fluttering night wind

In March of the second year of Jingning, Shen Huaixiu was invited back to Yizhou Palace by Yiqi Feichen.It used to be that the sisters-in-law and daughter-in-law were constantly laughing and laughing in the courtyard of Mrs. Wangfei Shen, but today it was so quiet that one could hear a needle drop, and all the people in the courtyard came and went with solemn faces.In the middle of the side courtyard is a Buddha statue and altar, the great monk is silently reciting scriptures, and a row of handsome servant girls are kneeling on the ground, copying the "Blood Pen Sutra Repentance".

Going to the back room, the cotton curtain was lifted, and a thick aloe fragrance mixed with bloody smell rushed towards the face.The maid at the door took Shen Huaixiu's cloak and said softly: "A few days ago I was able to get out of bed, but these two days I just lay on the bed with toilet paper under my body, and I have to change it four or five times a day. I'm afraid people will come in and find it dirty. , so I asked the girl to light incense and smoke in the room."

While talking, an elderly mother came out with a dirty basin. Shen Huaixiu glanced at it and asked, "Have you eaten?"

The eldest girl shook her head and said sadly: "After the young master left, the water rice didn't stick to his teeth, and he wiped his tears when he saw the sky."

Shen Huaixiu's face remained unchanged, she entered the wing room, walked to the bed, her own maidservant set up the tent for her, she only took one look, the eye sockets of the person opposite her were also collapsed, her lips were dry, she only took a breath He was dying, so he sounded his pulse reluctantly and withdrew.

But across the wall is the concubine's room. Mrs. Shen is sitting on the beauty couch by the window, holding a Buddhist bead in her hand, her eyes are unfocused outside the window.The girls in front of them are busy preparing lunch, serving a few dishes, serving some cloth dishes.

"Princess," Shen Huaixiu called out, walked in front of her, saw that she didn't respond for a while, and called out again: "Auntie".

After the second sound, Mrs. Shen came back to her senses, glanced over, and said kindly: "Axiu is here, is it cold on the road, but I haven't eaten yet, let's have some vegetarian food together."

The girl brought a spring stool beside her, Shen Huaixiu sat down, and picked up a small bowl of green onion noodles from her crystal plate.

Mrs. Shen took the lotus leaf porridge with green stems from her personal maid, and said with a smile, "It's been a long time since I saw you, Axiu's preferences have changed."

Shen Huaixiu's hands trembled slightly, and she also said with a smile: "It's just a change of taste."

The girls didn't eat or sleep, the two of them ate in silence, but they didn't know how to eat, the girl packed up the leftovers, brought the tea, and left the room one after another.Shen Huaixiu knelt in front of her and apologized in a low voice: "I'm afraid Jing Yu will be tonight. Huaixiu can't do anything."

How could Mrs. Shen not be able to see that before she was married, she was also Shen Chun's lover, so how could such a minor ailment bother her.She looked at Shen Huaixiu, the expression in her eyes changed, and the fierce look flashed by. The aunt and nephew looked alike. In the past, the sisters-in-law said that they kissed each other, and there was a fate of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the previous life. Now that I think about it, I'm afraid it's a bad fate.She coughed a few times, cleared her throat, and said, "At least I have studied under my school for a few years, why can't I see it. I asked you to come back, just want you to see with your own eyes what our big family has become .”

Shen Huaixiu shivered involuntarily, although it was a chilly spring and the heavy fur was not warm, she was sweating profusely for a while, and her clothes were soaked through.

Mrs. Shen stroked her temples, and said in a softer voice: "You don't agree with me, I don't blame anyone for Ziqian's matter, you are a man with a family now, you can marry a chicken like a chicken and a dog like a dog. It’s just that Jing Yu and her child are not at fault, so you can do it too?”

Shen Huaixiu looked up at her, in the end Jiang was hot and old, Mrs. Shen guessed it immediately: "It's not you, that evil person is very conceited, it's all done by a boat." In Mrs. Shen's eyes, when she lost her beloved grandson, she didn't see the slightest sadness and confusion. Instead, she patted her niece on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Go, Axiu, I'll give you a word. If it's you If you want to die, you must not let go, and if you let go, you must not look back."

Where did Shen Huaixiu dare to go, she was startled and frightened, and quickly hugged her knees, begging: "Auntie, I did it, for Master's sake, don't bear any grudges against Ziyou and Yizhou, it's all on me alright."

Mrs. Shen's face turned cold, she faced the courtyard, and said word by word: "You are a miracle doctor with golden needles and simple hands, and a living Bodhisattva who does not kill but only saves people. I only blame myself for not being optimistic about the family."

Shen Huaixiu was terrified for a moment, Madam Shen's words really stabbed her, so that she left the palace in a chaotic state, looked up at the blue sky, and had the thought that the world is so big that there is no room for it.

March [-]rd, the Shangsi Festival, Yongjing used to have grand outings in gardens from the royal family to the folks. This year, because it was the national mourning period and the new emperor was unwell, the street market seemed much deserted.

In the court, Zaifu took the lead, and the courtiers burned incense and gathered in the court.All the palaces and daoyu have rituals to pray for the prosperity of the country and the safety of the people.After the priests finished, as usual, there would be seasonal banquets such as Qibao soup, shepherd's purse cakes, etc., but this year the emperor fell ill, so it seemed that there was no way.The courtiers wanted to leave one after another, and an eunuch with a yellow silk whisk came out from behind the pillar, and said sharply, "Prime Minister Duan Hui, Grand Tutor Xie Kun, and General Xuanwei Bai Yansheng stayed here to discuss matters."

Before the words finished, Bai Yansheng was still kneeling on the ground, already feeling that the eyes coming from all directions seemed to penetrate his skin.

It took about a meal to walk from the Zhaoyang Hall where the affairs were discussed to the Ganlu Hall where the emperor was. The weather was fine, and the two ministers Duan and Xie declined the guard of honor and walked all the way.Before Emperor Yuan's southward journey, this place was a vacation palace. After the southward journey, several commonly used palace rooms were hastily repaired.Bai Yansheng was far behind. At first, the two people in front were still exchanging pleasantries and talking about insignificant things. Suddenly, Duan Hui changed the subject, looked back at Bai Yansheng, turned his head to Xie Kun and smiled, "Duan hasn't asked for help yet." Thank you Tai Tuo for your congratulations, congratulations to Tai Tuo for getting a son-in-law."

He couldn't catch his smile, but Xie Kun was delighted from the bottom of his heart: "It's the emperor and princess Iceman who did a good job." The marriage between Bai and Xie was personally matched by Princess Huayang.After he returned to Yongjing, Xie Lianbi wrote to him about everything that happened in Xuzhou. Although he felt that it was a bit too much for the lonely man and the widow to live together in the same room, it was not inappropriate to regard it in the interests of the country and the nation.What's more, in the eyes of Xie Kun, who loves his daughter deeply, at least he thinks that it's good to be able to show affection and stop courtesy.

Duan Hui was quite unhappy in his heart, he tried to win over Bai Yansheng for the emperor, and once wanted to marry him to Princess Huayang, but Liu Jieyou and Bai Yansheng were not happy about it, so he ran into a big problem for no reason, and offended Princess Huayang. It is really a rare failure for him in recent years to send it to his political opponents.

When they arrived at Ganlu Hall, Duan and Xie went in first, while Bai Yansheng waited outside, after a cup of tea, Emperor Jingning Liu Xie announced him into the hall.Liu Xie sat down on the red sandalwood inlaid bamboo bed with tin, one elbow resting on the small table, Huang Wa asked him weakly to talk about the situation in the north.But within a year or two, this young man in his 20s was already terminally ill.

Bai Yansheng listened to the emperor asking him about Murong De, thought for a long time, and said: "I heard from the north that this man is kind and benevolent. Governor Xu Kuang, the people in the city are still in good order." Liu Xie looked dull, and asked for a while, "You mean that the people of Youzhou have surrendered to the barbarians?"

Then Bai Yansheng kowtowed heavily and said: "Every year the people of the northern land look forward to the blessing of the king and the common people. People share the same heart and mind, and hope that the emperor's dragon body will recover, regain the lost land as soon as possible, and rule the world."

As soon as Liu Xie heard that he was going to regain the lost ground, he coughed twice and said sickly: "The barbarian is strong and strong, mounts a horse and holds a weapon, and drives like flying. I have no armored soldiers. If the enemy is weak, we will advance, and if the enemy is strong, we will retreat. Why? How long will it take to rule the world?"

Although what he said may seem to spoil his own prestige by making others ambitious, he is actually not wrong.

At this time, Duan Hui said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the thieves are not enough to worry about. Rong and Di came from afar, and everything is created in a hurry. Your Majesty is better to lure them with money and cloth. Although Yi and Di don't know etiquette, brothers and grandchildren receive the emperor's seal and ribbon, and cattle and horses know beautiful water and grass. What's the matter?"

Bai Yansheng suddenly remembered what Murong De said that day, "The rise of an emperor is not permanent. If there is no way, it will perish, and if there is virtue, it will prosper." In comparison, how ignorant this monarch and his ministers must be to be so fearless.

The vanilla is heavy, the blood is full of chest, the Dongshan is worn, the tears are stained with sand, no wonder there are filial sons and loyal ministers in ancient times, who will not forgive their fathers until death.

Xie Kun kept twirling his beard and remained silent, Duan Kun saw this and asked, "What's your opinion, Mr. Xie?"

Xie Kun said: "If you ask about the northern captives, I will give you all the facts in this book, and there is nothing else to say. If you ask about the defense of You Xu, you have resigned from office. If you are not in the position and do not seek government affairs, your majesty should announce it." What General Wei sees is for reference." Although he stayed out of the matter in his words, he meant to defend Bai Yansheng.

Duan Hui knew that the Weng and his son-in-law were on the same boat, so he also kept his mouth shut.

The monarchs and ministers had another conversation, Duan Hui and Xie Kun all retreated, Emperor Jingning left Bai Yansheng alone, and said to him: "I have something to ask, I don't know if General Xuanwei has heard that Murong De is his crown prince. I want to ask Princess Huayang to be my daughter-in-law."

Bai Yansheng was stunned for a moment. It was rumored that Yan Jun had sent people to Beijing to sign a secret agreement with the imperial court before he retreated. He guessed that it was just asking for money and food, but he didn't expect Murong De to stretch his hand so far, and blurted out: "This is not right. Princess Huayang is the eldest sister of His Majesty, married to Murong De's son. Although she is also a princess and future queen, Her Majesty is not just inferior to Murong De's generation. Besides, in the land of tigers and wolves, her husband can't be lightly involved. The princess has golden branches and jade leaves , Weak girls, how can we bear it? Absolutely not."

Emperor Jingning gave him a meaningful look.

The emperor gave birth to a concubine, his mother died early, and the old emperor had 22 sons. He was scheming, and he was not wise since he was a child, but he was able to succeed to the throne smoothly.He said he was unintelligent, but he was actually pretending to be demented. Among them, Liu Jieyou, the elder sister of the same mother, protected the most, so he had the deepest relationship with Liu Jieyou, and he was the least willing to let her leave.Liu Jieyou was 29 years old in his boudoir, and he hadn't married yet. It was all because the emperor wholeheartedly wanted to find a first-class brother-in-law for this sister, so many years passed.

When the envoy of the Northern Dynasty mentioned the marriage, he was not happy, so he asked several confidant ministers, including Xie Kun. Unexpectedly, these people persuaded him to send the princess to marry in order to protect themselves and settle the matter for peace.Murongde insisted on letting Liu Jieyou, no other daughters of the clan, he had a serious illness because of his depression.

Bai Yansheng actually wanted to go with him, and he instantly had a good impression of the person in front of him, remembering that Liu Jieyou had also kowtowed at the East Palace and begged late at night for his affairs, his face turned bloody, and he patted the bed and said "What Aiqing said is very true. Who doesn't have flesh and blood relatives? How could I send my own sister to suffer in that barren land. It's just that Murong De is rude, and the officials are afraid of the northern captives. They don't agree with me, and take their ancestors every day. Sheji came to suppress me, and what's more troublesome is that Princess Huayang knew about it, she made up her mind, and kept coming to beg me."

It was only then that Bai Yansheng understood clearly that the crux of the matter did not lie with Murong De, the emperor, or the officials, but Liu Jieyou, Princess Huayang.

Emperor Jingning leaned forward and said softly: "General Xuanwei seems to be destined for the princess, I wonder if you would like to help me persuade her? You just need to say that the Hulu is terrible, and you don't need to scare her."

Bai Yansheng sighed in his heart, the siblings are really inseparable, would someone like Liu Jieyou be intimidated? "Your Majesty has this request, so I will do it, but the Eldest Princess is very assertive, and she must not be easily swayed."

Emperor Jingning smiled happily as if he was relieved: "I know, I know, I'm tired of the general."

In the Changchun Palace, Liu Jieyou seemed to have known that someone was coming to visit, so he set up teacups and boiled soup in the gazebo in the courtyard.There were palace servants and eunuchs standing around, Bai Yansheng looked at her boldly, the princess's hair was thickened, her waist was slender, her eyebrows moved, and she simply said: "The general came from Ganlu Palace, why did you teach me?"

It seemed that he knew the purpose of coming, Bai Yansheng simply put aside the matter entrusted by Emperor Jingning for the time being, and cupped his hands at her and said: "Your Highness saved my life with this humble minister a few years ago, it is a great kindness, I will not thank you, Your Highness but If you have an order, I will go through fire and water, and I will not hesitate to do so."

Liu Jieyou burst out laughing.Her facial features are not too beautiful, at the age of thirty, she no longer has the appearance of a girl, but she is born in a royal family, and has experienced several dynasties, she has a beauty of grace, luxury, and wisdom, which can not be compared with Xiaojiabiyu.Bai Yansheng talked to her, just like getting along with Yan Rong when he was a child, like a spring breeze, unknowingly less taboos between men and women.

The empress of Emperor Jingning was often ill. Liu Jieyou was in charge of the central palace. What kind of evil wind is blowing.

Liu Jieyou laughed, and said softly: "General Bai has entered Beijing for the third time. It's hard for you. Leave such a rotten dynasty, guarding the half-walled mountains and rivers, but still live contentedly. I am really ashamed of the Taizu. emperor."

Bai Yansheng hurriedly said: "Your Highness said so, there is no place to bury the minister after death."

Liu Jieyou raised his eyebrows and said, "Why?"

Bai Yansheng said in embarrassment: "Rong and Di invaded, and the imperial court traveled south. It is always because the ministers are incompetent and ineffective in resisting the enemy, which leads to the loss of land and humiliation of the country."

The stove was steaming with steam, and Liu Jieyou personally ordered tea for him. In the midst of the steam, she said with a half-smile on her face: "The general thinks how the situation today came about? Who is our real enemy?"

The spring is warm, the scent of flowers follows the wind, the fragrance is endless, and the clear water and white sand outside the pavilion trickle.Bai Yansheng recalled that she once asked: Overlooking the Cangshan Mountain, there is only one third of the world, the general has to think about it.There seemed to be a deep meaning in those words, but he still didn't understand it.

Seeing him being silent for a while, Liu Jieyou brushed his hair on the temples, looked at the jade-built railings, and said, "Why should I send the general to Xuzhou? Apart from the favorable location, has the general thought of any other reasons?"

Bai Yansheng's eyes showed confusion.

"During the Chongnian period, when the general was well-known, someone strongly recommended the general to me, so that the emperor misunderstood me and thought that I had a heart for you, so I later borrowed Duan Hui and Li Wenbo Qianbing. Actually, I know that the general has great ambitions. You must not lead the army, you must disdain to cling to the emperor's relatives, and be subject to nepotism. In troubled times, there is a time, and those who are lacking are in a favorable location and people. The place where Xuzhou uses martial arts can be solved. The daughter of the city lord, Xie Kun, has poems and books in her belly , the beauty is peerless, worthy of a match, cutting the candle to the west window, as if you have a good friend, this is the harmony of people."

Bai Yansheng thumped in his head, and choked his chest. He gritted his teeth for a long time and said, "Sure enough, it is a peerless splendor, something you have never seen in your life. How does Your Highness know that this humble official will be shallow-sighted, gentle, and domineering? A sea of ​​blood and deep hatred, will it all return to the dust?"

Liu Jieyou heard that he was unwilling to be calculated by others in his answer, smiled lightly, and said firmly: "If you are such a person, Bijun will not take a fancy to you. Bai Yansheng, there are many people around you who think about you, But without a virtuous helper, it is thanks to Xie Lianbi."

"Please make it clear, Your Highness." Bai Yan said stiffly.

"Do you know Shen Huaixiu, wife of Meng Ziyou? This woman was born in a family of witchcraft in Bazhou, and she is well-known in Xichuan for her acupuncture skills. Many years ago, a family from Yongjing used to spend a lot of money to invite her to see a doctor. Meng Ye became the king Afterwards, before Emperor Xiandi was critically ill, she was blatantly brought into the palace to prescribe prescriptions for Emperor Xiandi. This woman is deeply rooted in Yongjing. Break through from the inside. The general's real enemy is not in the north, but in the west. If you want to compete with the Meng family, you must have the daughter of the Xie family."

When she said this, she stopped to take a sip of tea. Seeing Bai Yansheng's hesitant eyes, she continued: "You want to ask me why I told you this, so it's better to keep it a secret. You are lofty and lonely, with a clean eye, you must be ideal." Madam is a jade-like figure in Pengmen, and she disdains dealing with princes, nobles, and rich families. I feel like sisters with Bijun. Since she falls in love with you, I have become a matchmaker. I don't want her to suffer any grievances after marrying. General, are you Smart people, love is the best, everything else is trivial."

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