Those years when I climbed the wall

Saibei October.

Thousands of miles of yellow clouds are white, and the north wind blows wild geese and snow.

After a few days of hard work, the first snow in winter came after passing Gyeongju.

The sky will be dark, the curtains in the car will be lowered, and the light will be even weaker, making it difficult to see clearly.Not long after, the voices of people outside gradually became louder. It seems that they have arrived at a town, and it seems that they can only rest here today.

Sighing secretly, Mu Yunqi's brows lightly condensed: pinching fingers roughly calculated, it has been seven or eight days since leaving Beijing, but it is still seven or eight hundred miles away from Xingzhou, and it is inevitable that there will be another delay when it encounters snow. How strange is it to go for another ten days and a half month?It's a pity that time waits for no one. Huo Lanxian flies pigeons to send letters twice a month.He reminded him to make plans to send troops.

But sending troops—how easy is it to say?

It is urgent to save Huo Lanxian, one must dispatch troops quickly, and the other must be unexpected!Xingzhou is the northern border city closest to Lintai City, and the Zhenxing Army is known for its proficiency in frontier warfare. If they want to keep their fortunes, they must send their troops north.

Closing his eyes and rubbing the center of his brows, Mu Yunqi was full of melancholy: If a gentleman makes a promise, four horses can't match him!Besides, this time, he also gambled on Daxi's dignity and the tranquility of the northwest border, so no matter what, it is imperative to send troops to Lintai City!God's will tricks people, who would have thought that it is Shao Jingheng who controls Qin Fenglu now!

In the past two months, letters, envoys, edicts, and even Ding Zhibai's lobbying to the north in person, all had to be rejected by him: Qinfeng Road defenders are in the process of rectification, and there is no time to send troops!But everyone knows that the revitalizing army was transferred from the northwest to Beijing, and now it is only returning to its original place, why should it be rectified?His move was just worried that this was an expedient measure for the court to weaken his military strength.

The body shook and stopped slowly.

"Lang Jun, we're here." A soft voice came from outside the curtain.

Lifting the curtain and getting out of the car, Mu Yunqi looked up and saw that there was a three-story inn in front of him. The place was not big, and there were few people coming in and out, but in this small town, it was considered a good place to stay.

Everything is in place.Mu Yunqi entered the store and went straight upstairs, and saw a person walking down quickly, and almost bumped into the guard who was leading the way.Each stopped, Mu Yunqi took a look, and saw that the other was dressed in black, thin and short, with dark complexion, and seemed to be quite old.Having also looked at them, the man's eyes were alert.

The guard backed away a step, and saw the man pass by, headed straight to the counter, whispered a few words with the shopkeeper, and heard the latter's helpless voice: "Money bag, have I ever seen such a money bag?"

"However, I was there when I went upstairs, and it's only half a cup of tea in this room. If I fell downstairs, where else can I go?" The speaker raised his voice a few inches, revealing a hostility.

"Is this what you said?" Following the sound, Mu Yunqi saw that the bodyguard Lu Chongning was holding a brown money bag in his hand.

The man hastily stepped forward, stretching out his hand to take it, but Lu Chongning withdrew his hand: "How do you prove that this thing is yours?"

Anger appeared on the dark face and dissipated, and he pondered for a while: "There are four pieces of broken silver and one jade pendant inside."

Opening the purse and taking a look, Lu Chongning threw the purse away: "Take it, don't throw it away again."

The man took it, but he didn't even say thank you, he passed by everyone and hurried back to his room.At the same time, a sigh came from downstairs, it was the store owner.

Enter the room to have a tea break.After a short while, dinner arrived.Riding in the car all day, it's not a matter of hunger and fullness, so Mu Yunqi didn't need it urgently, but called the guard who delivered the food: "Chongning, did the man in black find out the origin?"

The other said respectfully: "This person has been staying here for two or three days. He seems to have a bad temper and a bit of a weird temperament. He has been guarding a baby in the room all day long, and he does not go out for nothing. He also carries a dagger with him. Every day, I always ask the shopkeeper if there are strangers coming to look for it, and I seem to be in a panic."

This was unexpected, Mu Yunqi stroked his chin: "He also brought a baby?"

"It's said that it's just a full moon, and it's a baby girl." Lu Chongning nodded.

"When you inquire about a stranger, are you waiting for someone to come, or are you afraid of someone coming?" Mu Yunqi was curious.

"It must be because he is afraid of someone coming." Lu Chongning thought: "According to what the shopkeeper said, this person behaves secretly, and he doesn't look like the child's close relatives. He also carries weapons with him. I'm afraid he might have robbed the baby for some conspiracy."

"This... is not impossible." Mu Yunqi thought for a while, "If it is true, it will not hinder us, but if we just stand by and watch, then the baby..."

Lu Chongning thought to himself: "Don't worry, my lord, there may be extra problems. Although it is inconvenient for us to intervene in this matter, others will take care of it." Looking back to the outside room, "When it is tonight, we will see the result."

After dinner, he heard that the snow outside was getting heavier, and he was afraid that he would not be able to go on the road tomorrow. Mu Yunqi was worried, and it was still early, so he didn't feel sleepy yet, so he had to pace around the room alone.After a while, he was really bored, so he called Lu Chongning to play chess.

Before the end of a game of chess, he suddenly heard the sound of heavy and hasty footsteps outside.Looking at each other, the two stopped playing and listened carefully. After a while, they heard the sound of breaking the door, and then someone yelled loudly.For a while, the sound of babies crying, yelling, and heavy objects falling was mixed together, and lasted for a long time.

After about an hour or so, it finally returned to calm.Lu Chongning returned after going there for a while, and reported that everything was in order: Although the man in black resisted with a sword, luckily, his skills were mediocre and he did not hurt anyone. He was arrested and taken to the government office for interrogation.The baby is temporarily under the care of the shopkeeper.

Mu Yunqi smiled wryly: "You encouraged the store to report it, but there is no evidence. If the guess is not true, wouldn't it be an injustice?"

Li Chongning said frankly: "It is inconvenient for us to investigate this matter thoroughly, and we have no choice but to do so in order not to condone and raise traitors. Besides, even if the facts are not true, they will eventually dispel everyone's doubts, and the shopkeeper reported him because he wanted to save others. Read it, the government office reads this, and presumably they don't get to the bottom of it."

Thinking of this, Mu Yunqi didn't say any more.

After a night of light sleep, at unknown time, Mu Yunqi was suddenly awakened by a sharp cracking sound. He was covered in cold sweat for a moment, and then felt chills all over his body, with chest tightness, shortness of breath, dizziness and dizziness.I knew the reason, but I didn't panic. I closed my eyes for a moment, but when I felt better, I got up and saw the morning light coming in through the window, so I knew it was dawn.

The commotion outside has died down.He called "Chongning", and the door opened.

Knowing what the lord wanted to ask, Lu Chongning's voice showed embarrassment: "Return to your lord, the man who was arrested by the government office last night has returned, and because he was suspected of being reported by the store, he threw himself downstairs and vented his anger, so we persuaded him to come down."

Mu Yun prayed: "You mean the man with the baby? Was he released so soon?"

Lu Chongning smiled wryly: "It is said that there are witnesses to prove that his identity is correct, and the baby is his niece."

Mu Yunqi wondered: "Since this is the case, why is his behavior so sneaky?"

Lu Chongning resentfully said, "I don't know, or the little baby is too disturbing, making him in a trance."

After thinking about it for a while, Mu Yunqi waved his hand: "Since this is the case, we don't need to be unfounded. Send the order, prepare immediately, and go on the road earlier."

After saying that, he didn't see the other person move. On the contrary, he showed embarrassment: "Back to your lord, it's snowing outside, it's almost hard to tell the way, and I heard that if you go north from this town, there is a town nearly a hundred miles away. According to today's snow We can't go that far. It's extremely dangerous to get lost in this weather, or sleep in the wilderness at night! So I'd better stay here for one more day and wait for the snow to stop."

Although he had foreseen this, Mu Yunqi still had a glimmer of hope after all, so he hurriedly washed up and went downstairs to have a look.

The shop is cold, with only one or two tables of guests eating breakfast, and there is a puddle of water near the counter, which seems to be left by smashing just now.

The door was only opened a crack, and the wind swept the snowflakes.A breath of cold air entered his chest, causing Mu Yunqi to cough repeatedly.Looking outside, there is a vast expanse of whiteness, and even the shops across the street are somewhat blurred.

Sighing secretly, Mu Yunqi turned around helplessly, and saw a black shadow flying down the stairs in a blink of an eye. Before he could recover, there was a slight and crisp sound in his ears——the sword was unsheathed!The guards have surrounded them in a defensive posture.

However, the person who got down didn't take a second look here, and rushed to the counter with his sword - the tip of the sword almost reached the tip of the nose of the pale shopkeeper!

After being frightened by this, the guests at the two tables just dispersed like birds and beasts, and there were only two groups of people left in the whole hall.

"Brother, you have something to say!" Lu Chongning stepped forward and tried to persuade him, "Although the shop owner has offended you, there is a reason for it. You can't calm down when you are angry, but you have to be reasonable. Hurting people recklessly is never the best policy."

"Recklessly hurting others?" The man snorted coldly: "If you want to make a judgment, you must first ask why!"

Lu Chongning was taken aback, and cupped his hands: "Then may I ask, why is your Excellency threatening people with your sword?"

Turning his gaze back to the shopkeeper, he said in a fierce tone, "I ask you, how do you take care of the baby, why is she crying all the time, are you starving her or freezing her?"

The shopkeeper's complexion became paler, and she repeatedly cried out: "By God, I did not treat her badly! The charcoal fire in this room has not been extinguished all night, how can it be frozen? And I said that I had rice soup with her early in the morning, a whole bowl. But how can you say that I treat you harshly?"

"Rice soup?!" Hearing this word, the man panicked: "How can a child who is only over a month old eat only rice soup? Don't you know how to find some milk with her?"

"Grandma?" The storekeeper was taken aback, his bitterness was evident: "Guest officer, look at the snow outside, there are not many pedestrians, and the only samovar shop in the town is closed, but where can I go with you?" Looking for milk?"

This statement is true.The sword in the man's hand drooped a few inches, but his tone was still compelling: "You falsely accused me first and treated my son poorly, but it is still reasonable? If I had been here last night, I would have found my grandma long ago. Now it is snowing so heavily. , but taught me where to look for food? So, after all, it is your fault!"

"This..." The shopkeeper turned to the side with trembling eyes for help.

Lu Chongning squinted his eyes: "The store really didn't think carefully about this matter, but from what I can see, the child's crying may not necessarily be caused by starvation. What if it is sick? Then I see, Your Excellency should go back to the room to take care of the child first, please The store owner is looking for a doctor to come to treat you, but you are suffering from an illness, so let's talk about it after seeing the situation, okay?"

Hearing what he said, the man was obviously moved. After a little consideration, he withdrew his sword and glared at the shopkeeper bitterly: "Half an hour with you, quickly find the doctor for me, or I will teach you to live in peace!"

Seeing that sinister black figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, the shopkeeper shook his head and sighed bitterly.

Lu Chongning expressed his relief: "Don't worry about the shopkeeper. Fortunately, this town is not big. You just tell me where to find a doctor, and I will send someone to invite me."

"On the other hand, where there is milk, let's find it together." Mu Yunqi took two steps forward and ordered lightly.

Lu Chongning took the order.

Not long after, the doctor invited him, and after the diagnosis, he said that the child was fine, if he was crying or restless, if he could feed some milk and food, he might stop immediately.Fortunately, the guard who was looking for milk brought back a cup of still warm goat's milk in a short while, and then fed it with the baby. As a result, the sound stopped, and he hugged and coaxed for a while, that is to say, he fell asleep peacefully.

After the matter calmed down, everyone returned to their positions.

Trapped in a small hotel with nothing to do on a long day can be frustrating.After finally staying until noon, Mu Yunqi finally couldn't sit still, so he went back downstairs to walk around and watch, but fortunately, Xue wanted to go away.After a little peace of mind, Mu Yunqi chatted with the store owner about the climate in the Northland, and learned that although winter here is early, wind and snow are not uncommon, but it is rare to see a continuous day after all. An ordinary snowstorm, at most It will last for two or three days.As for Xingzhou, it is located in the extreme north. Although the winter is long, there are only a handful of extremely cold days. Most of the time, it is not too far from the Central Plains.

"Are you going to Xingzhou?" The shopkeeper just finished speaking, and a deep voice came to my ears rashly.

Mu Yunqi turned his head and saw the man in black standing at the stairs.Although it was not for a short time that they met each other, but at this moment when they looked closely, they noticed that although his complexion was dark, his bones were actually delicate, and there was even a hint of fragility between his brows.With a kind smile to Xiang Zhi, Mu Yun prayed to go back upstairs, and left this question with Lu Chongning.

There was still nothing to do in the afternoon, thinking that he hadn't had a good rest all night, and tomorrow he would be exhausted from the calendar and boats, so Mu Yunqi took a nap for an hour, and it was already dusk when he woke up.

When I opened the door, I saw light yellow in my eyes.After a closer look, it turns out that it is a woman who is standing opposite Lu Chongning and whispering something to him.But Mu Yunqi remembered that there were only a few residents in this inn, and there was no such young woman among them.Could it be that they are newcomers in the afternoon?

Just as he was suspicious, the woman had already seen him, she took a step aside, and said to the blessed body: "I thank the officials for their care, I think there is no way to repay them, but I have to be a servant and a maidservant, and I have the power to obey orders. I'll go with you." He raised his head and smiled, revealing a face that was not made up, but was also elegant and refined.

Dazed for a while, Mu Yunqi's eyes suddenly brightened: "You are—"

That man in black!