In the autumn of the twelfth year of Zhongxing, Yanyun locust plague caused a grain harvest. Mongolia sent another envoy to ask for the resumption of trade between the two countries, and to be a brotherly alliance forever.

After this alliance of soldiers, Xuan Nan and Burigood seem to have formed a tacit understanding. Mongolia can't swallow Da Chu, and it's not easy for Da Chu to recover the sixteen states of Yanyun. As a result, the envoys of both countries became more and more polite in their actions and words, and they were close to each other.

Therefore, not only food, but also more and more silk jewelry from Bianliang and Jiangnan entered Qiqige's account, and she yearned for the prosperity and wealth of Bianliang more and more, and also missed the emperor of the Southern Dynasty who bravely rode alone. Thinking about it day and night, one day he blurted out: "Dark clouds, let's go to the Southern Dynasty, right?" ”

Wuyun was originally a girl with clear eyebrows and shiny black braids. , a lock of broken hair on the forehead obscures the slave brand. She served milk tea to Qiqige and said, "The Southern Dynasty is more than 30 runs away from here, how can we go?" ”

"We reopened the mutual market with the Southern Dynasties, and this time we sent Dai Qing as an envoy!" Qiqige deliberately accentuated the word Dai Qing.

"That'...... It's not you. The dark clouds looked embarrassed.

"Let's not tell my brother, let's go quietly!"

"But I was the one who was whipped......"

"I'm a princess, my brother punishes you, and I have to bear it!" Kikige said.

"The Southern Dynasty has roasted whole mutton, as well as mutton liver, lamb tripe...... "Eh, what else does Wuyun like to eat in the Southern Dynasty...... Kikige thought for a while and didn't come up with a reason, so she simply said, "Anyway, there are a lot of delicious foods!"

"Is there anything better than lamb liver and tripe? I can't imagine it......" The clouds remained unmoved.

"Aren't you afraid that Dai Qing will be hooked by a girl from the Southern Dynasty? My sister-in-law is the princess of the Southern Dynasty, you see how much my brother likes her!" Kikige had an idea.

Dai Qing is the son of Timur of the Taishi, a tall man, good in riding and archery, quite different from others, he is proficient in the Mongol-Han Khitan and Jurchen script, and is famous in the Mongolian tribes, which has attracted the favor of many women, and the dark clouds are naturally no exception.

"I'll do whatever the princess says." Dark Cloud replied shyly.

That night, Dai Qing looked at the dark clouds of shame and said happily: "Is Qiqige really going to Bianliang?"

The dark cloud nodded shyly.

"Then I'll wait for you in Yingzhou." Dai Qing was elated.

A day after Dai Qing's departure, Qiqige quietly took the dark clouds to chase Dai Qing's mission. On a sunny afternoon, we finally met in Yingzhou. When the two of them got the Iron Fu Festival that was passed by Da Chu, Qiqige's heart was like her name, and she was happy.

The road from Hejian Town to Bianliang is not far, and it can be reached in ten days. However, Da Chu's guidance made An Yue, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites, always take a long detour, and the places he traveled were sparsely populated and not easy to remember. It took two months to get there. The reason for this, Dai Qing and An Yue knew very well, if the river was lost, wouldn't the enemy go straight to Bianliang.

However, Kikige didn't care at all, she looked at the green mountains and green waters along the way.

When I came to Bianliang, the weather was slightly cool, and the Double Yang Festival was coming. Dai Qing met Zhao Yan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, in the pavilion and discussed the matter of meeting the emperor tomorrow.

And Qiqige quietly left the pavilion with dark clouds, and looked left and right on the bustling long street of Bianliang Shili, everything was fresh and interesting. Although she is a princess, she has never seen so many people on the grassland.

The food and drink of the Southern Dynasty are exquisite, the silk is beautiful, she likes the sugar man on the street the most, the villains look cute and cute, and there are many legendary stories behind her that she never knows. And she was also generous, buying a lot of such and such children's gadgets, and preparing to take them back to give to her little nephew Hada.

When those vendors saw her, they didn't bargain, and they bought it after asking the price, so they were naturally very happy, and they were enthusiastic about her, and they kindly recommended her many fun and delicious places in Bianliang City. The people of the Southern Dynasties are really warm and kind.

Walking all the way, looking all the way, it was getting late, and many merchants went home after selling their goods. The ten-mile long street gradually became deserted, and there was still a vendor not far away, and Qiqi walked over with the dark clouds. The vendor was a middle-aged man, and he smiled and said, "Girl, look at rouge, right?" ”

Kikige looks at the rouge in the blue and white porcelain Fluttershy, and a strong, pungent scent of fat powder hits her nose.

The middle-aged man took a plate and put it in her hand, and told her a lot of things like how good this rouge is, and if you don't buy it, you will suffer a loss. She didn't think much of it for a moment, and used her fingers to make a hole in the paste and rubbed it on the back of her hand. Although it had been thickly painted, it was not as colorful as she used to use. The box of rouge was not very good, and then closed the porcelain lid and was ready to go.

"Girl, this rouge was dug up like this by you, how can I sell it!" The middle-aged man raised his voice, stared at Qiqige fiercely, and grabbed the arm of the dark cloud to prevent her from leaving.

Qiqige vigorously broke the hand of the middle-aged man who was holding the dark cloud's arm, and said to him, "Don't do it, I'll buy it." ”

The middle-aged man looked at these two little girls in Mongolian clothes, who had already held the heart of the slaughterer, and now saw that Qiqige was wearing a pure gold bracelet on his wrist, and suddenly the lion opened his mouth and said, "This rouge costs one or two silver." ”

Kikige listened and touched the money bag from her arms, she saw what to buy, and had no concept of money, only to find that there were only ten copper plates left in the money bag.

"I only have ten cents, but all the things I bought add up to exactly one or two." After that, he took off the back basket on the dark cloud, and poured out the small toys that the candy man, the lantern, and the kite had just bought one after another. Bartering is the rule on the grassland. Although she was reluctant in her heart, she did damage the rouge and should be compensated.

The treasures in Kikige's eyes are worthless gadgets in the hearts of middle-aged peddlers. The middle-aged man said angrily: "I don't want these rags! If you don't have any money, give me the gold bracelet! With that, he grabbed Kikige's wrist and tried to remove the gold bracelet from her wrist.

Kikige was pinched so painfully that she couldn't break free, and she cried out in fright.

When Bianliang spread rumors about the loss of Hejian, Xuandong bought a thatched cottage on the outskirts of Bianliang from General Xuanwu. It is said that it is a thatched cottage, but it is better to say that it is a few thatched huts.

When he first bought it, Xuan Nan also joked and said: "I bought a mountain, but fortunately, I don't spend much money, and I won't suffer a loss if I get rid of it in the future." ”

Xuandong didn't think so, he was good at planting landscaping and gardening, and he tinkered with it for more than a month, and the dilapidated thatched hut took on a new look, and he was stunned to become an extremely elegant and simple Zhuangzi. The towering white ash is erected in the courtyard, the fragrance floats, and the spleen is refreshing.

At that time, in autumn, the mangrove trees in the mountains were layered on top of each other, from light to dark and from dark to light red, interspersed with a little yellow and green, like a dream. The autumn is high and cool, the water falls out, the green and yellow bamboo bark houses dot on the ten thousand pieces of red glow, and the Zongzong stream flows in the quiet forest, bypassing the edge of the small courtyard, it is really a natural painting.

Xuan Nan was dumbfounded.

Xuan Dong shook the scarf in the wind, and said proudly: "Brother, I'm so talented!"

In the distance, the mountains are full of red greenery, and the placket skirt of the ice-blue and plain-white silver silk embroidered butterfly is draped in water-red yarn. She scooped the clear stream with a gourd and joked with Tang Di beside her. Tang Di was wearing a light pink placket embroidered white magnolia skirt, at first glance, he only felt delicate and beautiful, but when he looked closely, he found that the neckline was embellished with pearls the size of millet grains into arabesque patterns, with a light and elegant luster.

"It turns out that the reason why you rejected the king of Leshui County was Ah Dong." Bing Lan laughed.

Tang Di couldn't help but blush his cheeks, revealing a little bit of his little daughter's attitude, and said, "At that time, I didn't know that he was the prince. In order to save me and my mother, his entire arm was burned by the fire, and then he was picked up by his family. If I marry someone else, what if he recovers and comes to me? ”

"How did he find you in the middle of nowhere?" Bing Lan asked with interest.

He said that it was not far from the place where we first met, so he did his best to make a garden here and wait for me to come back. If I don't come, he will hold a tea party, a polo party, a poetry party...... There will always be a waiting for me to come. Tang Di said, and lowered his head shyly.

"Unexpectedly, this prodigal son has really turned back!" Ice Blue Road.

"Ah Dong looks cynical, but he is actually the person who understands best in his heart." Tang Di said with satisfaction.

Soon, Bing Lan and Tang Di brought the wooden barrel back from the stream, and the smiles on the girls' faces were sweet and bright. Here in the fiery red, they are like fairies in the forest.

Xuan Nan moved the hearts of the two brothers and said: There is no chaos of silk and bamboo here, and there is no labor of cases. Hand in hand with your beloved in such a poetic and picturesque life, what more could you ask for......

Xuan Nan Xuandong saw that they were back, picked up some firewood, and then lit a fire to boil water. A little bit of red flew in the red, and a white dove landed on Xuan Nan's arm.

"Your Majesty, this pigeon is so well-behaved." Ice Blue said. As he spoke, he took the grain and prepared it alone. The white dove tilted its head and didn't look at the grain in Binglan's hand.

Xuan Nan took the grain in Binglan's hand and fed it to the pigeon, and the pigeon pecked cleanly. After the little white pigeon finished eating, Xuan Nan took out the note from the bamboo tube on the white pigeon's leg. He unfolded the note, couldn't help laughing, and shouted: "Second brother has been found!" Ha ha! ”

Xuan Dong hurriedly took the note and looked at it, and flipped back with a smile.

"Adong! You are really a little lucky star. Your marriage must be done, and all good things will come! Xuan Nan smiled from ear to ear.

Bing Lan placed the tea set in the small courtyard on a low table made of old tree roots, a set of ice cracked dense porcelain bowls, pouring hot boiling water on it, but there was no tea brush and small mill. Then, he took out a small gauze bag and poured the fried green loose tea on a small pale cyan porcelain plate.

Xuan Dong seemed to be greatly stimulated, and said, "Won't the imperial brother make a dragon group tea for me to eat......

"Anan is injured, and biting the lamp is the most laborious and troublesome! Besides, if you want to make a cup of tea for two hours, it will be gone, and tomorrow Your Majesty will have to meet with the Mongolian envoy, so it is not too late to return to the palace. Ice Blue pouted.

"This tea is West Lake Longjing, and Longtuan tea is a raw material. It's all the same. Tang Di comforted on the side.

"How can the tea cup used by my brother entertain my friends?" Xuan Dong pouted and said.

"I brought this set back by myself, and there are new porcelain from Jingdezhen in the warehouse, so I can take it myself." Xuan Nan said.

Xuan Dong's eyes lit up, and he no longer played with the secret color porcelain teacup in his hand, and said, "Then I want money." Jiaozi is okay, copper coins are okay, gold and silver are even better! Xuan Dong said.

"If you build the Jiaofang Palace as well as here, I will pay for the construction fee." Xuan Nan said.

"Good! Deal! Xuan Dong said.

After a cup of tea, the sun set, and the four of them walked down the mountain in the afterglow, leaving behind a fiery tranquility. At the foot of the mountain, Du Zhong and his attendants greeted them. The four of them rode in a carriage, with Du Zhong driving and the guards following in another carriage. From Xiangshan to the Imperial Palace, you have to pass through a ten-mile long street to take a shortcut, and it is getting late, and the originally lively street market has become deserted. Walking to the middle of the street, the voice of a man shouting gradually became clear, and Bing Lan opened the curtain of the carriage and saw a middle-aged man embarrassed by two little girls in Mongolian clothes. She was naturally nosy and liked to fight unevenly, which made Du Zhong stop. I lifted the curtain and listened carefully to the words of the three of them.

Xuan Dong pouted in the car and said, "Brother doesn't have time to make tea and enjoy the scenery, but he has time to accompany your daughter-in-law to meddle in affairs." See the lust and forget the righteousness! ”

Xuan Nan only thought that Yaxing, who didn't eat tea with him today, was making a child's temper, and turned his head to Tang Di and said, "Brother and sister, where did you look at him?" ”

Tang Di smiled and didn't speak.

Xuan Nan's eyes swept over the two little girls in Mongolian costumes, and suddenly his eyes fixed on one of the more gorgeously dressed little girls, and a pair of chic gold bracelets on the little girl's wrists made Xuan Nan feel familiar, like a bracelet from the queen mother.

The little girl wiped her tears and said categorically, "No! This was given to me by my sister-in-law. I can't give it to you. ”

"Did the queen mother give the eldest sister a lot of clothes to wear some time ago?" Xuan Nan asked.

"Seems to be the case." Xuan Dong replied.

It seems that this little girl has a lot of background in Mongolia. Her sister-in-law is not the eldest sister Xuantong, and Princess Jiachang. Xuan Nan couldn't help but wonder in his heart.

At this moment, Bing Lan had already heard the cause and effect, and she got out of the carriage. Tang Di also got up and said, "I'll go too." ”

The two girls walked up to the rouge vendor, and Bing Lan said unceremoniously: "Your shoddy rouge sells ten wen on weekdays, and eight wen when you meet a counteroffer." Now when I see this girl from other places, I sit on the ground and start the price a hundred times, so I dare to offer a price of one or two! Let's go to see the officials, and the adults in the government will definitely punish you for bankruptcy! ”

The hawker was stunned suddenly, the two girls in front of him were dressed in silk and satin, with sharp teeth and sharp mouths, but after all, they were just two little girls, and they just coaxed her. changed his previous fierce voice and said: "The girl doesn't know, the rouge on weekdays is indeed ordinary. But today's is the best rouge made by my daughter-in-law herself. She got up early this morning to collect morning dew, made it with fresh rose juice water, and added many precious spices, or the secret recipe of the palace. Naturally, the price will rise. ”

Bing Lan Xin said, you still want to lie to me, so you can trick the secret recipe of the Xuanxu Palace, how come I have never seen such a shoddy rouge in Ouchi.

"Tell me what precious spices are in your rouge?" Tang Di asked.

"It's all said it's a secret recipe!" The peddler still wants to cheat again.

"It must be that the best rose petals have been collected, the petals are slowly scooped into a thick pulp with a clean stone mortar, filtered through spun yarn to extract the juice, and then the newly reeled silk is cut to the size of a rouge jar, and then soaked in the flower juice, and then completely soaked and taken out to dry, right?" Bing Lan deliberately spoke extremely quickly.

The vendor didn't hear clearly, but felt that the procedure was complicated, and he didn't think much about nodding and answering yes.

Tang Di couldn't help laughing, "Eh, according to what she said, you can't make rouge in ten days." Your daughter-in-law smashed roses and picked morning dew today, how did you come to sell them today? ”

As soon as these words came out, the peddler seemed to be petrified, and he stood there speechless for a long time, and was exposed to the lie by a little girl, and his face was red to the root of his ears.

Seeing him like this, Bing Lan asked again: "How much do you buy this box of rouge now?" ”

"Bawen." The hawker borrowed the slope to get off the donkey.

Bing Lan and Tang Di looked at each other, this price is fair, and they are no longer embarrassed by the hawkers.

After Kikige paid the peddler, the vendor took the stall and went home.

"Thank you. Girl. Kikige thanked her.

"Thank you for your efforts." Ice Blue said.

Seeing that it was getting late, Kikige prepared to go back to the inn. She never got lost in the vast prairie, and now she came across a street that turned left and right, but she couldn't remember the way back. She asked the clouds, and the clouds couldn't tell clearly. She saw that Binglan and Tang Di didn't go far and caught up, she asked, "Two girls, do you know how to get to the pavilion?" ”

Ice blue whispering, she really didn't recognize it. looked at Tang Di again, but Tang Di usually went out either by car or in a sedan chair, and he didn't recognize it, so he shook his head.

At this time, Xuan Nan in the carriage opened the curtain and said: "Go back and pass through two forks, then turn right and walk through six forks, and turn left is the pavilion." ”

Kikige saw the man in the carriage, lifted the curtain, and poked out half of his head. With his handsome face and two sword eyebrows, isn't he the emperor of the Southern Dynasty who saved him! She looked at him stunned, and didn't react for a moment.

Xuan Nan looked at her stunned demeanor, and thought that she didn't understand what she said, and she was going to say it again, but after thinking about it: she was a Mongolian noblewoman who came with the mission, and if something happened would affect the diplomatic relations, it would be troublesome.

So he said with a pleasant face: "Girl, I also know the road to the post house, so why don't they send you there." ”

"Thank you." Kikige thanked him heartily.

Back in the car, Xuan Dong said, "You two are nosy this time. ”

"How?" Tang Di asked.

"That little girl was a Mongolian nobleman!" Xuandong Road.

"Really? Is it aristocracy to dress expensively? Maybe the messenger's envoy? Anyway, the Hu people will wear all their net worth on their bodies. Bing Lan was puzzled.

"The royal brother said that the pair of golden strings in her hand were given to the eldest sister by the queen mother. She came with Dai Qing's delegation again, and her identity was not ordinary. Xuan Dong said.

At this time, Tang Di lifted the curtain again and watched the little Mongolian girl get into the carriage assigned by Xuan Nan and go away, frowning.

"What's wrong? Adi? Xuan Dong asked.

Tang Di squeezed out a smile and said, "It's nothing ......"

Back at the post house, Qiqige thought of Xuannan Yushu's demeanor in the wind. When I first saw him, he was dressed in shining iron armor, holding a Fang Tian painting halberd, galloping on a horse. Seeing him this time is a handsome boy with a good demeanor, looking at his radiant appearance now, he should be healed. It was obviously late autumn, but her heart was flooded with warm spring water.

At this time, the dark clouds approached her. Wuyun is also a beautiful girl with delicate facial features. When she returned to the inn tonight, she had changed into her best clothes, not silk and satin, but a brand new linen dress. Smeared with osmanthus oil, combed his hair neatly, only a lock of broken hair on his forehead, and wore a light crimson hibiscus flower of velvet grass bought in the market today, and the whole person looked refreshing. She said, "Princess, do you think I look like this?" ”

"It's good-looking. Why are you dressed up at night? Kikige asked, puzzled.

"Princess, didn't you say that you wanted to match me with Hada? Along the way, he has always been indifferent to me. What can the princess do to make him more intimate with me? The dark clouds were reddish and their heads lowered.

Qiqige has been looking at the mountains and rivers all the way, forgetting what she had said to coax the dark clouds to the clouds, and now she remembers. She said: "Wuyun, when Hada meets the Great Chu Emperor tomorrow, I must take this matter to heart, isn't there any way back." ”

After hearing this, Wuyun raised his eyebrows and said, "Thank you, princess." ”