The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 171: One Man Passes A Thousand Miles of Wasteland

 The wind blowing in the face seems to be getting stronger and stronger. In the furry muff, Liuli's fingers holding the reins became stiffer little by little, but there was a thin layer of sweat on her back.

Recalling Pei Xingjian's repeated warnings, she hurriedly relaxed her body and slowed down her horse. Feng Piaopiao, who was riding with her, immediately took up the reins and looked back at Liuli, "Madam, are you tired?"

Liuli subconsciously replied casually, "I'm not tired," but most of the sound she made was muffled by the thick mink fur mask on her face, and the other half was lost in the wind blowing in her face. She could only shake her head vigorously again.

Feng Piaopiao's face was only covered with a layer of white cloth, and the bright red Hufu on his body was also very neat. When he saw Liuli shaking his head, his eyes bent, his laughter was still clear, "Madam, if you don't mind, take Madam Piaopiao for a ride." !”

Liuli looked at her strong figure, then looked down at herself who was dressed like a ball. She suddenly felt a little ashamed of herself. Just when she was about to say "No need to bother," Feng Piao Piao Ma came over and shouted, "Mrs. Sit tight!" Liuli felt a pull on her waist. The bright red figure flashed, and there was another person behind her. Then a pair of hands stretched out from the side and pulled the reins. The horse's belly was shaken. The horse neighed and started running smoothly again.

Although she and Pei Xingjian had ridden on the same horse along the way, but being treated like this by a woman... Liuli felt a drop of cold sweat slipping down her forehead, but she could only hold on to the saddle with one hand, and retracted the other hand into the muff, turning her head and shouting loudly Said, "Thank you!"

Feng Piaopiao said with a smile, "Madam, you're welcome. If I can't serve you along the way, why would the prince bring me here?" In this kind of weather, riding a fast horse across the sea is the most difficult to control the speed. It's too fast or too slow. No, and the weaker the body, the less able to sweat. I'm afraid not many ladies from Chang'an can do it. It seems that Mrs. Kudi is the weakest one.

She looked back at the other horses and waved her hand back. After a while, Liu Ruyue and Ayan, whose riding skills were slightly weaker, also had a Xizhou maid behind them, and the horse team's speed suddenly returned to stability. .

　　After walking forward for more than half an hour, a large river appeared in front of us. The surface of the river, which was more than one foot wide, was frozen solid. There were many bare tung trees and burnt yellow weeds beside the river. A group of people walked up the river bank and saw two yellow squares, one large and one small, in the distance.

Feng Piaopian smiled and said, "Madam, less than ten miles ahead is Yumen Pass!"

Has the Yumen Pass, where the spring breeze never wavered, arrived yet? Liuli was a little surprised. Because he had re-prepared the carriage and horses in the morning, he had not set off too early. It was just noon now. It took more than an hour to reach the fifty miles, and we even had a break in the process.

The horse team galloped for another quarter of an hour, and the Yumen Pass was clearly visible. However, they saw that this majestic pass was located on the west bank of the river, guarding the main road across the river. The walls on all four sides looked only a few dozen meters long, but were more than a foot high. A trench more than ten meters wide was dug. The closer we got, the more intimidating the situation became.

Looking at the larger yellow square from a distance, it turned out to be a not too big city. It was only a few dozen steps away from the southwest corner of Yumen Pass. People could vaguely see people coming and going at the city gate, and countless smoke curled up from the city wall. , it looks full of the peaceful atmosphere of human fireworks, which contrasts with the majestic Yumen Pass.

Feng Piaopiao said, "That's Jinchang City. It has a small population. We'll probably have to rest there for a while at noon."

When the cavalry entered Jinchang City, Liuli discovered that this place was somewhat similar to Guazhou. It was also a twin city inside and outside, but the population was much smaller. Qu Chongyu led more than twenty followers, many of whom rode two horses. Dozens of horses immediately surrounded a wine shop. Feng Piaopiao took Liuli directly to the private room upstairs, and saw Qu Chongyu and Pei Xingjian had just sat down. Qu Chongyu took off his cloak, revealing a camel-colored Hu suit underneath, with only a circle of dark mink fur hanging out of the collar, and his hair. On top, he wore a dark mink fur to wipe his forehead. Although the whole person looked not as coquettish as the snow suit he wore in the morning, he looked more heroic and cheerful.

Liuli looked at her clothes again, and sat down next to Pei Xingjian silently, her face slumped even if she didn't have to worry about it.

Pei Xingjian turned to look at her and whispered calmly, "I will serve Cynomorium wine later. Please take a few more sips."

Liuli nodded listlessly, Qu Chongyu glanced at the two people's faces, and a smile appeared on his face, "Thank you for your hard work, madam."

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "Why did she work hard? It's Mrs. Feng who worked hard. I'd like to thank you for keeping my promise."

 Such a small town naturally doesn’t have any outstanding dishes. After dinner, everyone came out of the private room and saw Liu Ruyue and Xiaofu standing there at the entrance of the corridor. She raised her head and saw a few people. She stepped forward and bowed, "Thank you, Prince He and Lady Feng for taking care of me. Thank you, Pei Changshi and Madam, for your consideration." "The movements were elegant and the voice was sweet, Feng Piaopiao was stunned for a moment.

Qu Chongyu glanced at her and laughed, "She is indeed a polite person. If you want to thank me, just thank Pei Changshi. What does it have to do with me?"

Liu Ruyue half lowered her head and smiled softly, "The prince is right, thank you Changshi Pei, thank you Mrs. Kudi, but this has caused trouble for the prince and Lady Feng for nothing. I really feel sorry for you. Please forgive me." ." He knelt down again, stepped back to get out of the way, and stood aside with his head slightly lowered. The etiquette is respectful, but it doesn't feel humbling at all. It just makes people feel gentle and comfortable.

The playful look in Qu Chongyu's eyes suddenly became stronger. He turned around and saw Pei Xingjian looking at Liu Ruyue thoughtfully, but his tone was quite indifferent, "You don't need to be polite, you can be considered a citizen of Xizhou. "Cudi lowered her eyes and said nothing, and it was hard to tell what her face was like. However, a maid behind her glared at Liu Ruyue fiercely, with anger and disdain that was quite tangible. Qu Chongyu couldn't help but raise his brows, and smiled at Pei Xingjian in a low voice, "You really have a broad mind when you keep your promise, and you love the people like a son. Chongyu admires him very much!" Pei Xingjian was slightly startled, but Qu Chongyu walked downstairs with a big smile. Feng Piaopiao also glanced at Liu Ruyue several times, and after going downstairs, she whispered, "This Madam Liu doesn't look like an ordinary palace maid."

Liuli sighed, "I don't know much about her origins. I just met her by chance in Liangzhou and felt sympathy for her, but I forgot... The most lacking thing in that kind of place is people with extremely high qualifications but no hope of success. woman."

Feng Piaopiao was about to ask again, but Liuli had already taken out the **** from her sleeve, "Thank you for giving me this muff. It's much warmer than ordinary ones."

Feng Piaopiao also smiled and said, "This is made of fox fur. It is used to keep your hands warm."

The group mounted their horses again, left the city and headed west. They walked along the river bank for a while, and turned towards the Gobi Desert on a fork in the road. The road soon became unclear. As far as the eye could see, there was a vast wilderness ahead, with no trees at all. one sight. The world is vast, and apart from the occasional camel caravan that appears and is overtaken, no one can be seen anymore. The wind in the wilderness was blowing fast and slow, and from time to time it made strange and shrill sounds, which almost made people feel as if they were no longer in the world. Only the mounds of dirt that appeared every five miles on the roadside reminded people that they were indeed still walking. On the postal route of the Tang Dynasty.

The cavalry team has been maintaining a neither fast nor slow speed, taking a break every half hour. When encountering a posthouse that appears every thirty miles or so, they will go in for a brief rest. Although Liuli got used to it somewhat, her physical strength was still low, so Feng Piaopiao immediately changed horses and came over. In this afternoon, the horse team traveled a total of ninety miles. The road gradually changed from the flat Gobi wilderness to the undulating barren mountains. The speed of the horses naturally slowed down, and the bumps became even more severe during the trot. It was finally dark after dark. We arrived at a post house before.

When Liuli dismounted, she felt that her body was stiff and her face had long since turned numb. Xiaotan and Ayan were not much better either. Fengpiaopiao helped Liuli walk a few steps, which was slightly better.

I saw that this post house was a small courtyard with two entrances. The house did not look too old. The postmaster of the post house was a middle-aged man with a sad face. The two postmen were also somewhat listless. One of them left the well house. The maid pointed once and dragged her legs out. The bedding in the room has not been washed for an unknown period of time, and some of the original colors cannot be distinguished.

It was the first time for Liuli to stay in a post house. She had heard that the houses in the post house were much better than those in the di shop. Seeing this situation, she couldn't help but be surprised. Feng Piaopian smiled and said, "The post here can't be compared with the outside. It's just a water source to take care of errands. You can't go anywhere. If you are caught and come here to be the post leader, I'm afraid it's not that different from being in jail." How can I care about your bedding?" Several Xizhou maids brought over clean cloth and wrapped the bedding again. Someone boiled hot water, washed their hands with glass, and rested for a while. Only then did he recover. Feng Piaopiao stood up, and regardless of Liuli's objection, he reached out and massaged her back. His hands were very strong, and he smiled and said, "This journey is too bumpy, it won't hurt like this, madam." I’m afraid I’ll be even more sore tomorrow.”

After so much tossing and eating, Liuli sent Xiaotan and Ayan back, asking them to play with each other and have a good rest. She also sat on the warmest kang in the house, looking at the empty walls. I stayed there for a while, feeling a little worried thinking about tomorrow. After thinking about it like this, I unconsciously fell asleep holding the quilt.

The kang, which was only half-heated, gradually cooled down. She shrunk her body in a daze. Suddenly, the quilt on her body moved slightly, and she was immediately hugged into a warm embrace.

Liuli sighed comfortably and shrank into the embrace. A deep sigh sounded above her head, "Why did you fall asleep without covering yourself with the quilt? What should you do if you get cold?" She suddenly woke up. He came over, opened his eyes and looked at Pei Xingjian, then at himself, and sighed in annoyance, "I don't want to sleep. What time is it?"

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "It didn't take long after dinner. Fortunately, I came back early today. Otherwise, I'm afraid you would really freeze. Silly Liuli, don't wait for me next time. It's important to sleep a little longer." He looked down at her again. One glance, "Are you very tired today?"

Liuli shook her head, "It's okay to be tired. It's just a bit bumpy and a little cold. It will take about two days to get used to it."

Pei Xingjian didn't say anything, but held his hand tighter and said after a while, "I'll take you with you tomorrow."

Liuli blinked, a little puzzled. Didn’t he act like he was paralyzed all day today? Why did it suddenly take another 180-degree turn? Pei Xingjian laughed softly and said, "Have you never heard of fights at the head of the bed and fights at the end of the bed? Besides, I did something that made you unhappy, so it's normal for me to want to please you."

Liuli felt relieved, thought for a while and then said, "Then in a few days, shall we still have a quarrel and a gamble?"

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "No noisy, at least we won't be angry in the sea channel. In this kind of weather and in this place, I can feel more at ease if you are still by my side. You will be like this tomorrow..." whispered in Liuli's ear. A few words.

 Is this okay? Liuli couldn't help laughing, and suddenly felt that the more than a thousand miles of sea road in front of her didn't seem to be scary anymore.

The Great Sea Road is a branch of the Silk Road newly opened in the Tang Dynasty. It is the shortest route between Dunhuang and Xizhou (a thousand miles closer than the Hami Road), with a total length of more than 1,300 miles. It is also the most mysterious, dangerous and arduous route. After leaving Yumen Pass, you enter thousands of miles of no man's land... Well, at the beginning of the month, Alan continued to ask for pink.

 (End of this chapter)