On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the night before the end of the year.
The sound of firecrackers could be heard in Taiyuan City, and the splendid fireworks could be heard from afar above the Fen River. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the huge city, singing and dancing to celebrate peace. Even the border army camp, which stretched for several miles, was immersed in the atmosphere of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new.
After traveling for 800 miles, Xu Buling arrived at Yatou Bay, upstream of the Fen River, late at night, and found the ship anchored in the harbor.
Taiyuan was far away from Youzhou, located on the west side of the eastern battlefront, nine hundred miles away from Chang 'an. Going west, passing Luliang and Yanzhou, he directly arrived near Yuanzhou, where the Xiliang troops were stationed. Arriving there was basically equivalent to going home.
When he arrived at Taiyuan, the Wolf Guards and pursuers had already disappeared. However, for the sake of safety, Xu Buling did not rush with great fanfare, and still concealed his tracks along the way.
When he arrived at the harbor by the Fen River, it was already past midnight. Jiujiu and Chu Chu, who were riding together on a horse, leaned against each other. They were both drowsy, and their cheeks looked a little haggard, obviously caused by the long journey.
Ning Qing Ye was a firm person, and never showed her weak side in front of Xu Buling. Sitting upright on the horse, her long hair fluttering in the night wind, she looked quite handsome.
Seeing Chu Chu sleeping on the back of Zhong Li Jiujiu, Ning Qing Ye said, "Why are you in such a hurry?
Aren't you afraid of exhausting your Ninth Young Lady to death? "
Zhong Li Jiujiu was drowsy at first, but immediately woke up when she heard this. She did not dare to say anything harsh, and only said softly, "What Ninth Young Lady? Qing Ye, you can call me Elder Sister."
Xu Buring walked beside Ning Qingye. Actually, he was also very tired, but when he saw the ship floating on the river in the distance, he smiled as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and we have to sit together and have a meal. It's okay to be tired now, and we can have a good rest on the ship."
Seeing the ship, Qing Ye sped up the horse and ran to the river.
Xu Buling and Nightingale followed closely behind. They dismounted on the shore, and the guards of the mansion immediately came to greet them.
The lights on both floors of the ship were out. Only the bridal room on the second floor was still lit. The silhouette of a woman writing appeared in the window.
When Xu Buring saw this, he told the guards not to disturb the ladies' rest. He led his horse to the deck and quietly walked toward the ship.
Zhongli Jiujiu did not want to serve tea to her Big Sisters in the middle of the night and quietly returned to her room. Chu Chu wanted to complain to her good sister, Yu Fu, but it was too late to disturb her, so she returned to her room. Ning, and Qing Young Young Ning, and Ning of the Dynasty Dynasty, and Dynasty.
Xu Buring let Nightingale return to her room to rest. Alone, he carried the wooden box containing the jade seal and quietly walked to the second floor. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
Dong — —
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and a candlelight was placed on the wide desk. The room was full of joy, with red bedding under the curtain, and all kinds of gold ware on the desk.
Xiao Qi, in a black nightdress, sat behind the desk. Her long black hair was scattered on her back. Obviously, she had just taken a bath, and her skin was still a little red. She was as beautiful as a hibiscus, but her temperament was still cold, and there was no emotion on her face.
Xu Buling entered the wedding room. Xiao Qi glanced at him, and then turned back to read the letter. But soon, her expression froze, and she suddenly turned her head. Her expression was very different from the usual calm. She got up from the chair, leaned against the window, and covered her belly with her hands, and widened her eyes.
"Xu Buling, why are you back?"
？？
Xu Buling, whose eyes were full of tenderness, also froze. Looking at his mature and intellectual fiancée, who was not happy to see him, and even avoided him like a snake, he felt uncomfortable. He frowned and said,
"Qiqi, what's wrong? Don't you welcome me? "
"It's not that …"
Xiao Qi reacted quickly, knowing that she had said something wrong. She quickly put down her hands, stood up a little, and smiled,
"Husband, I was rude … I just didn't expect you to come back so soon. I should have gone to pick you up …"
Xu Buling nodded. Although he was a little confused, Xiao Qi was busy with work all day, and she had almost no time to rest. It was normal for her to be a little absent-minded when it was late, so he didn't take it to heart. He closed the door and placed the Imperial Jade Seal on the desk. He lifted his arms and was about to carry Xiao Qi over to have a good time.
There was some fear and embarrassment in Xiao Qi's eyes. Her sister had scribbled on her belly, and she didn't dare to let her fiancé see it. She quickly took the initiative, held Xu Buling's hands, tiptoed slightly, and kissed Xu Buling's face, and then said,
"Let's get down to business. You're a man, don't just think about women."
Xu Buling knew Xiao Qi's temper, and he also knew that the current situation was not right, so he was not too impatient. He sat down on the armchair, and patted his legs,
"Don't just think about business all day. You have to rest, or your body won't be able to bear it."
Xiao Qi sat down on Xu Buling's legs obediently, and smiled softly, "I don't think about these things. Do you expect Xiang 'er and Hong Luan to think about it? You have to have someone to give you advice … "
Xu Buling nodded, feeling that Xiao Qi was a little too obedient today, completely unlike the domineering and intellectual Miss in the past. He secretly pondered, and just thought that absence makes the heart grow fonder. He turned to look at the desk,
"Urgent news?"
When Xiao Qi talked about business, she hid away the little girl's shyness. She picked up the letter on the table, leaned on Xu Buling's arms, and said seriously,
"A few days ago, the Jianghu bandits Sun Qian, Shi Chun, and others started an uprising in Jiangnan. It should be the arrangement of the King Wu. It was premeditated, and the government's reaction was slow. In just ten days, the rebel army expanded to more than 20,000 people. Muzhou's defense was loose, and the three thousand garrison soldiers did not even fight before they abandoned the city and fled. I don't know how it has developed now. "
Xu Buling didn't seem to be surprised. He held Xiao Ting's aunt and looked at the letter written by his old classmate, Xiao Ting.
"The Jiangnan soldiers have never fought in a war, and with the King Wu's obstruction, they naturally fled at the sight of the wind. What was the reaction of Chang 'an City? "
Xiao Qi picked up another letter on the table, "His Majesty's inquiry was furious, but he may have also guessed that something was wrong, so he did not scold the King Wu, nor did he urge the King Wu to suppress it. Instead, he ordered the Liaoxi Protectorate and the Yu and Wei Kings to quickly send troops to Jiangnan to suppress the rebellion."
Xu Buling nodded lightly, "It seems that Song Ji is not stupid."
Xiao Qi shook her head, "You and I are outsiders, so we have more information and can see the situation clearly. Chang 'an City was kept in the dark, so they certainly did not see as far as we did. His Majesty guessed that it was the King Wu's doing, but he didn't know the King Wu's plan, so he only thought that the King Wu wanted to take advantage of the refugee uprising to rise. But based on my guess, the Yu and Wei Kings must have colluded with the King Wu, and the King Wu didn't want to proclaim himself as Emperor, but used his strong financial resources to support the Wei King, who was the most powerful. If the imperial edict was issued to suppress the rebellion, the Wei and Yu Kings would definitely obey on the surface, and rest for three days to buy time. "
Xu Buling thought for a while and agreed with this statement.
The Jiangnan soldiers under the King Wu couldn't fight at all, so the possibility of a rebellion was better than none. The Wei King was different. The Wei King and the Yue King guarded the south, facing the enemy of South Yue.
The Yue King lived in a remote area, so poor that he couldn't even gather enough armor. He was a bystander among the seven vassal kings, and had no sense of existence at all. Basically, it was the Wei King who guarded South Yue. Although the quality of the soldiers was worse than the Northern Borderline, the Wei King had the capital to fight for the throne.
"I'm afraid that Jiangnan will be in chaos, and many people will die."
Xiao Qi sighed, "Not only that, the Yu and Wei Kings didn't move, suppressing the rebellion depended on the Liaoxi Protectorate's transfer of troops. And a few days ago, the matter of the Imperial Jade Seal and you spread to Chang 'an. In order to prevent the Su Of Gojoseon from attacking the central pass, Chang' an City transferred a large number of elite troops to the western front. At this time, if someone tampered with the eastern pass, they wouldn't even be able to return in time."
Xu Buling frowned, "This was all planned by the King Wu?"
"It's hard to say, but it's the result of the various parties secretly adding fuel to the fire. The eastern front spanned a thousand miles from Luliang to Youzhou, so it was impossible to know where they would start. We are in the west, so it won't affect us for the time being. We just need to wait and see. "
Xu Buling didn't have any soldiers under him, so he couldn't do anything but watch the show. He nodded and raised his hand to untie the laces of Xiao Qi's dress.
After Xiao Qi finished talking about the serious matter, her eyes were slightly flustered, and she pressed Xu Buling's hand.
"Husband, you … I'm on my period, you go to find Xiang 'er."
Xu Buling looked a little helpless, "Wife, do you think I don't know how to remember the date?"
"…"
Xiao Qi was anxious, "I'm tired, let's forget it …"
"You don't need to move, I'll let you relax."
With a smile, Xu Buling put Xiao Qi on the desk gently.
Xiao Qi supported herself with one hand on the desk, trying to block it with her hand. Her face was so red that it seemed to drip blood. But she was just a scholarly girl, so how could she be Xu Buling's opponent? Before she could see clearly, her dress was already untied.
？？
Flying Phoenix Spreads Wings …
Xu Buling's smile froze, and he looked down at the dignified and intellectual Miss Xiao's … what was that …
The warmly decorated wedding room was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.
Seeing that the matter was exposed, Xiao Qi looked like she wanted to cry but had no tears. She helplessly blocked it and said in a trembling voice,
"Xiang 'er, that wicked girl …"
"Qiqi is the most obedient … hehe …"
"Don't laugh!"
"Wife, take your hand away, let me take a closer look …"
"Alas …"
