Muchun smiled softly without comment, and together with Wang Cong, mobilized soldiers and headed for the lantern festival.
The winter in Dunhuang is cold and long. During the days when the city is closed by heavy snow, the vast Gobi desert moraine and the rolling hills are covered with layers of pure white snow, which dissipates the heat wave and restlessness, leaving more of the cold and pure atmosphere. of silence.
This Lantern Festival Lantern Festival just gives people who are chatting away in all kinds of ways during this long winter a good reason to go out and have fun. Young ladies and young men also take this opportunity to go out and see each other. The Lantern Festival is crowded with people, every year Several cases of missing persons have to be reported, and every year the governor's office has to be on guard, and this year it is even more like facing a formidable enemy. There are 20% more soldiers patrolling the lantern festival than usual.
The snow that had been falling for several days gradually stopped on the Lantern Festival, and the morning sun became very bright. After the wind and snow gradually subsided, the cold air exuded the smell of clear sunshine.
The sky had just turned dark, and the dim yellow full moon hung on the bare branches. The warm yellow light fell on the layers of accumulated snow, creating a ripple-like brilliance.
The lantern festival in Dunhuang is completely different from that in Chang'an City. It has an exotic style, and the lanterns are also grand and rough. Several streets and alleys are decorated with colorful lanterns, and the bustling crowds flow slowly under the colorful glazed lights. The bustling and lively atmosphere is comparable to that of Chang'an East and West Er. city.
The snow on the street was swept to both sides and piled up, high and low like mountains.
Xie Mengxia and Leng Linjiang walked side by side, glanced back at the few big men following them, and curled their lips in disgust: "Yun Gui, let's walk faster and get rid of them."
Leng Linjiang smiled: "Cousin, do you dislike them?"
Xie Mengxia shook his head: "They all look like butchers. They don't know how ferocious they are, and they come out to scare people. Can you not dislike them?"
Leng Linjiang nodded repeatedly thinking he was right.
The two of them squeezed in and out of the crowd, walking faster and faster.
Muchun and his people were chasing after them, but there were so many people at the lantern festival. The people were like a rising tide. After pushing one group away, another group came up. It was just a mistake and Xie Mengxia It has been lost in the crowd and can never be seen again.
Several soldiers searched back and forth for a long time, but returned with no results. They saluted and said: "Captain, he is missing."
Mu Chun realized that Xie Mengxia was trying to get rid of them, and with a sullen face, he gasped angrily, and yelled: "Still not looking for it." He paused and cursed angrily: "If you can't find it, you can go back on your own. Leading stick.”
The soldiers looked stern and dispersed in a hurry, squeezing among the crowd, looking for the whereabouts of Xie Mengxia and his two men.
Just when Muchun and others were looking around like headless flies, with no thought of admiring the lanterns, Xie Mengxia, the instigator, stopped in front of a lantern stall.
He picked up a lantern that looked like a dandelion, but looked straight at the girl selling the lantern, and asked with a tender smile: "Little girl, how old are you this year?"
The girl was stunned for a moment.
Leng Linjiang coughed lightly and reminded Xie Mengxia to pay attention to his words and deeds.
Xie Mengxia ignored it and continued to ask with a smile: "Little girl, what is your name?"
This girl is sixteen or seventeen years old, and her skin is not as fair and delicate as the girls in Chang'an City, but she has a pair of round, almond-shaped eyes with clear black and white pupils, exuding crystal clear agility and purity, which is different from those who are regulated by the rules in Chang'an City. Compared with the delicate and delicate ladies who are stupid, they have a completely different splendid beauty.
The girl glanced at Xie Mengxia, waved her fist, glared at Shuixing, and said angrily: "Are you here to buy something or are you here to strike up a conversation? Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
Xie Mengxia was stunned for a moment. He had never met a girl who dared to speak to him like this. Oh no, he had met her before. The last one who spoke to him like this was Yao Yao, but he couldn't beat her. Her attitude was even worse. Bear with it, this girl is different.
He smiled without annoyance: "I see you as a clever girl and as beautiful as a flower, and I yearn for you, so I took the liberty to ask you a few more questions. If you are rude to the girl, I will trouble you. Please bear with me for the time being. I also want to Ask the girl where she lives, how many people live in her family, how many acres of land she has, whether she is married, and whether she has a sweetheart."
"..." Leng Linjiang held his forehead and wanted to run away. It was so embarrassing.
But the girl was not intimidated by Xie Mengxia. She didn't even blush. She smiled and said sarcastically: "It's none of your business."
Xie Mengxia raised a finger and shook it: "Young lady, if you have to be more polite and scold when you open your mouth, how will you get married in the future?"
The girl snorted: "Whether you want to buy it or not, stay away and don't do business in front of me."
Xie Mengxia raised his eyebrows: "Buy, of course, but if I buy a lamp, you have to answer me a question."
The girl snorted contemptuously: "Go away, my aunt won't sell it to you anymore."
Xie Mengxia exclaimed: "It's not good for the little lady to say dirty words. Let's do this. I'll cover all the lanterns here, and you can just tell me your name."
Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes twitched slightly, and she was obviously moved.
Even if she spends half a night here, she may not be able to sell all these lanterns. If the person in front of her really buys them all, it will be a lot of money.
Seeing the girl's hesitation, Xie Mengxia waved to Leng Linjiang.
Leng Linjiang approached without knowing what was going on: "What are you doing?"
Xie Mengxia was very dissatisfied with Leng Linjiang's lack of tacit understanding. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Silver!"
Leng Linjiang frowned and tightened his grip on his bag: "Why do you want me to pay for something you want to buy?"
"Oh, I'll pay you back when I get back." Xie Mengxia couldn't help but tear off Leng Linjiang's bag, took out two ingots of twenty taels of silver, and slapped it on the case: "How about it, the silver is here, it depends on whether you want it or not. ”
The girl's eyes widened. Just by saying a name, whether it was true or false, she could get forty taels of silver. Is this person rich or stupid? She opened her mouth and was about to blurt out, but there was a low shout not far away. : "Adi, what are you doing?"
The girl turned around hastily, and saw a man standing in the dim light. He was wearing a half-worn indigo long coat, which was washed until it turned white, but it did not cover up his jade-like long body and his pure grace.
Leng Linjiang poked Xie Mengxia with his elbow, and pursed his lips at the money: "Put the money away, this famous flower has an owner."
Xie Mengxia shook her head and smiled: "What nonsense are you talking about? That's her brother."
Leng Linjiang was stunned. Before he could ask Xie Mengxia how he knew, he heard the girl shout in panic: "Brother, why are you here?"
Leng Linjiang was convinced and asked in a low voice: "How do you know that they are brother and sister?"
Xie Mengxia smiled: "Didn't you see that their eyes look very similar? They both have attractive apricot eyes."
"..."
The man took two steps at a time, grabbed the girl's wrist, and said with a serious expression: "Adi, how many times have I told you not to go out to sell lanterns. The lantern festival will be too chaotic, in case there is a scoundrel." He raised his eyes and glared at Xie Mengxia with an evil look: "Let's go back with me."
But the girl struggled and refused: "Brother, not a single lamp has been sold yet."
The man said: "You go home, I'm selling lamps here."
However, the girl glared at the man stubbornly and said angrily: "Brother, spring is coming soon. The time you have to fight with me here is enough for Wen Wen to read several books."
The man was speechless. He turned around and saw the annoying Xie Mengxia again. His tone became even more unkind and he said coldly and bluntly: "Young master, do you want to buy a lamp?"
Xie Mengxia raised his eyebrows: "I wanted to buy it just now, but now I don't want to buy it." As he said that, he put away the two ingots of silver and put them into his pouch.
The man chased Xie Mengxia and asked angrily: "Are you making fun of our brother and sister?"
Xie Mengxia walked quickly, turned around and said with a joking smile: "That's right."
The man was so angry that he wanted to catch up and beat Xie Mengxia. The girl grabbed the man's sleeve from behind and said angrily: "Brother, if you didn't come, he would have bought all these lamps, and it's all your fault."
"You still blame me, aren't I afraid that you will suffer a loss?" The man flicked his sleeves, turned around and left.
Xie Mengxia walked far away, looked back at the disappointed girl, and asked Leng Linjiang in a low voice: "What date has the Ministry of Rites decided on for this year's Spring Festival?"
Leng Linjiang thought for a moment: "The seventh day of March."
Xie Mengxia raised his eyebrows and smiled: "It seems that the brother and sister are collecting travel expenses. Maybe we can meet each other in the capital."
Leng Linjiang snorted: "There will be thousands of scholars in the capital by then. Only those who can meet him will be haunted."
Xie Mengxia hit Leng Linjiang's forehead with a folding fan and said with a smile: "What is fate? Meeting each other after traveling thousands of miles, meeting by chance in the bustling city, that's what we call marriage."
"..." Leng Linjiang made a vomiting motion: "Your Highness, there are many concubines in your house, so don't ruin the young lady of a good family."
Xie Mengxia snorted and was about to speak when he saw Mu Chun running up to him panting with his men. He immediately pursed his lips, put on a serious look, and reprimanded preemptively: "Captain Mu, you guys are like this You must have done your job too carelessly. I and Master Leng have already walked out so far, why did you rush here?"
Muchun stood up and couldn't say anything to refute, so he had to hold his breath and confess again and again.
Xie Mengxia waved his hand, dismissing the matter and handed the two ingots of silver he had just collected to Mu Chun. He raised his chin towards the girl's lantern stall in the distance and ordered: "Excuse me, Lieutenant Mu, go and get it." Buy all the lamps from that stall and send them to the governor's mansion. There is no need to tell the girl who bought the lamps."
Mu Chun tightened her mouth and wanted to curse loudly, and used money to sell lamps, but she was still suspicious in her heart.
Xie Mengxia must have other motives for buying the girl's lamp. Then why not buy it in person, or tell the girl who bought the lamp, or ask the girl to send the lamp to the other courtyard of the Governor's Mansion. In short, there are many A way to let the girl know who is showing favor.
But he didn't.
It is clearly not his style to show favors without repaying them, and there must be something evil going on here.
Xie Mengxia looked at the various lanterns in the hands of Muchun and the soldiers, and suddenly lost interest. He waved his hand and ordered to go back to the Governor's Mansion.
