In winter, the mountains are cold and dry, but the work does not stop. In the early morning, the sound of clappers and the shouts of men, women, old and children can be heard in the mountain villages.
This sound lasted for a long time. When Lei Zhonglian and others came back sweating profusely, Liu'er was already impatient.
"Why does it take so long?" she asked, taking out the food that was hot on the stove fire.
"They say it's like this in winter because the farm work is not busy, so we practice more," Lei Zhonglian said.
Liu'er curled her lips again.
"There's nothing better to practice than wielding a spear and poking here and there like crazy," she said.
Naturally, she had gone to see the lively places, but she found them unattractive and boring, so she stopped going.
"Uncle Lei, you are not as good at shooting guns. Tell Uncle Xia that you can teach them." She said generously.
Lei Zhonglian smiled.
"It is true that each of them is not as good at shooting as I am, but a few of them are better than me," he said.
Liu'er didn't understand and didn't care. He served them food and held the hand stove to keep warm.
"Miss, have you gone up the mountain?" Lei Zhonglian asked.
Liu'er nodded.
"I'll be back soon," she said.
Every day, Miss Jun has the same schedule as Lei Zhonglian and others. They go to train soldiers, while she goes up the mountain to practice archery with Zhao Hanqing, and then takes Zhao Hanqing to identify herbs.
A burst of fragrance spreads in the forest.
"It's ready, it's ready to eat." Miss Jun said, burying the burned branches and leaves in front of her with stones and soil.
Zhao Hanqing squatted on a stone nearby and watched Miss Jun dig out two roots wrapped in dead leaves.
"Is this really edible?" she asked curiously.
Miss Jun peeled off the skin of a piece of rhizome with both hands upside down and breathed in the cool air.
"You'll know after you try it," she said, handing the root of the stem to Zhao Hanqing.
Zhao Hanqing took it doubtfully.
When she was with Miss Jun, she no longer wore a mask. She smelled it with her nose first, then carefully took a bite, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
"It's delicious," said Miss Jun, raising her eyebrows.
Zhao Hanqing had already started eating with big mouthfuls. He nodded vaguely and quickly finished a piece.
"I never knew that this humble grass could have such delicious roots," she said with excitement.
"I didn't know that either," Miss Jun said with a smile.
Zhao Hanqing's expression darkened slightly.
"Did he teach you?" she asked, her eyes a bit jealous.
He naturally refers to Zhao Zhiyi.
"To be precise, he didn't teach me that." Miss Jun said with a smile, "There was no food left. He dug it out to satisfy his hunger. He didn't dig it out specifically for me to play with or to satisfy my hunger."
Satisfy hunger….
Isn't it easy for him? Zhao Hanqing was silent.
Miss Jun broke off half of the stem in her hand and handed it to her, and Zhao Hanqing took it politely and started eating it.
"And he is very stingy." Miss Jun smiled again.
mean?
In the stories told by Uncle Yang and others, that man existed like a god, and gods are not stingy.
Zhao Hanqing looked at Miss Jun.
Miss Jun pointed to the rhizome in her hand.
"I only ate half of it at that time." She said, curling her lips, "Your father refused to give me more food."
"Is it because eating too much is bad?" Zhao Hanqing asked after hesitation.
Miss Jun snorted.
"What? He said he wanted to eat. He is the most important thing. It doesn't matter if my child is hungry." She said.
You actually said that? Aren’t adults supposed to let children go?
He is... really... interesting.
Zhao Hanqing couldn't help but laugh.
"You're still smiling." Miss Jun reached out and pinched Zhao Hanqing's nose.
The dust on her hand left a mark, and Miss Jun laughed.
Zhao Hanqing wiped the ashes on his hands and immediately picked up a handful of ashes from the ground and smeared them on Miss Jun's face.
The clear laughter of girls suddenly sounded in the forest. Yang Jing, who was walking over, looked at the two girls laughing and playing together and couldn't help but laugh too.
"Miss Jun," he called, "a letter from the city."
These days, as the situation is getting worse and worse, all businesses are closed, and Deshengchang is no exception. They have sufficient reserves of rice and grain for the winter, so Miss Jun asked them not to come again, and the news was conveyed by carrier pigeons.
Xia Yong and others were also very familiar with the carrier pigeon, so Miss Jun simply let them accept the delivery without requiring Lei Zhonglian and other guards.
Miss Jun stopped laughing and didn't care about the black marks on her face. She walked over and took the small scroll. After reading a few words, her expression became serious.
"The situation is already so bad." She whispered, exhaled and raised her head again, "Uncle Yang, please make arrangements for me to go to the city."
…………………………………………
A cold wind blew by, causing dead leaves on the ground to fly and circle in front of the city gate.
"I haven't been here for more than a month, how come this city has become like this?" A man stared at the closed city gate and said in surprise.
"Haven't the Jin people attacked here yet? Why does it look like an empty city?" Lei Zhonglian also said.
I remember the bustling and bustling people coming and going when they came here for vaccination. The difference between it and now is really huge.
"The situation is indeed very bad." Miss Jun said on her horse, looking at the soldiers waiting at the city gate, "Call the door."
Miss Jun's name is very useful. When she heard this name, the city gate opened immediately, and the prefect Zhou who entered the city and heard the news also rushed over.
"My Miss Jun, why haven't you left yet?" He said in surprise, with a look of uneasiness on his face, "How come you are still here with us after how long has it been?"
Miss Jun comforted him and asked how the war was going now.
The government will never tell the people the true situation of the war, and Miss Chang Jun is no exception, and they will not even tell her.
If she raised her arms and told everyone to run away, Qingyuan Mansion would be in chaos.
Magistrate Zhou laughed.
"Of course it's no problem." He said, "Young Master Cheng is here, don't worry, Miss."
We didn’t talk much about anything else, and Miss Jun didn’t ask any more questions.
"Yes, it's no problem for Duke Youcheng to be here." She nodded and said.
"There is indeed no problem if Duke Youcheng is here."
When we arrived at Deshengchang, the shopkeeper also said the same thing, but his expression was gloomy.
"But the biggest question now is whether Duke Cheng Guo can be here."
At the same time, he took out the more detailed letter he was about to send.
These letters are from Fang Jinxiu in the capital and Fang Chengyu in Yangcheng. After reading these letters, what happened in the capital and the disputes in the court will be clear to Miss Jun.
"Mr. Cheng Guo will not leave." Miss Jun said, "If leaving means falling into the Jin man's conspiracy, and some people in the court are frightened and confused, Duke Cheng Guo will not be confused."
After saying this, there was another moment of silence.
I'm afraid that the people in the court are not confused by being frightened, but deliberately pretending to be confused.
And Zhu Zan, he really had a wolf in front of him and a tiger in back this time. It was more difficult than going to Beijing before.
"Tell all the virtues in the north to help you if you meet the prince of Chengguo," she said.
So, this is to convey an order? Do your best to help. These words are also very familiar. They are exactly what Master Fang ordered to De Shengchang everywhere.
This means that the crown prince Cheng Guo enjoys the same treatment as Miss Jun.
Deshengchang's shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, but he remembered Master Fang's instructions.
"Miss Jun's words are my words. You can do whatever she says."
In every correspondence, this sentence was always written on the front page, almost becoming De Shengchang's creed.
"Yes." The shopkeeper bowed and responded.
Because she had to rush back overnight, Miss Jun stopped staying.
"The Northland is too chaotic and unsafe now. Please ask the prefect to send soldiers to escort you." The shopkeeper looked at the men standing in the yard.
Except for Lei Zhonglian and two or three other people, the others were all villagers with rustic looks and dull expressions.
Why don't you bring your own guards? These people are not reliable.
"No, they are enough." Miss Jun said.
Listening to Miss Jun's words and not causing any trouble, the shopkeeper had no choice but to bow and comply. He also prepared a few bags of rice for them and put them on his horse, watching them leave.
………………………………
As twilight fell on the mountain road, not even a ghost could be seen. Thinking of the deserted and desolate villages she saw along the way, Miss Jun felt very heavy.
The prosperity and stability that took ten years to build were destroyed in one day, and it would take many years to recover.
Suddenly, a faint sound of footsteps reached her ears. Miss Jun suddenly sat up straight on her horse, and Yang Jing, who was walking in front, also stretched out his hand.
The marching team suddenly stopped.
"Ha! I actually met a big fat sheep!"
Strange screams came from the roadside, and at the same time, seven or eight men jumped out of the woods, holding knives and axes in their hands, looking ferocious and excited.
As expected, there are many bandits in troubled times. Miss Jun looked at these people and sighed.
"Kill them," she said.
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I feel a little unwell and my mood is very bad. I'm going to take a weekend off. I'll give you an update. I'm sorry. I'll forgive you.
Thanks to ?Last Shot?, Zunronghui, 11 pages of well-known rewards and jade, thank you for your continued love.
I wish everyone a happy weekend. (To be continued)