On the road, there were other carriages in front and behind. Liu Ruyan kept her speed neither too fast nor too slow, and finally arrived at the foot of the city gate in the evening. Looking at the closed city gate from a distance, she vaguely felt something strange, like the carriage in front of her.
After being stopped by the guard, the convoy began to commotion.
"The city gates are under martial law and no one is allowed to enter the city!"
Jiang Wenzhuo poked his head out of the car and said loudly: "I am Jing Zhaoyin of Kaifeng Prefecture. The people accompanying me are all famous people in the capital. I hope the city gate will be opened as soon as possible."
His eyebrows were solemn, but the soldier standing in front of him sneered: "Hey, it's still Jing Zhaoyin."
"Bold!" the coachman reprimanded him coldly, and then showed his token: "If you see this order, don't hurry up and open the city gate!"
The guard raised his head and told the soldiers next to him: "He said he was Jing Zhaoyin from the previous dynasty."
"Previous dynasty?" Jiang Wenzhuo raised his eyebrows and said again, "I am a third-rank official of the imperial court. How can I behave appropriately when I stop a carriage?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial guards holding weapons burst into laughter.
"You still think your master is the Emperor of Zhou."
"The Great Zhou Dynasty died, and now we are the Zhao and Song Dynasties!"
…
"Dazhou is dead?" When Jiang Wenzhuo first heard the bad news, he felt that the sky was dim and the earth was dark in front of him. He clenched the armrests and his chest heaved up and down.
Jiang Wenzhuo calmed down and asked with difficulty: "Who is sitting in the high position now?"
The soldiers responded loudly: "Return to the German army as military envoy, General Zhao."
Jiang Wenzhuo remembered what Xiao Daotong once said. It turns out that the military situation is fake, but the rebellion is real. He felt a breath of turbidity in his chest. He shouted angrily with red eyes: "Rebel, you are ungrateful, but you are worthy of Zhou Taizu and Prime Minister Fan."
!”
He shouted loudly. Seeing that the situation was not good, the Imperial Guards rushed forward and surrounded the carriage. The leading soldier pointed his sword at Jiang Wenzhuo: "Dare to insult the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, you are regarded as rebelling against the party!"
Jiang Wenzhuo met the soldiers' gaze and looked at them coldly: "The Zhou Dynasty treats you very well. You actually support the rebellious ministers and traitors as emperors. What do you think of loyalty?"
Being scolded, the soldier tightened his grip and suddenly slashed with his sword.
The moment the blade fell, a cry came from behind: "Save someone under the knife!"
Not far away, a soldier mounted his horse and whipped his whip, and his shout lingered over the city gate: "The Holy One has decreed that the emperor of the previous dynasty must not be surprised, the ministers of the previous dynasty must not be invaded, and the treasury of the previous dynasty must not be invaded.
Those who obey orders will be rewarded, and those who disobey orders will be punished!"
The soldier rushed to the carriage, reined his horse, and saluted Jiang Wenzhuo: "Wang Yan of the Military Academy, pay your respects to Mr. Jiang."
After meeting Jiang Wenzhuo, he then rode his horse to examine the carriages coming from behind. They were indeed distinguished people in the capital. He immediately ordered: "Open the city gate——"
The three-foot city gate suddenly opened.
Old alley, Changlou, Bianhe River, familiar scenes were laid out in front of him. Jiang Wenzhuo felt something in his throat, sighed, and sat down in the car.
Behind him, a long motorcade meandered forward, leaving fleeting wheel marks on the blue brick and stone alleys of the century-old street.
Dong Qingxian sat in the back and remained silent. He played the 筚篥 in his hand, and the sound was faint.
——Whoever presses the beat of the desolate French music can’t bear to shed tears and talk about its rise and fall.
Since the decline of Li Tang Dynasty, it has experienced five dynasty changes in just fifty years, which can not help but make people sigh.
Looking at both sides of the street, there are many real estate markets. People in the capital are coming in and out, trying to survive in the troubled times. It seems that they have long looked down upon the change of ownership in the world.
Bai Zhi was silent for a long time, and couldn't help but say: "The world is divided and reunited, and wars continue in Kyushu. How many common people like Xu in the world have to endure the pain of separation from their husbands and the death of their children."
"It will get better eventually." Liu Ruyan said, remembering that as a citizen of Hedong, she held the position of a general and was supposed to protect a country's territory, but now she realized that only the unification of the world can bring an end to the problem.
Today's wars.
"I would like to be a frivolous son of Chang'an and be born in the time of Kaiyuan Tianbao." Bai Zhi chuckled lightly and shook her head, hating that she was born in troubled times and spent her time wrongly.
The carriage drove slowly into the market.
Outside the car, the Bian River was flowing eastward, and the lanterns were starting to turn on. Liu Ruyan raised her eyes and looked up at the vast sky.
Troubled times are like a twilight night, seemingly endless, but one day it will eventually pass.
"History has gone through many changes, and peace is just around the corner." She said softly, "When all the dust settles, the turmoil subsides, and the people recuperate, why should we envy the ancients of the previous dynasty."
Bai Zhi smiled lightly and nodded: "Taiping is indeed just around the corner."
Although I don’t know how many years it will take, under the disputes, the dust will eventually settle.
There was a constant flow of cars and horses. When a caravan reached the end of the street, everyone parted ways and went their separate ways.
Jiang Wenzhuo and Chu Kun headed towards the mansion. As veterans of the Zhou Dynasty, if they were loyal to the new emperor, they might still be able to retain their official positions, but all their plans and selfish desires would end up in vain...
Liu Ruyan had little money left, so she relied on Angelica dahurica to sell medicine. After converting the money, they bought some food, pots and pans along the street, wrapped them in oilcloth, and placed them on the back wall of the carriage.
Prepare for the next trip.
She secretly contacted Ye Xun. Since the whereabouts of the Prisoner Niu Jade Seal were still unknown and the new plot had not been released, she simply found an inn to stay overnight as it was getting late.
Of course, taking into account issues such as room expenses, the four people shared two rooms.
Shen Yanchu was already used to this. He picked up the sign and went upstairs, but waited until Bai Zhi entered the room.
He stared at the visitor with an obviously unkind tone: "How could it be you?"
Bai Zhi also had a solemn face, came in reluctantly, found a bamboo couch and fell asleep: "She said she wanted to live in the same room with Brother Dong."
Shen Yanchu remembered that she was a girl, how could she sleep with a man? But as a man, who had the right to criticize others.
When he came to his senses again, he was already standing outside Liu Ruyan's door, raising his right hand and then lowering it. After some struggle, he chose to lie down by the door and listen to what was going on inside.
In the room, Liu Ruyan still looked like a Taoist boy. In order to talk with Dong Qingxian by candlelight tonight, she deliberately did not wash off the disguise on her face.
The clinker guy washed up and fell asleep directly.
Liu Ruyan: "..."
Maybe he was really sleepy, and she didn't want to ask any more questions, so she walked to the bed in the inner room, took off her shoes and socks and got under the quilt.
After an unknown amount of time, Dong Qingxian suddenly stood up. He glanced at the sleeping Taoist boy in the inner room, and his expression became complicated.
Dong Qingxian quietly got down and walked towards the door. He opened the door, stepped down the stairs, and finally disappeared near the inn.
Not long after he left, Liu Ruyan stood up and followed Dong Qingxian's direction out of the inn. Just as she was about to step out of the door, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist and followed her footsteps.
She turned around and saw Shen Yanchu standing in the dark. He held her wrist and quickly released it. Her lips pursed unconsciously and she glanced to the side: "The piano master ran south, you come with me."