book of troubled times

Chapter 761 Spring in the North Country

When I returned to the capital, it was the Spring Festival.

It had stopped snowing in Chang'an when we arrived, but when we arrived in the capital there was light snow, not too heavy. Children everywhere wearing felt hats with tiger heads were running around in the snow making snowmen, and the city was full of joy with the sound of firecrackers.

The three of them did not disturb the city defense, but chose a secluded place to land from the air. They led the horses and looked at the scenery of the capital with smiles all the way.

It's been a while since I left Beijing. The capital was deserted when Lu Jianzhang and others were trying to commit suicide, but now it's beginning to show signs of recovery. Although it's still not as prosperous as Chang'an, it's really starting to look good.

The battle at that time had a wide range of implications, but under Tang Wanzhuang's management, the implication did not expand. Even those in Qin Dingjiang were released, and it had no impact on ordinary people. Looking at the amount of killing, one might say that 99% of those killed were moths.

Facts have proved that the prosperity of the world is created by the people, not by some bells and whistles.

"Oops~" A little girl stepped on the snow and couldn't stand still. She fell forward with a "plop", but she landed on a slender leg without falling into the mud.

The little girl looked up in confusion, and saw a very beautiful and gentle elder sister squatting down to pick her up and saying with a smile: "Watch the road... Where are your adults?"

"Mom called me home to eat dumplings."

Huangfu smiled affectionately and walked into the alley next to him with his child in his arms: "Is this here?"

"Yes, yes~ Auntie, you are so beautiful~ and you smell so good."

"... Not long ago, others called me the little girl from the capital. I was called sister."

The little girl looked her over and didn't want to scream.

Huangfuqing gritted his teeth: "Why are you worshiping Buddha in this alley..."

"Some people worship Buddha, and some people worship the four images."

"Which one do you think is better?"

"Buddha is so good, so chubby and cute."

"Four images are good. I told you, Suzaku is as beautiful as my sister, and it doesn't take fire to set off firecrackers." Huangfuqing quietly pushed a bald top over her hand: "Look, that's what Buddha is like."

The little girl grabbed the top and said, "Thank you, sister."

"Eh? Where is Xin Sixiang as promised?"

Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling followed behind in stunned silence, watching Huangfu Qing carry the girl into the alley in perfect sync with their heads, and looked at each other in perfect synchrony. Both of them still made a gesture of trying to help the child with their hands. Unexpectedly, it was Huangfu. Qing took the lead, and I didn't expect that the follow-up would be like this.

I wonder what the child's family would think if they knew it was the Queen Mother who sent the child back. He even used toys to blackmail Buddhism and coaxed children into believing in the Four Symbols. When did she secretly hide the bald top? This...

Is this the same Reverend Suzaku who was so powerful back then? Let alone those days, she was in a bloodbath in Jinzhong just a dozen days ago, with countless lives on her hands. How could she tell that she was alone?

"Um...is there something wrong with my understanding of Sister Suzaku?" Yue Hongling fell into self-doubt and turned to ask Zhao Changhe: "I heard that she is a big devil, but after we met, I didn't feel this way..."

"Why, you originally thought she would tear you apart?"

Yue Hongling tilted her head: "Yes, I originally wanted to tear her apart, and I thought she would be very fierce, but it turned out that she was quite easy to get along with."

Zhao Changhe hesitated to speak, hoping that Chichi and Wanzhuang would agree with your point of view.

In addition, I think the person who is most cruel to you may be Chi Chi.

During the conversation, Huangfu walked out of the alley with a smile on his face. Seeing her rare aunt-like expression, Zhao Changhe couldn't help but laugh: "Why, you have successfully hooked up with a little cultist again, right?"

Huangfu said with a smile: "Why bother with hooking up? The capital basically already believes in the Four Symbols. I looked at the so-called worshiping Buddha and it was just a formality. There was a fat statue there. I asked them what kind of Buddha it was. They all said it was Tathagata. In fact, that It's the Medicine Master King Buddha, and I'm not familiar with them. But there are four elephant carvings in every household, and they can recite a few sentences from the teachings. It seems that they did a pretty good job, and the Tang family's stinky hooves didn't cause any harm."

She was in a good mood and scratched Zhao Changhe's chin, and said teasingly: "I'm going to have a bad influence on walking with you on the street, so I'll go back and rest first, so as not to disturb you and your heroine's private visit to the public." Xiaohe Zi~ You can make up your own mind tonight."

After saying this, he turned into a spark and disappeared into the palace.

Zhao Changhe was about to say that he had no intention of privately asking about people's sentiments. Huangfu Qing had already disappeared, and the situation remained the same and not much changed.

Yue Hongling smiled and said, "Then take me to your house?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

"what's wrong?"

"When you said that, I remembered that I don't even have a mansion."

Yue Hongling's first reaction was that this was too selfless for the country. He had been fighting for the Han Dynasty for so long, but he didn't even have a house... Then he realized that he was so selfless. He must live in the palace in Beijing. How ridiculous it might be! He may not even have his own palace, and he can sleep wherever he wants.

Yue Hongling kicked him bitterly and walked away angrily.

Zhao Changhe hugged his calf and jumped up to follow, smiling apologetically beside him.

Yue Hongling glanced at him sideways: "Then where are we going now? Back to the palace, Xiaohezi?"

Zhao Changhe originally wanted to say that he could live in Tang's house, but seeing Yue Hongling's stinky face, he had to smile and said, "I'm not going anywhere, just shopping. Uh, how about we buy a house?"

Yue Hongling laughed: "Can you afford it?"

Zhao Changhe's face froze, he really couldn't afford it. No matter where he went, even in the palace and the spirit clan, he was allowed to take whatever he wanted, but he really didn't take much money. He always just took a few ingots of silver and stuffed the ring, which was enough for the journey. After all, everyone is short of money, and Zhao Changhe has almost no material desires.

Now when I think back to the richest time in my life, it was the time when I just left the Cui family, and my father-in-law was willing to pay for it.

Yue Hongling guessed at his expression. It was a bit funny. Who would have thought that King Zhao, the great Han Dynasty who dominated the world and was now ranked tenth on the Heavenly Ranking, might only have a few grains of silver left in his possessions. He would always have a knife, a sword and a bow. After drinking, I don't know whether to consider him rich or pauper.

Although it actually seemed like nothing if he wanted it anytime, he didn't think about it. It really proves that this man has never considered his own selfish desires in his heart... If there is, that is the only flaw of being a philanderer. In addition, Yue Hongling really wants to doubt whether this guy is a saint.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that being fickle is not a bad thing, at least it proves that he is still a human being. Yue Hongling sighed, her sullen face softened, she lowered her head and held his hand while walking in the snow, whispering: "Why go anywhere... Come with me to see your kingdom."

Zhao Changhe stopped talking and held her hand and walked slowly on the streets of the capital. Firecrackers were going on everywhere, and the smell of gunpowder smoke in the air made people feel good. Every household has red stickers, which looks very festive.

This is the third Spring Festival that Zhao Changhe has traveled through.

The first Spring Festival was spent in the village with Yue Hongling, and the second Spring Festival was already on the road, and I missed it unknowingly. Originally, this would only be the case during the third Spring Festival, but now I can fly... I will travel to Beihai and Mu Cangwu, and there will no longer be the pain of traveling alone. So on the third Spring Festival, I still held Yue Hongling's hand and walked in my own city.

The smiles of everyone on the road made Zhao Changhe feel very peaceful. Isn't this the reason for the bloody battles in the south and the north until now?

He suddenly understood Huangfu Qing's behavior just now. It was not that Huangfu Qing's temperament had become gentle, but that the stances and moods of Suzaku as a rebel and Huangfu Qing as "a girl who spent her youth in the capital" were of course different. It was the joy of watching her efforts bear fruit, and she found the meaning of her fight.

"Eh...is that Yue Hongling?" Finally, a passerby saw the two walking in the snow, and the first person he recognized was not his own King Zhao, but Yue Hongling.

Someone approached cautiously, and Zhao Changhe's world was disturbed. He said angrily: "We have the wrong person! This is a copycat of Yue Hongling!"

"Zhao..." This time someone recognized him. He paused as he approached, but still came around him: "Can King Zhao fly now? How come he was in Chang'an yesterday and is back today?"

One of the Four Symbols cultists raised their chests and said: "This is our Yedi Zunshen! With the power of gods and demons, flying can only be done easily!"

Zhao Changhe said "Uh" and subconsciously wanted to find where the blind man was, so he listened to others saying: "King Zhao really became the Night Emperor? We never felt like it before."

More Four Symbol believers said on the side: "If King Zhao doesn't go to Ye Emperor, who will? At that time, the stars and rivers shone, the four images interacted, and the sun and the moon shined together, even the venerable could not have achieved it!"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

No, to be the Night Emperor is to be the Night Emperor. Can you please stop using the word "upper"... Can't you feel the gaze of the devil already covering you?

It was said that Yue Hongling was recognized first when he returned, but once Zhao Changhe was recognized, he immediately became his home court. Yue Hongling turned her head and looked at it, which was quite interesting. What was interesting was that no one was afraid of Zhao Changhe, not afraid of his illustrious reputation as a "bloodthirsty Shura", nor his powerful position as "King Zhao", or even Even the Four Symbols believers dare to directly comment on their own "gods".

How did this situation come about... In Yue Hongling's many years of experience in the world, this is the first time she has seen this situation. Zhao Changhe was disturbed by the fact that everyone was so natural. The two worlds were so depressed that they could not break out, so they had to say: "Now the ancient and the modern are connected, and there is no separation. The so-called power of gods and demons is actually just a new realm after the secret. Every one Anyone can practice it. I...I will devise some methods. When the time comes, those who meet the conditions will be able to obtain the training methods that lead to the realm of control, such as war skills and the like...Whether you can fly by then depends on your own efforts. "

People were stunned for a moment, and then burst into loud cheers: "Long live King Zhao!"

Some people have even run away, seemingly running back to tell their families the news.

Sure enough, the previous judgment was correct. Giving people this kind of advancement ladder is no worse than providing education, and it is even more important to some extent.

If it's really done, not to mention people in the Han Dynasty, even people from other places may run here. This is when all the real heroes in the world will fall into the trap... I will discuss the details with Chi Chi Wanzhuang and the others later. Do it.

"Okay, okay." Zhao Changhe waved his hand to stop the boiling crowd, and took Yue Hongling's hand with a smile: "Let me tell you, let's go shopping, okay? You haven't heard that I am a bloodthirsty Shura who kills people. of?"

Everyone laughed and moved out of the way: "Is the Lady-in-law really Princess Zhao now?"

Yue Hongling glanced at Zhao Changhe with a half-smile, her eyes moving but she didn't refute.

"That..." Several people in the crowd said "that", but several of them closed their mouths at the same time.

Everyone wanted to ask, "What should I do, Your Majesty?" "What should I do, Mr. Tang?", but no one dared to ask, and they were even afraid of asking different questions, which would embarrass each other.

The scene was inexplicably silent because of this kind of thing. Zhao Changhe knew the reason, but he was so embarrassed that he lowered his head and pulled Yue Hongling away quickly.

However, Yue Hongling always smiled without any dissatisfaction. It wasn't until she was far away from the crowd that she laughed softly and sighed: "The spiritual outlook of the capital is better than many places I have seen before. People are confident and not afraid of the powerful."

Zhao Changhe nodded: "Chichi is trying hard to do what his father didn't do, and Wanzhuang has always been like this. The emperor and his ministers have the same goal, and they will naturally see the results."

Yue Hongling glanced at him.

Zhao Changhe was stunned: "What?"

Yue Hongling smiled and said, "Don't you think it has anything to do with you?"

Zhao Changhe scratched his head: "I only fight, but I have never done any of these things..."

The grass is full of spring water, and the sun is getting late outside the window. Is it okay to hold them and take turns to refill the cup?

Yue Hongling said in a low voice: "Because you don't bully others with your power, and follow the example. The same is true for court officials, which leads to such a style."

"Well... I think it may be that the powerful have killed too many people, and now people with a little power are holding back their tails, which led to this result."

"Maybe." Yue Hongling did not argue and pointed in the distance: "Why are there still government officials coming in and out over there? Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year and the government office is not closed?"

Zhao Changhe looked up and said helplessly: "I don't know if she will give people overtime pay. She works hard and brings others with her..."

Yue Hongling understood: "Demon Suppression Division..."

Zhao Changhe hesitated for a moment: "Go and have a look?"

Yue Hongling smiled slightly: "That's fine, actually I've already finished the shopping in the streets I wanted to go shopping."

When the two entered the inner hall of the Demon Suppression Department, Tang Wanzhuang had actually finished her morning work and was reading in the hall.

Holding the qin in her arms, she was hurrying in from outside the hall. It seemed that Tang Wanzhuang wanted to play the qin and let her get it. He bumped into Zhao and Yue at the door. He held the piano and stopped in his tracks. His eyes swept up and down Yue Hongling's body. After a while, he said: "This New Year's Eve guy is dressed very festively."

Yue Hongling: "..."

How did this maid survive until now without being strangled to death by Suzaku?

"Don't be rude when you hold Qin." Tang Wanzhuang's lazy voice came from inside the room: "Bring Qin to me."

Holding Qin, he shook his little head and hummed to get in. However, he hooked his foot onto the threshold and said "Oops!" He almost fell to the ground and even Qin flew away.

Zhao Changhe grabbed her collar and lifted it up. Tang Wanzhuang put the piano down on the table with a gentle move of his hand. He was still holding the book in his other hand without raising his head.

Zhao Changhe walked through the door carrying the Qin, and Tang Wanzhuang raised his head and glanced up, with a smile like a flower: "You're already here, what gifts do you bring. Leave it there."

Baoqin: ""

Zhao Changhe put the piano and pestle on a chair beside him, turned around and said with a smile: "I thought you were busy...it seems that you are actually reading some leisure books instead of official documents. What books are you reading?"

""The Romance of the West Chamber", Baoqin specially found it for me to read."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Tang Wanzhuang finally put down her book and said with a smile: "I wasn't busy with any work this morning. You can see people coming in and out. In fact, they were going to various military camps to send some gifts and condolences on behalf of the imperial court, and to wish the soldiers a happy new year. They just returned on business. This Of course, I have to do this today, and I can't let others do it and hide at home to sleep... In fact, it's earlier in the morning, and the court has a ceremony, and I have to participate. In a place unknown to people, 'Court Eagle Dog' 'We often work very hard, it's not my fault."

As he spoke, he glanced at Yue Hongling intentionally or unintentionally, and he didn't know if he meant to say something to the knight-errant who often opposed the "Eagle Dog".

Zhao Changhe suddenly remembered what Tang Buqi had said to him a long time ago. What is a knight? In the eyes of the court, he is actually a thief.

I thought that Hong Ling and evening makeup would be the most compatible, but it seems that's not the case. It's really strange. The two representatives of Jianghu, good and evil, have a good eye for each other. How can they be at odds with each other in evening makeup?

As a result, Tang Wanzhuang broke the suspicion with her next sentence: "Someone is holding a girl's hand on the street and is openly called Princess Zhao. Aren't you very happy?"

I'm jealous here! Zhao Changhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You can also announce it."

"Humph." Tang Wanzhuang finally stood up from his chair and bowed his hands to Yue Hongling very formally: "Demon Suppressor Tang Wanzhuang has met Yue Nvxia."

Yue Hongling also returned a standard courtesy, but she used only a few words to get rid of Tang Wanzhuang's slight hostility: "Thank you for your hard work, sister."

In the late Tang Dynasty, spring blossoms bloomed instantly: "Hold the piano and serve tea to the distinguished guests."

Baoqin squatted on the chair and watched for a long time, then reluctantly jumped down to boil water and pour tea, mumbling inaudible words. If you capture the words carefully, you can vaguely hear: "You are still impartial and selfless in the Jianghu, and you are bribed with just two words... The Jianghu would have known that you were like this, and Daxia would have collapsed ten years ago."

Tang Wanzhuang pretended not to hear, and said to Yue Hongling with a smile: "Hongling, please stay at my house tonight. You and I have been close friends for a long time, and I want to talk to you overnight."

Yue Hongling said: "As I wish... uh, wait a minute."

The two women looked at each other and said in unison: "Go to the palace tonight and don't bother us."

I didn't want to copy you tonight. Zhao Changhe really didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Wan Zhuang, aren't we discussing military affairs when we come back? What are we doing?"

Tang Wanzhuang looked at him in surprise: "Are you more loyal to the country than me and are you dedicated to official duties?"

"Just feeling like the situation is tense."

"Did you know that Huangfu suppressed Jinzhong, and now the grain transportation to the capital is still halfway there. Not only did Qi transfer some grain purchased overseas to the north, but it is still on the canal. It is extremely difficult to transport grain in snowy and icy weather. , you seem to have done a lot of things flying around. For ordinary people, they spend a lot of time wandering around... The rhythm of ordinary people is not as fast as you think." Tang Wanzhuang shook her head and smiled: " Even if you want to be nervous, your affairs must keep up with your pace."

Zhao Changhe muttered: "So slow..."

"Yeah, you're transporting food. Do you think it's your storage ring? Why don't you just take it with you all alone?"

Zhao Changhe said casually: "Then if there is a group of people who can use storage rings, and each person brings a bunch of rings filled with money and food for transportation, will it be faster?"

Tang Wanzhuang was stunned for a moment and suddenly stood up, almost knocking over the tea cup on the table.

There is no need to have a group of people who can use storage rings, as long as there are so many storage rings... As long as a small number of people bring a few large bags of storage rings there, and after arriving at the location, as long as there is one person who can be responsible for opening it full-time...

Zhao Changhe's casual words will change the war!

(End of this chapter)