Snowy Chang'an Road

Chapter 12 Things change and people change
  In the room, Pei Ying was rolling in pain on the bed, neither lying horizontally nor vertically. She told Yunrou to prepare a thermos for herself and a bowl of hot brown sugar water, but Yunrou had never heard of these things.

What a backward era!
  "What is a thermos? What do you want it for?"

"A thermos is a container that can hold hot water. Use it to warm your stomach."

"Will warming the stomach relieve the pain?"

"Yes, this method works particularly well for me."

Wei Shao hesitated for a moment, stretched out his palms and covered Pei Yan's stomach. Pei Yan looked at him and was speechless.

"My palms are very hot. Even in winter, I often sweat. I can lend them to you temporarily."

After all, it wasn't because his palm covered her that her stomach stopped hurting. It was just his sudden move that diverted Pei Ying's attention, and she seemed to feel less pain.

Wei Shao kept doing this until the doctor arrived.

"May I ask, Princess, have you eaten anything cold today?"

"Drink warm wine and eat persimmons."

"That's it. Persimmons are a cold thing. The princess has a weak spleen and stomach, so she must avoid eating them."

"Thank you, doctor. I know I can't eat persimmons."

"I will prescribe some medicine for the princess to nourish her spleen and stomach, but the medicine cannot cure the root cause. You need to pay more attention to your diet and avoid catching cold."

After the doctor left, Wei Shao said, "Since you know you can't eat persimmons, why are you still greedy?"

"Given by my mother-in-law."

"Don't eat it in the future."

Pei Ying squeezed the corner of her quilt tightly, turned around and curled up, and slowly fell asleep. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Wei Shao got up and left the study.

"Yunrou, go and see the princess's medicine in person. Bring it over as soon as it's cooked."

"Yes."

"Bai Zheng, all the persimmons in the palace will be distributed to the servants in the palace tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

Wei Shao felt guilty in his heart. Whether it was the assassin last night or Persimmon today, she didn't have to suffer these crimes, but she suffered them because of herself. The more he thought about it, the more he blamed himself.

He looked back at her sleeping in the room, and the scene outside the palace door tonight appeared in his mind. A strange feeling flashed through his heart. He had never felt this way before.

In the middle of the night, Pei Ying was drowsily asleep and was helped up from the bed by Yunrou. Wei Shao took the soup and fed her spoonful by spoonful.

"It's so painful, I don't want to take medicine."

"Bai Zheng, go find some candied fruits."

Hearing the familiar voice, Pei Ying opened her eyes and saw Wei Shao blowing the medicine in the cold spoon. She immediately sat up and wanted to take the medicine from his hand.

"Don't move, be careful."

Wei Shao handed the spoon to her mouth, and Pei Ying hesitantly opened her mouth and swallowed.

"Eat some candied fruit."

Pei Ying carefully opened her mouth and swallowed the candied fruit.

She couldn't help but mutter in her heart, she just slept for a while, why did Wei Shao seem to be a different person.

Seeing this, Yunrou pulled Bai Zheng's sleeves and left the study quietly.

The room was very quiet except for the sounds of blowing medicine, swallowing and chewing.

The quiet Pei Ying was very uncomfortable, so she decided to break the embarrassment.

"Why did your Majesty call you back?"

"fighting."

"Are you going on an expedition again?"

"Yes."

"When are you leaving?" 　　　 "In three days."

"."

"We have to go back to Duke Pei's mansion tomorrow morning, so let's get some rest early."

"Aren't you going to come back on the third day?"

"Afraid of not having enough time, I discussed this with your father in the palace today."

No matter how late he slept, Wei Shao would get up early to box and dance, but this morning he couldn't help but look towards the pillar not far away. Several times, he realized that he was distracted and shook his head. Shaking his head, he forced himself to concentrate.

Cao Quan got up early and ordered the servants to be busy in the courtyard. Her husband came back late last night and told her that her daughter would be back early this morning, a day early, which caught her off guard.

Wei Shao and his wife and Wei Huan and his wife arrived almost at the same time.

Wei Huan dismounted, and Pei Sheng got off the carriage with the help of his maid.

Wei Shao came in a carriage with Pei Ying. Although he drank medicine last night, he was still a little worried. He got out of the car first and then stretched out his hand to help Pei Ying.

Pei Sheng was furious when she saw such a harmonious scene, but she didn't dare to get angry in front of the prince, so she could only look downcast.

It was still early, Duke Pei and his two sons-in-law were discussing matters in the study, and the female relatives returned to the inner courtyard to talk about their own affairs.

"Mrs. Cao, I'm going to look around, please do as you please."

Cao Tan smiled and nodded.

Pei Ying took Yunrou and walked towards her former residence. Seeing that the courtyard door was locked, she peeled the crack in the door and looked inside. There were fallen leaves everywhere.

She took a look and then walked to the garden. As the weather became colder and colder, the garden became more bleak, and her nose soon turned red from the cold.

"Princess, why don't we go sit in the greenhouse."

"No, it gets colder sitting down. Walk around."

Pei Ying wandered around the Duke's Mansion like this. There was no room for her in the huge Duke's Mansion. She laughed to herself.

"Yunrou, I want to do something now, but I need your help."

"Princess, what do you want to do?"

"You come with me."

There is a small pond outside Pei Kai's study. There is a one-foot-wide narrow path between the small pond and the study. On the other side of the pond is the wall of Pei Guogong's mansion. Pei Kai likes to be quiet, and there are always few people here.

More importantly, this place is very hidden. It is the place where he and his colleagues have secret discussions. They can obviously talk in the main hall, but they called the two sons-in-law to the study. They must have important matters to discuss.

Pei Ying was familiar with the road and walked quietly on this narrow road.

The weather was cold and the small pond was frozen, so it was safer now. When it was full of water before, she was always worried that she would fall.

"Your Majesty's personal expedition this time is really worrying."

"Father-in-law, don't worry. My father always has his own ideas when doing things. We, the ministers, can't influence it."

"What the prince said is absolutely true. The weather is too cold and it will be difficult to go north this time."

"The King of Jinyang has taken refuge with Hunan Chanyu, and the Kingdom of Jinyang has also been lost. The Xiongnu troops have marched to Dangjun, with their swords pointed at Chang'an. If we do not send troops at this time, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Yes, in previous winters, the Xiongnu only went south to plunder and harass the border. Now this Hunan Chanyu's behavior is really unpredictable."

"I heard that he committed patricide and brutally killed his wife in order to train his subordinates. This man has no conscience and is really terrible."

"The Xiongnu are barbaric and uncivilized people. I heard that the Yan family of their chanyu will marry the next chanyu if the chanyu dies, and this new chanyu may be the previous chanyu. Yu’s brother or son, this custom is simply appalling.”

Pei Ying was listening very carefully while holding on to the crack of the window. Suddenly, the window was gently pushed open from the inside, and she was so frightened that she crouched down quickly.

"Brother Emperor, why did you open the window?"

"It's a bit boring. Let me take a breath."

　Princess and prince, please read the book!

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)