After the Little New Year, every household cleaned the courtyard and put up new New Year pictures and window grilles. When the lanterns first came on, carriages passed through the streets, and occasionally the sound of firecrackers was heard. Tan'er opened the curtains and watched the carriages pass among the pedestrians on the street.
Shortly after passing the Dashihuo Street, you will reach Yanheli.
The snow has been swept straight to both sides of the street. There are not many pedestrians on the road. There are mostly green-walled courtyards on both sides. Lanterns are hung next to the open or closed gates, and stone lions are erected. Some of these courtyards are lively.
Some of them were deserted, and you couldn't even see what was inside. There were couplets posted on both sides of the door. The one close to your home had the words "National Grace and Family Celebration, May Life Be Prosperous." When the carriage passed by, people were noisily beating people inside.
came out, accompanied by the sound of a woman crying.
On the other side of the Ning Mansion, there were a few figures peeping out to see the excitement here. After the carriage drove by, Chan'er and Su Yanping trotted over, and Tan'er also took a look and saw that they were a large and a small one.
The two women were thrown out of the gate, and the older one was beaten with blood on her head.
"I heard that the fourth concubine of that family was not very good, stole money from the family, and was not filial to her parents-in-law, so she was beaten..." Xiao Chan leaned close to Tan'er and whispered, "It is also said that the fourth concubine was related to the family.
The servant had an affair, and her husband didn't want to put her in a pig cage or sue the government, but just drove them away..."
Among high-ranking families, sometimes such things happen, and there is no need for too detailed a reason. It is difficult to say whether the information is true or false. Tan'er shook his head and looked at the mother kneeling with her daughter on the street over there.
They were crying and kowtowing on the ground, but someone threw the small bundle out. Under the light of the door, a man stood there, looking at all this with an indifferent expression. He turned around and went in. After the servants closed the door, the woman cried and threw herself at her.
door.
"Where can one go during the Chinese New Year..."
Sighing, Tan'er, Xiaochan and others went in through the door. Su Yanping, who was keen on gossip, was still lying on the door and watching. After being stared at by Tan'er for a while, he raised his hand and followed in - there are many things going on in this family right now.
They all have Ning Yi's imprint on them, tilting their heads, shrugging their shoulders, snapping their fingers, etc., including some of Ning Yi's nervousness when facing enemies, and a bunch of guys took it as a trend and learned from it.
Of course, the only thing that can be used for ridicule is that the second brother-in-law doesn't seem to know how to pick up girls. Similar rumors occasionally reach Tan'er's ears. When I asked them, no one dared to tell them. In fact, they didn't
Tan'er probably also understood that he had a lot to do with Nie Yunzhu.
Entering the entrance is the main courtyard for receiving guests. There is a large lounge next to the main hall. Many of the decorations inside are made by Ning Yi. There are various interesting chairs, carpets, and furs. There is a fire in the winter, which is quite warm.
At the place where the family rested and gathered at night, Wen Fang and Wen Ding were already inside, chatting lively about things in the courtyard outside the city, some interesting but useless new gadgets, or how to use new gadgets.
An idea to make money.
Under Ning Yi's hands, the family did not have the same estrangement as that of a wealthy family, or it was not yet time for estrangement to occur. Every time she saw a group of brothers living in harmony, Tan'er sincerely hoped that this scene could last forever.
longer.
She was the mistress, but she was also a woman after all. She came over to say hello, left two snacks, and went back. Not long after, Ning Yi also came back from the Prime Minister's Mansion, carrying some intelligence files, and was talking to the little girl when she returned to the room.
Chan said: "On the way back, I saw a woman at the door of the house next door with her child crying desperately and banging on the door. It was so miserable..."
"She was the fourth concubine of the owner of the house. I heard that she was no longer lovable when she got old, so she was kicked out..." The gossip in Xiao Chan's mouth changed again, "This is how Xiao Chan will be kicked out in the future.
."
"You have wronged me. The most I can do is give your butt a swollen..."
"Well, uncle, you will take the lead when the time comes..."
Tan'er smiled and watched the two people coming in at the door. Soon after, Ning Yi put down the intelligence files he brought back. The family talked and chatted. After dinner, they went outside to gather with Su Wending and others for a while, and then went out for a walk.
When I looked, the concubine and the child who had been kicked out of the house next door were gone. On such a snowy day, I don't know where they went.
The days can pass slowly, and the emotional problems can be suppressed in the bottom of my heart. In fact, there are many serious matters around Ning Yi. For example, the situation in the country and the Northland. Occasionally, he will take a look through these files. Tan'er is.
She can understand what he wants to do. Although she is a woman, she can still understand Ning Yi's worries many times. Regarding the current decline of the Liao Kingdom and the specific situation at home and abroad, Ning Yi did not pay much attention to it.
It was just a matter of collecting and sorting out the attitude of the Kingdom of Jin from the cracks of some intelligence.
"In fact, from the intelligence collected on the Jin Kingdom in the past two years, it can be seen that these Jurchens are actually in awe of the Wu Dynasty. When they joined forces to conquer the Liao Dynasty, Wanyan Xiyin actually came in person. I inquired about him
According to the information, this person is very powerful, both civil and military, and he is considered a pro-Wu Dynasty faction. However, in the past year or so, some of his words and deeds have made him a little disappointed with Wu Dynasty... The fight is too ugly. As for the
Comparing the changes in attitude towards Wu Dynasty in the past two years by people like Wanyan Zongbi and Wanyan Zongqian, it is actually very scary. It is a pity that the Secret Investigation Department did not collect much of these things..."
While flipping through various intelligence about the Northland from the Secret Investigation Department, Ning Yi summarized many details that others did not care about and copied them with a pen. Tan'er would also join in the conversation in a low voice.
"Will it be useful if you copy these things?"
"It is actually not easy to prepare the superiors to be wary of the Jin Kingdom. The reason for joining forces with the Jin Kingdom to attack the Liao Dynasty is, on the one hand, because there are few people in the Jin Kingdom, so they are sure that they will not attack the Wu Dynasty. Secondly, the people of the Jin Kingdom are relatively friendly and want to take back the Yan Dynasty.
After Yun Liuzhou, we have been promoting the idea that we are a brotherly nation for a long time. If the Jin Kingdom really wants to attack the lower areas, many people will have to bear the blame."
"Because you have to take the blame, so you have to be prepared first, right?"
"The problem is that no one wants to say unlucky words. The Liao Kingdom is still fighting, and the Jin Kingdom is still righteous. Some people stand up and say that the Jin people will probably continue to attack our Wu Dynasty. Even if it is possible, it will make the people below panic.
I can only talk to Qin Siyuan about these things... In fact, it is not that no one in the Secret Investigation Department is worried about this. Look at the intelligence I copied down. When talking about the attitudes of people like Yan Zongbi, the handwriting is mostly the same. It seems
She is still a woman... Although I don’t know who the Liaodong First Division of the Secret Investigation Department is, I am afraid they are the ones who know the Jurchens’ temperament best..."
"Woman?" Tan'er became interested and took the information to read. Ning Yi shook his head.
"In today's world, men are better off, but if it's a woman... I've seen the days when these pieces of information were sent, and after some calculations, this person should be in the top ranks of the Jurchens, and he's probably already someone's slave or concubine.
It’s something like that. It’s not easy for a woman from the Southern Dynasty to be willing to do these things..."
Ning Yi shook his head and continued to record: "This information is actually not systematic. It is meaningless to make a threat report. I just want to analyze the personality of each Jurchen high-level person. It may be useful in the future, and I can use some tricks or something...
...Hehe, I always say that those people only know small tricks and cannot fight head-on. But when it comes to myself, it’s actually about the same."
"You just said you were here to help. This is not your problem alone...and there are really few people in the Jin Kingdom. Maybe they won't be beaten down." Tan'er comforted.
Ning Yi nodded and smiled: "Yes, it's the same old habit..."
In the warm room with the lights on, the couple chatted in an urgent yet casual atmosphere. The child had been taken away by the wet nurse. As the night got deeper, the couple blew out the lamp and went to bed. Their bodies blended together in the warm quilt.
Together. Soon after, Ning Yi got off the bed, went to the hot water burning in the coal stove, soaked a towel and wiped Tan'er's body. Tan'er always felt a little shy about this kind of thing, and usually turned off the lights when the couple was intimate.
In the years when she closed her eyes and went about her routine, at least this kind of service to women was not what men should do, and it seemed a bit obscene. But after the weather got colder, Ning Yi no longer allowed her to get out of bed.
Here, many illnesses are actually equivalent to waiting for death.
In the early morning of the next day, Ning Yi would get up, or participate in morning exercises, or light candles and deal with unfinished work in the room. Tan'er poked her little head out of the bed and looked at him.
In the early morning of that day, Ning Yi frowned slightly when he saw a piece of information. It was news about several rebel forces in the surrounding area after the Liao Kingdom's chaos, except for the Jurchens. Among the Mongolian tribes, there was a force that rose up in the northwest grasslands.
One of the rapidly developing forces. Of course, compared to the speed of the Jin people, this force was only swept away by intelligence.
Begging Department...Have you heard this name somewhere...
Ning Yi recalled it, but couldn't find a suitable answer from the clues in his mind. He put this simple message aside without making a record.
At the same moment, in the snowstorm in the north, a group of dozens of riders were about to set off south. The leader, Pharmacist Guo, drank a bowl of wine and said goodbye to several generals of the Victory Army in front: "I am going south this time.
, I am going to see the current Holy One! Brothers, when I come back, I will treat you all to a rich and noble experience!"
"It's such a heavy snowstorm, brother..."
"Haha, I'm waiting for the men from Liaodong. It's windy and snowy. It will be warm after crossing Yanmen Pass!" Guo Pharmacist said the same thing. After a while, he asked the horse to lean over again and patted the general's shoulder. "The ever-victorious army will
It's up to you. Remember what I said. When the snow is less, we will go to capture Ding. I see clearly. Now we no longer care who will starve to death. The soldiers of the Wu Dynasty will not be defeated. We must have someone on hand. We must
You have to be able to fight by yourself. If you have people, you will have money, food, and wealth. If you don't have people, you can rely on a few armies of the Wu Dynasty. They are just scheming and trying to escape first, so they can't fight. You remember clearly... I'll leave first.
It’s—”
After turning the horse's head, Guo Yaoshi led the people and gradually disappeared into the southward wind and snow, passing through Yanmen Pass and heading south to Bianliang.
Soon after, the New Year's Eve fireworks rose in the capital, and Yunzhu's body finally recovered completely. One day after New Year's Eve, she invited Ning Yi to have dinner with a letter. Over the past few months, the relationship between the two
Most of the information can be conveyed by word of mouth, but this time it was different. She said in the letter that she wanted to go home.
I want to go back... and take a walk around the hometown where my parents once lived...