West.

"Today, Yueyang Mansion has a strict order, no one is allowed to enter or leave the north boundary of the city before noon, so please don't embarrass me. ”

"Neither can we?"

"Not anyone. ”

"Oh... Since the official won't let him in, then let's just not enter. ”

"Huh?"

“......”

The junction between the west of the city and the north of the city, Zhengyang official road.

The iron horse rested on its hooves and rested along the road. The horsemen all dismounted, squatted on both sides, and from a distance, the official road hundreds of zhang long was crowded with ironclad soldiers. These soldiers can be roughly divided into two groups, one group is the infantry holding the red tasseled tiger prison knife and wearing chain iron armor. The number of people on this side is small, they were originally the defenders of the neighboring city of Yueyang, and they were temporarily dispatched tonight because of the night banquet of Yingshui set up by the king of Yueyang. The other group is more numerous, accounting for more than seven or eight out of ten of the total number of people here. They were holding bauhinia spears in their hands, wearing purple and gold cloaks, and purple phoenix and gold silk crowns on their heads, and their eyes were full of slaughter, but there were not many iron-blooded breaths that soldiers should have. This group of people does not look like soldiers in the army, and as for their origins, few people know where they came from, but judging from their facial contours and slightly thin physiques, it is certain that they are not natives of the Southern Regions.

At the very front of these two groups, at the edge of the ramp of the pipeline, two officers dressed like leaders were talking. One was a stout man, carrying a long knife for chopping horses, and the other was a weak scholar, wearing a purple robe and shaking a feather fan. The difference in style between the two people leads to the fact that the two standing together always give people an indescribable weirdness.

"Well, you're not going to go in?"

The officer holding the long knife had a surprised expression, he thought that the group of Bauhinia knights of unknown origin in front of him was even a friend and an enemy, but since they came tonight, why should they also go into the north of the city to mix in and do something, but the result was much more than he expected, he just refused with a short word, and the scholar who shook the fan did not intend to go in very casually, which is difficult for people to understand.

"How else can I get in?"

The purple-clothed scholar joked: "Everyone eats mixed military rations, since you have an order from above, what is the use of me making it difficult for you?"

As he spoke, he paused, raised his head slightly, and looked at the night sky north of the city. It was already relatively close to the core of the strife in the north of the city, and the deafening roar was accompanied by lightning flashes one after another. The purple-clothed scholar said again: "Besides, when we go in, we are just watching a play, and there is no room for us to do it." No, I think it's not bad here, and the location to watch the fireworks is just right, so it's okay if you don't enter. Don't be embarrassed for everyone. ”

“......”

A few wisps of cold sweat broke out involuntarily on the side of the officer's sideburns.

Without it, he really couldn't figure out the scholar's mind at this time...

This group of people is obviously a soldier in the army, and judging from their exquisite and luxurious armor, the military branch of this group of people will never be an ordinary nameless army. However, the scholar in front of him, who looked like a general, didn't even have the iron and blood that a general in the army should have, he was soft and weak, but more like a pampered rich kid. What's even more strange is the behavior of this group of people. In the middle of the night, they pulled up a military force of hundreds of thousands of people to parachute into Yueyang City, not to mention, after entering the city, they were not in a hurry to go for the Yingshui war, that leisurely and wandering appearance, like a group of boy scouts to join in the fun.

Could it be true, as the scholar said, this group of people really came to see the play?

Thinking of this, out of duty, the officer still planned to ask more clearly, but he also knew a little bit of etiquette. First clenched his fists, paddled the mat, and then asked politely: "I think the little brother is born, it shouldn't be our Nantuerlang, right?" I wonder if you can ask the little brother his surname, where is the name of the person, and which general is under the command?"

The purple-clothed scholar smiled silently, folded the feather fan, and also learned the officer's movements, clenched his fists and saluted back: "The military master lifts, I don't dare to ask for advice." The little surname is Wu, whose name is Yunyan, is a native of Taoyuan in Dongzhou, and he is not looking for a job under any general, but just helping the two aunts in the family take care of some family business. ”

"Auntie?"

"Yes, auntie. ”

“......”

The officer was even more suspicious at this time, although there were many wonders in this world, he had never heard of a woman holding military power. It's just that this kind of suspicion only lasted in the general's mind for a moment, and at a certain moment when he was sorting out the content of the scholar's words, a word suddenly pierced into the depths of his scalp!

He seemed to think of something...

"Dare... Dare to ask, can the two aunts of the little brother also have the surname Wu?" After a tremble, the officer's voice was already trembling a little involuntarily.

"Hehe..."The purple-clothed scholar couldn't help laughing: "Master Jun is joking, since the little surname is Wu, then how can my aunt not have the surname Wu?"

Ignoring the scholar's joke, the officer glared at him with great confidence and continued to ask, "But... But the Dancing Princess?"

The purple-clothed scholar pulled the feather fan behind his waist, and at the same time put away the smile on his face, and said sharply: "Master Jun, pay attention to your words, where is there a princess surnamed Wu in this world, only a queen surnamed Wu!"

"This..."

The officer's face was shocked in an instant, and the sweat was like a waterfall!

In the dark, he seemed to think of some secret stories in the Tang Dynasty, which were unknown to the people, but have been passed down to the world...

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Yikes..."

The fighting was loud, and the drums were beating.

At the same time that the officers on the official road of Zhengyang were all frightened, the night in the north of the city became brighter and more colorful, which also meant that the fierce battle on the land north of the city became more and more fierce.

"Kill!"

"Brother, we can't stop it!"

"Pull fireworks and shout people!"

"Bang!"

“......”

In the north of the city, there is chaos all over again.

The rivers and lakes and the government, the fighting and collision of the two forces formed a large and small melee group, such a war group can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys in the north of the city, winning and weakening. And the number of people participating in the battle is also uneven, there are many people, such as on the banks of the big river, thousands of disciples in one house and one courtyard against half of the Yueyang defenders, and they shed blood for miles in the lanes. There are few people, such as the tile roof of the city tower, and the dark place of the eaves, from time to time someone will fly across it, and suddenly the horizontal sword is stabbed twice, and the lightning is instantaneous.

Heavenly...

Countless fireworks continue to rise from all over the ground in the north of the city, and then explode into the sky with colorful figures. Endless arrows, reflecting the blood of the early sun in the east, shuttled and intertwined with the waning moon under the willows. There is no sign everywhere, and there are fresh lives being ruthlessly harvested.

Along the river embankments, dozens of gaps have been blasted out by the waves of air from both sides of the war, large and small, from south to north, and the surging river water is surging and pouring. The furthest buildings are gone, and the lower lying areas are mostly submerged by the river water. The scarlet blood is like the snow that melts when winter turns to spring, and merges into the river from the high ground of the city along the stone steps, canals, laneways, and low-lying areas along the river. The sky is no longer so dark, and you can vaguely see the original pale yellow Yingshui River, which has gradually been dyed red at this time...

"Tsk... The paste of this new post emperor list hasn't dried yet, so what's the big mess again. ”

“......”

In a small residential building in the west of the city, an elderly man quietly pushed open a somewhat tattered wooden window. Shrinking the base of his neck, he followed the gap, and looked at the chaos in the northern boundary of the city with cringe, muttering to himself.

Maybe the old man's voice was a little louder, and inadvertently, his wife, who was still asleep on the bed, was also woken up. His wife doesn't look old, although the wrinkles on her face can't hide her age, but the whiteness between the old lines can't hide her former appearance. She opened her wrinkled eyes slightly, and looked sideways at the old man by the window with a melancholy expression. She didn't speak, she lifted up the quilt and walked off the bed, touched the dim candlelight, followed the steps of Yan Shan to the old man's side, and peeked out along the crack in the window that had just been opened.

After watching it for a while...

The old woman seemed to be in a good state of mind, and did not show the same mood of sorrow as her husband, but more of a bearish calm. She opened her mouth slightly and comforted: "It's messy, it's not like the sky is falling, why are you drinking porridge going to the heart of meat?"

"Tsk..."

The old man turned his face to look at his wife quite aggrievedly, and said helplessly: "Old woman, this is not my blind worry." A few days ago, I saw that there were many people entering the city, and I wanted to earn so many copper plates, so I bought batches of high-quality meat goods from the old Shanghai family. In the past few days, the business has been good and most of it has been sold, and I thought that I could sell the rest today, but now looking at the situation outside, I can't open it today..."

As he spoke, the old man's sadness deepened.

After a pause, he sighed and said, "Hey, if it's a weekday, it doesn't matter if it's not open." But the bad thing is that I am greedy, and the meat goods that come in are all high-quality new meat. Three points of fat, five points of thin, two points of fine, do not sell fresh salt, those big guest officials will pick this mouthful, I can also sell it at a good price. However, these fresh meats have been left for two days before and are already a little fresh, and if they are left for another day or two, the remaining new meat will become rotten meat. No one buys that upside down..."

After listening to the old man's words, the old woman gently patted his slightly hunched waist pole and asked gently, "Then how much do you have left?"

"Well, I've got to do the math..."

The old man stretched out his palm, counted them one by one, and muttered as he counted: "I entered three carts, and this cart is four loads." The day before yesterday I sold two quintals, and yesterday it was six quintals, and these two plus six get eight... Twelve minus eight... Forehead... Twelve minus eight..."

A simple arithmetic, the old man couldn't figure out the answer for a long time. The old woman seemed to feel a little amused when she saw this, and casually counted it for him: "Get four." ”

"Oh... That's right, twelve minus eight gets four. The old man shook his palm, and suddenly realized: "I still have four burdens left to sell." ”

"Well..."

The old woman nodded lightly and looked deeply at the honest old man who had been with her for a dozen. It's a little funny, but I can't help but feel some emotion in my heart.

What I feel is memories, and it is also something that has been hidden in my heart for many years...

Life is like a dream bubble, reminiscing about the past, and decades of time are passed at a glance. And she, since that bloody night, has lived in this slightly depressed house for decades. Day after day, year after year, grinding noodles and drawing water at sunrise, washing and drying quilts at noon, and cooking by fire at sunset, he seems to have forgotten a lot of the past. Just like a real peasant woman, she accompanied the old man beside her and tried her best to do the things of the peasant woman.

However, to this day, she still feels strange...

It's not the people around you who are strange, it's the bad environment around you.

It's as if for decades, her neighbors have always felt that she is different everywhere and out of tune with her surroundings. No one ever knew where she came from, where she came from, why she was here, not even her husband. I only know that she can embroider with a good hand, write with a good hand, have the beautiful appearance of everyone, and can also slash and fish meat, understand God's sunny and sunny weather, and read the person who can read Mr. Xuetang. said that she was a peasant girl from a peasant family, but it was better to say that she was more like a high-ranking official lady. Even if this young lady is now old-looking, no one will doubt her past, even her husband.

As far as her husband is concerned, she is like a crystal star in the sky, in that night that frightened the world decades ago, somehow fell into the mortal dust, and was picked up by him, a generous man who had taken shit luck, and was kind to his family for a while. Who knows, this pick up is decades, and eventually became his wife...

Although the old man had been full of curiosity about this wife over the years, he never asked. Because he knew from the bottom of his heart that his wife definitely did not belong to his world. If she leaves, he can't stop her, and if she doesn't say, he can't ask...

"Yes. ”

The old woman gradually woke up from her emotion and slowly looked out the window.

At this time, outside the window, the mountain in the east has revealed a touch of fish belly white, and under the reflection of the blood sun at the bottom, the world seems to be dyed with a layer of fresh plasma.

"Four quintals is not much. ”

The old woman said leisurely, "After dawn, I will help you take it out and sell it." ”

"Huh?"

When the old man heard this, he was stunned.

He knows that his wife is very smart, and if there is a hurdle at home that he can't get over on weekdays, she can often casually say a solution. Only this time, he never thought that his wife would actually plan to sell it in person for a few loads of meat.

This has never happened before!

For more than ten years, let alone going out to do business, even if he encountered embarrassing things, the old man never let his wife work too much. Not to mention letting her show her face. Therefore, the old man suddenly became a little anxious: "This... This can't be helped, there are people killed outside. And you're a woman, how can I let you mess with a man's work? ”

"It's fine. ”

The old woman looked at the mountains in the distance, smiled and waved her hand: "It's just a few loads of elbow meat, and you can pull it by borrowing a donkey from Lao He's family." Besides, I don't do this business in Yueyang City, so there is no danger. ”

"Not in Yueyang City?"

The old man was a little puzzled when he heard this, thinking that this Yueyang City has been the most popular recently, if he didn't do this business in Yueyang City, would there be any other better place to go? He knew that his head was not bright, so he didn't immediately veto his wife's method, but asked suspiciously: "Not in Yueyang City, then... So where are you going to buy and sell?"

The old woman withdrew her gaze from afar, looked at the old man gently, and said softly, "Kyoto Chang'an." ”

"Kyoto Chang'an?"

For the old man who has never left Yueyang City in his life, the four words of Kyoto Chang'an are particularly unfamiliar. But Chang'an is the capital of a country, how can the old man have some news on weekdays, and after thinking about it for a while, he remembered the so-called Chang'an in Kyoto: "Is that the city where the emperor lives?"

"Yes. ”

The old woman smiled and nodded, but did not reply.

"Tsk, that's right..."

"Smack!"

The old man knew his intentions, slapped his palms, and realized again!

smiled: "You are also a good fool of your head." The fact that the official of Yueyang City is fighting does not mean that he is also fighting elsewhere. The city where the emperor lives must be rich and noble, and our high-quality fresh meat goods can definitely be sold at a good price! Why didn't I think of such a good way!" The more the old man spoke, the more excited he became, he turned around and walked out of the door, and said excitedly as he walked: "No, I'll go to Lao He's family to borrow a strong donkey, and we will go to Kyoto to do this business later, this Xian is most afraid that it will take a long time." ”

"I'm going to Kyoto alone. ”

"Da..."

“......”

The excited old man, before he turned around and took a few steps, the old woman's light words were like a basin of cold water, which instantly poured down from behind him, instantly wetting his excited mood.

"This..."

He turned around slowly, with an indescribable bitter expression on his face, bent his waist, and asked carefully: "This man's rough work, you are a mother-in-law, it's not good? And in case you encounter a thief, I can protect you, right?"

The old man didn't seem to be as generous as he looked. His words were very flavorful. seems to be tactful and not tough, but in fact, he is using an unshirkable reason to persuade his wife to bring him along. It's just that the old man's careful thoughts, as an old woman who has been with him for decades, can't see it.

The old woman smiled and waved her hand, and said, "I have some distant relatives in Kyoto, and I haven't seen them for many years. This time I went to Beijing, I will help you dispose of this batch of leftovers, and at the same time, I will visit them and bring you some satin back by the way. So if you go along, I'm afraid you'll end up in a bad situation, and that's not good. ”

"But... But..."

The old woman was reasonable, but the old man "but" two empty words, and the second half of the words were not spoken. It may be unreasonable, but it seems to be afraid of something, the expression is unnaturally panicked, and the hands hidden in the sleeves can't help but clench into fists.

"Then, how long are you going?" After a moment of hesitation, the old man changed his tone and asked.

"In late spring and early summer, the national examination is in March, and the time comes and goes is about the length of March. The old woman replied.

"March, why is it so long. ”

"Hey... How far is this Kyoto..."

“......=

The old man muttered alone, and the old woman didn't say anything more when she saw this. She knew that the old man cared, but some things had been delayed for a long, long time, and even this simple warmth could not make it linger any longer.

Slowly, the old woman looked out the window again...

Facing the blood sun that moved little by little in Dongshan, the old woman's old eyes gradually flashed with an imperceptible light. Cold, like a sword and a cold glow, against the backdrop of the bloody light of the city, it was like a blood-colored silver needle hidden in the dark night, revealing her restrained edge little by little.

In fact, the old man is really a real person, he has no city government, and he has no mental calculation. If you were a slightly brighter person, you might be able to hear a little bit of cattiness from the old woman's previous words.

Yueyang is 47 million miles away from Kyoto, among which there are thousands of rivers and mountains, and the road is twists and turns. Even the world's most precious flying bird can fly between the two places for at least a few days. And ordinary people can't rent birds, they can only control horses, and this horse has to be a fast horse, otherwise ordinary horses may not be able to go from Yueyang to Beijing for a lifetime. This is common sense, an arithmetic attempt that the stupidest person can calculate as long as he wastes some brains, but the old man just didn't figure it out. However, this can't be blamed on him, because he has been in this Yueyang for 3,000 miles all his life, in his heart, Yueyang City is the whole of this world, the big river is only the Yingshui in the north city, and the mountains are only Wentian in the west of the city, so where does he know how far away is Kyoto, how far is it?

Since he didn't know the distance of Kyoto, it was impossible for him to know that his truckload of unsold meat could not be sold in Kyoto. Because, no matter how smart his wife is and has great powers, but this meat that has been put on hold for two days is afraid that it will not be able to get out of the Southern Regions, and it will almost rot. And how much money can rotten meat, in addition to feeding dogs, be worth it?

"Go get some silver and help me find Lao Hu's family to rent a better horse." I'll freshen up, prepare some dry food, and I'm ready to go. ”

“......”

With a faint smile, the old woman closed the window door, slowly turned around and walked back to the bed, and carefully folded the quilt pillow on the bed...