Everyone loves Huo Qubing

The curtain moved slightly.I looked up, and I don't know when Dongfang Shuo got up and walked to the door with the bamboo slips in his arms. He lifted the curtain and turned around, leaving me with a meaningful smile.

"Are you missing your uncle again?" A pair of powerful arms circled from behind.The Son of Heaven who had just come down quietly walked around behind me and held me tightly in his arms.

"Is there still no news from the second uncle? He should have crossed the Yanyin Canyon and arrived at the northern foot of Yanshan Mountain, right?" I gave up struggling and stretched out my finger to follow the direction of the upper valley to the north.

"On the other side of Shanggu, there is no new military report recently." The emperor said.In fact, he was also very concerned about his second uncle's movements.

"I'm just worried that two out of ten of Shanggu County's war horses were lost due to King Zuo Xian's surprise attack. My second uncle only has [-] cavalry, and the rest are light vehicles. I'm afraid that he will encounter King Zuo Xian's main force and it will be difficult for him to escape." I said. Speak what's on your mind.

"Zhongqing knows how to protect himself, and I choose to trust him unconditionally," the people behind me encouraged me, "You should also believe that your uncle will be fine."

"Well, I trust my uncle." I really should give my second uncle a little more trust.

The Tongtian Crown dangled in front of my eyes, the Son of Heaven lowered his head, rubbed me into his arms like a ball, rested his chin on my shoulder blades, and kissed the slightly sweaty hair on the side of my forehead.

Since the night of my second uncle's wedding, in this cold winter, when the two of us are alone, the emperor always likes to hug me like this and kiss my cheeks, especially my eyes.At first I resisted, but gradually I found that I liked being wrapped in a thick coat by him, leaning against his tall and warm body, and listening to him talk about the latest progress of the Northern War.

During the time when the second uncle was away, because of the solid backing of His Majesty, I was not as frightened and restless as I was during the Mayi battle.

"Are you going back to Weifu tonight?" He asked.

"Well, go back." I replied.

"I heard that there is no one in the Weifu, why not stay in the palace during the war?" He encouraged me.

I opened my mouth to refute, because there are still two famous servants living in the Wei Mansion.However, what the emperor said was true. On the first day of the pre-war sacrifice, the second uncle had just left, and Er Jinniang quickly packed up the package, and ran back to my mother's house in the south of the city with Wei, husband and nurse, leaving me alone. The Weifu stayed overnight in the dark and blind.

"Don't my nephew want to hear the first-hand military newspaper? The courier usually delivers it in the middle of the night." Seeing my hesitation, he continued to seduce me with words.

The word "Military Daily" hit my vital point.I looked at him expectantly and nodded involuntarily.

The emperor's deep black eyes looked back into mine tenderly, and I was almost intoxicated by his gaze.

Jaw lifted, he brushed the broken hair from my forehead, and his warm kiss fell lightly on my eyelid like a feather, forcing me to close my eyes.The second uncle once picked up the little baby Mrs. Wei who was crawling around in front of my eyes, and lovingly kissed his soft brows and tender cheeks.I have to admit my natural jealousy and hostility towards Mrs. and Mrs. Wei, my cousin, so at this time, I happily fantasized that I am a young couple, bearing the love from my parents.

Until the familiar breath subsides.The short mustache scratched the tip of the nose and it was a little itchy, the heat of my breath sprayed on my cheeks, and the soft and domineering kiss fell on my lips without warning.

I instinctively turned my head away from him.

Better not kiss me.Maybe in the past, I would happily indulge in the intimate act of kissing, and kiss the other party actively because of curiosity, but not long ago, I began to feel afraid of it, because even in my dream, I encountered such a simple kiss. , I can also feel unexplainable subtle changes in my body.And this change often leads to an embarrassing result that drives me crazy: wake up in the morning and find that I have soiled the mattress again.

The muffled laughter came from the chest of the person behind me into my eardrum, maybe he is used to my rejection.

"It's getting late, let's go." He wrapped me in his coat, hugged me horizontally, strode out of the side hall, threw me into the imperial chariot that had been waiting for a long time outside the door, and climbed in by himself.

"Get up." The eunuch sang.

"Wait, this is not the way back to the greenhouse hall." I looked at the gradually receding scenery on both sides and asked suspiciously.

He chuckled in my ear: "I didn't talk about going back to the greenhouse hall."

"Where is Your Majesty taking the minister?"

"Go to Yilan Palace and find your aunt."

***

"Brother, do you know that among the witches they pulled out from Jiaofang Palace, there is actually a wizard named Chu Fu." Chief Wei pressed the small snowball in his hand on the big snowball carried by Yang Shi, forming a big snowball. The shape of a rabbit.She breathed on a pair of hands that were red with cold, and introduced her wonderful experience to me while making gestures.The ban on Yongxiang was not officially lifted until Empress Chen was ordered to move out of the Yeting Palace. During this time, I have been learning how to push the sand table and identify maps with several generals who are preparing for battle, but I haven’t seen Wei Zhang and Yang Shi for a while.

"His Royal Highness, that Hu Wu called Chufu is only wearing men's clothes, but she is actually a woman just like you and me," the maid corrected.

Before dinner, I was picked up by my aunt to compare myself with Chief Wei back to back.The size of Wei Zhang follows her parents, and in the past year, the gap between me and her has become smaller and smaller, my aunt nodded in satisfaction.

"Mom, can you sleep in my room tonight, brother, we haven't seen each other for a long time, I have saved a lot of stories to tell my brother." During dinner, the chief guard begged his aunt.

My mouth was full of naan cakes made by my aunt, and I was about to wave my hands in protest, but my aunt had already helped me out.

"Chief Wei, you are a big girl now, you can't be self-willed anymore, you and your cousin sleep in a separate room." The aunt refused her daughter's request straight away.

In the Jiaofang Temple shrouded in the night, white snow covers the red tiles and red walls, reflecting the mottled shadows of trees.

I once looked at her splendor, and tonight I see her across the street through the window lattice, but she is dark and silent, leaving only an empty temple and pavilion.I still remember the graceful dress of her master, Empress Chen, like a golden peony, and my aunt's plain and unpretentious, always like a white reed in the field.I also remember Empress Chen's cold fingers brushing my jawbone, her voice was full of triumph, but now the Nagato Palace outside Chang'an City may be her best destination.

In the past year, inside and outside the Weiyang Palace, there is more than one Jiaofang Palace where things change and people change.Facing the disputes between Han and Hungarians in the court, the war of words between the main peace faction and the main war faction has been raging all the time.When I met Lord Du Wei Ji An in the Xuanshi Palace, he was arguing with Tai Fu Gong Sun Hong.

"Why did Your Majesty allow those two boys, Wei Qing and Gongsun Ao, to be former generals?" Ji An complained, holding the memorial to Puyang's flood control, "They don't have any experience, how can they get the qualifications to fight side by side with General Li and the servants?" Chance?"

"Master Ji, it is a felony to make false comments on the Son of Heaven." Gong Sunhong raised his hands to ask for the memorial to dismiss the Southwest Yi, patted Ji An on the shoulder, and persuaded him to shut up, "Besides, His Majesty's decision-making must have His Majesty's reason, we These low-ranking people may not be able to understand the whole story."

"The old man just thinks it's a pity. His Majesty's employment is like piling up firewood, and the latecomers come first. Not to mention the two fellows, Father Yan and Zhang Tang, the masters of China and North Korea, who have been promoted to three levels. Now even your swineherd can't do it within a year." Promoted to Zuo Internal History." Ji An stroked his beard, as if he couldn't see Gongsun Hong's purple liver complexion, he continued to shake his head and sighed, "Now that Xue Ze is the prime minister, and Zhang Ou is the imperial doctor, both of them He is obedient and doesn't like to make publicity, from now on, no one in the Han court will speak out to persuade him."

***

In a daze, I only heard a loud "bang bang" not far away, and the ground trembled slightly.I rubbed my sleepy eyes and pushed open the door, and the head guard also came out from the side room.The moon was sparse, and in the courtyard, several servants carrying buckets walked past the two of us on the snow, and hurriedly shuttled between the bedroom and the well.

"Did the earthquake just now?" I asked her.

There was a small-scale earthquake in the capital a few years ago. I didn’t wake up that time. I only remember that in the middle of the night, my second uncle dug me up from the warm bed and carried me to the courtyard, together with my uncle and my mother. , the whole family lay down on the floor in the open air in the yard, listening to the anxious neighing of the horse, and spent that unforgettable night in panic.

"I don't know, the voice seems to be coming from mother's room." Chief Wei pointed to the direction of Yilan Palace's bedroom.

"Go and have a look." I ran to my aunt's bedroom together with the chief guard.

There was a scorching smell in front of the door, choking smoke and dust scattered in all directions, and a bronze cauldron with a height of half a person against the wall was overturned to the ground. The sound just now came from the loud noise of the cauldron falling to the ground.The servants frantically poured the water in the bucket onto the cauldron, bit by bit extinguishing the still burning charcoal fire.

"I've given you thousands of reminders, come back as soon as you reach your destination, everyone here is nothing, don't you listen to what I say?" The emperor sat on the couch with only his middle coat on, his voice stern. .One of his feet was held up in the air by the maid, and the expression between his brows was accompanied by pain and anxiety.

A figure in light armor crouched not far away, and a wax box beside him was smashed to pieces.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry for my comrades in arms!" Xun Yu burst into tears, "The brothers in the Xiaoqi camp were all killed in battle. I can't live alone, I can only apologize with death!"

"Stop him quickly!"

The servants rushed forward and hugged Xun Duwei who was about to commit suicide.

"What a Xunyu, I haven't allowed you to die yet!" The emperor was so angry that his voice distorted, "Are you impatient to live? Be careful that I will destroy your three clans!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down, Captain Xun is too sad, I can't think about it for a while." The aunt with a thin gown on her shoulders took ice cubes from the hand of the maid, and applied them to the emperor's swollen soles.

"Hiss—" the person on the couch bared his teeth.

"Be patient, Your Majesty, the imperial physician will be here soon." The aunt comforted the emperor with a voice like a silver bell.

"Brother, look, what is written on it?" Wei Zhang bent down, picked up a ball of crumpled silk paper and handed it to me.Under the dim lights, the words "Yanmen Taishou Han Anguo Confessed His Death" quickly came into view, and I felt a "thump" in my heart.

Weiwei Han Anguo's military newspaper is written in seal script, so it's hard to read, but I can still make out a general idea: Yanmen scout urgent report, the Central and Western Route Army led by Xiaoqi General Li Guang continued to march northward after passing through the Yinshan Narrow Valley , Unexpectedly, Shan Yu set up an ambush and outflanked the army, and the entire army of ten thousand cavalry was wiped out.Having crossed the eastern foot of the Yin Mountain, the cavalry general Gongsun Ao, who was on his way back to his division, received a report from the scouts and led his troops westward to reinforce Li Guang's army. He fought the rest of Shan Yu's troops and was defeated. The remaining 3000 men retreated to Daijun.

Seventeen thousand cavalry and more horses were sacrificed like sheep into the mouth of a tiger.What puzzles me is that the fine cavalry of Yanmen was cultivated by Gongsun Ao. Not only the athletes from Beidi County and Longxi County, but also many princes and brothers around the capital are equipped with the best war horses and horses. Weapons are well-trained on weekdays.Why did such an excellent cavalry of the Han Dynasty easily fall into the ambush of the military minister Shan Yu?As far as I know, the commander should constantly assign scouts to scout out the surroundings to detect the enemy's movements, right?

Can't help but recall those cavalry drills I've seen.On the real battlefield, are those battles still small fights within the range of a thousand people, are those swords still unsharp pieces of iron, and are those blood still red dyes?

"Both of you go back to sleep, it's none of your business here." Auntie ordered with a frown when she spotted me and Chief Wei who had sneaked in.

***

The pattering spring rain enveloped the capital.

In the past few days, because of the "foot injury" left by kicking the charcoal cauldron angrily that night, a certain person has not been able to go to court. During the day, all the rallies of the two courts were moved to the north meeting room of the greenhouse hall.During the day, through the window, I saw groups of officials in court uniforms and holding ivory wats holding umbrellas coming and going in a hurry.Occasionally, a few unfamiliar faces stopped to look around and whisper to me, and they were quickly sent away by the little yellow gate.

"Ha Chirp!" I sneezed and arched into the cage.The puppy lying beside him snored a few times and wagged its tail boredly.The little dog given to me by the Son of Heaven is named "Xuanlang" by me. It has pure black hair covering its whole body, and its two pointed ears stand upright. It likes to eat chicken legs and bacon like me, but its favorite snack is when my uncle barbecues. Raw venison reserved exclusively for him.Over the past year, Xuanlang has accompanied me through many lonely times. According to the prediction of the dog supervisor Yang Deyi, this guy will be closer to the appearance and habits of a wolf when he grows up, but he still maintains that fluffy dog ​​for the time being. It looked like a cub, blinking its big innocent eyes, and tricked the maid into feeding it delicious food.

"Your Majesty is here." The door creaked and was pushed open, the emperor stepped on his rain boots and stepped in, the eunuch put away the oilcloth umbrella and put it under the eaves, and gently closed the red-lacquered wooden door.

Xuanlang raised his head and glanced at the person coming, and yawned with his mouth open, revealing four pointed canine teeth.

"Looks like it's still not getting better." The hand covering my forehead stayed for a while, and the emperor turned around and ordered, "Chuntuo, the imperial physician Xuan ordered to come again, if the burn continues like this, people will burn out."

"I'm fine, don't bother the doctor." Since I was a child, I was prone to fever in spring, and it has become a habit to have a fever all the way.But this time, because of running barefoot in the snow, not only me, but also Chief Wei unfortunately caught wind and cold.

"Is cousin Wei Zhang better?" I asked.

The eunuch clasped his hands and replied: "Princess Wei's high temperature has subsided yesterday, and her spirit has improved a lot."

"If you are so sick, do you still have time to care about others? Drink the medicine first." The emperor picked up the hot soup that was still floating on the desk, and handed it to me, who was frowning.

"Qubing needs to get well soon." He stared at me and frowned and poured down a whole bowl, the emperor chuckled with satisfaction, "Zhongqing won the battle and will be returning to the imperial court soon. Before he left, he entrusted you to my care. When he comes back, I have to return him a complete nephew."