Do you know: I’m Xu Jiazi

The first day of March,

The day when Bianjing City opened the Jinming Pool.

Beiliao

Zhongjing Dadingfu

As one of the five capitals of Northern Liao Dynasty,

The shape of Dading Mansion is modeled after Bianjing City, with three walls: the palace city, the inner city, and the outer city.

A large river cuts through the southeast corner of the outer city of Zhongjing in Beiliao, so a large piece of the outer city wall there is missing.

Also because the southeast corner is adjacent to the river for easy irrigation, the polo field in Zhongjing is also located in the southeast corner of the outer city.

At this time today, spring has already begun in the north, and foreign business travelers in various costumes can be seen everywhere in the city.

There are Zhou people, Dali people, Wusi Tibetans, Mongolians, and sometimes businessmen dressed in white and high clothes.

Although it is not as prosperous as the big cities of Da Zhou in the south, the lively atmosphere is already quite large.

The hour is right (eight o'clock in the morning)

The noisy and noisy sounds of the city in the distance could be heard faintly,

Yelu Falcon was wearing purple clothes and sitting in a luxurious tent south of the polo field.

In the tent, one side of the table was filled with young men dressed as Mongolian nobles, while the other side had very few guests.

Looking at the pale yellow morning light slanting from the east,

Under the pale blue sky in the distance,

Flags flutter on the dark inner wall,

There were guards standing with long spears, the shiny spear points and armor shining silver in the sunlight.

Looking further away,

The white pagoda built by the officials of Northern Liao Dynasty stands majestically.

The guards on the top of the city are even more insignificant.

Looking away from a distance,

Yelv Falcon looked at the two-foot-high wooden rails next to the polo field. There were many signs of different materials hanging on the wooden rails.

Some brand styles are luxurious and gorgeous, while others are low-key and luxurious, all of which demonstrate the strength of the brand owners.

This is a fashionable way of playing polo that came from Bianjing a few years ago.

Although several years have passed, there are still many Northern Liao nobles who are still eager to compete for the ranking of their own brands on the wooden stalls.

Looking at the wooden stalls on the sidelines,

Yelu Xun thought of the polo field in the west of Bianjing City, and a smile appeared on his lips.

At this time,

A personal guard dismounted outside the tent and came over.

If Xu Zaijing or Qingyun were here, they would definitely be able to recognize that this personal guard was one of the personal guards who accompanied Yelv Falcon at Jinyang Village.

The guards entered the tent,

Yelu Xun said directly: "How about it, which ones are the top three stalls?"

"Back to Your Highness, the first is Zhao Weigan, brother Gan, the fifth son of the Zhao family in Lulong; the second is Han Honglie, brother lie, the second son of the Han family in Yutian; and the third is brother Jun, the third son of the Liu family in Changping."

Yelv Falcon smiled and nodded: "So it's them."

"The Zhao family has been military generals for generations, and the family's military and martial arts skills have a long history. It is expected to win the first place in polo."

After finishing speaking, Yelv Falcon turned to Mongolian and said:

"Although your sworn brothers are very skilled on horseback, compared to playing polo, you and these brothers from the Yandi family still need more advice."

Hearing Yelv Falcon's words, the young Mongolian nobles on one side all had a look of disdain on their faces. Among them, the young man closest to Yelv Falcon smiled and said, "An Da, we have to see who is more powerful on the field."

Yelv Falcon smiled and nodded: "My sworn brother is right. By the way, did my uncle's tribe receive tea from Dazhou a few days ago?"

The smile on the Mongolian young man's face became even bigger: "I received it! According to people from the tribe, the tea sent by the Yongyi Hou Xu family in the mutual market is of very good quality, better than the most expensive tea before! Those tea leaves were shipped back to the tribe You will definitely earn more cattle and sheep!”

"Father wants me to thank you for this, An Da, come on!"

As he spoke, the Mongolian young man raised his wine bowl.

"The most important thing is Ke Dun's decision." Yelu Xun replied with a smile and raised his bowl.

The Kedun mentioned by Yelu Falcon is his biological sister Yeluying.

Everyone drank a bowl of wine,

Another guard bowed beside the tent and caressed his chest: "Your Highness, the sons and relatives of the four families of Han, Zhao, Liu, Ma and other officials have entered the polo ground."

"Oh? Let's go greet him."

Saying that, Yelv Falcon stood up with a smile and walked out of the tent.

Polo ground entrance,

A group of high-ranking officials with Han surnames from the Northern Liao Dynasty rode horses and accompanied their carriage into the venue. Not far away, they saw Yelv Falcon riding a horse with a smile on his face.

The young masters quickly dismounted their horses, bowed and saluted the Northern Liao Crown Prince Yelu Xun with his hands on his chest.

Although they followed the etiquette of the Northern Liao Dynasty, the clothes of these noble gentlemen were more in the style of the Zhou Dynasty.

Afterwards, the ladies in the carriage also got out of the carriage and saluted Yelv Falcon with their hands together.

Yelv Falcon mostly smiled and nodded in return.

His eyes swept across the ladies who followed the brothers. Some had shy eyes, some had cold expressions, some bowed their heads and remained silent, all with different expressions.

The expressions of the Mongolian disciples beside Yelu Falcon looking at these noble ladies from Northern Liao Dynasty were quite intriguing.

After everyone said a few words, they walked towards the big tent on the south side.

As he mounted his horse, Yelv Falcon glanced doubtfully at the woman who just lowered her head and said nothing.

Everyone entered the tent,

After drinking a few bowls of wine, Yelv Falcon's Anda stood up and spoke a few words in Mongolian. The translator in the tent hurriedly conveyed the message, and the last sentence also revealed the identity of this Mongolian young man as Yelv Falcon's sworn brother.

Zhao Wei of the Lulong Zhao family, who was sitting at the second seat on the other side of Yelu Falcon, smiled and stood up and said: "Since you are invited, I will greet the distinguished guest."

Before I finished speaking,

A figure appeared at the door of the tent.

Everyone hurriedly looked toward the door and saw that the person at the door was wearing a gray cassock. It was vaguely visible that the patterns on the cassock were embroidered with gold thread.

Seeing this person,

In the tent, whether they were Yelu Falcon, the Mongolian youths, or the officials and officials of the Northern Liao Dynasty, they all put down their wine glasses, stood up, clasped their hands, and bowed: "I have seen the Master."

"Blessed are you who believe in me."

The middle-aged monk at the door of the tent clasped his hands and returned the greeting.

The attendants in the big tent hurriedly placed the desk table slightly lower than Yelu Xun's table.

The eminent monk in cassock walked behind the desk and bowed: "Fellow believers, please do as you please."

"Yes, mage."

The people who had met to play polo bowed again and then left the tent one after another.

Not far from Yelu Falcon's tent, the noble ladies from several families in Beiliao gathered in two other tents.

These four major families in the Yan region were the official families in the Northern region who had served as officials for generations in the previous dynasty. Although they submitted to the Northern Liao, they had to learn both the Northern Liao dialect and the Chinese dialect.

But in private, I still speak more Chinese.

Seeing their brothers coming out of Yelu Falcon's tent getting on their horses and playing polo with the Mongolian nobles, the noble ladies in the tent started talking behind the table and talking about poetry.

The Liu family of Changping was a family of imperial examinations in the Northern Liao Dynasty. Their ancestral home in Changping County was very close to Xijin Prefecture in Nanjing of the Northern Liao Dynasty and the northern border of the Great Zhou Dynasty. We can often see the works of the great literati of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the literary style in the family is also very strong.

The noble ladies who were talking looked at the cold-looking Liu girl and said, "Sister Liu, do you have any new poems these days?"

Hearing this,

The cold-faced girl from the Liu family nodded thoughtfully, with a smile appearing on her face.

This smile is like the beautiful goddess in the temple mural suddenly coming to life. This appearance makes the ladies in the tent look at it with jealousy or envy in their eyes.

"I saw a new poem in a book a few days ago."

A hoarse voice that was somewhat different from the cold appearance came.

"Oh? Is this a poem by a talented scholar from our Northern Liao Dynasty?" the girl from the Han family in Yutian asked with a smile.

The girl from the Liu family shook her head slightly: "It's a newly compiled poetry collection from Bianjing brought by the family's old steward who went to Dazhou to do business. He said it came from the Chaijia Wenfang Bookstore in Cangzhou."

"Sister, please tell us!"

Looking at the people in the tent who were looking at her, the girl looked out of the tent with longing in her eyes, as if she was standing on a street somewhere, and softly chanted: "The spring rain in the sky street is as moist as crisp, and it is better than the smoke and willows in the emperor's capital."

The ladies of the Northern Liao Dynasty sitting in the tent all come from official families, and they still have the knowledge to judge the quality of a poem.

This made the tent quiet,

Only the shouts of playing polo outside the tent could be heard from time to time.

"Sister, who in Zhou Dynasty wrote this poem?"

The girl from the Liu family shook her head slightly with some disappointment: "In that poetry collection, there are only a few words about "February Poetry", but there is no mention of who wrote it.

There were sighs in the tent, and a girl said: "Oh! Knowing the name can help the housekeeper ask more questions, and maybe he can listen to a few more songs."

"By the way, speaking of the Chai family, I saw a new incense recipe produced by the Chai family. I heard that it is very popular among the noble ladies in Bianjing."

In the big tent of the male guests,

The middle-aged mage who had already taken his seat smiled and looked at the crowd of people drinking wine.

Yelv Falcon, who was sitting in the main seat, drank a glass of wine with the Han family disciples who were respectful to him from a distance. After putting down the wine cup, Yelv Falcon stood up and said with a smile: "I'm going to change my clothes."

Everyone hurriedly saluted and sent him off.

Come to the back of the big tent,

Yelu Falcon waited here for a while with his bodyguards who lived and died with him.

Soon the middle-aged monk followed.

Then the two of them walked towards the empty river in the distance.

"Master, why are you here at the polo ground?"

Seeing Yelv Falcon's respectful look, the middle-aged monk's eyes were full of admiration. He clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, Maitreya protects you! The Buddhist makeup branch in Dazhou has sent back the exact news that in late February, Maitreya will be here." The disciples have set off for Bianjing."

Yelv Falcon was stunned and looked at the middle-aged mage with some surprise in his eyes: "So, sister and the mage, your plan was successful?"

The middle-aged mage nodded: "It is not in vain that I, the eleven faithful believers from Northern Liao Dynasty, rushed to the Pure Land of Maitreya."

When Yelv Falcon heard this, he quickly clasped his hands together and muttered a prayer with his eyes closed.

After a while, Yelv Falcon put down his hands and looked at the gurgling river not far away: "Master, will Maitreya's first disciple enter the palace to meet the Emperor of Zhou?"

The middle-aged monk nodded and affirmed: "The ancestor of this first disciple of Maitreya is the one who loved him so much many years ago."

The mage's voice suddenly became lower, and it was not because Yelv Falcon was so close that he could hardly hear it clearly.

Yelv Falcon exhaled after hearing this: "In this way, it can be regarded as an extra preparation."

The middle-aged mage followed Yelu Falcon's line of sight and looked at the river. His eyes were full of disappointment and he said: "No one in Taichung expected that Da Zhou could attack and punish Bai Gao so quickly, just like a chef trying to untie an ox."

Yelu Xun also replied with some fear in his eyes: "The army of the Great Zhou Dynasty is too sharp. Can the whereabouts of the Prime Minister Bai Gao hanging Huan Si be found in Taichung?"

"There was an earthquake in Xingqing Mansion. The hidden pile of the Buddha's dressing table in the city has been reduced to ruins, and the whereabouts of the personnel are also unknown. That formidable enemy, Chuhuan Si Xiang."

The monk shook his head and did not continue.

"By the way, of the noble girls from the Yandi family who came today, one of them lowered his head and refused to look at anyone. Which family is he from?"

Yelv Falcon looked at the monk doubtfully and asked.

The middle-aged monk frowned and thought for a moment: "Oh! That's a girl from the Ma family. His Majesty was defeated miserably in the east, and she was captured by the generals of the Jin Kingdom. The Ma family also spent a lot of effort to entrust the Liu family in Bian I got it back after negotiating with the Kingdom of Jin."

Yelv Falcon nodded, then sneered:

"Oh!"

Previously, Yelv Falcon was also abandoned by the Northern Liao Emperor.

Yelv Falcon calmed down and said,

"If King Yan of the Great Zhou Dynasty were still here."

After saying half a sentence, seeing the monk closing his eyes and picking the Buddha string in his hand, Yelv Falcon stopped talking and changed his words:

"The children of Bianjing Xun's noble family are arrogant and frivolous, and they will fight when provoked. The strategy decided by my sister and the mage will definitely have some effect."

The monk opened his eyes, his eyes seemed calm, but in fact he nodded with some complacency and said: "Just like Yin Feng, a descendant of our Northern Liao Yan family, most of his official positions are the emperor's bodyguards and garrison guards. That person is the same as the emperor of Zhou Dynasty. The chief disciple of Maitreya, who has a long history, must also have such an arrangement."

"When the time comes, I will look for an opportunity to find some of the sons of the duke's family to establish their authority."

"But, Master, I have a question. Will the Emperor of Zhou really punish the noble disciples because of Maitreya's chief disciple?"

The monk looked at the trees on the bank of the river: "Your Highness doesn't know much about what happened back then. He doesn't know how favored the concubine was! That family competed with the Guo family for the position of queen. After their failure, they were suppressed by the Guo family. There are many female servant mothers in the house who have been sold, and the Buddhist dressing table has been bought from their female servants.”

"According to the woman who has turned into an old woman, this Maitreya disciple looks very similar to the noble concubine."

"It is said that the imperial concubine died at the most beautiful age. In the heart of Emperor Zhou, she never grew old. Seeing that face is like seeing herself when she was young."

Yelv Falcon nodded as if he understood: "Looks are his gold medal to avoid death."

The monk smiled and turned the Buddhist string in his hand: "That first disciple has always been smart. No matter what position he has, he just needs to look for opportunities to plant a few thorns in the heart of the Emperor of Zhou."

"So that's it! Master, is this a beauty trap in the art of war? I'm just a person with little knowledge. After hearing what the Master said, I feel that it will definitely work."

The monk in front of Yelu Falcon lost his smile, and his eyes unexpectedly lost the color. He just said with some reminiscence: "Maitreya protects me! I hope so!"

Looking at Yelv Falcon's probing look, the monk said sadly:

"Your Highness, there is a saying in the Zhou Dynasty that says, 'Everything depends on man and God.' Everything may be extremely unexpected."

"For example, a sick man suddenly passes the imperial examination."

Bianjing of the Great Zhou Dynasty,

West of the city,

Jinming Pond Garden,

The emperor frowned and sat on the dragon chair in the Linshui Palace.

Zhao Zilong, who was standing aside, was whispering: "Your Majesty, the medical officer who went to Zhang's house to check Brother Pan's pulse today reported back and said that after drinking two doses of soothing decoction from yesterday to this morning, Brother Pan was no longer alive. It’s no longer serious.”

"The arm of the personal guard who followed Brother Pan is not easy to recover."

The emperor nodded,

He glanced at Xu Zaijing, who was sitting behind the table under the colorful shed outside the hall with a frown on his face and asked: "Can the Zhang family's child's residence be changed for him?"

"Return to Your Majesty, change."

Zhao Zilong also glanced at Xu Zaijing under the colorful shed: "It must be something ordinary people can't find."

The emperor nodded lightly: "Yes!"

Zhao Zilong bowed and retreated outside the hall.

The emperor glanced angrily at the queen who was talking to the imperial ladies in the distance, and Zhao Fang who was feeding her two younger sisters fruits beside the queen, and whispered:

"Hmph! What does he mean by asking someone where he lives? Do you still want to knock on the door?"

At this time, the emperor was only surrounded by the chief minister, who was holding a fly whisk and standing by.

The emperor frowned and whispered: "Speak!"

The chief minister hurriedly bowed his head: "Your Majesty, I have also heard about what happened. The soldiers guarding the wall of the outer city said that Brother Jing was shot with a strong bow and arrows, and he was being pursued from the New Song Gate. "To Ansumen"

"If Brother Jing hadn't been very skilled in martial arts, he might have been stabbed with a few arrows right now."

"If Brother Jing is really injured, I don't know how sad His Highness will be."

The emperor frowned and looked at the chief minister beside him.

The chief internal officer felt the gaze above his head but just lowered his head and remained silent.

The emperor looked out helplessly again,

I happened to see Xu Zaijing still sitting with his head lowered and his eyebrows drooping, but his hand was reaching for the fruit on the table in front of him.

The emperor gritted his teeth and looked away.

When looking away,

I happened to see Rong Xian, who was wearing a bright bodyguard armor outside, talking to the brother of Xin Guogong Pei's family. While talking, he grinned and crossed his hands, touching the arm on his arm hard.

After touching the arm, he burst out laughing.

After laughing, he also tried hard to rub the red tassel on the top of the helmet on his head. His entire face was comically deformed by the belt, as if he was re-enacting a certain scene.

"Go, let Rongxian get here!"