Misty rain, red mansion, Concubine Xiaoxiang

Winter snow is scattered on the branches. Although Youyun Prefecture belongs to the southwestern border, it is not a barren land. When Guan City is busy, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as blooming like a brocade.Because the Xiluo Kingdom and the Tianbi Dynasty are now at war, the city gates are closed and all business transactions have been cut off, but all those who have other businesses in other places have moved out, waiting for the war to subside!

When the army arrived in Youyun Prefecture, it was almost mid-winter, and joined the 20 armored soldiers with long spears. The [-] troops were stationed at the Tianxi border [-] miles outside the city of Youyun Prefecture!Set up the marching camp, rode the horse and whipped back to Youyun Prefecture, threw the reins in the hands of the servants who were welcoming, and strode towards the inner courtyard!

The evergreen trees in the outer courtyard are all covered with white snowflakes. Stepping into the inner courtyard, the warm atmosphere rushes towards your face. Even the curvy old plum trees are the first to quietly bloom their branches against the north wind.The snow-white plum blossoms melt together with the snow, and only the bright yellow stamens and faint fragrance can discover its victoriousness and arrogance!

Seeing Shui Rong coming in, a maid had already lifted the felt curtain and stepped forward to take Shui Rong's snow-covered cloak.The water-soluble ha breathed into the house, and the four corners of the warm room were lit with golden brass stoves. The overflowing heat made the house warm like spring, and the daffodils with green leaves and white flowers were also blooming in the stone basin.There are colorful koi in the glazed vat placed by the door, and there are even two small lotus leaves floating on the water.

Small orchids are embroidered on the cuffs and lapels of the moon-white thin beige, and the pleated skirt embroidered with origami plum blossoms in the same color is winding down to the ground, and the small and round wrists are tied with crystal-clear jasper bracelets.Her slender fingers clasped the dark blue book cover, her drooping eyebrows looked like ink paintings, and she was intently looking at the pages of the book in her hands. Two children in the same color clothes sat cross-legged on the couch beside her.

Such a quiet and peaceful atmosphere made Shui Rong forget about the severe wind and snow outside, coughed lightly, the elder and the younger raised their heads, and they all greeted him with smiling faces.Daiyu took out the embroidered handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat off his face, and smiled as she helped him take off his outer robe, saying, "It's warm here, so you don't need to wear it so thick!"

Shui Rong held her little hand and leaned over to kiss her forehead with a warm smile, bent down and hugged Qingwan in his arms, took Daiyu's little hand to the side of the couch, looked at the chess pieces on the chessboard, and turned to look at her. Xiang Haoze, who came slowly, asked in surprise, "Is mother teaching you how to play chess?"

Shui Haoze jumped onto the couch, raised his eyebrows and looked at Shui Rong and asked, "Would you like to play a game of chess with the child?" Shui Rong's eyebrows raised even more, and he put Qingwan in Daiyu's arms, and said with a smile: "Look at you Son, do you really want to play a game with the father? What if you lose?"

Hao Ze shrugged his shoulders, with a faint smile on his handsome face, he said: "If you lose, you lose, and you can do whatever your father says." He looked up at Shui Rong, and said with a faint smile, "If I win Already, my father is going to take me to the marching camp!"

Shui Haoze stretched out his little finger with a smile, and looked at Shui Rong with a smile on his face. Shui Rong thought about it seriously, then stretched out his little finger to hook his son's thin finger and nodded, "Okay! If the father loses I will take you to the marching camp with me."

"I object! No, we object!" Daiyu took her daughter's arms and raised them high, and her own arms also raised high. The sleeves that slipped off revealed her snow-like wrists, and Biyu also slid to her elbows. place.Shui Rong stretched out his hand and pulled the arms of the two of them down, both in laughter and laughter, and sat in his arms around one big and one small, and asked with a lowered smile, "You two object? Then, what do you want to do?"

Qingwan frowned in distress, Ruyu raised her face and looked at Daiyu raising her eyebrows, meaning she was asking.Shui Rong amusedly combed her daughter's loose hair, looked sideways at Daiyu, and said, "You voted against Qingwan because she didn't know anything, so Dai'er will speak on behalf of the two of you!"

Shui Haoze looked at Daiyu's mellow eyes, put his chin on the chessboard, and said with a smile, "Father, don't you know what mother wants to do?" Shui Rong raised his eyebrows and looked at his son. Then she stopped, and Daiyu chirped for a long time, like a bamboo tube pouring beans: "You can't be so big and small, why can you only take Haoze alone? Haoze, Haoze is still so small, it's extremely I need my mother to be by my side. Yes, I need it!" After listening to Daiyu's words, Shui Qingwan raised her head to look at Shui Rong with bright eyes, and said, "Yes, she needs her, brother also needs her sister to be by her side!"

Looking at the two beautiful faces, Shui Rong held his chin and looked at them quietly for a while, looked at their embarrassing faces, sneered, turned his head to look at the opposing pieces on the chessboard, picked up the white pieces, and said: "Just put Let's finish this game of broken chess." The white piece in his hand landed on the chessboard.

Daiyu bit his shoulder angrily, struggled to get out of his arms, and sat beside Hao Ze.Shui Rong shook his head, his smiling eyes focused on the chess game in front of him.

Daiyu stared at the pieces on the chessboard with frowned eyebrows, the white pieces had already occupied a favorable position, and the black pieces had no choice but to lose if they went on.After looking at it, his eyes suddenly lit up, he tugged at his son's sleeves and slender fingers hid them in the sleeves and pointed lightly.Shui Haoze looked at the position Daiyu was pointing at, and the troubled road suddenly became clear, and he hurriedly dropped the chess piece in his hand!

Shui Rong raised his head and glanced at the mother and son, with a faint smile on his lips, pretending he didn't see it.After the endgame was over, Shui Haoze lost Shui Rong's three pieces, stood up and bowed and said, "It's my son who lost!" Shui Rong slowly retracted the pieces, looked at him, and said with an approving smile: "Hao Ze also It’s not a loss, it’s a good job!”

Daiyu twisted the embroidered handkerchief in her hand and stared at the two similar faces, she got off the couch suddenly, took Qingwan's little hand and took away the books on the couch, bowed her head and said: "Qingwan, mother will take you outside to admire Enjoy the snow with plum trees, and sit under the plum tree to read books and recite poems."

Shui Rong stretched out his hand to grab Daiyu's arm, grabbed the little one and handed it to Hao Ze beside him, saying: "Take your sister and go back to rest first, it's too cold outside, don't run around!" Shui Haoze obeyed obediently Putting on his boots on the bed, Shui Rong called him and said: "Let the girl pack some things, and take you to the camp when the father leaves tomorrow." The surprise in Hao Ze's eyes couldn't be concealed, he nodded hurriedly, pulled Holding Qing Wan's little hands, she walked out with the servant girl who was serving her!

"The tents in the marching camp are too cold, you can't bear it because of your frail body!" He brought up the first reason for the refusal.

"It's fine for me to wear something thicker. I'm not afraid of the cold, what are you afraid of?"

"War will break out at any time, it's not safe there." Daiyu lowered her eyes and thought about the second reason for refusal, but she couldn't think of a reason to refute it.When the war was raging, they stood in the way, lowered their heads and muttered: "But I want to be with you." They turned around and put their arms around his neck, and whispered in his ear, "I will be afraid!" The battlefield has always been about swords She doesn't have eyes, she doesn't want to be placed in the city by him to stay peacefully, that kind of worry and anxiety are too tormenting, she would rather stay by his side!

Shui Rong rubbed his ears, his eyes were full of tenderness and a smile, he held her little hand and said, "For me, please forgive yourself, okay?" He understood her worry and anxiety, but as long as she and her The child is safe and sound is the greatest reassurance for him.

Daiyu bit her lip and looked at him, the tears in her eyes had already flowed up unsatisfactorily, she leaned on his shoulder and sniffed, and said: "As you said, come back obediently!" Shui Rong hugged her tightly, He whispered in her ear and promised, "Okay, I will come back obediently!"

When the two armies were at war, Shui Rong sent Hao Ze back, and the battle was raging outside the city, but in Youyun Prefecture, it was as calm as ever.Daiyu's anxious heart is only waiting for the good news brought back from the front line every day, which is the only pillar supporting her anxious and helpless state of mind!

From the lines in his words, it is not difficult to see that many of the generals brought here this time are the confidantes of General Li. Although they are superficially respectful to Shui Rong, they are obedient and obedient.When the war was about to happen, such a situation would be extremely unfavorable to the army, Shui Rong held the Shang Fang sword bestowed by Shui Shu in his hand, and beheaded several generals who thought he was very important, and put them in front of the account to make an example!

"You are all generals who protect your home and defend your country, but you put the country behind personal interests for the sake of so-called favors! The Holy Majesty entrusted us with a heavy responsibility, and what we want is to return to the court with a big victory. , Slash!" The cold light of Shangfang's sword shone on the land of the southwest, and the snow of the soldiers who were beheaded in the flying snow swayed on it, like blossoming red plums.

"The last general waits to obey the king's orders and obey the military orders, and everything is at the command of the prince, and he will never hesitate to die!" The voice of obedience shook the sky, and the sound of iron armor touching symbolized the fortitude and absolute obedience of the army!

The water solution that puts equal emphasis on kindness and might has completely rectified the bad habits of the army in less than a month, like entering the battle and killing the enemy.Choose an iron cavalry who can ride and shoot well to increase the difficulty of the challenge on horseback, and those trained on the battlefield are not inferior to the iron cavalry of the Xiluo Kingdom!

The battle was intense, and as the commander in chief, Shui Rong had no chance of getting out, and often discussed with the generals until midnight before returning to his dormitory to take a rest.The first thing to do when returning to the dormitory is to write down the day's affairs on a piece of paper, and order Kuaima to deliver the news back to Youyun Prefecture.

She didn't see Shui Rong for a month, and opened the 27 letters on the table, some of which were only ten short words, but the familiar handwriting made her anxious heart completely quiet.

Every word and every sentence of his became the only pastime every day, and he transcribed his letterhead into a thick blank book, engraving every word and sentence on the 27 letterheads in his heart!Anxiously, he crumpled the half-written Xuelang paper and threw it on the ground. He raised his head and asked the girl standing there, "Did the lord send someone back?" In fact, the hope in my heart has long been shaken, but I still want to ask .

Zijuan stepped forward and softly ordered the servant girl to clean up the paper balls on the ground, poured a cup of scented tea and put it in front of Daiyu, and said softly: "It may be that the war has been intense these few days, so the prince has no time to write letters."

Daiyu sighed softly, grabbed the book on the desk and turned a page, then threw it on the desk in agitation, stood up while supporting Zijuan's hand, and ordered: "Come out for a walk with me! "Hanying hurriedly brought a snow cap and cloak and put it on with Daiyu, and walked out with Zijuan holding her arm!

This courtyard was bought by Shui Rong when he visited Youyun Prefecture back then. Many people don't even know who the owner of this manor is. Only the housekeeper here knows the identities of Shui Rong and Daiyu.Now that Daiyu and her two children live here, the old butler has taken care of everything properly, so that Daiyu and his little master can live comfortably and happily!

The gray relief walls are not the same as the houses here, except that the corridors in the courtyard are exquisitely carved, and the corridors are as elegant and meticulous as the houses in Beijing.

The hem of the snow-white cloak is embroidered with bright plum blossoms, and the pattern of broken branches winds up. Daiyu walks through the second door to the front yard with her veil covered.The old housekeeper who was sorting out the accounts in the front yard heard Daiyu coming, and hurriedly ordered the servant beside him to leave quickly, and bowed to salute when he went out, "This old servant has seen Madam."

Daiyu asked him to get up, looked at the closed door fixedly, turned around and asked softly: "Is there any news today?" The old housekeeper hurriedly said: "Madam, don't worry about the Lord, maybe there are too many things at hand to notify Madam. For the time being, please relax and wait here with the young master and young miss. If there is any news, this old slave will definitely report to Madam." She replied respectfully, her weather-beaten face was stained with hoarfrost, Daiyu pondered for a moment, Sighing softly, he said, "The old man is in trouble."

The steps back to the inner courtyard were vain and uncertain, Daiyu's heart was full of confusion.There has been no news of him for three days, is he doing well?The day before yesterday, a letter was sent saying that the two armies were in the midst of a battle, and the blood stains on the letter shocked her, making her restless with worry.If I had known this earlier, no matter what, I would have stalked him and let him take her with me!

Daiyu stood quietly inside the second gate, obviously only thirty miles away, but she couldn't see her, and she didn't know what happened to him.When he turned around, he caught a glimpse of a man who looked like a soldier walking in from the corner of his eye, and hurriedly took Zijuan and Hanying's hands and stood close to the screen wall.

"The lord has sneaked into the Birch Forest for three days and still hasn't returned. Steward Wang can no longer hide this from the concubine." Although the voice was deep and soft, it came to Daiyu's ears very clearly in the quiet courtyard. Daiyu felt a loud noise in her head, and her cheeks were as white as paper!

"No, you absolutely must not tell the princess! Before leaving, the prince ordered that no one should tell the princess any news from the front without his order." The sky said, "The lord will definitely come back, you go back!" The sound of the iron armor colliding gradually faded away, and the tears in the corners of Daiyu's eyes could no longer hold back, and her arms trembled slightly from Zicuckoo and Hanying's eyes. Mouth slips down!

Zijuan and Hanying hurriedly supported Daiyu, and called out in multiple voices: "Princess!" The old housekeeper was frightened when he heard the call, and when he ran over, he saw Daiyu staring at him with sharp eyes, and knelt down with a plop He fell to the ground, lowered his head and silently looked at the white snow on the ground!

He looked at the old housekeeper with cold eyes, looked sideways at Hanying's slightly pale face, and asked in a trembling voice: "Did you all know about it a long time ago? Are you keeping it from me?" After speaking, he pushed their hands away Helped, and walked towards the inner courtyard with strides!

He said he would come back, he was always confident, how could he break his word?She doesn't believe it!He wiped the tears off his face viciously, turned to look at the old housekeeper, and ordered: "Go to the car immediately, I am going to the prince's tent now." Zijuan and Hanying knelt down beside Daiyu, pulling She held her arm and begged: "Princess, you can't go. The battle ahead is very dangerous now. The prince has ordered that no matter what happens, you must not go to the camp."

"Listen to the lord's orders, what's the matter? Can you just listen to my wangfei's orders as if you just listened to them?" Stepping down the steps, he said coldly: "If you don't go to set up the car, this wangfei will go in person!" Zi Juan quickly stepped in front of Daiyu, looked at Daiyu firmly, and said lightly: "The prince once promised the princess that he will come back, and he will definitely come back!"

The worries and worries in Daiyu's heart were suddenly pricked by Zijuan's words, she stopped walking, looked down at Zijuan, and then said softly after a long time: "Zijuan, he promised me , but now there is no news from him, I don't worry!" After speaking, he bypassed Zicuckoo and continued to move forward!

"Princess, please go back to the inner courtyard to tidy up for the time being. The old slave will go and order someone to set up a car and wait at the second gate." Seeing the persistence and firmness on Daiyu's face, the old housekeeper gritted his teeth and stood up from the ground. Then he turned around and went out of the courtyard gate, and raised his voice to order people to set up the car!

The groom who was driving was wearing a badge for going out of the city, and Daiyu and his party also left the city gate smoothly.The cold north wind brought snowflakes against the closed window, Daiyu was cold and tightly holding the beads hanging down from the carriage, her palms were sweating coldly!

The thirty-mile journey was long or short, and the carriage was traveling extremely fast, and there were soldiers guarding two miles away from the camp.The well-organized guards did not have the slightest disturbance due to the absence of the coach, so Daiyu was quite relieved.

Because she didn't know whether the trip was safe or not, Daiyu left the two children in the courtyard in Youyun Prefecture and entrusted them to Zijuan to take care of them.Everyone in Phantom was left by Daiyu in the courtyard to guard Haoze and Qingwan. Daiyu was only protected by Hanying.

There was almost no barrier along the way to the big water-soluble tent. Looking at the simple furnishings and the robes that had not been touched for a few days, Daiyu stepped forward to stroke them gently, and swallowed the tears in her eyes fiercely.After sitting down behind the rough screen in the tent, the tentative General Wei Wei is already waiting outside the tent!

"When did the prince go to the Birch Forest?" Daiyu asked softly, keeping her voice steady.

"Three days ago, the Xiluo Kingdom was defeated in the land plain war, and all the troops retreated behind the Birch Forest. The prince only ordered the last general to rectify the army, and then broke into the Birch Forest with thirty personal guards. There is news." Replied respectfully, his upright eyes fixedly looked at the ground in front of him, not daring to raise his head to profane in the slightest!

Three days ago?Daiyu's palms trembled slightly, and she asked, "Where is the Birch Forest?"

Standing in front of the treacherous birch forest, Daiyu's palms were full of sweat.Gray-white branches and black leaves, like white bones covered with jet-black hair, Daiyu felt shuddering and creepy when the wind and snow came blowing in her face!

She had heard rumors about the Birch Forest in the early years, saying that the Birch Forest was a dead forest, and there was no other way for people to go in except death.Because the seemingly peaceful forest is full of poisonous vines and full of miasma, it has always been a natural barrier between the Tianbi Dynasty and the Xiluo Kingdom!

The tree species of the Birch Forest were originally produced on the snow-capped mountains of the Xiluo Kingdom. After hundreds of years of cultivation and planting by the wizards of the Xiluo Kingdom, the roads in the forest are treacherous and unpredictable. According to rumors, only one road is safe, but this Only the kings and princes of Xiluo Kingdom will know the way.

The snow-like figure was wrapped in the wind and snow, and Hanying stood beside Daiyu as if he was not affected at all.General Weiwei stepped forward and knelt down on one knee and said: "It's too snowy here, please return to the big tent first. The prince once said that he will definitely return within five days!"

Daiyu stood quietly without moving. He said five days?Then she stood here waiting for him to come back on the fifth day.The wind and snow were so entangled that they couldn't tell each other apart, and Daiyu's eyebrows and exposed hair were covered in white snowflakes.They have already endured such a heavy snowstorm for three days and three nights in the birch forest, how could the warm clothes on their bodies be able to withstand it?

The paper umbrella in Hanying's hand was already covered with snowflakes, and said softly: "The wind and snow here are too heavy, and the princess's body may not be able to bear it. Why don't you go back to the big tent to rest first, maybe the prince will already be back when the princess wakes up It's gone." The shock in her heart was great, she never thought that the weak princess she was serving would be so strong, just for her husband!

When Shui Rong sent her to Daiyu's side, it was only because he couldn't be by Daiyu's side all the time, and Daiyu's side was full of dangers, so he was worried!Back then when he devoted himself to protecting Daiyu, his love was as deep as the sea, but seeing Daiyu like this today, the cold and red corners of his eyes couldn't help gushing out enthusiasm.

Daiyu looked sideways at General Weiwei who was still standing five steps behind him, Mo sighed, turned around and said, "In that case, let's go back first." She can wait for the water to dissolve, but she must not let the court Her general accompanied her here to suffer from cold and hunger, because at this time, Shui Rong was not there, and she had to rely on him for all major affairs in the army.

The sound of trembling horseshoes came, and Daiyu was all excited, and the guards behind her had drawn their swords to protect her.Daiyu stood quietly, but her heart was beating wildly, could it be him?The sound of getting closer and closer came from the birch forest, and the figure in the wind and snow was getting closer and closer, and that familiar figure made Daiyu choke up.No matter what, he stepped on the white snow under his feet and galloped to meet him!