Xingqing City is not peaceful tonight. The city gate is still crowded with refugees who want to enter the city but are stopped.
There were many more guards guarding the city, all holding spears and sabers, and holding bright red torches, illuminating the city gate brightly.
The refugees could not enter the city and had no choice. Some fled further north, while others set up a small tent near the city gate and stayed temporarily, hoping that the court would allow them to pass one day and then go in again. Celebrate.
But among these destitute refugees, two people seemed out of place. They had just come out of the officialdom. They were a man and a woman. The man was tall and handsome, and the woman was also good-looking. It was obvious from her appearance that she was not a refugee, not to mention that both of them were wearing a uniform. Green shirt, sword at waist.
Along the way, the woman's eyebrows were frowning and never relaxed. The word "sorrow" was written all over her face. The man's expression was also quite heavy, as if he had encountered something troublesome.
As they approached the city gate, they both saw the refugees around them and stopped for a while. The atmosphere between them couldn't help but become heavier.
As if to lighten the atmosphere, the man changed the topic and said: "Junior sister, there was a big battle in Qingling today, do you still want to go?" The woman nodded and said firmly: "Since we have arrived in Xingqing , I must go, I have to find him." The man seemed to have known that she would say this, so he also said: "Then I will go with you. The great elder asked me to send him a message. We have to find him." The woman said, "Senior brother, thank you." The man smiled and said, "Whatever you say is all part of your job." The woman looked up at him, relaxed her brows, and reluctantly He smiled, then turned his eyes forward and continued walking towards the city gate.
The two of them were still far away from the city gate. The guards at the city gate raised their torches and shouted at them: "Hey, the two people in front, stop, stop! The imperial court has ordered that Xingqing City is now closed. All People are not allowed to come in or out! Wherever you came from, go back!" The man glanced at the refugees around the city gate, and finally understood why they were all here and not going in.
But the two of them have unusual identities, so they should still be able to enter this city. The two of them still walked forward, and the man shouted back to the guard: "We have an invitation to enter the city! We are invited to enter the city by the nobles in the city. Is it possible that we can't enter here?" The guards looked at each other and had no idea. One of the soldiers came out and said, "In that case, please show me the invitation." As they spoke, the two of them had already walked to the door. The man took out a beautiful invitation and handed it to the man. .
The man opened it and saw Lin Cangyang's name clearly written on the invitation, and there was a vermilion seal of Princess Cangyang's Mansion in the lower right corner.
The soldier was well-informed and he hurriedly bent down and said respectfully: "Since you are the princess's distinguished guest, please come in quickly." The two of them entered the city gate smoothly. The man looked back at the heavily guarded city gate and asked "By the way, are you an old acquaintance with Princess Cangyang?" The woman shook her head and said, "I have never met her, but she should be very familiar with Xu Huaigu. This time she not only invited us Fuyao Sect, and also invited many sects such as Zixia Sect, Qingfeng Valley, Plum Blossom Sect, and Xingyue Sect, which is beyond the scope of a princess, so I am a little curious about what she wants to do." The man frowned and said: "Yes, the water in Xingqing is already muddy enough, but this princess still does this. I don't know if it's good or bad. Please post it and say that the banquet should be in five days." Held, let’s find a Xianjia inn to stay in first, and we can also inquire about Qingling’s information.” The woman nodded in agreement, and the two entered the city to find the inn.
In fact, in the past few days, a large number of disciples like them and several other groups have entered the city. Lin Cangyang's name is written on the invitation cards, saying that they are holding a banquet, and everyone represents their respective The sect negotiates to resist the demon clan.
It is strange to say that for such a big matter as negotiating against the demon clan, those present were not the elders or sect leaders of their respective sects, but a group of juniors; and the inviter was not the emperor or prime minister of the Dayu Kingdom, but a group of people. A princess, this makes people think of the seriousness of this banquet. Could it be that this princess is joking?
There is no use thinking about it now, everything will be revealed at the banquet five days later. ...The next day came quickly as promised. When Xu Huaigu opened his eyes and finished the night's practice, he found that Li Zi had sat up at some point and was looking straight at him on the bed.
Xu Huaigu didn't know how long she had been looking at her, and felt a little embarrassed, so he asked: "Are you awake? Are you still feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" Li Zi smiled, shook his head and said, "I'm just a little tired. I feel better after a good sleep." Many, thank you." Xu Huaigu also smiled and said: "You are too outspoken to say that. We have been friends for many years, and I am embarrassed to say thank you or not." Li Zi He chuckled and said: "That's right, then I won't be polite to you. But I don't feel any discomfort, I'm just a little hungry. Is there anything to eat early?" Xu Huaigu was a little unsure. Strictly speaking, now It was during the war, Xingqing city was in a mess, and I didn’t know where to find any delicious breakfast.
Xu Huaigu replied: "Although the world is quite chaotic now, in a city as big as Xingqing, there should still be something early. How about you wait here and I buy wontons for you?" Li Zi winked playfully. Blinking, he said with a smile: "I would rather eat a bowl of bean curd. If there is any, buy one for me and ask him to add more sugar to me. If not, forget it." Xu Huaigu nodded and took the order to go out.
In fact, he also wanted to have breakfast, after all, he hadn't tasted it for a long time. I still remember that when Yu Qin and I first entered the city, we had no money and had to be careful even to eat a bowl of plain noodles. Looking back now, what I felt was not bitterness, but a kind of long-lasting smoke and smoke.
I wrote a letter to Yu Qin, and I don’t know how she is doing now. Xu Huaigu actually misses her very much, and he still has many things he wants to say to her.
When leaving the inn, he specifically asked people on the street and learned that there was a breakfast stall not far away, so he walked over.
There were not many people at the breakfast stall, so he found a seat and sat down, ordering a bowl of wontons for himself and a bowl of sweetened bean curd, which he asked the landlady to pack and take away.
Wontons should be eaten while they are hot, and the few green scallions on the surface of the bowl are particularly attractive. Xu Huaigu buried his head in the steaming steam, picked up one with chopsticks, and stuffed it into his mouth.
It still tastes exactly the same as before, with a light meaty aroma and tough wonton wrappers, leaving a mouthful of flavor after eating one.
He ate one with enjoyment and looked down the street. Most of the shops on the street are like this breakfast stall, and they are deserted and empty. This is probably because Dayu has spent too much money on raising its army in recent years, and its treasury is empty, which has made life difficult for the people down there.
Opposite the breakfast stall is a tailor shop. There is a middle-aged woman sitting behind the counter, lowering her head and doing embroidery seriously.
Next to her sat a young girl in her prime, about twenty-eight years old. She should be the daughter of the middle-aged woman. She had a well-proportioned figure and black hair with a wooden hairpin. Born with good looks.
It is said that beauty looks at the bones rather than the skin. From this point of view, the little girl is extremely beautiful. The little girl was sitting next to her mother, picking a needle in her hand and focusing on her embroidery work with her head down.
From time to time, she would turn her head and smile at her mother and say a few words of appreciation. The charm between her eyebrows and eyes was like a cute bird.
Xu Huaigu looked at her while eating wontons. He always felt that this little girl looked a bit like someone he once knew.
It's just that women are said to have changed at the age of 18. At that time, she was still a girl of seven or eight years old. Now, eighty-nine years later, she is already sixteen or seventeen years old. If Xu Huaigu suddenly recognized her, he couldn't be sure.
The middle-aged woman in the tailor shop over there seemed to have noticed Xu Huaigu's eyes. She glared at him and then called her girl into the back room and wouldn't let her outside.
Xu Huaigu felt a little embarrassed and was too embarrassed to ask, so he had to ask the proprietress of the breakfast stall, "I would like to ask the shopkeeper, what is the last name of the girl in the tailor shop opposite?" The proprietress looked at him incomprehensively. He opened his eyes and said: "If you are a down-to-earth person, I have nothing to hide, but you just saw me and asked me this. I am afraid that you are guilty of some crazy hysteria in your heart, but I dare not tell you. You." Xu Huaigu hurriedly explained: "The store owner is too worried. I saw that she looked very much like someone I had met before, so I asked this question. The landlady looked at him suspiciously and still refused to say anything. Xu Huaigu had no choice but to say : "Then I just want to ask the store owner, is the girl's surname Ping, with the character Cui in her last name? The landlady's eyes lit up and she said in surprise: "You actually recognize her?" I looked at my brother before and he seemed very familiar to me. He didn't seem to live nearby. How do I know Pingcui? "Xu Huaigu said with a smile: "It turns out she is really her, and she is becoming more and more generous! To be honest with the store, I have left Xingqing for eight or nine years, and I just came back two days ago. Pingcui and I had a good relationship when she was little, but now when I see her, I almost don’t recognize her! "
"Isn't that right? I watched Pingcui grow up, and she became more and more like a beauty. You don't know, people who propose marriage will step on the threshold!" The landlady's face was filled with a happy smile. , as if Pingcui was her own daughter.
She glanced at the sword on Xu Huaigu's waist again and said: "But to be honest, brother, you came back at the wrong time. Who doesn't know that Xingqing City is no longer what it used to be, with a large number of refugees coming in, and They have no money and no work to do, and the whole city is disturbed." Xu Huaigu frowned slightly and said, "There is nothing we can do about it. There is a war in the south, and they are just trying to survive."
"So, is there really going to be a war in the south?" The landlady stopped what she was doing, with a sad look on her face.
"What should we do? Can our Dayu country be able to defeat it? I heard from Aunt Song in the north of the city that her uncle who was an official in the court had already packed up his silver and luggage and was preparing to run away overnight. ! Can you tell me for sure, can we win?" Xu Huaigu looked embarrassed, and after thinking for a long time, he solemnly said: "It's hard to say, I can only say that it is a tough battle, but the victory or defeat has not yet been determined."
"Hey, let's talk about it, life is getting more and more sad. The business in the store is already bad, what should I do?" Xu Huaigu was helpless. After finishing the wontons, he took out 20 Wen and handed over Give it to the landlady, then carry Li Zi's bean curds and walk back to the inn.
"Hey, brother, please wait!" The landlady stopped him again and said curiously,
"Didn't I say that Pingcui is your old acquaintance? Why don't you take a look?" Xu Huaigu looked towards the tailor shop. The middle-aged woman was still working behind the counter, and there was no one in the shop.
Xu Huaigu said with a slightly bitter tone: "Let's go there next time. I'm afraid that she will be frightened by the sudden passing today. Storekeeper, please tell her for me when you have time. Just tell her about a person named Xu Huaigu. Choose a day." Come visit.”
"Okay, brother, please walk slowly. The tofu won't taste good when it's cold, so eat it quickly." Xu Huaigu nodded and walked back to the inn.
