In the early afternoon, the temperature is at its highest. Under the scorching sun, eggs placed on the ground can be baked, and the heat can be imagined.

In previous years, there was only one way for farmers to cope with this kind of weather, and that was to wake up early. Generally, at three or four o'clock, you have to get up early and go to work in the field while it is cool. By the end of the day, that is, at nine o'clock in the morning, the scorching sun has been high in the sky, so you have to go home and rest, otherwise you have to burst your skin.

This year, however, it was different, as thousands of workers in Jingyang County were also working in the open air, but everyone was given a huge umbrella. These umbrellas were specially made by the Jingyang Merchant Gang, and a lot of silver was spent on them.

With the umbrella cover, the workers can do their work much easier. Because it is now summer, it is still early and the air humidity is not much. As long as it is not directly exposed to the sun, the body feels relatively comfortable.

On the Xiqin Highway that goes straight to Xi'an, even umbrellas can be saved. Because the road is lined with greenery, the sunlight can only cast dappled shadows on the road.

At this time, a horse-drawn carriage that looked slightly dilapidated was driving on this road. The experienced coachman, who was over half a hundred years old, carefully steered the docile mules and horses, and deliberately slowed down the speed of the carriage as little as possible to avoid a little bump.

In front of and behind the carriage, there were more than 20 passers-by carrying burdens or riding horses or walking, seemingly irrelevant to the carriage, but in fact they were secretly concentrating, vigilantly observing the movements around them. As soon as there was a stir within a few dozen steps, they would immediately form a circle, draw the swords hidden in their baggage, and do their best to protect the passengers.

The wide carriage had a low curtain, and it was impossible to see the inside from the outside. Of course, if you get close, you can hear the faint laughter coming out of it. But the "passers-by" did not allow anyone to approach the carriage at all, so to the uninformed, it was nothing more than an ordinary carriage.

But in the carriage, it is the sound of the warbler and the swallow language, and the group is beautiful!

Don't think about it, this is not a special prop, but Qin King Zhu Youzhen rushed to Xi'an City with the four sisters of Concubine Bao Yulian and Meilan Zhuju. Also accompanied in the car were Zhu Cunqi, the lord of Lishan, Li Zhenyan, the lord of Miaoxiang, and Qi Meifeng, the chief general of the Qin soldiers. As the saying goes, three women in one play, but there are as many as eight beauties in this carriage, how can it not be lively!

The women chirped and chattered, but Zhu Youzhen, who couldn't speak, was bitter. He wanted to cover his ears but didn't dare, he wanted to doze off and was so noisy that he couldn't sleep, so he had to smile bitterly and said to Bao Yu: "You are pregnant now, why bother to run this trip." I invited people to Qinwangzhuang to see you, isn't it the same? ”

Bao Yulian glanced at Zhu Youzhen, and said with a slight smile: "Lord Wang, you are also careless!" On that day, a few of us had a similar identity to Yuanyuanmei, and our backgrounds were similar, so we fell in love with each other and married Jinlan. Now, if you sit in the house and wait, Yuanyuan Mei will think that we are holding a shelf, and she will be sad. The prince can rest assured, Yu Lian is Langzhong, and he has his own measure. Now that she has been pregnant for more than three months, the fetus has been stabilized, and it is time to move around. ”

"The princess is actually a sworn sister with Chen Yuanyuan, who is famous all over the world?" Zhu Cunqi and Li Zhenyan were very curious, pestering Bao Yulian and asking her to explain the reason.

Bao Yupian did not hide it, and told how he fell into the dust, how he was rescued by Zhu Youzhen, and how he later met Chen Yuanyuan and worshipped.

Several people sighed when they heard this, and at the same time they saluted Zhu Youzhen. There was both admiration and teasing in his eyes, and he seemed to be a little jealous, and Zhu Youzhen looked furious, and he wanted to slip away quickly.

It was still Qi Meifeng who had an upright temperament, took the initiative to divert the topic, and said for Zhu Youzhen: "Judging from the invitation, this round girl doesn't know the identity of His Royal Highness. I heard that she lives in Jinling, how could she suddenly come to Xi'an, and how could she be so coincidental to send this invitation to His Royal Highness? ”

Li Zhenyan smiled and answered: "I heard that Chen Yuanyuan came to Xi'an this time at the invitation of Yang Sichang, the son of Lord Yang, the governor of the three sides, to participate in the Bon Puja held at Qingliang Temple on July 15. As soon as she arrived in Xi'an, she caused a sensation in the city. Qiao Beiyue, the leader of the Jinzhong Business Gang, funded the 'Qingfang Meeting' in Tianwaitian, invited her to attend the performance, and invited celebrities from Xi'an to participate. ”

Zhu Youzhen didn't realize that he was stunned after hearing this: "Nanjing is not without temples, why do you want to worship the Buddha and rush to Xi'an so far and wide?" Besides, isn't July 15 a Halloween Festival, and why is it an Obon Festival? ”

Mei Jian, who is usually silent, said: "The prince doesn't know, the slave maid heard Yuanyuan Mei say that this Bon Festival is a Buddhist festival, and the Zhongyuan Festival you said is a Taoist saying." Shangyuan is the fifteenth day of the first month, which is the blessing day of heavenly officials; The 15th day of the seventh month in the middle of the Yuan Dynasty is the day of forgiveness of sins by the local officials; The next yuan is October 15, which is the day of the water official to relieve the doom.

"People who have fallen into the dust of the wind feel that they are guilty of great sins, and they will inevitably fall into the hell of Abi in the future, so every time they come to the Obon Festival in the middle of the Yuan, they will go to the temple to worship the Buddha and ask for the Buddha's forgiveness. Among them, the Bon Festival of Xi'an Qingliang Temple is the most famous, because the word "cool" can best cleanse the dust. ”

Everyone couldn't help but be gloomy when they heard this. Especially Zhu Youzhen, thinking of Chen Yuanyuan's life experience in history like duckweed, he first worked as a prostitute in Jinling for many years, and then was bought by the national abbot Tian Wan as a concubine in the house.

Tian Wan is already in his sixties, although he can't catch up with Yang Zhenning, that old soul is also dirty. In order to stabilize the status of his daughter Tian Guifei, he sent Chen Yuanyuan into the palace to dedicate to Chongzhen. It's a pity that Chongzhen at that time was worried about the collapse of the imperial edifice, and he had no intention of getting close to women. Chen Yuanyuan lingered in the palace for several months, but he failed to get Chongzhen's favor, so he had to return to Tianfu.

After that, Chen Yuanyuan's fate was even more tragic. He was first forcibly asked for as a concubine by Wu Sangui, and then occupied by Li Zicheng, who broke through the Beijing Division, and it is also said that he was snatched away by Li Zicheng's subordinate Liu Zongmin. When Wu Sangui led the Qing army into the customs, this weak woman who was peerless but in the whirlpool of history innocently took the infamy of "red face and trouble"!

As for the later transfer to Kunming, Yunnan with Wu Sangui, but he died under the ancient Buddha of the green lantern, which is even more futile and sighing. Zhu Youzhen also wanted her not to meet Wu Sangui as much as possible, so that she could change her fate; I didn't know that she came to Xi'an again, and she was invisibly closer to Li Zicheng.

Seeing that Zhu Youzhen was in a daze, Li Zhenyan reminded him softly: "Your Highness, don't forget, tonight's 'Qingfang Meeting' outside the sky, although the invitation is written by Chen Yuanyuan, it is Ding Qirui, the prefect of Xi'an, who really wants to see you, and the leaders of the two major business gangs of Jinzhong and Tiger Roar. ”

Only then did Zhu Youzhen restrain his mind and said after a long while: "I almost forgot, Ding Qirui has seen me." In this way, let's just say that the gang leader is far away, and Zhenyan will go to the meeting as the deputy gang leader of the Yellow Sea Merchant Gang to see what they want! ”