Chapter 41 second quarter

From Taizhou to Huaixi, Pei Xuanjing and Cui Miao walked for another ten days.When in Taizhou, he had to be on guard against Liu Bi's pursuit all the time, so he could only choose a secret path, and finally got out of Taizhou without any danger, but it also took a lot of time. Traveling all the way to the northwest, the face of the cold winter is more severe than before.The wind is getting stronger every day. When you are in the south of the Yangtze River, you can still see evergreen trees. The closer you get to Huaixi, the less green you can see in front of you, and eventually it becomes barren everywhere.

The mountains, rivers and fields are bare, not all because of the seasons.From time to time, people in ragged clothes passed by them on the official road, but the direction was opposite to them. These people all escaped from Huaixi. The imperial court has used troops in Huaixi for several years, and the court has exhausted all its strength, and Huaixi has also reached the end of its rope.Almost all the strong men went to the battlefield. The farmland was barren because no one cultivated it, the warehouses were empty, and the people had no food. They fled to the areas controlled by the Tang army.Since Tang general Li Guangyan occupied Yancheng on the northern front, Tang army coach Li Yan successively captured multiple strongholds on the western front, connecting with the northern front. Caizhou, where Wu Yuanji was stationed, basically became an isolated city.The severe winter is coming, and the city is suffering from hunger and cold, so there is a steady stream of fleeing people, one crop after another.

From their mouths, Pei Xuanjing and Cui Miao found out the latest situation: Because Wu Yuanji transferred the main force to the northern line, only old and weak soldiers were left to garrison Caizhou City, so the defense was strengthened, and Caizhou was basically in a state of blockade. There have been no Tang soldiers in the vicinity of Caizhou for 30 years, and there are no imperial institutions and officials, just like a country within a country.It's just that this independent kingdom has declined badly, and I don't know how long it can last. As the evening approached, Pei Xuanjing and Cui Miao finally found an inn to stay.It only takes half a day to go to Caizhou from here. There are almost no people in the inn, and the surrounding vegetation is withered and desolate.

"Jing Niang, let me go to Caizhou alone, you don't go." Cui Miao said, closing the window tightly.But it was useless, the cold wind still came in through the gaps.It was no warmer inside than outside. "It's been cloudy for several days. If this snow falls, it must be very heavy." Pei Xuanjing answered irrelevantly. "Did you hear me?" "Understood." Pei Xuanjing asked back, "Why didn't you let me go?" "Didn't you see it all? The situation in Caizhou is quite bad, and it is very difficult to get out and go in. The imperial army will launch a general attack at any time, and it will be a matter of time before Caizhou City falls. Entering the city at this time is tantamount to going to die."

"So you don't want me to die, but you want to go by yourself?" Cui Miao smiled and said, "I've always been good at sending people to death. Not Jingniang." "But Cui Lang, we came to Caizhou to find Nie Yinniang and get back the Jade Dragon Son, not to die." "That being said, if you don't enter Caizhou, you won't be able to find Nie Yinniang. And once you enter Caizhou, you will jump into a pit of fire. At that time, you may not be your own master." "Then the current situation is that we don't know if we can find Nie Yinniang in Caizhou, nor do we know whether she will hand over the Jade Dragon Seed even if we find her, and we don't know whether we can hand over the Jade Dragon Seed even if we get it. It was brought out of Caizhou safely."

Cui Miao looked at Pei Xuanjing: "Jing Niang, don't you want to say that our trip was for nothing and we just go back home?" "of course not." "Then what exactly do you want to do?" "Cui Lang, I have to get the Jade Dragon Zi back no matter what, and I must not return without success. Therefore, we must make a decision before moving to make sure nothing goes wrong." "Are jade dragons really that important?" Cui Miao showed a habitual mocking expression, "I was also full of curiosity about jade dragons when I was looking for them with Jingniang. But I saw it with my own eyes on Tiantai Mountain. Isn't it just a dragon? Jade? How did it become a priceless treasure?"

"The value of Yulongzi lies in its meaning." "That's right, but the meaning is given to it by people. Take He's Bi, for example. Back then, the King of Qin claimed that he was willing to cede fifteen cities in exchange. In the final analysis, it was to show the great strength of Qin. So what if Lin Xiangru can return the jade to Zhao? He's Bi In the end, it became the jade seal of King Qin. Besides, Yulongzi was originally used as a symbol of Taoism's support for the Tang Dynasty, and later became evidence of the close relationship between Taoism and the royal family. When it disappeared during the Anshi Rebellion, it explained When the world was in chaos, Taoism and the royal family could not protect themselves, so this so-called connection became very fragile and had no practical significance. In the decades after the Anshi Rebellion, Yulongzi was not in the hands of the royal family, and there was no trouble. If it wasn't for this time, Jingniang insisted on looking for Wang Zhifu, disturbing the spring water, and Yulongzi is still staying on Tiantai Mountain."

Pei Xuanjing was annoyed: "Does Cui Lang want to say that all these troubles are caused by me?" "Jingniang misunderstood. I mean, Yulongzi is really not that important. The Tang Dynasty will not perish just because of a stone, and the Daoist sect will not destroy their ancestors and clans just because of a stone. Like Wang Zhifu, in order to protect Yulongzi Although it makes people sigh, it is too stupid. In my opinion, even if Nie Yinniang really took the jade dragon son to negotiate with the imperial court, with the temper of the current emperor, she would fight as usual, and she would definitely not hesitate at all. .”

"What exactly did Cui Lang want to say?" "I want to say..." Cui Miao's voice suddenly trembled inexplicably, "When I was in Qingcheng Mountain, Jing Niang once promised me that this time, as long as I find Wang Zhifu and fulfill the entrustment of the Queen Mother, I will marry you." Let's hide in the rivers and lakes together and never step into the mundane world again. Now that Wang Zhifu is dead, and we chased all the way to the outside of Caizhou City for Yulongzi, it can be regarded as the best of humanity. I want to ask Jing Niang to think carefully, can we stop here? The imperial court has already approached the city, and the capture of Caizhou is just around the corner. After all, the whereabouts of Yulongzi is beyond your control, why not let it go? Otherwise, if you really step into the chaos of Caizhou, it will not be so easy to get out. "

Pei Xuanjing was silent. "Jing Niang..." She raised her eyes: "Cui Lang, why don't I know what you want, and why don't I want to? But now, I can't let go, I must get the jade dragon seed." "What about after you get it?" Pei Xuanjing said firmly: "I want to hand over the Jade Dragon Son to the emperor." "Emperor?" Cui Miao stared at her in shock, "Hey! I remember that you were carrying out the secret mission of the Queen Mother, and you did it without telling the emperor. Why did you give the jade dragon son to the emperor again?"

"I thought about it many times. The Empress Dowager and Princess Hanyang sent me to find Mr. Zhifu, but they tried their best to hide it from the emperor. Why? What kind of threat will a mountain man Wang Zhifu pose to the emperor? The empress dowager wants The emperor has no reason to criticize her family brother. Now I finally understand that it is not Wang Zhifu but Yulongzi who the empress dowager and Princess Hanyang want to hide from the emperor." She looked at Cui Miao and said word by word. , "They don't want the emperor to get jade dragon seeds." "Then who do they want to give the jade dragon seed to?" "I don't know." Pei Xuanjing said seriously, "But I think the emperor deserves it more than anyone else." Cui Miao sneered: "What do you think? Jing Niang has become the master of Yulongzi?" "Of course I can't, but the emperor is in charge." It was late at night, there were not many guests in the dilapidated inn, and there was no sound around.But in the silence, some suspicious sounds can always be heard, like cold wind blowing through the wilderness, or someone moaning in sleep. After a long time, Cui Miao said, "Jingniang still upholds the orthodoxy after all. It was like this at the beginning, and after so many changes, it is still like this." "No, I have also wavered. But Cui Lang, since I stepped out of Chang'an, from west to east, and then from south to north, I have traveled almost half of the Tang Dynasty in the past two months. Until today, I Really understand Uncle, and Wu Xianggong, why they firmly support the emperor and are willing to be loyal to him. What Cui Lang just said is right. Yulongzi is just a piece of jade. It has no supernatural power. The key depends on whose hands it falls into. Afterwards, the mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty were broken, and the people suffered the most. Today, the emperor is trying his best to cut down the vassals and try his best to reunite the Tang Dynasty. If he really succeeds, the people will still benefit. Although Yulongzi is only A stone, but everyone in the world thinks that it has been passed down from generation to generation among the emperors. If someone else suddenly masters it and shows it to the world, it will definitely cause great trouble to the emperor, and even affect the stability of the country, so... ..." Cui Miao interrupted her: "So the Empress Dowager and Princess Hanyang are not as sensible as Jingniang." "They have their reasons, but they didn't tell me. So, I'd better believe in my reasons." In her eyes, the emperor is the one who painstakingly cleans up the old country.He carefully and tenaciously put together the territory of the empire, like pieces of broken porcelain.This alone is enough to win Pei Xuanjing's respect.Pei Xuanjing didn't always agree with the emperor's behavior, but she never doubted his wisdom.This has become her belief, and it should also be the common belief of this precarious empire.Yulongzi, will emphasize this belief. However, this is obviously not Cui Miao's belief.He sneered and asked, "You trust him that much?" He didn't even want to say the word "Sage". "Who else can I trust but him?" "What do you mean by that?" Cui Miao's eyes seemed to be on fire. Pei Xuanjing looked directly at him: "Nie Yinniang, it was Cui Lang who attracted her." "That's right." Cui Miao laughed more wantonly, "What else?" "Is it true that the Empress Dowager ordered Cui Lang to help me in Mount Qingcheng?" "If you don't believe me, you can ask." "Cui Lang!" Cui Miao said: "The latter words are even worse. I should say it on Jingniang's behalf. I was the one who was interested in the Jinxianguan Catacombs, and I asked He Niang to trick me into playing there. I am sincere and sincere. Take her down for a visit. Otherwise, there will be no further disasters. Jingniang will not be implicated, and Zixu will not be almost killed by the emperor. Therefore, the matter of the Golden Immortal Temple should also be counted on my head Hey, actually, which incident should not be blamed on me? From the beginning when Jing Niang strayed into Jia Chang’s courtyard, then to the crypt of Jinxian Temple, from "Orchid Pavilion Preface" to "Xuan Ji Tu", As for today's Yulongzi, all the troubles are inseparable from me, Jingniang wants to blame me, I really dare not complain, even if Jingniang wants to kill me, I should draw the sword myself." He gritted his teeth. After saying these words with a smile, the flames in his eyes seemed to be extinguished by a heavy rain. Pei Xuanjing turned her eyes away, unable to bear to look any further. After a long time, Cui Miao asked hoarsely, "What is Jing Niang going to do next?" "Wenchengzha, where General Li Yan is stationed, is not far from here. I am going to vote for him. I will report the situation of Nie Yinniang and Yulongzi to General Li Yan, and he will decide how to get Yulongzi back." "what about me?" "Didn't Cui Lang want to hide in the world?" "Ha," Cui Miao asked, "Isn't Jingniang afraid that I will go to Caizhou and inform Nie Yinniang?" Pei Xuanjing lowered her eyes and remained silent.It seemed unnecessary to talk any further, and besides, the sky was getting brighter. It was even colder this morning.