Jiangzhou on Jiangnan Road is located on the Yangtze River water transport route.
The northern section of the river flowing through this place is also called the Xunyang River.
The water in this section of the river is turbid and yellow, with increasing amounts of sediment. However, it is one of the most prosperous waterways in Jiangnan Province, with many merchant ships.
After the ship passed Xunyang City, the scenery on both sides of the river suddenly became clearer.
However, compared with the broad plains on both sides, the rolling river is quite crowded:
Hundreds of boats compete for the current, the one who strives first is the first, and thousands of sails compete to sail.
Today is a bright spring day, with birds flying on both sides of the bank, green grass, and rolling sand. On the sparkling Xunyang River, there is a magnificent and majestic ship sailing into the wind, its keel breaking through the waves.
It has a towering bow, lifelike dragon head carvings, fluttering flags, exquisite and luxurious cabin interiors, and various carving styles, all of which demonstrate the official style.
On the river, other cargo ships carrying company flags, and private ships of wealthy families, pale in comparison.
Moreover, as if they had discovered the official flag flying on the ship, all the ships gave way one after another, and no one dared to fight for the way.
During this period, one day the experienced shopkeeper of Nanhai Beibei merchants had a sharp eye. When he passed by, he saw that the crew members of this big official ship walking in the middle of the Xunyang River were all well-trained, serious and solemn, and their steps were steady.
Some people couldn't help but secretly said:
"The special ship of the Jiangnan Road Observer is escorted by the elite soldiers of Zhechong Mansion. What kind of noble person is it carrying, and where is it sailing to? Could it be that it is carrying an imperial edict?"
Naturally, these questions remain unanswered.
This official ship, which transferred at Jiangzhou City, was personally witnessed by the governor of Jiangzhou, and escorted by soldiers from the Third Zhechong Prefecture of Jiangnan Road, sailed all the way to Longcheng County in the wind and waves.
At this moment, there are several figures facing the wind on the bow of the ship.
"Sister Miaozhen, please, please tell me a little bit about what kind of gift is in this brocade box given by my aunt? My brother, I feel like a cat scratching my head."
There is a woman's voice that is colder than the river wind:
"Young Master Wei, are you desperate for your life? You dare to inquire about His Majesty's gifts. If you are accused in front of the emperor, your father and the king will not be able to protect you. This is not the palace of Prince Wei of your family. Mr. Wei, it is better to speak calmly."
"Sister Miaozhen has a bodhisattva heart and will definitely not complain! I can trust this brother."
Miaozhen, the female officer in Cai Shang, frowned slightly and glanced at the young man in soap clothes who was squatting next to him with a playful smile. The latter was holding a plump pear in his hand. He lowered his head and sniffed it from time to time, but kept his mouth shut and just talked about it.
.
Faced with this kind of approach, Miaozhen, who was dressed in crimson palace clothes, raised her chin slightly, looked at the Dragon City boundary getting closer and closer in the distance, and gave a faint reminder:
"Mr. Wei, don't shout randomly, trouble will come from your mouth."
The young man surnamed Wei, who was squatting on the ground and smearing honey on his small mouth, smiled nonchalantly, opened his mouth and took a bite of the pear in his hand. He was dressed in an elegant purple soap suit, but his skin seemed to be tanned from being exposed to the sun all year round.
, the face is quite good, but as a man, he has a pair of peach blossom eyes, which makes him look rather feminine and feminine.
"Sister Miaozhen, what are you talking about?"
The bright smile of the young man surnamed Wei remained unchanged. As he was chewing a pear, he glanced at the cold middle-aged female official next to him who was actually older than his concubine's biological mother, and said with a smile:
"Hey, sister Miaozhen can just call her younger brother Shaoxuan. It's too foreign to say that a young master is not a young master. The book says that we are strangers in a foreign land. We miss our relatives more during the holidays. Although younger brother and elder sister are not relatives,
It’s not a festive season now, but after all, we’re all ‘fellows’ from Luoyang, right? What’s wrong with being more friendly?”
Miaozhen nodded lightly: "I have witnessed the honest family tradition and profound family knowledge of Prince Wei today."
Wei Shaoxuan chewed a pear, shrugged and said nonchalantly:
"Sister is laughing at me. My younger brother, I am different from those elder brothers who are good at writing. I have never been fond of reading, and I have never been able to calm down. I usually follow my adoptive father everywhere, and I just like the rough scenery of the desert frontier."
Wei Shaoxuan, the sixth eldest child in the family, squatted on the bow of the boat, raising his head and smiling, showing his white teeth.
Miaozhen didn't bother to look at him, and looked sideways slightly at the man with a box on his back who was not far away from the two of them and had been silent since he got on the boat.
This strong man was about forty or fifty years old, plump and muscular, with dark and rough skin. He looked like a farmer with his face turned to the loess and his back to the sky. His body was very stocky. From a distance, he looked like a square.
The dress is also very strange. He is wearing short-sleeved linen clothes and has braids on his temples. He does not look like a son of the Han family.
His face was calm at the moment, and he had a long purple-black wooden box on his back. The box had a simple body and lines, and it was unknown what it contained.
Miaozhen raised her hand and pointed: "This is Mr. Wei's adoptive father? I thought I was a bodyguard."
Wei Shaoxuan's smile did not change, he gnawed on a pear and spoke incoherently:
"My adopted father is from the Mobei frontier. He has been in the army for a long time and is not very talkative. He is also the same in front of my father. However, sister Miaozhen can rest assured that my adopted father has always treated people with sincerity. He is a real person, cold on the outside and hot on the inside.
He is rugged and enthusiastic, and everyone who knows him praises him well."
"Really?" Miaozhen didn't believe the nonsense coming from the mouth of the concubine of the King of Wei.
She looked sideways. The energy in the man carrying the box was like an ancient well without waves. Some rumors and speculations vaguely appeared in Miaozhen's heart, and she asked casually:
"Your foster father is dressed like this, is he from Xianbei? There are quite a lot of border areas. What is your last name?"
Wei Shaoxuan sighed with a sad look on his face:
"Hey, how can Sister Miaozhen find out the details of my adoptive father and ask for marriage? It's a pity that my adoptive father doesn't like beauties. Otherwise, Sister Miaozhen should ask my brother more about me and tell me everything I know!"
Miaozhen was too lazy to reply to him.
"Qiu Qi."
The man with the box on his back suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse.
"Your surname is Qiu?" Miaozhen turned around and asked suddenly: "What is your relationship with Qiu Shenji, a guest minister in the Palace of Wei and a top military strategist and Qi practitioner?"
The box-carrying man turned a deaf ear.
Wei Shaoxuan reached out and waved his hand, swinging it quickly in front of Miaozhen, trying to attract attention, and interjected:
"What does that kind of uncle do here? It's not like Sister Miaozhen doesn't know. My father and several uncles and uncles in the palace are busy cleaning up the mess caused by the Yingzhou chaos. How can I have time to hang out here? Sister imagine
It’s quite rich, haha.
"And haven't we already told you that when we come here this time, it's just like the gift you gave to your aunt, sister? It's also a casual gift. We are all relatives, so we have to give one as well, right?"
The corners of Miaozhen's lips twitched up: "Send me a unique Mohist sword box?"
The color of Wei Shaoxuan's eyes changed slightly, but quickly returned to normal. He stood up and patted his sleeves:
"My sister has good eyesight, but I misunderstood. The sword box was given to me by my father. As a young man, it is normal to have a sword. This Luoyang man, who doesn't want to carry a sword and rush to the north of the Great Wall. I gave it to that family.
Gifts and other things."
Miaozhen stared at this strange pair of adoptive fathers and adopted sons for a while, then shook her head, "Oh."
She seemed to have lost interest... She came here on the order of Her Majesty the Queen, and she didn't have much friendship with the Wei family, who were just enjoying boating and driving. She didn't need to please or offend. The Wei family's current situation was very complicated.
Miaozhen lowered her eyes, ignored Wei Shaoxuan's Zilaishu conversation, and turned around to return to the cabin.
In the cabin, a group of palace maids looked serious and guarded a carved brocade box.
In front of this gift from the emperor, Miaozhen stood quietly with her hands raised, watching with cold eyes. After an unknown amount of time, she murmured softly:
"Long time no see, Your Highness, what a coincidence. Your Majesty has chosen this concubine to come here. Should I call you Your Highness, or... Xianlang?"
At the bow of the ship, only Wei Shaoxuan and the man carrying a box who called himself Qiu Qi were left.
"Liu Lang talks too much." Qiu Qi said.
Wei Shaoxuan rubbed his face and put away his playful smile.
The pear smashed into the river in a parabola in the air. The young man stood in the wind with an indifferent expression: "Really, I am getting closer and closer to the sword furnace, and my emotions are a bit hard to suppress."
He turned to look at the Mohist sword box that had arrived as promised, and suddenly smiled with his white teeth: "I'm sorry for bothering my adoptive father this time, please carry the sword away for me."
Half a day later.
The magnificent fleet arrived at Penglangdu.
Under the curious and lively onlookers of the people of Longcheng, Miaozhen led a group of palace people to slowly disembark from the boat, board a carriage, and surrounded by Zhechong Mansion officers, headed straight for Luming Street with a clear goal.
Before leaving the ferry, the woman in crimson palace dress opened the curtains and glanced at the disembarkation stairs at the back.
The two Weis who had been accompanying the boat all the way disappeared without a trace.
Miao Zhen frowned and put down the curtains, her brows relaxed.
The rules of survival in the Empress' Palace for many years told her:
Except disaster comes from the mouth.
It's nothing to do, so don't meddle.
…
"The colorful dress of the female officer beside His Majesty? This is not an ordinary palace person... blue, crimson, and purple palace clothes, what color is the dress of the leading female officer?"
In the Longcheng County Yamen, Ouyang Rong stood up after hearing the news, silently searched through the vague memories in his mind, and asked with a frown.
"It seems to be a deep crimson color."
"The seventh grade of light scarf, the sixth grade of deep scarlet, that is the sixth grade female officer! They are higher than me, why did Luoyang send them here?"
Ouyang Rong's eyelids twitched and he had a headache.
Diao County's Prime Minister and other officials looked at each other in astonishment and remained as silent as cicadas.
Ouyang Rong raised his hand and put on his official hat, passed by them, and strode out, frowning:
"Forget it, where are you now? You should have taken the convenient waterway and disembarked at Penglangdu. How far is it from the county government office? Open the main gate and prepare to pick you up."
Ouyang Rong returned to his vigorous and resolute style, but the embarrassed Diao County Prime Minister stammered something that stopped him:
"Ming Mansion... the envoys from Luoyang have just passed by our county government office."
"ah?"
"They ignored the lower officials who went out to greet them and went straight deeper into Luming Street."
Ouyang Rong asked curiously: "Do you know that I live in Meiluyuan? Didn't you tell them that I am on duty at the county government?"
Diao County Prime Minister hesitated to speak: "No...it's not Meiluyuan, Ming Mansion, they seem to have gone to Su Mansion next door to you."
Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment, and then his expression suddenly changed, uncertain.
Diao County Magistrate looked at the young county magistrate who was standing still and seemed to be in a daze, and couldn't help but call out: "What's wrong with you, Mingfu?"
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and murmured: "No way..."
He raised his face to look at Diao County Magistrate and others, and suddenly rushed out of the county government hall without saying a word.
"Mingfu, what's wrong with you? Wait for us..." Diao Xian Cheng and others chased and shouted.
Ouyang Rong did not wait for them. After a while, with his official hat tilted, he hurried to the door of Su Mansion.
At this moment, the main gate of this deep mansion compound, which used to be closed, was wide open.
The strange scene of crowds of people in front of the door but surprisingly silence made Ouyang Rong's eyes twitch.