Snake Tale

In the early morning of the second day, Luo Yi led the elite of the government army and went to Changshan as planned.The steep mountains meander, and the flags embroidered with Luo's Yanniao family emblem flutter in the wind, stretching along the mountain.Outside the main camp, Luo Yi led the guards by the tent.He had already seen Dai Chang, the patriarch of the Dai clan galloping from a distance—as expected, he only brought his personal entourage with him and went to the meeting in light clothes.

Luo Yi enthusiastically welcomed his nephew and son-in-law into the tent, and after the guest of honor sat down, he ordered the servants to present a feast of food and wine.Luo Yi sat on top of the chairman and persuaded him earnestly: "This is the fine wine brewed by Luo's secret method. I heard that my son-in-law is also fond of the wine in the glass. I want to drink a few more bottles tonight. Come and pour the wine!"

Dai Chang agreed in a hurry, and drank the wine in one gulp, saying that it was mellow.Luo Yi applauded loudly, and signaled with his eyes to a strong servant to lift a long-handled pure copper spoon to pour wine for him.The dancers were ordered to perform dances in front of them. They wore masks, decorated with feathers, and held Zhuganyuqi. They jumped and moved, faintly revealing the bravery and agility of warriors.Although the hands are dancing and the feet are dancing, those dozens of pairs of eyes are secretly paying attention to the patriarch of the country who is drinking and eating meat in the guest seat.

The tranquility before the thunderstorm is brewing in the air.Just at the moment when the sword was about to explode, there was a chaotic sound of horseshoes outside the tent, and a few words of reprimand were heard. A beautiful woman in uniform lifted the tent and slammed into the camp.

"A-Ning?" Dai Chang stood up in astonishment, and pushed the servant serving wine aside, "Why do you—"

Luo Ning was covered in dust and dust, apparently galloping at full speed.She glanced at her husband and son-in-law, who were safe and sound, with relief in her eyes, and turned to look at Luo Yi, who was in the chair with a deep expression, and pulled out the sword from her waist, and said with a sassy smile, "Uncle, such a rude and lame prank!" , what is there to look at? Let my niece perform a dance!"

After a sword dance, Luo Ning excused himself to wash the dust and change his clothes, and entered the back tent to avoid the crowd.She turned her back to the screen, apprehensive in her heart, and waited with bated breath. Not long after, she heard a deep laugh:

"Bare the fierce tiger, and dedicate it to the public office. Don't hide the uncle, and prevent him from hurting the daughter--okay, it's a song "Uncle in the Field"*," Luo Yi smiled, holding up his bottle and stepping behind the screen, "You Qu Jianwu compared my uncle and me to a malicious tiger, and my husband to an honest and innocent gentleman—what a virtuous wife who is suitable for her family! It’s just that Dai’s savage generation, even Zhongyuan Yayan It's not easy to say, and I don't know if I really understand the deep meaning of your song?"

She turned around and asked loudly, "Uncle, I hope it's just that Aning is being careless! But I can see that there is a clear sound of gold and stone in the footsteps of the dancer; It's the murderous intent—this family banquet, which was supposed to be enjoyable, is clearly a killing banquet with malicious intentions!"

Luo Yi didn't bother to deny it at all: "That's right. You should have known for a long time that your grandfather had the idea of ​​taking Dai Guo into his pocket when he was alive. I inherited Yin's will, and naturally the Luo family's expansion of territory should be the top priority. As for Dai Guo, Luo Shi is determined to win."

"But—but, Daichang...he is my husband-in-law!"

Luo Yidan said: "Don't worry, my uncle will naturally protect you well. Didn't you want to marry far away in that desert barbarian land at first? When everything is done tonight, I will take you back to Luo's mansion, Tianlun Get together, and have mother and brother under your protection. At that time, the young talents in the entire Jin country can be selected by you to marry, isn't it good?"

The more Luo Ning heard it, the more chilling he became, his complexion became paler, and he asked dryly: "Uncle, have you said the same thing to Aunt Xin?"

Luo Yi paused, frowned and stared at her.The girl raised her almond eyes and asked, "How did she answer?"

"Unexpectedly, you would ask this question." Luo Yi sneered slightly: "I underestimated you!"

Luo Ning bit her lower lip, and said in a low voice: "Yes, all along, I thought that my aunt was abused to death by the Dai people. I also had a prejudice against the Dai family because of this. Until I arrived in the country of Dai, I saw it with my own eyes. Seeing that the people live and work in peace and contentment, the folk customs are simple, and their civilization is not inferior to that of the Central Plains; I also found that Dai Chang has missed my aunt to this day, and his affection has grown stronger over time... At this time, someone told the truth about my aunt's death—”

She raised her eyes, and she cut water and cleared her pupils with tears: "I really can't believe that after my aunt told me to die, you still decided to marry me! Couldn't my aunt's suicide move you a little bit? Did you notice No, this conspiracy of fratricide is a big mistake?"

Luo Yi said coldly: "Father's fault is that he should not have told Sister Xin of this plan in advance! How can the Luo family's road to prosperity tolerate the benevolence of a woman?"

Luo Ning excitedly said: "Uncle! I can ride a strong horse and draw a strong bow. I can go into battle like a man and die in battle, but I don't want to hurt the people I love—even if this is you Said masculinity!"

Luo Yi felt a little impatient in his heart, but he knew that soft words were needed to comfort his staunch and stubborn niece instead of angry words. "A-Ning," he put on a considerate and gentle face again, and said softly, "You are young and affectionate. When you first married a woman, you entrusted all your wealth and life to you. I don't blame you for saying such disobedient words now." But you don't know that 'everyone can be a husband, the father is the only one', only the clan can provide you with permanent protection, and your so-called husband--" He shook his head and sighed: "Daichang is the head of the clan. Have you ever thought that one day when you grow old and look bad, he will treat you as before? And you really want to betray your blood-related family for this foreign surname?"

Seeing that the girl bowed her head and said nothing, he went a step further and said: "If you really can't let go of Daichang, I can save his life for you. After we annex the Dai family, I will hand over a mere Daichang to you." What's so difficult? Even making him unable to leave you for the rest of his life..."

"Yes, I can completely turn him into my slave." Luo Ning raised his head and asked sharply, "It's just like you treated Ah Zhu, isn't it?"

Luo Yi's face suddenly changed, his gentle and amiable look faded away, and he sneered again and again: "A'Ning, since you married Yidi, you have become bold and resourceful. You are almost... not like the daughter of my Luo family!"

Behind this grim smile was hidden violent anger, how could Luo Ning not know it?However, she had no way out, so she simply broke the boat, raised her face and said with a sneer: "Didn't you say that I can pick and choose all the talented people in the entire Jin Kingdom? Then I want Shen Yuzhu to be my guest of honor, but I don't know Uncle, Are you willing to give up your love?"

Just listen to the crisp sound of "crack".Luo Ning was so frightened that he closed his eyes tightly, and it took a long time before he dared to open them slowly, looking at Luo Yi with a livid face.I saw that the bronze wine bottle in his hand was smashed into powder under the grip of anger.Luo Ning's hands and feet trembled, his courage disappeared, and he threw himself into Luo Yi's arms like a cloud of clouds, sobbing: "Uncle! I know that you can take my life with just a raise of your hand, but...but you can't hurt me in the end , it can be seen that you still care about my niece in your heart, don't you? If so, why can't you love Wujiu and let Daichang go?"

Luo Yi stretched out his hand to help Luo Ning away, and his blue eyes returned to their usual deep and cold: "A Ning, although you are a woman, I have never regarded you as a weak girl who only knows how to draw eyebrows and draw lips inside the palace walls. Look at it. The blood of Yi and Di is mixed in the veins of our Luo family. Back then, the ancestors of the Luo family fought against the wind and rain to open up the wilderness. Every inch of land was fought by us. As the daughter of the Luo family, you also have your destiny. You You have to make a choice between the family that gave birth to you, and your newlywed husband. Luo Xin cannot bear such a choice, and you——cannot escape!"

Knowing that there was no way to dissuade him, Luo Ning slowly lowered his head: "...Uncle, what if I say that I have already made a choice?"

"You...?" Luo Yi felt an ominous feeling in his heart, but he could hear faint thunderstorms outside the tent, which made the wine in the bottle rippling slightly.

That's not thunder, but tens of thousands of cavalry rushing forward——

Luo Ning said in a low voice: "Uncle, fortunately, my niece is not here alone."

*"Bare the fierce tiger and present it to the public office. Don't let the uncle hide, and prevent him from hurting the daughter." From "Poetry·Zheng Feng·Uncle Yutian", it means "My lord is brave and fearless, bare-chested and bare-handed to fight the tiger , Dedicate the prey to his court. My lord, don't take it lightly, beware of a sudden attack by a wild beast, which will hurt you and throw your life away!" This is a song sung by a woman in praise of a young hunter she loves, expressing a mixture of pride and worry .Some people think that this is an allegorical work that alludes to the tragedy of "Zheng Boke and Duan Yuyan".