In the outer hall of the dormitory, smoke from the incense burner curls up.
The noble lady and the young man sat together on the dragon couch, the atmosphere was harmonious and just like home.
Beside the imperial desk in front of them, three young palace maids knelt down and were quietly brewing today's refreshing morning tea in an orderly manner.
They no longer remember how many times they have done this kind of work, and they are already very skilled at it.
But this time, instead of brewing one cup as usual, two cups were brewed at once.
It was the first time in his life that He Gu sat with the empress in public without any hesitation. The feeling that it was at least officially open to the public made him feel indescribably fresh.
Sipping the Imperial Awakening Tea carefully brought to me by the palace maid, my body and mind suddenly felt extremely comfortable.
After a while, I looked at the familiar tall beautiful figure who walked in slowly and calmly with the palace maid at the door of the palace, and I immediately thought to myself that it was true.
He didn't try to cover up, and responded calmly with a smile.
Seeing that there was no obvious surprise on the young man's face, the noble empress immediately understood.
When I think about my nephew, I have obviously realized that he is so noble and graceful, and I can't help but show a little bit of sincere appreciation for being proud of him.
At the same time, I felt a little relieved, knowing that I wouldn't have to explain too much later.
Yun Ying has been keeping his head slightly lowered since he came in.
When he got close, he immediately knelt down and performed the rituals.
With a respectful tone, he said softly: "Ying'er has met the Lord and met the Young Master."
"Get up." After years of hard work in cultivating her, the empress has come to regard her as her own, and she can be regarded as half a daughter in her heart.
Without beating around the bush, the lady took the hand of the young man next to her and said softly: "She will go with you on this trip, and she will help you wholeheartedly from now on.
She belongs to the Imperial Aunt, and she was specially sent by the Imperial Aunt to hide her identity to protect you secretly. You can give her orders for everything, don't mind. "
It will naturally be safer for people with the empress to follow the situation, not to mention that this person is not an ordinary stranger.
He Gu nodded obediently without hesitation.
Seeing that the progress was surprisingly smooth, the lady felt relieved.
He turned to Yun Ying and warned him sternly again: "Remember, he is your only master outside. You must strictly obey all instructions and don't have any second thoughts!"
Not feeling anything inappropriate at all, Yun Ying respectfully agreed.
Looking at the thin face of the young man next to her, the lady couldn't help feeling reluctant to give up.
Thinking that important issues at the border cannot be ignored, he finally regained his senses.
He said seriously: "Go ahead, set off as early as possible, leave early and come back early, remember not to force yourself, and come back safely."
…
Inside the dragon carriage returning home, the atmosphere was silent and a bit strange.
Yun Ying was sitting on the side seat by the window as peacefully as usual, his eyes staring straight ahead without any movement, like a puppet sitting idle waiting for the master's next action command, showing no trace of anything. Strange.
It was as if nothing had happened just now.
Facing the woman's ordinary behavior, He Guze looked embarrassed.
Whether it was due to the influence of his previous experiences, he still couldn't completely treat him as a servant.
I couldn't think of a topic to talk about to break the dull atmosphere. I was anxious, but then I thought about the empress' arrangement that the two of them would go together in a low-key manner, so I had an initiative to start the conversation.
Looking at her seriously, he discussed in a gentle voice: "I'd better call you Sister Yun in private."
He Gu had always suspected that she was the mysterious woman in black who had sacrificed her life to help him three years ago, so he had subconsciously never used a specific name for her so far.
Now that part of the truth has been revealed, and now his view of the empress has changed, I think it is more appropriate to shout like this.
When he said this, he originally thought that the woman would politely object out of concern about the difference in status and would need further verbal persistence from him.
Unexpectedly, the woman unexpectedly agreed
Clean and crisp.
Yun Ying lowered his head slightly, completely changing his previous ambiguous attitude of equality, as if he really regarded him as his young master.
He replied softly and respectfully: "Yes, young master."
It was so unexpected that He Gu couldn't help but be stunned.
When he reacted, he couldn't help but smile slightly on his face.
Originally, he wanted to let her call him by his current pseudonym "Gu Li", but knowing his temperament, he no longer forced it.
I thought to myself, this is fine, I don't have to worry too much in the future, just take care of business.
Seeing that the atmosphere relaxed and the young master no longer showed the same discomfort as before, Yun Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared with other modes of getting along, this one is obviously more suitable for her.
As the car gradually approached the Shaoguo Prefecture, a new and closer master-servant relationship seemed to be established quietly and naturally.
After returning to the house, He Gu went directly to his room and briefly explained to the two maids that he was going to the border.
Feng Lu and Qing Chou were naturally inseparable, but they didn't dare to show it for the moment because they were afraid of missing Mr. Shao Guo Shi's business.
As for other aspects, He Gudai had nothing to arrange.
After some gentle instructions to them to stay at home and practice hard, without any hope, he immediately took Yun Ying and set off for the western border.
Feng Yan was kept in the dark like everyone else in the Shaoguo Prefect's residence from beginning to end. It was not until a few days later that she was frustrated and heard only seven words of news from the two maids that she had "already been away on business".
Suddenly there was another inexplicable feeling in my heart.
…
In the border area that stretches for tens of thousands of miles between Zhonghuangzhou and the Western Demon Territory, there are dozens of remote black stone villages scattered far away from each other but with similar structures.
Throughout the ages it has never been erased by time.
Most of the human villagers living there have more or less part of the despised demon blood mixed in their bodies, and they are called half-demon.
However, they not only have to endure the differential treatment brought by mixed blood, but they are also unable to obtain the powerful innate spiritual seal ability of pure devils.
All because his ancestors had an affair with the devil.
Rather than saying that the Dawu Dynasty was especially kind and left them a quiet place to breed and live, it is better to say that it is a cage that restricts freedom and only allows them to survive for generations.
Generally speaking, the imperial army stationed at the border would not interfere with their daily lives inside, as long as they stayed in the village and did not come out at will.
Unless, some of them have the audacity to collude with the devil on the other side, or directly harbor the devil.
At this time, the northernmost Black Stone Village was being firmly blocked from the outside by the brave and capable imperial cavalry wearing yellow armor.
An open flat land was temporarily opened outside the village, and dense military camp tents were neatly erected on it.
There are also patrol teams responsible for stationed guards that are constantly shuttling back and forth, alert to any trouble.
