The two approached Zhen Mi's residence, and Yuan Xi was surprised to find that it turned out to be a five-story building.
Its height has far exceeded the courtyard wall. Large gentry families in Yecheng also built such tall buildings, but most of them were two or three floors, and they were definitely not as exaggerated as the ones in front of them.
Seeing that Yuan Xi was a little surprised, Zhen Mi said helplessly: "I'm not even a mother. I believed some fortune teller who said that if I live high up, the prospects of the Zhen family will be high."
Yuan Xi believed that was the case, Zhang Shi really believed it!
Is it because the prophecy of his name also gave Mr. Zhang some reassurance?
But think about it, her husband died young and her eldest son and second son died young. If she didn't have someone to rely on, it would be difficult for her to survive.
He raised his head and said, "The girl lives on the fifth floor?"
Zhen Mi said: "I usually stay on the second floor and rarely go to higher places."
Yuan Xi was startled: "Why?"
Zhen Mi laughed, and her eyes turned into crescent moons, "Young master, if you want to follow my concubine, you will understand."
Yuan Xi became curious and said, "Then I'll bother the girl."
The two of them entered the small building. Zhen Mi shook her hand slightly, and Yuan Xi understood and let go.
Zhen Mi walked aside, took off her embroidered shoes, and only wore Luo socks. Yuan Xi took a surprised look and saw half of the jade color exposed on Luo socks, and couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.
Zhen Mi turned her back to Yuan Xi, but she didn't realize it and said softly: "I will allow you to go first for the sake of the young master."
She asked the maid to wait downstairs, and gracefully climbed the wooden stairs step by step to the second floor window. Yuan Xi saw the scenery outside the courtyard, which was almost blocked by the courtyard wall.
When you reach the third floor, you can see a glimpse of the scenery in the distance outside the courtyard.
On the fourth floor, the view is even wider, and you can see several blocks.
On the fifth floor, the windows were ajar, and Yuan Xi looked through the cracks in the windows.
He was a little puzzled and said: "Isn't the scenery here unique?"
Zhen Mi smiled slyly: "What a beautiful scenery. Master, let's take a look."
She pushed it out with her delicate hands, and the windows on both sides suddenly opened.
Suddenly, the field of vision widened. Amidst the heavy snow, the scenery of half of Yecheng was completely visible, and it was contained in the window frame, like a beautiful picture.
Yuan Xi praised: "What a snow scene in Yecheng."
"Closing the door and pushing out the snow outside the window, raising your hands and rushing across the city!"
Zhen Mi's eyes shone slightly: "It turns out that the young master is also a man who has read many poems and books, but I have never heard of these two sentences."
Yuan Xi said with a smile: "It's just a matter of picking up the wisdom of the people who came before me, it shouldn't be counted."
Zhen Mi was about to ask whose sentence it was, but she saw that as the window opened, people in the streets of Yecheng were looking this way.
Someone shouted in surprise: "The girl from the Zhen family is out!"
Everyone roared and looked this way.
Zhen Mi quickly leaned out and closed the two windows, and the sounds of regret came one after another from the distance.
Zhen Mi's pretty face turned slightly red, "Master, do you know now?"
"That's the inconvenience."
"You can see others from high places, and others can also see you."
Yuan Xi suddenly said: "I see, it's so cold in the beautiful buildings and jade buildings at high places."
Zhen Mi's eyes brightened, "Young master, I am very surprised. I have always heard that the Yuan family has studied Meng's Yi for generations, but the Yi Jing is obscure and completely different from these evocative and meaningful sentences."
"This reminds me of the young master and maid who came here with Miss Yuan Xing a few days ago. I remember her name was Wu Zhao?"
"I have talked with her several times, and I found that her conversational skills are extraordinary and her knowledge is far superior to that of my concubine. The master's maidservant has such abilities, which really makes me marvel at the profound heritage of the Yuan family."
Yuan Xi thought to himself that this girl is really hard to fool, so he quickly changed his topic and said: "When I opened the window just now, even though it was only for a moment, many people saw you and me together, and I'm afraid Yecheng will criticize you?"
Zhen Mi's crescent-shaped eyes curled up again, "I've already grabbed my hands, are you still afraid of this?"
Yuan Xi sweated profusely: "Ashamed."
Zhen Mi whispered: "Is there any twists and turns in the marriage between the two families?"
"I was wondering if the young master had done it for the maid before. If everyone in the city saw it, would it be more obvious?"
Yuan Xi was surprised: "The girl can actually think of this!"
He nodded and said: "Yes, if the marriage between the two parties can be successful, the girl may need to make some sacrifices, so I am also hesitant in my heart."
After hearing this, Zhen Mi took a step closer and looked up at Yuan Xi: "I have heard all the news in Yecheng."
"When my mother heard about the young master's adoption, she was not without hesitation."
Yuan Xi thought that indeed the Zhen family knew about it, and he said aloud: "What do you think, girl?"
"If I were adopted, I would lose a lot of support from the Yuan family. I'm afraid it will be very difficult in the next few years."
"I'm worried that when the time comes, the girl will suffer with me."
Zhen Mi lowered her head, "I know that the young master's adoption is not just for me."
“But some of it was definitely for me.”
"That alone is enough."
She raised her head and said softly: "I have something I want to tell you."
Yuan Xi was startled, "Please tell me."
"The master may have many women, but there is only one concubine."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi said in a deep voice, "I will remember."
He paused.
"I will never forget it."
Only then did Zhen Mi laugh, and put her face close to Yuan Xi's chest.
"Let me remember your son's wishes."
"I will always wait for the day when the master marries me."
"Even if there was only the young master at that time."
Yuan Xi gently held Zhen Mi tightly in his arms. They felt each other's heartbeats and felt their hearts getting a little closer.
The snowflakes outside the window are still falling, covering the entire Jizhou, not only Yecheng at this time, but also Yijing, which is at the intersection of Jizhou and Jizhou.
Yijing is a fortified city with towering walls. There are several walls outside. There are barracks and granaries everywhere inside. In the center, there are several tall buildings tens of feet high, towering into the sky.
On the top floor of the largest tall building in the middle, there was a bearded man sitting cross-legged in front of the window. Facing the cold wind, he raised the wine bottle in his hand and took a big gulp of wine.
The generals and soldiers in Yijing City occasionally raised their heads and looked at the figure of the big man, with complicated expressions on their faces.
More than a year ago, no one would have thought that this big man with a decadent face was the once high-spirited and powerful hero in the North, Gongsun Zan!
These soldiers did not expect that Gongsun Zan, who they regarded as a hero, would gradually lose his spirit in repeated battles with the Yuan family.
After experiencing the Battle of Jieqiao, the Battle of Longcuo, the Battle of Juma River, and the Battle of Baoqiu, Gongsun Zan was forced to retreat to Yijing and guard the chokepoint of Youji Prefecture.
Originally, the situation was not too bad, because Yuan Shao attacked Yi Jing several times during this period, but was beaten back.
The Yi site was adjacent to the Yishui River in the south. Gongsun Zan ordered ten trenches to be dug around it, and the hills were piled up and called Jing. They were each five or six feet high, and camps were built on them to garrison troops. The central hill is ten feet high, and a building was built on it. Gongsun Zan lived there, built an iron gate, presented documents and tied ropes to it, and stored three million dendrobium in the city.
In Gongsun Zan's view, Yijing is now a complete large-scale military camp, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. With Youzhou's supplies on its back, it can be in an invincible position.
But Gongsun Zan made a stupid move during this period.
Kill Liu Yu.
Liu Yu had been running Youzhou for many years and was a leader of the Han Dynasty. He was very popular among the people. After he was killed, Xian Yufu, Yan Rou and the Wuhuan people began to rebel against Gongsun Zan for various purposes. There was rebellion everywhere in Youzhou.
There was a fire in Gongsun Zan's hometown, and he behaved at a loss. Under hesitation, he sat back and watched his ally Tian Kai be destroyed in Qingzhou, and even lost military morale.
Now Gongsun Zan's army knew that after Qingzhou was wiped out, Yuan's army would definitely attack the north with all its strength, but they lost confidence in their lord.
The sound of footsteps came, and a slender and extremely beautiful young woman walked up from downstairs. This was Gongsun Zan's first wife, Mrs. Hou.
Hou always had a smile on her face no matter what time. When Gongsun Zan saw her, his mood instantly improved.
Before Hou came in, he saw Gongsun Zan drinking again and said softly: "The weather is cold and cold wine is harmful to the body. Would you like me to prepare some warm wine?"
Gongsun Zan said in a deep voice: "It doesn't matter, my body is not that bad."
There was a hint of worry in Hou's smile, "The soldiers reported that Tian Kai, the governor of Qingzhou, is downstairs asking for an audience."
Gongsun Zan's face froze and he hesitated for a long time, but still did not make a sound.
When Mrs. Hou saw it, she said softly: "Husband, if things are not harmonious, let's go back to Youzhou?"
Gongsun Zan slammed the floor beneath him: "Impossible!"
"I'm not willing to give in. I'm only one step away from occupying the northern land and planning the world. How can I back down here!"
Hou shrank: "But our children are still young. If something happens to Yi Jing and the Gongsun family has no heirs, should we send them out..."
Gongsun Zan snorted coldly, turned his head, a cruel light flashed in his eyes: "You want to run?"
Hou completely lost the smile on her face, knelt down quickly, and whispered: "I don't mean that, I am willing to follow my husband, but the child..."
Gongsun Zan sneered: "A woman's opinion!"
"If I lose, will they still be alive?"
"Even if they go to the ends of the earth, they will be caught and then brutally killed. This is the winner and the loser!"
"It's possible that you won't die, but you will become a plaything of the Yuan family and become someone's concubine!"
"If this is really the case, it will be an insult to the face of my Gongsun family. Even if I die, I will not be able to live in peace!"
"I have decided that when the city is destroyed, our whole family will be destroyed together!"
After hearing this, Mrs. Hou turned pale, her body was shaky, and hissed: "Husband, you are so cruel, they are your children!"
Gongsun Zan became impatient, waved his hand and said: "I have made up my mind, no need to say anything!"
"Stand down and let Tian Kai come up!"
Hou had no choice but to get up and stumble downstairs.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of footsteps was heard again. This time, the person who came up was a tall man with a tall figure and a resolute face.
Tian Kai, the former governor of Qingzhou.
After he was defeated by Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, he escaped by boat from Donglai Sea Road, made a big circle and landed in Hejian County, and then came directly to Yi Jing to defect to Gongsun Zan.
Tian Kai took a few steps forward, knelt down on one knee, and said in a deep voice: "Kai pays homage to the general."
Gongsun Zan looked ashamed and sighed: "I can't help you."
"You'd better leave here and go to Youzhou to find a safe place."
Tian Kai said in a deep voice: "Kai doesn't care about the two masters. It seems that Nian Yuan's army is about to attack Yi Jing. Kai is willing to live and die with the general!"
(End of chapter)
