Rong Xuan

However, Cao Hui didn't know how to swear, even when turning a corner, she just quickly turned her face away and put on a plain veil to cover her face, but she remembered the first time she saw Sima Xuan swearing.

It was the end of summer when Hu Tian was snowing in August. Because of the busy military affairs, the young Junhou stayed in the army for ten consecutive days before he came back. He was too tired. The first thing he did after returning home was to fall asleep. After less than an hour's sleep, the servant came to report that there was a visitor from Chang'an, asking to see Sima Xuan, a major general of the northern border army.

Cao Hui didn't know who the guests from Chang'an were, they were probably here to curry favor with the Marquis of Jingling like those before, and she was afraid that Sima Xuan, a straight-hearted person, would not be able to handle the scheming old foxes from Chang'an. , and then came to the back hall which is separated from the front hall.

Sima Xuan was woken up, and came to the front hall with a face full of "If you have something to say, fart, if you have nothing to do, then get out, don't hinder me from sleeping", he only said a few words to the visitor, and then wiped his face and scolded him twice. With a swear word, Liu Sheng threw all the guests and the cartful of gifts out of the house.

At that time, Cao Hui, who was waiting in the back hall, felt inexplicably soft-hearted—the rumored young gentleman who was cruel and ruthless was actually a guy who couldn't even curse loudly when he was angry.

But the truth is——Cao Hui just never entered the barracks of the Northern Frontier Army, so he never saw Sima Xuan scolding those soldiers who were lazy and slippery during training with a black face.Just kidding, who is Sima Xuan?Beating Lu Zi, a soldier who grew up in a soldier's den - can't curse?That would be the same insult as saying "Major General Sima Xuan would not use Sima's Wuhen knife to kill the Huns".

It's just that Cao Hui doesn't know.

Here, thinking of the past, Cao Hui, who had cleaned his hands and face, couldn't help but smile.

"Laughing after being scolded?" Sima Xuan came over and washed his hands with the hot water Cao Hui had used just now. "Second Uncle will hold a family banquet for us tonight—don't try to excuse yourself as a guest."

Sima Xuan took a step back, grabbed Cao Hui who was about to run with his wet hands in time, and said in a hoarse voice with a half-drunk and seven-point smile: "I know you don't like that kind of scene very much now, but it's hard to get it right now. It’s a rare pleasure to live under the fence of others, besides, grandma said that I must take you to the Lord’s Mansion, otherwise there will be no good fruit for me.”

Cao Hui: "..."

She really wanted to fall over and faint.

However, God did not hear what she was praying for.

On the night when the fifth son Sima Xuan returned to his hometown of Yanyang from Chang'an, the second master Sima Yang specially organized a reunion dinner for his nephew Sima Xuan and his future niece and daughter-in-law Xun Shi. They were all invited back.

Many situations in the Sima family are different from those of ordinary people or the families of nobles and nobles. For example, every reunion banquet in the Sima family, the dishes for the banquet must be cooked by the Sima family.

Sima Yang already had quite a few children, plus his eldest brother Sima Yi who died in battle, his third brother Sima Dai, and the widow of his fourth brother Sima Shi, they all filled the largest flower hall of the Sima family.

The members of the Sima family all looked angry, and their words and deeds carried a different kind of calmness and gentleness, as well as the unique rigidity and frankness unique to the family of generals. Cao Hui thought, perhaps among so many members of the Sima family, the only one who really The only thing is that there are two cold-faced Hades in the lineage of Qingxu King Sima Xiu.

The relatives and relatives in the family get together to have a lively reunion, from the octogenarian grandmother, the old lady, down to the eldest grandson Sima Ang, who is still in his infancy, it can be said to be in the same line.

"It's really thanks to the blessings of the fifth younger brother and the fifth younger sibling in the future, so that we can also go back to our mother's house early to taste the dishes cooked by our parents." Sima Yang's second daughter toasted Sima Xuan and Cao Hui with a wine bottle. After drinking the hot wine, she seemed a little drunk.

Having a drink with Cao Hui, who always covered her face with plain gauze, the second aunt pulled Cao Hui's words and said, "Girl of the Xun family, Xu is also as you know, this fifth cousin of my family has a stubborn temper since he was a child. Indeed, his own sister and his father and mother are not less concerned about his affairs, and even the grandmother writes to ask him every year, and now you are willing to host the middle school for him, the Sima family is really grateful, after all, it has been seven years Well……"

Sima Yang's third daughter got up and covered her second sister's mouth, and told her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law envoys to help her drunken second aunt down to rest.

"Seven years" is a sensitive word, and people in the Sima family seem to be a bit taboo about it.

The words of Sima Yang's second daughter were stopped in time, and probably no one else heard them. The people in the house were still eating, drinking and having fun. All the juniors didn't leave the banquet until it was almost the time for the appointment at night.

Many people were drunk and were carried back from the flower hall by the servants, even Sima Xuan was so drunk that he walked with trembling steps.

The eldest son Sima sent two soft sedan chairs to send Sima Xuan and Cao Hui back to Qianzi Pavilion in Xikua Mansion.

The Thousand-Character Pavilion is a standard four-house building. The bright hall in the pavilion is a place for receiving guests. Sima Xuan lives in the top room, and the second room is reserved for Cao Hui.

But after Sima Xuan and Cao Hui came back, Liu Sheng ran out with a kitten in his arms and asked Cao Hui to move temporarily.

"Why is it so lively in the courtyard? Is something wrong?" Yu Yan tried her best to support Sima Xuan, who was a little unsteady, and looked at the boys running around inside and out, while struggling a little. Ask Liu Sheng.

"Meow~" the little milk cat in Liusheng's arms let out a soft cry, and looked at everyone in sight with a pair of big round eyes vigilantly.

"..." Liu Sheng: "In the evening, a servant saw a mouse in the yard. After chasing it, he found a mouse's nest in the corner. When he was making the nest, he didn't expect a few mice to get into the house. We took the cat to catch the mouse, but now we only cleaned up the tip, so we dared to ask the girl to move for a while."

Cao Hui: "..."

Leaving aside that she was always afraid of mice, what Liu Sheng said made Cao Hui think deeply: Was the mouse that ran into the room too stupid and was caught, or was there someone else playing tricks?

Thinking of this, Cao Hui looked at Sima Xuan suspiciously.

But Sima Xuan stretched out his hand and picked up the little milk cat in Liu Sheng's arms, and held it in front of his face.

The person who ate a few extra glasses of wine carefully hugged the little cat, the expression on his face was very well-behaved against the backdrop of the candles and lanterns, but the words he said did not match the cold temperament of this person——

With a hoarse voice, Sima Xuan stared dissatisfiedly at the little milk cat: "It looks very clever, but I didn't expect to be such a clumsy person who can't even do such a small thing well. Why do you think I want you, huh? "

After saying that, he withdrew his hand and hugged the shivering kitten into his arms. His wide sleeves shielded it from the cold wind and chill in the winter night, and Sima Xuan walked back to the top by himself.

"Ma'am..." Yu Yan was afraid that things would fail, so she couldn't help calling Cao Hui softly.

"Then go to Shaojian." Cao Hui supported Yuyan's hand, and then walked towards Shaojian.

After all, if she had the chance, she had to choose to get close to Sima Xuan—the way of playing hard to get was not too obvious, after all, Sima Xuan was so familiar with the art of war.

The only relative who is still alive once told her that since she is doomed to be unable to turn back, then go ahead and strive to come back clean and clear, even if the truth is contrary to the persistence in her heart, when she arrives at the thousand-foot hell in the future In the end, you will have the face to see your old friend.

It's just who's in the game, who's in whose hand, I'm afraid even the original chess player can't tell clearly.

……

After walking into the room, he saw the dazed man curled up on the warm couch with the little tabby cat in his arms, sleeping. Cao Hui couldn't help telling Yuyan, "Go and make a bowl of hangover soup, and then ask the servants to drink it." Let some hot water come in, remember to ask them to heat up the earth dragon."

She remembered that although Sima Xuan had been in the northern region since he was a child, he was really afraid of the cold.

After receiving the order, Yuyan left the house, leaving only one of them guarding the corridor outside the door, while urging the servants to catch mice.

Baolai Jin was about to be covered by Sima Xuan, Cao Hui tried to call the man twice, but there was no answer, and his breathing was a little heavy, as if he had fallen asleep.

She leaned over and wanted to take the little cat out, but the kitten suddenly started to tremble all over, and its tender claws protruded from the pink meat pad and grabbed the fabric on Sima Xuan's sleeve.

"Meow!" The little cat whimpered in fear.

Cao Hui supported the kitten with one hand, and tried to free Sima Xuan's sleeve from the cat's claws with the other.

As a result, the kitten gripped the sleeves under its paws more tightly like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood.

Cao Hui couldn't help persuading the kitten in a low voice: "Could it be that I'm scarier than holding your cold face? You don't know what to do, what if she falls asleep and crushes you to death?" ? Let go of your paws quickly, Mimi is obedient, Mimi~"

Sima Xuan, who was sleeping lightly, couldn't hold back, and burst out laughing.

"You didn't sleep?!" Cao Hui was slightly surprised, and quickly handed the kitten back to Sima Xuan.

The person lying sideways on the warm couch narrowed his narrow eyes, smiled and said nothing.

Cao Hui straightened up and stood beside the warm couch, looking calm, but his words seemed a little flustered: "Then you can cover yourself with the quilt, Yuyan will bring hangover soup in a while, drink it before going to sleep."

"Hmm..." Sima Xuan hugged the kitten with one hand, pressed his swollen temple with the other, sat up slowly, poured a cup of hot water and drank it slowly.

"Do you still remember the Imperial Merchant Chu family?" Sima Xuan suddenly asked while hugging the cat.

"Remember." Cao Hui nodded, turned around and sat down on the other side of the couch.

Sima Xuan looked down at the fluffy kitten in his arms, and his voice was hoarse and slightly nasal: "When the previous head of his family passed away, it was in the 13th year of Jingchu, and the coffin of the old head was still at home. During the funeral, the Chu family was almost wiped out, and I was entrusted by Princess Yongjia and a friend to bring someone forward to take down the culprit of the disaster—his parent, Sun Chu Henian."

After a pause, Sima Xuan continued: "Chu Henian has joined his father's wing, and he wants to take advantage of the Chu family's great funeral to seize the Chu family's property and dedicate it to his father, so that his father will allow him to recognize his ancestor and return to his family."

"Oh, I have been an official in the same dynasty for several years, but I don't know that he is the illegitimate son of his father who is away from home." Sima Xuan laughed coldly, and when he said these words again, his tone became calm and without a trace of ups and downs: "Chu In order to recognize his ancestors and return to his family, He Nian did not hesitate to put the Chu family in ruins, and almost killed his adoptive father, Chu Boding. I never said a good word for him in front of the Tian family."

"Also, in order to prevent Chu Henian from turning around and biting people because he couldn't bear the pain of exile, my father instructed his brothers in the army to let Chu Henian die in a war." Sima Xuan took a look. Cao Hui, who was sitting opposite, calmly handed the kitten in his arms to Cao Hui: "Here, here you are."

I don’t know if it’s because one of them is proficient in literature and the other is in martial arts. Since childhood, Cao Hui has rarely been able to keep up with Sima Xuan’s leaping thoughts and ideas, but this time Sima Xuan suddenly mentioned these words, Cao Hui was very surprised Immediately understood what this person wanted.

"Your Majesty is saying so many things now, in fact, you just want to tell me what kind of person Ling Zunqing Xu is in your eyes," Cao Hui took the kitten and gently placed it on his lap , did not let Sima Xuan say the following words.

She raised her eyes to look back, and the soft light of the candle behind Sima Xuan was reflected in her eyes: "History is eternal, and there is no right or wrong. I can't discuss this with you, so my lord, if you don't want us to make a contract." stop?"

"Hmm..." Sima Xuan raised his hands and leaned into the water-blue rippled brocade cushion behind him, narrowed his long and narrow eyes thoughtfully, and moved his jaw slightly, probably trying to sharpen his teeth with the tip of his tongue.

"This method also sounds good," finally Sima Xuan said: "Then you can write down the content of your contract, and add my opinion. You write, and we can discuss it before making a conclusion?"

"Okay." Cao Hui nodded, put the kitten on his lap on the couch, got up and prepared pens, inks, papers and inkstones.

The slightly hooded Sima Xuan leaned back on the warm couch, watching Cao Hui carefully study the ink with the ink stick, two sentences of Mandarin slipped out of Bing Luzi's mouth inexplicably.

"Flying light, flying light, advise you to have a glass of white wine. I don't know that the blue sky is high and the yellow earth is thick."

"What did you say?" Cao Hui turned his head slightly, and it was the first time that he looked at Sima Xuan so unabashedly. Even when his eyes met, she didn't dodge as embarrassedly as before: "I didn't hear clearly, Is it to be written in the contract?"

"No, you heard it wrong." Sima Xuan tilted his head and smiled warmly, his rather handsome face did not show the ruthlessness and determination of those who killed on the battlefield.

/ / /

It was already the end of the twelfth lunar month when Princess Yongjia came to Yanyang.

At the end of the new year, the imperial court seals the pen, and the people are reunited. Ordinary travelers have already gone home to celebrate the New Year, and those who still live in the inn are probably only left. Or businessmen who pay more attention to profit than parting.

There are also homeless people like Princess Yongjia.

"Is Shiliu outside?" Princess Yongjia stood next to the screen partition with the clothes to be changed before going to take a bath, and joked to Shiliu who was outside the door: "Go and contact your old master, just say If it is convenient, please ask him to talk about it tomorrow, I can go to him or he can come to me."

There was a clear and waveless echo from outside, Princess Yongjia's one-sided eyebrows were slightly raised, and she entered behind the screen indifferently.

However, until Princess Yongjia packed everything up and was about to go to bed, the dark guard Sixteen still didn't come back.

Days of driving made people extremely tired, but Princess Yongjia felt a little uneasy because she was thinking about the news from there, so she put on a big cloak and leaned against the stove with a half pot of cold wine, waiting for Shiliu to come back.

Waiting from late night to dawn, from the silence to the hustle and bustle of the world of mortals, the elusive guy still hasn't come back.

Princess Yongjia looked at the open windows gradually brightened by the morning light, and suddenly felt...these years are so imposing.

The author has something to say:

There are a lot of people in the Sima family, let me just say it briefly.

The old capital, Qihou, is Sima Zhen, the grandfather of Sima Xuan. He was the main general of the Northern Frontier Army at the time. He also had three younger brothers, Sima Ting, Sima Lei and Sima Lin. They all died on the battlefield, so Sima Ting , Sima Lei and Sima Lin's widows have been living with Sima Zhen's family.

Of course, the imperial court granted titles to Sima Ting, Sima Lei, and Sima Lin, and the children of the three families would also have their own titles, but it is an eternal practice to lean against a big tree to enjoy the shade, and Sima Zhen's family is such a freshman. Tree (Sima Ren is Sima Lin's youngest son, only four or five years older than Sima Xuan, but a generation older than Sima Xuan.)

Sima Zhen had six sons, all of whom were descended from the direct line:

The eldest son Sima Yi, the third son Sima Dai, and the fourth son Sima Shi were unfortunately killed in the northern border, and the sixth son died young.

The fifth son, Sima Xiu (the protagonist Sima Xuan's father): Inherited the title of Marquis of Du Qi and the seal of General Zhonglu of the Northern Frontier Army, later became King Qingxu, and is now the commander of the Northern Frontier Army.

The second son, Sima Yang: After his younger brother Sima Xiuen made Qing Xu King, he took his old mother and a group of family members to live in his hometown Yanyang.

Sima Xiu has two sons and two daughters:

The eldest daughter Sima Ying (the eldest): is the adopted daughter (raised in front of Sima Xiu's first wife, Mrs. Jiang), and married Wei Jingting, a loyal military general.

"Eldest son" Sima Xuan (second child): born of Mrs. Jiang, wife Cao Hui.

The concubine's second daughter, Sima Bing (the third child): She was born in a concubine's room and was raised by Mrs. Jiang. Later, she passed away due to dystocia in the northern border, leaving behind a pair of twins (the identity of the child's father is unknown), which was adopted by Sima Xuan.

The second son Sima Kun (the fourth): Sima Xiu was born in the Zhao family. After Sima Xiu became king, because the eldest son Sima Xuan had a title, the Zhao family used all means to force Sima Xiu to play, and Sima Kun was named king. Qing Xu Shizi.