Zhou Xu's smile did not change. He squatted down, his majestic and strong body like a moving shadow, hiding Xiao Luolan inside: "Mrs. Xiao, you're welcome. Do you need my help to put your daughter on the stretcher?"
Xiao Luolan hugged her daughter hard, and then gasped softly. It was obvious that she couldn't hold her. Her weakness and hunger caused her already weak strength to drain like water. She felt ashamed of having troubled Sect Leader Zhou so many times.
"Let me do it."
Zhou Xu put one hand across the noble girl's knees and stretched one hand over her shoulders. He easily placed her on the stretcher and let go after putting her down.
Seeing that her daughter was lying safely on the stretcher, Xiao Luolan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She gently touched her daughter's face, tears streaming down her face silently. She had been worried and scared for so long, panicked and helpless, and she had no one to talk to. .
A blue robe covered her daughter.
Zhou Xu said solemnly: "It's cold at night, so my daughter still needs a lot of warmth. This dress was newly sewn for him by Lady Qingshan. It hasn't been worn yet. It's best used as a cover for the little lady."
Before Xiao Luolan could thank her again, Zhou Xu said, "Mrs. Xiao, it's time for us to go back."
Xiao Luolan held her daughter's hand that was getting warmer, and her heart instantly calmed down.
Lei Yu sent four servants to carry the stretcher. Xiao Luolan reluctantly let go. The more he walked, the more painful his feet became. Fortunately, the knights were not fast. Xiao Luolan held up the skirt and followed the stretcher step by step.
Zhao Qingshan slowly followed the sect leader, and they were at the back of the team.
He used the fan to take a look at the lord whose face could not be seen clearly in the swaying torch, and asked: "Sect Master, why don't you let Lei Hu and the others make another stretcher?"
Zhou Xu glanced at him and said nothing.
Instead, he took out a pearl earring from his arms and played with it in his hand. The earring was exquisitely made. The earring was made of sterling silver, with a pearl hanging on it. It arced like a full moon, shining brightly and without any flaws.
Pearls like this can be exchanged for tens of thousands of dollars outside.
Zhou Xu threw it into the air, and then caught it again and again, but never missed.
Zhao Qingshan said to himself as if he had nothing to say: "Mrs. Xiao's beloved daughter is not ordinary in her clothes. The fabric of her dress should be made of cloud silk unique to the Jiangnan region. Only cloud silk can be dyed with such bright and complex interweaving." The color is cool and smooth to the touch, like ice jade. This cloud silk is not cheap at all in the warm Jiangnan area. One ounce of gold and one ounce of silk. Even high-ranking nobles rarely use cloud silk to make outer skirts. It is mostly used for Intimate clothing.”
Zhao Qingshan wanted to tell his lord that Mrs. Xiao’s husband might have a great background, otherwise, forget it.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a good relationship once in a while?
Zhou Xu put the pearl earrings back into his arms, seemingly not hearing what Zhao Qingshan said.
Only when he returned to the dirt road did Zhao Qingshan discover the master's insidiousness.
The horsemen had already led the horses to the road, holding torches. Four horsemen carried the stretcher in the middle, and the rest were divided into two teams to protect the left and right sides. Everyone had their own horse from the North, except for the extra Mrs. Xiao. .
Xiao Luolan stood in front of her daughter's stretcher. When the night wind blew, she shivered with cold. She also noticed that there were no extra horses for her in this group of people. In fact, even if there were, she wouldn't know how to ride them. Let her get on. As for her daughter's stretcher, Xiao Luolan was worried that it would crush her daughter and that the weight of the two of them would cause the stretcher to fall apart.
Xiao Luolan stood there hesitantly.
At this moment, Zhou Xu came over with a horse: "Mrs. Xiao, you can ride my horse. Qingshan and I can ride together."
Zhao Qingshan twitched the corner of his mouth, how could a delicate and frail lady like Mrs. Xiao know how to ride a horse? The master is really good at pretending.
The horse snorted and kicked with its front hooves. It seemed a little irritable. Xiao Luolan was a little scared. She didn't know how to ride a horse. Just before today, she had never seen a real horse.
"I..." Xiao Luolan looked at the reins that were handed over and didn't dare to take them. She blushed and said, "I'm sorry, Sect Master Zhou, I don't know how to ride a horse."
Zhou Xu reluctantly took back the reins, what should he do?
Zhao Qingshan looked at the sky and the earth, but not at his master.
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhou Xu's resolute face: "Your daughter's condition cannot be delayed. Mrs. Xiao, you can't ride a horse..."
Zhao Qingshan knew that he was going to appear at this time, so he just suggested: "Mrs. Xiao, why don't you ride with the sect master? Don't worry, the sect master has first-class riding skills, is polite, and takes things in a hurry. You can do this It is also to save my daughter. I love my daughter. Whoever tolerates criticism will never be criticized by others."
Zhao Qingshan felt that his conscience was aching.
Of course Xiao Luolan believed that Clan Leader Zhou was a good person, and Clan Master Zhou could ride a horse. He was willing to give her a ride, which was already good. Did Mr. Qingshan think that he was that kind of feudal person?
Zhou Xu looked upright and asked calmly: "I wonder what Mrs. Xiao would like?"
Xiao Luolan: "Then I'll trouble Sect Master Zhou."
Zhou Xu got on the horse, with a majestic figure in black light armor. He stretched out his hand, and Xiao Luolan put her hand in his palm. His eyes blurred, and he sat on the horse.
Zhou Xu put down his hand, kept a little distance from Mrs. Xiao, then held the reins, and the horse started to trot.
Xiao Luolan held the saddle tightly, feeling that the ground was suddenly so far away from her. At the same time, a steady stream of heat came from her back. Sect Leader Zhou was indeed very polite. Xiao Luolan's heartstrings slowly relaxed, and she found her daughter's Peace of mind, long-term fatigue, and the warm heat on her back made her eyelids keep falling, and she finally fell asleep.
The next second her body tilted as the horse ran.
A big palm silently hugged her waist.
Zhou Xu noticed a sensitive tremble in Mrs. Xiao's waist, as if she had been burned.
But she was too tired and still didn't wake up.
Zhou Xu took Mrs. Xiao into his arms, and then took a deep, deep breath. The soft and fragrant fragrance filled his nose, making Zhou Xu's narrow eyes narrowed with satisfaction, and he took a deep breath. Not nearly enough greed.
Chapter 6 (revision)
The Cangxian Post Station is called Changping Post Station. It is a small-scale ordinary official post station. However, due to the corruption of the court in recent years, life has been difficult for the post officials and post soldiers in the post station. This official post station has gradually become a dual-use official and commercial post. The post station still retains the basic needs of an official inn. The post Cheng, post servants, waiters, grooms, veterinarians, and doctors are indispensable. Some more remote and poorer inns will use veterinarians as doctors. There is no way. thing.
There are several small teahouses and restaurants opposite this inn. It is late at night and they have already closed.
The land around the post station is rented to them, and some rent is collected every year. The post official turns a blind eye or closes one eye and pretends not to have seen it. After all, their post station is for officials and businessmen to rest, which is different from their customer base, which is civilians. You are not qualified to enter the inn, even if you have money.
However, the post road can be used by civilians. Therefore, this smooth post road is the only road leading to the county from the surrounding villages. Everyone uses the post road, which increases its popularity and brings a little vitality to the post station.
Li Da yawned and twisted the wick with his fingers to make it brighter. He sat in the lobby in front of the inn, taking a nap, so sleepy that he could hardly open his eyes. Today he was on duty to keep vigil. As a An inn must keep its door open around the clock so that if there is an emergency military situation or something, it can respond quickly.
Li Da heard a few months ago that the Chongzhou area in the south was in chaos, but what does this have to do with him? He is just a small postman in the lower county of Youzhou, which is too far away from the south. He has not left the boundaries of Youzhou since his birth.
Li Da felt a few thick letters in his arms, then took out the bag on his waist and poured out five copper coins.
As postmen, although they are directly under the Central Court's Ministry of War and Chariot Division, the postmasters in charge of the post are under the prefecture and county yamen. They are considered officials of the prefecture and county. The funds for the post are all allocated from the prefecture and county. Like them All expenses for the Changping Station were allocated from the finance by the Cangxian County Magistrate. However, how did the County Magistrate collect funds for the Station? He had to apportion them from the county based on the number of people.
But Cang County is poor. If it were as rich as the south, the life of their postmen would definitely be much easier. However, in addition to the monthly money sent by the court, Li Da also has some extra income, which is to help the villagers when delivering official documents. Wealthier families would send letters or small items to their families living in the county for a fee each time.
After counting the coins, Li Da felt a little more energetic. When he was about to take a sip of cold water, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves.
The sound of horse hoofbeats came from a distance, and Li Da was shocked. His sleepiness disappeared instantly. There was a horse pen at the back of their post station. There were nine bay-red horses in it. They were the face of their Changping Post Station. The grooms served him better than his own parents. My heart, I can hear the sound of the horses' hooves sounding like muffled thunder. It's obvious that there are a lot of horses.
Li Da quickly opened all the doors. After a while, the postmaster and postmaster arrived.
The lantern at the door swayed in the wind. It was a cold night. The elderly Qian Yichen wore a thicker robe and said to Li Da: "Let the kitchen cooks get up and prepare the food and hot water quickly."
Listening to the sound of horse hooves, the experienced Yi Cheng knew that the person coming tonight was special.
Li Da responded and quickly ran to the backyard to make arrangements.
Qian Yichen squinted his eyes and soon saw a black horse and a light cavalry emerging from the rich night sky.
Qian Yichen looked at the black horses, and his cloudy eyes suddenly widened. These are the best horses from the North! The famous Black Cloud Horse!
Looking again, I saw that the leader of the man was strong and not angry. Dozens of riders behind him were silent. His heart turned, and a flattering smile quickly appeared on his withered face: "I am the postmaster of Changping Posthouse. I don't know. My lords, do you want to make some repairs here or change horses and move forward?"
Qian Yicheng said it politely. The horses in his backyard were incomparable to the dark horses in the north. At the same time, he also had speculations about the origins of these people.
The only people who can raise the dark horses of the North are the governors and lieutenants of major counties. People in these positions are so far away from Qian Yicheng that there is only one impression in my mind. He is just a Yicheng under Xiaoxiaocang County. There is Taiyang County above Cangxian County, and there is Taiyang County under Taiyang County. There are seven or eight small counties like Cang County, and they all fall under the jurisdiction of Youzhou.
Under the rule of Youzhou, Taiyang County was not the largest county town. Xunjiang County and Taiyang County were adjacent to each other. The Xunjiang River was inserted in the middle and passed through Nanning County before reaching the largest main city in Youzhou, Langge.
Zhao Qingshan dismounted first, handed the silver talisman to Yi Cheng for a look, and said: "A noble lady is injured, send a doctor over immediately, and prepare some hot food in the hall."
Qian Yichen saw at a glance the name Zhao Qingshan, the chief historian of the Langge Governor-General, written on the talisman.
It took Qian Yicheng's old mind a long time to remember that they had a governor in Youzhou, Prince Bao. In fact, five or six years ago, the imperial court began to abolish the governor's office in the mainland. Although there was no explicit order for the governor's office in the border area, Abolition, but most of them have become empty names, so I suddenly saw the governor, Chief Shi, and stayed for a few seconds.
Then, he quickly reacted and bowed: "My lords, please come in."
The postmen took the black cloud horse from this group of light riders.
Lei Hu said loudly: "You must use good fodder. If I find moldy beans, I won't spare you."
The postmaster smiled and said: "Don't worry, we have good bean cakes, wheat bran and alfalfa at the post station. There is also fresh water with salt beside the manger, so that the horses can be served comfortably."
In fact, feeding horses at their post station is not usually so extravagant. This time, a big shot came, and the postmaster and others had to worry about it, so they naturally tightened their skin.
Zhao Qingshan listened to the chatter behind him, rubbed his forehead, then took out two pieces of broken silver and threw it to the postmaster: "This is for you."
The postmaster immediately burst into laughter, and served even more attentively. He called the old women in the post and asked them to carefully carry the lady on the stretcher to the guest room. The doctor who had been prepared was waiting outside. , Zhao Qingshan glanced at his master, turned around, and welcomed the doctor into the room, preparing to watch the doctor treat Mrs. Xiao's beloved daughter.
Qian Yichen looked at the people who were busy and orderly, feeling satisfied.
Then he bent even lower: "Please come in."
Qian Yichen, who had a vicious eye, could tell at a glance that the man at the front was the leader of the group. Zhao Changshi was busy hurriedly, but the knight behind the man did not move. He stood there, obviously waiting. The man in front ordered.
Could it be Prince Bao? Or... Qian Yichen guessed in his mind that as far as he knew, Prince Bao must be at least sixty years old. This gentleman looked to be in his early forties, which is the age when he was in the prime of life. He was definitely not Prince Bao, that was that person. !
Qian Yichen suppressed his excitement. From the corner of his eye, he saw a middle-aged man holding someone in his arms, which was completely covered by a crab-green cloak. Only a pair of delicate but mud-stained embroidered shoes were exposed.
Zhou Xu walked into the lobby.
Hot meals and several jars of wine have been placed in the hall.
Zhou Xu turned around and said to Lei's horsemen, "Don't drink."
The knights and servants all answered: "Yes."
Qian Yichen apologized and said with a smile: "It's my fault. You adults have important things to do. You really shouldn't drink. Drinking can easily cause trouble. I'm an old fool." He patted his head and said, "Li Da, Li Damn, please take the wine away quickly."
Li Dali quickly took away the wine jar.
Lei Hu was addicted to alcohol but did not dare to disobey the order, so he could only watch the wine jar go away from him.
"Thunder Tiger, Thunder Leopard, you guys can take a rest after eating."
"yes!"
Lei Hu saw the sect master going to the guest room upstairs, and then he invited his brothers to have dinner together. Lei Bao laughed when he saw him, and slapped him on the head: "Lei Hu, why are you laughing?"
Lei Hu was not angry, he tore a piece of big chicken leg, chewed the bones and meat, and said vaguely: "I envy the sect master."
If he were the sect leader, he wouldn't be willing to let go.
"Don't be so careless. You have no control over your mouth. Sooner or later, you will get into trouble." Lei Bao frowned. The Lei family is a vassal of the Zhou family in Youzhou. Usually, the sect leader is approachable and not harsh to them, but That's why they need to pay more attention to their status as a subordinate clan. After all, they are not members of the Zhou clan.
"I know." Lei Hu nodded, not sure if he heard it. Lei Bao sighed, and at the same time, he was a little absent-minded. He had a premonition that this woman would cause a big shock when he returned to Youzhou Langge.
"Please come in, this is the best room in our station." Qian Yicheng opened the door and lit the lamp.
Zhou Xu looked around and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, sir."
