Huan Rong

The envoys of the Huan Han Dynasty entered Jiaofang Hall, met Empress Liu face to face, presented the gift list brought by Jiankang, and left within two minutes.

During the period, Empress Liu sat across the screen, and Concubine Liu Shu accompanied her.The envoys bowed in front of their bodies, respecting Empress Liu's dignity in the Han family, and presented a list of gifts written in bamboo slips.

"Before going north, I was ordered by Her Majesty the Empress Dowager to enter Chang'an with a heavy gift and present it to Her Majesty the Empress."

Empress Liu looked at the gift list, her expression did not change in any way, she exchanged a few simple greetings, asked the envoy to convey her gratitude, and said nothing else.

Da Changqiu stood on the side of the screen, looking at the situation in the hall without any trace.When sending the envoys away, he took a few glances at the servants and eunuchs in front of the palace gate, carefully observed the expressions of several people, and soon got the idea, a sneer sneered at the corner of his mouth.

Not long after the envoys left, more than [-] boxes of jewelry and spices, and more than a hundred bolts of colored silk and satin were sent to the Jiaofang Hall and lined up in front of the hall.

The lids of the boxes were opened one after another, revealing the gold, silver and colored treasures in the box.

In an instant, the colorful light filled the air, and the pearls were dazzling.

"This is Hepu Pearl."

Empress Liu strolled forward, holding a pearl.Touching the round bead surface, he said with a smile: "Ah Zheng got a few of these beads before, but in exchange for a lot of good things."

Concubine Liu Shu took a look and nodded slightly. According to the gift list in her hand, she found a flat and long wooden box and handed it to Empress Liu.

"Sister, what do you think?" Concubine Liu Shu hesitated to speak.

"I know."

Empress Liu took the wooden box and signaled Concubine Liu Shu not to say more.Afterwards, Da Changqiu was summoned and said: "How, do you understand?"

"Returning to Your Highness, we have found everything we need to look for, and none of them have been lost." Da Changqiu replied respectfully, his voice was as usual, but there was an inexplicable tinge of chill.

"Okay." Empress Liu nodded, and said in a deep voice, "I will leave it to you, and I will do it later. At least allow some time for them to send a letter to the Guangming Palace."

"promise!"

Da Changqiu took the order and exited the inner hall respectfully.

Walking quickly to a secluded place, Da Changqiu folded his sleeves, glanced at the several eunuchs who came up to him, and ordered: "Do it tonight, and don't leave any one found! Follow carefully during the day, and if you find anyone who goes to the Guangming Palace, you don't need to leave." Make a fuss, and interrogate carefully when you come back."

"promise!"

"This matter is important, you should not keep your hand, and no one should be soft-hearted! Don't talk about being loyal to the emperor, our lives belong to the queen, who should follow, whose orders should be obeyed, as long as we are not confused, we should be clear about everything." Chu!"

"promise!"

Several people agreed in unison, with a firm tone and a hint of cruelty in their expressions.

"Do things more carefully, and you need to be invisible, so don't leave anyone with a clue." Da Changqiu continued, "The Chang'an Palace today is no better than the previous dynasty, but in such a huge palace, there are no fewer people. What kind of."

After the incident, Da Changqiu wasn't worried about whether Qin Ce would be furious or whether he would order a strict investigation.

The majestic king of a country ordered people to monitor his wife, and if he said it, he would be criticized by the world.If the lid is lifted, it will definitely not be Empress Liu who will be discredited.

Da Changqiu spoke concisely and conveyed the order to do it.

Everyone didn't say anything, and went down to make arrangements.

As for the matter of arresting people, careful arrangements have been made long ago, just waiting for Empress Liu to nod.

In the main hall, all the eunuchs and maidservants withdrew, carrying away most of the wooden boxes, leaving only two small boxes, which contained the gold hairpins and spices sent by Jiankang.

"This is the craftsmanship of a master craftsman, which is really rare."

Empress Liu took the wooden box in her hand and carefully looked at the pattern on the box cover.Fingers brushed the edge of the wooden box, quickly found the mechanism, pressed a recessed dark pattern, and quickly opened the box cover.

Seeing the golden hairpin lying in the box, Empress Liu and Concubine Liu Shu's pupils shrank slightly, and they were both taken aback.

"Sister, this is something from the Han Palace!" Concubine Liu Shu said in surprise.

Empress Liu picked up the gold hairpin, looked it over carefully for a moment, shook her head, and said in a deep voice: "The Empress Dowager Huanhan is the eldest princess of the Jin Dynasty, and she was born in the royal family of the previous dynasty. Her mother came from the Yu family, even if she is not as high as Wang Xie, she is also a nobleman. Door. It is not surprising that such a family has a few things from the previous dynasty. However, this hairpin looks too new, and it is probably an imitation, but I don’t know..."

At this point, Empress Liu did not continue to speak, but glanced at Concubine Liu Shu.

The latter understood, got up and moved the tripod lamp, polished the flint and lit it.

The fire illuminates the head of the hairpin, the body of the phoenix is ​​lifelike, and the eyes of the phoenix emit colorful light.

Recognizing the pattern of Feng Yu, Empress Liu tapped the tail of the hairpin a few times, and said in a low voice: "Sure enough."

After the three-legged lamp was removed, Empress Liu carefully stroked along the direction of the phoenix feathers, and finally stopped at the head of the phoenix, and pressed her fingertips on the eyes of the phoenix three times.

With a soft click, the phoenix's mouth opened, and a golden tube with the length of a little finger popped out.The mouth of the tube is sealed with wax paint, and the silk cloth inside can only be taken out by carefully picking it apart.

"This kind of skill is more like Xiangli's." Empress Liu looked at Jinchai thoughtfully, but did not move further.

"Sister, I'm coming."

Concubine Liu Shu took off the gold hairpin from her hair, picked up the wax paint with the tip of her tail, and picked out the silk cloth in the tube.

I thought that the space was limited and the silk cloth would not be too big.Unexpectedly, this piece of silk is as thin as a cicada's wing, light as nothing, folded up to the size of two knuckles, unfolded more than five or six palms, almost covering half a low couch.

The craftsmanship of the craftsman is so exquisite that the silk cloth is almost transparent.Spread out in the air, gently lifted by the wind, the writing on it seems to stand in the void, moving slowly in the air.

Such things are really rare and worth more than a thousand gold.Even the high-ranking gentry usually hide in the treasury and will not show it to others easily.

Who would have thought that it would be used to send letters.

What is heroic?What is rich and powerful?

This is!

Rough words are not rough.

Even without face-to-face, Empress Liu has some understanding of Princess Nankang's character.

"Like a mother, like a son. No wonder there is a son like Huan Jingdao."

Hearing this, Concubine Liu Shu covered her mouth and chuckled, not face to tease: "Sister, are you praising the Empress Dowager Huan Han? Why do I sound like I'm praising myself?"

Empress Liu glanced at her with a dignified gaze.

After two breaths, he didn't hold back, but finally laughed on the spot.

"You!" Empress Liu shook her head and said with a smile, "In a few years, A Ke and A Xiu will be crowning each other, and you should change your joke-loving temperament."

"No change." Concubine Liu Shu leaned closer, resting her chin on Empress Liu's shoulder, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and she smiled lazily, "I am like this in front of sister, and I will restrain myself in front of outsiders. It's rare to be able to relax. Why is sister always Want me to change it?"

Seeing her like this, Empress Liu shook her head again.

"Let me tell you what's good about you."

Concubine Liu Shu was still smiling, her brows turned into crescents, her appearance was charming and beautiful, she could be called stunning.

Empress Liu looked at her, picked a strand of black hair on her temples with her fingers, and said, "If you don't change it, don't change it. From the time I was young until now, I have always had this temperament, so it's fine if I don't change it."

"I can do this with my sister protecting me." Concubine Liu Shu closed her eyes, her nose moved slightly, and then slowly straightened up, "Without my sister, how could I be like this."

Empress Liu shook her head again, with a faint smile in her eyes and a much more relaxed expression.

"What is the purpose of the letter from the Empress Dowager Huan Han?"

Both Empress Liu and Concubine Liu Shu had doubts, so they stopped joking and read carefully on the silk cloth.

The first time I read it, I didn't feel it, but I felt something different when I read it carefully. After reading it three times, the two sisters looked at each other with surprise in their expressions.

"Is this a good intention?"

It's no wonder that Empress Liu felt strange. The letter said that all the etiquette was covered, but it was strange to think about the meaning behind it carefully.

If it's just to reciprocate the gift, would it take such a big effort?

"Sister," Concubine Liu Shu suddenly said, with a little hesitation in her voice, "Mr. Silang once offered the Luanfeng hairpin as a gift to congratulate the Emperor Huan of Han and the crown."

The voice fell, and the hall fell into silence for an instant.

Empress Liu's brows were deeply furrowed, and a serious look appeared on her face.

Concubine Liu Shu regretted her slip of the tongue.

"Sister..."

"I know." Empress Liu said in a deep voice, "A-zheng has always been unwilling to get married. There are certainly other reasons for this, but... Looking at it now, there are already clues, but I was negligent."

"Sister, how should I reply to the Empress Dowager Huan Han?"

"Let me think about it carefully." Empress Liu looked at the silk cloth with deep eyes.For a long time, he smiled slightly, as if he had figured something out, and the dignified atmosphere was relieved.

"Sister?" Concubine Liu Shu couldn't help being curious, "But have you made a decision?"

"You need to find out about this matter, Ah Zheng." Empress Liu closed the silk cloth and said calmly, "It's rare for that child to get what he wants, and if he wants, I will not stop him."

Concubine Liu Shu looked at the silk cloth, then at Empress Liu, with suspicion in her eyes.

Won't block it?

According to her understanding of Empress Liu, not only would she not stop her, but it looked like she wanted to help her.

It happened that Qin Jing sent back a letter, saying that he would stay in Monan for a while.Empress Liu quickly wrote a reply letter, and said that Huan Han's emphasis on etiquette and the letter from Princess Nankang depended on her son's decision.

Goshawk used the drinking water, looked down at the bamboo tubes on his legs, and felt that they were much heavier than usual.

Empress Liu protected her forearm with a wolf skin, and carried the goshawk out of the palace gate.

A gust of cool wind hits head-on, puffing up the long sleeves embroidered with gold thread, and rolling up the skirt with floating clouds.The sun penetrated the clouds, and the pearls and jade dotted in the black hair shone brightly, shining a colorful halo.

"Go."

Empress Liu raised her right arm high, and the goshawk soared.

The vigorous figure hovered in mid-air, overlooking the main hall, uttered two high-pitched voices, and immediately flew to the north.

The resonant eagle's chirping resounded through the sky, and Empress Liu and Concubine Liu Shu stood side by side, their temple hair brushed past their eyes, and their long-sleeved skirts rang loudly.

The two sisters have straight backs, but they seem to be cuddling each other.

Standing for a long time, it finally turned into a silhouette in Chang'an Palace.

There was a creaking sound, and the palace door opened and closed again.

The figure on the stone steps disappeared, only the cool wind blew by, bringing a whistling sound, like the music played by the years, ancient, desolate, and distant.

Taiyuan four years, mid-April

Qin Jing led his troops to pursue a remnant of Rouran, went deep into the grassland, and met the Gaoche Yuan He clan who moved south.

Gaoche is a general term for nomadic tribes in Mobei, also known as Chile.It got its name because it drove a cart to migrate nomads.Historically, Xianbei had merged with Gaoche, and Murong Xianbei had Gaoche blood.

When Xianbei and Rouran were strong, the Gaoche tribe was suppressed, and either surrendered or retreated into the desert and grassland, and never set foot in Monan unless necessary.

With the decline of the Xianbei tribes, the Rouran royal court was destroyed by Qin Jing, and it was no longer a climate. The Gaoche tribe, who had been nomadic in Mobei all the year round, heard the news, and the Yuan He family was the first to seize the opportunity and migrate south.

The Yuan He family went south not to enter the Central Plains, but to seize the pastures in Monan.

The tribes of Gaoche are still in the period of migrating by water and grass, wearing animal skins and eating animal meat, and many tribes even use stone tools.In a real fight, not to mention compared with the Central Plains, even the Monan tribe can easily kill it in seconds.

The Yuan He clan was relatively powerful, and they conquered five or six small tribes in a few years through caravans going to and from the desert to exchange weapons, rough cloth, and sea salt, and became a large tribe in Mobei, with a young and strong population of more than [-].

Knowing that the royal court of Rouran was destroyed and there was a power vacuum in the Monan Grassland, even though he knew that the Qin family was not to be messed with, the leader Yuan He still wanted to give it a try.

In the concept of the Mobei tribe, when the Han people went north to conquer, they would basically leave after fighting, and would not stay on the grassland for long.Be careful yourself, try to avoid the Qin army, and wait until the opponent withdraws, and you will be able to occupy the lush pasture before others.

Overall, there is nothing terribly wrong with this idea.

The problem is that it is not others who lead the troops, but Qin Jing!

Qin Jing's style of leading troops is very different from others, and the route of marching cannot be guessed according to the old rules. Not to mention the failure of Yuan He's expectations, even more unlucky, he bumped into the Eight Thousand Meat Grinder head-on, and had no time to escape, and was directly dealt with by chopping melons and vegetables clean.

After the battle, the cavalry had no interest in cleaning the battlefield.

The weapons are tattered, and most people are still wearing animal skins. It is easy to tell whether they are poor or rich at a glance.The war horse is strong, which is the only bonus of this battle.

"Your Highness, it's Yuan He's tribe." Ranhu inspected the totems of the leader and several warriors, and reported to Qin Jing, "The Yuan He family has been migrating deep in the desert. I don't know why they suddenly went south."

"It's not surprising." Qin Jing sneered, and grabbed the long spear that had been planted on the ground before, "The Royal Court of Rouran no longer exists, Wusun has no intention of going east for the time being, and the tribes in Mobei will naturally go south one after another for the pasture."

The wages of avarice is death.

He would find it strange that all the tribes in Mobei were always honest.

Ran Hu and the others looked at each other.

To be honest, with the combat effectiveness of this cavalry, it can be solved as much as possible.The key is that there is no oil and water to fish for, and it is really hard to get motivated.

"How can there be no benefits?" Zhang Lian smiled slightly, pointing to the captured war horses, cattle and sheep, and said, "The price of transporting these to the Central Plains is definitely not low."

After the catastrophe, what is the most important thing in the lean months?Naturally, it is a ration livestock!

Ranhu and the others recalled it, and suddenly their eyes lit up.

Even if it takes some work, it's better than nothing!

They follow Qin Jing to fight everywhere, and they are used to paying dividends in every battle.Knowing that there are benefits to be reaped, naturally he will not let it go.

For these 8000 people, the fighting instinct has been ingrained in their bones. Unless they are killed or seriously injured and lose their combat effectiveness, it is impossible to stop the attack.

Nowadays, there are not only brothers in the cavalry team, but also father and son.

The son inherits his father's career, grows up in the battle, only gets excited by the drums and horns, and is born to be a killing machine.

After a short rest, Qin Jing was about to give the order to move out, when a shadow suddenly fell over his head, followed by the resounding cry of an eagle.

"Ahei?"

Qin Jing raised her head with surprise on her face.

He really didn't expect that Goshawk would come back so fast.

噍——

The goshawk landed on Qin Jing's right arm, retracted its wings, and stretched out a leg to Qin Jing.

Qin Jing moved the goshawk to her shoulder and let it rub against her temples.He took apart the bamboo tube in twos and twos, and when he saw the contents of the letter, he couldn't help being taken aback.

At this moment, another eagle cry came to his ears.

The black eagle swooped down from the clouds, followed by two chubby pigeons.

According to the speed at which the black eagle swoops, it seems that it has some... dislike for the pigeon?

After reading the letter that Goshawk brought, Qin Jing was only slightly taken aback.

Unfolding the silk cloth sent by the black eagle, and just glanced at it a few times, the heroic military exploits and the image of the god of killing are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Qinshi Shiro, who made the grassland tribes frightened by the news, became red ears for the first time, and petrified on the spot.