In the fourth year of the Showa Era, in the inner courtyard of the Ya Inner Courtyard of Beiping County, Jizhou, the Situ brothers and sisters, Duanmu Xuan, Li Sanlang, and the eight guards of the Iron Blood Guard, Mo Feng, Mo Yu, Chi Yu and Situ Yan's guards were eating the New Year's dinner together in the side hall.

The red lights outside the house were hanging high and the snow was flying, and the candles in the house were full of laughter, "I received a letter from Yu'er a few years ago, and I learned that she was all right, and I can let go of my heart!" Situ Jin thought a little about Gongsun Yu, after all, the two were separated by thousands of miles soon after they got married, and Gongsun Yu was still pregnant.

"Brother, my sister-in-law lives in Gongsun Mansion and is safest with Mr. Gongsun to protect her, so we can rest assured!"

"That's what I said, but when I think of Yu'er being pregnant, I can't calm down my heart!" Situ Yan was worried Situ Yan understood, but people were thousands of miles away, and no matter how worried they were, it would be useless. I can only persuade Situ to be cautious, don't let him worry too much and hurt his body.

"Zhongxian, although we are in the border city, but after tonight, Yan'er will be fifteen, and this etiquette can't be sloppy!" Duanmu Xuan didn't want to mention these at this time, so he glanced at Situ Yan and diverted the conversation.

"It should be so, my incompetent brother is unfilial to his parents, and helpless to his younger siblings, if he can't even do this little thing for Yan'er, what face will he have to see his mother under Jiuquan in the future!" Situ Jin also thought of something, although it is not possible to open an ancestral hall here and burn incense to worship ancestors, but there should still be a number of rituals.

Situ Yan was most annoyed by these cumbersome etiquettes, but she also knew that her brother was thinking about her like this, even if she was annoyed in her heart, she smiled indifferently on her face, "Brother." This city is not as good as Beijing, so it's better to keep everything simple! ”

"It's a pity that I can't open an ancestral hall to worship my ancestors, so how can I be simple. I have asked Mrs. Quanfu in the county town to tie Yan'er's hair! "Situ Jin has been prepared for a long time. Set up a sacrifice on the incense case, in addition to not opening the ancestral hall, the number of rituals is all thoughtful.

"Zhongxian, I played a plum hairpin, can you use my one for Ming'er's insertion!" Duanmu Xuan knew that Situ Jin also gave Situ Yan a hairpin, but he really hoped that his sweetheart would wear the hairpin he gave when he was in harmony. took out a brocade box from his side and put it in front of Situ Jin.

Situ couldn't help frowning, the eldest brother was like a father. There are no elders in Situ's mansion, and his brother is the same as his parents, his own sister and such important things. But he wants to use someone else's hairpin, and he has a little bit of a bad feeling in his heart. Situ Yan also knew that this was a war between two men, one was a relative and the other was a lover. She was caught in a dilemma.

Li Sanlang watched silently. He also made a hairpin, planning to give it to his little sister as a gift, but he was not so greedy, knowing that his gift could not be used during the ceremony, so he didn't care as much as Duanmu Xuan.

Looking at the silent Situ Jin, Duanmu Xuan was a little nervous, he didn't want to press his friend with his identity, but he sincerely hoped that his sweetheart could bring his hairpin and salute. Looking at the embarrassed two. Situ Yan also knew that she could only come forward in this matter.

"Brother, Brother Xuan, what's there to fight about. It's better to draw lots and see the will of heaven to do it! ”

"This is a good idea, if Ziheng doesn't draw you, you can't be angry!"

"Well, everything depends on the will of God!" Duanmu Xuan also thought it was a good idea. And the lottery will be handed over to Li Sanlang to do, Situ Yan looked at the two sealed and folded envelopes in the tray and felt a little nervous, in fact, the hairpin sent by the two was the same to her, but she herself couldn't tell where this tension came from.

Hesitantly, he picked up the envelope on the left and handed it to Li Sanlang, "Third brother, I'm sorry for you!" ”

"Little Five, have you thought about it?" The signature was prepared by Li Sanlang, so he naturally knew whose name was written in the letter.

"Well, it's the same for whoever I choose, it's all the people I care about!" Situ Yan glanced at Duanmu Xuan and Situ Jin, and then nodded at Li Sanlang.

"Okay!" Li Sanlang opened the envelope and took out a piece of paper with his surname written on it, and the word "Duanmu" jumped into everyone's eyes.

"Ha, Zhongxian, that's what you said, everything is providential! Or I have a heart-to-heart with Yan'er! ”

"You're less proud!" Situ Yan glanced at Duanmu Xuan and looked at his brother who was a little depressed, "Although the hairpin given by my brother can't be inserted into the hair when I wear it, how about I wear it when my little sister gets married?" Situ Yan didn't want to see her relatives sad and sad, even if she was a little frustrated, she didn't like it.

"Okay, it's a deal!" Situ Jin looked at Duanmu Xuan proudly, completely without the frustration just now.

"Yan'er~!" Duanmu Xuan was still smiling proudly, but he couldn't laugh the next moment, and looked at Situ Yan with a look of grievance.

"Okay, I can't fight for this gift anymore!" Looking at Situ Yan, who was a little angry, a sister and a wife hurriedly lowered their heads and didn't dare to say a word.

The four personal guards sat at the other table, almost suffocating their internal injuries. Li Sanlang looked at the two men fighting for Situ Yan with envy, and now he doesn't even have the right to fight.

"Third brother, don't pay attention to them, I salute the third brother with a cup, before the Turkic dead soldiers came to attack, Brother Xuan said that the third brother actually followed the cavalry battalion out of the fortress to fight against the enemy, the little sister admired, but also worried about the third brother! Don't be so reckless next time, in case the Turks are not feints, but real swords and guns want to fight, wouldn't it be dangerous! ”

"Although I am in the General's Mansion, if I have never been on the battlefield, how can I serve the public, Xiao Wu doesn't have to worry about me. Although I am not as skilled as Brother Ziheng, I can still protect myself against those soldiers! Li Sanlang's words are somewhat modest, he has been learning martial arts with Situ Yan day and night for more than eight years, although he is not as good as Duanmu Xuan and Situ Yan, but he has long been higher than ordinary generals.

"Third brother, people are not nine cat fairies, there is only one life, no matter when the third brother must remember, there is a little five waiting for you to come back at home. Be sure to protect yourself! ”

The little sister's concern, Li Sanlang felt it, and his smiling eyes narrowed into a slit.

Duanmu Xuan's mouth was bitter, and his stomach was sour, even if his sweetheart cared about his own brother, he respected this righteous brother as if he were his own brother, and he was somewhat appreciative in his heart. To put it bluntly, he was jealous.

A reunion dinner, a human drama, a room of people eating, drinking, laughing and laughing is also lively. When the year is over. Only then did they go back to their houses to rest.

Early in the morning of the first day of the new year, Situ Yan got up before dawn, and Chiyu helped Situ Yan freshen up. "Miss, it's time to pay a salute, and your relationship with the young master is close!"

"Chiyu, I don't want to hide it from you, I still don't want to marry into the Guogong Mansion, when I think of those intrigues and tricks in the courtyard of the deep house, I feel a chill down my spine!" Situ Yan yearns for freedom. has the soul of a modern strong woman, which makes her aggrieved, and of course there are thousands of reluctances in her heart.

"Miss. The subordinates of the inner courtyard of the Guogong Mansion did not know, but the subordinates heard that long before the lord took concubines, the temperament of the Duchess was not like this. So Miss treats it with sincerity. Madame, she will understand sooner or later! Chiyu was also worried about Situ Yan, thinking of all the difficulties made by the Duchess of Guo before, it could be seen that the young lady had to suffer from her mother-in-law's anger after entering the house.

"It is impossible for people to really be unbiased and not biased, how the Duchess treats me, I treat it, this is my way of doing things, in the eyes of others, I am high in the Guogong Mansion, but in my heart although I can't talk about grievances. But if there is no emperor's will, even if Brother Xuan does more. I won't marry into the Guogong Mansion! Although Situ Yan said this, she was somewhat hesitant in her heart, after all, the relationship between her and Duanmu Xuan was no longer as simple as it was at the beginning.

Mrs. Quanfu entered the mansion, Duanmu Xuan led the military attaches of the General's Mansion, and Situ Jinxie County officials and civil officials to watch the ceremony, these people all knew this county lord of Heyang, and they had heard of her intelligence. After the ceremony, the banquet was opened, and the guests were sent out of the county government from early in the morning until after noon on the first day of the new year.

"I'm so tired!" Situ Yan sat on the chair with her buttocks, she was greeting the world today, and she was saluting the guests, and she was really busy with her feet not touching the ground.

"Miss, the congratulatory gifts sent by the noble concubine Niangniang in Beijing, the Guogong Mansion, the Gongsun Mansion, the Jizhou Rashi Mu, and the eldest young master Li of Fuxiang Village and others, the eldest young master has sent you to the inner courtyard study, do you want to go and see it first?" Chiyu looked at the gift lists, happy for her own lady.

"No, I want to take a bath first and watch it when I wake up!" For these gifts, Situ Yan is grateful, but does not attach importance to them.

"Yes, my subordinates are going to prepare hot water!" Chiyu was just about to turn around, but was stopped by Situ Yan.

"You're busy with me early in the morning, so let's go down and rest now, just boil some water and let those rough girls do it!"

"Miss is compassionate, and her subordinates are not tired!" Chiyu still insisted on retreating and preparing water for Situ Yan. After the rite of the hand, Situ Yan in ancient times could get married and have children even if he was an adult. But these are the thoughts of the ancients, Situ Yan insisted that she would not have a round house if she was less than 18.

Situ Yan is an adult, and the happiest thing is Duanmu Xuan, all the generals of the General's Mansion sat around the wine table, "Congratulations to the general, you are about to return with a beauty!" ”

"Yes, my subordinates have never seen a beauty with such a mark, and the general is so blessed!"

"You old pervert, what the general values is the intelligence of the county lord, who stares at a woman's face and tits all day long!"

"Okay, you two big bosses, you didn't pour a few cups of cat urine, but you started to talk nonsense, and you are not afraid of losing your sense of proportion in front of the general!"

"It's okay, General Ben knows that you are happy for me, but this is just said in the General's Mansion, if it is spread out of the Mansion, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Yes, thank you for your leniency, General!" A group of generals got up and saluted, and then sat down to eat and chat again.

Mo Feng and Mo Yu stood behind the young master, they were even happier for the young master than these generals in the general's mansion, "Young master, you drink less, and you have to go to the county government to eat at night, if Miss Situ sees you drunk, you will have to be angry!" ”

"Today, the young master of your family is happy, and he won't get drunk if he drinks a few more pots, don't worry!" Duanmu Xuan's wine is cup after cup, it really looks like a cow drink.

Some people are happy, and naturally some people are sad, Situ Yan and Lu, the saddest thing is Li Sanlang, "Brother, I'm fine!" Situ Jin has been accompanying Li Sanlang since sending off the guests, and the pain in his heart can only be understood by him, who is a brother.

"Third brother, now we are still in the border city, and we are fighting together in the spring, but I am afraid that we will not be able to return to Beijing for a year and a half, and you will start to be sad now, only afraid that you will hurt your body. It's better to drink less of this wine! Situ Jin pushed the wine jug in front of him, not wanting Li Sanlang to borrow wine to drown his sorrows.

"Brother, what can I do one day earlier and one day later, Xiao Wu will eventually enter the Guogong Mansion, I already know how to be sad. I'm just worried that Xiao Wu yearns for freedom, but what kind of place is the Guogong Mansion, I'm afraid that as soon as I enter the Hou Gate, Xiao Wu will be wronged! ”

"yes!" Situ Jinyuan only planned to persuade Li Sanlang, but he also felt that what he said was reasonable, so he also drank wine to relieve his worries.

The three men dispersed the banquet but they were all drunk, and they hadn't woken up until dinner, "Miss, the eldest young master and the third young master Li are still drunk and haven't woken up." Mo Yu also came to pass the word just now, saying that it was the stakes of the young master who was also drunk, but I was afraid that he was also asleep at this time, and I was afraid that this dinner would not be able to be used together as a family! ”

"Tell the stove to warm the food, then pack some for Brother Xuan and send it, and then tell the cook to boil some decanting soup. Whether they are happy or sad today, I will not be angry. But after today, if you get drunk again, see how I punish them! Situ Yan looked helpless, these people are her relatives, and all she thinks about in her heart is her, how can she blame her.

Chiyu took the order to retreat, and Situ Yan sat down to look at the congratulatory gifts sent by Jingzhong, and collected all the useful and valuable ones into the ring, and some scattered ones were all rewarded to the subordinates and the guards around her. However, she turned out a butterfly hairpin from the ring, which she ordered someone to make specially for Chiyu before the Chinese New Year, but the material is not valuable.

"Chiyu, this is for you!" Situ Yan handed the hairpin to Chiyu.

"Miss, isn't this a gift you created for yourself, and your subordinates must not accept it!" Chiyu shook her head again and again, she was just a subordinate, how could she take Miss's congratulatory gift, this was really incompatible.

"I said I would send you, you are five years older than me, I was afraid that I didn't even give a gift! I was going to give you a set of heads, but I also know that you don't like to wear gold and silver, and it's not convenient to act, I think this hairpin is small and delicate and not very conspicuous, you wear it just right! Situ Yan put the hairpin directly on Chiyu's head, looked left and right twice, and then went to do something else satisfied.

"Miss!" Chiyu's heart is warm, Miss thinks about her in everything, even she and Lu Xingli still think about her, how can she not be moved. looked at Situ Yan, who was busy with his head down.

In modern times, he only came of age at the age of twenty, and Chiyu is just twenty years old this year, and Situ Yan also wants to take this opportunity to make up for Chiyu and give him a gift. It's just that these are all things in her heart, and she doesn't plan to tell anyone.

After the first day of the new year, the county government was busy until after the fifteenth day of the first month. The imperial court's decree to the Turkic army was also sent to the entire territory of Wu in the first month. And Duanmu Xuan had received a letter from his father Duanmu Li five days before the holy decree arrived in the border city. (To be continued.) )