On March 15th, fifty days before the first Dragon Boat Festival, the Nanli delegation to Yan finally set off. There were more than forty officials and envoys, big and small, and 300 imperial guards escorted along the way. Although it was not as good as the departure of the army,
But walking on the official road can be regarded as majestic. Naturally, these talented people like Song Yang were the top priority of this mission. However, until they set off, there were still only nine, and the tenth wise man had not yet appeared. 2
Silly, he wondered to himself, could he consider Liu Wu to be a strange scholar? However, he did not tell anyone else about this silly idea, he just kept it happy for himself.
The leader of the envoy was a high-ranking official in the court, and he seemed to have some connection with Song Yang - Prime Minister Zuo Ban, Mr. Hu.
When he was bored on the road, Mr. Hu would often ride his horse to the side of the nine strange men. He was not afraid of Heikou Yao's cruelty, and seemed to have forgotten the quarrel between him and Song Yang due to the Hong brothers. He talked and laughed happily.
Looks like an elder.
This time, Song Yang could no longer drive his broken carriage and followed the queue on a tall horse. He was playing with a knife that was less than two feet tall and not much bigger than a dagger. He always had a smile on his face and seemed to be in high spirits.
Mr. Hu spoke from the side: "The knife in Mr. Song's hand looks very unique."
Song Yang asked back: "Master Hu also likes knives?"
"There is no man who doesn't like knives. Even though I am a civil servant, I also danced with guns and clubs when I was a child. I also worked as a ranger... Well, if you don't change things at a young age, you will inevitably become a bastard." The so-called rangers are nothing more than a group of dandy boys who are rampant in their youthful spirit.
In the street, it's really not a good name. When Mr. Hu talked about the past, he didn't feel guilty or proud. He just looked like he was chatting happily. As he said that, he pointed at the knife in Song Yang's hand: "If it's convenient, I can give you some insights."
?”
Song Yang handed the short knife to Mr. Hu's hand.
The sword comes out of the sheath, and the red light swirls! Different from the sudden flash of blood on the dragon bird when it sees the light, the red light on this short knife is more like the lingering tears of a candle. It does not have too much murderous intent, but adds a touch of tenderness to people's hearts. The body of the knife
Inscribed with two characters in ancient seal script: Red Sleeves.
The blade is slender and the arc is soft. It is a knife for women. It was a gift from Chen Hui to Song Yang. On the night of Gu Zhaojun's visit, the Grand Master heard that Song Yang wanted a knife. Relying on the remaining impression in his mind, he rummaged through boxes and cabinets to find it.
After a long while, I finally found this 'red sleeve'.
Chen Hui could not refuse, and Song Yang did not refuse.
Mr. Hu praised him repeatedly, played with the red sleeves for a while, returned the object to its original owner, and stared at Song Yang steadily: "I really don't think that this is a murder weapon." As he said that, he suddenly started coughing. There was something in his lungs.
If you are sick, you should decoct and take herbal medicine before going to the temple to see the saint, which can temporarily suppress the disease. You often have severe coughing at ordinary times.
This disease is difficult to eradicate, but fortunately it is not contagious or fatal, but it is somewhat painful and troublesome.
After the prime minister had finished coughing, Song Yang responded: "It's a gift from a senior. I carry it with me. No matter whether I kill someone or not, it's just a thought."
Mr. Hu casually made a haha and then changed the subject: "Mr. Song has a smile on his face and a high look in his eyes. He always looks happy. Is there some happy event? Come and tell us, let us also enjoy your happiness."
Song Yang smiled and shook his head: "There is no such thing as a happy event. Just thinking about this trip to Dayan makes me feel a little excited."
Er Sha looked like he knew everything, and intervened from the side to help Song Yang explain: "Yang Yazi was born in Yan State. This time I can visit my hometown. If it were me, I would laugh all the way."
Liu Er picked up any pot that was not open, and Song Yang laughed loudly: "Xiao Qi, beat him for me."
Mr. Hu read it right, Song Yang was happy all the way, and Song Yang's answer was not a lie, he just couldn't hold back his excitement.
Jingtai is crazy, the imperial master is mysterious, his uncle's background is complicated, his gangsters are gradually revealed, and Gu Zhaojun is ready to make a move... During his trip to Yan, the first-level competition, the knife, and the pursuit of the murderer are all mixed together, and many forces are mixed together.
, it was a complete mess, but when Song Yang understood that this chaos was unavoidable, instead of worrying, he began to look forward to it from the bottom of his heart... He was so excited that he couldn't suppress it, and even he couldn't find the reason for it.
.
Xiao Qi didn't help Song Yang fight the second idiot, but said with a smile: "I can't beat him, I'm going to see the horses." She turned around and went to the back of the team. She was selected as a horse, and it was hard to guarantee that she would not be defeated when she arrived in the Yan Kingdom.
She would have a race with the other party, so before her visit, Hong Leong sent a message asking her to select ten good horses from Phoenix City to accompany her. She would take care of them personally during the journey. Among the ten good horses, nine of them were from unusual horses.
The other gray horse in the imperial court and the imperial guards was skinny and inconspicuous. It came from the folk and was discovered by Xiao Qi accidentally. But the girl cared most about this gray horse. She once happily told Song Yang: "I found a treasure."
After taking care of it until the Dragon Boat Festival, Hui'er will definitely run faster than the other nine horses!"
While the group was chatting and laughing, the Forbidden Army general in charge of the escort urged his horse forward and whispered a few words to Prime Minister Zuo. The latter smiled when he heard this: "This is a coincidence. Please pass on the order and our team will temporarily stop marching and make way for them.
"The imperial army took the order and stopped and leaned towards the roadside. Several strange men looked at each other, and they all had some curiosity in their hearts. They didn't know who was coming behind, and they actually made the Prime Minister Zuo give way.
Soon after, horses hooves rumbled, and a team came in a hurry. It was not big, with more than twenty riders at most, and there was a chariot in the middle. The leader of the team was holding a flag. Song Yang had good eyesight, and he could clearly see the flag from a distance.
I seemed to have seen the symbol somewhere before, and after a little thought, I suddenly realized it was the flag of the Armillary Sphere Supervisor.
Song Yang suddenly smiled. The Armillary Sphere was not enough to ask the Prime Minister to give way... There was no need to guess who the person in the chariot was.
Sure enough, the Armillary Sphere Supervisor's team rushed forward. As soon as the car door opened, Ren Xiaoping jumped out of the car. Without caring about the princess's figure, he saluted Prime Minister Zuo: "Xiao Fu has met Uncle Hu."
Everyone in the court knew that Zuo Cheng advocated pro-Tibet and had always been at odds with Hongbo Mansion, who was responsible for the Western Front garrison. However, no matter how secretly they fought, the superficial harmony would never change.
When they met by chance on the official road, Ren Xiaozai only treated them with the courtesy of juniors and continued to say with a smile: "Please leave a gap in your team and let us slip through. There is no reason for you to stop. If my father knew,
You have to scold me,"
"Hey, when did my Xiao Fu learn to be polite?" Prime Minister Zuo's old face was full of kindness, as if the person in front of him was not a princess, as if he was not the prime minister, and more as if Prime Minister Zuo and King Zhenxi had grown up wearing the same pair of pants.
Brother. While smiling, Mr. Hu asked again: "What important official business is it that your Highness the Princess should handle in person?"
"Go to the Red City to hold summer prayers." Every corresponding season, the Armillary Sphere Supervisor will hold a heaven and earth worship ceremony to pray for national luck. The specific location varies from year to year and must be calculated in advance. The Red City is located in the north of Nanli, and is also the gateway to Daguai.
The only place that Yan must pass through.
Seventy miles further north from Hongcheng is Zheqiaoguan, an important town in Nanli, which was the front line of resistance against Dayan's cavalry for more than a hundred years.
Ren Xiaozai's voice was crisp and clear as he continued: "The Armillary Sphere Supervisor has too few people. They are very busy around the Lichang Festival. When I go to court again, Uncle Hu has to help me organize this matter. Please give us more
Money, send more people."
No matter how few people the Armillary Sphere Supervisor has, it will not be the princess's turn to go on a business trip. This time she took the initiative to invite Ying to go to Hongcheng. The little abacus in her heart crackled with eight words: See you again in Hongcheng and send you to Yan.
After a few more pleasantries, Ren Xiaoqian finally said: "I don't dare to delay any more. I have to rush to Hongcheng before the beginning of summer. However, there will be nothing to do after Xia Qi. Uncle Hu should also be here by then. I will go and help you."
Please greet me."
Mr. Hu nodded: "What a coincidence. I also have some official business to attend to in Hongcheng, so it doesn't matter if I'm delayed for a day or two."
The princess waved goodbye and waited for the carriage to drive away. From the beginning to the end, she did not even look at Song Yang. Instead, she followed Qin Zhui and several Hongbo guards beside the carriage, smiling and nodding at Song Yang. Qin Zhui was the princess's personal guard, and Ren Xiaoping
He would go wherever he went, but this trip was on an errand for the Armillary Sphere Supervisor and had nothing to do with the Hongbo Mansion. He was not wearing bright red armor, just an ordinary warrior.
As the mission traveled, they were met at various inns along the way. There was no need to carry baggage and no need to worry about supplies. The atmosphere of the team was relaxed but the pace was not slow. On the first day of April, Song Yang and his party arrived in Hongcheng. Two days later, Ren Xiaoqian was preparing for the beginning of summer.
Xia Qi was so busy that he couldn't find time to meet for the time being, so he sent Qin Zhui here specially to ask Mr. Hu to wait and meet again after Xia Qi passed.
In late spring and early summer, the climate in Nali has become hotter. Especially these two days, a huge rain cloud has been suppressing the sky. It is always hazy but suppressed. It is conceivable that God is brewing a heavy rain. The air is stuffy.
The heat and humidity make people uncomfortable.
Mr. Hu led the team to settle in the post house and did not wait leisurely. After taking a short rest, he summoned nine elites and officials to leave their residence and walk towards the center of the Red City.
Not far to the north is Nanli Beiguan, which borders Dayan. However, troops and weapons are stationed there, and caravans never stop for more. Instead, they go dozens of miles after passing the customs, treating Hongcheng as their first stop.
It is a gathering place for merchants. Therefore, the streets of Hongcheng are really lively. Goods shipped from Dayan can be seen everywhere. Mr. Hu is in a good mood. He leads everyone around and occasionally buys some new things.
Song Yang understood that even if Mr. Hu had the leisure time of shopping, he would not have to take all the strange people with him. He must have something to do during this trip, but if the other party didn't tell him, he had no interest in asking more questions and just followed the team to watch.
Hua, Er Sha, Xiao Qi and others were chatting and laughing all the way, pointing out the various Yan country products in the shops on the street.
After everyone walked for more than half an hour, Mr. Hu led everyone to a dilapidated and disrepaired small temple.
This is the most prosperous street in the center of the city, surrounded by shops and bustling with people. In Song Yang's words, this street is the "golden landmark" of the Red City. There is no incense, no believers, and not even a plaque.
It is strange that the small temple can still stand here, and was not taken away to be used as a shop.
Mr. Hu stopped and smiled at Song Yang and others: "I know that you have always had a doubt in your mind. There are ten seats for the first-class strange person in Nanli, but only nine seats have been settled so far. Where is the last strange person? He is here.
here."
Then, Mr. Hu straightened his clothes, put on a respectful expression, and shouted to the small temple: "Hu Chengxiao wants to see Master Wuyan."
When the Prime Minister Zuo deigned to deign to visit him in person, he called himself by name without any formalities, which showed how important the people in the temple were... In a short time, the dilapidated door in front of everyone creaked open, and a monk walked out
came out.
The monk was very young, in his mid-twenties, with a slender figure and light and vigorous steps. His white monk's clothes were spotless and swayed slightly with the breeze. When he stood in front of the door, Song Yang, Nan Rong and others felt in a trance that there was something around them.
This bustling street where people are chasing money and profit seems to have become quiet with his appearance.
A moment of tranquility.
What surprised the visitors the most was not the youth and bearing of this eminent monk, but his appearance... His eyebrows were like a crescent moon, his eyes were like autumn water, and his nose was like a gallbladder. He was extremely delicate, but it had nothing to do with handsomeness, and could only be described as 'beautiful'.
to describe.
A monk with an elegant demeanor and a strangely beautiful face.