Prince Jin'an covered him with a quilt and stood up.
"Your Highness, you should also take a rest." The chamberlain standing in the dark corner whispered.
"No, I'll just take a walk." Prince Jin'an said.
I have to take a walk again. I wonder when the prince got into this habit.
The chamberlain quickly picked up the cloak and put it on Prince Jin'an, opened the door and followed the young man out.
In order not to disturb others, King Jin'an insisted on choosing this remote palace for King Qing. The so-called walk was not to go to the imperial garden or other places for fun, but to walk around this palace.
It has become commonplace to see the servants standing around, letting the young man walk in circles in front of him, seemingly endlessly.
When the morning light was bright, the street door opened, and Cheng Jiaoniang stepped out, followed by Banqin and two little girls carrying baskets of fishing rods.
"There are no fish in the river here." The neighbor in front of the door couldn't help but remind him, "If you want to go fishing, it's best to go out of the city."
Cheng Jiaoniang looked at him, smiled and said thank you.
After walking only a few steps, Cheng Ping suddenly jumped out.
Manager Cao and Banqin were startled.
"I've thought about it and I still want to make it clear to you," Cheng Ping said.
Ever since they met on the street that day, Cheng Jiaoniang didn't look for Cheng Ping again, and Cheng Ping didn't come over on purpose. It was as if what happened that day had never happened.
Cheng Jiaoniang bowed and saluted.
"Please tell me," she said.
"It's better that you become stronger. No one else is of use, only you are the only one. You can only survive your crisis by yourself." Cheng Ping said.
As soon as these words came out, both Guanshi Cao and Banqin widened their eyes.
"You bastard!" Manager Cao shouted, reaching out to grab him.
After Cheng Ping said this, he turned around and ran away. Manager Cao chased him for a few steps but failed to catch up.
"A gentleman never speaks against his will."
Cheng Ping's voice came from a distance.
Manager Cao was so angry that he was fuming.
What a damn weird temperament. He won’t let go of any big things. It’s a shame he has the surname Cheng...
This thought crossed his mind and he coughed twice.
It’s not that he dislikes his wife’s weirdness.
What's the use of me getting stronger? The Cheng family has nothing to do with her anymore.
"Let's go."
Cheng Jiaoniang stood up and walked forward in silence for a moment.
It was still a bit chilly on the riverbank in early spring, so Banqin placed a wooden bench and Cheng Jiaoniang sat down. Sure enough, she threw the straight hook into the river and it stopped moving.
This action attracted curious looks from people on the street.
"Since when have there been fish in this river?" Some people looked into the river curiously.
"There are never any fish in this river. That's the fool from the Cheng family." Someone familiar with the situation crossed his arms and said, "Does the fool care whether there are any fish when he is fishing?"
These words attracted others to gather around.
The fact that the Cheng family was a fool has spread throughout Jiangzhou Prefecture along with the Cheng family being involved in a lawsuit.
This fool sued his uncle to fight for his mother's dowry.
It is true that only a fool can do such an appalling thing, and what is even more appalling is that the fool actually sued and won.
This fool is not ordinary. Although the people do not know about it, this does not prevent the people's wisdom from making their own judgments.
Manager Cao looked at the woman sitting as tall as a pine tree by the river, winked at a few followers, and they walked aside.
"What happened in the past year or so?" Manager Cao asked.
Several followers looked at each other.
"Nothing happened," they said in unison.
Before they finished speaking, Manager Cao raised his hand and hit them three times on the head.
"It's time to get ahead!" He shouted in a low voice with eyes wide open, "You're still hiding it from me!"
Several followers laughed.
"It's not about hiding things, it's just normal most of the time and nothing happens," they said.
Manager Cao snorted.
"Tell me, what happened during those few moments," he said.
Several followers looked at each other again and moved forward hesitantly.
"There is a period, it seems, after the lady found a big lake..." one whispered, asking another person.
"Yes, after finding a big lake." The man affirmed.
"Then my wife's mood suddenly changed..." the person from before continued.
"But it's not wrong. I just sat facing the lake for several days." Another person said, "My wife has done this before."
"But I didn't become violent after doing this before..." the man retorted.
tyrannical!
Manager Cao reached out and grabbed his arm.
"What tyranny?" he asked.
Several followers looked at each other and moved towards Manager Cao again.
"Master Cao, do you know that there was a time when we were almost scared to death in Liangzhou?" they whispered.
In the carriage shed in the backyard, the carriage that had been brought back from Liangzhou was placed intact. Two attendants stepped forward and lifted the cloth cover. Manager Cao frowned. The cloth cover for the carriage that was not in use was nothing.
It’s a strange thing, but it’s really strange that the car is tied up with ropes...
The two attendants quickly untied the rope and then opened the car door. Manager Cao couldn't help but widen his eyes as he looked over.
"This is..." He stretched out his hand and shouted in astonishment, but in the middle of his words, his two followers covered his mouth tightly and silenced him.
"Master Cao, keep it down!" they shouted in a low voice.
Manager Cao stretched out his hand to push them away, walked quickly to the car, and looked at a strange hard crossbow inside.
The generals of the Zhou family are naturally no strangers to weapons, but this crossbow is a little different from the crossbows they have seen before.
The iron is the head of the gun, the copper is the horse hair, the hemp rope is tied with silk as the string, the bow body is three feet long and has two inches, and the string is two feet long and is five inches long. [Note 1]
Although I haven't used it yet, as soon as anyone who knows the goods sees it, they will say "good bow" in their hearts.
Manager Cao reached out to pick it up, but his body couldn't help but fall.
"There must be four stones here!" he said in surprise. As he said this, he was about to try to string the bow, but his entourage stopped him.
"Master Cao, use this like this." He said, taking it and stepping on the iron ring.
Manager Cao watched the follower string the crossbow easily. He was not worried about the strenuous effort required to string the crossbow and the fear of damaging the crossbow.
So that's why this hard crossbow can be more powerful.
With a buzzing sound, the arrow flew out instantly, and with a pop, it pierced a tree trunk in front of it, almost piercing it.
Manager Cao's eyes widened again.
"We tried it with iron armor." A follower whispered in his ear, "More than three hundred and forty steps, half of the elm wood was penetrated, and seventy steps away, the iron armor was pierced."
Manager Cao took a deep breath.
Divine weapon!
"Mother, did she do this?" he asked tremblingly.
The attendant nodded.
"Do, what do you want to do this?" Manager Cao asked in a trembling voice.
In the past, it was okay to play with a bow and arrow in hand. After all, the six skills of a gentleman are not an exaggeration. But if the bow and arrow are replaced by this kind of hard crossbow, it will not be considered a gentleman.
The followers looked at each other.
"Kill." One whispered.
Manager Cao shook his body with the crossbow in his hand, "Okay, kill someone. Killing someone is not unusual for this lady, but what kind of person is worthy of using such a magical weapon to deal with him?"
Should I kill one person or a group of people?
"...Later, the lady started walking around Liangzhou, and she had murderous intentions several times." The attendant said in a low voice, "She really had murderous intentions, and she met people who met by chance, old and young..."
Thinking of the situation at that time, they were really frightened.
They were not afraid of killing, but when faced with these strangers, old, young, women, and children who even greeted them with smiles, they really couldn't do anything. This was indiscriminate killing.
"My wife is definitely not that kind of person." Manager Cao shook his head decisively and said.
She abides by the rules and does not bully the weak. That time when she was surrounded by servants in the Cheng family, she did not allow them to fight. She insulted her status by following the servants. This is both a kind of pride and a kind of compassion.
She is definitely not someone who kills passers-by for no reason.
"Yes, my wife was fine after that." The entourage nodded and said with some lingering fear, "Then she came back day and night, and you know what happened next, Mr. Cao."
After entering the city, I saw Cheng Ping on the street, crying and begging...
Manager Cao nodded and looked at the crossbow in his hand. The more he looked at it, the more frightened he became.
If it really has the range and strength that these followers said, and this magical weapon is given to the imperial court, it must be a great achievement!
"Master Cao, I asked you to put this away," the attendant said.
Manager Cao quickly regained his composure.
"Don't keep this kind of thing in the car." He said, "Put it in the secret vault underground."
After packing up his bow and mood, Manager Cao walked out and saw Cheng Jiaoniang still sitting by the river fishing, as if she were an old monk in trance, and he couldn't help but frown.
This won't work. Everything is dispensable to her. Manager Cao even thought that even if she was sick and dying, she wouldn't have any emotional reaction. How could it be good for someone like her to wither away at such a young age?
People should have some pursuits in life.
Even if he is like that obscure Cheng Ping, he still has a pursuit of earning enough money.
In April of the second year of Yonghe, three horses galloped past on the streets of Longgu City and stopped in front of a residence.
The residences are simple but clean. They are dressed in red and green at this moment, obviously because they have just celebrated a happy event.
"Fourth brother! You came too late. You are punished by drinking. You are punished by drinking." Xu Bangchui shouted, holding a wine bottle in his hand and spitting the smell of alcohol from his mouth.
"Brother, I went out and missed your big day..." Xu Sigen said to Fan Jianglin who came out, kowtowing.
Fan Jianglin smiled and held on.
"You have official duties," he said.
"Yes, yes, now the fourth brother is an officer and we are soldiers." Xu Bangchui shouted.
Xu Maoxiu gave him a slap in the face.
"Your wife is looking for you with her child in her arms, and she is acting like a fool here." He said, "It's not easy to be an official, so why don't you raise horses?"
"Then I'd rather be a soldier." Xu Bangchui rubbed his head and grinned, then turned around obediently and went in.
The brothers looked at each other and laughed.
Entering the door, seven brothers were sitting together, and there was one more. Xu Bangchui was holding a several-month-old boy in his arms, while women came in and out to put out food and drinks.
"It's been almost two years in the blink of an eye." Xu Sigen said, looking at the brothers in front of him, "My son Bangchui is already so old, and my eldest brother is also married..."
"Yes, you are the only ones left, why don't you start a family soon?" Fan Jianglin said after taking the words, while reaching out and nodding at the other people.
"We are waiting to start a business." Xu Maoxiu said with a smile, raising the wine bowl, "Come on, Fourth Brother, have a taste of this wine."
"Yes, yes, how does this wine compare to the official one?" Xu Bangchui said without forgetting.
"My sister sent this from Jiangzhou Prefecture?" Xu Sigen said. He picked it up and took a sip, praising it repeatedly.
"Don't praise me yet, what do you think my sister will say?" a brother said with a smile.
"What else can I say? I must think this wine is not good, so let's eat it without force." Xu Sigen said with a smile.
The room laughed again.
The women outside the house couldn't help but look over.
"Brothers are still having fun together," a woman said.
"It's even more lively when I talk about my sister." Another woman who was clearly dressed as a bride said.
The woman who had previously reached out to hold her hand, looked at the gold bracelet on her wrist, and showed the one on her own hand.
"I don't know how long it will take to get seven of them together," she said with a smile.
"I don't know what kind of person my sister is." The bride said with a bit of shyness, "I don't know what to say in return. Dalang said that my sister lacked everything, so I made a pair of shoes. I don't know if she dislikes it.
.”
"How come? Let me take a look at your embroidery work."
The women gathered in another room, watching the embroidery work and exchanging skills, while listening to the men drinking and laughing from the other room.
But soon a rapid banging sound came from the street, breaking the tranquility.
"What happened?"
Everyone came out and asked.
"What could happen? The Western thief is here to give me a reward again." Xu Bangchui laughed and threw his son to his wife, "After this time, we can also become full-fledged generals!"
************************************* *****
Note 1: The Divine Arm Bow of the Song Dynasty, "Song History. Military Chronicles" and "Rong Zhai's Three Brushstrokes", Volume 16, "The Divine Arm Bow".
Come on, you have the votes to vote. If you don’t want to give them anymore in the future, just give them to me today. (To be continued)
