Wealth and glory seek stability

Ruan Feibai was lying on the grass, with the horse next to him eating grass. He had his legs crossed, a long piece of wild grass in his mouth, and was humming an unknown tune.

"Brother, we are moving so slowly, how long will it take us to reach the northern frontier?" Ruan Yuquan picked up a branch and stirred the fire.

Ruan Feibai spat out the weeds in his mouth, took out the water bag from his waist, tilted his head back and took a sip, then wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, "Why are you in such a hurry? Grandpa only told us to go to Saibei, but he didn't say when we'll arrive."

Hearing this, Ruan Yuquan also lay down and sighed, "Oh! How nice it is to stay at home. This time I went out without even a servant. I have been sleeping in the open air and am no different from those herding people."

"Why rush? When we get to Saibei, it won't be difficult to get a few servants."

"That's right, big brother is still smart."

Saibei.

Jian Xi took the talisman paper drawn by Lingbao to find Zhang Cen'er.

Zhang Cen'er's courtyard was located in a remote courtyard at the end of the main mansion. According to her request, it had to be as far away from that group of slutty male favorites as possible.

When they arrived at the courtyard, the guard said that Zhang Cen'er had heard that there would be a market today and had already gone out to visit the market.

Jian Xi complained in her heart, she never forgets to have fun wherever she goes, she is really a little envious of her.

There is no other way but to go to the market to find Zhang Cen'er.

At the snack stand, Jian Xi saw a fiery red figure from afar. A man in brocade clothes stood beside her, and the two of them were talking and laughing.

Jian Xi felt that the figure was very familiar. When she got closer, she saw that it was her silly second brother Tao Lejiao.

Tao Lejiao turned to look at Jian Xi, laughing, completely losing his usual reserved look, "Xi'er, you're here."

Hearing this, Zhang Cen'er turned around and raised her eyebrows slightly, "You're out to play too? This sugar man is really fun."

The man setting up the stall was an old man who looked to be in his forties or fifties. He was dressed in a coarse linen shirt that had turned a little grey from starching. His hair was combed meticulously and his sleeves were rolled up above his elbows. He was neat and tidy, and was staring intently at the sugar figures under his hands.

Jian Xi looked down and saw that the stall owner had drawn the images of Zhang Cen'er and Tao Lejiao, one tall and the other petite, snuggling together, which was a perfect match.

???

Jian Xi was speechless. Zhang Cen'er had only been in Saibei for three days, and things had already turned out like this between these two. Would this silly second brother sell himself out?

Tao Lejiao smiled with the expression of a silly son of a landlord. "This is really exquisitely made." Zhang Cen'er nodded in agreement.

Jian Xi pulled Zhang Cen'er's sleeve and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhang Cen'er shrugged, "It's just what you see."

"You like my second brother? No way?"

"What's wrong? He's a nice guy." Zhang Cen'er said seriously.

God damn it's good.

Does this stupid second brother know

Can women from the Xuanwu royal family have three husbands and four concubines?

"You've only been here a few days, and you've developed so rapidly."

Zhang Cen'er looked like he was digging out this antique from nowhere, "What's wrong with a few days? Some people can tell it's right after just one look. Do we still need to waste so much time?"

Jian Xi:.......

Tao Le took the candy man handed to him by the stall owner and waved it in the direction of Zhang Cen'er and Jian Xi.

Zhang Cen'er smiled in return.

Jian Xi: I’m so tired, let’s just leave it at that.

Zhang Cen'er hugged Jian Xi's arm and said, "It's great here. There are so many snacks and desserts from the Central Plains that I have never seen before. Huh? There is even fried milk over there. Can milk be fried? No, I want to try it." After saying that, he got up and left, without taking Jian Xi's words to heart at all.

Jian Xi walked towards Tao Lejiao. The silly second brother was staring at the sugar painting in his hand and laughing foolishly, "Do you like her?"

Tao Lejiao's expression froze, and he smiled, "You misunderstood. Cen'er just arrived for the first time and is not familiar with this place. I brought her out to play, and I have no other intentions."

"Oh!" Jian Xi nodded as she drew out the last line of the sentence. "Then go ahead and have fun. Come find me when you come back. I have something to talk to her about."

Then he patted Tao Lejiao's shoulder and said, "Handle it well. I really don't know how to solve this difficult problem of yours. Cen'er is a good girl." When mentioning the word Cen'er, Jian Xi emphasized her tone.

She and Zhang Cen'er had known each other for three years, but she had only called her by her name a few times. Tao Lejiao had only known her for a few days, but he already called her Cen'er.

Tao Lejiao stretched out his hand and wanted to call Jian Xi to explain, but he was confused and didn't know what to say.

Zhang Cen'er had new fun, so Jian Xi stopped paying attention to her and got busy with the things at hand.

Once you get used to doing things every day, you can’t stop.

Within five days, the reply from Kecheng arrived.

Mai Mu's wife was pregnant, and he had a child in his old age, so he couldn't leave at this time. The letter mentioned that if Jian Xi had important matters, she could go to Kecheng in person.

Jian Xi thought about it and decided that this trip was still necessary.

Her subordinates were all busy and had no time to spare, so she only brought Mo Chuan and a team of guards.

Mo Chuan has helped her a lot in the past few years. She noticed that Mo Chuan seemed to have some special feelings for her, but he didn't make it clear.

This matter is of great importance, so we must bring the right people with us, and we can only bring Mo Chuan.

Kecheng was still the same as they had seen it two years ago. As soon as they entered the city, the aroma of wine filled their noses.

Qingzhufang, the largest shop in the city, is already a bit run-down. The green sign on it has started to peel and no one has replaced it. There are two wine jars as tall as a person placed at the main entrance, and the waiters inside are so lazy that there is not even a fly to be seen.