Bend Over [ 折腰 ] - Chapter 7

[Chapter 7]

After Xiao Qiao went out, the envoy’s mansion, which was full of joy, gradually became quiet and the guests dispersed. When Qiao Yue saw that Qiao Ping was still facing the door for a long time, he stepped forward and persuaded him to enter, saying: “Second brother, niece It’s far away. You have seen the grand occasion in the city just now, and I’m really relieved for my brother.”

Qiao Ping slowly turned around and said, “Eldest brother, there’s a word for my brother, I shouldn’t have asked, but I’ve been troubled for a long time. When there was a chance, my brother dared to ask. Ten years ago, my father sent troops to conquer Li Su, but he did not move in front of the battle, so that Wei Jing and his son were killed, and this was the reason why he had a grudge with the Wei family. At that time, did my father really send a messenger to Wei Jingbao. The letter? When my brother and father were with the army, it should be clear.”

Qiao Yue was stunned, then waved his hand and said, “It’s all in the past, why are you suddenly mentioning this? , there is always his reason, how can we sons be able to talk about it?”

Qiao Yue replied, and Qiao Ping made a firm guess in his heart.

Ten years ago, after the incident in Chenjun, the Wei family was in charge of the funeral, and Qiao Ping was sent to Yuyang by his father Qiao Gui to offer condolences. Above the mourning hall, the Wei family will draw their swords and anger Qiao Ping, scolding Qiao Gui for being cunning and cunning, and for not keeping his faith. Qiao Ping was very frightened, thinking that he would not be able to get out of the Wei family gate. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Xu not only scolded the general in front of him, but also comforted Qiao Ping with gentle words. Qiao Ping returned to Yanzhou for the rest of his life and told his father Qiao Gui about the situation at that time.

He still remembers clearly that his father frowned for a long time at that time, and finally sighed: “The Wei family has a wife like this, I’m afraid it will be my Qiao family’s disaster in the future!”

In the past ten years, Qiao Yue has always suspected that his father had never reported the news. His father was scheming and ambitious. At that time, although the forces of the Wei family were still in the Yanyou area in the north and had no offense with Yanzhou Qiu, Wei Jing managed the army strictly, and because of his merit, he was named a marquis, and he was also known as a sage.

Perhaps my father thought that once the Wei family rose in the future, it would be unfavorable to expand in Yanzhou, so he pushed the boat along the way, and wanted to use Li Su’s hand to remove a hidden danger.

“Second brother, the marriage between the two families not only resolves the discord, but also relieves my current difficulties in Yanzhou. Why is it wrong? Don’t think about it any more.”

Qiao Ping smiled bitterly: “eldest brother, Manman has married as you wished, and Yanzhou’s troubles are temporarily relieved. From now on, I hope my elder brother will work hard to restore the momentum of my Qiao family. In this way, it will benefit the people of the county, and Manman has arrived. The Wei family can still be counted on.”

Qiao Yue looked embarrassed, haha said: “Naturally, naturally, the second brother can rest assured.”

…

Wei Liang led a team of Wei family personal soldiers to escort Xiao Qiao north, walking day and night, resting. At the beginning, there was nothing to do, and when we were about to enter the boundary of Jizhou, one day, the sky was going to be dark, and before a group of carriages and horses had arrived at the post courtyard, they happened to pass through a desolate and unmanned road. Life was turned back to check, but the soldiers came back and said that there was nothing abnormal.

Wei Liang seemed rude, but in fact he was as careful as he was, and he didn’t make a sound. After he went to the post court that night, he personally guarded Xiao Qiao’s outdoor with a knife. The next day, he stepped up his guard and traveled in a hurry. Finally, before the end of the year, he sent him Xiao Qiao successfully arrived at Jizhou Xindu.

…

Gao Tang, the former prefect of Jizhou, in the name of Xing Xun’s control of the government, the cruelty of the loyal and the good, and the existence of the Han family in name only, he went out of the court, killed the people around him who did not obey, and established himself as the emperor. The imperial court dispatched many troops and horses to encircle and suppress them, but Gaotang has been in business for many years. Last autumn, Wei Shao personally raised troops into Jizhou.

When the other soldiers and horses attacked, the people of Jizhou lost a layer of skin, and even the officials surrounded the township, slaughtered the villagers, cut off their heads and hung them on horseback to pretend to be the heads of the rebels. The matter of receiving merit has long been miserable. It was rumored that Wei Shao from Youzhou was coming again, and they were all panicked. They abandoned the wheat to be harvested in the fields and scattered around. There were even places where the whole village ran away. After the arrival of Wei Shao’s army, not only did Qiu not commit any crimes, but also saw that no wheat was harvested and fell to the ground. Instead, the soldiers disarmed their armour and went to the ground. After harvesting, they piled up to the village entrance and left. They also captured the stragglers along the road who were looting and looting for a living. brave. As soon as the news spread ten, ten and one hundred, it didn’t take long for the people who had fled their homes to return, and some young people volunteered to join the army. The people along the way were uncharacteristically, beating gongs and drums to welcome Wei Shao’s army into Hebei.

Wei Shao gathered people’s hearts and became more powerful. After several battles, Gao Tang lost several cities one after another, and finally hid in Xindu and closed his family. Wei Shao was not in a hurry to attack, and garrisoned down. At the beginning of the year, after besieging the city for several months, he attacked Xindu in one go, and Gao Tang was desperate and committed suicide. When the people of Jizhou heard the news, they rushed to tell each other, and pushed the old and well-respected elders to hold the book of Wanmin, and they came forward and begged Wei Shao to stay. Wei Shao made a list, saying that there are many remnants of Gao Tang outside the Xindu who abused the township, so in accordance with the people’s conditions, they continued to station troops to sweep away the remnants of the rebels. The imperial court was afraid of his power expansion, and at first refused to allow it, and ordered the withdrawal of troops out of Hebei, Wei Shao followed the order to withdraw. I didn’t want the number of Jizhou shepherds sent by the imperial court to be blocked by the people outside the city gate. The crowd was turbulent. After several times, no one dared to lead the Jizhou shepherd again. lead. Wei Shao entered Hebei again, and the people greeted him at the time. It has been nearly a year now.

Wei Shao was in Xindu recently. Compared with Yuyang, Xindu is also closer, so the place of marriage is set here.

…

The ancient city of Xindu is not a big place, but it is well known in Jidi.

During the Warring States Period of Zhao Wei war, Zhao State lost Handan for three years. With Xindu as his company, a Xin Palace was built in the city. There was a floor inside. It was named Sandalwood Terrace. Hundreds of years later, it still exists today. After several repairs, the palace characters in the “Xin Palace” were removed and the residence was changed, and it has become the official residence of the envoy.

When Wei Shao was in the letter capital, he settled in the old letter palace.

Xiao Qiao’s wedding car slowly entered from the city gate.

Through the window of the carriage, she could see that the moat had no ripples, and the main road in the city, paved with blue stones, was wide and flat, and could accommodate ten horses running side by side. Dongjun is not the same, Yan Zhao’s ancient style, blowing towards the face, men, women and children walking on the street found the cart she was riding, and they stopped to look at it, with curious expressions on their faces, as if they didn’t know Wei Shao. It’s like getting married.

Under the curious gaze of the carriage, the carriage finally stopped in front of the gate of the Xin Palace. The armored guards stood at the gate, recognized Wei Liang, and opened the door to let them go.

Xiao Qiao was helped down, and finally got out of the carriage that had been bumpy for many days, and entered the Xin Palace with Chunniang and several maids.

On the road, the journey was boring, and in order to pass the time, Chunniang inevitably imagined a lot of the scene after arriving at the marriage place.

Now I see it with my own eyes, although the Xin Palace is big and the palace is like a hall, it is cold and quiet inside, not to mention the festive preparations for marriage that Chunniang originally imagined, but there are not even a few people to see, and it took a moment for a woman to come. , about forty years old, dressed as Zhou Zheng, with a solemn face, showing a bit of sternness. This woman led several servants behind her, calling herself Zhong, and was ordered to welcome the bride of the Qiao family here. Although the tone is respectful, looking at Xiao Qiao’s eyes always makes people feel a little cold.

Xiao Qiao speculated that although this woman was a servant, she should have a certain status in the Wei family, so she called her “Zhong Niang” as usual.

“Don’t dare, the maid is no more than a person. I was ordered to listen to the dispatch. The lady can call the maid with a bell.”

Zhong Mi led Xiao Qiao to the place where she was staying, named “Yuyang”. The seat faces south and enjoys excellent lighting. .

Zhong Ni left two servants for Xiao Qiao to send, saying that if you have something to look for, she bowed to Xiao Qiao, turned around and left.

Chunniang was very disappointed when Chunniang left, she felt more distressed for Xiao Qiao, she pushed aside the two maids left by Zhong Nuo, and while busy setting up a couch with the maids, she complained in a low voice, and finally said: “Then Wei Hou Can you be in the city now? When is the wedding date?”

Chunniang was puzzled, and Xiao Qiao was also at a loss, pounding her calf, which was a little sore from sitting on the carriage for a long time, got up and went to the window, pushed it aside and looked out. .

The courtyard is wide. Near Yuyang where she lived, the quaint high-rise building was pulled up from the ground, and a beam of sunlight just passed through the gap between the cornices and the corners, casting a bright spot of light, slightly dazzling people’s eyes.

…

Every day, servants bring food and hot soup, and they are thoughtful, but Xiao Qiao can’t seem to get out of the Xin Palace, and she seems to be forgotten.

Zhong Ni didn’t show her face after that day, and as for her husband—let’s call it her husband, the man named Wei Shao didn’t even show her shadow.

In a blink of an eye, it’s almost the end of the year. Chunniang started to get anxious, and she caught the two servant girls and inquired about them countless times, but the servant girl seemed to follow Zhong Li. No matter what she asked, she would shake her head. If she asked any more questions, she knelt down and apologized, making Chunniang really angry. , I was going to find that Zhong Li to ask clearly, but was stopped by Xiao Qiao.

Come and be safe. But it’s just the beginning. He is not in a hurry, and she is not in a hurry.

The Spring Festival of the seventh year of Dingkang is coming soon. When the weather was clear, Xiao Qiao climbed the sandalwood platform and could see the people in the nearby houses busy cleaning their houses, washing their clothes and drying their quilts, preparing for the Spring Festival.

It was only after he came here that Xiao Qiao knew that the Spring Festival, the most important festival in the year that was regarded as auspicious and reunion by later generations, did not mean auspiciousness in the simple cognition that has continued from ancient times to the present. Just like a bamboo joint, the bamboo is smooth and smooth, but the “knot” is lumpy. This kind of day is called a festival. The so-called Spring Festival is the most unlucky day in spring. It is for the sake of warding off evil spirits and praying for blessings that people spend the Spring Festival in a way of cleaning up dust and reunion. The level of excitement is far less than that of later generations.

Joey can’t go out. Of course, she herself didn’t want to go out, but no one stopped her from climbing the sandalwood platform next to her residence and looking into the distance.

Tantai is really high, even higher than the city wall. Standing on the observation deck on the top floor, you can see a wilderness outside the city walls as far as you can see.

…

with the last few days left until the end of the year, it snowed.

At noon, the snow stopped, the sun came out, and it was exceptionally bright.

Xiao Qiaowo dozed off in the room for an afternoon, and in the evening, he boarded the sandalwood platform.

In recent days, she would board the sandalwood platform at this time and wait for the sunset.

Outside the city walls, there is an endless field. Watching the setting sun at the end of the field with its last rays of light, and finally being swallowed into the horizon, if she is a poet, she might be able to write a song of watching the sunset and watching the sunset that can be passed down to future generations.

There was no big difference between this evening and the previous one, except that the roof was covered with a layer of snow like cotton, and the streets dotted with black and white were mottled. The white is snow, and the black is the true color of the road exposed after being trampled on by pedestrians to melt the snow. As usual, people are busy taking advantage of this last moment before the sun goes down. Carrying a load, pushing a cart, walking quickly… A few children happily piled up the snow in the corner of the alley, and their laughter seemed to be able to reach this tall building.

“It’s getting dark! It’s too dry and cold! The wind is like a knife! There’s a brazier in the house, ma’am, go down!”

Chunniang was fat, and after climbing dozens of stairs, she was out of breath and persuaded Xiao Qiao , added a fox fur cloak to her.

Chunniang had never left the mild climate of Dongjun in the first half of her life. She was new to the city, and she was not used to the climate here.

The wind on the roof of Tantai Building is really strong. Xiao Qiao folded her hands to her lips, took a few sips of warm air, and pressed her frozen cheeks with the remaining warm palms. She turned around and was about to go down with Chunniang, when suddenly, in the direction of the sunset in the distance, there was a message. There was a faint noise.

The sound was vague and dull at first, and Xiao Qiao thought he was hallucinating. But soon, the voice became clear, and it was a bit unexpected, like a dull thunder rising from the ground.

Xiao Qiao couldn’t help but stop and turned his head to look into the distance again.

Outside the city walls, the white expanse of wilderness that had been dead silent like a deep sleep suddenly seemed to wake up. As far as the eye can see, a piece of snow and fog seems to be blown up by the strong wind, covering the sky, blocking half of the sunset on the horizon, and if there is a flag, it is looming.

“What is that?”

Chunniang followed her line of sight, her eyes widened, and her voice couldn’t help but panic.

Joe continued to watch.

The muffled thunder became clearer.

She finally saw clearly that it was a large group of cavalry, numbering in the thousands, rapidly galloping towards the city.

“Junhou return——”

“Junhou return——”

In the faint sound of horses’ hoofs that seemed to shake the ground, a moment later, the foot of the city wall at the gate of the city suddenly shouted loudly. , sent to the sky above the ancient city of Xindu, and also spread to Xiao Qiao’s eardrums.

People on the street also heard it and stopped. After a short pause, they dashed towards the city gate at the same time.

“Your Majesty returns! Your Majesty returns!”

The entire ancient city was in a commotion, and more people began to run out of the house to tell each other.

…

After Xiao Qiao arrived in Xindu and spent half a month in Xin Palace, at sunset after the snow, Marquis of Yan and Wei Shao finally returned to Xindu from Boling, hundreds of miles away.

[End of This Chapter]