On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the wind and snow did not stop, the wind was cold, and the weather was even colder.

Xiao Ding proposed to the civet last night the idea of wanting to take Erniu as his wife, but the civet cat was furious and scolded Xiao Ding for a dog blood spray.

Although he slept in the civet's room at night, Xiao Ding was on the floor. The civet cat did not let Ding go to her bed.

Xiao Ding can't either, who let herself marry a tigress as a daughter-in-law, she can only coax slowly for the time being, first make a delaying tactic, drag it out for a few days, and then bring it up again when she is in a better mood.

On the morning of the second day of the new year, Xiao Ding woke up and had not yet gotten up, when he suddenly heard a maid knocking on the door in a hurry, and shouted eagerly: "Master Hou, madam, no, no, no, second lady, she, she's gone......"

When Xiao Ding heard this, he immediately got up, quickly got dressed, opened the door, and immediately a cold air rushed into his face, and he directly entered the house through the crack in the open door.

Outside the door stood the two maids of the second girl, Chun Tao and Chun Xing. As soon as the two saw Xiao Ding, they anxiously competed and said, "Master Hou, Master Hou, the second lady is gone......"

When Xiao Ding heard that the second girl was gone, he was also very anxious, and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, talk slowly!" ”

At this time, Chun Tao slowed down, and then said: "After we got up as usual this morning, we went to the second lady's room, ready to serve the second lady to wash, but unexpectedly, after opening the room, we found that the second lady was not in the room, we went to the thatched house, kitchen and other places to look for it, but we didn't find the second lady, and then, we came over to report." ”

Chun Tao and these maids usually live in the inverted house in the backyard, and they are also in this yard, mainly to take care of the owner in this yard, which is more convenient.

Xiao Ding listened to Chun Tao's story, and hurriedly stepped out of the door and walked into the east wing.

There is still a unique virgin aroma in the room. Xiao Ding looked around the room, and turned out half a piece of paper under the pillow of the second girl, on which were neatly written a few paragraphs of Juanxiu's words:

"Xianggong, I heard what Sister Civet said to you last night, she refused to accept me, and I don't want to embarrass you anymore, so I don't want to continue to live anymore.

"It's good everywhere in Kyoto, but I always have a feeling that this is not where I should be, I was born with a hard life, and I may only be suitable for staying in a rural place like Luoxia Village, so as to be a happy and happy country girl.

"Xianggong, I'll go back to Xia Village alone, you don't have to worry about me, I can find it by myself if I follow the road I came.

"Xianggong, in fact, I am very reluctant to you, if you are free, can you go back to Luoxia Village to see me?

"Xianggong, in fact, I don't think I'm as good as Sister Lingcat, you and Sister Lingcat are a real match, I know I'm not worthy of you, but I just can't give up on you in my heart!

"Xianggong, I'm waiting for you to come back in Luoxia Village. Take care! ”

The text is simple and simple, without any embellishment, but the words are full of affection and deep meaning.

After reading it, Xiao Ding's mood was agitated, and his hand holding the paper trembled slightly. He shoved the paper into his arms, then walked out of the house quickly, towards the gate of the courtyard of the Hou Mansion.

After coming to the gatehouse, Xiao Ding asked the servant guarding the gate: "Did you see the second lady or when did she leave?" ”

The subordinates in the house, when there are usually new faces in the family, Steward Xia usually tells these subordinates in advance who are the people in the mansion, which people cannot be offended, and which people need to be served. Otherwise, if there is any mistake, you can't afford to be a subordinate.

Therefore, as soon as Xiao Ding asked, the doorkeeper immediately remembered that a little girl had gone out in the morning. So he replied, "The second lady probably left at dawn." I've been walking for about an hour now. ”

When Xiao Ding heard this, he regretted it in his heart, and said in his heart, it has been an hour, and it is not so easy to chase it back. He immediately ordered someone to bring his horse over, and he planned to ride it to chase the second girl.

After the servant brought Xiao Ding's horse over, Xiao Ding rode directly on the horse, regardless of the wind and snow that was still falling, and the thick snow on the streets of the city. Riding his horse and galloping straight out of the city.

After leaving Zhongzhou City, he didn't see Erniu, but met a little Japan, Xiao Ding vaguely remembered that this little Japan was one of the four samurai under Shiro Tano called Koizumi Guisun, only to see the direction of his west, panicked and ran head-on, saw Xiao Ding stunned for a moment, and then didn't say anything, and ran straight towards the city.

Xiao Ding was only stunned for a moment when he saw Xiaoquan returning to his grandson, and only said that he was out of the city and was busy helping Tian Ye Shiro do something, so he didn't care about him, his mind was all on Erniu at the moment.

You must know that Zhongzhou is far away from Yongzhou, and Erniu is a small village girl in the countryside, who has to go so far to go in case there is any danger along the way, although Erniu's martial arts at this time are not something that ordinary people can beat, but the people on the rivers and lakes are sinister, Erniu's experience is still shallow, and it is not good to say that she will unconsciously fall into someone else's way. Therefore, Xiao Ding is very anxious and wants to get the second girl back.

After going out of the city to the north, I galloped for a while, and finally came to the edge of the Yangtze River.

The Yangtze River has a huge amount of water, the water level changes relatively little, the sand content is also small, and there is no ice period, so it will not freeze in winter.

Standing by the river, Xiao Ding suddenly remembered that although Er Niu got up early, the ferry by the river may not get up so early!

So Xiao Ding came to the ferry to inquire, and sure enough, the earliest batch of ferries this morning had just been sent out for half an hour.

In this era, the crossing of the Yangtze River was not a straight line, and the ferries on both sides of the river were usually diagonally diagonal, not in the opposite direction.

Because in this era, even large ships need manpower to row the water. The flow speed of the Yangtze River is very large, and when the hull of the ship crosses the water, it will inevitably be swept downstream by the current, and it is impossible to maintain a straight line across the Yangtze River by controlling the big ship only by manpower. At the same time, crossing the water diagonally will also make the boatmen rowing more effortless. Even if you go against the current, it's much easier than crossing in a straight line.

Therefore, although the boat traveled a lot farther on the water, it was completely possible to reach the opposite shore within half an hour.

The second girl did not ride a horse when she left, and Xiao Ding believed that as long as she crossed the river and galloped for a while, she would definitely be able to catch up with the second girl.

So, he immediately booked the ship that was about to sail to the other side.

After about a quarter of an hour, the ship that Xiao Ding had ordered finally set sail.

It doesn't take long to cross the river, and although it's a little farther, it doesn't take long to reach the ferry on the other side.

Xiao Ding crossed the river several times before, and the ferry he reached on the opposite side was usually the one in Jiangbei Town. The ferry port is farther away, so it will take longer.

And the ferry port that Xiao Ding arrived at today is much closer than the ferry in Jiangbei Town. It's just that if you take the official road to the north, you still need to go to Jiangbei Town on the shore and take a detour.

This is because the most spacious and easy-to-walk official road to the north starts from Jiangbei Town.

Although Xiao Ding arrived on the other side early, he still needed to go to Jiangbei Town first, and then he could go to the official road to find Erniu.

He knew in his heart that when his group came, they took the official road, and the second girl would definitely not take other roads when she returned.

At this time, the weather was freezing, wind and snow, and the snow was not as heavy as it was in the thirty nights, but the temperature was very cold. Xiao Ding was worried that the second girl would be cold and cold, and he didn't know how much silver she had on her, whether it was enough to pay for the journey.

So he whipped his horse and whipped his horse, galloped all the way, and ran in the direction of Jiangbei Town.

After arriving in Jiangbei Town, Xiao Ding asked the people in the town store if anyone had seen such a little girl as Erniu.

The people in the town have not seen any of the two girls.

This made Xiao Ding feel very strange.

It stands to reason that the second girl should be easy to identify. She must have gone with her little baggage and the sword she had given her. For this kind of beautiful girl of fourteen or fifteen years old with a saber backpack, the people in the town will definitely have an impression when they see it!

But why hasn't anyone seen it?

Didn't Erniu come to Jiangbei Town? Or maybe you arrived too early and there were fewer pedestrians on the road?

Xiao Ding couldn't figure it out, so he only followed the official road and rode his horse to the north.

chased north until noon, and Xiao Ding still didn't see Erniu. He couldn't help but feel a little suspicious in his heart. Next, he slowed down his ride, and asked passers-by about Erniu's whereabouts while walking forward.

It's a pity that on a snowy day, there are few people on the road, and none of the people Xiao Ding asked have seen anyone similar to Erniu.

Xiao Ding was a little hesitant at this moment. It stands to reason that the second girl walks, even if she comes out early and crosses the river earlier, but she won't go too far. After crossing the river by himself, he rode a horse and galloped all morning, and it was impossible not to catch up with the second girl?

Which path did the second girl take?

Xiao Ding didn't even have the heart to eat lunch. Still braving the wind and snow, inquiring along the way.

After he concluded that the second girl would not go so far, he turned back and continued to ask passers-by.

He guessed that maybe Erniu had already found an inn to live in because of the snow, so he inquired about Erniu's situation in every inn along the way.

But there was still no news.

At this moment, Xiao Ding's heart is a little panicked, is the second girl missing?

Although Xiao Ding is usually a very calm and wise person, he has to worry about Erniu at this moment.

The second girl is just fifteen years old for the New Year, but in fact, it has not yet reached her birthday, and in fact, it is not fifteen years old, but only fourteen and a half years old.

She has almost never left Luoxia Village, and she lacks experience in the rivers and lakes, so she walked back to Yongzhou from Zhongzhou alone, where can Xiaoding rest assured?

However, Xiao Ding inquired for another afternoon, but still didn't hear any news about Erniu. This made him feel a little disappointed.

Seeing that he is back in Jiangbei Town. Xiao Ding went to the inn from inn to inn, and even for fear that the innkeepers would be negligent, he also snatched the inn's register of the guest's house.

However, he searched for a long time, but still didn't find any clues similar to the second girl's stay.

After looking for a day, it was evening, Xiaoding was hungry, so he found a small shop in Jiangbei Town and ate something to cushion his stomach. Then he decided that he should go back to Zhongzhou first and find more helpers to help him find the second girl, and the probability of finding it would be greater.

So Xiao Ding crossed the Yangtze River directly by boat in Jiangbei Town.

When he came to the outside of Zhongzhou City, he suddenly saw the military camp outside the city, and his mind turned, so he simply went to the military camp and asked the two brothers Han Qi and Han Qi to send troops to help find it.

Now, the original more than 10,000 people outside the city have remained in the palace as a few thousand as the Imperial Forest Army, and the rest have become the Praetorian Guards in the capital. At present, these armies are all under the control of the Han brothers.

Han Qi has been promoted to the position of commander of the Zhongzhou Soldiers and Horses, and Han Qi is the deputy commander of the Soldiers and Horses. Of course, this is all Song Yinzi rewarded them, in the Jiaozhou battlefield, the Han brothers performed well, after Song Yinzi ascended the throne, not only sealed their respective general ranks, but also gave them more powerful officer positions.

And the original commander of the Zhongzhou soldiers and horses, Lu Changping, was transferred to the commander of the Jiaozhou soldiers and horses.

After the king of Jiaozhou was driven away, Gu Ziji, the former commander of the Jiaozhou soldiers and horses, refused to surrender because he followed the king of Jiaozhou to rebel, and was later captured. Therefore, Xiao Ding looked at him unpleasantly, and directly demoted him to the capital of Jiaozhou City, and he was no longer the commander of Jiaozhou soldiers and horses.

Xiao Ding came to the barracks and met the Han brothers very smoothly.

Almost all the officers and soldiers in the barracks knew Xiao Ding. They fought on the battlefield of Jiaozhou together, and they had already seen Xiao Ding's strategizing and commanding demeanor.

You must know that Xiao Ding initially only had an army of twenty or thirty thousand, which was used against the hundreds of thousands of troops of the king of Jiaozhou. This conquest of Jiaozhou is simply a myth in the history of war, and the soldiers all threw themselves to the ground for the five bodies that Xiao Ding admired.

Seeing Xiao Ding's arrival, the soldiers of the full battalion were all overjoyed, and shouted in unison: "Welcome the arrival of the Hou Ye, welcome the arrival of the deputy marshal!" ”

Of course, the soldiers had already heard that the deputy marshal who had commanded them in battle had already been made a protector by the emperor.

The Han brothers personally came out to greet Xiao Ding, and they have been welcoming Xiao Ding into the Chinese army's big tent.

Xiao Ding is also very familiar with this Chinese army tent. He didn't sit here and send troops in the first place.

The Han brothers ordered someone to bring tea to Xiao Ding. Xiao Ding had no intention of drinking tea.

He couldn't wait to explain his intention to the Han brothers. The Han brothers didn't say a word, and nodded directly in agreement.

After asking about the characteristics of Xiao Ding Erniu, the Han brothers immediately sent 500 soldiers to cross the river overnight and ride fast horses to track down Erniu's whereabouts.

Xiao Ding stayed in the barracks that night and waited for news.

He hasn't slept all night, he has been thinking about the safety of the second girl in his heart, and he has been drawing a question mark in his mind, did the second girl disappear for no reason? Where the hell did she go?

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the wind and snow did not stop.

The 500 soldiers who had been chased out overnight returned one after another to make a report, but no clues were found.

Now Xiao Ding is really a little blindsided.

Xiaoding really doesn't know where to go to find the second girl this time. The Han brothers continued to send another 500 soldiers out to investigate, this time letting them chase as much distance as possible. In case Erniu hired a carriage to go, maybe she would have already gone out of the range that everyone was looking for.

Xiao Ding planned to go back to the Hou Mansion first to see if the second girl had returned to the Hou Mansion by herself.

The Han brothers knew that Xiao Ding was in a hurry, so they didn't stop him, and directly sent Xiao Ding out of the barracks.

Xiao Ding rode back to the Hou Mansion, and when he asked the people at home, they all said that the second girl did not come back.

At this time, the civet cat was also a little panicked, and she couldn't help but ask Xiao Ding: "You chased him for a day yesterday, but you didn't catch up with him?" ”

Xiao Ding shook his head lonely.

Just when everyone was all worried, suddenly the servant guarding the door hurriedly ran in and said, "Qi Qi Hou Ye, someone just outside the door sent a letter, saying that I should hand it over to Hou Ye quickly." ”

After speaking, he held the letter in his hands and handed it to Xiao Ding.

As soon as Xiao Ding saw the letter, he immediately thought that this letter must be related to Erniu. So he quickly took the letter and immediately opened it, only to see that there was no signature on the letterhead, but a few words written crookedly:

"If you want your woman, come to the City God Temple in Qifengling, west of the city."