The early morning sunlight shines through the thin screen windows on the lacquerware table, reflecting a beautiful arc that illuminates the whole room.

The warm feeling woke the girl from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the back of her husband's head. He refused to get up for a long time.

The other party always turned sideways like this, grabbed a corner of the quilt in his hand and curled up to sleep. Occasionally, the girl would be awakened by a cold chill in her sleep, and then she was forced to lean a little closer to her husband's side. At this point, the sound of her heartbeat would make her nervous, and she would become at a loss, not knowing where to put her hand in the bed.

The girl told herself that they were already husband and wife. So, he gently stroked his arm on the man's back, but his head was far away from the other party and raised high. It's like a serious warning to the husband's behavior of snatching the quilt.

"If you grab the quilt again, I'll push you out of bed."

On weekdays, before dawn, after a few rooster crows, Ah Ji got up early to prepare meals for her husband. In autumn, the days are short and the nights are long, and it is the first time that I have been so sleepy as today. When she realized the seriousness of the problem, she buried her head in the quilt and carefully squirmed slowly towards the end of the bed, like a caterpillar with a hunched back. Skirting her husband's ankles and tapping her feet on the ground, the girl knew that there was still a chance to remedy.

They lived in the Great Zhou Dynasty, a period of decay. The social status of women has not been eroded by Confucianism and etiquette. So most of the women are very free. Of course, these free women are people of status. At this time, the general perception of society was that the powerful oppressed the people, and the people oppressed the slaves. Both the oppressed and the oppressed have become accustomed to this century-old hierarchy, and its influence in the hearts of the people is even more deep-rooted. Aji is one of the victims.

At this time, the room did not have a door, and it was mostly blocked by a screen, so the sound insulation effect was relatively poor. In order not to wake up her husband, Aji always tiptoes while grooming. So much so that when I poured water into the copper basin, I didn't dare to do it in one go. Often, the sound of water is pulled for a long time. This makes Wang Xu in his sleep always dream that he is desperately looking for the bathroom.

After refreshingly washing her face, the girl sat down in front of the bronze mirror and began to tie her hair. The long hair like a cloud hung down like a waterfall, and the girl raised her hand and gently caught the end of the hair, where the ends of the hair were a little split ends, and it was extremely inconvenient to comb it. So, as usual, she lowered her head, ready to comb the split end hair vigorously. "Smack!" The comb fell to the ground.

The corners of the girl's lips twitched. A pair of beautiful eyes as clear as water have a complicated look. She stared intently at the white trousers, which were mottled with blood. Just for a moment, the woman's fair skin revealed a faint red powder. She looked sheepishly at the man who was still asleep. At this moment, the flush on the cheeks became more vivid. The girl tugged at the hem of her clothes and immediately remembered it. After a long time, he suddenly got up and hurriedly changed his clothes. It seems that he has forgotten about preparing breakfast at this moment. After an hour, deal with these terrible things. With a hot meal, Ah Ji gently returned to the bedroom on the second floor.

"It's time for the beloved to get up. Wake up! ”

The girl called softly. Today is particularly strange, it is already two o'clock, and the husband has not yet gotten up. On weekdays, after the rooster crows, he gets up early. Occasionally, I cook and prepare some breakfast. However, not only did Aji sleep today, but it seemed that Wang Xu was also very tired.

Recalling the embarrassing scene just now, Aji's gaze became complicated again.

"So early? What time is it? ”

Wang Xu asked in a daze. The girl replied softly:

"Beloved! It's two o'clock in the morning, and it's time to get up. ”

"Huh?"

I saw Wang Xu stretch out his body, jump up from the bed suddenly, and dress and wash at a lightning speed. Then he hurriedly took the gruel handed by his wife. After three or two strokes, he drank it all.

"Eat slowly, don't choke."

Aji helped her husband straighten the folds in his shirt. I didn't want Wang Xu to put down the dishes and chopsticks, and gently hugged the girl into his arms.

"If there is something today, my wife doesn't need to accompany me, and I will return when the time comes."

The morning incident made Ah Ji a little flustered, and at this moment he couldn't help but nudge her husband shyly to show a little resistance. Who knew that after only hugging each other for a moment, they heard the sound of footsteps rushing downstairs. Ah Ji smiled bitterly, and gently moved Lian to the bed, ready to pack up the bedding.

At the moment when the brocade quilt was lifted, the girl's body suddenly froze. His face was pale, his lips were slightly open, and he couldn't stop trembling, and then he covered his mouth with one hand, almost screaming.

On the soft mattress, you can still make out the signs of a dent when you sleep. A stain of red blood appeared on the clearly distinguished, slightly raised cotton mattress. Judging from the color of the bloodstains, it is believed that the incident occurred after falling asleep last night.

At this time, Aji's face quickly alternated between red and white. She was curious to know.

"What the hell happened last night?"

At the same moment, Wang Xu, who was trotting all the way to the treasury of the middle of the country, was touching his fingers that were as smooth as new. Praise:

"Wow! After shedding so much blood, it grew well in one night. Terrible. ”

When he arrived at the gate of the treasury, he asked the villagers to borrow a carriage filled with five wooden boxes full of copper coins. Then he was anxious to find Feng Bo on the way. Yesterday, I asked the blacksmith to make the gifts to be given early in the morning, and I didn't want Feng Bo to prepare them early in the morning, but he was delayed due to snooze. After praising the old man's craftsmanship, Wang Xu tied the tassel made last night to the end of the pendant. Suddenly, his forehead seemed to be wringing out of water.

"What a sissy! Belch... Anyway, it's the mind. Lan Gongzi should like it. ”

Thinking about it, I deliberately asked Ah Ji to try on the tassel style last night, and I think it's very cute. At this moment, I realized that Lan Gongzi was clearly a man. Wang Xu stretched his eyebrows and couldn't help laughing. Why does he think that the other party likes women's things? Could it be that he subconsciously decided that Ji Lan was a boy who liked male style? He shook his head and hurried the carriage towards the Wild Cousin Baisifu.

After the autumn harvest, the people had to pay the taxes of the year to the owners of the fiefdoms. At this time, Yunmeng was inhabited by 1,600 households, and if the long queue to pay taxes was lined up, it was estimated that it would be from the new city to the old city. In addition to not wanting to queue up in such a hurry, another reason for Wang Xu was to end the agreement between him and Ji Lan as soon as possible. completely drew a perfect end to the relationship between the two.

Looking at the bustling pedestrians on the street, Wang Xu settled down. Horse-drawn carriages run on the wide streets, and the traffic in ancient times was good, the roads were wide and straight, there were no traffic lights, and there were no traffic police.

While thinking about these boring things, he raised his whip and sped up his horse. In the past, he didn't even know how to ride a horse, but now he dares to drag on the streets of the city. It's incredible. I can't help but recall the first time I met Ji Lan, and at that time I agreed to hand over 8,400 money in the fall. He did not choose to pay taxes in gold for convenience, nor did he use the backlog of grain in the warehouse to offset taxes with grain like the people. deliberately chose copper coins to tell the other party that he remembered the agreement at that time, and there would be no one missing.

At this moment, although 8400 money is not worth mentioning in his eyes, it weighs 170 catties, but it makes him pant like an ox, and he dies and lives. People come to pay taxes one by one, where is there a person like Wang Xu who represents the people of a village. The tax collectors were stunned when they saw him carrying the boxes. When he opened the five wooden boxes, the scribes wanted to die.

Where have you ever seen such a big battle? The people pay taxes with grain, and they weigh it casually, as long as it is not bad, it will pass. Merchants pay taxes mostly in gold, which is even more convenient to settle. And those who use bronze ingots to deduct taxes are nothing more than weighing several pieces together or separately. With their efficiency, they can complete at least 200 tax collection jobs a day.

Now that there is such a-stirring stick, isn't it a heart to make trouble? What are you here for? The rumors of a feud between Nozai and the lord of the province turned out to be true. Thinking so, the officials looked at him with disdain, eager to blast him out of the door. At this time, Wang Xu was sweating, leaning over, supporting his hands on his knees, and panting incessantly. It's like I've just finished running 5,000 meters, and my whole body is out of strength. He adjusted his breath and slowly spat out a complete sentence from his mouth.

"I'm tired of you for coming to pay."

After finishing speaking, Wang Xu was in a place where no one was queuing, and he bowed his hand to the clerk in charge of taxation.

"Brother Tired."

The man pretended not to see, turned his back to him, and leaned down to pick up a sack full of grain. Help your colleagues weigh in together. His witty behavior immediately attracted the attention of the other servants. The officials in the courtyard of the Minister's Baisi Mansion rushed to follow suit, and they all got busy, especially those who had no work to do, running around to help, and the colleagues were quite loving.

Whenever Wang Xu deliberately approached one of them, the rest had the expressions of the rest of their lives, gloating at each other. Wang Xu couldn't understand it, it was nothing more than counting the money. In order to facilitate the handling and calculation, he also kindly divided five wooden boxes. Why do these people avoid it? Is it so exaggerated?

He was slightly displeased. I didn't want to be childish anymore and continued the game of eagle catching chickens, so I stomped my foot violently.

"I wonder who is the deacon here?"

"Hahaha. Lord Nozai came, but he didn't know what to say. ”

At this moment, in a room in the courtyard, there was a sudden loud laugh. The person who came from a distance hugged his fist and saluted, and walked over with square steps and swaying. Wang Xu looked at it fixedly, and it turned out to be an old acquaintance. The third-in-command who once pit him.

Although Wang Xu is an official in the establishment of the country, he does not belong to the same official system as the cousin Baisifu who serves the minister. That's why those officials will ignore it. The man called him an adult, which was already very face-saving.

"Oh! Don't dare to bother. Xu came here this time to fulfill the promise he made with the lord of the city in the past. Two years of autumn endowment, 8,400 money are here. Deacon Lao inspected it. ”

"Why are you still stunned? Come and take stock! ”

The visitor waved his hand at the scribes. Then he continued with a smile on his face:

"Ye Zai will do what he says, and he is a true gentleman."

As soon as he heard the word "gentleman", Wang Xu was unnatural and busy prevaricating.

"The deacon has an overreputation. Xu is an idle person in the mountains and wilderness, but fortunately he is appreciated by the lord of the city, which is a little famous. The ancients said: Cast papaya in return with Qiongju. The lord of the city knows the grace of the encounter, and he remembers it in his heart. ”

This passage was very popular at this time, and it had the same meaning as reciprocating a peach. Wang Xu didn't know what the other party's official position was, and since he came to make peace, he called him a deacon.

It just so happened that the other party was still Ji Lan's right-hand man. Wang Xu took the opportunity to take out a small cloth bag from his arms and handed it to the other party.

"The deacon is tired and handed it over to Lord Yu."

Ji Lan once gave the car to drive, although it was returned in the end, but this friendship Wang Xu didn't want to owe. Unexpectedly, he met an acquaintance, and since someone could hand over the gift on his behalf, he also avoided the embarrassment when he met Ji Lan, so he naturally wouldn't miss it. The deacon repeatedly urged him to visit the lord of the city in person, but Wang Xu refused. So he replied helplessly:

"I wonder if Ye Zai can say anything that needs to be sent to the lord of the city?"

"It doesn't matter. The lord of the city is so smart, you can see it at first sight. There is Deacon Law. ”

The two chatted for a long time, and the scribes also played a long game of calculations. After checking that it was correct, Wang Xu left happily. In the morning, he was in a hurry, and he only cared about urging Feng Bo to take out the gift given to Ji Lan, but he didn't have time to take away Ah Ji's jewelry. At this moment, everything came to an end perfectly. It's time to prepare for leaving. He drove the carriage back to the lodgings of Wind Point.

In the mansion of the lord of Yi, when the beautiful girl opened the small cloth bag, the slender jade hand trembled slightly.

"Someone! Shut down all of Nonaka's businesses. ”

At this moment, the tone of his voice was also a little trembling.

Recently, Wang Xu's abnormal behavior has made her feel uneasy. No matter how Ji Lan made a move, the other party just flinched. That is, do not parry, and do not return fire. It seems that except for the business of relying on those cotton cloths, everything else is going to be given up together. For this reason, the girl also ordered someone to find out the secret of weaving. A few days ago, the loom had been imitated, and she was ready to tease Wang Xu. The price of cotton cloth is directly suppressed to the minimum, forcing the other party to lose the last reliance without profit.

However, at this time, look at the bright turquoise gem. A tear fell involuntarily.

The gemstone is a finger long and shaped like bamboo. The perimeter is fixed with gold wires and coiled around it to form an orchid pattern. At the top end is a knot of kapok thread. The lower end is covered with snow-white tassels. The collocation is very alternative, and I believe that ordinary men dare not wear it. The bright and strong emerald green, weak and pure snow white, will make people mistake it for a man's hobby. But Ji Lan can see the other party's intentions from it, and the combination of colors is like reading the girl and knowing her true identity as a woman.

Ji Lan gently stroked the fluffy tassel, and her eyes became more and more red.

The tassels are made of wool, while the knotted rope that connects the pendant is woven from kapok thread.

Maybe if the girl is not so good-natured, she can perceive the minds of others. I don't think much of it at the moment.

In the past, Ji Lan promised to use kapok and wool to support Wang Xu to pay for the people. Now, those seemingly inconspicuous two things,

But it was cleverly made into a pendant by the other party and returned it as a gift. How can a girl not be able to do more?

The finger touched the bottom of the gem, where it was a little rough, and the wrist turned deftly. Four big characters came into view.

"Defend the country and the people."

The tip of the girl's nose was red, and there was a burst of sourness, as if it was sour to her heart. She choked up and cried, feeling like she was suffocating. The other party seems to have deliberately changed the word "for" to the guard of the country. And Zhu and Lan metaphorize the gentleman's style just right. And from beginning to end, everything she did was for herself, how could she ever be for the people?

Patriotism is her country, and she wants to ruthlessly push it to war. The first acquaintance between the girl and Wang Xu was to fellowship as a gentleman. And she trampled on the friendship between the two fiercely, always thinking about how to use each other and take them under her command.

Thinking of this, Ji Lan seemed to finally understand something.

In the dark, two people who took the wrong path at the same time stepped on the same path when they suddenly realized it.

When she realized that Wang Xu wanted to understand the long-term entanglement between the two by escaping, Ji Lan panicked. She paced back and forth in the house, and there was a sense of panic in her heart that she had lost forever, which made her feel uneasy.

The flustered footsteps suddenly stopped, and there was a hint of firmness and courage in his blurred eyes. The girl took out a brocade from her bosom, walked to the bookcase, hurriedly wrote down a line of beautiful small characters, and then anxiously called the next person.

"Xiao Rou! Give this Fang Jinpa to Wei Xu with his own hands. Be quick! ”

The maid carefully took the handkerchief and was about to go out. Just listen.

"Wait."

She turned around and saw her son-in-law untie the jade pendant she was carrying from her waist.

This jade pendant was also handed over to Wei Xu. He must be driving to the market of Taniguchi, you go to intercept him. Fast! ”

The woman trotted all the way to the gate of the house.

"Ning Liangchang! Get ready to drive. ”

The young man who was called Ning Liangchang by him was the chief of the guard in the mansion and held the military positions of the two chiefs in the Northern Army. Seeing that Childe's personal maid was so urgent, he jumped without saying a word and personally commanded the horse.

"Xiao Rou! Why is it so urgent? ”

"Childe ordered the slave maid to invite Lord Yezai to the banquet."

"To a feast? Just after noon, what feast are you going to? ”

Maybe I think there are still two hours, and there is no need to be so ostentatious. As a result, Ning Liangchang no longer spurred the horses. The speed of the carriage slowed down.

"Brother Ning! Hurry up. Childe confessed, no matter what, he had to let Lord Yezai take him to the banquet. ”

Ning Liangchang was confused, so he had to whip up and speed up.

"Uh... What if Lord Nozai doesn't go? ”

The maid grinned.

"Isn't this Brother Ning here?"

The other man's face immediately collapsed.

"What do you mean?"

"Childe said that he should be tied up."

The young officer's name is Ning Chang, and he is the most observant on weekdays. Because in the Northern Army, promotion can only be achieved by relying on military merits, although Ning Chang is strong in martial arts, the two female sons who have been guarding the Shao Sima Mansion for a long time rarely have the opportunity to participate in the war and make meritorious contributions. Therefore, it is necessary to have an opportunity to please the Lord's family, and he will always lead by example. I hope that one day the head of the family will arrange for him to participate in some undangerous wars, and after gilding, he will be promoted to the rank of chief or pawn.

Unexpectedly, the maid's words made him immediately stunned. The lord of the city and the wild ruler have always been at odds, and the people in the wild know about it. At this moment, he openly ran to Wang Xu's chassis to tie up people, is it a bit too big? What's more, he is alone at this time. If he is beaten out by the crowd, not only will he not be able to save his face, but he will also be humiliated by the lord of the city.

He swallowed.

"Sister Xiaorou! No kidding. Why don't we go back first? Cry out more brethren. And lo and behold! I didn't bring the rope out, how can I tie it? ”

When the maid was told by him, she couldn't help laughing, and the flowers and branches of laughter trembled. was about to make a few jokes, when he suddenly looked stunned and pointed to the person in front of him who was also driving. Excitedly called:

"Ahead is Lord Nozai Weixu?"

Ning Chang and Wang Xu pulled the reins of their horses at the same time, and the horses on both sides also neighed at the same time.

"I don't know what happened to the girl?"

The three jumped out of the carriage.

"My son-in-law has invited Lord Yezai to talk about it."

Wang Xu looked at the guards beside the woman.

"Oh. Is it Lan Gongzi? ”

Salute to the two of them.

"Hmmm! It's the lord of the city. ”

The other party also returned the salute.

"I made an appointment with Uchiko to eat at home, I don't know if I can do it another day?"

Wang Xu did not directly refuse Ji Lan's kindness, but just promised that Ajishen would return home when he was right, and he didn't want his wife to worry. was about to say goodbye and leave, but he saw the two eyebrows and glance at him from time to time. Wang Xu shook his head and then boarded the carriage.

"Farewell!"

The next second.

"Girl! What are you doing? ”

The woman's head ran over and hugged his waist. In front of the public, Wang Xu was really speechless.

"Brother Ning! Come on! ”

The woman hugged him tightly and dragged him down from the car. On the other hand, he also urged the strong man next to him to make a move.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Kidnap me? ”

Pedestrians cast curious glances. The guard scratched his head helplessly. said with a smile:

"Offended."

The hilt of the sword pressed against Wang Xu's back, startling him into a cold sweat. Was about to shout for help, just listened.

"Sister Xiaorou! Where are you going to tie him up? ”

The woman pursed her mouth and pointed to the restaurant a few feet away.

"Ahh

Wang Xu turned around and glanced at Ning Chang, who had kidnapped him.

"Hey! That's what I drove. ”

"Huh! Hehe! So adults still don't have to be embarrassed. We are just doing what we are told. ”

Ning Chang withdrew his short sword and couldn't stop laughing. Wang Xu looked at his restaurant helplessly.

"Alright! Let's go. ”

To think that the man and woman are kidnappers is obviously to overestimate them. Wang Xu ignored it anymore, swaggered into the restaurant, and left the two behind. He summoned the shopkeeper and instructed the other party to return the chariot and horse to the middle school. Then, I went to the kitchen. For this farewell meal, he plans to cook it himself. After all, as he said before, when he gets together again in the future, he will personally cook for Ji Lan to satisfy her appetite.

With the sizzling sound of hot oil, various ingredients were poured into the pot and stir-fried. Rising oil smoke suddenly filled the entire kitchen. The two people who were ordered to invite Wang Xu to the banquet looked at the young man's skillful stir-fry with a stunned expression. They could vaguely feel that the relationship between the young man in front of them and his son-in-law was by no means what was rumored outside.

At the same time, Ah Ji, who was separated by a few walls, was sitting in the small courtyard cleaning the freshly picked vegetables. The girl raised her hand to ruffle the scattered hair, and her cheeks were still slightly flushed.