Qingling carried out a series of measures close to the new deal reform in Wutong Town, and expanded the entire town on the original basis, building two trade roads connecting Chaoyan and Daze respectively, further increasing the geographical advantage.

At the beginning, most of the people from all sides only had an attitude of waiting and seeing, but with the retreat of the Chaoyan garrison to the north, and the emperor Ji Qingling and the prince of Daze moved into Wutong Town to settle down, the people who were still waiting seemed to have eaten several reassuring pills in a row, and gradually had the courage to try.

Soon, merchants from Chaoyan and Daze were stationed in Wutong Town one after another, and then sporadic shop markets were built in the surrounding area of dozens of miles around it, which in turn drove the business of inns and restaurants, and became lively and prosperous day after day.

Then, the people of Jiuqiu also began to take action.

First of all, the businessmen who had been in contact with the Central Plains were the first to return to Wutong Town and resume their old business, and then some craftsmen who operated small businesses in their home countries began to leave the country with the attitude of giving it a try.

Over the past few years, the news sent back to Jiuqiu was mostly positive, so gradually, even ordinary villagers near the border moved to Chaoyan with their families, and opened up fields in the area north of Wutong Town to revive agricultural trade.

Qingling read the chapters and tables presented by all parties every day, and his mood slowly changed from the initial apprehension and anticipation to the current relief and relaxation.

She was secretly grateful to Luo Yao, if it weren't for his company and understanding, with her own temperament, I am afraid that she would not be able to endure such a long time no matter what, and little by little things seem to be slowly becoming better and more successful.

Sometimes she even thinks that even if the implementation of the New Deal and peace really drag on for nearly a thousand years, it is actually not a big deal.

It's also good to be accompanied by people around you, laughing and scolding, firewood, rice, oil and salt, and living a small life that belongs to each other.

They remodeled the garden in Wutong Town, demolished the former building where Xian Xian used to run the Fengyue business, rebuilt the flower hall and kitchen, and extended and widened the water pavilion by the pool. On summer nights, sit by the water, with a cool breeze, leaning on each other and counting the stars. In winter, sit around the fireside, barbecue and drink, laugh and laugh.

Because the pool in the garden was directly connected to the Jiuqiu Palace through the enchantment, Qingling and Luo Yao often returned to Zhangyao City to visit Luo Jia, and learned about the changes in the attitudes of the courtiers and people of Jiuqiu.

With Daze's financial support, the courtiers of Jiuqiu have not been able to come up with clear arguments against it, and after the opening of the border, the effect of trade and trade has become even more obvious, and gradually, those who initially held opposing views have begun to have a change of attitude.

Qing Ling is now facing Luo Ji again, and he has lost a lot of his previous worries.

Although Luo Ji is the heroine of Jiuqiu, she has the wisdom and strategy that a king of a country should have, but in the final analysis, she is still Luo Yao's mother. For her, the rise and fall of Jiuqiu is important, but her son's lifelong happiness cannot be ignored.

From having some doubts about Qingling at the beginning, to seeing her dedication to the peace between the two countries, the results accumulated little by little, and the protection of Jiuqiu's interests openly and secretly, Luo Jian gradually dispelled the uncertain thoughts in his heart and began to truly treat Qingling as his own person.

On this day, Luo Yao returned to Daze to do errands, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were enjoying the flowers and chatting in the palace garden, Luo Jia said to Qingling thoughtfully: "Think about it carefully, women are more affectionate than men after all, and they are always unconsciously influenced by feelings and make decisions. For the sake of lovers and children, it seems that everything can be left behind. ”

Qingling didn't seem to agree, "But if that's the case, why did my mother choose to leave Daze and leave a pair of children behind?" ”

Luo Ji smiled: "You kid...... In this case, Ah Yao himself will not open his mouth to question me, but you are not shy about it at all. ”

Qingling and Luo Jia have been getting along for a long time, and they are getting closer and closer, and they have long lost their former restraints, and they only whispered when they heard the words: "He doesn't ask, but he may not be worried or sad in his heart." As for Ning Yan, I'm afraid I want to find out what my mother thought back then. ”

When Luo Jia heard her daughter's name, her expression also darkened.

For more than 300 years, the child who has never met is afraid that he has always complained about himself......

She was silent for a long time before she slowly spoke: "They are my children, my blood and bones, how can I not be heartbroken when I gave them up back then?" But the Jiuqiu Luo clan is also my relatives and my family, and I can't ignore it. ”

She stood still under a peach tree and recalled the past, "The bloodline of the Luo family, like your mother's family, the Zhanggu family, is extremely difficult to inherit, and the heirs are thin. When it was my turn to be in my generation, only Luo Heng, me, and my brother Luo Ling were left. Luo Heng's grandfather is my grandfather's youngest brother, so he has no advantage in the order of succession, but Luo Heng himself is the most talented person in the family in the past 10,000 years. For this reason, my father also had the idea of passing the throne to Luo Heng, but it was a pity that ......"

Luo Jia paused, silent in his reminiscences of the past.

Qing Ling had already seen Luo Heng's madness, so he nodded and took over the words: "I understand, it's a pity that the national teacher has a strange temperament and is not suitable to be the king of a country, right?" ”

Luo Jian raised his eyes to look at Qing Ling, vaguely as if he saw another person through that extremely similar face, and sighed faintly: "At first, he wasn't so eccentric. He's just, a little too flamboyant, free...... Doesn't seem to take anyone into account...... But also...... Very gentle, very affectionate ......"

Qing Ling couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

Gentle?

Can the devil also have a gentle and affectionate side?

Over the years, in the Zhangyao Palace, she could occasionally meet Luo Heng.

But since that dinner old injury, Luo Heng no longer looked at Qing Ling as aggressively as before, and also seemed to deliberately avoid meeting her. Sometimes, he would also stand far away, looking at her and Luo Yao with a look that seemed quite strange to Qing Ling, and he was silent and stunned.

Luo Ji continued: "Later, he encountered some unsatisfactory ones, and his temperament changed greatly, sometimes cruel and cold-blooded, sometimes crazy, and later, he provoked a vicious battle between Chaoyan and Jiuqiu. My own brother Ah Jue is not a reckless soldier, but he can't stop Luo Heng from raising the army and implicating the entire Jiuqiu in the war. The demon clan was already martial, and Luo Heng at that time, although he was called a national teacher, actually had a higher status than Ah Jue in Jiuqiu, turning clouds and rain, and responding to every call......"

Qing Ling can imagine that Luo Heng, who has not yet been planted with a seal, is purple-clothed, long-haired, and blood-red eyes, driving his fierce mount, commanding thousands of troops to kill and slaughter the city...... It's terrifying to think about......

"So," she asked, "did you decide to return to Jiuqiu at that time just to help Uncle Jue contain the national teacher?" ”

Luo Jia said: "Ah Ling and I both want to find a way to contain Luo Heng and end this war, but I left Daze not only for this one reason. ”

"Why is that?"

Luo Jia was silent for a long time, and then smiled faintly, "Because I feel that I am infatuated with the wrong payment, I feel that my husband can't stand up when I need him the most, and I feel that it is a betrayal for him to accept the gift of Emperor Hao at that time, and I feel that ...... The heart was devastated, so he left in a bad mood. ”

Qing Ling wanted to ask something, but he felt that it was inappropriate, and at the end, he said in a low voice: "I think that the prince is actually thinking about you very much." ”

At the New Year's celebration of the Wind City Tower that year, Bailiyu's momentary loss of mind and melancholy still remained clearly in her memory.

But as a junior, Qing Ling didn't want to make too much of an evaluation of the emotional entanglement between the two of them, so he could only comfort them in a slightly obscure way.

Luo Ji also seemed to realize Qing Ling's embarrassment, smiled, changed the topic without a trace, and said: "Most couples are like glue at the beginning, and then they slowly fade their enthusiasm. The better ones can still respect each other like guests and become like relatives, while the bad ones can only see each other's shortcomings in their eyes, either arguing endlessly and trying to change each other, or coldly looking at each other and letting their feelings be depressed. It is very rare to be able to be like you and Ayao, who have been married for so many years, and are still tired of being in one place all day long and reluctant to separate. ”

Qing Ling's face turned red unconsciously when he heard this, and he said, "Where is there anything that is reluctant to separate...... Am I not alone with my mother now? Moreover, we also often argue about the ......"

Luo Jia smiled: "You don't call it a dispute, it's called fun." He patted Qing Ling's hand soothingly, "Okay, don't be shy." The folk customs of Jiuqiu are open, not as good as the Central Plains, and I, as a mother, sometimes speak without consideration. ”

Qing Ling held Luo Jia, lowered her eyebrows, and said seriously: "I lost my biological mother when I was a child, and I grew up next to my master and brothers, even if I went to Lingxiao City later, almost no female elders have spoken to me like this...... It's like a mother talking to her daughter...... In my heart, actually, I was quite happy. ”

Luo Jia heard her say frankly, thinking of her life experience, she didn't feel pity, shook Qingling's hand, and sighed: "In the future, just treat me as your biological mother." ”

The two of them held hands, and there was a thoughtful silence.

After a while, Qing Ling tentatively spoke: "Is my mother willing to see Chun Yuyan?" Now that his government affairs in the south have been almost handled, in a few days, he will return to Beijing to ask for a decree and ask my brother Wang to marry him and Ning Yan. He had mentioned it to me several times, saying that he hoped to have the opportunity to visit Jiuqiu, but he was afraid that he would feel abrupt. ”

When Luo Jian heard this, he asked in a deep voice, "He wants to visit me, does Ning Yan know?" ”

Qing Ling hesitated for a moment, then said thoughtfully: "This...... I don't know. ”

Ning Yan's resentment towards her mother has always been a wound in Luo Jia's heart. Over the years, no matter how the people around her enlightened and persuaded her, Ning Yan never refused to give up her resentment and came to Jiuqiu to visit her mother.

Now that it's time to talk about marriage, her daughter still refuses to reconcile, and only her son-in-law comes to visit alone, and the taste in Luo Jia's heart is really mixed.

After a long time, Luo Jia slowly spoke: "Okay, next time you come to Jiuqiu, please ask Patriarch Chunyu to come with you." ”

After receiving Luo Jia's affirmative reply, Qingling began to look forward to seeing Chun Yuyan meet her powerful mother-in-law, so when she came back from Zhangyao Palace, she went straight to Liangxia, planning to tell Yan the news in person.

When he arrived at Yan's mansion, he saw a large number of heavily armored soldiers gathered inside and outside the mansion, as if he was facing a strong enemy.

Qing Ling knew that in the past few years when Chun Yuyan went south, he had made a lot of enemies because of the purging of officials, and he was often assassinated or killed, but it was the first time he had seen such a big defensive battle at the moment.

While thinking about it, I saw Chun Yuyan leading a few henchmen and hurriedly coming from the direction of the study. Qing Ling stepped forward and wanted to ask.

Unexpectedly, Chun Yuyan opened his mouth first, his expression was unprecedentedly serious, "Qingling, I just received the news that Mu Han gathered the rest of the Fang Shan clan and betrayed Lingxiao City!" ”