The fifteenth day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Dalong Taiping is the Lantern Festival.
Liu Mingzhi and Chen Jie, who had been riding horses and whips along the way, finally rushed back to Dalong Capital from Laizhou on this day.
When the two arrived at the east gate of the capital, night had already fallen, and the joyful Lantern Festival lantern festivals had already begun outside the city gates in the southeast, northwest and northwest.
The capital city was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the crowds were buzzing with people. People who went out to enjoy the lantern festival could not see the end of the lantern festival.
If it had been left in the past, Liu Mingzhi would definitely have taken Chen Jie for a nice stroll at the lantern festival to relax with his beautiful lady.
However, the two of them had just rushed back to the capital from Laizhou. The journey was dusty and they had not eaten three meals a day. After a few days, they were already exhausted. No matter how lively the Lantern Festival inside and outside the capital was, Liu Mingzhi could not feel any excitement.
Liu Mingzhi, a martial arts practitioner, was already so tired, let alone Chen Jie, a pretty woman with no strength to tie a chicken.
However, out of respect for Chen Jie, Liu Mingzhi still deliberately asked Chen Jie if he wanted to accompany her around the lantern festival and choose a lantern that he wanted to take back.
The horse galloped and bumped along the way, and Chen Jie was already exhausted. When she heard Liu Mingzhi's caring inquiry, Chen Jie lost interest and yawned repeatedly and refused.
Now she just wants to go home and throw herself on the bed and have a good sleep, and nothing else interests her at all.
When Liu Mingzhi saw that Chen Jie had the same idea as his, he felt relieved and rode on his horse through the tide of people towards the city.
Because of the Lantern Festival, the streets and alleys were crowded with people. After the two returned to the prince's old residence, the moonlight was already high in the sky.
Liu Mingzhi originally thought of rushing home to report that she was safe after sending Chen Jie home, but thinking about the situation in the city, it was more convenient to rest here tonight.
Chen Jie's boudoir could still faintly hear the shouts of people outside the mansion, but to the two people who were invaded by thoughts, these were nothing at all.
After taking a bath to cleanse their bodies from the hustle and bustle, the two hugged each other and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, it was bright and clear.
After stretching, Mr. Liu looked at Chen Jie, who was still sleeping soundly beside him, and walked out of the bed lightly and started to put on his clothes.
The two of them have been busy traveling these past few days. It is no longer easy for a weak woman like Chen Jie to bear it. Now that she has finally returned home, looking at her face that is still slightly tired after a night's rest, Liu Mingzhi feels pity for her.
, I really don’t want to disturb her clear dream.
After a few sticks of incense, Liu Mingzhi left a note on Chen Jie's dressing table after washing up, and then quietly left the prince's old residence and rushed home.
Qi Yun was sorting out the wardrobe in her room and was startled when she saw Young Master Liu walking into the boudoir without any warning.
"Husband...husband? Why are you back?"
"What? You don't want to see your husband?"
Qi Yun shook her head hurriedly, stuffed the sheets in her hands into the closet and walked towards Liu Mingzhi.
"Of course not. How could I not want to see you, my husband?"
It's just that before you left home, didn't you tell me that you were going to the East China Sea?
It's such a long journey from the capital to the East China Sea. I thought it would take you ten days and a half to get back, but I didn't expect you to come back so soon. I'm inevitably a little surprised."
Liu Mingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the chair beside him: "On the way home, my husband suddenly felt uneasy, always feeling that something bad would happen.
The husband was worried, so the two sweaty horses changed trains one after another along the way, and rushed back to the capital day and night.
How is it, nothing happened at home?"
Qi Yun looked at her husband with a hint of worry in his brows, her eyebrows narrowed slightly, and she quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.
"Nothing bad happened at home!
Not only did nothing bad happen at home, but there was also peace in the capital. The Lantern Festival last night was so festive!
A few days ago, when officials from the six ministries and nine ministers came to pay New Year's greetings, they never mentioned to me any major natural or man-made disasters in other state capitals.
Husband, are you too tired due to the long journey, and then you have an illusion?"
Liu Mingzhi took a sip of tea, closed his eyes and rested his mind for a while, then nodded silently: "Maybe my husband has an illusion.
I just kept feeling restless along the way, always feeling like something bad had happened.
Since there is no such thing, my husband can rest assured.
By the way, Yiyi, Feifei, Chengfeng, Chengzhi...are the seven brothers and sisters sending letters to the family to report that they are safe?"
"Passed, passed! Husband, please wait a moment, I will get the children's letters for you right away."
Qi Yun walked lightly toward the dressing table, opened the drawer, took out a stack of letters, and returned.
"Husband, on the third day, the fourth day, and the fifth day after you left home, the seven children sent home letters one after another to report that they were safe. Now all seven of them have arrived at the state capital where you originally told them to go.
within the territory.
Now the seven children have begun to conduct private visits incognito, secretly investigating the local people's livelihood and administration, and have not encountered any life-threatening trouble."
Liu Mingzhi took the seven letters handed over by Qi Yun and opened them one by one. After a long time, Liu Mingzhi gently put the seven letters in his hand on the table, looked at the warm sun outside the door and sighed.
There was a sound.
“Everything is safe at home, my children who are traveling far away are safe and sound, and the world is clear and peaceful, and everything is peaceful.
Since nothing bad happened, why did my husband suddenly have heart palpitations and feel uneasy all the way?
Could it be that something happened to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the Western Expedition Army?"
Qi Yun sighed silently after hearing this, walked behind Liu Mingzhi and gently rubbed her husband's shoulders: "Husband, please stop thinking so wildly.
The imperial court has more than 400,000 elite troops in the mainland, and is assisted by hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and horses from the Anxi Protectorate and the allied forces of the Western Regions. With such strong soldiers and horses, how can anything happen to these elites who have fought in hundreds of battles?
Can you please stop being so paranoid and expecting something bad to happen?"
Listening to Qi Yun's comforting words, Liu Mingzhi drank all the tea in the cup, stood up and placed the tea cup heavily on the table.
"Oh! I wish I could!
Yun'er, please continue to pack the wardrobe and go out for a walk for your husband."
"Husband, you have just come back from a long journey. It's not too late to take a rest and refresh yourself before going out for a walk."
“No! No!
My husband is still a little worried, so I will first go to the palaces of various princes and ministers, and then have a good rest when I come back.
Only when you make sure that everything is safe and sound can your husband rest peacefully, otherwise he may not be able to sleep soundly."
Qi Yun stared blankly at Young Master Liu's retreating figure, raised her hand and rubbed her brow, not knowing what to say.
As soon as her husband came back, he seemed to be talking like a different person. If it weren't for the fact that they were so familiar with each other after sharing the same bed for many years, she really doubted that her husband had been switched.
It wasn't until Liu Mingzhi's figure disappeared in the corridor that Qi Yun walked toward the wardrobe behind the screen in confusion.
Young Master Liu's first stop was the residence of the Chief Minister of the Cabinet, Xia Gongming. About half an hour later, Young Master Liu left the residence of the Chief Minister of the Cabinet, Xia Gongming, with a look of astonishment on his face, and went to the residence of the Right Prime Minister, Tong Sansi.
superior.
Around the time of the sun's zenith, Young Master Liu came to Song Qing's house again and received warm hospitality from Song Qing.
Within half an hour, Liu Mingzhi left Song Qing's house in a drunken state as Song Qing looked on in confusion.
Young Master Liu was walking on the street home with a dazed look on his face, like a walking zombie that had lost its soul.
I visited the residences of various ministries and officials in the capital throughout the morning, and I didn't find anything bad happening.
Since nothing happened, why did the uneasiness in my heart become stronger and stronger after returning to Beijing?
I always feel like I'm losing something.
"Liu...Mr. Liu, I've finally waited for you."
Young Master Liu came back to his senses and looked at the charming and charming beauty in front of him in surprise.