In the garden of a manor on the outskirts of Luoyang, under the moonlight, with the dancing shadows of the trees, Diao Chan, wearing only a single coat, was breathing in and concentrating on the moonlight.
She has reached the fourth level of Qi training in her lower earth body.
The moonlight fell on the garden, and the ground was covered with silver frost. The night breeze was cool and gentle, caressing the silk and every inch of her skin. The spiritual energy rushed into her body, refreshing but not cold, which made her feel intoxicated with joy.
With a trace of sobriety, I operated strictly according to the Xiaowu Sutra.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Then, the sound of footsteps was heard, and Diao Chan did not open her eyes. This place was called the outer house of a certain family, and men were not allowed in the inner palace. Only female soldiers and maids trained by her could enter.
The maid who had been with him for many years welcomed him over and complained softly: "The night is very cold, and the young lady is so careless."
Then he put a windproof robe on her.
Diao Chan only smiled slightly: "There is no one else."
"It doesn't matter whether there is someone or not. A young lady is still a lady, so she has to pay attention to her manners. It's really...it was obviously not like this two years ago." The maid complained in her mouth, but looked at her with admiration.
The young lady is already eighteen years old, when she is at her most beautiful. Her appearance is bright and clear, more attractive than the moonlight. Even the maids who serve her are often photographed by her beauty.
This kind of enchantment is the dream of many women, how can we not cherish it?
"And the master whom the young lady recognizes has left a peerless beauty like the young lady outside without even being able to take a look. It's really true."
Diao Chan listened but did not listen and practiced with his eyes closed.
Having been to the earth, she has seen a lot. Her beauty is different from hers. Cao Baijing is a real beauty at night. Diao Chan knows that she is not looked upon by her lord because of her beauty.
"Do you think so, Zinan?" she asked jokingly in her heart, the phoenix-winged snake pattern on her forehead flashed slightly.
Diao Chan listened to the answers. She gradually fell in love with such private conversations. She appeared to be gradually reticent, but in fact, she had seen the magic on the earth and understood the truth below, so she no longer cared about this little love affair between men and women.
The burden of the fate of the family, Nuwa's mission, the catastrophe on earth...all kinds of pressures, and under the subtle influence of the lord, Diao Chan becomes more and more eager to gain power.
Returning to the lower earth body, Diao Chan found that her cultivation speed under the moon was several times faster than usual. In the past two years, her body had reached the fourth level of Qi training, far exceeding the third level on the ground, which made her feel strange.
"Is it because of my body? When Yuehua enters my body, I really don't feel the coldness. This may be something inside.
Diao Chan heard that her lord admired her body and called it the beauty of the moon and the bells of heaven and earth. When she saw her blushing, she jokingly asked, "Does Chan'er like worshiping the moon very much?"
"Worship...the moon? No, I just like to walk under the moon at night. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Two years ago, she didn't know much about spiritual practice and couldn't respond. Now she feels something: "When the spiritual accumulation is at its lowest, it is just a weed. How can it be just for people to see the good harvest of Ganoderma lucidum?"
"What the lord praised at that time was not my beauty, but my own qualifications."
"Perhaps we can seek a breakthrough here, transform into a spiritual pool and return to the earth." Diao Chan's intention has always been very clear. No matter how powerful she is, how can she control her destiny without the strength?
In the past, my body was like duckweed, and there was nothing I could do about it being locked up in a golden cage.
The experience on earth was almost like "accidentally entering the fairyland" for this young girl.
For many days and nights, she silently read the books on the ground and recited various martial arts and Taoist methods, especially the Xiaoyi Martial Arts. People on earth may not think these methods are precious, but she knew that they were worth ten thousand dollars.
The true story, everyone can change their own destiny.
As long as she has time, she will think silently, breathe out and practice.
"Miss, look, what is this red light?" Just thinking about it, the maid screamed.
Diao Chan woke up and took a quick look, and saw a streak of red light flashing across. Its color was as red as blood, dyeing the entire sky red.
When Diao Chan saw it, her expression couldn't help but change, and she was silent, thinking silently: "The red light has multiple meanings, one of which is the master of killing... The red light is rising at this time, what is the omen of the unknown master?"
Thinking about it, I couldn't help but turn my head and stare at Luoyang... What happened over there?
"Ying'er, ask someone from the outer palace to contact the palace and inquire about it."
"Yes, miss."
Soon, secret messages were connected in several places in Luoyang. After two years of research by Mrs. Xiaomi and Mrs. Gan, Xiatu had made a message board, and Luoyang was among the first batch to apply it. This was the lord's trust.
"But Southwest...could it be related to the lord?" Diao Chan thought and shook her head: "I really think too much about seeing things and thinking about people. How could there be such a coincidence?"
She was looking forward to it. After completing the mission in Luoyang, it was time to return to her lord's side.
Luoyang
Li Ru rushed straight to the garden. When he arrived at his residence, he said, "I want to see my lord."
"My lord, my lord has fallen asleep." An official saluted, and he was a familiar person. He said in surprise: "My lord, if there is nothing important, you can wait until tomorrow."
Li Ru said coldly: "This is a big deal. Just now, a fire broke out in the palace arsenal. A red light shot up into the sky and disappeared in the southwest. Many people saw it."
"That's all. The commander of the arsenal hurriedly led people to put out the fire and counted the imperial treasures. Nothing was burned, but he found that the sword in the center of the altar was missing."
After hearing this, the official suddenly broke out in a thin sweat on his forehead, dripping with cold sweat: "That's the Chixiao Sword...the Sword of Suppressing Luck..."
"So I want to see my lord. This matter is related to our fortune, honor and disgrace." Li Ru said, paused, and looked at the lonely night sky in silence.
After a moment, he sighed and stepped in.
the way
As the army returned, there were not many wounded in the team, and the soldiers were in a cheerful mood. From Sili Henan Yin to Yingchuan County, Yuzhou, the scenery along the way gradually changed.
Mountains, primeval forests, rivers... gradually there are roads, villages, canals, and fields. In the morning, smoke rises from cooking stoves. Farmers go to the fields to sort crops, and peasant women bring food to them. It is a two-meal system at this time, because breakfast will be late.
The Queen Mother took the morning meal in the car and felt surprisingly good.
Then, in the bumpy carriage, she stared at the window, her eyes blurred: "Too many things have happened in the past two years. The Ai family has been afraid to leave the palace for a long time. I didn't expect it to be like this when I leave the palace..."
Qianqian was the only one accompanying her in the carriage at this time. She knew that not leaving the palace was to prevent assassins. As for too many things... Qianqian thought for a while and said softly: "The Queen Mother can go back."
"Going back?" The Queen Mother pondered. She had only been away from Luoyang for a month, which seemed like a long time. It was so long that she didn't dare to think that she could go back one day... She shook her head and said nothing more.
"Actually, I have lived in Nanyang County since I was a child, which is just across the border from Yingchuan County." The Queen Mother said this. She is a realistic woman, and she is more concerned about the current situation: "When did Mrs. Xiao Mi get married?"
She asked in a very gentle tone, with the concern of an elder, which was very easy to win the favor of a young girl of this age.
"Replying to your Majesty, it was two years ago." Qianqian responded with a smile, knowing the reason behind this gentleness. She was introduced to the identity of the principal wife by Ye Qing. Although the Queen Mother was surprised, she had obviously heard of her.
In fact, many civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty had heard of this little Mrs. Mi married by Liu Bei... The Mi family has deep roots in Xuzhou and has great influence on the state shepherd Tao Qian. An interstate marriage two years ago made people...
Even if you don’t pay attention
Han customs did not prohibit women from appearing in public. The Queen Mother was just surprised that a woman participated in the military. She guessed that the girl was accomplished in Taoism, so her attitude became more gentle.
"It's been two years..." the Queen Mother recalled with some melancholy: "I remember that the current county seat of Yingchuan County is Xuchang?"
"What the Queen Mother remembered is correct." Qianqian responded: "My real name is Xu County. My husband suggested changing the name to Xuchang. This is what you personally agreed to."
A pun.
"Xuchang, Xuchang, Xuzhiyichang..." The Queen Mother chuckled, and suddenly her horse stalled for a moment, and she heard a noise outside.
Just as Ye Qing was holding the little princess Ning Ji, he lifted the curtain and got into the car: "I pay my respects to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother glanced at him: "Get up... Your wife is very good at talking - what's going on outside?"
Ye Qing thought for a moment, then lifted the curtain and pointed it out to her: "It's some refugees from Chen Liuguo who stopped us for help. I ordered them to be led to Xuchang."
Some refugees in ragged clothes, with their families and children, kowtowed by the roadside, thanking them profusely but unable to hide their bitterness.
The Queen Mother's expression remained unchanged, but her breathing became slightly hurried. After a long time, she said: "If the Ai family doesn't leave the palace, I really don't want to see this scene."
I vaguely recalled my folk days when I was a child. Jingzhou was rich, Nanyang County was beautified again and again in my memory, and there may be refugees. The butcher family was relatively well-off in an agricultural society. I may not have noticed it when I was a little girl, but now I felt a little emotional, but there was more.
It's about remembering.
"If there were no army of refugees in the world, there might not be two emperors."
The little princess Ning Ji still couldn't understand this. She looked up innocently and Ye Qing said warmly: "Your Majesty, the journey is difficult, so don't worry about it. You can take a rest when you arrive in Xuchang."
At this moment, he could tell that her sadness was genuine, at least at this moment... For a superior, he couldn't expect more.
"The basic quality is much better than that of the emperor. This may be because he grew up among the people and was influenced by honest folk customs."
Ye Qing thought about it, stopped looking at it, and said calmly: "Huan, this happened when Emperor Ling was the second emperor. It is hard to get back. It is not the Queen Mother's fault."
"Even so..." The Queen Mother smiled bitterly, picked up Ning Ji, and thought of something: "The Chen Liuguo Xuande just mentioned? Isn't that Yanzhou?"
As the Queen Mother, she memorized geography, especially Sili and Jizhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Jingzhou, Yongzhou, Liangzhou, and Bingzhou, which were arranged in the order of southeast, northwest, and northwest. She firmly remembered the local forces and implemented them.
Many favors.
When Dong Zhuo finally showed his butcher knife, only Liu Bei from Yuzhou came to save her.
Cao Cao of Yanzhou, who had placed his hope in it, did not exist, nor did Sun Jian, who claimed to be loyal, nor did the Liu family even further away, let alone the unkind traitor like Yuan Shao...
Ye Qing glanced at her expression and had an idea of what she was thinking: "The Queen Mother remembered it correctly. In the past two years, Duke Cao has unified the large and small wealthy families in Yanzhou, and many old families have had their homes confiscated, resulting in many refugees."