Long live Emperor Wu!

Chapter 5 A Wotou

As she spoke, she shook the water on her hand, with a slight smile on her face, and said:

"You, Aye, have talked about him before. He was also a strange man. In the early years, he wandered around and traveled around. He caught up with the Sui Dynasty's recruitment. His horse was stolen on the way, and he had no money to buy it. He saw that he could not join the army in time. He was beheaded and was spinning around in anxiety.

He was alone, and he couldn't be like Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, who responded to everything at once and directly rebelled against the court to protect himself, so he came up with a crooked way to find a farm cow on the street and kill it in the street.

The owner of the cattle took him to report to the official. He was punished for killing the cattle without permission.

The county magistrate asked him why, and he said that he had no money to eat and wanted to eat beef. The county magistrate arrested him and imprisoned him for a year, and then he avoided military service.

In the past, every time you Aye ate beef, you would think of him and laugh while talking. "

Mrs. Yang, who woke up from her memories, looked at her red hands, and then at her three daughters. They were all dressed in shabby clothes, and they were sitting by the well in this dilapidated farm, washing clothes.

This was a scene she had never imagined before.

Memories and reality intertwined in front of her eyes, and she suddenly felt sad, lowered her head and stopped talking.

Wu Rou had already been worried about it and was thinking about tomorrow, but she was not so sad anymore. She asked again:

"Then if we ask him for help, will he help?"

Yang looked at her in surprise, as if looking at a childish child, and said:

"Silly boy, even if he wants to help, how can he help? Take us away and raise us? Why should he? It's not like there is no one left in the Wu family."

Wu Rou's expression darkened for a moment, and she became more and more determined, but she did not say it clearly, but asked persistently:
"It's not about helping... I mean, if he can do it, will he be willing to help?"

Yang sighed, just chatting to kill the depression, and said while washing the clothes:
"Probably a date. He is quite a narrow-minded person and very quack-like. You Aye said that although he comes from a rich family, he does not discriminate against people of lower background and can have friendship with traffickers and lackeys.

Back then, although you, Aye, had some assets, you became Emperor Gaozu's treasurer and joined the army, in charge of logistics and food supplies.He was the hero of Yuanmou who raised troops in Taiyuan.

But when he reported his family status, many people secretly looked down on him, but Liu Hongji was different. He had always been sincere to him, and you, Aye, liked him very much. "

Wu Rou was relieved after hearing this and said nothing more.

Early the next morning, as soon as the sky turned blue, Wu Rou took out a jade bracelet from the old woman, handed it to Tian Sanniang, and said:

"Sanniang, please take this and change into four winter coats."

Tian Sanniang's eyes gleamed when she saw the bracelet. After taking it with both hands, she said with a smile:
"You are so good at hiding it. I was so hungry a few days ago, but I didn't see you taking it out. Sure enough, the old saying is true, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse."

Wu Rou felt her teeth itching with hatred, she narrowed her eyes slightly and said:

"Take it easy, Sanniang. This bracelet is not cheap. If you take four fur winter coats and there are still some left, I won't tell you that they will definitely be yours. Take two more people with you when you go out, so you don't get robbed again."

Tian Sanniang was in a good mood. She put the bracelet in her arms and said flatteringly:
"Don't worry, Miss Yuan, I will definitely handle it properly this time."

Then she left.

Wu Rou looked at the back of her leaving and thought: She didn't have any hope at all. In the past year and a half, all the savings she had brought with her had been depleted. She knew that they were taking advantage of the situation under the instructions of the Wu brothers. And turn it over.

All she wanted was to get Tian Sanniang away and have fewer eyes looking at her, so that she could go out again and go back to the Wu family's mansion to meet Liu Hongji.

After breakfast, she took an extra steamed bun and went out from the old woman's place.

Generally, visitors would not come too early or rush for lunch. Wu Rou didn't know when Liu Hongji would come and how long he would stay. She was afraid that she would not be able to make it, so she ran all the way to Wu's house. Went to the mansion.

After arriving at the place, she saw that the gate of the Wu family was open and a few servants in front of the gate were cleaning the street. She did not dare to go any further, so she sat at the entrance of an alley, hiding in the corner and looking over there.

While watching, Wu Rou suddenly felt something poking her in her calf.

She turned around and saw a little girl squatting on the ground. She looked like four or five years old. Her clothes were ragged and dirty. She was retracting the finger that was poking her, looking up at her, and asking pitifully:
"Sister, do you want to buy green onions?..."

There was a small basket in front of her, with a few handfuls of thin green onions in it, as pitiful as her own.

I don’t know how long he had been behind her, but he was done.

Wu Rou's heart trembled and she felt pity, but she was afraid of ruining her own affairs, so she said:
"Not buying."

Then he turned around and looked at the Wu family's door.

After a while, the little girl said timidly:
"Sister, you can exchange it for a steamed bun. My mother-in-law is sick at home and hasn't eaten for two days. Can you help me? I really can't find anyone to help me..."

"I really can't find anyone to help me." This sentence touched Wu Rou's heart.

Wasn't she asking for help everywhere? No one knew the despair and sadness in this sentence better than her.

Wu Rou froze for a moment and slowly turned his head to look at her.

The little girl has a pair of clean and bright eyes, and her lower eyelids are extremely swollen. She is not pretty, but she is adorable.

Wu Rou reached behind her and took out the only steamed bun and said:
"You have sharp eyes, you know I brought a steamed bun with me."

This was the dry food she planned to squat on time, because she didn't know how long she would have to wait, and she was afraid that she would be hungry at noon and faint and be unable to catch up.

She didn't bring any property with her, because she wanted to make herself extremely pitiful so that the other party could feel compassion.Wu Rou looked at the steamed bun in her hand and hesitated, then glanced in the direction of the Wu family's gate. When she turned her head again, her hesitation was gone. She broke off a piece of the steamed bun with one finger and stuffed it into her mouth. Then he handed the rest to the little girl and said:

"It's yours. I don't want your green onions. Go home."

The little girl took the wotou, smiled happily, stuffed it carefully into her arms, then took out all the green onions in the small basket, held them to Wu Rou and said:
"Give you."

Wu Rou felt upset. If she continued to pester him, she wouldn't know when the person would arrive.So he grabbed the shriveled green onion and drove her away, saying:
"Go quickly!"

The little girl was frightened, looked at her nervously, and ran away with the little basket.

Wu Rou looked at the green onion in her hand. Just when she thought she was still on the road, she noticed that the passers-by looked at her strangely.

Only then did she feel that she was suspicious, so she took off her furoshiki, spread out the handful of green onions, then took off the hem of her underskirt and squatted on the ground like the little girl just now.

The man squatted there, glancing towards the corner from time to time.

Suddenly, two men's boots stopped in front of her. She looked up and saw a man in his forties or fifty, with a handsome beard, broad eyebrows and a straight posture.The other one is about 50 years old, with small eyes and pointed chin, and is very clever.

Both of them were holding horses, and they were dressed in ordinary and upper-class clothes, as if they were businessmen.

"What are you doing?" Wu Rou raised her face and asked warily.

"Buy green onions." The young man with small eyes said with a smile.

"Not for sale!" Wu Rou said very neatly, and after saying that, she subconsciously glanced at the corner.

The bearded old man followed her gaze and asked curiously:

"Girl, what are you looking at? I've been paying attention to you for a long time. Isn't it possible that you are a thief?"

Wu Rou stiffened for a moment and turned to look at him.

She was regarded as a thief... She was actually regarded as a thief? ...Is she already as desolate as a thief now? !
Perhaps the tears of grievance in Wu Rou's eyes were so sincere and touching, the old man quickly waved his hand and said:
"Don't cry, don't cry. I apologize to you. I wronged you."

"I'm waiting for someone." Wu Rou said angrily. Her eyes were single in front and double in back, and the ends of her eyes were like a half-opened iris. When she glared at people like this, her beauty contained more resentment.

The old man patted the young man in front of him, winked, and said:

"I'm sorry, girl. When I came over there just now, I saw that you were clearly reluctant and gave the cornbread to others. I should know that you are not a bad person. You can take the money and buy another cornbread."

The young man understood and quickly took out a handful of copper coins from his purse and placed them on the furoshiki in front of Wu Rou.

After letting the two people go, they left quickly.

Wu Rou looked at the copper coins in front of her and almost burst into tears.

...She, the dignified Miss Yuan of Duke Yingguo's family, was treated as a beggar?

She felt sad and depressed for a while, then turned to look at the Wu family gate, only to see the two merchants standing in front of the door asking for directions.

After asking a few questions, the boy at the door laughed, bowed with a broom in hand, turned around and asked someone to report.

Although they were far apart and couldn't hear what was said, judging from the boy's reaction, the identities of those two people were definitely not simple.

Wu Rou nervously scratched the corner of the wall and watched the two people being welcomed into the door. She thought to herself: The old man is about the same age. Couldn't he be Liu Hongji, the general of the auxiliary country?

Or are you saying that you are standing in front of Liu Hongji?A general who serves a country must not have a crowd of servants or chariots and horses accompanying him when he goes out?
Did two people come here holding a horse?
But she didn't dare to go up and ask.When asked, wouldn't the fact that she sneaked out be exposed?

Wu Rou was worried. If it was really Liu Hongji, he had just missed an opportunity to speak in private!
In this way, she stayed there and waited for another two hours. After lunch, she didn't see anyone else coming in.

Wu Rou held her hungry stomach, hesitating whether to leave for a while, buy some dry food with copper coins, and then come back. However, she was afraid that she would miss the movement while leaving, and the pursuers would not know where to go after them.

Suddenly, someone came out of the Wu family.

The two "traveling merchants" walked in front, and the Wu brothers, including their wives and children, came out to see them off.

Judging from their flattering looks, it must be Liu Hongji.

Just as Wu Rou was about to wait for them to separate, she chased after them. She saw the side door of the Wu family opened and two horses pulled out.

The Wu brothers are also on the horse?

Wu Rou immediately stopped and shrank back to the corner, wondering if this was going to be sent outside the city gate?

What should she do?If those two people left the city, they would definitely run very fast on horseback. How could her two-legged one catch up with their four-legged one?

Wu Rou was anxious, and when she saw them leaving, she rushed out.

But the man had already ridden away.

It happened that the housekeeper of the Wu family was still at the door, watching them leave without going back. Wu Rou went over and grabbed him and asked:
"Steward, where are they going? Is that General Liu Hongji, Lord Liu of the auxiliary country?"

(End of this chapter)