The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 72 It’s hard to meet again after a long separation

On the early morning of the first day of October, Chonghua Square was extremely lively, whether it was Xihua Temple in the southeast corner, Jingle Temple in the southwest corner, Jingxing Temple next to the east gate, or Daqin Temple in the square, Chang'an The morning drums had just sounded, and believers were arriving one after another in front of the gates everywhere - the incense in Xihua Temple was to celebrate the birthday of Emperor Donghuang, the bells in Jingle Temple and Jingxing Temple were to hold the salvation ceremony, and As the largest Zoroastrian Temple in Chang'an, going to the Holy Fire Altar of Daqin Temple to pray in the early morning is a daily compulsory task for many believers.

Beside the four gates of the square, there are already oxcarts waiting in line. Many of the carts are loaded with five-color paper and other items. They are all Tang residents who have rushed outside the city to visit the tombs.

Deep in the small street, the Kudi family’s ox cart has been hitched. Xinquan took inventory of the things prepared in the trunk of the car again and nodded secretly: He is much more particular than in previous years! Alang is now also a man who has to go to the Ministry of War every day to handle errands. After entering the officialdom, he should comfort his ancestors. Speaking of which, it turns out that the old master is still a seventh-grade Yunqi Lieutenant in the Sui Dynasty. If it weren’t for the cockfighting that destroyed all his family property and became a bad man. In order to lose their reputation, three generations of the Kudi family have been officials. How did they end up in the land they are in now? It's finally okay now. Although Alang is still just recording things, Fangzheng, who used to be so arrogant and made things difficult for him and almost asked Alang to build the city wall, didn't he have to stop and say hello to Alang when he saw him these past two days? If Alang can do well, he might even be able to become an official in the future, and that would truly honor his ancestors!

Thinking of this, he looked at his brand new indigo jacket again, and a satisfied smile appeared on Xinquan's face. There was a sound of footsteps inside the door, and Aye, who was also wearing new clothes, poked his head and asked Xinquan, "Are you here yet?"

Xinquan smiled and said, "How long has the gate been open? How can it be so fast? Madam and Alang are too impatient." As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a horse neighing from the alley, and a carriage turned into the small street. , galloped all the way over. Looking at the two big jujube horses getting closer and closer, Xinquan and Aye both opened their mouths and forgot to close them.

In the upper room of Cudi's house, Coral was looking at the sky outside the window impatiently, muttering, "Didn't I say she came as soon as the door opened? The whole family is waiting for her, what a big show!"

Kudi Yanzhong glanced at her coldly, and Mrs. Cao also hurriedly pulled the coral, which was no longer the same as before. In the past six months or so, the family has suffered so much trouble, and Kudi Yanzhong has never complained about Liuli. Ever since he got the letter from the Wu family yesterday, he has become even more restless. It can be seen that in his eyes now, the coral and Qinglin combined are not as important as a Liuli. Although he does not know the specific reason, he can also guess that Kudi Yanzhong suddenly went to attend the beginning of the year. That little **** who was a foreign official actually succeeded in one fell swoop not long ago, and the reason behind it was probably Liuli - I don't know what kind of good luck that little **** had, to win the attention of a noble! Why don't you feel angry or resentful in your heart? But the situation is stronger than the people, so we can't say we have to act by ear.

Qinglin was smiling and full of curiosity. Because there was no decent village school in Chonghuafang, he lived in his uncle's house for a long time when he was five years old. He was educated together with his cousins ​​from the Cao family. He would only come back during the holidays. For I only have a vague impression of that eldest sister. I heard that she was taken in by the wife of Duke Ying’s mansion. I wonder what she will look like now.

The whole family was busy with their own thoughts and remained silent for a moment, until they heard Ah Ye's urgent voice outside the door, "Auntie is back!"

Kudi Yanzhong suddenly sat up straight and glanced at Hualu's face, "Take Qinglin and pick up your sister at the door!"

Color's eyes widened in surprise. Just when she was about to say something, Cao had already pushed her and whispered, "Go quickly, don't make her angry."

Colorful stood up reluctantly and walked out slowly. Qinglin wanted to run out, but when he saw his sister's face, he restrained himself and followed Coral in an orderly manner. As soon as the two of them walked down the steps, they saw a group of people walking in. The one in the middle was Liuli, whom they hadn't seen for a long time, accompanied by an unfamiliar maid.

At first glance, she looked quite different from a year ago, and her dress was not necessarily that luxurious. She was covered with a beige brocade cloak, and underneath was a dark blue six-piece skirt with **** patterns all over the floor, and her hair was pulled up. She wore a double bun with only a jasper jade stick on her head. The color was plain, but it reflected her erect figure, her skin was as good as snow, and she had an indescribable nobility. She looked like she was an official woman. Even the maid next to her was wearing plain clothes, but at a glance it was obvious that they were all fine silk.

Hualu was stunned for a moment, and then bit her lower lip tightly. She looked at the white jacket and green skirt she had put on because she was going to pay homage to the tomb. The color was generally plain, but she looked like it was not as good as the ones around her. maid? Mrs. Cao forgot all about her instructions for a moment, and all she could think of was the hardships her family had gone through over the past year—she was going to enjoy the blessings! He couldn't help but sneer, "Sister, long time no see, you are indeed getting more impressive."

Liuli glanced at her from head to toe and smiled softly, "Thank you for the compliment, Coral. I haven't seen you for a year, but you haven't changed at all."

When this smile and these words fell on Coral's ears, there was an indescribable feeling of discomfort, as if someone had lightly stepped on the ground. However, there was no fault in every word. After a pause, she said, "I can't compare to you." Good luck."

Liuli lowered his eyes and smiled, "What I'm saying is that it's Liuli's blessing to be favored by noble people." He lowered his head and saw Qinglin blinking at him. He hadn't seen her in almost two years, but the seven-year-old Qinglin was getting more and more excited. Like Kudi Yanzhong, he also has a delicate appearance. When he saw Liuli looking at him, he smiled and said: "Sister."

Liuli smiled and said, "Qinglin has grown so big. My sister has a gadget, you can play with it." After saying that, he took out a small purse from his sleeve and handed it to Qinglin. , Qinglin saw that the purse was very delicately embroidered, and he felt something hard inside, so he thanked her hurriedly, and smiled even more cheerfully.

 Handling was so choked up by Liuli's two words that he couldn't even get fit. Seeing Qinglin's appearance again, he couldn't help but glare at his brother hatefully. But at this moment, no one seemed to notice her expression, and Liuli only asked, "Is grandpa in the bedroom?"

 Color then remembered that she was here to greet this sister. She became more and more depressed and said coldly, "Of course, the whole family has been waiting for you for a long time."

Liuli couldn't help laughing, "My sister's words are getting more and more interesting. It's only been half a quarter of an hour since the gate was opened. Do you think my daughter can fly from the sky?" After saying that, he ignored her suppressed red face and went to Go to the room and leave.

Kudi Yanzhong's face became a little gloomy as he listened to the commotion outside. Mrs. Cao also secretly thought something bad in her heart. As soon as Liuli entered the door, she simply stood up and took two steps to greet her, "Auntie, I haven't seen you for more than a year, and I feel more and more depressed."

Liuli nodded and smiled, and saluted Kudi Yanzhong, "Liuli has met my grandpa, how are you always?" He then blessed Cao, "My dear mother, good luck."

Kudi Yanzhong had put on a smile on his face, nodded and said, "Everything is fine." Mrs. Cao said hurriedly, "Your grandfather has been recorded by the Ministry of War a few days ago. He has been very busy recently, but he is in good health. ”

Liuli already knew about this, but she still smiled and said congratulations. While Cao was looking at her, she glanced at the maid behind her. She saw that her hands were all empty, and she felt so disappointed. She rolled her eyes and smiled. He said, "I haven't seen you for more than a year, but why do you look a little taller? You can hardly recognize the majesty of your whole body! You look good, I think life in the house over there will be smooth, Madam They treat you very well..."

Liuli smiled and said, "Liuli is taking care of me, so naturally she looks better than when she was at home."

Mrs. Cao opened her mouth, but suddenly she couldn't say a word that she had planned. Kudiyanzhong laughed and stood up, "Let's go. I didn't expect you to come so fast. Now you are out of the city." It’s not too late to go.”

Liuli also changed the topic, "I thought the road was crowded today, but fortunately the original door of Duke Ying's mansion leads to the outside of the square, so I let my daughter go out before the morning drum sounded."

When the group arrived at the door, they looked up and saw the green oil truck pulled by the big horse. They were stunned. Liuli smiled and said, "This car is quite spacious. Please get in the car, please." Mr. Cao's face suddenly showed a happy look, this Cars were originally owned by noble families. She had seen them countless times, but she had never ridden in them! Busy and quietly gave Huan a hand, asking her to say something so that she could join him.

Kudi Yanzhong's expression changed at first, and after thinking about it, he smiled and said, "I am used to riding in an oxcart. It would be better for your concubine to accompany me on the oxcart. The little Qinglin is not afraid of bumps, so just let me Qinglin and you will follow us in this car."

Ms. Cao was immediately discouraged and looked at Liuli longingly, expecting her to persuade her a little more so that he could play a role. Unexpectedly, Liuli glanced at her, turned around and smiled at Kudi Yanzhong, "My daughter obeys. "

Qinglin was originally a discerning child. Although it was a bit novel to ride in a carriage for the first time, he did not dare to act recklessly towards this strange elder sister. He only looked out a few times. On the other hand, in the car behind them, Cao and Hualu were full of resentment. They felt that the oxcart they were used to riding in seemed particularly old and cramped today, and they didn't like it no matter how they looked at it. Ms. Cao then scolded Xinquan, who was driving the car, for not packing up the car. Qingquan was filled with grievances and did not dare to reply. Instead, Kudi Yanzhong said calmly: "Don't you love the spaciousness the most? Now you have a headache and you have room to lie down." Well, what else is unsatisfactory?”

Cao's chest couldn't help but feel tight. Although they were all equally spacious, the taste would be the same if the little **** was driven out of the car and walked behind, while she was riding in a bullock cart, while she was sitting in a more luxurious carriage behind. What?

Huayang Kudi's cemetery is ten miles west of Chang'an City. It only takes an hour to get there from Yanping Gate. Seeing that there is no road ahead, both the ox cart and horse carriage stopped. Qingquan went to the back of the cart and unloaded two large buckets of five colors. Paper money, candles, fruits and other items came down and were carried on the shoulders, and then they saw the maid with a glass belt also carrying a basket of gold and silver paper foils.

At this time, the wild grass in the countryside was half dry, and from time to time, green smoke could be seen rising from the graves in various cemeteries. It took a group of people a cup of tea to reach the ground. Liuli was slightly surprised. In front of her was a fairly large cemetery. There was a Shinto passage leading to the main tomb after entering the door. Beside the Shinto passage stood two pairs of stone sheep and horses, both of which were in an extremely primitive style. There were two tall blocks near the tomb. The writing on the stone tablet is clearly legible. Next to the main tomb, there are tombs of different specifications standing one after another.

Qingquan was busy lighting incense and candles in front of the tomb, placed offerings, and put down a few futons. Kudi Yanzhong took the lead, and Cao, Liuli and others knelt down in turn. Kudi Yanzhong muttered something while slowly burning the paper money.

Mrs. Cao saw Liuli taking another basket of paper foils from the hand of the maid. She looked very delicate, and felt a blockage in her heart: She had even thought of this, but she didn't want to do anything about this family!

After ritually burning the paper, kowtowing, and tidying up the front and back of the tomb, a few people stood up and walked to the back, worshiping in front of the curtain of Kudi Yanzhong's grandparents and parents. The last tomb was , Huo Ran is An's. Liuli couldn't help but feel sad for a while, and knelt down silently, thinking in her heart: "I didn't mean to take over your daughter's body. I guess it might not be a bad thing for her to leave. I don't know if your daughter is with you now. I hope you can There will be blessings in the next life, and I will live well for her in this life."

Seeing that the last bits of paper foil had turned into smoke, Liuli slowly stood up and walked out without bothering to look at the reluctant expressions of Cao and Hualu who were kneeling aside.

There were no words all the way back. When they arrived at the door of Kudi's house, before noon, Liuli got out of the car to say goodbye, and asked Ani to take out the package that had been prepared in the car. Cao's eyes suddenly lit up, Kudi Yanzhong said, "Liuli, come in with me. I have something to ask you."

Liuli had no choice but to let A Ni wait by the car, and then followed Ku Di Yanzhong to the upper room of the house. Ku Di Yanzhong was silent for a moment, then said, "Have you seen Pei Sheren recently?"

Liuli shook her head. Kudi Yanzhong looked a little disappointed and sighed, "If you can see Shiren, tell him that even your concubine has never said what he said. Please rest assured that my colleagues in the Ministry of War are very worried now." I am very grateful for taking care of me, and I will definitely be cautious and diligent in the future. Besides, what he said..." He glanced at Liuli hesitantly. Liuli calmly stopped his words, "My daughter knows what grandpa means, but we can't push this matter." If she hadn't been too clear about what her father had in mind, she would probably be a little grateful. ? It's a pity that he didn't have anything to do with him in his inner plan.

Ku Diyanzhong said seriously, "What can't be said about the important matter of marriage? Pei Sheren, the legitimate son of a famous family, has a bright future now. It is a great blessing for you to marry him. Now my father's affairs are settled." , It’s time to get your affairs started. If he hadn’t told me not to leak the news, I would have done it for you!”

Liu Li thought to herself, I really believe this. You probably want to pack me up and deliver me to his door right away. Don't worry. She couldn't tell whether she was angry or funny, so she could only say, "Don't worry, Grandpa, Pei Sheren once said, He had plans years ago.”

Kudi Yanzhong then looked relieved and nodded, "That's good. Speaking of which, Pei Sheren treats my family with great kindness and righteousness. Since you left, this family has been looking at our family with both noses and eyes. In August, the superiors recruited people to build the city wall, and they almost sent me there. I heard that the work was very hard. If the news from the Ministry of War had not come quickly, I would have only half of my life left! Not to mention the future you have today, if you become Pei's wife in the future, you must remember these kindnesses and abide by the rules of women, so as not to lose the face of my Kudi family. "

Liuli bowed her head expressionlessly and responded. After listening to him nagging for a few more words, she said, "My daughter has memorized what I said. Now that it's getting late, my daughter should respond to the Duke's office, so I will leave now."

Kudi Yanzhong said hurriedly, "When do you plan to come back to live? If you have to prepare for a marriage, it's not good for you to still live outside, right?"

Liuli said sternly, "Grandpa, my daughter is today thanks to the care of Madam and Zhaoyi. Now the old Madam is letting her get to know more officials and family members. I think they will come in handy in the future. My daughter How can I leave?"

Kudi Yanzhong nodded hurriedly, "This is business! You go now, I have the final say in matters at home."

Liuli then bowed and left. Suddenly she saw a figure moving outside the window. She sneered in her heart, raised the curtain and walked out.

Seeing Liuli's figure disappearing at the door, Ms. Cao turned out from behind the pillar, her back molars clenched so hard that she still held Liuli's package in her hand: the four pieces of fabric inside were actually excellent thick silk. The quality of the clothes was completely different from those in the market at first glance, but two were in sauce color and two were dark green. They had no floral decoration at all and could only be worn by men. It was in vain that she was overjoyed! What's even more annoying is, how could this little **** have such good luck? The legitimate son of a famous family, who was still an official, wanted to marry her as his wife! He actually arranged such a decent job for Kudi Yanzhong! Even if she wants to find a slightly richer family, it will be difficult for her. Is this because God is blind?

 It doesn’t work! She must get to the bottom of this matter, and she can't let that little **** get her way like this!

After lowering her head and thinking for a long time, she put on a smile, walked into the upper room with the package in her arms, and said with a smile, "Auntie is really filial. You see, the materials are chosen to match you perfectly. I thought it would be best to make two winter robes." It’s appropriate.”

Kudi Yanzhong was in a good mood at this time. After seeing the material, he nodded and smiled and said, "Let's make two clothes for Qinglin. I'm afraid it's just a tribute, and there's nowhere to buy it if you have money. He's in school, don't let others look down on him." Go."

Mrs. Cao suddenly felt something in her heart and laughed, "Qinglin is quite lucky." He added, "It's hard to be happy today. I'll ask Qingquan to go outside and get some 20 cents of wine at noon. Okay?"

　　…………

At the intersection of Huaiyuanfang, Liuli was waiting quietly on the carriage. After a while, Ani opened the curtain and walked in, "Madam, I have sent your gift to you. The lady likes it very much."

Liuli nodded. The package she prepared yesterday was originally for the An family. If it weren't for A Ni's words, she would never have thought of preparing a gift for the Kudi family. After all, she picked two colors of Cao's and Coral and used them anyway. Only those who don’t make it. Thinking of Mrs. Cao's eyes looking back as soon as they met, and the look in her eyes when she saw the package, she almost couldn't help but laugh.

A Ni said again, "The maid also transferred your words. The lady heard that it was you who gave it to me. She asked the maid for a long time, and she almost shed tears. She said again and again, you must go when you have time. Look at her."

Liuli couldn't help but sigh as she could imagine her aunt's appearance when she spoke. In fact, she originally planned to come to the door to give gifts, but from Ku Diyanzhong's words, she could tell that Mrs. Liu still had no intention of letting her go. At this moment, it was better for her not to come - this was why she had to leave the An family. Because of this, it won’t be too late to come and see you again when the dust settles.

Ani has been observing people for half a day, and she has gained some understanding in her heart. When she saw the package left in the car, she changed the subject and asked, "Madam, where else are we going?"

Liuli was slightly lost in thought, and then said after a while, "Changxingfang."

On a small street in Changxingfang, next to the east wall of General Su's Mansion, is a half-old courtyard. There is only the word "Pei Zhai" on the door plaque. The door is half open, and there seems to be a screen wall inside. I saw a tall jujube tree with its branches exposed from the roof. Most of its leaves had fallen off, but there were still a few scattered red dates hanging high on the treetop.

Liuli lifted up the curtain, looked at it silently for a long time, then turned around and whispered to Ani, "Go and deliver the things, just say..." After thinking for a long time, he sighed, "No need to say anything, just return as soon as you deliver them. If so, When asked, just say that you will know naturally if you open it. "You can't let A Ni tell you that I made the robe myself and the fur coat was a gift from Wu Zhaoyi, right?"

Ani looked at her strangely, but without saying anything, she walked down with the package in her arms, walked to the door and knocked on the door. Sure enough, an old man with a shrewd face came out and politely led her in.

Liu Li couldn't help but wonder if he was at home right now and might have gone to visit the grave. It is said that his parents should have been buried back to their ancestral home in Hedong, but his original wife's grave is probably still near Chang'an. According to the ceremony, he will be buried together when he enters the ancestral grave in the future... An inexplicable feeling suddenly surges in his heart. Emotions, I couldn't help but be crazy for a moment.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar gentle voice coming from outside the car, "Can you please get in the car and tell my aunt that I have received her kindness? Pei would like to thank her in person."

Liuli was shocked and came back to her senses. She suddenly felt a little at a loss and felt that she had been waiting for this moment. Seeing that the car curtain had been raised, Ani looked a little strange and said after a while, "Auntie, the owner of this house..." The owner of the house actually looked at her for a few times and then smiled and said, "Are you from the Wu Mansion? Is my aunt outside the door?" At that time, she could not say a word.

Liuli calmed down and nodded, "I understand." She stretched out her hand to straighten her dress, lowered her head and walked out of the carriage, holding Ani's hand and jumping out.

Pei Xingjian was standing three steps away from the carriage. He was wearing moon-white uniform. He seemed to be thinner than the last time he saw him, but his eyes were bright and his smile was as warm as ever. Liuli stared at him blankly, almost uncontrollably wanting to take two steps closer, but in the end she held it back and just stood by the car and smiled at him.

Pei Xingjian didn't seem to want to speak for a moment. He looked at Liuli and then smiled and said, "Thank you very much. That robe is so elegant that it's hard to replace it with ten thousand pieces of money. Pei is very grateful."

Liuli's heart moved slightly. He didn't even mention the fur coat. How could he afford such an expensive sable fur? As for the robe, it was naturally elegant and he didn't know how much effort he had put into it. He just liked it. Although there was a faint uneasiness tumbling in her heart, she really didn't want to think about those things at the moment. She just looked at his happy face and smiled.

A small box appeared in Pei Xingjian's hand like a magic trick, "A little thought, don't think it's cheap, ma'am." He took a step forward, his eyes became brighter and brighter.

Liuli smiled and turned to A Ni and nodded, and then A Ni stepped forward and took it in her hand.

Liuli looked at the face in front of her. Although she almost couldn't bear to look away, she knew that this was not the place to talk, and she really couldn't go to his home openly alone. She could only nod lightly, "I'm leaving first. take care."

Pei Xingjian was startled, silent for a moment, and then said softly, "In a few days, General Su's wife, Mrs. Yu, may pay a visit to the Wu Mansion. She has a straightforward temper, so you should take care of everything."

Su Dingfang’s wife wants to see him? Liuli's dejected mood suddenly turned into shock when she suddenly received the interview notice.

  p.s. Many thanks to my dear Marshmallow Shu, lanwindy and Xiaoxiaojie for the tip of Pink.

General Su Dingfang seems to be a villain in the romances of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but in fact his military achievements are no less than any famous generals of the Tang Dynasty. He once set a miracle of chasing down 20,000 Western Turkic troops with 500 cavalry, and twice defeated the 100,000 coalition troops with 8,000 Tang troops (Chapter 2). The second time he defeated the opponent, only 8,000 people remained) - and it was all done after he was in his 60s. It is said that Pei Xingjian was a late bloomer, but in fact Su Dingfang was also his master in this regard.

 (End of this chapter)