bastard returns

Contrary to the continuous heavy rain in summer, not long after autumn, as if God had drained all the rain for the whole year in the previous season, a long-lasting drought swept across the land.

It is said to be a drought, but it is not an extremely severe drought. Occasionally, there will be a few drops of rain, but compared with previous years, the precipitation is much less. The water level of the originally turbulent Ganghwa Canal has dropped by more than a foot. Water, lest this year's autumn grain production reduction memorial will fly back to Beijing like snowflakes.

But this is not a serious drought, and obviously it has not received the attention of the emperor. From the emperor's point of view, it will be dry for a few days every year anyway. This kind of weather is really common. If you spend more energy and energy, don't just rely on the canals. It is not impossible to carry water from the well to irrigate the food. It is hypocritical to cry like this when there is a little less rain.

Of course, Pang Song contributed a lot to creating the idea of ​​the emperor.Originally, the imperial decree of the emperor ordering the transfer of Yinliang to the drought-stricken area had already been issued. After the imperial decree was passed to Zhongshu Province and Pang Song had read it, Pang Song went to the palace without thinking about it, and asked the emperor to take back the order.

Pang Song's reason is very simple. Daxia has not been peaceful recently. Although Prince Yongyi is "friendly" visiting them in Beijing, the large army that Daxia has gathered at the border of Yanzhou shows no sign of retreating. It can be said that once When the Xia people came to invade, gunpowder would be everywhere in an instant. Now the national treasury is not rich. If the money is distributed for this drought, the army will not be paid enough, and it will definitely lead to a catastrophe.

Pang Song spoke earnestly, and the emperor also felt that it was reasonable after hearing it, so he took back the imperial decree to sow money.

Pang Song didn't let the emperor sow money at this time, aside from those high-sounding reasons, in fact he had a bigger purpose in it.

Because of the empress dowager's birthday, Sikong Xu was very shameless. Seeing that the Nine Suns Festival is coming again, in order to make the emperor happy, Sikong Xu started planning and preparing for a long time ago, waiting to find a good time to give the emperor a happy birthday. present it.

Now that Pang Song is in the same camp as Sikong Xu, he naturally understands Sikong Xu's plan. The Nine Suns Festival project planned by Sikong Xu is exquisitely conceived and unique, and it is better than the lackluster banquets and dragon boat races in previous years. It's much more interesting, but it's a pity that just from the blank paper, it can be seen that the money spent here is not a small amount.Traditionally, the funds for the Nine Suns Festival have been allocated from the national treasury. Now that a large amount of silver is distributed to the disaster relief according to the emperor's will, then when it is time to celebrate the Nine Suns Festival, Sikong Xu's plan will definitely be rejected by the emperor because the treasury is empty. If it is vetoed, not only will it not be flattering, but it may also make the emperor unhappy.

That's why Pang Song wanted to guard the money in the treasury as much as possible. As for the Xia people's invasion, they already had an affair with the Empress Dowager Xia, so it was superfluous to think about things that would never happen.

Looking at the imperial decree issued by the emperor, the other officials could take it back after a few words from Pang Song. And that elation turned into trouble.

One night, the Empress Dowager's Hall suddenly flooded. Although it did not spread to the palace, it still frightened the elderly Empress Dowager. The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. Unfortunately, after many investigations, even the source of the fire He Xiangu, who has been kept in the palace, pinched her fingers and told the mystery, saying that the emperor is the son of a real dragon, with strong yang energy, and recently the weather has been dry and dry. Moreover, there is a lot of drought in the world, and the resentment of the people gathered in the court, which further contributed to the raging yang energy. The queen mother is yin, and she is not as strong and healthy as the empress dowager. Everything in the world pays attention to the balance of yin and yang. The so-called yang is full of yin deficiency , the yin was suppressed by the yang, and the empress dowager suffered this calamity.

What He Xiangu said was equivalent to putting the hat on the emperor's head, but how could the emperor become an adult? His own mother was almost burnt to death. "The world is so dry", thinking that the current drought has not been dealt with in time, and it happened that the weather was dry and things were dry, which endangered the Queen Mother, so they recruited Pang Song into the palace overnight, scolded him, and asked him to spread money quickly. When going down for disaster relief, it is necessary to appease the so-called grievances gathered by the people due to the drought.

It doesn't matter if Pang Song's disgrace is over, He Xiangu also said that the five elements of fire are the most prosperous in the palace, and the water is extremely scarce. Under the imbalance of yin and yang, the empress dowager first suffers from heat and poison, and then suffers from water, if Unable to dissipate this continuous anger, there is a high probability that it will endanger the Queen Mother again.

In the past, when the emperor heard such mysterious and mysterious words, he would only be alarmist, but since He Xiangu eradicated the heat poison in the empress dowager, she has become a master of Taoism, and the empress dowager firmly believes in what she said No doubt, the emperor couldn't believe it, so the emperor had no choice but to ask He Xiangu to come up with a solution. He Xiangu pretended to count, but what she said surprised the emperor for a long time.

The emperor always thought that the so-called cracking method must be to spend a large sum of money to sacrifice to heaven, open the altar or something, who knows that Aunt He Xiangu only needs to do it at noon on the day of Jiuyang Festival, when the sun is the most yang throughout the year. At that time, the emperor went out of the city for a walk, and took the anger in the palace outside the city to disperse it.

Such a simple and cheap solution made the emperor believe in He Xiangu's statement.

So on the day of Jiuyang Festival, when most of the people in the capital were eagerly waiting to celebrate with the emperor, they only waited for an imperial decree to cancel all celebrations, and then the emperor kept things simple and brought only a group of guards With a few close ministers, under the guise of celebrating his birthday with an autumn outing, he went out of the city to spread his anger.

"I have been in Huajing for a while, but I am very unfamiliar with the surrounding scenery outside Huajing. It is a great honor to be able to accompany His Majesty today." In the carriage, Huyan Yuanchen held up his wine glass , patted a big flattery to the emperor.

In order not to appear too ostentatious and cause trouble, the emperor did not take the dragon chariot this time, but he still chose a very spacious carriage, which would not be too crowded for ten people.The emperor leaned on the tiger skin cushion in the middle alone, and the rest of the entourage were arranged on both sides. Except for Huyan Yuanchen, most of them were military officers. The emperor brought people with him for safety reasons. None of the princes followed.

"I just thought that you might be very bored, my lord, after staying in the capital for a while, so I asked you out to relax together." Facing Huyan Yuanchen's compliment, the emperor smiled.

Come on.Huyan Yuanchen said in his heart, if I didn't know the details, maybe I would really think you are a good emperor who is sympathetic to foreign guests.

Huyan Yuanchen's sitting here was really due to He Xiangu's mouth, and she used a mysterious and mysterious reason to make the emperor feel that bringing a foreigner by his side would be more helpful to disperse the anger, and if it wasn't for Ning Yuan's Please, with Huyan Yuanchen's temperament, let him sit here for several hours and play bureaucratic talk with the people in front of him, he will definitely be suffocated.

"Is there any place you want to go, my lord? I don't have any destination today. I just go wherever I go and play." The emperor was tired of reading memorials in the palace on weekdays, and occasionally went out for autumn tours, although he was thinking about the Queen Mother's health. However, after seeing the beautiful scenery outside, a feeling of refreshment filled his chest, and he felt surprisingly good.

"There is nothing in particular that I want to go." Huyan Yuanchen did not forget the purpose of today, pretended to think for a while, and then said: "But I heard that there is a place called Yongming Village near the capital, where the cool water made from mountain spring The face is unique, I wanted to see it a long time ago, why not..."

"Is it Yongming Village?" The emperor nodded without thinking, "I have heard about the reputation of the mountain spring there in the palace, but I haven't seen it for a while. Since the prince is interested, let's go and see it." No problem."

The emperor opened his mouth, and other officials responded one after another, so the carriage immediately turned around and drove towards Yongming Village.

Through the mask, Huyan Yuanchen narrowed his eyes and looked at the scenery passing by outside the window, thinking to himself, he didn't know how Ning Yuan was preparing.

Yongming Village is only a small village, but because there is a spring in the village that produces extremely sweet spring water, it is considered well-known in the Huajing area. The carriage got off the official road and walked along the path for a while. Ming Village was not far away, and at this moment, the carriage suddenly shook violently, and then the whole body tilted, knocking the people in the carriage upside down.

"What's going on!" Immediately, a general in the car took out his weapon, thinking that he had run into an assassin, but when the guards outside opened the curtain to ask for help, everyone knew that some wicked ghost dug it up by the side of the road. There was a big hole, and a pile of haystacks was used to cover it. The driver didn't pay attention, and as a result, more than half of the wheels on one side of the carriage sank into the hole, and it would be impossible to get out for a while.

"It doesn't matter." After learning what happened, the emperor waved his hand, indicating that he was not angry because of it, and did not order the driver to punish the driver, but said, "Anyway, this place is not far from Yongming Village, the weather is so bad. Well, it’s okay to walk over there.” After speaking, he jumped out of the carriage first.

The emperor took the lead, so there was no reason for others not to follow, so except for a small team of guards who pulled the car out, the rest of the people followed the emperor and walked towards Yongming Village, surrounded by scattered farmers and travelers from time to time. However, when I saw them all showing strange eyes, I thought it was an official who was on a tour, but I didn't know that what I saw was actually the emperor of this country.

The emperor had also been physically fit when he was young, but he obviously lacked exercise in recent years. Yongming Village is not far away, but it seems impossible to walk along this winding country road, and the overhead The sun was so hot that the emperor fanned the wind with his sleeve, and couldn't help feeling tired and hungry, and suddenly regretted his proposal to go on foot. I have facial paralysis, how about going there to rest for a while?"

The emperor took a closer look, and there was indeed a noodle stall not far in front of him under the shade of a tree, and a small shed was set up outside a small wooden house, with three or two tables set up.The emperor felt lucky for a moment, and he didn't care if this kind of small mountain shop was not clean. He was hurriedly supported by the chief eunuch who followed him all the way, and walked forward and sat down at a table. The chief eunuch immediately said loudly: "Master, Hurry up and get some water for my old man!"

"Okay." There was an answering voice from the wooden house, and then an old woman with gray hair walked out. The old woman came out with a kettle. Seeing a large group of people surrounded by her shed, she seemed to have never seen such a thing before. Like the scene, I couldn't help but froze.

"What are you doing in a daze, why don't you hurry up and get some tea for the guests!" The chief eunuch drank, and the old woman seemed to have realized it, and immediately came forward with a smiling face, and poured a cup of tea for the emperor.

The chief eunuch first picked up the tea bowl, and after quietly checking that there was no abnormality, he handed it over to the emperor. net.

"The store has something to eat, please bring some up quickly." The head eunuch said again: "If my master eats well, you will be the reward!"

"This old man." The old woman laughed along, "Our small shop in the mountains does not have any good things, but the only thing that is decent is the craftsmanship of making cold noodles. If you are used to eating, master, I will order the kitchen to give you do it."

"That's fine, let's have a bowl for each person here." The emperor also knew that this is not a palace, so he didn't pay much attention to it, so he ordered the old woman to sit down with the officials who accompanied him. Expecting such a big deal, he nodded hurriedly and went without looking at Yan Yan.

The emperor drank another bowl of tea before he regained his breath, and began to look at the simple stalls on this side. The tables, chairs and benches looked very old, but fortunately they were cleaned spotlessly, so it would not be offensive. The small wooden house over there It looked like a kitchen, with smoke coming from the chimney on the roof. As for the other side of the wooden house, the emperor took a closer look, and it seemed that someone was chopping firewood there.

The woodcutter was a young boy in terms of body shape. His upper body was shirtless, and although his back was thin, it gave off a strange sense of strength. His lower body wore linen trousers rolled up above his knees, revealing a pair of strong calves and a pair of feet on his feet. Straw sandals that have been worn out.

The young man splits firewood very well, as if he is used to this kind of work, with one strike of the axe, the firewood as thick as the mouth of a bowl can be instantly torn apart. His body is already drenched in sweat, and he looks very energetic against the sun .

The emperor was staring at the boy's back in a daze, and the old woman had already arrived with a tray of cold noodles. The noodles were served in a rough porcelain bowl, and only some coriander was garnished on top, which looked very ugly. When the officials saw such a bowl of noodles served in front of them, most of them just smiled and didn't move their chopsticks. For those who are used to delicious food, eating such a thing was unacceptable for a while, but the emperor's reaction was very strange , when the old woman put the noodles in front of him, he only took one look and was stunned.

Several officials looked at the emperor's reaction and secretly guessed in their hearts that the emperor had never seen such crude food before, and so did the old woman. Anyone with a little sense could see that this group of people had extraordinary backgrounds, and they actually served it. After finding such a thing, if the emperor gets angry, he still doesn't know how to punish her.

However, amid such speculation, the emperor actually picked up the chopsticks and was the first to eat.

Now that the emperor used his chopsticks, it would be disrespectful for his courtiers not to eat them. There was no other way, even though they thought the noodles were crude, they had no choice but to pick up the chopsticks one after another. stunned.

Huyan Yuanchen was holding the bowl in his hand in disbelief. When Ning Yuan told him yesterday that he could eat a delicious dish with a unique flavor in Yongming Village, he still couldn't believe it.The things in the countryside are at best eaten fresh, there is no delicacy to speak of, but this bowl of noodles looks ordinary, but it tastes completely different in the mouth, smooth and soft, melts in the mouth, refreshing It also has a sweet taste.

He stirred the bowl with chopsticks, and found that the cold noodle soup was terribly clear, as if it was pure water. After taking a sip, he became more certain of his thoughts. Except for the little coriander on top, it was completely pure water. A bowl of cold noodles with no oil, no salt, no sauce, no vinegar, and the sweetness he tasted should be the sweetness in the spring water. He has already tasted it. The soup that serves as the bowl of cold noodles is a specialty of Yongming Village. mountain spring water.

Just when he was admiring the strangeness of this bowl of cold noodles, the emperor had swallowed the cold noodles all night very quickly, and even drank the spring water soup. After eating, he saw Glancing at the old woman who had been waiting by the side, he said, "This...was made by you?"

"Guest, you are joking, old lady, I don't have such a good craftsmanship." The old woman smiled shyly, "It was made by my cook, and her hands are very skillful. The business of the noodle stall has also improved a lot.”

The emperor swallowed, "You still have a cook...?"

The old woman smiled and said: "Yes, a poor girl, alone, with a half-grown child, wandered here a few years ago, almost died on the side of the road without eating or drinking, I can't see it and saved her , she has been living with me."

"Alone, with a child?" The emperor seemed to be breathing more quickly, "May I meet your cook?" After a pause, the emperor seemed to feel that his request was a bit abrupt, so he made an excuse, "This side is delicious, I'm going to give her a reward."

"Okay, wait here, guest, I'll ask her to come out." The old woman went in immediately, and after a while, a woman wearing a coarse cloth skirt came out.

The moment he saw the woman, the emperor's eyes immediately widened. It really was her!

When Shu Shi saw the emperor, her mind almost trembled, but she was able to control it very well, she only showed an expression of disbelief on her face, then turned around and was about to go into the house.

"Miaomiao!" The emperor couldn't help calling out Shu's name in a moment of anxiety, "It really is you Miaomiao!"

Called by the emperor, Shu's footsteps stopped again, she froze there, as if she was either advancing or retreating, she paused for a while before turning around, saluted slightly, but still did not say a word.At this time, the emperor seemed to have remembered something, pointed to the back of the wooden house in disbelief and said, "The boy who was chopping firewood just now, could it be..."

Before the emperor finished speaking, Nuxuan came out from the back of the house with the chopped firewood in his arms, but when he saw the emperor who was staring at the Shu family, he seemed very surprised, not only opened his eyes wide mouth, the firewood in his arms also crackled and fell to the ground.

"It's really Xuan'er..." the emperor murmured, "It's only a few years of hard work, but it's already so big..."

The three members of the family over there were looking at each other affectionately, and the officials around who recognized the Shu family were also dumbfounded. Only Huyan Yuanchen, who slowly finished eating the noodles all night, wiped his mouth and looked over there, feeling Said that Ning Yuan really knows how to arrange dramas.

In the wilderness and wilderness, it's fine to meet this kind of bridge suddenly again, but Ning Yuan even made up a tragic experience for Shu Shi, and at this time, when the emperor half begged and half forced Shu Shi to sit down with him , Shu also half-pushed, and began to recite the script that Ning Yuan had written for her with foggy eyes.

"We were supposed to be dispatched to Xianghe Town, but as soon as we left the capital, we were chased by assassins... Even if we managed to escape, those assassins were still chasing after us. To save me, Xuan'er even got assassinated Two knives..."

"There is such a thing!" The emperor was shocked when he heard it, "Is there an assassin chasing you? Xuan'er is still injured!?"

Shu didn't say much, but just called Nu Xuan who had been standing silently to the side, and let the emperor see the two wounds on his back.There were indeed two scars on Nuxuan's back that were similar to sword wounds, but because of the long time, only two shallow marks were left, and if you don't look carefully, you can't find it.

Those two scars were just left by Nuxuan when he was pestering Ning Yuan to practice his sword when he was still in Jiangzhou, and now they have become part of a bitter plan.

Shu Shi was still speaking slowly, "Thanks to the lady proprietress here, Ah Xuan and I have a place to settle down... It is the luck of my life to be able to reunite with the Emperor today, and I have nothing else to ask but If you want to accompany Ah Xuan safely, just spend the rest of your life in this place."

Shu's words were sad, and the emperor felt a pang in his heart when he heard it.There are many concubines in the harem, but Shu's virtuousness and understanding have always moved his heart. At the beginning, Shu was charged with disrespect, and was sent out of the palace together with Nuxuan by the queen mother. Although the emperor was puzzled and regretful, Firstly, the evidence is convincing, and secondly, the Empress Dowager has concluded the matter. He is a son, and he is sick in bed.

Unexpectedly, after Mrs. Shu left the palace, although he has not lacked beauties to accompany him in the past few years, and there is even a stunner like Mrs. Lu Yue, but when he dreams back at midnight, he will always inadvertently recall how Mrs. Shu treated him when he was in the palace. His considerate care, and thinking about how Sikong Xuan, his youngest son, is doing now, he thought that he would never see each other again in this life, how could he meet him in such a blundering situation, and let him understand However, the Shu family encountered so many dangers and suffered so much after being demoted from the palace!