Jinyi Night Walk

As the end of the year draws near, Jinling has entered an atmosphere that appears peaceful on the surface, but deeply restless.

Beijing officials whose families were out of town began to buy gifts, and they were going to take leave to return home when they were sealed off for the Chinese New Year.Because of the inconvenient travel, officials from Daoyuan usually only go back home once every two years when they live for a year, but even if they went back last year, they plan to return home this year.This year we are leaving the old and ushering in the new, and the dynasties have changed. After a great turmoil, the officials who survived the disaster are deeply touched and cherish the existence of family ties even more. The filial sons want to appear in front of their parents early so as not to let the old people miss them.

The six ministries and offices are all busy with the year-end inventory and summarizing the affairs of the year. Although they are busy, because the year is approaching, the people who come in and out are full of auspicious joy. Soften it down.

If it is busy, it means that the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Rites are relatively busy.The examination department of the Ministry of Officials is busy conducting examinations and evaluations on the officials in the central and local courts, so that the emperor can reward them, especially since the new year is the first year of Yongle. The officials of the various departments of the Yamen made a new adjustment, and the test was an extremely important reference, so that even a small official in the official department now has a crowded house, with various officials coming in and out, and the gifts are accepted more. There are also more smiles.

The Ministry of Etiquette is also very busy. At the beginning of the new year, the royal family celebrates the new year, worships ancestors, and clan reunions, and has its own set of royal etiquette.Changing the Yuan Dynasty to Yongle, the celebration etiquette became more cumbersome. The vassal kings and officials from all over the country have successively sent people back to the court to meet him. Some foreign envoys have also sent envoys after receiving the Ming court's notification of the new emperor's enthronement. He came to the capital in a hurry, hoping to catch up with the grand celebration of the first year of Yongle and make a pilgrimage to the emperor of Shangguo.

Xia Xun is also quite busy these days. During the day, he usually appears on the construction site of Dabaoen Temple. There are now [-] to [-] migrant workers. The world is extremely large, especially at the foot of the emperor. The emperor is also very concerned about the place where so many people suddenly gather. If someone takes the opportunity to make trouble or cause a fire due to poor management, Xia Xun, the official in charge, will have to be imprisoned .

Every day, he has to urge the officials of the Ministry of Industry to settle the payment of money and food, stop construction projects one after another, repatriate the laborers in batches to return to their hometowns for the New Year, and, accompanied by Wucheng Bingmasi and Ying Tianfu, inspect the residential areas of the laborers to ensure that the laborers are used. fire safety.In the evening, the subordinates who came from Shuangyu Island reported to him the various income obtained by his smuggling network from Japan, North Korea and even the entire Southeast Asia, and checked the income and expenditure accounts.

After calculating the income, expenditure and profit, it is necessary to discuss the reward.The members of Qianlong are also human beings, even if they are usually gophers, they still have to reunite with their families during the Chinese New Year. The salary that should be paid must be calculated and sent out in advance.Xie Yufei helped him with these things before, and Xia Xun almost didn't need to intervene, but now that Xie Yu is pregnant, it is not good for pregnant women to use their brains too much, so basically this matter can only be done by him alone.

The Flying Dragon Secret Agent is a private soldier belonging to the emperor. It is a force that does not exist publicly but the emperor is very aware of its existence. It is easy to do this. Xia Xun only needs to order the relevant personnel to calculate the various expenses for the New Year. Go to the emperor for approval, and the inner treasury will allocate the money.Now that I think about it, although Luo Kedi's method of raising secret spies in a free range is not very efficient, it doesn't have these troubles, which makes Xia Xun very envious.

Everyone in the court is busy, and so are the people.

Jinling was the imperial capital of the Ming Dynasty. There were many merchants and merchants, and there were many travelers from all over the world. Now they are returning to their hometowns one after another. There is an endless stream of people returning home in a hurry on the water and dry roads.

The common people are celebrating the New Year, and it seems that the Japanese pirates are also celebrating the New Year.The common people have to buy new year's goods for the New Year, while the Japanese pirates are taking advantage of larger-scale looting for the New Year.

After the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion drew up a plan to exterminate the Japanese pirates, it has already communicated the general order to the coastal guards in conjunction with the Ministry of War, and the water and land cooperated to carry out the encirclement and suppression, but Xia Xun came from Shuangyu to pay the bill.From what I heard, it seems that the effect is not ideal.

The sea area of ​​Daming is too long, it is like a giant sleeping there, and the gang of pirates is like a swarm of mosquitoes, harassing everywhere, it is impossible to guard against.Once the coastal guards gather heavy troops, they will have no deterrent power, but they will not be able to effectively kill the Japanese pirates.

The Japanese did not want to capture military fortresses, but to rob money, food, women, and even children. Once the officers and soldiers assembled, they would not be able to defend such a large area of ​​land. Often after they heard that the police sent troops, the Japanese had burned, killed, looted and left. .If the garrisons were scattered, with the bravery of the Japanese, the small group of Ming troops would lose in the confrontation.

Guanhaiwei, Taicangwei, and Shuangyuwei, who own ships, are even more exhausted. A general who has never been in contact with the sea or even a larger lake, even if he uses his imagination to the fullest, he can't think of a place where How difficult it is to find a team of Japanese pirates in the vast sea who do not want to confront you head-on. Even with the speed of ships hundreds of years later, the range of radar scanning and the radius of aircraft reconnaissance are almost impossible. Complete tasks, let alone rely on those wooden sailboats.

Xia Xun didn't understand it very carefully, but based on what he heard about the situation, he already felt a headache, but there was nothing he could do about it, and he couldn't even comment on it.Because ordinary people, if they heard that the war was not good, they could drink a few cups of yellow soup and talk about it while drinking, but due to his special status, he couldn't.

In his position, there are too many relationships that need to be maintained in all aspects, up and down, and he must pay special attention not to interfere with things outside his own field.Unless he went to the Metropolitan Procuratorate as an imperial envoy, he would have no choice but to ask everything.Can you imagine that the Minister of Land and Resources went to the Ministry of National Defense to point fingers at the military leaders and comment on a conflict between the two countries on the border?

If he wants to be a superman who can take care of everything, there will be no scum left in the end. However, he is trying his best to pay attention to all kinds of things, whether it is in Beijing or outside Beijing, including everything that happened in Donghai, because he is looking for An opportunity to get out of the vortex of struggle for succession.The tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop. As long as he stays in the capital, with the energy he possesses, he will definitely become the target of the two sides' contention, and he is indifferent.

Of course, intervening in it, supporting a certain prince, with his status as a prince, may not be fatal, but the risk of losing is far greater than the possible gain, so why is there any reason to intervene?

"Chong'er can live outside!", his best choice is to go out.But to go out, you need an opportunity and a title.Before that, he could only walk carefully between the two princes, he could neither act too hot, get too deep, nor could he get out, nor could he give them a feeling of "enemy".

These days, Xia Xun tried his best to deal with the two princes carefully. Fortunately, nothing happened. However, the patience of the two princes is gradually exhausted, forcing him to express his position faster and faster, and so is Xia Xun. I can't stand it anymore.

All these things have made Xia Xun feel a little depressed recently, feeling a little physically and mentally exhausted.

Xie Xie and Ziqi noticed that her husband was preoccupied recently, and became extra gentle and considerate to him.Although Zi Qi was pregnant with hot eyes, she did not pester her husband all day long. Although she was still the heir of the domineering female descendant of the Five Tigers Broken Door Sword, several years of married life had already turned her into a A gentle and considerate young woman.

Today Xia Xun had been busy at Dabaoen Temple for a whole day, and when he returned to the mansion, Zuo Dan was already waiting there.

Xia Xun asked Zuo Dan to sit down and eat something together, and then they went to the study together. According to Xia Xun's instructions, Zuo Dan collected all kinds of information every day and reported to him one by one. It has become a rule.Xia Xun listened carefully while drinking tea, and wrote down the main points on paper when he was interested.

At the end, Zuo Dan said: "By the way, there is one more thing. The empress let out the wind and wanted to recruit a county horse for the little princess of the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion."

"Oh?"

Xia Xun paused with the tip of his pen, and made a big black dot on the paper. Huo Di raised his head and asked, "A county horse?"

Zuo Dan smiled and said: "Yes, today is the day when I ordered my wives to enter the palace to pay my respects to the empress. The empress revealed the news, and now the news has spread in Jinling City. The ministers of civil and military affairs who have married men in their families are all here. As for the matter of Zhang Luo. Duke Ding and Duke Ding have always been close, and I think that the Duke should also pay attention to this matter. If the princess married an official who was not as good as the Duke, how much more would it be? There will always be some influence if you are less with the Duke."

"Ok!"

Xia Xun lowered his head again and scribbled on the paper, but he didn't know what he was writing. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "There are... so many people who want to get married to this family?"

Zuo Dan said: "Yes, this county horse is different from a son-in-law, there are not so many constraints, and the princess's sister is also the queen of the dynasty, this marriage is very hot, even if it is a duke, a prince, or a prince who does not want to marry the princess The officials are very keen on this matter. Some officials who heard the news are not qualified to speak to the empress, and now they are asking for connections everywhere, and want to ask someone to make peace."

"understood!"

Xia Xun responded lightly, and was so confused for a moment that he didn't even know how to answer Zuo Dan when he stood up to say goodbye.

It wasn't until there was a light "cha" sound from the door that he finally came to his senses. After a closer look, he found that a piece of paper had been painted black by him, ready to throw away and write gold letters on.

Xia Xun put down his pen, balled up the paper, and threw it into the wastebasket, leaning back on the chair and letting out a long breath.

Ming'er's voice and smile kept echoing in his mind, from the fluffy girl who looked like a little white rabbit, stumbling lively on the snowy peak of Yanshan Mountain; Beside him, cupping his cheeks with a pair of small hands, the pure and cute girl who sweetly confides "Uncle, I like you so much!" with a soft dreamy voice...

Didn't you think that long-term pain is worse than short-term pain?Isn't the goal achieved?Why is my heart empty, and I feel a sense of loss.

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Xia Xun wandered in the courtyard boredly, and suddenly heard a bleak flute sound in his ears. He listened for a while, and followed the sound of the flute.

The flute is a Qiang flute, and the music is full of an exotic style, with a feeling of desolation and sadness.

Xia Xun walked slowly, only to realize that the voice came from the residence of two Qiuci girls. Their residence was west of Su Ying's courtyard, the most remote corner of the mansion. At night, there were few people and no lights, which seemed relatively Infiltrate.Xia Xun just wanted to take them back to the mansion by himself, and leave them here to fend for themselves. He didn't even ask them these days.

He walked to the small courtyard where the two lived, and saw a ray of light in the main room, so he walked over.When they arrived at the door, they heard the sound of the flute inside stop. The two girls exchanged a few words in a language they did not understand. After a period of silence, the faint sound of the flute sounded again.

As soon as Xia Xun pushed the door, the door creaked, and the two girls inside heard someone, exclaimed "Ah", one of them turned around, hurriedly tied the veil on his face, and the other dropped the flute , the veil Bingbing covered half of it, seeing Xia Xun coming in, she was surprised and happy, quickly put down the veil, walked to him, knelt down on her knees and respectfully said: "Master!"

"stand up."

Xia Xun glanced at her. This was the first time he had seen the appearance of this Kucha girl, with deep eye sockets, a straight nose, fair complexion, clear facial features, and a unique charm of young European women.

"How do you..."

"I am your mistress, master!"

"No no no, I mean...what's your name?"

"The slave is called Master Sirin."

"Oh, Sirin, I don't have so many rules here, so I don't need to keep talking about the master, get up and talk."

"Yes, Master."

Xia Xun had no choice but to look at the other girl who had knelt down. Her veil had already been fastened. Seeing Xia Xun raised her chin to her, she hurriedly stood up and stood respectfully with her hands down.Xia Xun walked past them and sat down on a chair. The two Kucha girls followed immediately, knelt down on one left and one on the right, and beat his legs lightly.

They have been raised as prostitutes since they were young, and these rules of serving their masters have become natural, and they do it very naturally, without any sense of artificiality.Xia Xun originally wanted to wake them up, so he raised his hand, but he didn't bother to correct them. He just looked at them and said, "What are you doing with your veils on at home? If you walk around the courtyard this late at night, Be careful that the nursing home treats you as robbers."

The two girls obviously understood the joke. They looked at each other and smiled. The girl who was still wearing a veil took off the veil. This girl is more beautiful, with a slight smile on her mouth The emblem was upturned, as if she was born with a sweet smile, and that beautiful appearance looked a little familiar. Xia Xun thought for a while, and suddenly remembered Jessica, Alba, from "Fantastic Four", Really very similar.

Xia Xun asked, "What's your name?"

"The servant's name is Rangna."

"Jeanna, why are you always covering your face?"

Jeanna replied gently: "Master, except for hands and feet, a woman's body is shameful. Only her biological parents and her man can see it, and no one else can see it."

"Oh……"

Xia Xun rubbed her nose, and said awkwardly: "Then... you are still blindfolded."

Sirin said earnestly: "Master, we mistook it for someone else just now, so we hurriedly put on the veil. Everything we have belongs to Master. In front of Master, we don't need to cover up."

Xia Xun was a little overwhelmed, so he changed the subject and said, "Did you play the music from your hometown just now?"

Jeanna replied: "Yes, master, this is the music of our hometown. We... are far away from our hometown. It is deserted and lonely at night, and we are in a bad mood, so we play the music of our hometown. I didn't expect to disturb the master." .”

"home……"

Xia Xun lost his mind for a while, looked at them, and suddenly asked: "If... I can send you back, would you like to go back to your hometown?"

The two girls glanced at each other and lowered their heads slightly.

Xia Xun asked, "What?"

Sirin replied softly: "I can see that the master's kindness comes from the heart, but although we miss our hometown, it's just because it's where we grew up. We don't want to go back, we don't want to go back."

Xia Xun frowned and asked, "Why?"

Jeanna said quietly: "Wise master, what do you think, if we two girls go back, how will we survive and protect ourselves?"

Xia Xun was silent for a moment, thinking of Ming'er who couldn't get it and wanted to give it up, she couldn't help sighing deeply, and murmured: "It's not as good as it is, but it's no different from the speaker..."

The two Kucha girls didn't quite understand this line, but they could tell that the master didn't seem happy.Although they spent most of their time in this courtyard these days, they also got to know their master a little bit, knowing that he is a very powerful nobleman in this great eastern empire.They worry about being far away from their hometown, worry about hunger and food, and uncertain destination. What worries does a powerful person like the master have?

They were curious, but obediently did not ask.

Xia Xun ordered: "Play that piece just now, play it again, I want to listen to it too."

Jeanne, who looks a lot like Jessica, is livelier than Sirin, and boldly asked: "Does the master like this piece?"

Xia Xun sighed, "I'm just... in a bad mood..."

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The melancholy sound of the Qiang flute, which makes people feel homesick after listening to it, is still floating leisurely. Xia Xun has left the residence of the girl in Kucha and is walking towards the back house.

When passing the Kuachi Hongqiao, Xia Xun leaned on the railing, looked up at the moon, and stood there for a long time, maybe... reminiscing about Ming'er's fragrant kiss.

This feeling can be treated as a recollection, but it was lost at the time.

In the back house, a window of the flower hall is partially covered, and a ray of light can be seen coming from the window from a distance.

The winter in Jinling is not too cold. There is a brazier in the house. Although it is warm, the air is not very good. Although it is good animal charcoal, Xia Xun told Xie Xie that the doors and windows should not be closed too tightly. Breathing through the air, unexpectedly, Xie Xie said that he didn't understand anything, but he really remembered it in his heart.

Xia Xun watched, with a smile on his lips, and quietly walked over to the window.

There are three people in Shi Ran, Xie Xie, Zi Qi and Xiao Di.

Xie Xie is sewing a piece of clothing, it is a one-sleeve gown for children, Xie Xie, who has never touched needlework before, is very serious about every stitch, and the corners of his lips and eyes are full of contented and happy smiles.

Xiaodi was eating, and there were several fruit plates in front of him, filled with dried fruits of various colors. Xiaodi ate very happily, while eating by himself, he picked up some melon seeds, walnut kernels, and peeled them. Put it in front of Xie Xie, and Xie Xie just ate a piece of it.

Ziqi lay lazily on the table, pouting and looking at Xie Xie for sewing.

Thank you for taking a look at her late, and said with a light smile: "Do you need to do this? Look at your brave and resentful look. Hehe, after my baby is born, I will call you a mother. You don't have to work hard to give birth, and you will have a child." Hug, aren't you happy?"

"Really?" Zi Qi's eyes brightened: "You said, when the child is born, you have to call me mother, no, no, no, you have to call me mother first. Mmm! When he is born, I will teach him Speaking, the first mother, it must be mine, hahahaha..."

Xiao Di wrinkled his nose and said seriously: "Ladies, is childbirth so fun? I heard from my mother that childbirth is painful! I won't have children after I get married!"

Xie Xie glanced at her, snorted and said: "Ghost girl, stop putting on airs in front of me, who are you going to marry in the future, aren't you the one your young master has appointed?"

Xiao Di's face turned red, and he said in a stuttering voice, "Ma'am, you...what are you talking about!"

Ziqi regained his energy all of a sudden, sat up suddenly and said, "Really? When did it happen, why don't I know?"

Xiaodi stammered: "No, Mrs. Yu was just... just kidding."

Xie Xie curled his lips and said: "Hmph, my wife's eyes are like torches, and there is nothing to hide in front of my lady!"

Xiaodi's face was like a big red cloth, and he hurriedly argued, "There is really no *..."

The three women laughed and made a fuss in the room, Xia Xun stood outside the window and couldn't help smiling softly.

"Running every day is only for hunger, so I have to eat and think about clothes. I put silk on my body and wear it, but I think the house is low. I build tall buildings and mansions, but there are few beautiful wives in front of my bed. I have married beautiful wives and concubines. There is no horse in front of the door... Climbing to the old position in the pavilion, I think about ascending the throne every day. One day I sit on the south side of the world, and I want the gods to come to play chess... If this person has not reached the limit, it would be too low to go up the ladder!"

Reciting the song "Ten Insufficiencies" in her heart, Xia Xun's mood improved a lot: "The resident is gone, let go of what should be let go!"

He adjusted his mood, opened the door and smiled, "What are you talking about, so happy?"

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Mouth: The Chinese New Year is approaching, the reward 2 is coming, thank you for being with me till now, Guan Guan is here to wish everyone a happy New Year, all the best, let go of all troubles, and welcome the future happily!Happy New Year!