The beginning of October is already the turn of autumn and winter. The frost had just passed a few days ago, and the cold snap came suddenly, so that for the past few days, the autumn grass lying on the ground had grown a thin layer of ice. The farmers in Guanzhong were worried and said: "This year's winter wheat is not good." It won’t grow up.”
As a result, before he finished speaking, another hailstone fell from the sky. At first, it was small and no one noticed it. But gradually, the hailstones grew from small to large. At first, they were only the size of fine sand, then they were the size of a thumb, and finally there were hailstones as big as a fist. They all fell down, causing the hard ground to become pitted. Looking around the Weihe Plain, there were many huts destroyed by hail on the roadside, as well as snow-colored ice balls piled up in front of each house.
That morning, a strong wind blew again. Chen Chong first heard the roar of the wind outside and the swaying of the trees in the courtyard, and then saw a yellow-grey sky and earth. He could only vaguely see the shadows of thousands of fallen leaves in the misty air. The air was filled with an unmistakable smell of fishy earth, as if the yellow sand from thousands of miles away had been swept into Chang'an City.
In this case, the officials of Sili Mansion were sealed in their homes and were not allowed to go out. As a result, the entire center of Xijing had to stop and wait for the roar of nature to be vented. Although Chen Chong was worried about the war in Guandong, when he walked to the hall door and looked from a distance, he could only see ash flakes falling from the door, like a layer of melon seeds.
Cai Yan knew that he was upset, so he made him a pot of tea and comforted him, saying: "The weather is not going well. It is normal for the envoy from the east to arrive later. The general has led an army of 300,000 people. Even if he cannot win, what will happen?" It’s not like we’re defeated! Why should we be so worried?”
When Chen Chong saw his wife's peaceful face, the anxiety in his heart dissipated a little. He took the tea cup and smiled, but he was still thinking in his heart: Since receiving the military report of Liu Bei's pursuit on September 26, he has been No more news has been received. Has Xuande given chase? If the pursuit is successful, I'm afraid there will be results in these two days, and I don't know whether it will be victory or defeat. There is a huge gap between knowing the news on the battlefield and knowing it early and knowing it late. The roads have been blocked by hailstorms and strong winds in the past few days. I hope no accidents will happen!
At this time, Cai Yan stretched out his hand, silently held Chen Chong's hand, and looked at him with tranquil eyes. Chen Chong knew what his wife meant. He straightened his mind and clothes, and said to his wife: "This storm damage is really serious. I estimate that after it stops, many houses will have only their beams left. I will write to the officials." A disaster relief form, Ayan, please polish the ink for me."
Cai Yan responded with a smile, turned around and went to the study to prepare pen and paper for Chen Chong. He chose to grind ink on the inkstone for a moment, then sorted the books beside him and quietly looked at her husband's figure.
Since she married Chen Chong at the age of sixteen, she has been extremely disappointed in her marriage. After all, Chen Chong was homeless all year round and had no children after seven years of marriage. She was left to take care of the housework and guard the empty house alone. If that was the case, that would be fine. Occasionally, Chen Chong would come back to take a bath. She saw that Chen Chong had many scars on his body, and she knew that he had lost his own arrow regardless of the danger. Thinking of this, one person was even more worried and worried at night, with tears in his heart.
But in the past six years, she had lived in Chang'an with Chen Chong, and all these worries had disappeared. Life in Chang'an can be said to be the most peaceful time since getting married. Besides dealing with political affairs, her husband often reads and writes by her side. During this period, she also had a son and a daughter. Her family and sisters are also under the shadow of her. Her life is so happy that it also makes her happy. She occasionally feels like a dream.
The younger sister Huiji was also married at this time to Wang Can, the great-grandson of the former Taiwei Wang Gong and the grandson of the former Sikong Wang Chang. Wang Can also worked in the Sili Mansion, so the younger sister often came to visit. . One day, when the two sisters were chatting, the younger sister remembered the secret conversations the three sisters had in the boudoir when they were in Lishi. Seeing that the eldest sister was no longer as sad as before, she couldn't help but joke to the eldest sister: "Is my brother-in-law still ambitious in all directions?" Cai Cai said. Yan smiled but didn't answer.
While sorting out the books, Cai Yan found a purse between the Book of Songs. There were two orioles embroidered on the purse, which made her look inexplicably familiar. She glanced at Chen Chong, opened it quietly, and saw a few strands of black hair inside. Judging from the texture, it had obviously been there for a long time. Only then did she remember that it was probably in the sixth year of Zhongping that she was resting in her hometown in Yingchuan and went to Xihe to send a letter to her husband. Unexpectedly, it has been preserved until now.
Looking at the page in the wallet of the scroll, it turned out to be the poem "Quiet Girl". When Cai Yan saw the sentence "The quiet girl is waiting for me in the corner of the city. She loves her but doesn't see her, she scratches her head and hesitates.", he smiled slightly, took out his purse, and solemnly put it on Chen Chong's waist.
Chen Chong didn't know why, so she asked: "I asked you to keep it with you, why should you put it in a book?" Chen Chong suddenly understood, and smiled at his wife: "Since shepherding and returning to the grassland, she is beautiful and different. The beauty of a bandit girl is the beauty of a beauty. Yi." The underlying meaning is that it is precisely because the wife's gift is precious that she worries about gain and loss.
Cai Yan obviously heard what was said, and smiled accordingly. Then, in a rare girlish manner, he asked Chen Chongji if he remembered the poem she had written. How dare Chen Chong forget? Then he read again: "The wild geese are coming back to the south to send some sound, and the wild geese are returning to the north to get my voice. The wild geese are flying high and are hard to find, and they are heartbroken and lost in thought. They raise their eyebrows toward the moon and play the elegant harp, and the five beats are cold. The coldness is profound."
There is a deep sense of resentment in the poem, which obviously does not fit the atmosphere at this time. After hearing this, Cai Yan felt as if he had lost something. Then he blushed with embarrassment, lowered his head and continued to polish his ink. It took a long time before he dared to raise his eyes to look at her husband.
To her disappointment, Chen Chong was writing with his head down and his heart down. But Cai Yan changed his mind and laughed again: This is really a man who can calm down at any time! It was really unpredictable that I could get along with him for so long.
She then remembered in a trance that when she got married at the age of fifteen, the first time she saw the person in front of her was already very late at night. He was feeling uneasy and didn't know what would happen to this marriage that he was extremely satisfied with. As a result, this man walked into the wedding room with a dejected face. He apologized to himself first and then asked himself what he liked? Have you eaten it? She didn't know what to say at that time and just stared at Chen Chong. The man actually laughed, suddenly turned around and went out. When he came back, he brought two bowls of soup cakes and said solemnly to her: "I have a very strong taste in food. I hope you will bear with me."
The noodle soup at that time was made by Chen Chong himself. Cai Yan thought of it as love at the time, but now that he thinks about it, he treats ordinary people like this, and it is actually no different. Cai Yan thought: It's a pity that he is still too busy now and doesn't know when he will be free. If he can stay at home for a long time, he will have nothing to complain about.
Unknowingly, Chen Chong had finished writing on the book list. The wind noise outside was also quieter, but the haze was still very heavy. After Chen Chong sealed the letter, he took a book in his hand, but he obviously had no intention of reading. After turning a few pages, he stared at the door in a daze. Cai Yan asked him: "Are you still thinking about the war?"
Chen Chong shook his head and said: "Yes and no." He paused and continued slowly: "I am thinking about how I should arrange this battle if I win? A Yan, all I want in my life is to unify the country. , the people are safe. Although I have the idea of doing more, but now I think about it, the history of future generations was originally written by later generations. For me, what is more useful is to write books and start education. "
Then he said: "When Xuande comes back, in two years' time, after the southern states and counties are pacified, I want to resign from my official position and go back to Yingchuan to take my father, third uncle, and others back. What do you think?"
Cai Yan thought it was good, but she thought about it and asked, "But what about Changwen (Chen Qun)?"
Chen Chong said: "Chang Wen stayed in the court. He had some talents and could do something. He is still young now and has no time to spare. When he was thirteen, he made up his mind to be a figure like the Three Lords, and he will get his wish. "
After saying this, Chen Chong felt a little relaxed. He leaned on the side of the couch and quietly thought about the past. Words are such strange things. When they are not spoken, they always feel uncertain, but once they are spoken, the determination seems to have settled and cannot be changed.
After a while, the couple went to the backyard to visit Chen Kui. Chen Kui is very old. He was originally thin, but he recently contracted liver disease and couldn't eat. He had to take care of himself for a long time. Recently, he could only drink porridge, which caused his cheekbones to become deeply sunken. But he was in good spirits. When Chen Chong saw him, he was still in the mood to accompany his two grandsons, Chen Shi and Chen Zhang.
Now Chen Shi is seven years old and Chen Zhang is three years old. When getting along with Chen Chong, they both love to pester Chen Kui. Chen Chong was not a serious father, but on the contrary, Chen Kui was more solemn and dignified. But the old man's kindness finally smoothed it all away. At this moment, he was peeling tangerines for his two grandchildren, but he himself was Not a single bite.
Chen rushed in for a while, and was thinking about what to say to his father. Chen Kui suddenly raised his head and said, "I dreamed about Erzu yesterday. He told me in the dream that you have been in danger recently, so you need to be more careful."
Chen Chong was startled, and all his thoughts were broken up. Although he had also dreamed of his grandfather Chen Shi, when he woke up, he could hardly remember his grandfather's appearance. He lowered his head and said, "I understand."
The father and son stayed together until noon, when the storm gradually subsided. Sand and dust scattered like smoke from the sky and condensed with the ice water on the ground. However, the sky was still covered with dark clouds and the sun could not be seen.
After the family had lunch together, Chen Chong changed into a black robe, put the list he had written in the morning in his sleeve pocket, and then called Tian Zhao, Wu Yu and others to go into the palace to meet the Holy Spirit to present the list.
Chen Chong led the horse out, but before it was saddled, he suddenly heard the sound of riding a horse from the north. He stood still and looked to the north. He saw a man wearing messenger clothes galloping from the kitchen gate. Come.
The man almost jumped down from his horse, crawled to the ground, stood in front of Chen Chong, and handed over a yellow silk book. When Chen Chong took it, he found that the silk book was warm and humid, and had been soaked by the courier's sweat. .
Before Chen Chong could open it, the messenger had already kowtowed in front of him and said urgently: "Your Majesty, Henan is reporting urgently. The general was defeated in the Bohai Sea and fell across the river again. He was infected by the wind and cold. The army is terrified and is evacuating to Chenliu!"
Chen Chongru was struck by lightning, and then he quickly opened the silk book and asked: "How many days ago was this news? Where is the general now? Is there any news?"
The messenger said shamefully: "The road was blocked by hail, so I had to be delayed for five days. I believe someone will arrive soon."
At the same time that Chen Chong received the news, Dong Cheng's emissary also arrived in Chang'an.
