Binh Duong, Nangong House. The study room in the west courtyard is not large, but it is not crowded with two sets of tables and chairs.

Nangong Dingkang sat in front of Cheng Rui's desk, and the table was very clean. When I opened the drawer, it turned out to be a drawer of toys. Nangong Dingkang took out a stack of literacy cards with the names of the dishes written on them, and looked through them one by one, the words were very neat and powerful, it was Ah Jin's handwriting, Cheng Rui must be drooling, reading while writing.

Nangong Dingkang shook his head and smiled involuntarily.

"Dingkang." Zhou Tang walked in.

Nangong Dingkang put down the things in his hand, looked at Zhou Tang and asked, "How is Xue Ying?" ”

"It's better, Ah Pu is with her." Zhou Tang sat down at Chengjun's table.

Nangong Dingkang casually picked up two dice with directions and points written on them, and threw them, "Ah Jin takes them, don't worry." ”

The two sat silently in this study, and the whole courtyard was silent without a sound. After a while, Zhou Tang whispered: "It's going to be the New Year." ”

Nangong Dingkang nodded, and also whispered: "It's going to be the New Year." ”

Zhou Tang didn't seem to have the courage to move the things on the table, looking at the words he wrote, for a long time, tears fell.

Nangong Dingkang gently patted her on the shoulder and comforted, "With Ah Jin here, don't worry." ”

But this sentence made Zhou Tang finally couldn't help crying, Nangong Dingkang took her, "They will come back for the New Year." Unfortunately, the tone was not so sure.

Zhou Tang also nodded, "Ah Jin is here, we don't have to worry." He knew that he was coming back for the New Year, he would come back, they would all come back. ”

"I let the four northern halls disperse to the various guards, as soon as they enter the customs, we will know. Dr. Du is also here, and it will be fine. Nangong Dingkang's words, I don't know if he was comforting Zhou Tang or comforting himself.

A month ago, I first found that the children were missing, and then found a letter from under the pillow in Chengjun's room, saying that I was taking my younger brother out for a walk. Shen Xueying fainted on the spot.

Nangong Dingkang was angry and ran to the Shen family, only to find that the Shen family was also a gloomy cloud, it turned out that they were responsible for the freight of the four major families, and they were directly seized by the government at the gate. Not only did the goods and documents not match the version, but also found out the ironware. arrested Shen Weidong, who was in charge of transporting goods at the time. Shen Jing went to ask the four, but the four ignored them at all, and asked him to compensate for the loss of the inspected goods.

When Shen Jing saw Nangong Dingkang, he almost knelt down and begged him to save Shen Weidong, but Nangong Dingkang only replied with four words: 'Love can't help'.

Qingfeng Tang received the order and looked for children in Binh Duong and the surrounding areas. But listening to the report of Qingfeng Tang's secret guard, Nangong Pu felt that he might have fallen into a trick, but Liu Yi's whereabouts were unknown.

For a while, the whole Shanxi knew that the Nangong clan had lost their children again, this time it was two.

Shen Xueying washed her face with tears all day long, suffered from blood collapse, and could barely get out of bed. No one had the heart to eat in the chaos at home, Nangong Wan looked sad, so he volunteered to take care of everyone. It wasn't until half a month later that I received a letter forwarded by Jin Yiwei.

Since then, Nangong Dingkang has come to the study room of the West Courtyard every day. Ah Pu wanted to rush to the capital several times to find Jinyi Wei to ask Ah Jin's whereabouts, but he stopped him. Because Ah Jin still had Li Mo by his side, but not long after, he received a letter from Li Mo .......

Nangong Dingkang looked at the red lanterns that Xiao Wan ordered to hang in front of each courtyard gate. This Spring Festival is destined to be over.

**********

Taiyuan Guo Mansion.

In fact, the so-called several big clans of the Shanxi Gang have never gathered as frequently as in the past six months. As the leader of the Shanxi Gang, Yang Zhongyi usually rarely took the initiative to go to the mansions of other clans.

In Guo Yi's study, Yang Zhongyi and Guo Yi sat opposite each other, without saying a word, and even revealing some * flavor. Because just now, the first thing Yang Zhongyi said when he saw Guo Yi was, 'It's the official you reported.'" ’

In Guo Yi's eyes, only the Yang family can be comparable to himself, but Yang Zhongyi is not only timid, inferior in means, and even less and less qualified.

Seeing that Guo Yi always had a contemptuous sneer on his lips, Yang Zhongyi finally couldn't help but shake his head, "What's the trouble? ”

"Brother Yang can be cheap, but our Guo family doesn't want to be like this."

"Because of Shen Jing?" Yang Zhongyi said very sadly: "The Shen family is indeed a little worse, but it is ....... ”

"Worse?" Guo Yi interrupted him, "Bastard-like people, even the Nangong clan is not as good, and Brother Yang is also worthy of it." ”

"Brother Guo, there is something that I haven't told you because it's not completely decided." Yang Zhongyi said, "When Yan Xiang fell, there were many outlaws in the family who lived in the rivers and lakes...... ”

"Hahahaha......." Without waiting for Yang Zhongyi to finish speaking, Guo Yi interrupted: "Brother Yang, are you going to accept them for your use?" Then he said contemptuously: "You don't need to tell me about this, Guo is not involved." ”

Yang Zhongyi was stunned, he didn't expect Guo Yi to refuse so quickly, and he really didn't understand and looked at Guo Yi and repeated again, "Everyone has been friends for decades, just because I accepted Shen Jing?" Brother Guo, why bother? ”

"Shen Jing? Does he deserve it? Guo Yi snorted coldly, "Brother Yang has always been widely communicated, and the business in Beijing back then was Brother Yang's handiwork. After taking a sip of tea, he didn't look at Yang Zhongyi, "Until now, we don't know who the employer of this business in Beijing is." However, it doesn't matter, he has made money for so many years, if it is a dignitary in Beijing, now that we are in such a situation, should we also take care of it? For so many years, we didn't get any benefit from him. Guo Yi glanced at Yang Zhongyi, what he meant by this was obviously saying that the benefits of the Yang family were the only ones, but the risks had to be shared equally by everyone.

Yang Zhongyi frowned, but did not speak.

Guo Yi continued, "Fan, hmph, it's about to be extinct. A smoking*, Fan Dongyang didn't see it, he only had money in his eyes, and it was rare for such a family head to be rare. ”

"I mentioned this to him ......." Yang Zhongyi couldn't help but interject.

"Mention?" Guo Yi's mouth changed to ridicule, "I don't know if it's Nangong Dingkang's handiwork again." Seeing that Yang Zhongyi wanted to interject again, he squinted at him and said, "Only your Yang clan is safe and sound, and the Nangong clan really gives face." ”

"What do you mean!" This is clearly a suspicion that the Yang family and the Nangong family have teamed up to frame people for injustice, and Yang Zhongyi is also a little annoyed.

Guo Yi laughed, "What can it mean." ”

"Brother Guo......."

Guo Yi waved his hand and said with a smile: "Originally, my own business was done by myself, but since it is not profitable, I Guo Yi also admit it." Looking at Yang Zhongyi, he said, "Okay, everyone has been friends for decades, don't hide it from Brother Yang." Recently, I had a truckload of ironware shipped out of the customs, but the price of one truck was a bit expensive. ”

"How much?"

"One thousand taels."

Yang Zhongyi was taken aback, "So expensive?!" ”

Guo Yi laughed, "Do you think you have treated Nangong Dingkang badly before, hahahaha......." He was stared at by the brocade guards, and everyone was disbanded, and you still counted on him? He looked at Yang Zhongyi again, "Those so-called outlaws are even more untrustworthy." ”

"And what path are you taking?" Yang Zhongyi frowned and asked.

"The path of the gods." Afraid that Yang Zhongyi didn't understand, he explained, "Xiangshui Shenjun, there is indeed some mana. However, she could only transport five truckloads at a time, one cart for a thousand taels, and there was almost no risk. However, she is only responsible for going from the outside of her designated guard to the place she designated outside the gate, and nothing else. ”

Seeing that Yang Zhongyi kept shaking his head, Guo Yi said: "Guo did this, Brother Yang is at his own convenience." ”

**********

A few days after Fu Qingshuang came, Nangong Jin simply didn't go anywhere, and devoted herself to teaching Chengjun to study at home, and the three children all studied seriously. He instructed Yan Shuhan and Du Ling not to go far, and even stopped searching for the whereabouts of the princess in the city.

After the twenty-third day of the lunar month, it is full of the atmosphere of the New Year, although it is not as rich as the Central Plains, but the sound of firecrackers can be heard every day. Cheng Rui couldn't sit still for a long time, so Nangong Jin bought a throwing cannon for them to play. After a while, Cheng Rui and Xiaoguang were already playing with children of all sizes on the street. Cheng Jun kept watching it with itching, and Nangong Jin handed him a string of firecrackers and a fire fold. He thought about it for a long time, and was reminded by Nangong Jin's sentence of 'optimistic about his younger brothers', and happily ran to the children's pile, protected Cheng Rui and Xiaoguang, and played with firecrackers together.

After a while, Du Ling ran back in a panic, and saw Nangong Jin sitting at the door watching the children playing, and also sat next to him, "It seems that something happened." Just now I saw a lot of people posting the king's list, saying that all Han women over the age of 16 and under the age of 20 in the city should enter the imperial tent to pray for the princess for three days. ”

"Now?"

Du Ling nodded, looked around carefully, and took out a piece of yellow paper from his arms, "Look at it." When they put it on me, I tore it off. ”

On the paper is an edict written in both Mongolian and Chinese languages. The Chinese characters are written very shortly, and Du Ling has spoken them very clearly. However, the Mongolian text has more content. Nangong Jin half-understood and half-guessed, which roughly meant that if the Mongolian people brought a Han woman of this age into the imperial tent, they could get a sheep.

Du Ling looked at him anxiously, and couldn't help but whisper, "Is it related to the princess?" ”

Nangong Jin thought for a long time and accepted the yellow paper, "It doesn't make sense." When the news comes back, there will definitely be a countermeasure over there. At most, I found that what I had in my hand was not. ......, why did a Han woman of this age enter the imperial tent? ”

"It's going to be the New Year, so let's not let everyone have a good New Year." Du Ling guessed.

"Did they find out that they had changed the bag?" Nangong Jin also guessed.

Du Ling seemed to think of something, "Hey, that ...... came to you that day?" Did he do it? ”

Nangong Jin was silent and thought carefully.

"Why don't you go find him and ask him about it?"

Nangong Jin said in a disdainful tone: "God knows where that person is, it's useless to look for it." After thinking about it, he stood up, "I'll ask Han." Then he instructed, "You are optimistic about everyone, and I will come back at once." After saying that, he left directly.

Du Ling was still sitting at the door, holding his cheeks and not knowing what to think, and finally went back to his medical shed, and saw the mute girl sitting outside the shed, hugging her knees and looking at the sky. He smiled, took a piece of cheese and handed it to her, and sat down one step away from her.

"Okay, what are you looking at?" Du Ling also looked up at the sky, but didn't see anything. "Something happened again today. Alas, the Great Khan let the Han women between the ages of sixteen and twenty enter the imperial tent, alas, it was all the New Year, and the family was not reunited. Okay, I really don't understand, obviously the Han people live here very hard, why do they still want to stay in Tumochuan? Yesterday, I met a very poor farmer, and I asked him why he came here. He said that here, he can still drink porridge this year, and open a few acres of land next year to plant, and he should be able to eat half full, but in Daming, he has planted so much, but he can only eat bran. Okay, I don't understand it very well, how can it be more bitter in Daming? ”

The woman didn't seem to hear his words, just looked at the sky, holding the cheese given by Du Ling in her hand, and didn't move.

"Okay, when we haven't arrived at Tumochuan, he told us that we can be disloyal to the king, but we can't be loyal to the Ming Dynasty. Okay, I really didn't understand it at the time, but now that I think about it, does Ah Jin mean it...... Isn't it....... Du Ling seemed to have made a lot of determination, and whispered: "Holy Lord, isn't he a good emperor?" ”

The woman shuddered suddenly, buried her head in her knees, and for a moment, her shoulders trembled slightly.

Du Ling seemed to notice her actions, and asked with some concern: "Okay, what's wrong with you?" ”

The woman ignored Du Ling.

Du Ling stretched out his hand and patted the woman uneasily, "Okay, are you uncomfortable?" Let me see, okay? "I want to show her pulse.

The woman shrank back, not letting Du Ling touch her wrist.

Taking advantage of the gap, Du Ling seemed to see her burst into tears, and asked anxiously, "Okay, what's wrong with you?" Why are you crying? Is there something uncomfortable? ”

The woman turned around and sat with her back to Du Ling, still hugging her knees and crying silently.

Du Ling also got up and squatted in front of her, "Okay, isn't it, isn't it, I tell you this every day, you're very annoying?" Okay, don't you cry, okay? I won't talk about it later. Okay? Du Ling was in a hurry, he didn't know what to do, he thought about it, took out a handkerchief, and called her softly.

The woman raised her head slightly, took the handkerchief he handed her, and continued to cry.

Du Ling looked at her and asked in a low voice, "Do you miss your family?" Me too. I think my senior brother, and the master, but unfortunately the master passed away. Okay, don't you cry, okay? I want to cry too. Alone here, unaccompanied, you are still a woman....... Okay, it's okay. I'll take care of you for a day here. Unless I go back to the Central Plains ....... After thinking about it, he asked uncertainly: "Okay, I know that many people don't want to go back to the Central Plains." If I go back to the Central Plains, I can take you back if you want. ”

The woman seemed to hear his words and looked up at Du Ling. Du Ling pointed to himself, made a walking posture again, and pointed to the south, "I can take you back to the Central Plains." Of course, when I go back, it will probably be after the beginning of spring. I can take you, if you want. ”

The woman kept staring at Du Ling, and Du Ling was embarrassed by her staring. "I, I still want to talk to you every day, don't bother me."

The woman nodded slightly.