At some point, the snow began to fall, and it became heavier and heavier.

There was a thick layer of snow on the ground, and the roofs of the shops in the distance were as thick as a foot, and the wind blew, and the cold was biting, and even though it was daytime, the pedestrians on the road were gradually becoming scarcer, and there was no longer the morning, and there was also the sound of snoring.

At this time, the system learned from the Tang Kingdom now has a new meaning, reminding the people of Heianjing how far away from the dangerous night.

"Everyone, it's getting colder, drink a warm wine to make sure the heat is moderate. The liquor vendor shouted.

"Hey, hey, boss, let's have a bowl. A samurai shouted, wearing a long sword: "I can drink a liter, but I have to go back early!"

"Who doesn't go back early? Even if there are more than five nobles, dare to ride an ox-cart at night?" someone said casually.

"Yes, it was said that a hundred years ago, it wasn't like that. Someone else agreed, and suddenly stopped and looked at Pei Ziyun passing by.

There was silence in front of the liquor vendor, and although the young man in front of him looked like a samurai, his clothes were clean and neat, and he was not an ordinary samurai.

"Maybe it's a samurai from the Minister's family?"

At this time, the emperor supported the Taira clan, and Genji, although derived from one of the surnames given to him when the emperor's son was demoted to a vassal, defected to the Fujiwara family and fought against the emperor.

Both the emperor and the retainers used the samurai as pawns, and the samurai gradually rose through the ranks.

Pei Ziyun pondered: "The warrior just now should be polluted by demons and ghosts, although he was killed because of this, he was a little innocent, but he couldn't do it if he didn't kill him." ”

"As soon as I arrived in Heiankyo, there were demons and demons provoking me one after another, and this kind of goods came, could it be that it was just to provoke a fight between me and Heiankyo?"

Yes, Pei Ziyun had already guessed the reason why the other party did this.

It is not a useless provocation or temptation, but the other party should want to provoke the contradictions and hatred between himself and the Heiankyo nobles, so that he will be completely trapped in it like a quagmire, unable to extricate himself.

In this regard, he smiled contemptuously: "Do you really think that this kind of thing can make me scramble? If I change my thinking, what can you do to me?"

Thinking like this, his feet quickened, and soon appeared in front of a mansion, and with a smile, the man rolled over and disappeared into the falling snow.

And the two lines of footprints were also quickly covered by the falling snow, and there was no trace.

"It's so cold!" Taking advantage of the dusk, the coachman who was driving the ox cart back to the prince's mansion rubbed his hands, and let out a white breath, accompanied by a low complaint, appeared from time to time in the middle of the road.

The crunching snow, run over by the wheels, made a tooth-sore sound.

The oxen pulling the cart in front of them were not afraid of the cold, and they took steps that were neither fast nor slow, and pulled the cart steadily.

At this time, the coachman sincerely envied the prince who was sitting in the car, and if he could have a room for him to warm up without being blown by the wind and snow, how happy he was!

But looking at the poor people who occasionally died on the side of the road, I couldn't help but rejoice.

In Heiankyo, a person like himself who can serve the minister, although he is not as good as a person with an official position, or even as a samurai, he will not die quietly in this cold winter.

To be alive may be the greatest happiness.

The ox cart drove all the way, and the palace of the prince appeared in front of him, and not only the coachman who drove the cart was relieved, but also the samurai around him were also relieved.

"Your Highness is busy playing the main stage, and we will swear to die even if we work hard, but for that woman's words, every night is torment...... someone couldn't help but complain.

"Hugh is going to speak!" someone slapped the scabbard, and then fell silent, they were not coachmen, most of them were samurai attached to the prince, and they had fields and servants at home, and it was also a torture to go out in such weather.

But I didn't dare to complain about being the prince, and I slandered in my heart that I was restless and seduced the prince's Izumi Shikibu.

Although it is hidden from the outside world, it is covered up by Prince Zun's extramarital affair with Izumi Shikibu, but there are many people who know the inside story.

Although the princess and the prince have no children, the adopted son Fujiwara Ryotsune is the child of the Fujiwara family, and the adopted son will be in power in the future, and he will inevitably favor his adoptive mother.

"I'm afraid that even if I knew it now, I wouldn't have said it, but every time I think about it, I feel embarrassed. ”

"By then......"

Hey, it's a bit scary to let these samurai!

"Arrived?" When the ox cart stopped, the curtain was lifted, and Prince Wei glanced at it, and there was no joy on his face.

This appearance is not so much a return to the home, but a return to a comfortable but depressing cage.

But even if it is a cage, in this cold weather, it is more comfortable than staying in an ox cart.

Although there was an ox cart, Prince Weizun, who also felt cold, was blown by the cold wind when he leaned out, and immediately shivered.

"Let the door open!" said the prince in a deep voice, a little disgruntled.

In his own mansion, after he went out, Ju really closed the door, not thinking about how much he wanted to return to the warm room immediately after coming back in this weather.

How could such a mansion, such a princess, and such a group of servants make his heart settle down and not look for warmth outside?

Although the prince also knew that his thoughts were just anger, venting his long-standing dissatisfaction.

The door of the mansion is closed, this is because in recent years, Heianjing is not very peaceful, the door is not closed, and there is no male owner at home.

But when the heart is not happy, it is not pleasing to the eye.

When a servant heard the sound of the door and went to open the door, Prince Zun entered the door in a crowd, looking at the path that had been cleaned, and there was a new unhappiness.

"Even the snow on both sides of the road has been swept away, which is really unsightly!"

But thinking that although I went to Danzhengtai for a while, I just returned from my lover's house last night, and no matter how depressed I was, I couldn't have a seizure after entering the house, so as not to spread the news that I was not in agreement with the princess, and the Fujiwara family was powerful, and the prince could only endure what he wanted to say and walk towards his courtyard.

"Prince, aren't you going to see the princess?" greeted a female official who returned, and reminded at this time: "The princess was in a very bad mood last night and had a nightmare, and when she woke up, she asked you." ”

The prince hesitated, thinking of the embarrassment of both parties wanting to talk but having nothing to say every time he met each other, and shook his head: "No, I'm a little tired and want to take a break." ”

The prince said so, what could the female officer do, sighed, and left with a sad face.

In the prince's courtyard, the charcoal fire burned vigorously, and the house was as warm as spring.

The prince, who sat with his cheek on his back and looked out the window in a daze, thought of the happiness he had with Izumi Shikibu last night, and his heart was saddened.

The prince was twelve years old, and was announced by the prince, awarded the fourth grade, and the second grade of the later Jin, and the nine daughters of Natowara Yiyin were concubines, but there was no birth between the two, and under pressure, there was an adopted son, Fujiwara Ryotsune.

Although many Japanese people don't care too much about whether the heir is their own bloodline, and care more about inheritance, they don't have any children, not even a daughter, and this frustration has come from self-doubt, not just a luxury for future generations.

"Fujiwara Ryotsune, I think I can also raise an excellent man. ”

"But over the years of marriage, I have never had a son and a half daughter, and even I sometimes wonder if I have done something disgusting to the gods that has led to this result. ”

"It's hateful!" the prince sighed again, and even couldn't help but pound the ground on his side: "Is it because I can't have children, or is the princess unable to have children?"

"If I can't have children, I can only bear the punishment of angering the gods and not being able to lower the heir, but if the princess can't have children, why should I bear the criticism behind people's backs?"

The prince even thought of Izumi Shikibu, the other party has given birth to a child, which shows that there is no problem with Izumi Shikibu's body, if the other party can give birth to a child for him, does it mean that there is no problem with his body?

As a prince, there are also some people who can't accept the fact that they are a wasted person.

I just thought like this, I don't know when, the sky has gradually darkened, at this time, the female officer with a group of maids, brought a sumptuous meal, when they arrived at the courtyard, the branches of the tree swayed, and the snow fell, smashed the female officer, she sighed, annoyed to arrange her hair and clothes, turned her head in a blink of an eye, and the red light flashed in her eyes.

The maid went into the house and added a stove and served wine, and the prince was a little irritable: "Who asked you to bring wine, what I didn't command, you have to make your own decisions!"

The female official responded, bowed to the ground with both hands to apologize, and then raised her head, staring at the prince with a pair of clear eyes, seeing that it was her, the prince had no choice but to look away, and asked: "Xiao Sasa, why are you here?"

At the beginning, during the Asuka period, it was the custom of offering daughters to the emperor in various places, which belonged to a kind of hostage, and later evolved, that is, non-aristocratic women could not be female officials.

There are many female officials in the Imperial Palace, in fact, there are also Prince's Mansion, Inner Prince's Mansion, and Taizheng Taichen's family (Note 1), all of which are played by young ladies from aristocratic families, so of course they can't be too mean to female officials.

"Your Highness, the snow is heavy, the princess ordered the sweeping, and ordered me to come and serve Your Highness. As she spoke, she poured the wine, and according to the rules, even the prince should not say much about the distribution of the inner court (Note 2), although she felt a little strange, but there was no problem with this statement, and the prince was also a little hungry, so she did not plan to think about it, and was about to drink the wine cup, when someone outside the house suddenly laughed and said, "If it were me, I wouldn't drink." ”

"Who?!"

The sound startled the prince, and he immediately put down the cup, got up and looked out, and tried to back off, but it was too late, and the man jumped from the roof and landed at the door.

Even if he had only met him once, the prince immediately recognized the identity of the other party: "You are Shinichi Yamada!"

The person who came was none other than the young samurai I saw in Izumi Shikibu!

This person is handsome, and anyone who has seen it once will not easily forget it, but how could this person suddenly appear in his prince's mansion?

What is the other party here for? Is it to avenge his master, Tachibana Daozhen, for taking revenge for his wife, and to make trouble for himself?

The prince's expression changed drastically, and he was about to call out to the samurai.

Although at this time, the imperial court has shown a trend of decline, but as the second prince, there are still many samurai in the prince's mansion, and just as he was about to speak, he saw that Yamada Shinichi had already touched the hilt of the knife on his waist.

A chill hit his heart, and the prince was afraid in his heart, took a step back, and forced his composure: "What do you mean by this? Do you want to cause a big disaster for Tachibana Daozhen?"

"Shhhh The other party glanced at him playfully, and his eyes fell on the female officer who looked scared and trembling.