"Niangniang, please try this, this is a specialty of our northern Xinjiang, and you can't see it anywhere else." Meng Boqin's wife didn't know if it was really sick, or she felt that Sheng Weiqiao was too young to go out in person, in short, the people who came to Changting to greet her were headed by Meng Jiayuan's wife Peng, she explained that her mother-in-law occasionally felt cold during this time, and she had not yet recovered, and she was afraid that she would be sick to Sheng Weiqiao, so she did not appear.

Peng's is four years older than Meng Jiayuan, and now she is over thirty years old, probably because of the bitter cold in northern Xinjiang, she looks far less young and delicate than a noble woman of Chang'an's age, and there are obvious lines on her face that was forcibly wiped out by fat powder.

The appearance of dresses, jewelry, and hairstyles are also outdated in the eyes of Chang'an people, and there are really not many noblewomen's style, and when they are put in Chang'an City, eighty percent will be considered to be the housekeeper of the down-and-out noble family, and the steward of the legitimate family is more bright than her.

However, her background is not small: her grandfather is General Zhou's deputy, Peng Pei. It was also General Zhou who followed the holy decree and killed himself, and single-handedly appeased the dignitaries of the Northern Frontier Army.

At that time, Xu Zijing rose from the ranks and was promoted to the commander of the Northern Xinjiang Army all the way, and he was supported by the old lady Sheng at the beginning, and he was inseparable from Peng Pei's strong support in the middle and later periods.

Later, because the battle between King Gaomi and the Meng clan spread to the army, Xu Zijing was summoned to the court, appointed as an official, and removed from military power.

There is gossip that the reason why Meng Boqin was able to become the commander of the Northern Xinjiang Army was not because his talent was better than Zhao Shi, but because he let his eldest son marry Peng Pei's granddaughter, which made Peng Pei, who was originally a bowl of water between him and Zhao Shi, deviate towards him.

So although Peng Pei had passed away a few years ago, Peng's position in the Meng family was still stable.

At this moment, she smiled generously, not ashamed of herself because of her ordinary appearance and outdated dress, and greeted Sheng Weiqiao enthusiastically and not flatteringly, "The courtiers asked the doctor before, this thing is beneficial to the fetus, and the pregnant women here in Northern Xinjiang will probably eat more!" When a courtier is pregnant! ”

He also recommended to Xuan Yu Feng, "The old lady might as well try this cup of stewed pheasant with mountain ginseng, the pheasant was just caught by the soldiers, and the mountain ginseng was also freshly harvested here, which is the most nourishing qi." ”

She was not the only female dependant of the Meng family to greet this time, compared to her enthusiasm, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties with her was extremely silent, and a little puzzled.

The aunt and nephew exchanged pleasantries with Peng's for a while, but she didn't make a sound, Sheng Weiqiao and Xuanyu Feng's also returned, Quan Dang didn't pay attention, Peng's saw it, he frowned a little, took advantage of the opportunity, and coughed dryly: "Fifth brother and sister, are you uncomfortable?" ”

“…… No! The fifth brother and sister was Meng Jiaqian's wife, Fu Shi, who was shocked when she heard this, and hurriedly raised the wine bottle and said, "I'm stupid and can't speak, I'm afraid that as soon as I open my mouth, I will disturb the interest of several of you, Wan Wanghaihan!" ”

said that he punished himself three times to make amends.

This Fu family has a beautiful appearance and fair skin, at this moment, because there are screens on all sides of the long pavilion to block the wind and snow, and there is a stove to keep warm, it is not cold, and all the ladies have untied their clothes.

She showed a green-bottomed cormorant flower narrow-sleeved jacket, with a goose yellow chebula exposed on the placket, a white jade gold box peacock peony middle and wide female belt at the waist, and a water-colored Rui cloud pattern Liuxian skirt under the outfit, lined with a hollow silk lotus hairpin on the cross bun, there is a feeling of jasper in Chang'an.

At this moment, the eyes are full of fear, and they are becoming more and more moving.

"Madame Fu doesn't have to be formal." Sheng Weiqiao looked at her and said with a smile, "I see that Mrs. Fu has a sad look in her eyes, but are you worried about General Meng?" ”

Fu Shi showed a look of shame: "Vice General Meng's family has been crying outside the house recently, he is the only son in the family, raised by the widowed mother and grandfather and grandmother, and now the widowed mother and grandmother are still there, with three daughters and a son under his knees, and the son is the youngest, and he still doesn't know life and death." I...... Ah, a courtier...... The courtier's heart ......"

Noticing Peng's frowning and warning glance, she lowered her head and rubbed the corners of her clothes, and stopped silently.

When Sheng Weiqiao heard this, the corners of her mouth twitched, she didn't know if this Fu Shi said this, was it really naïve and ignorant, or was it deliberately at odds with Meng Jiaqian and his wife?

Whatever the case may be, however, this is out of place.

After all, Meng Jiaqian's future is now bleak, and at this time, Fu, as the wife of the knotted hair, does not care about her husband's future, but pities Meng Cheng's family, or in front of the daughters of the family's political enemies...... Although Meng Cheng was indeed wronged, from Fu's standpoint, it was very suspicious of turning his elbow outward.

"The Si people are gone, and there is no way to get it back." Sheng Weiqiao then smiled and said, "Instead of dwelling on it, it is better to think about how to deal with the aftermath and do your best to settle the family so that Vice General Meng under Jiuquan can turn a blind eye." Mrs. Fu, did you say? ”

Fu said timidly: "What Niangniang said is true." ”

Peng said with a smile: "Niangniang, the New Year is coming soon, I heard that after the New Year in Chang'an, the excitement of the Lantern Festival is the crown of the world, I don't know what it looks like?" Can you tell us about it? ”

directly diverted the topic, and then did not give Fu a chance to speak.

Sheng Weiqiao couldn't tell what was going on with Fu, and of course he wouldn't take the initiative to talk to her again. So he talked about the customs and customs of northern Xinjiang with Peng's Lantern Festival from the Lantern Festival in Chang'an, and finally told Peng about the recent situation of the Meng people...... Maybe Peng knew that Sheng Weiqiao had a good relationship with Empress Meng, so she asked a few more questions about the queen's appearance, temperament and preferences, and finally sighed with emotion: "We have always been in northern Xinjiang, and we haven't asked this aunt to say hello until now!" ”

"The queen also misses you very much." Sheng Weiqiao said with a smile, "When I was still in Chang'an, I entered the palace to meet you, and I heard her mention you several times!" ”

After greeting each other for a while, Lu Shiyu over there was Meng Jiayuan, Meng Jiaqian and Meng Jiaxing...... Meng Jiaxing is the second son of Meng Boqin, the same age as Meng Jiayuan, only a few days younger than Meng Jiayuan, he escorted the Peng family and the Fu family.

Originally, he came, Peng and Fu were also here, and his wife should also come.

However, Mrs. Qiu happened to give birth to a daughter not long ago, and now she is still in confinement, and she can't blow the wind.

The man ate and drank almost here, and asked his subordinates about the banquet on the woman's side, so he sent someone to ask Sheng Weiqiao for instructions, should he withdraw from the seat and board the car now and leave for the city?

Sheng Weiqiao also chatted with Peng's and Fu's families, and saw that he couldn't get more news, so he naturally nodded.

So at the time of the lantern on this day, the carriage finally stopped under the plaque of the Huaihua General's Mansion after a long journey.

Zhao Shi, who had already received the news, changed into a new suit and sat in the main hall of the mansion, waiting for Sheng Weiqiao.

may be because Zhao Shi is just a person in northern Xinjiang and does not bring his family, his general's mansion is said to be a mansion, but in fact, the place is very small, but it is just a courtyard with three entrances and three exits, which is not as good as many rich families nowadays.

It is snowy this season, and I can't see whether the rockery pond in the courtyard has any carefully carved mysteries, but from the details such as the cloister, the hanging flower door, the railing, and the beauty, this mansion is very ordinary.

Zhao Shi, who was smiling in the hall, was also dressed ordinarily.

His appearance is similar to what Sheng Weiqiao imagined, saying that he is a general, but in fact, he is still a scholar infiltrated by the Zhao family's poetry and books.

"Good boy, you've worked hard all the way." Zhao Shi has a very kind attitude towards Sheng Weiqiao, and seems to not mind the entanglement between his youngest daughter Zhao Taocheng and Sheng Weiqiao and Rong Sleeping Crane at all.

Sheng Weiqiao was a little confused about this tiger skin, although she had heard from Zhao Bao a few days earlier that Zhao Shi had consulted a group of very unreliable subordinates in order to give her a meeting gift, but she didn't expect that his final choice would be like this...... Uh, different?

“…… It was bitterly cold here in northern Xinjiang, and there were not many things suitable for my daughter's family. Zhao Shi saw that she couldn't cry or laugh, and was a little embarrassed, so she explained helplessly, "I came alone before, and I didn't have a wife and daughter by my side, so I never paid attention to this kind of thing." I hunted this tiger skin with my own hands, thinking that even if you are not suitable for using it, but the child in your belly, maybe you can use it? ”

"Uncle misunderstood!" Sheng Weiqiao hurriedly said, "You know, I am from Nanfeng County, Nanfeng County is lush and warm all year round, even if it is three or nine days, it is enough to wear a jacket, so I haven't seen Qiu Yi much since I was a child." It's the first time I've seen such a good tiger skin! ”

Zhao Bao next to him said with a smile: "This is actually a coincidence between the princess of the county and the little prince, the lord has gone out to hunt in person every winter in recent years, but he can only hunt some small beasts such as rabbits and foxes." But this year, I actually shot a mountain tiger that was very hungry and wanted to attack our mount, and it happened to be an arrow through the eye, and it didn't hurt the skin at all! ”

"It's like it's specially prepared for the mother!"

Sheng Weiqiao didn't know if this was true or false, so he couldn't help but speculate in his heart again: "Before, my aunt asked Ah Xi to say something about the auspicious signs in the north and the extraordinary origin of the heirs, at this time, this uncle has not hunted beasts for many years, but when I came, he got an intact tiger skin...... Is this a coincidental unintentional statement, or is it deliberately done in accordance with the lies made up by my aunt? ”

Of course, she hopes for the latter, which means that it is a matter of course to ask Zhao Shi to send troops to the western Xinjiang to relieve the siege of Yizhou.

However, at this time, Zhao Shi's temperament has not yet been figured out, although Sheng Weiqiao is eager to know his true thoughts, it is not easy to take the liberty of asking, so he can only say a few words of thanks to Zhao Shi with a smile, and accompany him to recall the years and relatives in Chang'an.

Because it was not early when I entered the house, I talked for a while and had a family banquet.

After Zhao Shi accompanied Sheng Weiqiao and Mrs. Feng to the family banquet, he sat down for a while, and expressed hospitality such as "Uncle's house is your home, just live, live casually, don't be polite" and other hospitality, and said goodbye to them, saying that they were going to the barracks to inspect.

Of course, this is an excuse, in fact, because Xuan Yu Feng and Sheng Weiqiao are both female dependents, and Zhao Shi's wife, daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law are not here, if they live together, it is easy to cause gossip, in order to avoid suspicion, he gave up the mansion and went to the military camp to spend the night.

Sheng Weiqiao and Xuanyu Feng also knew this, and after Zhao Shi left, the subordinates from the General's Mansion led them to the guest room, waved them back, and gathered together to discuss: "Ming'er asked Ah Xi to go out and take a look, see if there is a suitable house to buy, and then buy some servants to call." Otherwise, I always want this uncle to make room for us, which is embarrassing. ”

Xuan Yu Feng nodded: "If General Huaihua doesn't stop you, you can have a reason to move towards the layout of auspiciousness." ”

They didn't know that at this moment, Zhao Baozheng was standing in front of Gongsun Xi, and told with a smile: "Since Niangniang and the old lady have entered this mansion, you naturally don't have to worry about safety." If you think you can hold on, why don't you come with the old slave, and then talk to our master? ”

Of course, Zhao Bao's invitation came from Zhao Shi's instructions, because Zhao Shi still suspected that Gongsun Xi had Rong Sleeping Crane's instructions and planned to meet the titular Princess Mizhen County guard in person.

However, Gongsun Xi didn't know it, but he didn't plan to leave his post without permission.

No matter whether Zhao Bao was bitter or soft, hard and soft, or secretly threatened, he was indifferent, and he had to stay outside the guest house.

Zhao Bao had no choice, so he had to tell Zhao Shi ashamedly: "The old slave is incompetent, and he failed to invite the guard over!" ”

"They just came, and my mansion is inconspicuous, so it's normal to be uneasy." Zhao Shi was calm, and in turn comforted the old servant, "After a few days, this guard knows the safety of our mansion, and he is willing to leave if he wants to...... Mi Zhen found a good guard for his princess, and she was a caring person. If he had left my niece and daughter-in-law as soon as he heard you, I would have to question Mizhen's eyesight. Speaking of which, I didn't think it through, and I shouldn't have called you to call him in such a hurry. ”

So the master and servant decided to wait calmly.

This is three days, on this day, Zhao Shi is thinking about the degree of defense of his mansion has been shown to Gongsun Xi almost, can talk privately, who knows, before he could send Zhao Bao to pass on Gongsun Xi, Sheng Weiqiao, who was impatient, took the initiative to come to the door!