Huan Rong

In the Changle Palace, the eunuch carefully carried the two wooden cages, and moved lightly, a little nervous, with a few beads of sweat on his forehead.

The cage door opened from above, and two little snow leopards with gray and white fur and black spots on their bodies raised their neck hairs and roared loudly.

Although the leopard is small, its temperament is full of ferocity.

The eunuch is hesitating, not knowing what to do.Xiong Nu and Hu Nu stepped forward, took a look inside the cage, and said, "You guys step back first."

Xiongnu signaled the eunuch to back off, ignoring the roar of the snow leopard, and bent over to approach the wooden cage.The palace skirt dragged on the ground, without hindering the movement at all.

The two had raised tigers and hunted wild wolves with their own hands, so they were very familiar with the beasts.In their eyes, these two little snow leopards were just bigger cats, and they did not pose the slightest threat at all.

Judging by its size, [-]% of the cubs have not been weaned yet, but they are already able to eat meat.

If not, how could it be so energetic to send it from the west to Jiankang, without a female leopard to take care of it along the way, and to die or die.

"Sister, I'm coming."

The tiger girl thought that the bear girl was moving too slowly, and under the amazed eyes of everyone, she bent her sleeves, bent down and reached into the cage, and quickly grabbed a little snow leopard.He accurately grasped the back of the leopard cub's neck and lifted it out with skill.

Maybe it was out of nature, or maybe it was the natural intuition of animals. When the tiger girl grabbed the back of the neck, the little snow leopard immediately calmed down. Instead of barking its teeth and claws, it turned its ears slightly and curled up its four legs, almost forming a ball. As docile as a house cat.

Without seeing it with my own eyes, I really can't connect it with the ferocious leopard cub just now.

Witnessing this scene, the eunuch was tongue-tied and his eyeballs dropped all over the floor.

Is this the so-called one thing down one thing?

The tiger girl swept the eunuch's eyes, grabbed the back of the leopard cub with one hand, and supported the leopard cub's hind legs with the other.The leopard cub remained motionless, not turning its ears occasionally, just like a fluffy doll.

"Sister, these two leopards are indeed beautiful, but their temperament is not very good. In my opinion, it is best to domesticate them for a while."

Xiongnu nodded, and took out another little snow leopard from the wooden cage.

Being held in his hands, the little Snow Leopard reacted exactly like his brother, retracting its four paws and remaining motionless.After being held firmly by Xiongnu, he even rubbed his head against her hand, which made the eunuch even more surprised.

"Let's go, clean up first."

Huan Rong felt that the little snow leopard was a tribute from the attached country, so he sent it to Changle Palace the next day.

When they were in Youzhou, Princess Nankang and Mrs. Li raised tiger cubs.

Now that the cubs have grown up, they are no longer suitable to be kept by their side, but they have not been released back into the mountains. Instead, they have found a secluded palace in Taicheng, and spent two months rebuilding it, moving trees, building rockeries, raising walls and adding weight At the gate of the courtyard, a tall tiger cage was erected, and a tiger house for stocking was built.

Tiger cubs are raised by humans and domesticated when they are young, so they may not survive if they are reintroduced.

Furthermore, now is not the time for animal protection. There is no shortage of tigers and leopards in the mountains and forests, and there are packs of wild wolves on the grasslands, which pose a serious threat to people.

It is not a good deed to let the tiger go back to the mountain. It is better to keep it in the palace, and occasionally it can entertain Princess Nankang and Mrs. Li.

After the Hufang was completed, Huan Rong once doubted whether he would become an emperor as famous as Zhengde in future history books.

The latter has a leopard room, and I have a tiger room. Although the functions are different, but history is written by people, who can guarantee that what is recorded must be the truth?

Fuguo offered leopards, probably because he heard the wind and knew that there were tigers in Taicheng, so he followed suit.

Facing the eager envoys, Huan Rong couldn't explain easily: It wasn't that he had such a hobby, the reason why he built the tiger house was to entertain his mother.

Can't explain, can't explain.

Ever since, misunderstandings have arisen.

After the vassal state, Tuyuhun and other tribes in the Western Regions paid tribute, and every now and then they would send one or two ferocious beasts.Not to be outdone, Yidi in the south sent two elephants, two rhinos and more than ten peacocks.

There are blue peacocks and green peacocks, as well as two pairs of cherished white peacocks and black peacocks.Putting them in a garden can completely hold a peacock exhibition.

I don't know where Huan Yi got the news. He ran on the sea, not forgetting to take care of his brother's hobbies, collecting rare animals everywhere, and even caught him a ferocious shark.

Although it is not alive, but the skeleton and teeth are laid out, cold and intimidating.

After Xie An and Wang Biaozhi heard the news, they went to Huan Rong to retrieve the two giant teeth.Xi Yin didn't fall behind either, and bluntly said that he wanted the biggest two.Even the Taiyuan Wang family and several Wu surnames asked for it.

As a thank you gift, Huan Rong's private treasury had three more boxes of gold, five or six boxes of colored treasures, and nearly a hundred bolts of colored silk.

The business is doing well, but Huan Rong still doesn't know why.

Could it be that the ancients loved to collect animal teeth?

After asking Princess Nankang, I found out that there are children under the age of five in these families, and these giant teeth are used to protect the children from growing up safely.

"Fierce?" Huan Rong was puzzled.

"You were always weak when you were young, and I ordered someone to find two pairs of canine teeth." Recalling the past, Princess Nankang said with a smile, "These two pairs of canine teeth are still there, I will let Ah Mai find them out for you to see later. "

In troubled times, the child mortality rate is extremely high.

Using animal teeth as amulets, with the traces of the ancient times.

It cannot be said to be a superstition, but it can only be said to be a kind of sustenance and blessing. I hope that children can take advantage of the fierce beasts to avoid diseases and disasters and grow up safely.

After hearing Princess Nankang's explanation, Huan Rong is not stingy, and is happy to be an adult.No matter who it is, as long as you open your mouth, two shark teeth will be delivered directly.

In less than a few days, the number of shark teeth was ten to seven.

Huan Rong came back to his senses, looked at the toothless shark skull, and had an inexplicable thought: Will this skeleton become another unsolved mystery if it is left to future generations?

As more and more animals were donated, the area of ​​the tiger house continued to expand, and finally became a whole by itself, becoming a scene of Taicheng.Counting the beasts and rare birds inside, Huan Rong was very suspicious that this would become the first "royal zoo" in history.

Nowadays, the area of ​​the tiger house is maintained within the normal range, and the residents inside are less than one palm.

Huan Rong's "worries" had not yet formed, and he hurried to Changle Palace, all for the purpose of borrowing a pigeon from Mrs. Li.

The two little leopards were cleaned up, with colored silk tied around their necks, and carried to Princess Nankang and Mrs. Li.

With the tiger girl and the bear girl present, the two leopard cubs were still naughty, but they didn't growl.When Huan Rong entered the palace, Princess Nankang was teasing two leopard cubs. Mrs. Li prepared a new tripod of incense and ordered the palace maid to bring the wooden bottle.

A leopard cub was very curious, looked closer, and sneezed.

The cute appearance is really attractive.There was a sudden burst of laughter in the hall, like the gurgling sound of a piano.

"Mum." Huan Rong walked into the inner hall and saluted Princess Nankang.

"Azi is here." Princess Nankang smiled unabated, like a peony in full bloom, graceful and luxurious.

The palace maid brought tea soup and pastries, and Mrs. Li nodded slightly, signaling to send the leopard cub down.

Huan Rong sat down, used the tea soup, and explained why he came.

"Xihai County?" Princess Nankang thought for a moment and asked, "Is it near the grassland?"

"Indeed." Huan Rong didn't deny it, and explained, "I want to ask Auntie for a pair of pigeons, and the caravan will take them there to identify the way. It will be convenient for sending messages when there is an emergency."

"It should."

Regarding the agreement with Qin Jing, Huan Rong did not hide it from Princess Nankang.According to the current situation, it is reasonable to maintain news exchanges with Xihai County.

"My sister, what do you think?" Princess Nankang asked.

"Since the officials have opened their mouths, how can there be any reason to refuse?" Mrs. Li smiled at Princess Nankang.Then he turned to Huan Rong and said, "Ah Yuan is no longer suitable for flying far away. It just so happens that there is a new pair of pigeons for the officials."

"Thank you, Auntie." Huan Rong said.

"The officials are polite." Mrs. Li shook her head, and after consulting Princess Nankang, she said, "Since the officials want to send people to the north, they might as well go to Chang'an."

"Chang'an?" Huan Rong was puzzled.

"Ah Zi and Qin Shiro have a very close friendship, and Empress Liu has sent people to present gifts several times." Princess Nankang said, "I wanted to write to him a long time ago, but at least I have followed the etiquette. I was not sure about the timing before, but now it is just right."

All etiquette?

Looking at his mother, Huan Rong always felt that things would not be so simple.But my mother didn't want to talk more, so I couldn't get to the bottom of it.In the end, he could only nod his head and agree to Princess Nankang's request.

"Mother, if you are sending a letter to Empress Liu, you probably cannot bypass Emperor Qin."

"I understand." Princess Nankang had been prepared for a long time, smiled slightly, and ordered the palace maid to fetch a flat and long wooden box with a beautifully carved phoenix on the lid.

Through the workmanship of the wooden box, Huan Rong recognized at a glance that it was Gong Shuchang's handicraft.

The lid of the box was lifted, and there was a phoenix hairpin inside.

The phoenix eyes are inlaid with colorful treasures, shining brightly.The roots of the phoenix feathers are distinct, and the craftsmanship is exquisite, which is really amazing.

"Mom, what is this?"

Princess Nankang didn't answer, she took the phoenix hairpin with one hand, and gently twisted it at the phoenix's tail.

With a soft sound, the golden hairpin split into two pieces, the tail of the hairpin was hollow, just enough to hold a piece of silk cloth the size of a palm.

"I asked Gongshu and Xiangli to do this." Princess Nankang laughed.When closing the nobile hairpin, fingers deliberately brushed the phoenix's eyes, pressed down lightly, three times in a row, the phoenix's mouth opened, and a cylinder as long as the little finger popped out.

Huan Rong swallowed.

Even if the agency, or double insurance?

"My sister's letter is hidden in the mouth of the phoenix. It's okay to add some spices to the end of the hairpin." Mrs. Li said with a smile, "If someone else cuts off this golden hairpin, they should learn a lesson."

Gudong.

Huan Rong swallowed again.

Looking at the mother who was thinking seriously, and then at Mrs. Li who was smiling like a flower, she subconsciously said: "Mum, auntie, if Empress Liu is careless... what should I do?"

"Don't worry, the officials, my sister's prepared gift list includes my new spices." Mrs. Li explained with a smile.

In short, the antidote has already been prepared, so there is no need to worry too much.

"Empress Liu was born in the Han Dynasty. When she sees such a phoenix hairpin, she will know what's going on." Princess Nankang added, "Speaking of which, I also saw a similar golden hairpin when I was young, and I know it was handed down from the Han Palace. Only then can masters imitate it."

This is a channel for passing news within the palace, and even Qin Ce may not know about it.

Huan Rong took the golden hairpin and looked at it carefully. After trying several times, he had to ask Princess Nankang to learn the correct way to open it.

Holding the golden hairpin, thinking about what Princess Nankang said, and thinking about what Qin Jing said before, the hair on the back of Huan Rong's neck stood on end, and he suddenly felt that his mother and Empress Liu would have a lot in common.

In February of the fourth year of Taiyuan, the envoy set out from Jiankang, carrying the letter of the emperor and the generous gift from the queen mother, and went north to Chang'an along the land route.

After a natural disaster, the northern and southern courts needed time to recover, and no one would think of provoking a war.

After the people in the two places returned home, they were busy going down to the fields for spring plowing without caring about other things.

In order to collect more grain, the whole family often goes to the fields together.Except for the elderly who couldn't move and the toddlers babbling, even half-grown children carried hoes.

Everyone is praying, hoping that God will be merciful, and the weather will be smooth this year, at least there will be no floods and droughts, and at least they will survive the autumn harvest, and they can harvest some food to support the family.

If the crops were cut off like last year, even if the government exempted the grain tax, the family would still have no way to survive.

Jiankang's envoys arrived in Chang'an at the end of March and almost the beginning of April.

At that time, Chang'an's square market had recovered.

At the beginning, the few companies that worked so hard to get ahead for the sake of profit, even at the expense of offending Qin Yu, were all bleeding heavily and could not recover for at least five years.

Looking at the newly erected buildings after the fire, the envoys looked calm on the face of the people along the way, and already had calculations in their hearts.

Qin Ce summoned people in the Guangming Palace, and after reading Huan Han's credentials, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Huan Rong's words were very strict and the meaning was quite clear. For both parties, after the catastrophe, the most important thing is to resume production as soon as possible and ensure the safety of the people.

He believes that Qin Ce is a smart person and will not be uncertain about the severity of things.

It doesn't matter if you're really not sure.

there is always a solution to a problem.

In terms of the degree of disaster, the north is more than the south.The south is supplemented by commercial routes and sea trade in the Western Regions, and the channels for obtaining food in the north are limited, making post-disaster recovery even more difficult.

If there is a fight at this time, without mentioning the combat effectiveness, the military rations alone will consume the energy and energy to kill Chang'an.

Of course, things haven't reached that point yet. In a short period of time, the two sides can barely maintain peace.

After all, the lessons of the Hu tribe's southern invasion were too painful, and the Han Dynasty had just started to improve. Neither Huan Rong nor Qin Ce wanted to see the century-old suffering repeat itself.

If the common people suffer because of their own selfishness, they will all become sinners of their family and country.

"I already understand the meaning of this." Qin Ce said to the envoy, "After tomorrow's court meeting, I will write the letter of state with my own hand and bring it back to Jiankang."

"promise."

The envoy took the opportunity to propose that the Empress Dowager Huan Han prepared a great gift and wanted to present it to Empress Liu.

Qin Ce didn't say anything else, and directly ordered someone to report to Empress Liu.

Not long after, the Chief Changqiu of Jiaofang Palace came to see him, and said: "His Royal Highness said, I am grateful for the kindness of Empress Dowager Sima, and I would like to invite your envoy to meet me face to face."

This move seems to be against the rules, but in the name of the kindness of the Empress Dowager Huan Han, it is not easy to care too much about it.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ce nodded in agreement without stopping.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The envoy saluted and withdrew, and followed Da Changqiu to see Empress Liu.

At the same time, a goshawk flew from the north, crossed many palace rooms, and its cry pierced through the palace walls, and finally passed over Da Changqiu's head, and flew straight into Jiaofang Palace.