MTL - The Crown Prince Chases His Wife-Chapter 18 Dragon Boat Festival

Midsummer in May is the peak season for poisonous insects, also known as the poisonous month. Of course, this season also has another beautiful name, Luomeitian.

Dragon Boat Festival, end person, early also.

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, Vientiane is Qingming. Also known as "Five Poisons Day", also known as "Evil Day".

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the Chinese military officials of the court took a break to show the emperor's great grace, and the monarch and his ministers were happy together.

From the royal family to the common people, every household is busy and busy preparing for the coming Poison Moon, in order to exorcise evil spirits and avoid evil, and pray for long life and good health.

The township government is no exception.

Early in the morning of the Dragon Boat Festival, Qin Yan was served by Shen Ying to get up. When she was dressing and changing, Qin Yan smelled a special smell on her robe today.

There are only those kinds of incense commonly used in Qin Yan's clothes. Without her advice, the people below would not be good at making suggestions to change the incense for her.

Seeing that the master touched the robe, he did not intend to change it, but frowned slightly. Shen Ying explained:

"This morning, Mrs. Mrs. Fang, the eldest son of the Duke's Mansion, that is the master, your aunt, Mrs. Fang, arranged for her servants to smoke Cangshu and Baizhi in various places in the mansion, even the daily necessities and clothes were not spared. Mrs. said, the Dragon Boat Festival The two herbs, smoked atractylodes and angelica, can abandon disease and avoid epidemics, and keep everyone in the house safe."

Qin Yan doesn't like to change her habits, but now she still lives in the town's public mansion. Since it was arranged by her aunt, she also let her aunt toss it. Fortunately, the smell is not unpleasant.

After Qin Yan finished dressing and grooming, and had breakfast, aunt Fang Su sent someone to invite Qin Yan to the main hall.

Qin Yan was puzzled for a moment, did he go to the main hall because he had something important to talk about?

Qin Yan didn't think much, and took Shen Ying out of the room.

Seeing that the lintels and corridors of the buildings that passed along the way were hung with calamus and mugwort leaves that were not usually available, Qin Yan stopped to take a look, and Shen Ying explained:

"Mrs. Shizi said that calamus and mugwort leaves can ward off insects and prevent diseases, and they also let the people below them hang up this morning."

Qin Yan seldom cares about these solar terms. These years have kept them busy with major and small matters, and it has been a long time since there were any festivals. Besides, Mr. Ji in Fuzhong is knowledgeable about pharmacology, deworming and epidemic prevention. On weekdays, Mr. Ji is in charge of it, and they don't do it on a certain solar term.

Arriving in the main hall, Qin Yan saw that in the hall, in addition to his aunt Fang Su, there was a sleepy Shen Ci who was only sitting. But he didn't see his grandfather and uncle.

This was Shen Ci who was leaning back in the chair and closing his eyes, when he heard Qin Yan come in, he said:

"Yanyan is here, mother, let's get started. I got a new volume of "Wei Liaozi" from my grandfather. I haven't slept all night, so I have to go back to make up for sleep." After speaking, he yawned.

Qin Yan looked suspiciously at his aunt Fang Su, who was facing her and Shen Ci at the moment, working on the sandalwood table in her hand.

At this time, Fang Su seemed to be ready, turned around and waved to Qin Yan:

"Come here soon."

Fang Su turned and reprimanded Shen Ci lightly:

"Shen Ci, sit or not, what does it look like!"

Qin Yan walked over slowly, and Shen Ci also got up and walked in front of Fang Su.

Fang Su raised a tray with two black glaze cups filled with wine.

"This is realgar wine. I only added a little realgar to the wine. It can repel insects and detoxify the five poisons. It is not harmful to the body. You should drink it soon."

Under Fang Su's expectant gaze, the two brothers and sisters drank the realgar wine in the wine cup.

The two had just put the wine cups on the plate when Fang Su picked up two five-colored ropes from the table.

"These five-color ropes are made by myself and are made of blue, red, purple, black, and yellow threads. According to "Baopuzi", hanging the five-colored paper in the mountains can summon ghosts and gods from all directions and protect them. Peace and prosperity. The five colors symbolize the five elements and have auspicious meanings, so please extend your hands to me.”

Shen Ci and Qin Yan looked at each other, not knowing what happened to Fang Su at this time, and hesitantly stretched out their hands to Fang Su.

Fang Su tied the five-color ropes, one for each person, to their wrists.

At the back, Fang Su tied a mugwort sachet around their waists, wrapped in silk cloth, and the fragrance was overflowing.

Shen Ci's sachet was embroidered with five poisonous patterns, while Qin Yan's sachet was embroidered with pomegranate flowers. The sachet is buckled into a rope with five-color silk strings, which are connected into a wishful pattern, and the workmanship is quite exquisite.

Fang Su told the two that there were cinnabar, realgar, and incense in the sachet.

"Wear the sachet to dispel poison and avoid harm. You are not allowed to take it off. Be good."

Fang Su watched with satisfaction as the two children were being picked up by her obediently.

Shen Ci finally understood that the mother was doing the custom of the Dragon Boat Festival, but these things were made by the elders of ordinary people's homes for children, but he was in his twenties, and Qin Yan was no longer a child.

Shen Ci's tone was a little helpless:

"Mother, we are not children anymore, are you still doing this?"

"What are you talking about, in front of me, you will always be children." Fang Su interrupted Shen Ci's words and turned to clean up on the table.

At this time, Fang Su, who turned her back to the two brothers and sisters, had wet eyes, and she calmed down.

When the two brothers and sisters were children, they went to the Northwest battlefield. As Shen Ci's mother, Qin Yan's aunt, and their elders, they never took care of these two children during these festivals. As a member of this family, she knew very well that these two children would not celebrate these festivals in the northwest all these years.

And Yan Yan is even more bitter, she left her mother at a young age, and she is not close to her father's family, how can the elders give her all this.

Fang Su is determined to make up for the lack of the two children before, this is the only thing she can do as a woman.

Shen Ci noticed that his mother's shoulders trembled slightly and seemed to understand something. He took a step forward and put his hands on Fang Su's thin shoulders.

"Yes, in front of my mother, I will always be a child." Shen Ci's voice softened.

Qin Yan raised her fair wrist, and her slender fingers stroked the brightly colored bracelet, looking at Fang Su,

"Thank you auntie."

Qin Yan was not used to wearing jewelry on her wrist, but she still didn't take it off. She understood her aunt's intention.

------

In accordance with Emperor Hui's will, Qin Yan entered the palace at a certain time.

Qin Yan got off the carriage at the palace gate, and took the seat arranged by Li Fuquan, the chief executive, to pick her up.

There is a saying that is good, the road to enemies is narrow.

Not long after entering the inner court, she actually met Concubine Shu, who was sitting on the shoulder pad, face to face.

Both of them just sat steadily, looked at each other coldly, and did not speak.

Only after the palace servants on both sides bowed to the master on the opposite side, they passed by. In the moments that passed, the two of them didn't look sideways, like two strangers.

Concubine Shu is a first-rank palace concubine, and Qin Yan is a first-rank princess. Of course, their grades are not comparable. Qin Yan, as a junior and a servant girl, should have stepped down and bowed to Concubine Shu.

The last time she entered the palace, Qin Yan's identity was only the eldest daughter of the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, the young lady of the Duke's Mansion, and the niece of Concubine Shu. That time Qin Yan got off the carriage at the gate of the palace and walked into the Chengqian Palace.

But today, since Concubine Shu has been making a fuss about Qin Yan's disrespect to the elders and ignorance of etiquette, Qin Yan will take the name seriously.

When Concubine Shu saw Qin Yan, she also wanted to take the elder's air and press her down, but the other party was also holding the air, so Concubine Shu endured it again and again.

The last time she met Qin Yan, she didn't get a good deal. She was locked up in confinement for a whole month, and she only left the palace a few days ago. She wasn't sure where the bottom line of His Majesty's attitude towards Qin Yan was, but it took a long time to come to Japan. She has seen many ups and downs in the palace over the years. At that time...

Concubine Shu hates Qin Yan, this girl is even more annoying than her mother Shen Shiying, Shen Shiying is just defiant, but Qin Yan is blatantly arrogant.

This girl can hurt people in her Chengqian Palace, and she did such disrespectful things to her elders at the wedding banquet in Qin Xiangfu the day before yesterday. She Qin Yan was only a junior, so ignorant of etiquette, when Concubine Shu thought of her, she was so angry that her fingernails digged into her flesh.

------

In the imperial study room, Emperor Hui in a bright yellow dragon robe and Prince Feng Zhan in a black robe with gold thread embroidery and dark patterns were playing a game.

After Qin Yan bowed to Emperor Hui and the prince, Li Fuquan asked the palace staff to set up a large carved chair not far from the chess game, and arranged for Qin Yan to sit down and watch the chess game.

The three players are all very good at chess, and neither the winner, the loser nor the spectators made a sound. The only sound in the room was the sound of falling, and the occasional sound of the teacup.

Qin Yan sipped the royal tribute tea, and sometimes looked up at the chess game.

Huidi's chess road is steady, and he takes every step for the camp.

On the other hand, Feng Zhan, the prince opposite to Emperor Hui, had a fierce chess style, and he didn't care that he was the king and his father.

Qin Yan glanced at Feng Zhan's angular profile, and there was a hint of admiration in his eyes. The prince's behavior was quite to her liking.

With a cup of tea, Emperor Hui lost three games in a row.

Emperor Hui picked up the tea cup that Li Fuquan handed him, took a sip, sighed and said, "I am old, I am old."

"Zhaoren County Master, you come to play a game with the prince, let me see how many ways you young people will play." Hui Di smiled, and after he finished speaking, Li Fuquan helped him up and motioned Qin Yan to sit down to him. s position.

Crown Prince Feng Zhan didn't say a word throughout the whole process, didn't know whether to be happy or angry, he was playing with a white jade chess piece with a sharply articulated hand, his long and narrow eyes slightly lifted, and he looked at Qin Yan.

Qin Yan didn't know whether the other party was questioning whether she dared to fight, so she took two steps forward and sat opposite Feng Zhan.

Emperor Hui took a seat at Qin Yan's place just now, and watched the two young men's hands chatting with ease.

"Zhaoren County Master is in charge of black." Feng Zhan seemed to be generous to Qin Yan.

"Guests do as you please." Qin Yan was not humble, holding a sunspot in his slender hand, and dropped it on a random spot on the chessboard.

Both Feng Zhan and Qin Yan moved very fast and seemed to be random, but in the offense and defense, they were actually sticking to each other, and they were very stalemate.

After several fights, it was impossible to tell the winner.

"Good! Good! Good! Let's end the game with a draw." Emperor Hui applauded.

Qin Yan and Feng Zhanjun raised their eyes and looked at each other, both of them saw a trace of appreciation in each other's eyes. There are not many opponents they can meet, and today's game of chess is quite enjoyable.

------

The three moved their positions, Emperor Hui sat on the throne, and Qin Yan and Zhanfen sat on the large carved sandalwood chairs on either side of Emperor Hui's hand.

Li Fuquan served freshly brewed tea.

"Let you come today is a matter of handing over the northwest. There are some arrangements I made before, and the prince is not aware of it. Now that the Zhaoren County Lord has returned to Beijing, the Zhaoren County Lord will tell the prince." Huidi said.

Qin Yan knew that this was not something that could be said in one or two sentences. She picked up the tea cup at hand, took a sip, leaned her back against the back of the chair slightly, changed a comfortable posture, and took a leisurely approach. Open your mouth.

"Four years ago, the war between Daxia and Xirong and the Turks ended. Your Majesty sent a secret order to the Pingxi Army to let the frontier army stay behind, strengthen the frontier defense, and take Gucheng."

"But at that time, the three kingdoms agreed that their respective armies would all return to the customs, and it was not appropriate for the people from the government of Zhenguo to come forward. I took over the task."

"We selected 500 elites of the Pingxi Army and put them on new silver armors, tentatively designated as Yinjiawei. The silver armored guards first selected several bandit villages between Xiaoguan and Gucheng, and included some horses. Bandits, join the guards after training. After getting dressed, the silver armored guards re-entered Gucheng, got rid of several powerful gangs, and incorporated some swordsmen."

"Now the 20,000 silver armored guards in Gucheng are composed of part of the Pingxi Army and the included swordsmen and horse bandits."

"There are 50,000 residents in Gucheng, and most of them are businessmen. From restaurants, brothels and casinos, to street vendors, there are spies we have placed in the city. Information from all over the city will be collected and reported to Your Majesty in a timely manner."

While talking, Li Fuquan continued to drink tea for Qin Yan, Qin Yan stopped talking, picked up the tea cup, and took a sip to moisten his throat.

Feng Zhan knew a thing or two about these things, but it was not clear before that the young woman in front of them would handle these things.

Putting down the tea cup, Qin Yan continued to speak:

"Mulan Horse Farm is located at the foot of Liangshan Mountain near the border of Xirong. The water and grass are lush and suitable for grazing. We recruited the surrounding herdsmen and collected their cattle, horses and camels. We used their horses to crossbreed with Dawan good horses, and the horse breeds are excellent. , it is suitable as a military horse. Camels are more suitable than horses to walk in the desert Gobi outside the customs. In case of severe winter, the past food and grass in the Central Plains will delay the scheduled arrival time, and the cattle and sheep raised on the horse farm can also be used as military food for the northwest camp. "

"Mulan Racecourse, you must keep it."

Qin Yan solemnly emphasized. Although she handed over the racecourse in order to protect herself, the racecourse was very important to the Northwest Army.

One thing Qin Yan didn't mention was that there was clearly a supply of military horses in Guannei, so why would they run a horse farm by themselves.

In those years, Shuobei and the northwest fought on both sides, and the military resources of the Ministry of War were limited, and when allocating, the Shuobei army was often considered first. The reason is very simple. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in the Shuobei camp, the commander of the Shuobei army, Yongding Hou Xie An, is the concubine.

In order to please the royal family, the Ministry of War gave priority to transporting food and horses to Shuobei.

As for the Pingxi Army, the status of the government of Zhenguo was far from being comparable to that of the royal family, and the military resources applied to the Ministry of War were always postponed. After going down several times, the Duke of Zhenguo decided to find a way by himself. The battlefield was changing rapidly, and the day lily was cold after waiting for the military department. Therefore, Qin Yan took people around to raise military funds all these years.

Qin Yan took a sip of tea and continued,

"As for Jiang Mu, his real name is Jiang Xun. He is the youngest son of the former King of Xirong and the nephew of the current King of Xirong."

Feng Zhan said in his heart, sure enough.

Qin Yan continued:

"In the Three Kingdoms War that year, the Turks and Xirong were encircling, so that Daxia was forced to fight on both sides, and the situation was anxious."

"Four years ago, the prince of Xirong mutiny at that time, killed the king and seized the throne. On the day of the mutiny, the king of Xirong sent his young son and Wang Xi by an old official from the palace through the secret road. They chose the border of Daxia and went to the Pingxi army camp to ask for an interview. Commander of the Pingxi Army.

"The place where I received Jiang Xun was in Mushui, so I changed his name to Jiang Mu at will."

"We agreed to protect Jiang Mu's life. In exchange, the old ministers who escorted Jiang Mu and other civilians and military generals in the Xirong Dynasty opposed the joint military dispatch with the Turks on the grounds that the national treasury was depleted due to the perennial campaign. The two factions in the Xirong court were at odds. , forcing them to retreat, Da Xia breathed a sigh of relief."

"Afterwards, the Turks fought alone in the north, and the Pingxi Army could also go north, and no longer had to be restrained by the Xirong. Therefore, the Turks lost consecutive battles in the pincer attack of the Pingxi Army and the Shuobei Army, and their vitality was greatly damaged, and they returned to the outside of Malan Mountain."

Feng Zhan generally knows about these things. In fact, there were more than two sides fighting back then. There were also changes in the southern border in the south. Ping Nanbo also brought 200,000 troops to the south. . He just didn't know that there was another Jiang Mu in the hands of the Pingxi Army.

"Zhaoren County Lord, the information on Gucheng can be directly submitted to the prince. How to use Jiang Mu and when to use it. You can decide after this." Emperor Hui said to Qin Yan and Feng Zhan.

"The ministers take orders."

Emperor Hui added: "Today's midnight banquet in the middle of the palace, Zhaoren County Master should also go with us."

Qin Yan…