Zi Nu's return was sudden, but it was within Li Qinzai's expectation.
Feeling the coldness of her little hands, Li Qinzai exerted a little force, trying to give her some warmth.
Zi Nu raised her eyes to look at him, the familiar purple eyes showing full of longing and love.
The two of them walked through the door and were greeted by Butler Wu. Li Qinzai said with a smile: "This is my third wife, Zinu. Your Majesty granted her a land around Qinghai Lake and allowed her to graze, live, and multiply her people."
Steward Wu was startled, clapped his hands on his thighs and said, "The emperor has given me such a huge land, so he must be a great nobleman, and he can be regarded as a prince, right? The old man needs to pay a big tribute..."
He lifted his robe and was about to kneel down when Li Qinzai and Zi Nu hurriedly stopped him.
"It's not that serious, she is my mother-in-law, grandpa's granddaughter-in-law, that's all." Li Qinzai said with a smile.
Butler Wu then bowed solemnly and called her "Third Young Madam."
Refusing Butler Wu to lead the way, Li Qinzai took Zi Nu's hand and walked towards the backyard.
The Duke's Mansion occupies a large area, and along the way, countless servants and maids stopped and cast curious glances at Zi Nu.
Li Qinzai was too lazy to pay attention and still held her hand. After holding it for a long time, her little hand was still cold.
The cold wind of Qinghai Lake has been blowing away for a long time, and she seems to have never warmed up again.
"Is it hard to herd?" Li Qinzai asked abruptly on the way to the backyard.
"Huh?" Zi Nu didn't react for a moment.
"I'm asking, is it hard for you to herd cattle in Qinghai Lake?"
Zi Nu smiled and shook his head: "It's not hard, it's very free, and the horse gallops directionlessly on the grassland. The feeling is much better than being locked up in a deep house."
"Is this the reason why you left without saying goodbye?" Li Qinzai glanced at her.
Zi Nu lowered his head with a guilty conscience: "I'm afraid that if you say goodbye in person, you will keep me."
"If you are determined to leave, does it matter whether I keep you or not?" Li Qinzai's tone became a little serious.
Zi Nu whispered: "I'm just afraid that you will keep me, and if you keep me, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave... But I still have a lot of things to do. People who have subjugated their country will never forget their homeland. If there is a place for an arrow,
, it will be considered as regaining the ancestral property and worthy of the ancestors."
Li Qinzai sighed, Zi Nu had his own mission and difficulties, but it seemed that he was unkind.
"You should stay in Chang'an for now. Qinghai Lake is not at peace. Recently, the imperial court has been unable to deal with Tubo. So your pasture will be rested for now. It won't be too late for you to go back after the imperial court has swept away the remaining enemies in Tuyuhun."
Zi Nu nodded, looked up at him and smiled, his eyes curved into crescent moons, a bit flattering, very cute.
The two came to the backyard, where Li Ji was looking at the radishes he had grown. He shook his head and sighed, looking miserable.
Li Qinzai coughed twice, and Li Ji turned his head to look at him with an unkind look in his eyes.
Shocked to find the woman standing next to Li Qinzai, Li Ji frowned, looked around, and asked curiously: "Purple boy? Hu girl?"
Then suddenly, Li Ji said: "This is probably the Princess of Loulan that you met when you were in Tuyuhun, right?"
Li Qinzai signaled to Zinu, who stepped forward and bowed: "Zinu pays homage to...Grandpa."
Li Ji smiled and said, "Excuse me. You are a princess. Normally I should give you a courtesy. However, since you are a royal woman, I don't think it is overstepping my bounds to accept a courtesy from you."
As he spoke, Li Ji quickly glanced at Li Qinzai and said, "This woman is a miserable person. You must treat her well. Her man must take responsibility for what she should do."
Li Qinzai nodded: "Yes, after the Eastern Expedition, my grandson will suggest to His Majesty that the king should sweep away Tuyuhun. It is not only her business. Tuyuhun has been restored to the Tang Dynasty, and the chaos cannot continue."
Li Ji stroked his beard and said: "Yes, Tuyuhun is guarding the throat of the Western Region's trade routes and cannot be messed up. That is to say, we can't make any moves at the moment. That old guy Su Dingfang came back too early. If it were me, I would have to sweep them away for another year and a half and kill them all." Only by killing him can we frighten Xiao Xiao."
Then Li Ji looked at Zi Nu and said: "Girl, don't worry, Qinghai Lake is not peaceful recently. I heard that you were also bullied. Sooner or later, the imperial court will help you avenge you. I will stay in Chang'an for now and reorganize the old army in peacetime." One is to herd and nourish the animals, and the other is to guard the border for the Emperor and guard the trade routes in the Western Regions."
Zi Nu said respectfully: "Zi Nu listens to grandpa's words and is willing to stay in Chang'an and help her husband serve grandpa."
Li Ji smiled with satisfaction: "What a good girl, with love and righteousness, ambition and ability. Your Majesty has given me a radius of 500 miles around Qinghai Lake and 300 tents for herders. In the northwest of the Tang Dynasty, you will be a prince." …”
As he spoke, Li Ji looked at Zi Nu, he hesitated several times, and finally couldn't help but asked: "Why do you fall in love with this bastard of mine?"
Zi Nu's pretty face turned red, she smiled and lowered her head without saying a word.
Li Qinzai said dissatisfiedly: "Grandpa, our bastard is not bad at all, okay..."
Li Ji snorted, waved his hand and said, "It's time to say goodbye, so let's meet her. Hurry up and take her to meet your parents and your two mothers-in-law. I have nothing to do here. Let's go quickly."
…………
He led Zi Nu to visit Li Siwen and Li Cui's couple, and praised them again for being so close. Without saying anything, Li Cui took out a white jade bracelet and gave it to Zi Nu as a meeting gift, and said mysteriously that it was an heirloom of the Li family. , pass on the daughter-in-law but not the son.
Li Qinzai watched coldly from the side. Cui Jie and Jinxiang also owned this so-called family heirloom. He seriously suspected that my mother had wholesaled a large box from Yiwu Small Commodity Market.
Zi Nu was so moved that his eyes were red. He put the bracelet on his wrist and kept rubbing it, unable to put it down.
No wonder they can't fight against the remaining Tibetan forces in Tuyuhun. If this stupid girl with no bones stays here any longer, all the cattle and sheep in the pasture will be robbed.
Just after leaving her parents' house, Cui Jie and Jin Xiang came together.
When the three girls met, they had another conversation: You are so beautiful, I am not as fair as you, what kind of skin care products did you use?
When Zi Nu saw Jin Xiang for the first time, a pair of Zi Nu kept looking at her. Their eyes were not malicious, they were just amazed at Jin Xiang's beauty.
Jinxiang was even more curious about Zinu, especially her purple eyes, which shocked Jinxiang even more.
Zi Nu was not jealous about Li Qinzai's new marriage to Jin Xiang.
Zi Nu was originally a Hu girl from the Western Regions. She was much more unrestrained than the girls from the Central Plains in terms of ethics and education. Besides, she was out all the time and had an open-minded temperament. She was not used to being jealous of other girls in a deep house. That was not her style.
In the evening, the family had a reunion dinner.
Since it is the New Year, it is also a time to celebrate the new year with Zi Nu. It is a family banquet for all ages to enjoy.
After the banquet ended, Li Qinzai led the three ladies back to the backyard.
Standing in the yard, the atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.
Cui Jie looked left and right, then smiled and said: "Today Zinu comes back, my husband should accompany her well, I sleep in the same room as Jinxiang."
Zi Nu's face was slightly red, and he lowered his head and said, "I... I just came back to see you. I also want to sleep with my two sisters tonight."
Li Qinzai put his hands on Cui Jie and Zi Nu's shoulders and said seriously: "We are all one family, why bother talking about two families? We are both husband and wife, can't you let your husband experience what triple happiness is?"
Cui Jie and Jin Xiang rolled their eyes decisively, turned around and returned to the room.