The opposing caravan stopped, and in the dusk of the moon, he saw three or four people approaching on camels. They were all dressed in Hui clothes, and one of them was bearded, about forty years old, and roughly the leader, and replied in Hui language: "We are a caravan from Terri, and we are going to Lingzhou." Now the water you drink is going to be gone, and it will take four or five days to get out of the desert, the gods bless you, the guests from Datang, please give us some water. ”

Chen Zhou carefully examined them a few times, and asked in a loud voice: "How long will it take to get out of the desert, and how to walk." ”

The leading Hui replied, "Not for ten days!" This spring is particularly dry, otherwise how can we lack drinking water? ”

Chen Zhou calculated in his heart and said, "Our drinking water is also limited, so we can only give you two skins of water." ”

The Hui crowd let out a burst of cheers, and the leading Hui people laughed heartily and replied happily: "Two on top of one plus thousand, a drop of water flows into a lake." A little more is good. Thank you, good brother! ”

Chen Zhou beckoned to the attendants: "Go, fetch two bags of water for them." In addition to the water bladder, the remaining ten skin bags are now concentrated on the two camels.

Shen Pearl couldn't understand the conversation between the two, and saw the leading Hui people laughing loudly from a distance, and the look and voice made her faintly feel that something was wrong, but when she saw an attendant staggering to the camel and preparing to untie the water bladder, she couldn't help but shout: "Don't!" Wary! ”

It was too late, it was fast, I heard a muffled sound of "poof", a water bladder on the camel's back was broken by an arrow, and the water gurgled out, but fortunately, the attendant saw the opportunity very quickly, heard Shen Zhuzhu's reminder, pounced on it, and pressed the camel under him, and at the same time, several arrow feathers swept over his head.

Chen Zhou shouted, and all the attendants swarmed up, surrounding the four Hui people, Chen Zhou shouted angrily: "Who are you!" "It turned out that this time the people were pretending to borrow water to detect the position of the water bladder, so as to shoot through the sac and cut off the water source of the group, which was really vicious.

The four Hui people did not show any sense of panic, and the leading Hui people laughed twice and said in Chinese: "You have really gained a lot, and I wanted to play you a trick." Okay, that's it. Pointing in the direction of Shen Zhuzhu, he said, "Is your crown princess of the Tang Dynasty also here?" Okay, if you want to find His Royal Highness Prince Tang, please follow me! ”

Chen Zhou and Cheng Yuanzhen looked at each other, and they didn't dare to make up their minds for a while. Shen Pearl had already come down from the carriage, smiled lightly, and said gently: "Since the master is full of fists, why don't we do it?" "At this point, that's the only way to go.

The leading Hui Ren nodded and said loudly: "The crown princess has to follow." Twisting the head of the camel, he slowly walked back to his team, and more than ten camels rode back to the front team, and the front team was the queen, and took the lead in heading north along the original road.

Chen Zhou and Cheng Yuanzhen glanced at each other, and ordered to follow this group of Hui people.

This group of Uighurs seemed to be accustomed to living in the desert, the weather was hot and the sun was shining, and they led the way, singing and laughing loudly. led Shen Pearl and his entourage to turn west in the middle of the desert, from the early morning of the day to the sunset, still spinning freely in the desert.

Cheng Yuanzhen seemed to be a little anxious, and when he saw that the sun was about to set, he rode his horse to catch up with the Hui people in front of him and asked, "Where are you going to take us?" ”

Most of the Hui people obviously didn't understand him, and just looked at him and laughed at each other with mockery. The leading Hui people smiled meaningfully and said: "It's coming, it's coming, young man, we Hui people often say that with a cloak, it can't rain when it rains, and with a bridle, the horse can't run off." Everything will come to a natural day, and there is no hurry. Cheng Yuanzhen listened to the aphorisms and proverbs in the leader's mouth one after another, and couldn't help but feel numb in his scalp.

Shen Pearl privately summoned Chen Zhou and asked, "Do you know which direction we are heading now?" ”

Chen Zhou sighed and said: "One moment to the east, one moment to the north, one time to the south, a certain will also be confused." ”

The desert silence under the setting sun is far-reaching, and the bleakness, accompanied by the crisp sound of camel bells, drags the long shadows behind the queue and keeps moving forward......

I don't know how long it took to go, seeing that the sunset had fallen, and the whole desert would return to the embrace of the night, Chen Zhou felt that he couldn't hold it anymore, rode forward, grabbed the collar of the leader and returned to the man, and said, "Bah", and said: "If you go around and play tricks on us again, Lao Tzu will not live, and he will die with you!" ”

The leading Hui people shook their heads and smiled, and quietly removed Chen Zhou's hand from the collar: "You people in the Tang Dynasty, why are you all in a hurry like a monkey?" The right hand was raised, pointing to the east, "Look, isn't that the arrival?" ”

Chen Zhou looked in the direction he was pointing and couldn't help but be dumbfounded: behind a small sand dune in the east, a small forest appeared, and behind the high and low trees, it was like an oasis!

This oasis seemed to fall from the sky, and suddenly jumped into his eyes, Chen Zhou couldn't help but rub his eyes, for fear that he would see it wrong. The leader of the Hui people smiled: "Don't worry, this is not a mirage, this is a Jin Ze!" At this time, all the attendants had seen this oasis one after another, and they were all overjoyed, raising their arms and shouting.

The Uighurs led them into the oasis.

It's a huge oasis. The young leaves of the poplar tree are green, the branches are straight, and it becomes a forest. On the open grass under the trees, cattle and sheep are lying on the ground leisurely, or gnawing grass, or sleeping lazily. A small lake reflects the sunset in the west, and the lakeside is full of grass, reeds, and water birds, which has a faint Jiangnan flavor. Walking further, you can see that the houses of the Hui style are either built of stone or earthen ramparts, scattered in all directions.

In front of several towering buildings, there are Hui soldiers wearing scimitars, walking back and forth to guard and patrol. Seeing the leader of the Hui, they were all overjoyed, whistled, and suddenly from the back of the house poured out several people in the same costume, leading horses, holding things, all of them were very affectionate, but not loud and shouting, everything was done in an orderly manner.

The leading Hui people took the cows, horses and camels of Shen Pearl and his party to drinking water and grass, bowed to Shen Zhu, and said: "Crown Princess Niangniang, on the orders of the master, we must treat the guests from the Tang Dynasty well, it is not early now, can we rest first?" ”

Chen Zhou intercepted and said: "Where is His Royal Highness the Prince, take us quickly!" ”

The leading Hui said with a smile: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very good, you see that the Crown Princess is not as anxious as you, everything will wait for the master to come back." ”

Shen Pearl frowned: "Your master...... Who is he? Can you tell us? Isn't he here? ”

The Hui man still looked unfathomable, and said, "The master will be back in the next two days." ”

Shen Pearl knew that she couldn't ask anything from his mouth, "Okay," she said to Chen Zhou and Cheng Yuanzhen, "If you come, you will be safe, and we can only respond to all changes with the same." ”

At that time, the Su people obviously didn't understand her words, and they didn't intend to understand, so they said, "Okay, I'll arrange food and lodging for you." It's just that...... This piece of land is surrounded by desert on three sides, and the other side faces a valley and ravine, and the two adults still have to tell the attendants that you can walk and play at will in the oasis, and we will never block it. But don't wander around! ”

Chen Zhou and Cheng Yuanzhen smiled bitterly, this is a truth that everyone knows: since they have arrived here inexplicably, even if the Hui people let them move around now, no one dares to rashly enter the desert; If you want to return to the Central Plains, I am afraid that you will have to be led by these Hui people.

Shen Pearl was led into a stone house adjacent to Chen Zhou and Cheng Yuanzhen. Although the stone house is small, it has all kinds of organs, beds and tables. Not long after that, someone sent food and water, the food was roasted mutton and pancakes, Shen Pearl and his party came from the Central Plains, rarely made a fire to cook, mostly ate dry food, although the current food is not appetizing, after all, it is much better than dry food.

After eating the food, Shen Pearl walked out of the house. The breeze is coming, and there is a sweet and bitter fragrance of plants and trees. Under the shade of the trees beside the lake, the attendants huddled together, talking in low voices, or falling asleep with a light smile. Along the way, they were all tired.

"Ma'am." Cheng Yuanzhen called in a low voice behind her.

Shen Pearl smiled and said softly, "It's you, why don't you go to rest?" ”

Cheng Yuanzhen shook his head: "I can't sleep." ”

"Are you still worried about Your Highness?"

Cheng Yuanzhen said: "Although Madame never says it, I know that Madame's concern and worry for His Royal Highness are by no means comparable to ours. The crown princess can face this matter calmly, if Cheng insists on saying that he is still eating and sleeping for His Royal Highness, it will be too pretending. ”

Shen Pearl laughed, slowly approached the lake, and after a long time, said, "Then why can't the adults sleep peacefully?" When you find me, you must have some trouble confiding in me. Along the way, Shen Pearl also saw that Cheng Yuanzhen was sometimes preoccupied, sometimes full of melancholy, he used to only be distressed about finding Li Yu, it turned out that he had other worries and hardships, and he looked much haggard than before, what was tossing him?

Cheng Yuanzhen's eyes lit up slightly, and he hurriedly stepped forward and stood beside Shen Zhuzhu, opening his mouth to speak, but suddenly he seemed to hesitate again, and he couldn't speak. Shen Pearl looked in her eyes and smiled: "If you find it difficult to speak, it is better to wait for the day when you think about it, and then tell me." ”

Cheng Yuanzhen sighed softly when he heard this, and slowly squatted on the shore of the lake, his eyes looking at the ripples in the lake for a moment.

In Shen Zhuzhu's opinion, although Cheng Yuanzhen is both familiar and unfamiliar with her, she has always been grateful since Li Yu was framed by Empress Zhang in danger two years ago, and he helped find out Xue Song's residence. I deeply feel that although Cheng Yuanzhen is responsible, some things are forced to be helpless, but he is still a good man with courage and is worthy of trust. This route from the Central Plains to Huifu, Shen Zhuzhu's trust in Cheng Yuanzhen is even far above Chen Zhou.

"Madame, with all due respect, have you ever done something you regret?" Cheng Yuanzhen suddenly spoke.

Regret?

"Who doesn't have a few regrets in his life?" She said quietly. She regretted that when Hongrui was killed, she regretted that she was negligent and affected Hongrui; When Su Ci became pregnant, she regretted that she had failed to fulfill her duty as a sister to the Lord; When she left Li Yu, she regretted not looking at her son more......

"No, no, madam," Cheng Yuanzhen originally held his forehead with both hands, but raised his head a little excitedly at this time, and under the dim moonlight, a few bloodshots flashed in his eyes, "Madam, that's not an ordinary thing." Madame, now I regret it so much, can you tell me—can I still ask for forgiveness and forgiveness? ”

Shen Zhu's heart jumped suddenly, and he looked at Cheng Yuanzhen with some worry, I don't know what he regretted about it, could it be ...... No, she quickly overturned her thoughts, Cheng Yuanzhen would not be unfavorable to Li Yu!

But what did he do? Being an inner flying dragon is making him, no matter what he has done, it may not be a trivial matter, or it may be earth-shattering. No matter what he had done, the repentance and contradictions he revealed at this time were all valuable, why couldn't she appease him and wait for the day to find out the truth of the matter, and then make a comparison? She thought for a while and said to Cheng Yuanzhen: "If you have really done something wrong, as long as you sincerely repent and make every effort to make amends, how can you not be forgiven." ”

"Really?" Cheng Yuanzhen muttered to himself, and buried his head deep under his knees.

In the next two days, Shen Pearl wandered around this piece of Jinze without incident. Chen Zhou and Cheng Yuanzhen in order to know the truth and truth, specially sent attendants from the southeast, northwest and four directions to explore the size of this Jin Ze and to secretly calligraphy and painting map, the first day, the east, south, north three directions of the geographical shape of the house are clearly drawn, but the road to the west is endless, the attendant is afraid that he will not be able to return within a day, so the map is incomplete; The next day, Chen Zhouzheng wanted to send his attendants to explore the road to the west, but was severely stopped by the Hui soldiers, saying that the road to the west was bumpy, with many steep ravines, and if he was not familiar with the terrain, his life would be in danger. Although Chen Zhou felt that something was different, he had to bow his head when he was under the eaves, so he could only give up.

The Hui people said that their "master" would "come back" in two days, two days later, Shen Pearl still did not see the figure of the "master", and on the third day of dinner, the leading Hui people happened to be present, she couldn't help asking: "Why is your master delayed, is it not to avoid it." ”

The leader of the Hui people did not frown: "The crown princess is too worried, I think the road has been delayed, what kind of person is my master, what is there to avoid!" That spirit, to their "master" turned out to be believed and respected, this trust came from the heart, without hesitation or hesitation. Shen Zhuzhu's heart moved, such a look, in Hui Hui a long time ago, in the eyes of some Hui Hui, she seemed to have seen it.

Who are their owners?

In Huifu, who still has such prestige and momentum that makes this cadre willing to obey and serve?

She had guessed that it was Ye Go.

But this is not Ye Go's style. Ye Hu is young and vigorous, and he doesn't have such patience. What's more, there is no such need.

The night is as cool as water, and the starry sky is scarce.

In the middle of the night in the desert oasis, there is a silence like an empty mountain, and the lights of the nearby and distant houses have all been turned off, so that no one can find this oasis at night. Sitting alone on the shore of the lake, a few Hui soldiers patrolled back and forth, and did not come forward to disturb her.

This is an oasis that adds life to this desolate desert. But if the heart is desolate, what should you paint it with?

Since the long past, she has been moving forward in the desert, knowing that every step is difficult, but she still steps firmly in the direction of the golden brilliance. At the beginning of the journey, the light was so clear that it kept shaking in front of my eyes, constantly flashing and transforming into a magnificent imagination, beautiful and full of hope. The starting point at the beginning is constantly moving forward, but the final end is always out of reach.

Even today, she is still walking this path.

The longer the road goes, the longer it gets; The heavier the heart, the more desolate it becomes.

"Beep!" There was a very slight muffled sound in his ears, Shen Pearl raised his head instantly, and a blue arc of light crossed the night sky, the light was dimmed at a glance, and the light and shadow were extinguished in an instant, if it weren't for Shen Pearl sitting on the shore of the lake at this time, it would be difficult to hear and see. However, there was a slight commotion in this oasis, and the three or two patrolling Hui soldiers were all on their backs, and after a while, the leading Hui with three or five soldiers passed by her side in a gust of wind, and they didn't even have time to look at her.

What's important?

Shen Pearl raised his head and looked in the direction where the leader Hui people were walking, but saw that they were walking extremely fast, and they disappeared in a blink of an eye.

It didn't take long for the low voice to speak from far to near, Shen Pearl raised his head again, and the figures were as heavy as mountains and mountains. Gradually, I saw that a large group of Hui people were clustering around one person, and the stars were like moons, walking in this direction.

Shen Pearl slowly stood up.

Although the stars were few, she could still see so clearly; Even though she could see it so clearly, she still couldn't believe her eyes.

That person also saw Shen Pearl.

He stopped, smiled casually, and threw the scimitar at his waist backwards, and then someone bent down to catch it, and all the Hui people retreated respectfully, and they were all gone.

He smiled and said, "Even if you are very surprised to see me, you don't have to be scared to tears!" ”

(Tianjin)