The autumn wind is bleak, the fallen leaves are falling, and the phoenix trees are clear in autumn.
In ancient times, salt and iron were government affairs, but sugar has never been affordable for ordinary people. It has always been circulated among the nobles and upper class people. If the new sugar spreads and everyone can afford it, no matter whether they want it or not. , its final result will inevitably be subject to government supervision, especially since it is involved in a war, let alone in private hands.
In this case, the daughter can be an official. She already has an official position. Now that it has begun, the daughter can also be the agent of the first generation of official sugar.
Xiao Luolan thought about it for a long time before coming up with this method to keep her and her daughter safe, because privatizing sugar would definitely not work.
In fact, Xiao Luolan has always been impatient in her heart. This is a sign that the surrounding environment is about to change dramatically. She has always understood that Luoyang is not far from Chang'an. When she actually arrives in Chang'an, everything about her will be turned upside down.
This upcoming change was completely unfamiliar to Xiao Luolan, and she was even a little at a loss.
But she thought she would get used to it slowly.
She would once again shield her daughter from the elements.
After a while, Xiao Qingxue came back.
Seeing that her face was flushed, Xiao Luolan wiped the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief: "Have you met your father?"
"I saw it, dad even ate all the sweets." Xiao Qingxue's eyes were bright: "Dad is so awesome, he is not afraid of sweet things."
Xiao Luolan smiled: "Isn't this a gift from you? Your father must finish it."
Xiao Qingxue hugged Grandma's arm with a look of surprise on her face: "My father also said this. He said it was a gift from me. If I don't finish it, it would be a waste of my filial piety."
Xiao Luolan smiled softly and touched her daughter's hair.
Xiao Qingxue approached grandma, feeling so happy: "My dad also touched my head just now, just like grandma."
"Is this considered a couple's appearance?" Xiao Qingxue suddenly thought.
Xiao Luolan's cheeks turned red and she took her hand off: "I'm going to pack my things."
"No, grandma, please touch me again." Xiao Qingxue refused. She lowered her head obediently and enjoyed grandma's warm hands brushing her head. It was obviously a cloudy day, but Xiao Qingxue felt like she was basking in the sun, and her whole body was warm. Yangyang.
Xiao Luolan touched her daughter's simple ponytail, separated her long hair into two strands, and braided two small braids, so that her daughter would look more lively and cute.
Xiao Qingxue touched the two long and thin braids and suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at?" Xiao Luolan asked.
Xiao Qingxue couldn't stop laughing. The more she thought about it, the more she laughed. She burst into tears: "I think of Amu. He doesn't have anyone to serve him personally. He does everything by himself. Aniang, do you think he has to do it every day?" Do you braid your own hair?"
Xiao Luolan couldn't help but laugh when she thought of the scene her daughter was talking about.
Mother and daughter laughed together.
Chapter 338
Xiao Luolan and her daughter set off with the army, and Wan Niang was among them. She sat in Lan Niang's carriage and looked at the army in front. The carriage was large, more than enough for the two of them.
Xiao Luolan sat on the sofa and read a book. She planned to make up for the laws and the whole process of maritime trade in Da Chu. The ancient laws were obscure, and Xiao Luolan studied them very seriously. There were books around them. The Hu merchants from the shop gave her a lot of gifts before she left, and Xiao Luolan left them all as supplies to Mr. Xiao, who was the order of Luoyang.
After Lian Dalang and Xiao Gongzhu were picked up, they took the people back to Jianghuai. Before leaving, they also came to see her. After Xiao Luolan said goodbye to him, he went to see Xie who was going to Chang'an with them. Family, Miss Xie and Xie Wanjun.
The Xie family had established a foothold in Chang'an. This time Zhou Lang led his army to Chang'an, so they would naturally go as well.
After the two of them took care of the affairs of the Tang family, they took the few surviving Tang family children in the family to Chang'an and prepared to raise these children personally. As for the Tang family's old house in Luoyang, only a few old servants were left to take care of it. I come back several times a year to pay homage. When the children grow up, the old house in Luoyang and the Tang family property will be returned to them.
This is what Xie Wanjun planned and what he told the princess.
The young children were weak and they were from the Tang family. Xiao Luolan felt even more pity for them. Every time she thought of Tang Wu and Qi Shilang, Xiao Luolan felt sad. It was also her idea to settle down their descendants. Not long after she got on the carriage , she sent more people to take care of them.
For most of the day, Xiao Luolan had no time to spare. It was not until this moment that she had time to rest.
Jin Hewan looked out the window for a while. Seeing that Lan Niang was still concentrating on reading the book, he took out her hand and said, "Your eyes just don't last long, use them carefully."
Xiao Luolan said helplessly: "I'll look at it for a while."
"No." Jin Hewan said firmly.
"Okay." Xiao Luolan said. She peeled an orange and gave half of it to Wan Niang. The sweet and sour oranges made her mouth water, so Xiao Luo Lan peeled another one. Jin Hewan took Lan Niang's orange and said, He pursed his lips and said, "Is that the young lady from the Xie family?"
Xiao Luolan swallowed the orange segment and looked outside.
The daughter and the young lady from the Xie family are each riding a horse and walking side by side. The daughter is wearing a round collar robe today with a small whip around her waist. She looks particularly heroic. Next to her, the young lady from the Xie family is wearing a white fox fur trim. The embroidered silver-white cloak and the fine and velvety white fox fur set off the Xie family's young lady with a clear temperament.
The two were riding very close, but a little far away. Xiao Luolan couldn't hear what they were saying, but the two seemed to have a good relationship, talking and laughing. The daughter even gave Qingnu a small whip, which seemed to Teaching her how to use a whip.
"Her name is Qing Wu." Xiao Luolan put down the car curtain and said warmly to his close friend: "The Xie family has always been an ally of Youzhou. Zhou Lang and the head of the Xie family arranged the marriage between Qing Wu and Shen Zhi a long time ago. "
The weather was bad today. As soon as the curtain of the carriage fell, the light inside the carriage became darker. Jin Hewan was afraid of the cold. Lan Niang had prepared a small three-legged stove on the table early. She reached out and grilled it: "The glory of the Xie family in Chang'an It’s really not shallow.”
It didn't take long for Xiao Qingxue to get into her grandma's carriage. With Aunt Jin there, she sat quietly beside her grandma and did not roll over.
"Auntie Jin, Sister Qingwu gave me a jade bracelet, and invited me to play in her carriage tomorrow." Xiao Qingxue rolled up her sleeves, and there was a smooth and soft white jade bracelet on her wrist.
Jin Hewan looked at the bracelet, and a smile appeared on her usually prim and serious face: "The bracelet given by the Xie family is not bad."
Xiao Luolan said: "This bracelet looks very expensive. Then when you go to her place tomorrow, choose something good and give it to her."
"I gave her my whip." Xiao Qingxue patted her empty waist: "Sister Qingwu liked my whip, so I gave it to her. I found that whip from the warehouse at home. , I usually like it."
Xiao Luolan smiled and said, "I'll give you a whip when I get back to Langge."
Xiao Qingxue said slyly: "I heard the two brothers Gongsun Qi say before that there are still some materials left to make Dad's black gold whip. Can I use those materials to make it?"
"Those materials were given to your father by people from the Gongsun family. Why don't you ask your father." Xiao Luolan said. For some reason, he suddenly remembered the scene when the elder of the Gongsun family was in agony when he was carving jade. The pain on his chest The jade plaque was ironed on her chest. She just didn't know the importance of this jade plaque. Now thinking about it, it seemed like a waste of natural resources to make a jade plaque for her out of the last remaining jade of Dragon Seal...
"Mom, please help me ask, okay?" Xiao Qingxue felt that if Aniang asked, she would have a greater chance of success. She knew that Zhou Shiliu had been craving those materials for a long time.
Xiao Luolan couldn't resist her daughter's coquettishness, so she nodded.
"Amu and Shiliu are in front, I went to play with them." Xiao Qingxue said, unable to sit still.
"Don't disturb others." Xiao Luolan warned.
"I know, grandma." Xiao Qingxue got out of the carriage with a smile and rode to the front.
Wait until evening, after the Chinese army has set up camp.
Zhou Xu touched his beard. During the time when his wife was not around, his stubble quickly turned into a long beard, which became less prickly. So he grew a long beard instead of the long beard he had before. He has a beard and is now used to having a long beard. No one is allowed to enter the back room of the big tent, and generally no one dares to break into the big tent without notice. Therefore, he and his wife only have dinner, and the other juniors each have their own place to eat and rest. .
"If it's difficult, forget it. My daughter just plays with the whip." Xiao Luolan saw Zhou Lang twirling his beard. In fact, there are actually a lot of materials for making whips, and her daughter doesn't have to use it.
Zhou Xu put down his hand: "It's not a problem to use the remaining black iron for Qingxue." He picked up his black whip: "The key is that the whip made from it will be very heavy. Qingxue can't swing it. I think When the time comes, let the forger of the Gongsun family add more black iron."
Xiao Luolan smiled and said, "That's okay."
Seeing his wife's joy, Zhou Xu also smiled and said, "Qingxue likes it, so I left all the piles of Tianwaiwu Iron in the warehouse to her."
"This is brown sugar cake. Try it, Mr. Zhou." Xiao Luolan said, holding a piece of pastry.
Zhou Xu picked it up and took a bite. It was sweet and soft: "Yes, the brown sugar in the cake was also made by Qingxue?"
After eating, he served mutton soup to his wife. When the weather was cold, eating mutton was very nourishing, and it was also very good for her.
"She did it." Xiao Luolan said, "In the morning, you also ate the sugar she made."
Zhou Xu recalled the sweetness of white sugar, and quickly drank a few sips of the mutton soup to suppress the sweetness in his heart: "It's delicious, but it's a little too sweet."
Xiao Luolan covered her lips and smiled: "Who told you to eat it? Next time I will make some jam with sugar and use it to make fruit tea."
"The white sugar is as bright and clear as frost and snow. I can't bear to eat it for him." Zhou Xu sat down next to his wife, held her hand and said, "My daughter has always been considerate and filial. Don't worry, madam, I won't let her be wronged." ." Zhou Xu promised, how could he not know his wife's thoughts? When it comes to her daughter, she has always been concerned about gains and losses, thinking too much and confirming repeatedly.
"From now on, you can do whatever you want." Zhou Xu hugged his wife and said happily with his heart filled to the brim.
Xiao Luolan couldn't help laughing and said, "Really?"
The madam's eyes flashed, and Zhou Xu felt his heart beating violently again. He smiled and said, "Really, the general is true to his word."
"When the war starts, you and your daughter will stay in the Chinese army's tent and don't go out." Zhou Xu said, "I have arranged enough manpower to protect you. There will be no accidents this time."
"Okay." Xiao Luolan responded with a smile.
When they rested together at night, Xiao Luolan couldn't sleep. After all, they were getting closer and closer to Chang'an. She couldn't help asking in a low voice: "What kind of place is Chang'an?"
"Chang'an." Zhou Xu rubbed his wife's shoulders, opened his eyes, thought for a while and said: "The land of the capital, at the feet of the emperor, is home to thousands of aristocratic families and countless high-ranking princes. If a stone is thrown, it may hit someone. A person from a powerful family."
"There are too many people." Zhou Xu said.
"Do you know Renzong? I have seen an unofficial history of his in a book." Xiao Luolan thought of an unofficial history he had seen during the day.
"I know, he was the shortest-lived emperor of Chu." Zhou Xu kissed his wife's snowy cheek and said. He lowered his head and saw the jade plaque being held up high and glowing brightly, so he answered a little absent-mindedly.
"I heard that he had a heavenly edict." Xiao Luolan said with interest.
"If Madam wants it, I will send someone to look for it when we enter Chang'an." Zhou Xu was fine. His voice was a little hoarse as he spoke. Xiao Luolan turned around, and the jade plaque slipped into the darkness. She He said: "I read the historical records today and found that Renzong's death seemed very strange." According to the records in the historical books, he died very quickly. He died of a serious illness after a cold.
"He was killed by the aristocratic family at that time." Zhou Xu said straightforwardly and briefly. What Renzong did at that time had touched the interests and bottom line of the aristocratic family. They could no longer keep him, so he would not give it to those aristocratic families. Whatever way is left for him to survive, he will die for him. Those who are almost dead and unable to recover are the good families.
The same is true for the Xie family. He will never tolerate any aristocratic family ruling the world with him. It's time for those noble families to wake up to him. His world will be a new world!
Zhou Xu's eyes were deep and dark.
Without the food supply from Jianghuai and Luoyang, Chang'an has already experienced a food shortage. The defense of Tongguan also requires a large supply of food and weapons. Seeing that the weather is getting colder, this dilemma will become more and more obvious.
Tongguan and Changan will not last long.
Zhou Xu knew it all in his heart, but he also knew that he was extremely cruel.
After more than a month of siege, on the first day of winter snowfall, Tongguan was officially captured. General Song, the guard of Tongguan, jumped from the city pass and died for his country. He fell to pieces. After Zhou Xu looked at it for a while, he covered his body with the Dachu flag. .
There was no one around, Zhou Xu looked at the blood-soaked flag, and finally had him cremated.
The thin snow was falling, Zhou Xu looked in the direction of Chang'an, and asked Hu Dali to string the eunuchs who were supervising the army at Tongguan to the barrels of guns one by one, like a banner of victory, and continued towards Chang'an.
At that time, when Chang'an, which was suffering from famine due to extreme food shortages, heard the news, it unexpectedly welcomed the arrival of the rebels.
because.
The rebels brought food.
Chapter 339
Xiao Luolan stood on the Ba Bridge and looked at the long embankment and the willow trees planted on the embankment. It was already winter, and the willow branches were covered with frost and snow. At first glance, they looked like rime. The long willow branches Some of them hung down into the frozen river and solidified into a picture. The ice today is thicker than yesterday.
More willows on the shore were blown by the strong wind. Near the river, the cold was even colder, and the willows made a sound like a whip whistle in the cold wind.
