The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 169 Lan Yan’s troubles have a long road ahead

The Cynomorium porridge was served last. In the green six-sided porcelain bowl, the snow-white rice grains are lined with brown Cynomorium cynomorium flakes, and a few red wolfberries are sprinkled. The color combination is quite elegant.

Liuli suddenly remembered the shameful appearance of Cynomorium cynomorium when it first appeared on the ground, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. Pei Xingjian gave her a strange look, and she hurriedly tried her best to stop her smile, "Sand sea ginseng, it looks like a tree root in color, does it really have that many benefits?" Then she raised her head and smiled at Mu Sanlang, "Cousin, please use it. "

Mu Sanlang nodded a little cautiously, "Thank you, aunt." He added hurriedly, "Thank you, Pei Changshi."

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "They are all members of our own family, Sanlang should not be seen outside."

Mu Sanlang smiled sheepishly, and his slightly shy smile made his already impeccably handsome face even more attractive. Liuli's anger towards him disappeared without a trace.

This poor guy has been tightly hidden by Juro since the caravan entered Dunhuang. He eats and sleeps with the guards. His face is covered with a piece of cloth whenever he goes out during the day. It was difficult for him to come out today when Qu Chongyu was not at home. He must have been holding his breath too hard, so he came over as soon as he heard that he and Pei Xingjian were also in the wine shop...

The three of them finished the porridge in silence, and Mu Sanlang let out a long breath, "Pei Changshi, I heard Juro say that when we leave Guazhou tomorrow, will you and Prince Qu go ahead?"

Pei Xingjian nodded, "What Prince Qu means is that it's getting colder and colder day by day. Those of us from Chang'an are afraid that we won't be able to bear it outside. Tomorrow we will all change horses and not use any carriages. In this way, we can travel a hundred miles a day." "It's more than 70 miles away, and we can get out of the sea in seven or eight days at the earliest, but the camel team is moving too slowly."

Mu Sanlang was silent for a moment, then raised the wine glass in front of him, "Sanlang wishes Chang Shi and Auntie a safe journey."

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "We will meet again in Xizhou in a few days. You have many people and heavy goods, and you have to walk for half a month. Although there are inns along the Dahai Road now, it is still desolate, so you need to be more careful and careful. yes."

Liuli also frowned and said, "You have only been to Xizhou once. It is said that you are not much better than us. You should still seek advice from your tenth cousin more often." After walking for thousands of miles together, even strangers have developed some Family ties, not to mention Mu Sanlang's simple temperament, took good care of Liuli all the way. In Liuli's heart, she really regarded him as a younger brother.

Mu Sanlang smiled and remained silent. He looked down at the case and hid the reluctance in his eyes.

Stepping out of the door of the wine shop, Liuli looked up and saw that it was the beginning of the month. The night was so dark that no shadows could be seen on the turrets of the city wall. She sighed secretly in her heart and followed Pei Xingjian back. She listened to him and Mu Sanlang talking politely and nonsense. When she saw the gate of the other courtyard right in front of her, there was a sound of horse hooves behind her and someone laughed loudly. , "Did you keep your promise?"

 Why did this monster come back so early? Liuli glanced back impatiently, only to see several torches approaching in the blink of an eye amidst the sound of horse hooves. The person in front was naturally Qu Chongyu. Before the three of them could reach him, he jumped off the horse with a smile on his face and looked at Mu Sanlang and Liuli glanced at each other and smiled at Pei Xingjian, "I'm so happy to keep my promise, but with my wife..." Suddenly, he looked at Mu Sanlang as if he had come to his senses, and a strange look slowly appeared on his face.

Liuli felt a chill in her heart. Pei Xingjian had already taken a step forward and said, "The prince has come back so early."

Mu Sanlang looked up at the group of people in a daze, but when he suddenly heard the word "His Royal Highness", he hurriedly took a step back and lowered his head.

Qu Chongyu smiled absently and said, "There were too many lay people in the seat, so I said I would get up early tomorrow and say goodbye." He smiled and glanced behind Pei Xingjian, "Who is this?"

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "He is my wife's brother."

Qu Chongyu said "Oh", with a look of regret on his face, "I see." He raised his eyebrows as if he suddenly remembered something, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "I wonder what I call this young gentleman?"

Liuli had already breathed a sigh of relief, but when she saw his expression, she couldn't help but feel excited again. Pei Xingjian was also startled and frowned slightly, "It's Sanlang of the Mu family."

Qu Chongyu looked at Pei Xingjian and said with a smile, "Why do I remember that Madam..."

Liuli responded with a smile and said, "Don't be surprised, Your Majesty. Although Sanlang and I have different surnames, because our two families live in the same place, we have been like brothers and sisters since childhood. We treat him as a brother to keep our promise."

Qu Chongyu glanced at Mu Sanlang with a smile. When he saw him huddled behind Pei Xingjian, he wished he could disappear immediately. The smile on his face couldn't help but deepen, "No wonder, he is indeed a good talent, but I wonder if Sanlang will be traveling with me tomorrow?"

Liuli's heart sank even more, and she was secretly annoyed. Qu Chongyu was indeed a difficult person to deal with. She probably had guessed that Mu Sanlang was just a small businessman, so she had deliberately avoided him before. Is it possible to ask him to the end like this? It's preparation...

Pei Xingjian smiled and replied, "My wife came out of Beijing one step later than me, so my family specially asked Sanlang to send him here. He is also a young man with a greedy heart, so he simply followed him all the way here. Now I am waiting to take the Haidao Road." , It’s too hard after all, so I plan to let him go back. I went to the wine shop today just to see him off. He will go back to his uncle’s house in Dunhuang to spend the winter with his companions, and then return to Chang’an with Juro next spring.”

Qu Chongyu laughed loudly, "I worry too much about keeping my promise. You think I am a person who can endure hardships. Don't worry, just let Sanlang follow us to Xizhou. We will never let him suffer at all on the way." ." He looked at Mu Sanlang again, "Sanlang, what do you think? The scenery in Xizhou is very different from here. Even in the twelfth lunar month, it is very warm, not to mention that the various scenery is different from Chang'an. same."

Mu Sanlang had heard Anjuro's warnings many times, but he didn't dare to say the word "good" at this time. He muttered for a long time before he finally managed to say, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Sanlang is not used to riding horses, so it's better to go back here." His eyes flashed, and he only pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, "Well, keep the promise. If we all change horses, it will save time, but it will be too hard. Why don't we go with the An family tomorrow?" Pei Xingjian didn't wait. He replied with a smile, "I'm going to tell my servants to prepare again." After saying that, he threw the horse's rein into the hands of the guards beside him and strode back.

Liuli looked at Qu Chongyu's back in astonishment, and then at Mu Sanlang, who had his eyes wide open. She almost wanted to sigh, but she saw Pei Xingjian looking at Qu Chongyu's back in concentration, with a rare serious look on his face.

Liuli took a step forward and asked in a low voice, "Look, what should we do?"

Pei Xingjian pondered for a moment and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You and Sanlang go back to the wine shop and wait for me. I'll go to the house to find Julang." After saying that, he strode into the door.

Mu Sanlang froze on the spot, and after a while he raised his head and looked at Liuli, "Auntie..."

Liuli was also confused and uneasy in her heart. Just looking at the flickering eyes full of panic, she tried her best to smile calmly, "Listen to Pei Changshi, let's go back to the wine shop!"

The two of them sat staring in the private room for about two quarters of an hour. Pei Xingjian pushed the door open and walked in. Mu Sanlang stood up and said, "Pei Changshi!"

Pei Xingjian looked very calm. He took out a heavy small bag from his arms and put it on the table. "Here is your expense," Shiro said. He will help you deal with your goods. Now you can live in the Kang family here. Two days later, I will return to Dunhuang from here and stay at Anjia to wait for him. He will return to Dunhuang in February next year. "

Mu Saburo looked quite uneasy, "Will this affect Chang Shi and Juro?"

Pei Xingjian said calmly, "The Qu family is no longer the king of Gaochang, and the An family can't do anything if he wants to, let alone me, an official of the imperial court. If you stay away, we haven't broken up, so it doesn't matter."

　　Mu Sanlang breathed a sigh of relief, "I was too careless and caused you all this trouble."

Pei Xingjian smiled and shook his head, "With a little effort, let's go there."

Although it was not too late, the streets of Guazhou were quite dark. Pei Xingjian stopped from time to time to identify the direction of the alley. After walking for two full sticks of incense, he finally found a house with "Kang Zhai" written on the door.

Liuli stood in the shadow and saw Pei Xingjian stepping forward and knocking the door knocker, saying a few words to the person who opened the door, and handing something over. After a while, someone came out and took Mu Sanlang in. She couldn't help but As she walked back and forth, she always felt like someone was peeping in the shadows. Just as her heart was pounding, Pei Xingjian turned around and held her hand, "Is it cold?"

Liuli shook her head slightly and walked with him in silence for a long time. She couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this really a big deal?"

Pei Xingjian said calmly, "So what if it's urgent?"

Liuli sighed, indeed, so what if it’s urgent? Could it be that she really watched Mu Sanlang... It didn't matter to deal with it like this, but she always felt that something was wrong in her heart. If Anjuro had done this, it would be normal, but it was not like Pei Xingjian's style of doing things. After thinking for a long time, I could only say, "I feel a little uneasy."

Pei Xingjian held her hand tightly and suddenly said, "Liuli, if I can't protect Sanlang, or if he completely offends Prince Qu, what will you do?"

Liuli was startled for a moment, and then said after a long while, "If you want to protect someone, you can naturally do it. If you don't want to offend someone, of course you won't really offend him."

Pei Xingjian laughed out loud, suddenly stopped, untied his fur robe and wrapped her up in his arms, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you." He paused and then said, "No matter what, I will protect you."

 Where is this? Liuli looked up at him doubtfully. His expression was a little blurry in the night, but his decisive tone didn't sound like a joke at all. Liuli couldn't help but frown, "What exactly do you want to say?"

On a windless night, the street was surprisingly quiet. After a long time, Pei Xingjian's voice sounded in a low voice, "It's nothing, I just suddenly suspected that this road might be more difficult than I originally thought."

Liuli looked up at the sky. There were a few stars hanging quietly in the dark night. She leaned against Pei Xingjian's chest and put her arms around his waist. "You forgot that I just told you that I dreamed Saw this place before.”

"I was a little confused at first as to why God would let me have such a dream, but now, I slowly understand. Keep your promise, the path you are going to take is the path you were meant to take, and I will accompany you all the way. Go down. Don’t worry, I will be fine, I will go better than you originally thought!”

　　Well, I finally fulfilled my promise. It's December soon, I will be more diligent than in November, please support me by guaranteeing your pink vote!

 (End of this chapter)