In early spring and February, when the smoke willow was Fusu, Concubine Xin took care of all the household affairs in King An's mansion.

Her luggage was also packed and piled on the big kang in the east wing. Together with Chu Zhaohui and his four seasons clothes and tent bedding, Lin Lin has a total of twenty or thirty burdens, which are like a hill.

The antiques and treasures in the room, celebrity calligraphy and paintings, have all been handed over to the old housekeeper to count and then put into the warehouse, only the kang table is still placed with a cloisonné enamel navy blue dendrobium, which is sparsely inserted with a few silver willows.

Looking around the empty room again, looking at the place that carried too many memories of herself, Concubine Xin couldn't tell what it was like in her heart. She quietly closed the door, entered the palace with Mingzhu, and went to Shoukang Palace again to bid farewell to the Queen Mother.

After carefully inquiring about the current situation in King An's mansion, and knowing that Concubine Xin handled it in an orderly manner, the Queen Mother patted the back of her hand wordlessly, and sighed softly: "Everyone has their own ambitions, go with peace of mind." ”

Mama Bai sent a thousand taels of silver to the ceremony, and looking at Concubine Xin's resignation, the Queen Mother said abruptly: "The mourning family knows that you are not short of these things, and you always have a little heart for the mourning family, so keep it." ”

Concubine Xin smiled and thanked her, and really accepted the silver.

The Empress Dowager called Mingzhu up again and said solemnly: "You have followed Zhaohui for many years, and it is hard to believe that you have to stay in the border city with her now." Don't say much about the mourning family, please take care of her diet and daily life. ”

In a panic, Mingzhu hurriedly knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said, "The Queen Mother's words are going to torture the slaves." The slave and maid are the people who serve the lady closely, so naturally where the lady is, the slave and maid are there. ”

"Good girl", the queen mother praised from the bottom of her heart, and ordered Mama Bai to give a pearl.

After inquiring about the itinerary carefully, I knew that Concubine Xin had set the road on the 13th day of February in the old calendar, and the Queen Mother frowned and pondered for a long time, and said: "The mourning family is not worried that you, a weak woman, only bring some slaves on the road, let's do this, this time the officials of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry will also go to the border city, you go with them, and you will have a good response along the way." ”

In addition to the military rations and silver in the spring and summer, together with the Shangyuan Festival poetry meeting, the donations of a number of wealthy dignitaries for the soldiers in the border city have also been converted into military supplies, and they will also be brought to the border city.

The Ministry of Industry was led by Song Weiyuan himself, with a team of experts in agriculture and construction carefully selected by him, who wanted to investigate the large area of idle land between the city and the border city.

On the orders of Emperor Chongming, they took selected wheat, corn, and barley seeds, and sowed them in the barren land around the border city, waiting for them to take root and sprout.

Some time ago, after Emperor Chongming showed Murong Peng's excerpts to Tang Ge Lao and Song Weiyuan, Song Weiyuan tried his best to reconsider, and on the basis of the original, he also proposed that the border city was on the high terrain, and he could try to plant barley in Tibet.

If the border city is successfully sown, it will be a major event for the benefit of the entire Xixia. Song Weiyuan sent out to ask Emperor Chongming to allow him to go on this trip.

As a result, a long convoy of horses and horses was ready to set off on 13 February.

Concubine Xin felt inconvenient at first, but after thinking about the mountains and rivers in the border city, as well as her own carts full of luggage, she still followed the advice of the queen mother.

It was the spring flowers, catkins like smoke, Concubine Xin and Mingzhu left the palace of King An under the old housekeeper and several old servants, she stood under the tall ginkgo tree in front of the door and stopped to look back, looking at the plaque on the tall lintel.

After leaving the capital where I have lived for nearly 20 years, I don't know if I can come back after this trip.

Gathering with the officials of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry at the Shili Long Pavilion, Concubine Xin deliberately arrived early and said goodbye to several old friends who knew each other, quite a little mixed feelings.

Concubine Xu Xian and Concubine Meng Shu personally sent her outside the city, got off at the Shili Long Pavilion, and folded willows for each other.

Concubine Meng Shufei choked up and said: "Sister Xin take care all the way, stay with Mrs. An Guo for a while, persuade her to change her mind, you will still come back, and everyone will take care of each other." ”

The same person does not have the same fate, looking at the two graceful and luxurious harem concubines in front of him, and then thinking back to the days when he was a slave and a maid in Rentai Palace together, it is already like a world away.

A sincere smile spread across Concubine Xin's face and she hugged them separately.

There was jealousy and resentment earlier, but now it is gone.

She raised the corners of her lips lightly and smiled sincerely: "Two sisters don't have to worry. The arsenic frost of A and the honey of B, it may not be bad to leave the capital, I actually yearn for the snow-capped mountains and desert scenery, and I also want to see our good sons and daughters of Xixia, after all, it is the longest place where the general has stayed. ”

Asking what is the situation in the world is a promise of life and death.

Xu and Second Concubine Meng both knew that Concubine Xin was still a virgin now, but when they heard her mention Su Rui, they were still so affectionate, and they really didn't know whether to be happy or sad for her. Only hugged her thin body tightly, and was reluctant to part for a long time.

Mrs. Zhou also brought two maidservants to see her off, each of whom was carrying a navy blue doro-tweed bag, and one of them was carrying a delicate bamboo grate food box.

She smiled softly at Concubine Xin: "I don't know what to send, I just have time to make a few sets of cotton clothes for Mrs. Anguo, talk about your heart, please transfer it on your behalf, and tell Mrs. that the border city is bitterly cold, please take care of her." ”

Then he pointed to the box and said, "Some snacks prepared by the concubine are carefully roasted over low heat, and it is not a problem to leave them for five or seven days." The concubine is bored on the road, so it is good to use it to play time. ”

Concubine Xin gave Mrs. Zhou a shallow stroke, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips: "Mrs. Labor is bothered again, and I can't help it." The flowers and plants sent the day before yesterday had a lot of trouble for Mrs. Lao. ”

Zhou Ruosu's eyes flashed with a sparkle of crystal, nodded with a smile and agreed, and ordered someone to put the burden and suitcase on the car first.

When Concubine Xin went, the most reassuring thing was most of the flowers and plants planted by Chu Zhaohui. She was afraid that the florists in the house would not take good care of her, so she had already sent it to the Zhou Mansion in person and asked Zhou Ruosu to take proper care.

Mrs. Zhou and Chu Zhaohui were originally married because of flowers, and the dozens of pots of flowers and plants brought by Concubine Xin included Mo Lan that Mrs. Zhou sent to King An's mansion that year. Thinking of the grace of maintenance in the past, Zhou Ruosu's tears couldn't help it, and gently wet her eyelashes.

was afraid of adding to the sadness of Concubine Xin's parting, she raised her head lightly and said to Concubine Xin: "Don't worry, I will take care of Mrs. Xin's flowers and plants, no matter when Mrs. comes back, the flowers will still bloom." ”

The two said goodbye, Concubine Xin's eyes were affectionate, she swept over everyone one by one, and took the lead in boarding the black-painted nanmu carriage with the curtain raised by the maid.

Mingzhu, wearing a snow-blue Hangzhou silk cloak, stood on the other side of the carriage, smiled lightly at everyone, bent down to say goodbye, and then boarded Concubine Xin's carriage.