The house was deserted, and spider webs had already been woven on the farm tools behind the door.
Goo.
On the dirt floor, a toad was swimming leisurely, crossing the house...
"hiss--"
Li Shimin got goosebumps and frowned,
"Jingde, take it away!"
Yuchi Gong laughed.
"Your Majesty has also come to fight on the battlefield. Are you still afraid of a mere toad?"
He casually picked up the toad and shook it in front of Li Er.
Li Shimin looked disgusted.
"Of course I'm not scared, I just look disgusting."
He waved his hand and urged,
"Throw it away!"
Snapped!
Yu Chigong flicked his hand, and the toad drew a parabola in the air and fell into the well with a pop.
Ta-ta, tap-ta.
The old woman walked out of the back room on crutches.
She held a package in her hand and continued:
"Sit down, sit down, old lady, I want to ask you something."
"...Hey, okay." Li Shimin hesitated to speak, and finally could only sit down.
"Sanlin is in the army, isn't he ashamed?"
The old woman fumbled with the table, looked at Li Shimin and his group with squinted eyes, and asked with a smile.
She couldn't see clearly the appearance of the person coming, and could only see a few shadows standing in front of her.
"No, absolutely not!"
Li Shimin said solemnly,
"The Sanlin brothers performed bravely on the battlefield. In the battle at Qikou, they killed two Turkic thieves on foot and on horseback. They were extremely brave!"
"It's a pity that he..."
Before he could say anything, the old woman started laughing.
"This brat is usually as timid as a mouse, but I didn't expect him to be so energetic on the battlefield. Okay, okay, hehehe..."
She said with a smile,
"Finally, he didn't embarrass his father. When his father killed the enemy, he just rushed forward risking his life!"
Li Shimin was startled.
"The father of the Sanlin brothers is also a soldier?" he couldn't help but ask.
He turned to look at Fang Xuanling.
Fang Xuanling flipped through the account book in his hand, then nodded and whispered: "A veteran of the Sui Dynasty."
"Yes, my family is very brave in fighting."
The old woman responded with some pride, then her expression dimmed and she whispered,
"So, he died early... leaving me, the old woman, to raise the child by myself."
Li Shimin fell into silence again.
How come one family is worse than the other!
"Fortunately, the hard days are finally over. Let me tell you, when Sanlin comes back, I have to marry him properly. He is already a big man..."
The old woman suddenly laughed again and said happily,
"Hey... I have to leave a heir for the old Zhang family, don't you think?"
"Yes, yes." Li Shimin responded loudly, increasing his volume.
Changsun Wuji pushed Li Er.
"Your Majesty, it's time to get down to business..."
He whispered,
"If we visit one family after another, we won't be able to give out so much pension even if it gets dark..."
Li Shimin's face turned bitter.
The old lady was in high spirits, and light shone through her cloudy eyes.
At this time...how to tell her the bad news!
Just when he was in trouble, the old woman had already stuffed a package over him.
"Little brother, do the old woman a favor, okay?"
She faced Li Shimin and said slowly,
"This winter coat was knitted by myself. I have been knitting it for more than a year."
"I can't see, so I can only weave by feeling. The pattern may be a bit different, but the materials used are of the best, and they must be warm."
"Can you help me...bring it to Sanlin? I heard it's very cold in Northern Xinjiang, very cold..."
Li Shimin's hand sank.
Wow.
Opening the package gently, there was a piece of coarse linen inside. The threads were twisted and twisted, like earthworms, but it was woven at least.
"Can such linen clothes keep out the cold?"
Xiao Yu couldn't help but said.
People like them all wear mink or fox fur, which is called clothing to keep out the cold.
This coarse linen clothing is fine for spring and autumn, but it can’t stand up to winter!
Not to mention, it’s winter on the Turkic grasslands...
"It's double-decker."
Xu Fenglei opened Mai's sleeves and said softly,
"Well, look, using two layers of material will keep you warmer."
He opened the clothes again, only to see the white lining.
"The reed hair is embedded in it, which also has a certain warming effect."
Xu Fenglei explained,
"You high-ranking officials don't know how ordinary people spend the winter. Where do they get mink furs and fox furs? At most, they only have a few pieces of linen and some reed hair."
"The reed hair is very hard. It just piles up in a pile. It has to be knocked and beaten for a long time before it becomes soft and docile. Only by pressing it in the clothes can it keep warm."
"The old lady is blind. This cold coat was finally completed from knitting to filling with reed hair...I don't know how many days and nights passed..."
Those words made everyone feel a little uncomfortable.
Countless days and nights I have been chanting and thinking about it, my hands have been pricked countless times by thick needles, and I have been exhausted countless times when beating reed hair...
In order to give my son who is fighting in a distant place a little more warmth, he went through all kinds of hardships and finally made this clothes, but now...
"The bones of the bones have withered on the sand, and the family is still sending cold clothes to themselves..."
Xu Fenglei sighed and waved his hand, saying,
"I can't bear to see this, I can't bear to see this..."
"Your Majesty, I think... it's better not to tell the old lady the truth, and leave her with some thoughts."
Li Shimin nodded silently.
"What...are you talking about? I can't hear you, old lady."
The old woman leaned her ears closer and tried to hear clearly.
"Old lady, we are saying that spring is over now and summer is about to begin!"
Li Er hugged Hanyi and said loudly,
"Sanlin can no longer use your cold clothes! Why don't you keep them for yourself?"
When the old woman heard this, she shook her head repeatedly.
"Just right, just right..."
She twirled her fingers and said,
"It will take several months to send it from our village to the border. By the time it reaches his hands, won't it have to be wintered again?"
"Old lady, I figured it out!"
Li Shimin smiled bitterly.
Not to mention the officials, private delivery over such long distances really takes several months.
There is even a risk of losing the item...
"I think it's time for our delivery business in Datang to develop well. Back then, the Qin Dynasty was able to guarantee private delivery business. It's been almost a thousand years, but not only have we not made progress, we have actually regressed."
Xu Fenglei couldn't help but complain.
Li Shimin: "..."
"Are you unwilling?"
The old woman suddenly asked, looking a little anxious.
"I, I can give you money, I understand the rules, I understand... Just wait a moment..."
As she said this, she got up and went to the back room.
"Hey, hey, old lady!"
Li Shimin quickly stood up and stopped her, saying loudly,
"We are willing, willing!"
"Don't worry if you leave this cold coat to us! We will deliver it to Sanlin as quickly as possible!"
"Sit down, sit down."
After a few words of assurance, the old woman was calmed down.
"Okay, okay, don't lose it..."
The old woman's expression relaxed, and she warned a little uneasily,
"Don't lose it, it's very hard to do..."
Li Shimin nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry! You won't lose it!"
He held the cold clothes tightly, stood up and said,
"Besides, we are here today actually to distribute...distribute rewards!"
"Brother Sanlin has made great contributions in Northern Xinjiang, and the emperor has issued a decree to commend him! He is still on the front line, so we will send him to you first!"
"Xuanling, auxiliary machine!"
Snap.
Fang Xuanling opened the wooden box.
Changsun Wuji started to go through the process...
…
After a long while, under the old woman's repeated instructions and Li Shimin's repeated assurances, the group finally walked out.
"well!"
Li Er shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"Without informing the families of the fact that the soldiers have sacrificed, is it considered that we have completed the mission or not?"
Changsun Wuji suddenly said.
Li Shimin glanced at him.
"The old lady is like that, how can I...how can I have the heart to tell her the bloody truth!"
He said helplessly,
"I can't say it, I'm so sad..."
Xu Fenglei kicked away the stones on the ground.
"Happy families are always alike, and every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
He sighed,
"Let the old lady keep her thoughts in mind, just think that her son is still at the border, but he just can't come back."
Li Shimin nodded.
"That's all it can do..."
He looked at the courtyard in the village and sighed,
"Oh! I heard Ming said that, everyone has his own misfortune. After leaving two families, I can't bear to go any further..."
"You think, am I being too pretentious?"
I was in a good mood when I came.
Now my mood is completely depressed.
"In the past, King Xuan of Qi saw an ox that was about to challenge the bell. He couldn't bear to let it go. Meng Ke called it benevolence."
Fang Xuanling cupped his hands and said,
"Seeing him alive, he can't bear to see him die; hearing his voice, he can't bear to eat his flesh. This is the ability of empathy that only a benevolent king can have."
"Your Majesty cannot bear it now. It is precisely because you are a benevolent king that you cannot bear to see the people miserable and sad."
Li Shimin suddenly realized.
"Yes, I really can't see the misery of the people..."
He responded and said with some hesitation,
"Otherwise, the next few...will not go there?"
As he continued to visit, he felt like he was going to be depressed!
"Your Majesty is intolerant. This is indeed the behavior of a benevolent king. However, I believe that it is precisely because you cannot see these things that you should see them more often."
Xu Fenglei said in a deep voice,
"Living high in the temple, he is often disconnected from the people and does not know the sufferings of the people."
"In the past, when Emperor Hui of the Jin Dynasty said, 'Why don't you eat minced meat?', everyone thought he was a fool. But in fact, he was just living in a deep palace, his ears and eyes were blinded, and he was not aware of the people's sentiments, so he would ask such a stupid question."
"Just like the good news delivered to His Majesty, your attention must have been on the great victory in the Northern Expedition, and you would never have cared about the number of casualties. If you hadn't walked away today, Your Majesty might have thought that it was just a cold number. They don’t realize that behind that number are broken families and bloody misfortunes.”
"The wheels of war are rolling, and a random particle of dust may be, to the people, a mountain that can crush people to death."
"Your Majesty, please take note of this!"
Li Shimin was startled.
"Listen, you are right..."
He raised his head slightly and said,
"I should walk around more and see more."
"Let's go to the next one!"
…
On this day, Li Shimin visited Jiaotou Village and delivered pensions to the families of 32 fallen soldiers.
The cries and screams made his heart feel heavier and heavier.
War!
The sound of the wheels turning was a lament composed of the cries of countless people.
On this day, he reiterated again——
Within five years, we will rest with the people, and the border troops will make defensive deployments, and we will never be able to fight a war!
…
That night.
Chang'an City, Duke Xu's Mansion.
"Master, it's rare for you to invite us old brothers to dinner! Hahaha..."
"Hey, mutton, venison, and stuffed grapes! It seems that the grand master is sincerely inviting us to dinner this time. He has spent a lot of money on this..."
"Come, come, let's go first..."
"..."
Yu Chigong. Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong shouted, and the man with the golden sword sat down.
There are rich dishes on the table, including both meat and vegetables. There is also a steaming hot pot, and there is a grill beside which is roasting a fat lamb.
The whole house is filled with fragrance, making people want to eat it!
Squeak.
The door opened and a husband walked in with steady steps, stroking his beard.
"Hey, Li Jing?"
Cheng Yaojin said in surprise,
"The Grand Master also invited you?"
Li Jing stroked his beard and smiled.
"Why, am I, Li Jing, the person I shouldn't invite?"
he asked rhetorically.
"Hey, I'm welcome, of course I'm welcome."
Cheng Yaojin knew that he had made a mistake, and he laughed and said,
"I'm just afraid that you think we are noisy..."
Although they are all from Tiance Mansion, they can be regarded as Xu Fenglei's old brothers.
Then Li Jing is not bad either.
During the Northern Expedition against the Turks, Grand Master and Li Jing had a tacit understanding of cooperation, and they had a comradeship.
"How dare you."
Li Jing slightly cupped his hands and said with a smile,
"As long as you don't think I'm drunk and acting crazy later."
This joke made the atmosphere in the room suddenly become more joyful.
"Hahaha, our wine quality is very poor, we are all old lunatics! His Majesty has certified it!"
"Yes, yes, if the eldest brother doesn't laugh at the second brother, then we will get drunk and go crazy together, and we will poke holes in the Grand Master's house!"
"Come on, drink!"
The grape wine was poured into the cup, and the old guys drank it by themselves.
At this moment, Xu Fenglei finally arrived.
"You guys don't know the rules, are you monkeys?"
When he saw that several people were already a little tipsy, he couldn't help but said speechlessly,
"I called you here today to discuss business. What are you talking about when you're drunk?"
"Come on! Give me all the wine!"
Wow.
The maids came forward and all the red and yellow ones were removed.
"Business?"
Yuchi Gong raised his eyebrows, stood up and raised his hand, saying,
"Grand Master... We have said it before. We will not get involved in anything related to the imperial court!"
"If you want to say it, you have to say it in the open air, otherwise... we have no choice but to say goodbye!"
The other people all had stern looks on their faces.
Each and every one of you here has a high position of authority, especially in the military with extremely high prestige!
Get together at a table, close the door and talk... If this reaches the ears of the emperor, and a few slanderous words like "conspiracy" and "unruly" are made by the villain... then they will be in trouble!
"Jingde, when did you become so sensitive?"
Xu Fenglei joked,
"Do I look like the kind of person who can't carry it clearly?"
"Sit down, sit down, sit down."
"I have no business with you, but a private matter..."
(End of chapter)
