Break the line

It's so clear, it's really small and easy to deceive, and I don't know how that monkey-like uncle raised such a simple and amiable little cousin.

"Shi Shu, you are so honest and simple, you know everything." Li Zui felt a little guilty after finishing his words, patted her on the shoulder, and made up his mind to take care of this child more in the future, so as not to be betrayed, the small hall in the palace My younger brother is just cowardly and has a lot of eyes, but this cousin is very powerful, but her mind is simple. Sure enough, this person has a brain and limbs.

"Cousin, no, I wasn't very honest." Shi Shu suddenly blushed, although the dark complexion could not be seen clearly.

"What? You lied to me?" Li Zui teased her.

Shi Shu hurriedly waved his hands vigorously: "I'm not lying, it's just that there are some things I can't say, so I don't know everything."

"Oh? Why can't you say it?"

"A Ya said that you can't tell it, and you can't tell anyone!" Shi Shu felt a little guilty, but thinking about the pain in his calf from his father's cane whipping that day, his cousin didn't know how to beat himself, and his father was terrible, so he couldn't tell.

"Hey, that's Shishu's little secret. You must keep important secrets in your heart. Don't tell others that you have a secret like you are doing now, okay? It's very dangerous, listen to your cousin." Li Zui patted Shishu's face Head, such a simple person, you can't find three in all of Kyoto.

After dinner, the sky gradually darkened, but Shi Shu's eyes became brighter: "Lights on, cousin, let's go to the theater!"

"What play?" Li Zui was puzzled.

"Water play!"

The Tosi people have lived in the dense forests of the southwest for hundreds of years. They believe in the god of mountains and rivers and have a free and easy temperament. However, the resources in the mountains are scarce and wild animals are rampant. , What a good time for a blind date!

Blind dates among Tosi people are not as complicated as those outside the mountain. They inquire about each other's family background and personalities, three matchmakers and six hires, and exchanging invitations. It's just a marriage contract. People here are free and easy. On the first day of the play, for three consecutive days, every night after sunset, men and women of the right age in the clan gathered by the lake at the foot of the mountain, gathered fire to sing, danced and sang, and on weekdays some young couples with entangled eyebrows took the opportunity to hold hands against each other Song, test your dancing posture and figure again, make sure you look right, the boy will present a bouquet of spar flowers at the moment of parting, the bright red spherical buds are very conspicuous, the girl who accepts the spar flowers will agree to his marriage proposal, wait After the autumn harvest and autumn hunting, before the heavy snow seals the door, the boy's family will come to the door with a betrothal gift, and they can marry the bride.

"So... to go on a blind date at night?" Li Zui stared at the persimmon tree with wide-eyed eyes.

The child nodded seriously!

"Well, this marriage is done in public, privately?" Li Zui still couldn't believe it.

Persimmon tree nodded seriously again!

Li Zui suddenly snorted, anyway, it sounds really interesting, those marriage engagements in the capital with all the six rituals are not necessarily so affectionate.

Turning around suddenly, he said to Shi Shu with a straight face: "But you can't, you are only 12 years old, how can you watch this!"

Look, it's been less than a day since I became a cousin, and I'm already worried.

Tengzina Lake is not big, but it is exquisite. A near-circular lake water clearly reflects the shadows of people by the lake.As the sun was setting, Li Zui took Meng Hui and followed the persimmon tree to find a good spot on the hillside by the lake, waiting to see her dancing and dancing with radiant eyes.A lot of people have already gathered around in twos and threes, and before the moon is up, hundreds of people have already filled the hillside. At this time, the protagonists of the water play are slowly coming, whether they are shy or aggressive girls, or enthusiastic or nervous. The young men are all dressed in short clothes, but their toned bodies, which have been trained in walking in the forest all year round, have faintly shown their outlines.

There was a small commotion among the crowd on the north slope, Shishu ran over excitedly, it was uncle and aunt, Li Zui and Meng Hui also followed.

"Uncle and aunt are well!" Even though they are close relatives, after all, they just met each other, and unlike Shishu's peers who have been familiar with each other for a while, Li Zui was still a little embarrassed towards this uncle.

"You don't need to do this here, just call aunt and uncle when you meet. Be respectful or not, and it doesn't take too long to perform these vain rituals!" Chao Buyu put on airs and just babbled a few words, but the aunt beside him listened. Not going any further, just when Chao Buyu turned his head to lay a mat on the hillside to sit on, his aunt put one hand on Uncle Chao's shoulder and one buttock on a fallen tree trunk, squatting like everyone around him.The aunt tried her best to show a smile again: "He has a lot of things to do, don't pay attention to him, we are very happy to meet you!"

Li Zui finally understood that this aunt had a cold face and a warm heart, and the simplicity of the persimmon tree turned out to be like his mother.She looked into her aunt's eyes seriously: "Thank you for taking care of my uncle. You have worked hard for the persimmon trees all these years!" She didn't salute, but her eyes were full of sincere gratitude. In fact, a simple person is the most transparent Yes, she believed that her aunt would understand the sincere gratitude in her eyes.

Sure enough, the aunt picked up Li Zui and even rubbed her back a few times. Sure enough, the persimmon tree was as powerful as her mother.

Chao Buyu was so frightened that he jumped up and pulled her out: "Madam, Madam, this child has not recovered from his injuries and is weak, weak."

With a sudden sound, a huge bonfire rose up by the lake at the bottom of the slope. Someone poured a spoonful of tung oil into it, and the flames sprang up, and the surrounding hillsides were suddenly silent.My aunt suddenly faced the bonfire, raised her arms high, and said something in an indigenous language, as if announcing the beginning, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the people. The protagonists of the water play held hands and sang in unison, dancing around the lake ——Water play, start!

Persimmon tree's eyes reflected the shape of a bonfire, eager to try, Li Zui grabbed her, and said to Uncle Chao with a little embarrassment but anxiously: "Uncle, uncle, the persimmon tree is only too big, isn't it suitable?"

Chao Buyu looked like "you have never seen the world": "It's twelve, and some Tosi people have had children!"

While Li Zui was stunned, Chao Buyu blushed and continued, "Her mother was only eleven when she fell in love with me, and it was with great difficulty that I got married when she was 13."

Perhaps it was because Li Zui's face was too clear, clearly looking at a "old man who abused a young girl", Chao Buyu pushed her away: "Don't worry, just go and watch!"

In an instant, Li Zui was lifted out of the crowd by the powerful Cousin Shishu who had received orders, and only heard her last panicked cry for help—"Meng Hui!"

The crowd sang and laughed, and on the hillside, Chao Buyu held back his smile and saluted slightly to Meng Hui, who had been sitting quietly by the side: "Master Meng, no, there is also the Moon Devourer of Xizhou, so it is convenient for him to stay together." Say?"

Meng Hui stood up and bowed profusely, "It's an honor for Meng Hui to be invited by the director of Southwest Shanshui Road. Please."

I see, woo

-Complete-

Chapter 33

Chao Buyu led Meng Hui around the hillside into the dense forest, and saw two bright lamps in the distance, which was a stone room dug out of a cave, and two warrior-like Tosi men guarded the door with spears.

The interior is decorated in the style of Kyoto, with a school of literati and scholarly atmosphere. The armchairs and tables of huanghuali are elegant and moist, and the bookshelves of red sandalwood are simple and generous.Chao Buyu made the tea with his own hands, and Meng Hui sat quietly across from each other, both of them were calm and calm.After a while, Chao Buyu handed over a cup of fragrant tea, and Meng nodded back to express his thanks.

"This environment is familiar, right?" Chao Buyu stroked his beard contentedly.

Meng Hui put down his teacup: "There is such a secret stone room in the dense forest, Chief Chao is worthy of being Zhuge of the Southwest, he is prudent and thoughtful."

"Teacher Meng is laughing. If you don't keep secrets, you will be ministers. If you don't keep secrets, you will lose your status. As a businessman, if you don't keep secrets, you will lose money." Chao Buyu put down his teacup with a haha, as if talking to himself: "Li Zui is here. There are many murders, no, they are all murders. The Pope wants her to die on the road, Xizhou should want her to die by the Pope." Having said that, Chao Buyan paused, and suddenly looked up at Meng Hui: "Then And you?"

Meng Hui didn't dodge, Zhuge in the Southwest was famous for his knowledge of people and clever calculations, it was better not to be on guard than to be unstoppable, let him know clearly: "I want her to live."

"Oh?" Chao Buyu seemed suspicious, but he was not surprised.

"Fighting with my life, I want her to live and leave the Pope." Twelve words, one word at a time, like a promise, more like speaking to myself.

Chao Buyu heard the words and sat up straight: "Why?"

Meng Hui smiled: "That's what I want."

"If she dies on the road, the pope will have a reason to coerce the emperor to go to practice, and Bai Zuo will take the opportunity to control the emperor, so he can go to the next level and realize his daydream of the Lord of the unity of politics and religion, and you will become His most important heir may one day inherit the throne." Chao Buyu methodically analyzed every possibility.Meng Huiwen nodded lightly.

"If she dies in the Pope, the court will think that the northwest is bitterly cold, the princess will die young, not to mention that the emperor refuses to practice on the grounds of being weak and sick. At that time, Xizhou will sow dissension between the Pope and the court. Come out, the world is in chaos, whether Xizhou takes the opportunity to avenge or seize power, the Moon Eater has contributed a lot, think about it, your uncle Qiu Yanbing has no children, and the future Xizhou is not yours." Speaking of this, Chao Buyu No more talking, just quietly waiting for Meng Hui's explanation.

However, Meng Hui brought up the boiling iron pot on the stone stove beside him, added some tea, and handed it to Chao Buyu: "As you said, whether the pope is unified or Xizhou rises, the southwest is still the southwest of your main road of mountains and rivers. , isn't it?"

"Yes, it's just that Southwest will not always be Southwest of the Chao family, but Li Zui is the granddaughter of the Chao family, the only daughter of my sister." Mentioning his sister, Chao Buyu's eyes were filled with sadness. he himself