Pihanjin

After Xie Changgeng left Liancheng, he did not take the original road and immediately returned to Hexi. Instead, he turned to another road and set foot in the direction of Wuzhou, which is adjacent to Sanmiao. He planned to take a shortcut and return to his hometown in Xie County in Kuizhou as soon as possible , look at the mother who has not seen for a long time, and then return to Hexi.

At sunset, the horses galloped for a day, only taking a short rest in the middle, and their legs gradually lost their strength. Xie Changgeng ordered to slow down. At this moment, a follower's mount suddenly made an uneasy neighing sound, and his front hooves were raised high. If it wasn't for that follower's superb riding skills, I was afraid that the person would have been thrown off.

The attendant was taken aback and forcibly controlled the horse, then raised the whip in his hand and was about to whip the horse when he suddenly felt a slight sway. He turned his head and saw the branches and leaves of the trees by the roadside rustling, and the birds in the distance were restless, and he suddenly woke up.

"Sir! Earthquake!"

Xie Changgeng noticed the abnormality long ago, turned over and dismounted, and ordered all his followers to get down. Several people stopped by the roadside to stabilize the frightened horses. After this position moved, and the surroundings became quiet again, we continued to move forward. After walking for a while, we encountered a land temple on the side of the road. It was probably too dilapidated and in disrepair for a long time.

A group of people crossed the past, and suddenly heard a faint sound of calling for help from behind.

Under the ruins, it seems that a person has been crushed.

"grown ups?"

The entourage looked at Xie Changgeng.

"Get people out."

Xie Changgeng stopped his horse, turned his head and glanced, and gave an order.

All the entourage dismounted and ran back. Several people worked together to carry away the broken wood, scraped away the rubble, and rescued one person from below.

The man was a middle-aged man, covered in dirt and dust, and one leg was pinned down by the beam of the house. When he was pulled out, he was lying on the ground, still protecting a bag in his arms.

The entourage bandaged the wounded to stop the bleeding. The man gradually calmed down and said that he was out doing a small business and had not been home for more than a year. Now he finally saved some money and missed his wife and children at home. This time he went home to visit and came here in the evening, hungry in his stomach. , the legs are also lacking. I saw the ruined temple. I went in and wanted to rest for a while to have something to eat before continuing on the road. Unexpectedly, there was an earthquake and I had no time to escape. Duojishao, he is going to die here.

Xie Changgeng asked about the person's home, and learned that it was a village that he and his party had visited during the day, and it was dozens of miles away.

"I beg your benefactor, can you help me go to the house to spread the news. There is only one woman in my family with children. I don't know what they are doing now." The man kept begging.

Xie Changgeng glanced at the darkening sky, hesitated for a while, and then asked his subordinates to put the man on the horse's back and take him back.

When we entered the village, it was already dark at night.

Most of the houses in the village are in good condition, except that some walls are cracked, which has little impact. The emotions of the villagers have gradually calmed down from their panic.

The woman in the victim's home and her child experienced the earthquake in the evening. Although there was no serious problem, only a few dishes were broken in the house, but she still had lingering fears and did not dare to fall asleep. She was guarding her children for the night when she heard The voice of her husband's calling came from outside the house, like a dream, she hurriedly came out to open the door, and saw that her husband who had been away for a long time actually came back, only covered in blood, and asked the cause and effect, crying and laughing, and helped him into the back of the house, right. Xie Changgeng, who had saved his husband, was extremely grateful. He brought a pair of children who had woken up from their sleep, called his benefactor, and wanted to kneel and kowtow to him.

Xie Changgeng called her to get up and asked if there was any vacant house for the night.

The woman repeatedly agreed, and quickly cleaned up the empty house. Knowing that they had not eaten yet, she quickly made a pot of food and brought it out.

Xie Changgeng asked his followers to eat with him.

Over there, the man called the woman to untie the burden he brought back. The woman untied it and saw that in addition to the toys her husband bought for the children, there was also a delicate silver hairpin with a flower head. She was very happy when she learned that he had specially bought it for her, but she blamed him for spending money indiscriminately. The man said that when he made a lot of money in the future, he would give her a gold hairpin, and he sighed, saying that he had been away from home for many years, and that he was all managed by women inside and outside the home. When he came back this time, he saw that she had lost a lot of weight.

The woman said that her husband was tired when he was running around, and that she was not working hard. As he spoke, his voice gradually became choked up.

Several people were eating around the dim oil lamp on the table, and the whispering voices of the couple next door drifted over through the thin layer of wall panels.

Several of Xie Changgeng's entourage were bachelors, and when they heard the private words of the two couples, they couldn't help but look at each other, and subconsciously looked at the Jiedushi on the opposite side.

Xie Changgeng was expressionless, raised his eyes and looked back. Several people were busy and bowed their heads, and continued to eat.

Xie Changgeng finished a few mouthfuls and put down the bowls and chopsticks.

After a while, the woman came over, with some tears in the corners of her eyes, but a smile that could not be concealed on her face, and asked them if they were full.

Xie Changgeng said that he was full, thanked her, and when the woman packed up the dishes and left, and asked the entourage to seize the time to rest, he also lay down with his clothes on.

The room was dark, and the night was getting darker. It should have been the third watch. Xie Changgeng suddenly heard a strange movement from the next door.

Although the sound has been suppressed to an extremely low level, the creaking sound of the bed foot and the natural gasping sounds of men and women, through the wall, still penetrated into his ears and could be heard very clearly.

The entourage on the floor of the same room with him had to travel hard during the day. After they had eaten and lay down, they knew that this place was safe. They did not need to be vigilant. They slept with peace of mind.

Xie Changgeng closed his eyes and turned over.

The movement of the couple next door finally stopped, the ears returned to quiet, everything was silent, and I only heard a few barks from an unknown family in the distance.

Only then did Xie Changgeng dispel the scenes in his mind when he was with the Mu family's daughter. For some reason, he remembered what the woman said to her husband who had not returned home for a long time, which he heard during dinner. I was restless and had trouble falling asleep, and my mood became worse and worse. I almost never closed my eyes all night. It wasn't until the 5th watch that I felt sleepy. The ruined temple on the side collapsed, but the person under the ruins has changed. It is not a man from this house, but a woman.

He turned the woman over, revealed his face, and recognized that it was Mrs. Mu. Her eyes were closed, her delicate face pale.

"Mushi!"

Xie Changgeng was startled and blurted out to call her. Seeing that she didn't respond, as if she was dead, his heart was beating wildly, he opened his eyes abruptly, rolled over and sat up, turned his head and saw a dim light from the window paper. It was almost dawn when I realized that I was dreaming.

The attendant who was sleeping nearby was awakened by his call, but he didn't hear it clearly, thinking his boss was calling him.

These people are well-trained on weekdays. Before this attendant opened his eyes, he subconsciously grabbed the knife that was beside him and jumped up from the floor.

"Sir, what's the matter?"

The rest of the people were also awakened one after another and got up one after another. Through the dim morning light, seeing him sitting still, his figure was a little stiff.

Xie Changgeng felt that his heartbeat was still a little fast, so he turned his head slowly and saw a few confused eyes staring at him. .

The women of this family knew that they had to go on the road early in the morning, so they got up early to prepare the meal.

Xie Changgeng had no appetite, so he ate a few bites, and told his subordinates to leave some money after eating, and left the yard by himself.

After the entourage had finished eating, they pulled out the horse tied to the courtyard last night and were about to leave, but they saw him standing on the side of the road in the wild, facing the distant mountains shrouded in the morning mist in the distance, his back motionless, as if he was thinking about something.

Several people did not dare to be disturbed and stood by and waited.

Xie Changgeng pondered in his heart, hesitated again and again, and finally made a decision, turned around, took the reins from his entourage, and after getting on the horse, ordered to turn around and go back.

The sight in my dream at dawn was so impressive.

The woman seemed to be dead, and it was still vivid in my eyes at this moment, which could not be erased.

Although he didn't know much about this woman, and he didn't have time to pay any attention to her before, but based on the feeling of getting along with her before, he expected that after he left, she would immediately return to the land of Sanmiao and continue. Heal the people there.

The terrain there is no better than the plains, earthquakes occur, and dangers are everywhere.

It's better to go back and take a look to see if she is really dead.

Even if he were to die, he would never be bothered again, and he wouldn't waste much time on this trip anyway.

Always puzzled. But now that he has the order, how can he ask more questions, follow him on horseback, turn around and go back.

Xie Changgeng did not go to Liancheng, but went directly to the land of Sanmiao. He rushed to the middle of the night, sleeping in the wild and resting. He continued on the road before dawn. At noon, he finally met a Chinese-speaking Sanmiao named Wuji on the road. Child Miao, ask him about Mu Fulan.

Wu Ji said, "I know Wengzhu! There was an earthquake the day before yesterday, and many people were injured in Liyang. She was there! I was also in Liyang yesterday, and I saw her!"

Since this child has seen people, she must be safe and sound.

That dream of my own is really ridiculous.

Xie Changgeng originally wanted to stop and go back, but everyone had already arrived here, so he seemed a little unwilling to go back like this.

He hesitated for a moment, thinking that seeing is believing, he asked his entourage to give the child money and let him lead the way.

But Uji didn't want money, and his eyes rolled around, staring at the dagger handle exposed from a boot on his foot.

The entourage took out the dagger and handed it over.

Wu Ji tried the front, his eyes were shining, and he hid it on his body, and said happily, "Go, I'll take you there. From here to Liyang, it was originally going to take a long time, but you met me. , just luck. No one here leads the way better than me. I know there's a shortcut that few people take."

Uji is not only familiar with roads, but also very good at speaking. It could be seen that he respected Mu Fulan very much. When leading the way, he kept talking about how she was doing, and that she also helped his grandmother to treat her illness a few days ago.

Xie Changgeng said nothing.

Wu Ji glanced at him, suddenly remembered, and asked, "By the way, I haven't asked yet, who are you from Lord Weng? What are you asking her for?"

Xie Changgeng glanced at the entourage beside him, and the entourage said on his behalf, "Your Excellency is the husband of Lord Weng. Naturally, I came to her when something happened. You lead the way quickly!"

Wu Ji was stunned for a moment, then stopped, staring at Xie Changgeng and the people around him for a few times, his eyes showing suspicion.

"Why don't you go?"

Follow the urging.

Uji took out the dagger he had just hidden, threw it on the ground, and said, "I don't want your stuff. I don't know the way!" After speaking, he turned and ran.

Although this child was like a skinny monkey, he was running fast, but when he encountered these people next to Xie Changgeng, how could he escape, he was caught in a short time.

"Okay, why didn't you lead the way again?"

Xie Changgeng asked him.

Uggie didn't speak.

The entourage who was holding him was grumpy, and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. Wu Ji was in pain and fell to the ground with tears in his eyes, but he was still very stubborn and said, "You guys are bad people, you lied to me, you must be trying to be detrimental to Lord Weng! I won't take you to Lord Weng. of!"

Xie Changgeng motioned to let him go, walked over by himself, squatted in front of him and smiled, "How did I lie to you? You should tell me."

"The last time I heard my grandma and the others gossip, they said that General Yuan was Lord Weng's Baron, and they were a match made in heaven."

shouted Uggie.

Xie Changgeng narrowed his eyes. "What does Balon mean?"

"Balong is the husband you Han people say. Since General Yuan is the master's Balong, how can you be her husband? You are not a liar, what are you?"

The entourage was startled and looked at Xie Changgeng in unison. Seeing that his face was stiff, he didn't even dare to let out the air for a while.

Seeing his appearance, Wu Ji was also a little scared, didn't dare to make a sound, and stared at him carefully.

Xie Changgeng stood up slowly, faced Li Yang's direction, stood for a moment, turned around abruptly, and turned away.

When the entourage saw him leave, he naturally released Uji and followed him back.

The group followed the original road and turned back to the main road, mounted their horses and headed back in the direction they came from.

Xie Changgeng didn't say a word. He rode his horse all the way. In the evening, he came to a fork in the road and stopped.

The road splits into two. The left side goes to Liancheng, and the right side is the direction they came from.

Xie Changgeng sat on the horse for a long time, then turned his head and said, "You guys are here waiting for my return."

After he finished speaking, he turned his horse's head and galloped away in the direction of Liancheng.

…

Although it had been a few days since the earthquake, Mu's mother was afraid of another accident. She had been afraid to sleep for the past few nights. She built a shop in front of the little son's bed, and she and several maids took turns to work at night.

She stayed with her in the first half of the night last night. Cornel in the second half of the night. The maid leaned on the couch, heard footsteps, opened her eyes, and in the morning light, she suddenly saw Xie Changgeng walking in, without saying a word, and walked straight towards the sleeping young master. Surprised, she hurriedly stood up. Get up and call him.

Xi'er was woken up by the noise, opened her eyes in a daze, and saw that the person who had been here a few days ago had come back.

He was standing in front of the bed, in the dim morning light, his figure was like a huge black mountain, pressing towards him.

Xi'er got up from the bed with a bone, and before she could sit still, Xie Changgeng bent down and used the quilt to wrap the head and head of the little man on the bed, then as if catching a chicken, he strode out while carrying it. And go.

"Jie Du Shi!"

The maid turned pale in shock and chased after him a few steps. Seeing that he didn't look back, he had already left the house. Knowing that she couldn't stop him, she hurriedly turned around to find Mu's mother.

At dawn in the east, a horse galloped towards the city gate, getting closer.

Seeing that Xie Changgeng came out so quickly, the guards at the city gate knew that he was leaving, although they were puzzled by the mass wrapped in the quilt in front of him, which seemed to be a child. , but did not dare to ask more, just as he was about to open the city gate to let go, he suddenly heard a roar from a distance, "The city gate cannot be opened! Stop him!"

Lianchengling led a large group of guards and soldiers, and chased before the city gate on horseback, ordered all the people to line up to block the city gate, dismounted by himself, rushed to Xie Changgeng's horse panting, and said, "Sir, Lord Weng is not here, You can't just take the little boy away like this!"

Xie Changgeng glanced at the soldiers in front of him, took out a square token from his arms, and showed it towards Liancheng Ling.

Lianchengling looked at it and saw that he was holding a gold medal, with a dragon on the back, and the four characters "As I am here" inscribed on the front.

Xie Changgeng looked gloomy and said coldly, "Seeing this gold medal, if you see Your Majesty, wouldn't you know?"

This gold medal was cast when the dynasty was founded. It was only temporarily given to officials who had special missions or were highly valued by the imperial court. Anyone who was an official knew about it.

Lian Chengling didn't dare to stop him, he hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to the ground.

Soldiers followed and knelt down one after another.

Xie Changgeng took back the gold medal, ordered someone to open the city gate, and let the passage out. Without saying a word, he rode his horse past the soldiers kneeling on both sides of the city gate and galloped away from the city, disappearing into the morning light in an instant.