In his sight, a gentle-looking girl raised a stone and hit him hard on the top of his head.
Jiang Fengjun wanted to speak out, but something seemed to be blocking his throat.
It's her, Wan Jinqiu.
The stone fell to the ground, covered in blood.
Wan Jinqiu took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, took off the cap, and put it under his nose.
After a while, countless insects rushed into the bottle.
Wan Jinqiu stood up, the winter moon was like mist, and her face was as white as paper.
Until she put away the porcelain bottle, her hands were trembling as if she had regained consciousness for the first time.
She held onto the wall, bit her lip, and wiped the blood on her hands with a handkerchief.
In the night, she raised her head slightly, her eyes seemed to be obscured by haze.
Aye, grandma, I miss home...
The third day of the Lunar New Year.
Liu Ruyan finally got her wish and returned to Liujiazhuang with a clean body. Before leaving, the people in the city saw her off far and wide along the way.
Snowflakes were mottled. Outside the pavilion, she was wearing a raincoat. She bowed deeply to everyone, then got on her horse and galloped away.
Behind her was a carriage. Qiu Shi lowered the roller blinds and said with emotion: "I didn't expect this girl to have such an experience. It's really pitiful."
Gongshuyu remained silent.
On the eighth day of the lunar month, the snow stopped.
Liu Ruyan stood in front of the broken door plaque and walked into the courtyard with her head buried in the door.
Qiushi looked at it as she walked: "This damn place has been burned to such a state, how can it still be inhabited?"
Gong Shuyu couldn't help but wink at her, covered his mouth and coughed twice.
Liu Ruyan didn't even look back: "I'm going to clean up and clear out a few rooms."
In the next few days, Liu Ruyan took care of the inside and outside of the courtyard. She chopped the charred wood into firewood and kept the usable ones for Gong Shuyu.
Gongshuyu sat on the beam and kept moving his hands, carefully repairing the roof.
Qiu Shi held the basin and scrubbed away the dirt in the room.
Bai Zhi's craftsmanship is good and she has been busy in the kitchen.
Dong Qingxian also wanted to do some woodwork, but was immediately rejected by everyone, so he had no choice but to pick up the broom and sweep the falling snow in the yard.
On the 15th day of the Lantern Festival, Liujiazhuang welcomed several men dressed in wild clothes.
Dong Qingxian had just finished his work when he heard movement outside and saw a group of strangers climbing up the stairs from a distance.
Liu Ruyan stepped out of the threshold, saw those young people, looked at the corpses under the white linen on the bamboo raft, and couldn't help but feel sad in her heart.
These young men were all scouts, and they managed to survive while performing missions thousands of miles away. This time, they were ordered by the emperor to bring the Liu family's bones back to their hometown for a proper burial.
Liu Ruyan returned to the valley this time to make arrangements for her funeral. She chose an auspicious day to bury the body under a laurel tree in the courtyard.
Back then, this tree could still bury wine. After Liu's father left, she buried Aye's clothes under the tree.
Liu Ruyan used a shovel to dig up layers of frozen soil, and beside her, the scouts broke open pits.
She glanced over and saw a young man shoveling not deep enough, so she reminded: "Xiao Yang, dig the soil deeper."
The boy's back stiffened, and finally he whispered: "Master, I am Xiao Jiang."
Liu Ruyan turned her eyes and opened the corners of her lips: "I was the one who made the mistake."
Xiao Yang and Uncle Quan have already gone to Hanquan, and they are nowhere to be found in the world.
Liu Ruyan stayed in the valley until the spring came and the flowers bloomed, before returning to Beijing.
Before Kongjing's execution, she went to see it. The old monk did not reveal a single bit of the Xuankun Seal until his death. She thought it was okay, so she kept the secret buried.
After Kong Jing dies, the body will be dragged to a mass grave and buried randomly.
Someone saw that the monk's shoes were good, so he stole the monk's shoes and put them on himself. Who knew that the shoes were very strange, uneven when walking, and were thrown away casually.
This scene happened to be bumped into by Liu Ruyan. She bent down to pick up her shoes, and suddenly she was stunned and stood there in a daze.
Wrong, wrong, all wrong!
Kongjing raised the soles of his shoes and deliberately pretended to be lame, taking all the blame on himself.
It turns out that there is someone else behind the scenes.
"With the great road ahead, sacrifice is inevitable."
"It is enough for a poor monk to die for his country."
Liu Ruyan thought of what Kong Jing had said and was filled with emotion for a moment.
It was her mistake and she underestimated the man behind the scenes.
She leaned her back against the wall, held her breath, and slowly let it out.
Fortunately, she still has the Xuankun Seal in her hand, and she has the entrance to the Penglai Secret Realm. If her guess is correct, the financial owner is determined to win the secret realm and will definitely attack her.
She wanted to see who that person was.
As for the forces planted by the other party in Kyushu, no matter how wide the net is cast, they will eventually surface.
Liu Ruyan avoided the crowd and returned to her official residence outside the palace.
Now she and Qiu Shi are living in this small courtyard. Bai Zhi and Dong Qingxian went to "Yao Sheng Chen" as early as the beginning of the year. They are counting the days and it is time to come back.
Gongshuyu used to pester her, ordering "little soldiers" at his command, but for some reason recently, every time he bumped into her, he would walk around in a detour. These days, he stayed in the house all day long, doing some carpentry work.
Liu Ruyan was worried that foreigners would invade Hedong, so she stayed in Jinyang.
On this day, Qiu Shi got a set of red undershirt and urged her to change into it.
She was pushed to no avail, so she had to dress up, put on a red dress and go out with Qiu Shi.
Qiu Shi held her arm and said as she walked: "You are a pretty girl, and the red dress is the most eye-catching. Look at the girls opposite, I am very envious of you."
Liu Ruyan responded: "It's one thing to look good, but it doesn't suit my status."
Qiu Shi frowned: "Is there anything inappropriate? Is it appropriate for you to wear men's clothes?"
While the two were talking, the sound of drums suddenly came from outside the city wall, and the sound was rapid. When the people on the street heard the drums, they all looked outside the city in horror.
Liu Ruyan's heart sank and her brows furrowed: "It's a war preparation and martial law. There are enemy troops outside the city."
Soon afterwards, she received information from the scouts: the Song army was divided into four groups and attacked Hedong.
Liu Ruyan immediately put on her military uniform and entered the palace to receive her orders.
Before leaving, Qiu Shi sent her out and warned her: "I told you, girl, don't be brave. If anything happens, it's important to save your life, you know?"
Liu Ruyan smiled and mounted her horse: "I know."
After entering the palace, she realized that the enemy troops were coming fiercely and the situation was not optimistic.
This time the Emperor of the Song Dynasty went on a personal expedition and declared to the world: Hedong has long concealed the king's orders, practiced unethical practices, and abused all the people. It is a plan for the world and a plan for the common people of Li, and the Song Dynasty should punish it.
After receiving the letter, the Han Emperor quickly sent envoys to Liao to seek assistance from Khitan's strong army.
Scouts from the Liu family have been sent to the Hedong prefectures to survey the military situation.
Liu Ruyan and the hussar general Wu Guang guarded Jinyang together.
Wu Guang only recently learned that the thin boy in front of him was actually the first scout of the Han Dynasty.
Thinking of Mr. Zong before, his face turned red and white.
"Bah, you're just trying to get fame and reputation." Wu Guang snorted coldly.
Liu Ruyan sat in the tent and wrote a letter without raising her head:
——Dong Qingxian and Bai Zhi are still outside the city. The war is urgent this time. Remember to protect yourself and do not come to Jinyang.
——Gongshu Yu is good at carpentry. If he is willing to help, she will be grateful.
——As for Shen Yanchu.
Her brows were slightly warm, and she wrote: "I'm in Jinyang, everything is fine."