The carved pillars and painted roof rafters, the red cinnabar porches and kumala bridges, the red canals and green liu trees, are all as beautiful as paintings. A young woman was leaning at the mouth of a beautifully decorated window while teasing a parrot, but the entire room was dead silent. He teased the parrot, and the parrot teased him, they were both in a cage, keeping each other company.
In this multi-layered imperial palace, behind the curtain of pearls, contained who knows how many tears, even the blood of young girls? Compared with the imperial concubines of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu empresses were still happier, at least if they were lonely, they could still ride a horse and ride under the blue sky and white clouds, but the women here could only sit quietly behind the layered walls. this layer.
Princess Pingyang followed my gaze and said blandly, "Women who can joke with parrots are quite good, despite your previous actions......but you are really smart, you are much luckier than them." I immediately focused my eyes on the road we were taking, "I don't dare accept gongzhu's praise." But in my heart I was busy guessing the princess's unfinished words.
In the blink of an eye, when we were just about to enter, Princess Pingyang turned and glanced at me, I nodded, signaling that I would be careful. Li Yan sat upright on the bench, when he saw the princess he smiled, after bowing to each other, they both sat down.
Li Yan looked at me who was still standing behind the curtain, he waved his hand at a female servant, the servant then opened the curtain and invited me in. Lowering my head I stepped in with small steps, then carefully prostrated myself, Li Yan bowed indifferently, told me to rise, then ordered the maidservant to step back, so that he and the princess could talk quietly.
Smiling, Li Yan and the princess chatted, then the princess said to Li Yan, "I still want to meet the empress, after I go send someone to accompany Jin Yu." Li Yan immediately got up and saw him off, "I've troubled you."
After the princess left, Li Yan waved and asked me to sit by his side, then asked in a whisper, "Why do you insist on meeting me alone? Do you feel that the money I gave you is not enough?" I bowed and said, "Money is in abundance, but of course I won't complain if I'm given more money."
Li Yan tapped my forehead, then shook his head without saying anything. I looked at her carefully, even though she lived in the Back Palace, her clothes were still simple and elegant, only a little embroidery, but the embroidery was of the highest quality, luxury mixed with simplicity and created a style unlike any other. Maybe she has been married, her elegant face looks more beautiful, but her body is still weak and fragile, but this actually makes her more charming, makes people fall in love more, and can.......
................
Li Yan saw that I was looking at him without blinking, suddenly his face turned red, "What do you want to see?" I smiled, "Actually I didn't want to see anything, but you reminded me of something I wanted to see." Li Yan stroked his own cheek and said, "You must have read those books, really shameless, shameless!"
Her eyes shifted from side to side, she seemed to be both excited and embarrassed, her cherry red lips were half in a sneer, annoyed and annoyed, truly charming, for a moment I was stunned looking at her, then nodded with a sigh, "Truly a beautiful woman who can bring down country, the emperor has truly obtained a treasure, if he is upset he will be able to smile because of you." Li Yan's expression changed to normal, smiling and saying, "What do you need?"
Smiling, I took out a silk handkerchief from my breast pocket and gave it to her. Li Yan accepted it, looked at it, then asked, "What do you mean? I used to embroider the letter 'li' for fun, but then this handkerchief disappeared. Don't worry, you took it and now using it to blackmail me?”
"I burned the old handkerchief. If I had known it would be like this, so that I would have to ask someone to embroider a new handkerchief, I would have kept it." Li Yan looked at me without saying anything, waiting for me to continue, I felt a little hesitant, but quickly made up my mind and said softly, "Third Master Li picked up the old handkerchief, he was looking for the owner, to avoid trouble, I burned the handkerchief. ".
Li Yan asked, "Li Gan?"
I asked back, "Who else in Chang'an dares to be called Third Master Li?"
"If you've already burned it, why bring it here now?"
I nonchalantly said, "You can still burn it."
Li Yan looked at me sharply, without saying anything, he folded and put away the handkerchief, the two of us sat in a thousand words of silence, then suddenly he said, "Did you know that it rained hail in Xiyu this spring?"
He nodded, "I heard more or less about it, many Xiyu dancing girls suddenly flooded into Chang'an to survive, money to watch a ballet performance in Chang'an can buy their virginity."
Li Yan smiled charmingly, but his voice was cold as ice, "Prices in entertainment houses will definitely fall too, and they will fight price wars, the price of humans in the midst of chaos is as cheap as the price of dogs! Natural disasters can still be faced, but war is worse from natural disasters! Even though they have 'abudan', they are forced to become 'abudalei'".
I said, "The situation is not at all what you think, all my entertainment houses are not allowed to lower their prices, other entertainment houses are not strong enough to influence the market price." Li Yan looked at me and nodded, "You give them a way to survive".
I smiled, "Reducing prices doesn't necessarily mean big profits. It's easy to lower prices now, but in the future it will be difficult to raise them. Why use that method?" Li Yan smiled and said, "Your temper is strange, others want to praise yourself, but you try to hide your good deeds because you are worried that people will think you are a good person."
I indifferently said "You and I are not the same, even though I grew up in Xiyu but I don't have any feelings for Xiyu, and also have absolutely no intention of helping Xiyu, everything I do is solely for the entertainment house business" .
Li Yan sighed, "Although I really want you to be like me but I can't force you. As long as you don't oppose me, I'm already very happy. Boss, how have you been doing lately?"
Smiling, I saluted her, "Thanks to you, madam, my efforts are quite good."
"My first brother is okay?" The smile on Li Yan's face dimmed.
"You should be able to visit Li Shifu sometimes, right?"
"I was able to meet him, the emperor often summoned elder brother to play the qin, I also sometimes danced to the qin accompaniment, but I never had the chance to talk to him, and I was also a little afraid to talk to elder brother".
I took a snack from the table and put it in my mouth while thinking, "Your second brother is now very familiar with the gang of Chang'an young masters. In fact, he wanted to move house, but Li Master didn't agree."
Li Yan's face looked helpless, "Second brother was very spoiled by his father and mother since he was young. He often acted recklessly. Now he is with those young masters who like to have fun every day, always being licked by people, sooner or later there will be trouble. First brother is too gentle, and also always obeys our wishes, second brother must pretend to listen to him, but in his heart he's not afraid of him, I see second brother is a bit reluctant to you, after coming home help me advise him."
I frowned, then helplessly said, "Since niangniang has said so, I can only comply." Li Yan angrily said, "You don't act like that in front of me, if second brother gets in trouble, it won't be good for you either." I couldn't help but nod, Li Yan continued, "Other than that there's elder brother and Fang Ru"
I, who was sitting on the bench, jumped up and said, "Li Niangniang, do you plan to hire me as a nanny for your two brothers? I have to take care of this matter, I also have to take care of that matter, I think the princess should leave the palace, I'll go first". After I finished talking I didn't dare let him talk any longer and quickly walked out. From behind me Li Yan cursed, “Jin Yu stinks! Take a look, how many songs Eldest Brother has composed for your entertainment house, you should take care of it!”
When my head just popped out of the room, I immediately jumped back, Li Yan immediately got up, I smiled bitterly, "Isn't my fate very good? There are people who have lived in the palace for many years but have never met the emperor face to face, but when they first entered palace, I can immediately see the face of the Son of Heaven."
Li Yan asked, "How far still?"
I said, "Still far away, I can only see a tall man walking shoulder to shoulder with the princess, not even his face can be seen clearly. If the emperor comes here with the princess, should I hide?"
Smiling triumphantly, Li Yan said, “Then come join me to greet His Highness! The princess will definitely praise you to the core.”
Xiao Qian landed on the windowsill, while unraveling the silk cloth tied at her feet, I said, "Seeing your clumsy attitude, the two of you should lose weight, if you gain any more weight, you will become emaciated chickens roaming around."
I read the letter in the light of the window lantern.
'Abudan is a word used by the Loulan people to praise the beauty of their homeland, its meaning is similar to the words 'beautiful and fertile land' in Han, but contains more love for the motherland. Abudalei in the Loulan language means a beggar, a person who has no place to live. Where did you hear those Loulan phrases from? Presumably among the dancing girls you just hired there's a Loulan girl. Don't give Xiao Tao and Xiao Qian chicken egg yolks anymore, if they get fatter, they don't deserve to be called pigeons anymore."
I snorted and laughed, apparently people who are too ugly can't be called humans, and pigeons that are too ugly can't be called pigeons anymore. After putting away the piece of cloth, I took out a silk handkerchief, then while leaning on the windowsill, I was stunned for a moment and raised the pen and wrote:
'Now I'm leaning on the windowsill talking to you, what are you doing? I guessed you were reading a book quietly under the light of the lantern. As soon as I looked up I could see the sparkling stars in the sky, coincidentally Yuanyang Teng behind the window was blooming, its white color was bright like jade stone, its yellow color was brilliant like gold, its fragrance was fragrant in the silence, when I slept at night I could smell it . I have picked a lot of flowers, put them in a bamboo basket and dried them out in the sun, that way, after the summer is over and the flowers fall, I will still be able to see the flowers, if given hot water, I will be able to see a pair of mandarin ducks dancing together. Today I went to the palace, at first I had made a decision after considering it carefully, but as soon as the words came out of my mouth I was still hesitant. The Li family since the time of Han Gaozu has held important positions in the palace, already had famous generals such as Li Zuoche, and now has the Duke of Anle Li Cai and the Flying General Li Guang, they have served several emperors and their influence in the palace has run deep , even in the armed forces there were many sons and grandsons of the Li family, compared to Wei Qing who was born among the common people and rose to fame thanks to his relationship with the princess, the civil officials in the palace admired the Li family's attitude much more. How could Li Yan let go of the opportunity to ally with a family that could help him fight against the Wei Family? It seems that I have given power to Li Yan, Li Gan's blind love will ultimately only become Li Yan's weapon in this battle, but I don't care too much about it, I just hope that I have helped you, as long as you are happy, and can stop the Great Han from using violence on the country -Xiyu country, will the wrinkles on your forehead disappear? Maybe your heart will be truly free, and you can do what you want to do, no longer forcing yourself..."
While holding the writing brush I looked at Yuanyang Teng in silence, when I saw the flower among its vines I smiled, turned around and put down the writing brush, carefully folded the silk cloth which was full of writing, opened the locked bamboo box, then carefully carefully put the cloth in it, besides that I also checked to see whether the camphor leaves still smelled strong enough.
……………….
'The days passed so quickly, in the blink of an eye the summer was over, the flowers that filled the bars became increasingly sparse, now there was no white color, only a few wilted golden flowers remained. Today I suddenly felt that Yuanyang Teng was very similar to a pair of lovers in this mortal world, a pair of lovers who at first had to face many waves, but ultimately found happiness. One of the flowers bloomed first, and he waited for the other flower to bloom, weren't they like lovers who had never met? When the other flower bloomed, it had turned golden yellow, at that time they met, one white and the other gold, white and gold contrasting with each other, together dancing on a branch. The days passed like water, they grew old together, both of them turned yellow, just like human life fades. Finally, one of the flowers left first, while the other flower was left on the branch, but the remaining flower still bloomed with all its might and splendor, because you only live once, you can't disappoint people. Apart from that, the blooming of the flower reminds people who see it of another beautiful flower that has fallen, when that flower waves in the wind, I imagine that in the midst of the wind, somewhere I can't see, that other flower must be are waiting for him quietly……”
––––––––
'Autumn has arrived, it is drizzling incessantly, for no apparent reason, I feel lazy and gloomy, and often daydream. I heard the daughter say that Li Yan was worried because she wasn't pregnant yet. Her worries weren't just the worries of a woman who couldn't become a mother. If she didn't have a child, her plans wouldn't be able to be implemented. The position of crown prince is currently still vacant, if he can give birth to a son, he will be able to seize the position from the emperor's son from the empress. It seemed that no matter how much the emperor loved a woman, in the end he could only truly rely on his son.
When I saw Li Yan, I was amazed and horrified at this woman, how deep is the hatred and love that can make a woman risk her own life and the life of her child in a life and death battle? I asked myself, I can't do such a thing after all. If I had a child, I would absolutely not let him get involved in the fight as soon as he was born, even though I could do like A Die before, teach me political tactics, but I want him to grow up happy and safe, while political tactics are only to protect just his own happiness.
My face feels a little hot, I'm not married yet, but already thinking about the problem of children. I asked myself, what if I couldn't have children for the rest of my life? After thinking for a while, I couldn't answer it, but when I saw Yuanyang Teng who only had green left, I thought I understood that life is often a process, not every flower can bloom brilliantly, but as long as it can live, bloom, welcome sunshine, ushering in the violet twilight, and playing with the wind and rain, their lives are full, I think they have no regrets…….'
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When autumn arrived, the Han Dynasty's war against the Xiongnu had ended, although the troops led by Great General Wei Qing managed to capture and destroy more than a thousand Xiongnu soldiers, but when the troops led by the Duke of Xi's General Zhao Xin and the head of the palace guard Su Jian met with the Xiongnu army led by the Shanyu, after a full day's fighting, the casualties in the Han army were very heavy. Although Zhao However, regardless of what Yinzhixie said to Zhao Xin, in the end, Zhao
As soon as news of this incident reached Chang'an, Han Wudi ordered Zhao Xin's entire family to be arrested and beheaded, but when the soldiers arrived, it turned out that Zhao Xin's two sons had disappeared. His majesty's face immediately filled with rage, but fortunately the following news made his forehead no longer wrinkled. With great courage, as if without regard for military discipline, Huo Qubing personally led eight hundred men from the Yulin Army who were as hot-blooded as himself to separate from the main army and attack the Xiongnu army. Unexpectedly by the Xiongnu troops, they broke into Xiongnu territory and killed the Xiongnu prime minister, He Tanghu, at an army base on the rear lines, killed the finance minister Jiruo who was the same age as Shanyu's grandfather and captured alive Shanyu's uncle, Luogubi, and beheaded two thousand and twenty eight people.
When Huo Qubing attacked for the first time, he used the strategy of few people defeating many, and was successful in capturing alive and killing four high-ranking officials. Among the total defeat of two generals, one of whom surrendered to the Xiongnu after losing the battle, Huo Qubing's victory stands out even more. Han Wudi was overjoyed and made Huo Qubing Duke Guanjun and gave him power over sixteen hundred families in Shi City. As for the Great General of Wei, whose merits and faults were in balance, he gave neither reward nor punishment.
When I heard about all this, I couldn't help but wonder, if Yinzhixie could save Zhao
Huo Qubing looked at Yipin Ju dumbfounded. Outside and inside the three attics of the restaurant were full of people sitting, mostly young girls. Hearing their voices as sweet as the chirping of swallows, seeing the flowing sleeves of their colorful robes, and smelling the fragrance of various types of lipstick and powder, he was stunned and unable to speak. Beside him I looked down and smiled.
Suddenly he turned his head and pulled me who was about to jump into the horse-drawn carriage, I shouted, "Hey, hey, Duke of Guanjun, you should invite me to eat at Yipin Ju".
With annoyance he said, "What I want to invite is you, not the rest of your entertainment house".
I smiled and said, "The ladies in some of my entertainment houses don't have the chance to get together to deepen friendship, so I purposely invited all of them out for a meal, if the food is too cheap, I'll be laughed at, whereas if it's too expensive, my pockets will dry up. Didn't you say back then that I should collect rare materials? So I told Yipin Ju to buy it. Why are you so stingy? In one round, you immediately get the title of duke, invite a few hundred of my people".
"In one round? You underestimated me too much. Next time come with me to war, and I will share everything equally with you". He looked at me sharply.
I avoided his eyes and looked outside the carriage, "Where are you going? In order to eat a bit more, I deliberately ate very little this afternoon, besides that it doesn't matter whether we are going to Yipin Ju or not, you still have to pay".
The corners of his lips lifted to form a smile, he looked at me without saying anything, not saying whether to pay or not. After a few months, he was like before, but also not like before. In my heart I felt a turmoil that is difficult to explain, without feeling I stepped back, so that my back was pressed tightly against the train wall.
The train stopped, nimbly and beautifully she jumped out, as soon as she hit the ground she stretched out her hand to support me. Smiling I lifted my chin and dodged it, in the twinkling of an eye I had infiltrated the carriage and stepped on the seat, then leapt into the sky, the tips of my feet touching the roof of the carriage, while still hovering, I spun around, with my dress and belt fluttering, and the sleeves of the robe dancing, I agilely landed in front of him, then looked at him with self-satisfaction. He laughed, "Why do you like to show off like this? But your moves are beautiful."
The coachman immediately took the carriage away, I looked around me, we were in a quiet alley, on either side there were high walls, in surprise I asked, "What is this place? What do you want?"
He said, "Jump the wall and come in." I glared at him, "Judging from its majestic walls, this is not just anyone's house, if I get caught, what can I do, but you are now the esteemed Duke of Guanjun". He said, "Now is the time to see your true intelligence. Without aids, I could not climb this high wall."
I felt so curious, engrossed, and excited at the same time, I muttered to myself, "Damn it!
It's so troublesome to eat." But my hand was already clutching the belt that was wrapped around my waist every day, at the end of which were tied round balls of pure gold, they looked like ornaments, but had other uses. I raised my hand, and those round balls it slid in a beautiful golden arc, then wrapped itself around a Huai tree that ran across the top of the wall.
Using the belt, Huo Qubing swiftly stepped his feet a few times, one by one, then sat on the Huai tree, I pulled the belt and wrapped it around my wrist, while holding on to the branch of the Huai tree, I carefully looked at the yard of the house. .
Holding back his laughter Huo Qubing said, "I see you really like being a thief".
I whispered, "In Chang'an, who dares to mess with these important people? Since I don't care about my worthless life, I will play as I please, if anything happens, I will say that You're the one who told me, if you get caught it's even funnier."
As soon as Huo Qubing and I jumped down from the tree, several black dogs ran towards us without making a sound, I swung my belt, and golden balls hit their heads. However, Huo Qubing who was behind me quickly pulled me until I fell into his arms. With one hand he hugged my waist, while with the other he pulled my arm to reduce the force of throwing the golden balls.
While I was still shocked, several black dogs had arrived beside me, they circled us while wagging their tails vigorously at Huo Qubing. Annoyedly I said "Don't tell me this is your own house".
His arms that were hugging me didn't loosen at all, instead he pressed his body against me, then put his chin on my shoulder and whispered, "What a shame, you guessed right."
I tried my best to get away, but before I could, his warm breath hit my skin, making me itchy and ticklish. His body exudes a manly scent that is very different from a feminine girl, like a pine tree and the sun, wafting into my nose, it's not surprising, I feel a little difficult to breathe. My body was weak, my head was a little dizzy, I didn't seem to remember a single move.
In my anxiety and confusion, I swung my belt towards his head, it would be better if I knocked him unconscious, but I hesitated, my control of strength was not good, maybe I would hit him to death? He let go of his grip, acting as if nothing had happened just now, then pulling my hand to squat with him, he said to the big dogs,
"Get to know him, next time don't carelessly hurt my person."
Helplessly, I let some of the dogs kiss me, "How can they hurt me? Nonsense! You underestimate us wolves."
Gently, he patted the heads of the dogs, "If I weren't here, as soon as you landed, they would not only attack you, but would also call their friends, then gang up on you, it seems like this is your wolf race's specialty, besides there were still people following behind them."
I snorted, shook off his hand and got up, "Why would I secretly come to you here? I wouldn't have a chance to fight with them."
He whistled, and the dogs immediately scattered. Then he clapped his hands, got up and looked at me, smiling he said, whether seriously or not, "I see you are very happy to enter the house by jumping over the wall, maybe tonight you will come to visit me, so I brought you here so that you get to know the terrain first "So that you don't surprise people, if your facial skin is thin, don't come."
My face felt a little hot, when I tied my belt again, with an indifferent face I said, "Where is the main gate? I want to go home."