Zhou Xu looked at the unattractive counselor and said seriously: "Don't you think Mrs. Xiao is like the spring water in the south of the Yangtze River?"
When Zhao Qingshan heard his lord's words, his face twisted for a moment, his whole body shook violently, he took a few steps back, and covered his face with a folding fan.
So gross! It’s simply unbearable!
Chapter 16
"Sect Master Zhou?" Xiao Luolan saw Sect Leader Zhou as soon as she went out. She suddenly remembered that Clan Leader Zhou told her last night that she could call him Mr. Zhou. It seemed a little late to change her mind now.
Zhou Xu put his hands behind his back and his back was straight and straight. He looked very heroic. He smiled and said, "I accidentally saw you here when I was shopping, so I came over. What's wrong with Mrs. Xiao here?"
"It's a long way to Langge. I want to exchange some money at the counter." Xiao Luolan replied in embarrassment.
Zhou Xu was secretly happy after hearing this, but he said calmly: "Although Langge in Youzhou is not as prosperous as Chang'an, the scenery is still good. You can stay in Langge for a while."
"Mrs. Xiao, do you need to prepare anything else? I just have nothing to do, so I will go with you for a walk." Zhou Xu looked up and down, and saw that the jade bracelet on Mrs. Xiao's left wrist was missing.
"We want to buy a carriage first and then hire a driver." Xiao Luolan said his plan.
"Wherever you need to hire a coachman, I will lend you one from my cavalry. They are all excellent riders and good at driving. You will definitely be less bumpy in the carriage driven by him." Zhou Xu walked in front, tall The figure cleverly blocked some sunlight for Madam Xiao: "There are more horses in Youzhou than in other areas, so the price is cheaper than in the Central Plains. In addition, what Madam needs is not a war horse, but an ordinary horse, together with the carriage required for the carriage. It will cost about fifteen taels of silver."
Xiao Luolan felt dizzy after hearing this. She didn't understand the price of carriages in ancient times, but Sect Leader Zhou couldn't lie to her. After hearing the last word, she calculated that after buying the carriage, she only had nine taels of silver left. .
The carriage was so expensive, Xiao Luolan was worried.
"However, I have one more suggestion. I wonder if Mrs. Xiao is willing to listen to it?" Zhou Xu saw Mrs. Xiao frowning slightly, and then thinking about their mother and daughter being alone outside, they probably had some rift with her husband's family and were unwilling to return to their home, so they were tight on money. , and thought of another way.
"Mr. Zhou, please speak." Xiao Luolan said sincerely.
Xiao Qingxue's ears twitched, Mr. Zhou?
"You can rent a carriage, because it will take several months to get to Langge. If you buy a carriage now, the horses will be worn out a lot on the road. If you are not careful, you will fall ill on the road. It is better to rent one when you go to the same place, which is convenient and economical. Heart." Zhou Xu said his own method. This time he and Lei's cavalry traveled lightly. They would stop at every station and wait for the horses to rest before leaving. Everyone in the cavalry The cavalry all cherish their horses as treasures. In Youzhou, horses are a very precious resource. Almost everyone loves horses, and Zhou Xu is no exception.
After hearing this, Xiao Luolan slapped her forehead in annoyance. She was so confused that she didn't think of this: "Mr. Zhou, this method is good."
"Then let's go to the carriage shop first?" Zhou Xu saw Mrs. Xiao's slender eyebrows stretched, her willow-leaf eyes filled with soft clear light, the smile lines at the end of her eyes shallow, and her indescribable maturity and elegance. It felt like scratching, itchy and numb, why did Mrs. Xiao make him love her so much.
"Okay." Xiao Luolan was happy to save some money. She held her daughter's hand and thought about buying some snacks for her daughter if she came across snacks when she went back.
After the sect leader left with Mrs. Xiao and the others, Zhao Qingshan rubbed his face, shook his folding fan, and entered the cabinet shop.
The horse carriage shop in Cang County is easy to find, because there is only one. There is a signboard of Liang's Carriage Shop outside. There are not many horse carriages. There are three or five carriages in total, scattered outside. There are even plants planted outside the shop. There are rows of big trees, and the carriages are placed under the shade of the trees.
Xiao Luolan looked at the carriages and selected them carefully.
The shopkeeper of the car dealership saw a beautiful lady holding a noble girl, followed by a maidservant, and a group of guards with knives behind her. In front of him, he dutifully introduced.
"Madam, the carriage you are looking at is a mare that is a Mongolian breed and has very good endurance. The logs on the carriage axle are very strong. The carriage is wide. The front seat can accommodate the driver. The carriage is covered with tung oil. Cloth can protect you from the rain, and there is a small compartment for storing sundries in the back seat of the carriage.”
"Look, this window can be opened to reduce the stuffiness. Many ladies from Cang County like to rent this one when they go to Taiyang County."
Xiao Luolan watched for a while, then she held her daughter's hand: "Qingxue, what do you think?"
Xiao Qingxue couldn't tell whether it was good or bad, but seeing that the horse in front of her was quite strong, it should be okay, so she nodded: "Then let's take this one."
"Store, how much does it cost to rent it to Taiyang County?" Zhou Xu asked, seeing that Mrs. Xiao was interested in it.
The shopkeeper saw that the middle-aged man was very impressive and did not dare to raise the price randomly. He said honestly: "Five hundred coins."
"We don't want a coachman, how much does it cost?" Zhou Xu asked again.
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment: "Four hundred and fifty yuan."
"Then you write a receipt from the dealership and give it to me. When we get to Taiyang County, I will return the carriage to your Liang's dealership in Taiyang."
"If you don't want a coachman, you need to pay a deposit." The shopkeeper said carefully. If the coachman driving the horse is not from their dealership, then they have stolen the carriage. What will happen then.
"Yes." Zhou Xuyun said.
"Please, please, the deposit is twenty taels. When you return the carriage, please give the certificate to the shopkeeper of the dealership, and the shopkeeper will return your deposit in full."
Lei Bao stepped forward, took out his money bag, and went through the formalities with the shopkeeper. The voucher was also placed on him. Naturally, subordinates like them would handle such a small matter.
Xiao Qingxue took out a dime to pay and received another bag of copper coins. She patted the bulging purse and felt that it was really troublesome in ancient times.
Fang Yun bowed to Xiao Qingxue and said, "Little master, if there are too many copper coins, we can buy a money box to take with us."
"Then you take us to buy one." Xiao Qingxue looked at Fang Yun and said with a smile: "My mother and I have never traveled far, so we don't know what we need to bring. What do you think we should bring."
Fang Yun replied: "I think the masters should bring some candles, flints, Hu cakes, tea leaves, clay pots and kettles, umbrellas, balsam kerchiefs, blankets and quilts at night, and if you go to Langge, you need to cross the Xunjiang River, and finally Let's prepare some refreshing herbs." Fang Yun wanted to say something else, but when she saw a man next to the young lady, she thought it was not the right time, so she didn't say anything.
"You should buy two big boxes." After hearing this, Xiao Qingxue felt that she had quite a lot to bring.
"When we buy, if you also want to buy something, be sure to remember to tell us." Xiao Qingxue said.
"yes."
Seeing that the carriage was rented, Xiao Luolan boldly touched the horse's temples. At this moment, a panting voice came. She turned her head and saw a rather fat man wearing a green official robe. He said to Sect Master Zhou.
"I'm here to pay my respects to Lord Jiedushi."
Zhou Xu raised his eyebrows, looked at Dou Yaoming, and then at the carriage with Dou's wooden sign behind him.
"Is there something wrong, Magistrate Dou?"
Dou Yaoyan raised his head, his fat face covered with sweat: "The official heard that your Excellency was looking at the carriage at the carriage house, and remembered that Your Majesty has worked day and night for Youzhou, so he offered me a family car and asked Your Excellency to accept it."
After that, he bowed deeply again.
Xiao Qingxue's eyes widened. Did they run into a bribery scene? How could officials in ancient times be so unsubtle, offering bribes in broad daylight? !
Zhou Xu looked at Mrs. Xiao: "Mrs. Xiao, we can rent any carriage you like."
Dou Yaoming had long known from the shopkeeper of Laifu Inn that there was a noble lady of unknown origin and a noble daughter beside him. Lei's cavalry escort.
Now I heard with my own ears that their Youzhou Jiedushi Lord asked in a low voice for the woman, with a tone of discussion. I was so shocked that I couldn't help but raise my eyes to look at the woman.
I saw the woman standing next to Jieduzhi with a hibiscus jade face, plump muscles, like mutton-fat jade, and an even slimmer figure, with a waist as thin as a willow. She lowered her head and did not dare to look again. .
Xiao Luolan saw that the two carriages seemed to be similar in appearance, but the carriage at the back was obviously wider.
Zhou Xu smiled and said: "Mrs. Xiao, don't worry, we paid for renting Magistrate Dou's carriage, and Magistrate Dou's family also has a mansion in Taiyang County, so we can just deliver the carriage to his residence."
The flesh on Dou Yaoming's face trembled, and sweat dripped down.
"I wonder how much it costs to rent Magistrate Dou's carriage?" Xiao Luolan decided to rent one if it was expensive.
Dou Yaoming sweated even more as he listened to the woman's Chang'an dialect. How much does it cost? How does he know how much it costs? This carriage was given to him by his family. It is a great honor for the Dou family to give it to Lord Jiedushi. If his eldest brother and his family find out about asking for money, will he be able to do well in the future? ?
However, Master Jiedushi's last sentence was clearly about renting. In a hurry, he replied to the beautiful woman: "It's only fifty cents more than what you rented."
Five hundred liters?
Xiao Luolan compared the space of the two carriages and felt that it was still bearable.
Zhou Xudao: "Then we will rent Magistrate Dou's carriage."
After taking some time, Xiao Luolan handed the money to Magistrate Dou.
Dou Yaoming wiped his sweaty hands and accepted it. He felt that money had never been so hot.
Xiao Qingxue and her mother entered the carriage. The carriage was very clean and there was a round mat.
Leibao drove in front.
Zhou Xuze walked behind leisurely, and Dou Yaoming followed Master Jieduzhi, feeling panicked. In the end, Master Jieduzhi didn't say anything, so he did the right thing?
Dou Yaoming walked around the room. He had never been good at writing or martial arts since he was a child. He started to write a letter to his eldest brother to ask for praise. After he finished writing, he asked the messengers in the house to ride on horseback to deliver the letters to his eldest brother.
On the other side, Xiao Luolan, led by Fang Yun, bought several boxes of essential things needed for the journey, especially medicines. She went to the medical center and bought several kinds of pills and ointments.
When resting at night, Xiao Luolan thought about the things she had prepared and felt very fulfilled. She also bought some preserved fruits for her daughter to eat to relieve her boredom in the car.
Xiao Luolan turned half sideways, holding a round fan in her hand to gently fan her sleeping daughter.
In Room No. 9, Tianzi, Zhou Xu held Mrs. Xiao's jade bracelet in his hand and looked at it under the light. He was so close that he could smell the unique fragrance of Mrs. Xiao on the jade bracelet.
Zhou Xu looked at it and put it away.
Two days later.
It is the only official road from Cang County to Taiyang County.
Zhou Xu was sitting on a horse, with Lei's Qingqi guarding him around, but this time there was a low-key carriage in the middle.
The carriage is hung with a Zhanfeng Duo.
When the wind blows, the bells jingle.
Xiao Qingxue was eating preserved apricots, sitting boredly on the floor of the carriage, fanning her mother with a round fan.
Xiao Luolan is sewing a menstrual belt.
She remembered that her daughter’s menstrual period was coming soon. In ancient times, there were no sanitary napkins, so she had to prepare in advance. Fang Yun taught her how to sew a menstrual belt. Of course, the fabric she chose was the softest. There were plant ash in the clay pot, and she had to make preparations in advance. Once filled, cover it.
Fang Yun knelt down and helped her masters gather their things.
The carriage drove for a long time, and Xiao Qingxue was knocked to sleep. Xiao Luolan put away the menstrual belt and was about to get up when Lei Bao suddenly knocked on the carriage door with a solemn tone.
"Mrs. Xiao, Miss Xiao, please lean down and lie down."
Xiao Luolan was stunned for a moment, and although he didn't understand why, he still let his daughter and Fang Yun lie down on the floor of the carriage.
Vaguely, Xiao Luolan noticed that the surroundings seemed too quiet. Xiao Qingxue's eyes widened and she was no longer sleepy at all.
In the suffocating silence, Xiao Luolan seemed to hear the sound of a knife being unsheathed, and then, several arrows suddenly penetrated deeply into the wall of the carriage, and chaotic shouts and roars were heard outside.
The carriage shook violently, Xiao Luolan held her daughter tightly in her arms, and covered her with her body, making Fang Yun lie down with a look of horror on her face, completely unaware of what was happening.
"Protect Mrs. Xiao's carriage while the others chase after me."
Sect Leader Zhou's voice came from far away, bringing an unreal feeling.
The sound of horse hooves kept circling around the carriage, and after a while, a sharp whistle sounded.
Xiao Luolan looked pale as she looked at the car wall that had been penetrated by several arrows.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage door was opened.
Xiao Luolan quickly raised his head, his pupils shrank violently, and his whole body was shaking unconsciously.
Zongzhu Zhou lifted up the gauze curtain with one hand. There was a long blood stain on his face, as if it had been splashed. His other hand was pressed on the blood-stained long knife at his waist. The strong smell of blood hit his face. In front of the carriage, Leihu Leibao was holding several things that looked like human heads.
