Ning Que woke up from the pain, his eyes filled with fear. He tore open his clothes and groped nervously on his chest with both hands. He only felt the greasy sweat on one hand, but did not feel the broken heart hanging outside the broken sternum. He couldn't help but feel scared.
He patted his chest, and it took a long time for his rapid breathing to become calm again.
He looked at the sleeping Sangsang at his feet, and at the cute bead of sweat on the tip of the little girl's black nose, and suddenly felt that living was a very happy thing.
Regarding the weird dream that brought him great fear, he was not going to tell Sangsang, nor was he going to tell anyone, because even if he just thought of a certain scene in the dream, he would feel uncomfortable, so he decided to forget it.
The next day, the simple carriage set off with a creaking and scraping sound, followed by an increasingly larger cavalry escort as it continued southward. At about ten o'clock in the morning, the team stopped in a small town outside Chang'an City.
——The palace envoys from the capital, representatives of the court officials and the complicated and exquisite guard of honor for the princess have been waiting in this small town for the return of Her Royal Highness the Princess.
Ning Que jumped off the carriage and stood on the edge of the lively queue. Looking out to the edge of the town, he could vaguely see the shadow of a dark city outline, but the distance was really far away. Even if he pulled the corners of his eyes hard, he couldn't let it go.
The gray shadow became clearer, and I could only guess silently in my heart - that should be Chang'an, right?
The vast and complicated ceremony slowly started moving forward again, and this time no one called out to the master and servant to go together.
Ning Que and Sang Sang stood by the roadside, looking at the luxurious carriage slowly passing in front of them, looking at the closed windows, thinking about the princess inside and the tiger-headed little barbarian prince, and thinking of that
In front of the fire, I couldn't help but touch my face, and then smiled.
When the fourth carriage passed by them, a corner of the curtain was lifted. Lu Qingchen, the old man, gently stroked his gray beard under his chin and smiled at Ning Que, who was standing by the road. Ning Que returned the gesture with a deep bow to the ground.
When the guards and those prairie barbarians passed by Ning Que, they did not dismount. They waved goodbye on horseback with an apologetic smile on their faces. The imperial guard of honor was strict. Peng Guotao, the leader of the guards, thought that he had a good future after returning to Chang'an, but
At this time, he did not dare to make any mistakes in front of the officials of the DPRK. As for the grassland barbarians, after bidding farewell to Ning Que with fists clasped, the expressions on their faces became obviously more relaxed and happy, and they no longer looked like the woodcutter at Subi Lake.
Shadows existed all around, and the prosperous day in Chang'an they imagined suddenly became vivid and joyful.
The Gushan County cavalry in charge of the rear looked at the surroundings with vigilance and walked with one hand holding the rein. Their leader, Captain Hua Shanyue, glanced at Ning Que and then speeded up. It seemed that this person did not exist at all. Maybe he really
I have forgotten the existence of this little person.
Ning Que shouldn't care about the other party's attitude - when he entered Chang'an City, the other party was the son of a powerful man and the most outstanding figure in the younger generation of the Tang Dynasty military. But now that he has lost his military status, he is just a commoner at the lowest level. If he is lucky enough to enter the academy
, is just an inconspicuous brick in the imperial bureaucracy. No matter how you look at it, he will no longer be related to the Captain Hua Shanyue who once showed hostility and even murderous intentions.
But would he be willing to let his life pass like this? He would not be willing, so he knew very well that there would be a day when he and this proud young general would meet again, and that day should not be too far away.
After the princess chariot and the escorting cavalry left, the number of people in the town suddenly decreased by more than half, but it became much more lively than before. The small merchants and hawkers who had not dared to come out to set up stalls emerged from the streets and alleys out of nowhere.
, those shops that had closed their doors to avoid trouble also reopened their doors and began to seize the time to run their business.
Ning Que sold the tattered carriage to a shop in the town that even had to collect tatters at a tattered price. Ning Que patted Sangsang's thin shoulder to express his comfort. The old carriage and horse had followed them in Weicheng for many years, so they sold it like this.
Everyone must be a little reluctant to leave, but the city of Chang'an is right in front of us, and recalling it sentimentally is not a very appropriate emotion.
There was no choice of a spacious official road that could accommodate eight carriages running side by side. The two of them strolled along the field ridges next to the official road. The cauliflower in the fields next to them was in full bloom, and butterflies flapped their wings slowly in the spring breeze.
Annoying bees kept buzzing around, and the tears in the corners of the little maid's eyes gradually dried up. She held the tie of the package tightly with both hands, dragging the package that seemed larger than her body, and walked along the field ridge to look at it.
Smiling occasionally.
Under the sun, Ning Que took the heavy package and chatted and joked with the maid. Although he often didn't get a response, he still enjoyed it. His eyes greedily passed over the farmland and countryside around him, looking at the nearby fields.
The farmer resting in the field waved to say hello, and when he saw the butterfly flying in front of him, he made a gesture to pounce.
He left Chang'an when he was very young, and since then he has spent time in the vast Min Mountains, grassland wastelands, and small border towns. There are only sinister dense forests, boring grasslands, and dangers everywhere around him. Now he has returned to the belly of the empire.
Seeing these peaceful and peaceful scenery life, I can't hide my joy and excitement.
After about two or three hours of looking all the way, the shadow suddenly spread from the peach forest in front of them to the top of their heads. Ning Que thought that it was not yet nightfall, and there was no sign of rain when he looked at the sky before...
…
He looked up in confusion, and saw a black city wall suddenly appearing in front of him. This city wall was so high that it seemed to have no end, covering half of the sky and the blazing sun that had not yet set. Looking closely, he could vaguely see
I saw three black spots circling and flying in the air high above the city wall.
When you look to the left, you don't see the end of the city wall, and when you look to the right, you don't see the end of the city wall. This huge city outline can't be seen for how many miles in its circumference. It stands in silence between heaven and earth.
Sangsang stared at the majestic city in front of him with wide eyes, looked at the crowds of people on the official road not far away, and asked: "Is this Chang'an City?"
The three black spots in the sky flew lower. It turned out that they were two eagles practicing flying with their children. At this time, they were about to return to their eagle nests, and their nests were between the mottled city walls.
The city wall has been washed and weathered by thousands of years of rain, and the surface looks a bit tattered, but the inside of the city wall is still indestructible.
The young eagle learned to fly and returned to its nest - Ning Que looked up at this most majestic city in the world, with a sincere smile on his face. He had traveled abroad for many years and finally returned today.