137 The mountains are high and the road is long

◎See you again if we are destined to——◎

The yellow sand rolled up into the sky, like a light, floating stream, swaying and swirling towards her. Song Jinyi tightened the light blue scarf around her neck, covering her mouth and nose, leaving only a pair of dark eyes exposed.

She stood in front of a huge rock - the five big characters "The First Pass in the World" were carved on the rock.

Not far away is Yanxing Pass, the pass connecting the Western Regions and Daxia.

She listened to the distant and melodious sound of camel bells and watched the hustle and bustle of carriages and horses coming and going.

She was wearing a neat brown Hu clothing, with a dark green jade pendant hanging around her waist, swaying gently in the wind.

She looked at the endless caravan in front of her and was in a daze for a moment. Why was she here?

She watched in vain as caravans of camels, laden with silk and tea from the south of the Yangtze River, slowly made their way outside the Great Wall, while other camels, laden with spices and gems from the western regions, bustled back through the Great Wall.

When the caravan managers saw her, they all stopped and saluted, saying in a loud and respectful voice, "Manager Song!"

This one said, "Shopkeeper Song, this batch of silk has been delivered to the Western Regions Royal City as you ordered. The princes and nobles over there are vying for it!"

"Shopkeeper Song, spices from the Western Regions have been shipped to Yunzhou and are very popular..."

"Shopkeeper Song..."

She couldn't believe what she heard. Are these all her properties?

She smiled somewhat bewilderedly and took the account book handed to her by the manager. The words "Song Ji" on the seal were bright red. She hesitated and said, "Are these really all mine?"

The man smiled and said, "Madam Song has great ambitions and is not limited to the world of Daxia. She has opened up trade routes in the Western Regions, stretching from Daxia in the east to Yuedu in the west. She can be said to be 'the world's number one merchant.'"

The phrase "No. 1 businessman in the world" was a rare and intimate remark that touched her heart.

As a businessman, she only thought about how to make money. Later, when she had enough food and clothing, she always felt that something was missing. Now it seems that she has been given a new direction.

Maybe she can find a new place to develop.

Go see the world outside - a different world.

At that moment, a surge of emotion surged in her heart, like a rolling river constantly washing over her soul and cognition. She could not hide her excitement as she thought about the grand plan for the future.

She turned around slowly, and behind her was no longer the empty desert, but a prosperous foreign capital.

A caravan of camels with gilded bronze bells hung on their heads passed slowly past her, colorful curtains unfolded into tiny folds in the wind, and the stall owners selling special delicacies from the Western Regions shouted in an accent she could not understand.

Frame after frame of vivid colors caught her eyes - this Western Region street market was so unfamiliar that it made her heart tremble, but it was also so novel that she couldn't move her feet, and it changed with every step.

She looked at the dazzling array of goods in front of her, and suddenly felt confused. A sharp horse neigh suddenly cut through the hustle and bustle of the street. The sound was rough and rapid, and was out of tune with the peaceful surroundings.

She turned around suddenly to look for it, but saw that everything around her began to tremble - the hanging curtains, the stacked carpets, and even the smiling faces of the stall owners, all turned into tiny grains of sand in an instant, and were swept upwards by a sudden gust of wind and disappeared without a trace.

The stone pavement beneath her feet suddenly cracked, and a cold wind rushed up from the abyss. She didn't even have time to scream before her body fell uncontrollably.

"Ah!" She shuddered violently, her knees instinctively arched upwards, and she fell heavily on the hard rock again.

The moment I opened my eyes, the endless darkness wrapped in the chill of the desert hit me in the face. The sky dotted with stars was so clear that I could see the outline of the Milky Way. My chest was still heaving violently due to the illusion of falling.

Before she recovered from the dizziness of the dream, she looked up at the sky with unsteady breathing. When her breathing became steady, she suddenly became aware of an extremely oppressive gaze.

She turned her head and happened to run into Tuoba Jun's dark and terrifying sight. There was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, but the smile did not reach his eyes. His voice was a little cold: "Sister, why did you come here to sleep?"

Song Jinyi's mind was still lingering on the dream she had just had.

The passionate mood created in the dream had not yet completely dissipated. She was still immersed in the dream just now and did not notice the displeasure in Tuoba Jun's eyes at all.

Just as Tuoba Jun was about to say something, Song Jinyi suddenly jumped up to him, hugged him, and shouted with a smile: "I figured it out! I've found a way to have the best of both worlds!"

Tuoba Jun's face froze, neither smiling nor not smiling. He just frowned slightly and stood still, unwilling to push the person away.

He remained in this position, the coldness in his tone fading a little: "Oh? What method? What's the best of both worlds?"

"We're bringing our business to the Western Regions!" Song Jinyi said excitedly, her fingertips gesturing in the air, "We're bringing silk and porcelain from Daxia to the markets here, and bringing spices and horses from the Western Regions back to the Central Plains.

"This way I can go to Yuedu without breaking off contact with Daxia, and I can continue to do my business!" She became more and more excited as she spoke, and even the wind in the desert at night seemed to be tinged with warmth.

She talked a lot to herself, and when her mouth was dry, she realized that besides Tuoba Jun, there was also a large group of people around. She stopped talking all of a sudden, blinked, and slowly turned her head to look at Tuoba Jun.

I saw that the curve of his mouth, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling, deepened a little.

Oh no - she felt a chill on the back of her neck, and then she realized that she had sneaked out when the guards were changing shifts, and now she was blocked here by him. This was hard to explain!

Tuoba Jun seemed to see through her thoughts. He tapped her forehead lightly with his fingertips, his eyes showing a hint of knowing teasing: "Sister, why are you silent? Weren't you talking quite lively just now?"

Song Jinyi laughed dryly and quickly changed the subject, her tone filled with a guilty flattery: "How did you find me? This desert is so big..."

"That black horse that my sister picked out," Tuoba Jun said, looking at the horse grazing nearby with its head bent down. His tone was calm but with a hint of teasing, "It's my mount."

Song Jinyi felt a lump in her chest. She didn't expect that she would fall flat on her face!

She rolled her eyes, trying to ease the atmosphere: "I told you, I felt a strong attraction to it the moment I saw it, with its bright fur and good temperament. It turns out to be your horse! Isn't this fate!" As she spoke, she secretly raised her eyes to observe Tuoba Jun's reaction.

Tuoba Jun spoke slowly, but every word carried a sense of settling accounts: "You drugged the maid, and then bribed the man guarding the stable. You went to such lengths to do this. How can I trust you, sister?"

The expression on Song Jinyi's face froze slightly. These things were obviously arranged by the princess secretly for her, so how come Tuoba Jun said it was her who took the initiative to plan it?

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and realized: the princess had always been interested in him, and she must have deliberately twisted the matter to take the opportunity to frame her!

She pondered briefly, then deliberately softened her stance, retreating to advance. "This... must have been told to you by the princess, right? Do you trust her so much and not me?"

She paused, looking at him with clear eyes, and laid out the facts. "Think about it, you suddenly brought me to your camp. Where would I get the drugs to distract the maid? And where would I get the money to bribe the stable boy?"

Song Jinyi was usually eloquent, and her words just now were clear and logical. She thought that she would have the upper hand and leave Tuoba Jun speechless.

Unexpectedly, Tuoba Jun suddenly changed the subject and threw out a name that caught her off guard: "Sister, you are really good at turning the tables. That princess is just one-sided and eager to help. How can she compare to sister who took the initiative to meet people when she was in Shengjing City?

"What was that man's name? I think it was Yang Xiu. I heard that my sister had a very pleasant conversation with him. Did she ever think about my feelings at that time?"

"Where's the 'good conversation'? It's just a gesture of neighborly kindness. We're just ordinary friends after all."

"Ordinary friend?" Tuoba Jun just snorted coldly, his Adam's apple rolling to suppress his emotions, but the suspicion in his eyes was not hidden at all. "If sister really didn't care, why would she let him go to the store to see you and not kick him out?"

After hearing this, Song Jinyi rolled her eyes speechlessly. She was running a business, and as long as they didn't cause trouble, she would naturally accept anyone who came. What she said was too unreasonable.

She stroked her forehead, and in just a moment, she caught the flaw and asked with a hint of mischief in her tone, "You remember it clearly - but you didn't leave without saying goodbye and return to Yuedu.

"How did you find out about Shengjing? Could it be that you left someone in Shengjing to monitor me?"

Tuoba Jun didn't expect her to react so quickly. His originally cold jawline tensed up. He didn't speak for a long time. He just turned his eyes away and looked at the sand dunes in the distance, remaining silent.

Seeing him like this, Song Jinyi felt relieved - she said all this not because she really wanted to win or lose with him.

But I was in the wrong for running out secretly. Now that I have gained the upper hand from his words, I dare not push my luck too much and just consider it a draw.

******

The two of them tacitly agreed to stop there and put the matter behind them.

Song Jinyi and Tuoba Jun rode side by side at a gallop, the wind on their way home bringing a chill that blew past their ears.

When they were almost at the camp, she couldn't help but say, "Before we go to Yuedu, I want to meet Li He and talk to him about some business matters."

Tuoba Jun looked ahead, tapped the saddle lightly with his fingertips, and replied lightly with "OK".

When Song Jinyi heard that he agreed so readily, she breathed a sigh of relief and thought to herself that he would definitely send her back to Huaiyuan City tomorrow.

However, they did not expect that there would be a commotion outside the tent the next morning.

She lifted the curtain and walked out, just in time to see two guards carrying a figure towards her - it was Li He!

Her arms were tied behind her back with thick hemp ropes, and she was tied up like a Dragon Boat Festival rice dumpling.

Her hair was disheveled, her forehead was covered in dust, and her once bright eyes were now wide open, filled with panic. She staggered, and couldn't help shrinking with every step, like a small animal that had strayed into a hunting net and couldn't find a place to hide.

His eyes were darting around, and he obviously hadn't figured out what was going on. When he saw Song Jinyi, he looked at her in surprise, struggling and sobbing as he shouted, "Sister Jinyi! Sister Jinyi!"

Song Jinyi quickly stepped forward and signaled the guards to untie them. As soon as the ropes were untied, Li He ran to her, rubbing his numb wrist, pulled her aside and asked in a low voice: "What happened?"

Song Jinyi brought the person into the tent, poured some water, and told him roughly what had happened in the past two days.

As they were talking, the curtain was opened from the outside, and Tuoba Jun walked in slowly and sat next to Song Jinyi.

Li He pursed her lips and gave him a fierce look. It was indeed this guy!

She felt depressed, but she only dared to hum twice in her throat, and ultimately did not dare to say a word - after so many years, she was still a little afraid of this guy.

After a moment, Li He whispered to Song Jinyi, "Sister Jinyi, at least we had some friendship with him back then, so we shouldn't forget the past. Let's talk to him and ask him to send us back to Huaiyuan City!"

Although she lowered her voice, she didn't really seem to be wary of Tuoba Jun. Instead, it seemed as if she was speaking specifically to him.

Sure enough, the next moment, Tuoba Jun looked back at her coldly. Li He quickly avoided his gaze and hid behind Song Jinyi.

Song Jinyi gave Tuoba Jun a soothing look, then turned to Li He and said, "Ah He, I'm not going back to the building!"

"Sister Jinyi, what did you say?!" Li He was too shocked to care about anything else and asked loudly, "Did this guy force you?"

Song Jinyi shook her head. "Since Yun Ting was in Yunzhou, I wanted to go to Shengjing to have a look. Now that I'm in the desert, I've also seen new business opportunities.

"The silk and tea we have are both favored goods in the Western Regions. The fine horses in the Western Regions are incredibly strong. If we buy them back and form a caravan, we can establish a new trade route..."

Song Jinyi's words were well-reasoned, but Li He refused to listen. "That's not the reason." Li He stamped his feet anxiously. "Sister Jinyi never had this idea before. She suddenly changed her mind, it must be because of him!"

Song Jinyi suppressed her smile and looked serious: "Ahe, you have been with me for so many years, don't you understand me yet?" Song Jinyi turned to look at her and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I've never been one to be confined to a small world. I just want to go further afield and see how vast the world is."

Li He was speechless for a moment. Of course she knew what kind of person Song Jinyi was.

She has ideas and courage, and nothing can hold her back. Once she decides to do something, she will go all out and no one can change her mind.

After a moment of silence, Li He asked her, "Will my sister come back?"

"Of course!" Song Jinyi answered firmly.

In the afternoon of that day, it was time to say goodbye.

Song Jinyi kept on rambling on about the unfinished business, but Li He felt more and more wronged the more she listened, tears falling on her clothes: "I can't remember so much... You were the one who watched over me before, and I was afraid of messing it up..."

"How could that be?" Song Jinyi pinched his face, her tone full of certainty, "Shengjing still has Huo Changqing and Zhang Yao, they will take care of you.

"You forgot what I told you before. Everyone has their own path to walk. Even the best of friends will eventually part ways. Sooner or later, you will have to face things alone.

"Follow them carefully and learn from them. I'll come back to check later."

Li He sniffed, still unsure, but looking at Song Jinyi's determined eyes, he finally nodded: "Then... I'll try my best. If you are wronged in the Western Regions, you must come back. I'll wait for you in Shengjing."

Song Jinyi smiled and agreed, then looked up at the sky. The afternoon sun was already slanting across the desert, dyeing the distant dunes golden red. "It's time to go."

She followed Tuoba Jun into the carriage.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Li He standing there motionless, his hands tightly clutching the corners of his clothes, his eyes fixed on her.

She lifted the curtain and gave a gentle smile. As the carriage swayed, the distance between them continued to widen, slowly shrinking into a small black dot.

Looking further away, the once familiar ruins of the city wall became blurred, leaving only a faint outline embedded in the clouds on the horizon.

On the skyline, several wild geese were circling, their wings skimming over the golden sand and making low chirping sounds.

——We meet in mountains and rivers, and we will meet again in the future.

【Author’s words】

It's finally finished, thank you all for your companionship [scatter flowers]

The next book is in advance, "Is the Number One Scholar Burned to the Crematorium?" Don't miss it if you pass by.

Shen Wanqing was born in a humble family and has always been cautious and law-abiding. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was her love for Meng Jue, a new noble in the court and an important minister of the emperor.

Knowing the huge difference between them, she kept her love hidden deep in her heart. Until the day of the county lady's birthday banquet, she and Meng Jue had a love affair by chance, and Meng Jue was forced to marry her.

Everyone said that she was scheming and was willing to destroy her own innocence in order to get close to Meng Jue.

The mistress of the Meng family regarded her as a despicable person who would do anything to achieve her goals, and her sister-in-law regarded her as a bad woman who broke up her brother's good marriage, and made things difficult for her many times.

She had nothing to argue about, so she just behaved herself, abided by the code of conduct for women, was filial to her parents-in-law, managed the household business, and treated Meng Jue with respect, and their days passed in a dull and peaceful manner.

******

Meng Jue was a beautiful and elegant man with a jade-like complexion and golden appearance. Not only was he born into a noble family, he was also the new top scholar in the imperial examination. He had outstanding abilities and a bright future. Even the princess favored him. Everyone thought he would marry the princess, but unexpectedly he married a concubine's daughter of humble birth.

Meng Jue disliked his first wife because of the drugging incident at his birthday banquet, but as they got along, he found that she was gentle, diligent, docile, and committed to her duties. He gradually let go of their grudges and was willing to live a simple life with her.

Until one day, she realized the misunderstanding and handed in the divorce papers.

Later, he realized that the drugging incident was a misunderstanding.

Later, he discovered that his wife, whose eyes were once filled with admiration, now only had indifference and alienation in them.

Later, he realized that his wife was so capable that she could make his mother and sister dependent on her.

…

Meng Jue had a smooth life. He studied, took the imperial examinations, investigated cases... He never failed in his studies, but he suffered a crushing defeat in love.