In the winter of the Xueze year of the Yuanzhao Kingdom, the Marquis of Xiaoyao personally escorted the envoys into Beijing.

Squeak!

The tall city gate made a heavy and dull sound, the city gate made of mahogany slowly opened, the young emperor wore a bright yellow dragon robe and stood with his hands in his hands, and the eight-clawed dragon woven of gold silk reflected a dazzling light under the warm sun, and the momentum was like a rainbow.

Behind him, one left and one right stood two ministers, one ink and one white, the ink color is the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, this iron-faced strict sentence has a straight back, a solemn face, and the majesty is inviolable, and the white is just promoted from the head of the Tai Academy, the Taifu is elegant and handsome, with a peaceful expression, and the demeanor of the first prince of the capital is brought into full play!

Outside the city gate, two people led the envoy group in front of a green and a gray, and when they left Beijing, everyone had already seen the extraordinary posture of the two, but now they could not take their eyes off it.

The people gathered around the city gate to watch the excitement were crowded, and the girls who had not left the pavilion saw their hearts pounding, what kind of fairy lineup is this, how is this Lang Jun in the court so handsome one by one, the key is that none of them have ever married a wife, and even His Majesty has not yet established a queen! How nice it would be if you could marry one of them!

In the pink fantasies of the girls, Chu Huai'an and Lu Ji stepped forward and knelt down, and said in unison: "The ministers have not disgraced their mission to escort the envoys into Beijing, the king and the princess have arrived safely, and I will return to Your Majesty today!" ”

Chu Lingzhao stretched out his hand and helped Chu Huai'an: "I have worked hard with Aiqing!" Hurry up, please! ”

Chu Huai'an and Lu Ji stood up, because they were sick, Chu Huai'an's face was red, and fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead, Chu Lingzhao glanced at him, and let go quietly, Lu Ji helped Chu Huai'an take a step back and let go of his gaze.

The car bell jingled, the colorful door curtain was lifted by a bare hand, and the next moment, a delicate figure came out.

Because she was going to see her today, she deliberately changed into a moon-white bandeau dress, the skirt was made with reference to the customs of Yuanzhao Kingdom, but it was embroidered with colorful threads with the birds and beasts of the Hu people, and the black hair was still tied up according to the habits of the Hu people, and the blood jade between the foreheads looked demonic.

The veil still covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of moist and agile eyes, and the moment she stepped out of the carriage, everyone had only one thought in their hearts: Allure is stunning!

Hu Wanyan easily jumped out of the carriage.

Jingle bells!

The crisp sound of the bell penetrated into the eardrum, which inexplicably made people's hearts palpitate, like being scratched by a cat's tail, and their hearts were itching.

Hu Wanyan lowered his head and stepped forward to walk in front of Chu Lingzhao with Hu Tatar.

She should have a bell on her, so every step she takes, it will make a pleasant sound, like a mountain breeze blowing, refreshing and pleasant.

If you get closer, you can also smell the unique tea fragrance on her body, which is completely different from the sweet fat powder smell on the woman in Beijing.

"Ku Tartar and his daughter Hu Wanyan have seen Yuanzhao Tianzi!"

Hu Tartar bowed to Chu Ling Zhao, he was extremely tall, his voice and movements were full of Hu Ren's rough and reckless, Hu Wanyan stood beside him like a delicate flower, and if he was a little careless, he could break her.

With such a size, he couldn't see that he could have such a petite daughter.

"The king has worked hard all the way, and I have set up a banquet in the palace for the king and the princess to catch the wind and wash the dust, please!"

Chu Lingzhao opened his mouth, made a gesture of invitation, turned sideways, and motioned to Ku Tatar and Ku Wanyan to take a step forward, completely showing the atmosphere of the host.

It is not necessary to give the envoys a bad horse, or even give them enough face, but it does not make people feel flattering and flattering, but because they are full of confidence, they can make a courtesy!

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, he raised his right hand and patted his left chest, lowered his head slightly, and then made a Hu Ren salute: "Your Majesty, please first!" ”

Hu Wanyan also bowed and leaned over, Chu Lingzhao bent his eyes and smiled and helped Hu Tartar: "The guest comes from afar, there is no reason to be lazy, the king may as well walk with me!" ”

Kutar has been the king of the Hu people for more than 20 years, he has seen the first emperor, and he has also fought with the first emperor on the battlefield, the Hu people have been quite peaceful all these years, this young emperor is all the way to the throne, even on the battlefield, he thought that the new emperor would be a squeamish nobleman, but he didn't expect it to be a hob meat!

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Hu Tartar thanked him in a deep voice, and walked forward with Chu Lingzhao, and the civil and military officials followed them in an orderly manner.

"Sure enough, it's close to Zhu who is red and close to ink is black, and even Lord Zhao's black-faced god standing with His Majesty looks a lot better!" Zhang Zhizhi patted her chest and retracted her head, their carriages and horses had been following behind the envoys, it was very lively at this time, she naturally couldn't help it.

"Lord Zhao was born good-looking."

Su Li replied lightly, not caring much about the situation outside.

"Ah Li is so calm, haven't you seen Lang Jun who is more handsome than them?" Zhang Zhizhi asked and came to Su Li with great interest, she had helped Su Li clean her wounds and change dressings in the past few months, and the relationship between the two was much closer, and she didn't have so many scruples when she talked to Su Li.

"Their appearance and bearing are already one in a thousand, how can I have such good luck to meet a more handsome person, besides, the skin is just the appearance, the connotation of cultivation, character and temper is the foundation of life."

Su Li said unhurriedly, Zhang Zhizhi nodded with a teachable face, reacted after a while, stared at the tip of his nose with wide eyes and asked, "Ah Li, you are just turning around and saying that I am superficial?" ”

She reacted quite slowly, Su Li slightly hooked her lips and did not point out, Zhang Zhizhi glared at Su Li angrily, counted her fingers and said: "I am superficial, then according to Ah Li's opinion, in Lord Zhao, Lord Gu, Lord Hou, General and ......"

Zhang Zhizhi lifted the curtain and looked left and right, and after making sure that there was no one near the carriage, he quickly looked back at Su Li, and lowered his voice: "Counting Your Majesty, who is the best?" ”

"Your Majesty is the pride of the sky, and it is a great crime to kill your head to talk about Your Majesty behind your back." Su Li scolded in a low voice, and Zhang Zhizhi hurriedly pressed his little thumb back: "What about these four people?" Who does Ah Li think is the best? ”

"Each has its own strengths."

“……”

Zhang Zhizhi rolled his eyes speechlessly, knowing that he had been tricked by Su Li again, he opened the carriage curtain and quietly inquired about the situation outside, and said to himself: "I look at Lord Hou and Master Gu very well, Lord Zhao is too cold, he keeps his face all day long as if he can't smile, the general is too serious, he is not easy to get along with at first glance, and he has killed so many people......"

The general is good.

Su Li retorted in her heart and didn't say anything more to Zhang Zhizhi.

There are some things that don't have to be understood by everyone.

Just as he was thinking, the carriage moved, and on the city wall, a melodious and loud trumpet sounded out, and then the high-pitched announcement of the ceremonial official: "Welcome the envoys into the city!" ”

As soon as it fell, the onlookers also shouted in unison: "Welcome the envoys into the city!" ”

The voice is loud, which shows sincerity and enthusiasm.

After the carriage moved, Zhang Zhizhi didn't look out again, sitting in the carriage in a regular manner, and countless curious eyes looked in through the curtains of the carriage, trying to spy on one or two.

Princess Huren has gotten out of the car to meet His Majesty, how can there be a carriage behind here?

Inevitably, there are too many people out of chaos, after the envoy group entered the city, it was the nearest and widest road to the palace, and when they arrived at the palace gate, all the civil and military officials entered the palace gate, and the Ministry of Rites left people to transport the carriage and horse luggage of the envoy group to the temporary place of stay, Su Li also took the opportunity to let the carriage go directly back to the county lord's mansion, but was stopped by the guards guarding the palace gate: "Su County Lord, Your Majesty invites you to enter the palace to go to the banquet together!" ”

Su Li's eyebrows jumped, he didn't expect that when he greeted the envoy so solemnly, Chu Lingzhao could still remember that there was such a person as himself from his busy schedule.

"Good!"

Su Li calmly jumped out of the carriage, Zhang Zhizhi wanted to go down with him, but was stopped by the guards: "Your Majesty only invited the county lord, girl, please go home by yourself!" ”

“……”

Zhang Zhizhi rolled his eyes angrily, hum! Go home, go home! Who is rare!

Entering the palace gate, there were palace people who specially guided Su Li, and after walking for a long time, the palace people did not bring Su Li to the banquet hall, but took her to a secluded palace.

"There are still some hours before the banquet, the county lord can bathe here, the new clothes for the banquet have been prepared, what orders does the county lord have and summon the slaves and maids at any time."

The palace man who led the way said respectfully, as if he had been instructed by Chu Lingzhao in advance, Su Li was a little surprised in his heart, but his face was not revealed, and he stepped into the hall.

There are also palace maids in the hall to serve, and when Su Li enters, she warmly greets her, holding a tray and serving hot tea in her hand: "The county lord, please use tea." ”

This treatment is comparable to the concubines in the palace, Su Li didn't drink tea, and followed the palace maid around the winding corridors in the palace, and found a steaming hot spring in the ear room.

The hot spring is sprinkled with bright red petals, and the steaming heat emits an elegant fragrance, and the hot spring is surrounded by screens, and the clothes hanging on the hangers by the door are extraordinary.

Su Li's expression was a little broken, what is Your Majesty going to do?

"Please take a bath and change your clothes!"

The palace maid reminded in a low voice, and Su Li hesitated and spoke: "Does Your Majesty have any other orders?" ”

"Your Majesty asked the county lord to dress up, and at the banquet for a while, he may have to compete with Princess Huren, which is a matter of Yuanzhao's face, please pay attention to the county lord."

“……”

Su Li twitched her brows.

An hour later, Su Li walked out of the hall wearing luxurious clothes, the clothes were noble and atmospheric purple, the inside was a bandeau dress, the chest was embroidered with two beautiful lotus, and the outside was covered with tulle of the same color, the tulle was covered with gold threads, and the fine golden light was refracted between walking, which was extravagant.

What I want to match with the clothes, Su Li's headdress is also quite gorgeous, so heavy that Su Li almost can't raise her head.

According to the palace maid, this was ordered by His Majesty personally, and Su Li had deep doubts about Chu Lingzhao's aesthetics for this reason.

But finally took a comfortable bath, the tiredness of the whole body was swept away, Su Li's spirit was much better, and her steps became brisk, as the palace people came to the banquet hall, the palace banquet had not officially begun, Ku Tatar and Chu Lingzhao didn't know where they went, and the civil and military officials had basically sat down.

"County Lord, please come here!"

The palace people reminded in a low voice, and Su Li followed the guidance of the palace people and looked over, and saw Hu Wanyan sitting on top like a white lotus.

Because of her special status, there was no one else sitting around, and all the noble ladies of Kyoto gathered together to talk, looking up at Su Wanyan from time to time, as if she was watching some kind of excitement, but she didn't seem to notice those eyes, and sat comfortably in one place, incompatible with the people next to her.

Su Li walked up to her and saluted first: "I've seen the princess!" ”

"County Lord, please take a seat!"

Su Wanyan returned the salute, and naturally reached out to help Su Li pull the low table back, making it more convenient for Su Li to sit down.

This is a very polite approach, no matter what the purpose is, Su Li has a good impression of her because of it.

After sitting down, the palace maid helped Su Li pour a glass of wine, the wine is fragrant and sweet, it is a fruit wine made of plums, suitable for her daughter's family to drink, and it is not intoxicating to drink a few glasses.

Su Li drank this kind of wine when she attended Wenling's wedding before, and she drank a lot of wine because it was not intoxicating, but she didn't expect it to be full of stamina.

Thinking of the troubles that happened after getting drunk that day, Su Li's face was slightly hot, and she took a sip of the wine glass and stopped drinking.

As soon as he put down the wine glass, Chu Lingzhao and Hu Tartar walked into the hall together, followed by Chu Huai'an and Lu Ji, the civil and military officials immediately got up, and Su Li and Hu Wanyan also stood up.

"Greetings to Your Majesty, Greetings to Your Majesty!"

Several people shouted at the same time, and their voices were loud, constantly echoing in the banquet hall, which was very imposing.

I don't know what Chu Lingzhao and Ku Tatar said before, after everyone's cries fell, the entire banquet hall was filled with Ku Tatar's thick and penetrating laughter.

"Zhong Aiqing is flat!"

Chu Lingzhao said in a deep voice, striding onto the throne on the high platform, and Kutaran sat down first on his left hand.

The sky was a little dark, the palace people quickly lit the palace lamp, the banquet room was brightly lit all of a sudden, as the main support of the eight pillars carved with a gilded real dragon more and more lifelike, the dragon's head downward, the dragon's head was round, looking at the people present.

Suddenly Tartar lifted his eyes and glanced at the dragon on the pillar, and a hint of obscurity flashed in his eyes.

The climate of the Hu people's territory is harsh, the land is barren, except for cattle and sheep, there are few rivers, the life of the Hu people is difficult, after the snowstorm last year, it is even more hungry, and the people who have never left the Hu land can not imagine how luxurious and exquisite the life of the Central Plains people is.

And these lives are not because the people of the Central Plains are heroic and strong, but because they were born in a place of abundant resources.

What a heavenly injustice!

Suddenly, he was upset, picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it, and stood up suddenly after drinking: "Your Majesty, what do you mean by this?" ”

Suddenly Tatar asked in a cold voice, and the Hu warriors who were originally sitting near the gate of the palace also stood up, and the banquet hall that had just been staggered suddenly became tense, and the highly nervous Imperial Forest Army rushed into the palace, and all the changes only happened in an instant.

Seeing that the situation was a little uncontrollable, Chu Lingzhao coldly ordered: "Retreat!" ”

The commander of the Imperial Forest Army hesitated for a moment, led the troops to retreat, Chu Lingzhao sat still like the wind, and turned his head to look at Kutar: "What is the king's dissatisfaction with my hospitality?" ”

"Your Majesty asked people to pour cold water into the king's wine glass, what do you mean by playing with the king?" Hu Tartar raised his cup and asked, and the palace people who were waiting in the hall immediately knelt down and trembled.

As soon as Su Tatar said this, everyone present knew what was going on.

Yuanzhao is different from the Hu people, they are very particular about food, clothing, housing and transportation, and people with a little status will rinse their mouths with tea before meals, and the cup is not cold water, but mouthwash, and they will not drink it.

Chu Lingzhao didn't move the chopsticks, it was because no one demonstrated it that he made such a joke, but in this current atmosphere, no one dared to say a word to Kutar: Excuse me, Your Majesty, you just drank our mouthwash.

In this way, I am afraid that Kutar will feel even more humiliated and make a big fuss on the spot.

Everyone held their breath and didn't dare to speak easily, and after a while, Chu Lingzhao picked up the cup of mouthwash in front of him and drank it up: "The king doesn't know, this is the custom of my Yuanzhao country, drinking a glass of water before the meal can remove the fishy and relieve the greasy, and avoid the accumulation of food." ”

Chu Lingzhao took the lead and drank the mouthwash, and the others all took the mouthwash and drank it.

Seeing that everyone had drunk, Hu Tatar gave a look and asked the group of Hu warriors at the entrance of the hall to sit down.

"That's the case, the people of my clan don't pay so much attention, I see that the men in the land of Yuanzhao are very thin, it can be seen that the men who will be raised by such brocade clothes and jade food are not as good as the warriors irrigated by spirits!"

Kutar said with a smile, although his tone was a little joking, the implication was that the man of Yuan Zhao was weak, and he was not as heroic as the children of the Hu people.

Chu Lingzhao didn't respond, put down the wine glass, and swept around the military generals area with his eyes as if unintentionally.

One of the generals immediately understood: "The king's words are wrong, my Yuanzhao man is not weak, but the Hu warriors are too burly and majestic to be like ordinary people." ”

This is to say that the Hu people are abnormally tall.

Suddenly Tartar sat down, raised his hand and patted his chest, his muscles were hard, and he used a lot of force, so that his chest thumped: "Manly husband, naturally everyone must be like this king to be considered a good man, otherwise wouldn't it be the same as a girl?" ”

This was said with a sense of humiliation, and one of the generals immediately stood up: "The king's words are excessive, I am waiting for a seven-foot man, how can I compare a woman with us!" ”

The martial general is already tall among the men of the Yuanzhao Kingdom, and his figure is also very burly, but compared to a bunch of Hu warriors, it is still a little unsightly.

Kutar glanced up and down at the general, and then looked at one of the warriors, and the warrior immediately stood up and said in Hu Balabala, and finally Kutar helped translate: "Your Majesty, this warrior under this king, I want to learn the kung fu of this general, I wonder if Your Majesty can let the two of you have a competition?" ”

When the foreign envoy came to see him, his subordinates had to have a fight, but this contest could not be fought casually, once they lost, they would lose the face of a country.

After thinking about it for a while, Chu Lingzhao said with a smile: "Today is a reception banquet for the king and the princess, the song and dance prepared by the Ministry of Rites has not yet been held, the king might as well enjoy the song and dance first, wait until he is full of food and drink, rest enough, and have the opportunity to watch them compete slowly in the future, how about it?" ”

"Even if my Huren children don't eat or drink for a few days, they can still capture and kill fierce beasts, Your Majesty is a person who underestimates this king?"

Suddenly the Tartar began to agitate, the Hu people are aggressive by nature, and they don't like to listen to music and eat quietly, and it would be best if there was a competition.

Chu Lingzhao shook his head: "The king's words are wrong, I am tired of the Hu warriors all the way, even if the generals under me win, they will be laughed at by the people of the world and said that they are not victorious." ”

This is said with great confidence, let you eat well is that we don't want to bully you, wait until you are full and then fight, so that you can lose your heart!

Kutar: "......"

In terms of the way of speaking, the straightforward Sultan is not as good as Chu Lingzhao.

Kutaran was choked and couldn't speak, after all, this is Chu Lingzhao's territory, he only brought such a few people, and if he continues to provoke, if he is beaten by the group, he is afraid that there will be no place to cry when he cries.

Suddenly, Chu Lingzhao clapped his hands, and the graceful dancer rushed up in a light gauze dress holding a pipa half-covered, the sound of silk and bamboo gradually rose, and the soft and crisp fragrant breeze spread.

Kutar glanced at it casually and lowered his head to drink.

Most of the women in Yuanzhao Kingdom are white-skinned and beautiful, petite, too fragile in the eyes of the Hu people, and not easy to give birth, not the best choice for partners, but they can be caught and kept as pets.

When he was the youngest, he had kidnapped several women from the Far Zhao Kingdom and raised them with him, and when it was cold, he made them dance barefoot on the frozen lake.

These women are light, even if the ice is very thin, they will not fall, but barefoot, the skin in the palm of the palm is easy to be stuck by the ice, once torn will tear off a layer of flesh, then these women will scream, the voice is sharp, not so beautiful.

Su Li watched the scenes of these songs and dances that came to her mind coincide strangely with Kutar's thoughts, but unlike Kutar, Kutar played the role of a spectator, while Su Li was a performer.

The border land is extremely desolate, and the Hu people always like to sneak in and kidnap women from good families into the camp as prostitutes, for them to vent their animal desires, and perform songs and dances for them.

In winter, the ice is thin and crispy, and they like to drive the women who have returned from the captives to stand on the ice and dance, and whoever holds on the longest and does not step on the ice and fall into the ice cave can avoid being humiliated.

On the contrary, those who fall into the ice cave will be tortured to death by one or more Hu people after being rescued.

That kind of life is a joy for the Hu people, and for the captive woman, it is a nightmare that will linger until death.

"Good!"

Some people applauded, and the banquet hall burst into applause.

Su Li didn't applaud and took another sip of fruit wine.

When she was a child, Gu Yuanfeng taught her that women should be self-reliant and self-loving, cherish their lives, and there are many people in this world who let women sell their arts and bodies through various means, and treat women as a kind of object for fun, which is the sadness of this world, not the sorrow of being a woman.

Even if you fall into the dust, you should know that you are a flesh-and-blood person, not a plaything that survives by pleasing others!

At the end of the song, the beautiful dance came to an abrupt end, and the dancers bowed and saluted, and then quickly left the stage with their instruments in their arms.

The palace people waiting outside the palace gate were just about to call the next group of people to come in to perform, Su Li felt a flash of afterglow, and suddenly Wanyan stood up.

She bowed with her right hand on her left chest, and said in a soft voice: "Yan'er is willing to play a song for Your Majesty, wishing Yuanzhao and our people good neighborliness and friendship, and never invade each other!" ”

Good neighborliness and friendship, never invade each other!

In just eight words, it is a grand dream that has not been realized for hundreds of years.

The border passes are full of white bones, and the territory is soaked with blood over and over again, but it can't bloom peaceful and peaceful flowers.

"Accurate!"

Chu Ling Zhao was entrusted, and suddenly Wanyan walked to the center of the banquet hall, there was still the crisp sound of copper bells between walking, and everyone found that she was not wearing shoes, and a pea-sized silver bell was wrapped around the ankles of her white and smooth jade feet with red threads, and her bare feet looked particularly dazzling against the clean and translucent floor tiles, which was more beautiful than the finest white jade.

She was prepared, and took out a Tao Xun from her sleeve and played it.

Tao Xun plays a folk song that is widely spread in Saibei, which is sung by local residents to coax children to sleep, the tune is soothing and melodious, with Tao Xun's low and rich sound quality, it can easily soothe the impetuousness in everyone's hearts.

With the sound of Xun, the discussion in the banquet hall gradually stopped, and everyone listened attentively to this voice.

After blowing for the first time, suddenly Wanyan moved, her waist twisted into a graceful arc, she stood on one foot, the other foot was slightly hooked back, and the layers of gauze skirts were raised, like an elegant and beautiful white peacock, at the same time, the same tune sped up a lot, and the originally soothing tone became brisk, like a child's play.

Suddenly, Wanyan began to dance while playing, and the white gauze skirt swirled and bloomed with her movements.

Her dancing is actually very simple, there are no too difficult movements, but there is a smart movement that others do not have, especially those black eyes, which seem to be breathtaking.

The tune is not too long, and there is a short arrangement at the end, which is finished by Su Wanyan and ends with a kneeling action.

"Good!"

Hu Tartar was the first to applaud, and the Hu warriors immediately agreed, completely overpowering Fang Cai's applause.

Dancing while playing is actually extremely physically demanding, but Su Wanyan knelt there after dancing but her face did not change, and Su Li's eyes were slightly cold.

was pondering, and unexpectedly heard Chu Lingzhao say: "The princess is really talented and beautiful, but I also have a strange woman in Yuanzhao Kingdom, and her piano, chess, calligraphy and painting are also a must, so you might as well let her perform for the king!" ”

“……”

Who is the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting talking about? Your Majesty, don't put a high hat on people!

Su Li lowered her head and continued to drink, wanting to pretend that she hadn't heard anything, but everyone's eyes spontaneously looked at her.

“……”

Su Li was speechless, her hand holding the cup was a little unsteady, and she didn't know who spoke: "County Lord Su, you don't have to be modest at this time, show your hand and let them take a good look!" ”

"That's it! It's just playing and singing, and we can't let them underestimate it! ”

"That's right! The talent of the county lord of Su once surpassed that of Kyoto, how could he not compare to a princess from the land of barbarians! ”

These people inexplicably unified their calibers, Su Li was about to stand up hard, Chu Lingzhao spoke again: "The king just proposed a martial arts competition, I feel that it is inevitably hurtful and angry, at this time, I can let the princess compete with my county lord of Yuanzhao, in order to make the competition more interesting, I can set up a lottery, what does the king think?" ”

Su Li: "......"

Shut up, Your Majesty!

Chu Lingzhao's words were the first provocation since today, and he squinted his eyes and looked at Su Li inch by inch, as if he wanted to see what Su Li was capable of, so that Chu Lingzhao could have such confidence.

"Good!"

Kutar agreed, and took off the silver bracelet with blood jade embedded in his wrist: "This king bets on the king's daughter to win with a thousand cattle and sheep!" ”

1,000 cattle and sheep are equivalent to one-tenth of the annual tribute paid by the Hu people to Yuanzhao.

As soon as these words came out, everyone couldn't help but talk about it, but before everyone could discuss the reason, Su Tatar pointed to Su Li and said: "This king loses, next year the tribute will add a thousand cattle and sheep, if this king wins, this woman belongs to this king!" ”