The carriage carried Cai Yan through the grassland, over the Great Wall, and eastward in the direction of Pingcheng. However, Rao is like this, this talented woman who has been famous for thousands of years in later generations still can't believe that she has embarked on the road home. In fact, for Cai Yan, the past ten years have been like a dream, a seemingly never-ending nightmare.

Cai Yan, whose name is Zhaoji, is the daughter of Cai Yong, a Confucian in the Eastern Han Dynasty, who has been proficient in astronomy and mathematics since childhood. At the age of sixteen, Cai Yan married the Wei family in Hedong, and her husband Wei Zhongdao was a famous young student in Hedong at that time. It's a pity that the good times didn't last long, and less than a year after the two got married, Wei Zhongdao died of hemoptysis. Because she has no children under her knees, Cai Yan, who is newly married and widowed, has been repeatedly looked down upon in the Wei family, and some people even accused her of "killing her husband". How could Cai Yan, who was young and arrogant and arrogant, stand that idleness. So at the age of seventeen, despite her father's opposition, she ran back to her parents' house angrily. But who would have thought that Cai Yan had just returned to her parents' home, and her father Cai Yong was imprisoned and executed by Situ Wang Yun at that time because of sympathy for Dong Zhuo. Soon after, the Liangzhou generals led by Li Dao expelled Lü Bu, who had assassinated Dong Zhuo, from Chang'an, while Wang Yun, who had forced Cai Yong to death, committed suicide in the chaos. However, Cai Yan's situation has not improved because of this, on the contrary, her nightmare has just begun.

It is said that Li Dao and others were arrogant and domineering after occupying Chang'an, which soon aroused the dissatisfaction of Emperor Liu Xie of the Han Dynasty. In order to escape from the control of Li Dao and others, Liu Xie sent an edict to the princes of the Central Plains for help. However, the reinforcements he finally waited for were not the princes of the Central Plains, but the Southern Xiongnu Shan Yufuluo. It is undeniable that Yu Fuluo at that time did save the life of the Han Emperor, but the Huns also took the opportunity to harm Chang'an City. Many Chang'an people, including Cai Yan, were taken captive by the feudal soldiers and sent to the Southern Xiongnu as slaves and maids.

Thinking back then, Princess Xijun was for the Han family and her relatives Wusun, and they all issued a sad cry of "willing to return to their hometown for Huang Huxi". Cai Yan, who was dedicated to the Xiongnu Zuoxian King as a trophy, was even more bullied and humiliated in the Xiongnu. During his years in Hudi, Cai Yan also asked himself. If she had stayed in the Wei family back then, would she have been able to escape the catastrophe? The answer is ultimately no. Cai Yan thought that even if she didn't leave the Wei family angrily, she would still rush to Chang'an for the funeral after learning of her father's death, and she would still encounter the melee in Guanzhong. In the end, they were only taken away by thieves, or simply exposed to the wilderness.

Under the nest, there are no eggs. The ordeal suffered by Cai Yan is not only her misfortune alone, but the catastrophe of the entire Guanzhong and even the entire Han Dynasty. And she is just a weak woman, how can she buck the general trend. So Cai Yan finally chose to go with the flow and chose to obey the Huns. Choose to learn Hu Ji.

However, just when Cai Yan thought that she would stay in the Huns for the rest of her life, a turning point came at her most unexpected moment. More than a month ago, a horse-selling Hu merchant ransomed Cai Yan from King Zuoxian at the price of twenty beautiful women, a thousand taels of gold, and a pair of white bi, and then transferred her to the Southern Xiongnu Shan Yu Huchuquan. Cai Yan, who was brought to Shan Yu, was ready to serve the new master, but she never thought that Xiongnu Shan Yu would not only give her gorgeous clothes and decorations. He also said that he would send an envoy to send her back to Han. So, Cai Yan got into the carriage to Pingcheng in a daze. And the Xiongnu envoy who was responsible for escorting her was Hu Shang Wang Han, who ransomed her.

Of course, now Cai Yan has learned from Wang Han's mouth. It was the Qi Marquis Cai Ji who sat in Pingcheng who forced the Huns to let her return to Han. According to Wang Han. This female prince is the daughter of Cai Boqi, the Taishou of Donglai, and has been a general in only two decades, sitting on the land of five states, commanding millions of people, and becoming a great prince of the north on an equal footing with Prime Minister Cao Cao. The Xiongnu Shan Yu was even more intimidated by her majesty, so he would return Cai Yan to the Han land.

But Wang Han's introduction to Cai Ji seemed nonsense to Cai Yan. As a leader in the Nanyang Cai family, Cai Boqi has visited Cai Yan's father Cai Yong more than once. In Cai Yan's impression, that Cai Fujun is a humble gentleman who is erudite and talented. It is hard to imagine that such a suave Confucian would become a prince who dominates one side. Not to mention that it is not Cai Boqi himself who defeated Yuan Shao and was awarded the title of general. It was his daughter, who was just over twenty years old. However, no matter how Cai Yan doubted Cai Ji's identity, the Xiongnu couldn't fake the fact that he would let her return to Han after all. And the Qi army that came to meet him later further proved that what Wang Han said was true.

In the face of more and more evidence, Cai Yan finally accepted the fact that there were female princes in the Central Plains, and at the same time, she also became interested in the Marquis of Qi who saved herself from fire and water. I wondered what kind of woman could defeat Yuan Shao, who was the third prince of the fourth world, and became a prince on one side.

Wang Han saw Cai Yan leaning against the window and looking a little in a trance, thinking that she was unwell after a long journey. So he immediately stepped forward to reassure him, "Madame, bear with me for a while, and Pingcheng is coming soon." ”

Cai Yan nodded after hearing this, and then blurted out again, "Wang Langjun, what kind of woman is Qi Hou?" ”

Wang Han didn't expect Cai Yan, who had always been a man of few words, to suddenly ask him a question, tilted his head sideways and thought for a moment before saying, "Wang." ”

"King? A woman? Cai Yan looked up in surprise and asked.

Wang Han said bluntly, "I am a Huns, and the strong is the king, unlike the Han people." ”

"This is domineering, not king." Cai Yan shook his head in correction.

"Domineering or kingly." Wang Han stretched out a hand to rub his index finger and thumb as he spoke, and grinned at Cai Yan and said, "I only know that I have money to make with Qi Hou." ”

Hearing Wang Han's rude words, Cai Yan wanted to open his mouth to refute. But when she thought about it, no matter how fluent the man in front of her was, he was still a barbarian in his bones, how could he understand the difference between the royal way and the domineering one. However, Wang Han was kind to her after all, so Cai Yan took the initiative to terminate the topic that the other party was not good at.

Wang Han also didn't dare to offend Cai Yan. To put it bluntly, the reason why Wang Han was willing to spend his blood to redeem Cai Yan was to curry favor with Cai Ji, as long as he could win the favor of Qi Hou, it would be worth it even if he spent twice the price. Therefore, seeing that the other party suddenly fell silent, Wang Han couldn't help coughing in embarrassment and cast his gaze into the distance. At this time, a familiar scene came into his sight, Wang Han immediately raised his hand and pointed at this, and shouted excitedly, "Madam, there is Pingcheng ahead!" ”

Cai Yan looked up in the direction Wang Han pointed out, and saw a city standing proudly on the horizon in the distance. The towering city walls and fluttering flags all show that this place is indeed the boundary of the Han family. Because in this land, only the Han family can build such a majestic city. For a moment, Cai Yan only felt that his eyes were sour, and uncontrollable tears slipped down his cheeks and dripped onto the placket of his clothes.

At this moment, Cai Ji was waiting in front of the south gate of Pingcheng with a team of guards. Although the size of the team is not large, it is still grand, after all, there are not many people who can let Cai Ji personally go out of the city to greet him today. No, the accompanying koji actor whispered to Cai Ji impatiently, "Lord, who is Cai Zhaoji, who is worthy of the Lord personally going out of the city to greet him?" ”

Because I am about to meet Cai Wenji. At this time, Cai Ji's mood seemed quite good, and when he saw her, he asked rhetorically towards Koji with great temperament, "Do you know how Huaxia has been inherited for thousands of years?" ”

"Heir." Koji Yan said without thinking.

"What else?" Cai Ji continued to ask noncommittally.

"And?!"

Koji Yan scratched his head and thought about it for a long time, and couldn't come up with a reason. Seeing this, Cao Pi on the side immediately replied for him, "There is also a courtesy." ”

Cai Ji glanced back at Cao Pi. He nodded approvingly. For Huaxia, "etiquette" is not just a superficial etiquette. It is also used to determine relatives and relatives. Decide suspicion, don't be the same, and know the standard of right and wrong. In Cai Ji's view, if "Tao" is the root of Chinese civilization, then "Li" is the branch of Chinese civilization. It is no exaggeration to say that the social structure of the Chinese dynasties was derived from "rites". Therefore, although Cao Pi's answer is not accurate, it is not far behind. The proudest feature of the Chinese people in later generations is the civilization that has lasted for thousands of years. And the carrier of civilization is the countless vast classics. In history, Cai Wenji wrote 400 classics for Cao Cao, and there were no mistakes. That alone is enough for Cai Ji to enshrine it as a national treasure.

Thinking of this, Cai Ji couldn't help but clear his throat and said loudly, "Those who inherit the heirs, the bloodline, and the inheritors of morality." Classics also. In the past, the first emperor burned books to pit Confucianism, but fortunately, Dr. Qin was born in the wall to hide the "Book of Shang", and we can only see the ancient books today. And Cai Zhaoji is born in the world. ”

After listening to Cai Ji's explanation, Koji's performance still seemed to understand but did not understand. And Cao Pi and Sun Quan, who were standing beside him, bowed their heads and fell into contemplation. In particular, Sun Quan was already interested in Cai Ji's Lizun Pavilion, and now he has a deeper understanding of what Cai Ji did. However, just when everyone was thinking about something, they suddenly saw a small colonel galloping to report, "Your lord, Mrs. Cai's car has passed the mile pavilion." ”

Cai Ji and the others raised their heads when they heard the sound, and sure enough, they saw a string of wriggling black spots emerging in the distance. So everyone immediately gathered their thoughts in their hearts, and cheered up one by one, either excited, or curiously waiting to see Cai Zhaoji's true face.

On the other hand, Cai Yan obviously didn't expect Cai Ji to go out of the city in person to greet her, the surviving person. After learning that the young woman guarding the gate of the city was the Marquis of Qi who made the Huns tremble, Cai Yan hurriedly got out of the car and bowed respectfully to Cai Ji and said, "Zhao Ji knocks on the Marquis of Qi." ”

"Madame doesn't have to be polite." Cai Ji stepped forward and helped Cai Yan up with his own hands. The other party is only twenty-six or seventeen years old, although he is dressed in a bearded suit, he still has an elegant temperament and is as gentle as jade. Thinking of the various misfortunes that Cai Wenji experienced in history, Cai Ji couldn't help but hold Cai Yan's hand and sighed, "Madame has suffered all these years." I don't know if Mrs. still has relatives? Gu Ke sent someone to escort his wife back to his hometown. ”

Hearing the word "return home", Cai Yan's eyes couldn't help but turn slightly red, and he shook his head blankly and said, "The concubine has nowhere to live." ”

Cai Ji had expected Cai Yan to answer like this, but he was not in a hurry to mention the matter of the Jing Pavilion, but softly comforted Cai Yan, "If Madame doesn't dislike it, you can go to Donglai Longkou to live temporarily." ”

Cai Yan didn't expect that the female princes who were called kings by barbarians such as Wang Han would be such a gentle woman, and the originally uneasy mood suddenly settled down. But seeing that she bowed and responded, "It's up to Qi Hou to decide." ”

Seeing that Cai Yan agreed to stay in Longkou, Cai Ji was overjoyed, and immediately pulled Cai Yan onto the carriage, and returned home under the support of a cadre of civil and military personnel. Because Cai Yan had suffered in Hudi for many years and the fatigue of the journey, Cai Ji did not set up a banquet to disturb her that day. Instead, Wang Han, who was the envoy of the Xiongnu, was summoned to the palace to talk alone.

Regarding Wang Han's feat of spending Meiji, gold, and white jade to redeem Cai Yan, Cai Ji had also heard of it in Pingcheng. So as soon as he saw Wang Han, Cai Ji thanked him and said, "Thanks to Wang Langjun's righteous help this time, Mrs. Cai was able to escape and return to Han." ”

"I can't do it, I can't do it." Seeing this, Wang Han hurriedly shirked and said, "It is the honor of the villain to be able to serve the Marquis of Qi. How dare the villain accept the gift of the Marquis of Qi. ”

Cai Ji straightened up and said sternly, "Public is public, private is similar, not to be confused." ”

"Qi Hou is too outside." Wang Han sneered awkwardly.

Cai Ji seemed to have directly exposed Cai Yan's return to the Han Dynasty, and as soon as the conversation changed, he asked Wang Han straight to the point, "Wang Langjun entered the city as a Xiongnu envoy this time, I don't know what your lord has to say?" ”

Wang Han saw that Cai Ji was questioning him as a Xiongnu envoy at this moment, so he took advantage of the situation to reply, "My family is only interested in making friends with the Marquis of Qi. I also hope that the Marquis of Qi will see the sincerity of Shan Yu to return Mrs. Cai, and exchange markets with the border people of the Southern Xiongnu. ”

How do you know that Cai Ji avoided talking about the mutual market, and instead mentioned another condition, "Your lord is indeed sincere in returning Mrs. Cai, but I don't know how your lord plans to deal with Budugen?" ”

Wang Han spread his hands and complained, "Budugen has escaped into the desert, and my family can't find any trace of it." ”

"It's okay!" Cai Ji raised his hand to interrupt Wang Han's defense, and announced in a rather tough tone, "The Lone Society will send troops deep into the desert to pursue Budugen, and you will still need your lord's assistance at that time." ”

In fact, Wang Han found out from Hu Chuquan's mouth early in the morning that Hu Chuquan did not plan to intervene in the battle between Cai Ji and Xianbei people. Therefore, the Southern Xiongnu side will neither send troops to assist, nor will it provide intelligence to the Qi army. At this moment, hearing that Cai Ji planned to send troops deep into the desert to pursue the Xianbei people, Wang Han couldn't help frowning and said frankly to Cai Ji, "Don't hide it from the Marquis of Qi, my family has no intention of assisting the Qi army to conquer Budugen." ”

"Oh? Is there such a thing? Cai Ji glanced at Wang Han meaningfully and said, "Your envoy is straightforward. ”

Wang Han replied unashamedly, "Qi Hou Mingjian, the villain is an envoy, and he should focus on the friendship of the two families, how dare he deceive Qi Hou." ”

Seeing Wang Han's face not blushing and his heart beating to reveal the bottom line and plate of Hu Chuquan, Cai Ji couldn't help but ask him with interest, "Wang Langjun, are you a Huns?" Or Han Chinese? (To be continued......)