It's snowing heavily outside. From a distance, the sky above Heqing County is filled with a vast expanse of white. The corners of the rubble corridor are covered with a thick layer of white. Looking around, you can see the occasional snow drifting from the roofs of wealthy families. The fireworks that came out to keep warm made the whole quiet sky look a little more alive.
The whistling wind came in from the open door of the county government office, making people shiver. The woman who had previously played the drum to ascend the hall had been brought in. She was wearing a gray raincoat and a golden felt hat. , but there was already a thick layer of snow, a piece of white jade necklace was wrapped with a piece of satin to keep out the cold, a pair of cowhide high boots lined with cashmere stepped lightly on the ground, and a roll of black gold was held tightly in his delicate hands. With a soft whip, she was spitting hot air from her mouth, and she looked very eager. Because her felt hat was pressed very low, she couldn't see clearly what her facial features were, but judging from her clothes, Meng Xinghe, who walked out with Zhao Haoran, recognized her at a glance. who is it.
"You are the parent officer of Heqing County," the woman spoke fluent Chinese. This must be related to her ambition to attack the Central Plains when she was a child, so she worked hard to learn the culture and language of the Central Plains. However, when the woman spoke, her eyes clearly glanced to the side. There was nothing unusual about Meng Xinghe on the surface, but his heart was surging.
Why is he here? Could it be that this person sent someone to steal my Taxue? They say that officials in the Central Plains protect each other. It seems that this county magistrate is not a good person.
"Girl, I am the magistrate of Heqing County. I don't know why the girl beats the drum and ascends to the hall." Zhao Haoran sat in the position of the county magistrate, and his words were quite official.
The woman frowned when she heard the word "girl": "My horse was stolen in your Heqing County. I want you to help me find my horse." Simple and clear, she never likes to beat around the bush. This is The frankness of women beyond the Great Wall.
When Zhao Haoran heard that his horse had fallen off, he wondered if it was a female snitch who had committed the crime. Although he could not guess the identity of the woman in front of him, he saw that she was dressed in wild clothes and her gestures showed that she was quite noble. It was not like Zhao Haoran had never seen her before. Hu people, but not everyone can wear a gold sword on their waist, because in the country of the Hu people, only members of the royal family are qualified to wear gold ornaments.
Could it be that the woman in front of me is Princess Golden Sword of the Turkic Kingdom, who has been rumored in Chang'an recently to marry the No. 1 scholar back outside the Great Wall?
Glancing at the solemn-looking Meng Xinghe beside him, Zhao Haoran smiled knowingly. No wonder his third brother was speechless when he saw her. If so, then the woman in front of him is his future sister-in-law.
Ahem, Zhao Haoran coughed twice, cleared his throat and said: "Young lady, I don't know. Recently, there was a female snitch making trouble in the city. I have been arresting her for a month and still haven't caught her. Presumably, the girl's horse also suffered. In the hands of the female snitch,"
"Who knew you weren't officials protecting each other?" Princess Golden Knife smacked her lips and said this unceremoniously. She was not a person who kept things to herself. She was very sincere and would say whatever she wanted in her heart. .
"Ignore her, I have a grudge against this woman," Meng Xinghe glanced at her. Zhao Haoran immediately understood and said, "If you don't believe me, you can go to the city and ask someone."
"No need, anyway, tomorrow morning, I will see my Taxue appear in front of me, otherwise I will set fire to your county government office," he raised his head, but his face was still unseen, but his tone and movements were all playful. She looks like a savage woman.
Zhao Haoran and Meng Xinghe looked at each other at the same time, and a helpless feeling of powerlessness came to their hearts.
"Third brother, please keep her. It's snowing heavily outside. It's much better for her to live with a girl in the county government than outside. After all, she has to face it even if she goes to Chang'an. If you cultivate your relationship more now, maybe you won't have to go to that place outside the Great Wall. It's a good place," Zhao Haoran looked over with a rich look. He had heard about the recent events in Chang'an.
Meng Xinghe didn't speak for a long time. It didn't matter whether his eldest brother stayed or not. It seemed to have nothing to do with him. It was just that he was forced to have a layer of words that changed his taste. It was a bit out of thin air.
Seeing Meng Xinghe's hesitant look, he decided to stay. Zhao Haoran made the decision: "Girl, wait a minute, it's snowing heavily outside. I'm afraid the inns are already full. It's getting late, so why not stay at the county government office?" How about I wait until I find the girl’s lost horse before I hit the road?”
Princess Jindao, who had already walked to the door, suddenly stopped. She didn't have much money on her, and she probably couldn't even afford a meal. Originally, she had enough money for her plan to go from Jiangdu to Chang'an, but this time The heavy snow delayed her trip for a few days, and now her beloved horse was stolen, so she didn't have the strength to travel. Now that she had a place to rest, she turned around and said unceremoniously: "Then prepare a room for me. Go up to the house and just bring me food. Don’t let anyone bother me. When I get to Chang’an, I will definitely have someone come to express my gratitude.”
Not being polite to Zhao Haoran, Princess Golden Knife was generous enough to stay the night.
According to her instructions, the resting place was arranged in the quieter wing in the west. Even for dinner in the evening, she did not go out to enjoy it with Meng Xinghe and others. Instead, she ordered someone to bring it to her room.
It snowed heavily that night, and some people lamented that the auspicious snow will bring a good harvest next year. Chang'an City has not snowed so heavily for many years. After this snowfall, the whole world turned into a white snow. Not a trace of color is visible.
Under the pavilion in the east wing of the county government office, put the charcoal on the small red clay stove, and gently use a charcoal tool to control the temperature of the fire well. A pot of warm wine is warmed on top, and a table in the pavilion is filled with warm side dishes. At the table, three grown men were sitting in their own corners without anyone disturbing them. Next to the stove, two boys about sixteen years old were squatting by the stove. Occasionally, when the three men were not paying attention, they would secretly take a sip of wine. They looked quite good. for enjoyment.
Looking at the snowy scene outside that was more beautiful than kapok in spring, Meng Xinghe sighed softly and tightened his grip on the wine glass, fearing that he would accidentally lose such a great time.
"Eldest brother, second brother, I don't know when we three brothers will be able to get together again." Meng Xinghe raised his head and drank the wine at a suitable temperature in one gulp. The strong aroma of the wine rushed straight to his head, like Drinking the nectar and jade dew will leave you with endless aftertaste. This ancient product is simply good and there will never be any adulteration.
"Haha," the other two laughed in understanding to break the unhappiness at the moment. They all knew in their hearts that if Meng Xinghe went to Chang'an and really wanted to marry the Golden Sword Princess according to the order, then he might go beyond the Great Wall, and the frontier is a long way away. , maybe I don’t even know how many years it has been since I met him once.
"Third brother, you don't have to be sad. Maybe Princess Jindao is willing to stay in the Central Plains for you," Zhao Haoran thought on the bright side. With Third Brother's charm, he might be able to get it right.
"She keeps asking me to be her male slave. Can she stay in the Central Plains for me?" Meng Xinghe said silently with his eyes. In fact, he hadn't thought about that much. There were already so many goblins in the family, and he didn't have time. When he provoked a barbarian woman again, he just vaguely felt that there was another mystery behind the matter.
"That's it, that's it. This time, we will recruit all the elite soldiers left by the Taiping Sect and Mr. Yang. I will resign and go into seclusion and find a place where no one is around to get married and have children and live the life of a common man." He shook his head and said that he was drunk. It's so powerful that I can't bear it without drinking many cups.
The snow outside is getting heavier and heavier, with no sign of stopping at all. The wintersweet blooming in the yard stands proudly on the branches. On the snow-white and crystal-clear branches, a small visible yellow flower is tightly exposed, which is really endearing. Smell it There was a delicate fragrance in the air, and at some point, tiny footsteps sounded in the corridor at one end of the pavilion. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. After a while, I saw a petite and lovely woman walking gently, and I saw her hand in her hand. Holding a thick mink fur coat, the two maids beside her also held the same coat. When she saw the three people drinking at the table, she said in a gentle tone: "It's such a cold day, but you let the two uncles It's freezing outside, it's not a good thing," Jiao scolded, and the woman had already put the coat in her hand on Zhao Haoran, "The weather is cold, uncles should pay attention to keeping warm while drinking,"
"Thank you sister-in-law," Mr. Chai and Meng Xinghe said at the same time. The woman in front of them was still the dark-faced woman who appeared in front of the door before. She looked like a fairy descending from the mortal world. The marriage that the eldest brother found was actually a happy one.
"You go back first, we will go back after a while." Zhao Haoran actually likes this girl Xiaoqian very much, but he just feels sorry for her. Thinking of the case of Mr. Song's family of more than 80 people, He was not in the mood to drink at all.
"Hey, the weather is getting dark, let's go back," Zhao Haoran said, having almost finished drinking, thinking about the female snitch, he was about to go back and rest.
"After being tired for a few days, it's time to take a good rest," Meng Xinghe agreed, saying that drinking this wine would be pointless.
"Let's go," he said to Luo Feng and Xue Rengui. Meng Xinghe stood up and looked at the falling snowflakes outside: "This snow is so beautiful," he stretched his waist, feeling drunk all over his body. Most of it was blown away by the cold wind.
"Brother, Princess Golden Knife lives in the room in the west wing. With such a beautiful view, I don't want to waste my good time so I can talk to her all night long." I swayed with my steps, and the wind and snow blew on the corridor. They will all leave a shallow footprint.
As if he couldn't believe that Meng Xinghe went there so blatantly, Zhao Haoran swallowed and said: "West wing, the third room, the one with the light on, do you need me to send you some wine?" Zhao Haoran It's written all over your face. Send me some wine, so that, third brother, you can have a long chat without feeling lonely.
"No, just send the four treasures of the study there," he responded, and Meng Xinghe's figure disappeared into the corridor.
"Four Treasures of the Study", could it be a good poem that the third brother wanted to recite? Mr. Chai licked his tongue, thinking that the third brother had changed his temper after having many sisters-in-law, but who knew that the third brother had become even more irredeemable and became arty.