is about to come. I am like a boat in this storm. I can't help myself. Just now That Turkic man is called Jia Luo, the nephew of Moli Khan. He has the support of many people in the upper Turkic nobles, and he has a good chance of winning. But I have never been at odds with him, and I support another person, so Jia Luo He will treat you that way, once he ascends the throne as the new Khan, he will only be the same as the East Turkic Fu Nian, and immediately send troops to the Central Plains."

He Rong: "But you have us now."

Princess Zhending sneered: "You? What can the three of you do?"

He Rong: "Behind us is the entire Central Plains dynasty, with hundreds of thousands of imperial troops, and the full support of His Majesty."

Princess Zhending: "Far water cannot save near fire."

He Rong: "The princess has been operating here for decades, so she doesn't even have any of her own staff, right? Your Majesty has already ordered that the princess be officially conferred the title of Princess Dayi Zhending. When you return to Chang'an, His Majesty will lead all the ministers to welcome you, and arrange for the princess properly, so that you will be honored and favored, and you will spend the rest of your life in Chang'an."

Princess Zhending shook her head: "These words can be said by touching the upper lip to the lower lip, do you think I can believe it?"

Xue Tan took out a small package from his bosom, and said with a smile, "Fortunately, that Jia Luo didn't order anyone to search him just now, and everything is still there."

He handed the package to the maid Hongyan.

Seeing the owner nodding slightly, Hongyan opened the package and took out the gold seal book, a picture scroll, and a small box from inside.

He Rong: "This is the golden seal of the princess's booklet, and the jade seal is stamped on the booklet. This jade seal is still the jade seal of the previous dynasty, and the princess will definitely recognize it. The picture axis is the drawing of the princess' mansion. Naturally, I can't win the trust if I say this. You, so I specifically ask His Majesty to bestow the mansion first, even if the princess cannot return within ten years, this mansion will be cleaned regularly, and there will never be a second owner besides you. "

Princess Zhending looked at the contents of the golden book, her expression fluctuating.

Of course she knew it was not fake, but because of this, her mood was more complicated.

The hatred of the country and the family made her hate the current Central Plains dynasty so much that she even did not hesitate to promote an alliance between the Eastern and Western Turks in order to create obstacles for them.

However, in a blink of an eye, the Central Plains court proposed to form an alliance with her, which makes people sigh that the world is changing too fast.

Chang'an has been away for nearly 30 years, why doesn't she miss every plant and tree in her hometown?

If you don't miss it, why bother trying to restore the tent to the way it was in the palace back then?

That small box, Princess Zhending thought it might contain some palace antiques left over from the previous dynasty, and she was also extremely familiar with these methods of buying people's hearts.

Unexpectedly, when she opened it, she was still slightly taken aback.

Not gold, silver and jade, not pearl agate, but mung bean cakes neatly stacked piece by piece.

He Rong looked at his words and said in a timely manner: "We found out that the princess liked to eat mung bean cakes made by cook Zhang in the palace in the past. I wanted to find cook Zhang and ask him to make some and bring them over. I didn't expect to find cook Zhang after several searches. He passed away a long time ago, and the craftsmanship has not been handed down. In addition, Chang'an is far away from here, and the food brought here may have been spoiled. Fangzi, I made some mung bean cakes. The taste may not be as authentic as Chef Zhang’s, so please don’t make fun of me, Princess.”

"The best taste in the world is joy." Princess Zhending picked up a piece of mung bean cake and took a bite.

Before Hongyan had time to test the poison, he said anxiously, "Your Highness!"

Princess Zhending waved her hand, and finished the piece of mung bean cake in one bite: "The taste is indeed not authentic, but you have a heart."

He Rong smiled and said: "When the princess returns to Chang'an one day, I will have people search for the famous mung bean cakes in Chang'an, and bring them all for you to taste."

Princess Zhending sighed: "I don't know if I can wait until that day in my lifetime!"

He Rong: "May I ask the princess, how is Moli Khan's condition?"

Princess Zhending was silent for a while: "I can't afford to be ill, time is running out."

He Rong: "I heard that Western Turkic now has two heirs. In addition to Jia Luo just now, there is another one named Lu Ji."

Princess Zhending nodded: "Luji is the son of the former Khan, and Moli is very wary of him, and he prefers to let Jialuo succeed him. Now the Turks are divided into two factions, one faction supports Luji, and the other supports Jialuo. "

He Rong: "Why does the princess want Luji to succeed Khan?"

Princess Zhending said succinctly: "Lu Ji has a honest temperament, unlike ordinary Turkic people."

He Rong understands that it is better to support an honest person to the top than to support an ambitious person who may turn against him. After so many years, Princess Zhending finally has a seat in Western Turkic, and can be regarded as a honour. Participating in politics, certainly do not want to lose this power.

"Gara is more cruel and easy to kill than Moli. Once he succeeds the Khan, he will definitely wipe out all the opposing voices inside. Moreover," Princess Zhending laughed at herself, "you should know that the Turks have Brothers marry younger brothers, fathers and wives inherit the tradition, Galo looks down on me and is unwilling to marry me, so if he becomes a Khan, there is only one end waiting for me: to die in desolation."

The Han people sneered at this custom, utterly contemptuous of it, thinking that it was a violation of ethics and no different from animals, but in Turks, the number of women was far less than that of men, and nomads needed to reproduce, and it evolved into a custom over time.

Princess Zhending didn't find any contemptuous expressions on He Rong's faces.

He Rong said: "Is there anything the princess needs our help for?"

Princess Zhending: "There are too few people who support Luji and me now. The Turks have tens of thousands of troops, and more than half of them are in the hands of Jialuo. Once Moli dies, he can obtain an overwhelming victory with only this majority of troops. Advantage."

He Rong, He Zhan, and the 100 elite left behind in Zhangye, but this is his hole card, he doesn't want to reveal it too early, and 100 people can only be icing on the cake at most, if the princess is really determined, there is no chance of winning. It is impossible for people to turn things around.

Just as he was frowning and thinking, Princess Zhending said: "Forget it, it's not easy for you to come here, stay with me first, rest for a few days, and then we will discuss the long-term plan. If Moli Khan lives for a day, even if Jialuo is rampant , and dare not be too blatant."

He Rong: "Then bother the princess."

The change of Princess Zhending's attitude towards them meant that the maid Hongyan was no longer indifferent. She led He Rong and the three of them to rest, and said to them: "I haven't seen the princess so happy for a long time, thank you very much."

He Rong: "The imperial court does not want to fight, but also wants stability. If the Western Turks can make peace with the imperial court, I will ask His Majesty to send someone over to take the princess back to Chang'an. At that time, Lady Hongyan can also go back to meet her relatives."

Hongyan smiled wryly: "I hope they are still alive."

She took He Rong and the others to another tent: "Don't worry, there are people guarding the princess outside, Jia Luo dare not come here to be presumptuous, you just stay at ease, as for Mrs. Gao, you can live alone next door tent, I'll take you there."

The three thanked Hongyan, and He Rong was about to ask more about this place when he saw a maid hurried in.

"Aunt Hongyan, the doctor said that Jia Luoyehu's foot was right in the middle of the mouth, Ah Qing may not be able to do it!"

There is no need for Hongyan to explain, He Rong and the others also know that Ah Qing must be the Han female slave just now.

All three of them changed their expressions.