Chapter 36: Follow the story and have a New Year's greetings drama~

What kind of twists and turns is this?

Zeng Qiuhua picked out the important points to report to the princess. Before she was twenty, she was a little famous in Lingnan. Zeng's father was the chief doctor in the Pingnan Palace. She was the eldest daughter. She was raised as a man since she was young. Under the influence of this, she could treat her sisters and aunt. Marrying into a family with a good reputation was also considered rich and glorious.

However, once the war started, the situation was completely different. When the King of Pingnan was defeated, they, the subordinates, were implicated and all became criminals. The main culprits were beheaded, including her father. The rest of his wives, sons and daughters were taken into the government as slaves, and were escorted by the court officials and soldiers all the way to the capital.

"My previous husband died in the war, so I was a widow when I came to Beijing. Logically, I should be married off. Generally, if a banner family has an unmarried wife or wants to take a concubine, they should report to the commander and choose one from among us widows and unmarried women to marry off."

Zeng Qiuhua lowered her eyebrows and said, "It was just a coincidence that I met Doctor Zhang. He used to work in the Imperial Hospital. Some nobles had received favors from him, so they asked someone to force me to go. But I lost my future because of this. Later, when your dowry family was selecting people, you sent us both here together."

"As for Yunqi," Zeng Qiuhua said, "she is good at strategy. When the prince launched a coup to imprison the old prince and seize power, she was also present. However, because of her female identity, outsiders treated her as a concubine. Of course, it was also because of this that she was able to save her life during the reckoning."

Such a long and eventful story, to be honest, is just the time it takes for a lamp to burn half a candle.

The painted stand and pole lamp brought from the palace flickered with candlelight. The sound of camel bells in the north wind outside the tent sounded a little scary.

Mu Xue looked at the woman in front of her, who was in her thirties or forties, with many white hairs on her temples, which hung on her old clothes, bleached by washing, and her clothes were woven with memories of the past.

"What happened yesterday cannot be brought back, but fortunately you all made it through." Mu Xue thought for a moment and said, "I will give you a jar of wine. The wind and sand in Mobei are strong, and I need quick and capable people like you."

Zeng Qiuhua bowed her head and said, "I am willing to serve the princess."

When Mu Xue sent someone to bring the wine, Rong Er came in and whispered, "There is a woman who said she came to apologize to you and has been kneeling behind the curtain for a while."

Mu Xue glanced at Zeng Qiuhua, and Zeng Qiuhua nodded slightly, indicating that it was Zheng Yunqi.

Zeng Qiuhua secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this man still had some sense.

Mu Xue originally planned to let Zheng Yunqi in, but when the words came to her lips, she suddenly changed her mind: "Wait another half an incense stick and ask her to come in."

Outside the tent, the dim candlelight leaking from the cracks shone on the barren desert ground. Zeng Qiuhua stared at the soil, his knees aching slightly from the crushed stones.

In fact, there was a large goose yellow felt blanket on the front of the tent, but she deliberately chose to kneel in the shadow on the side so as not to be too conspicuous and arouse doubts from others, but people who knew the inside story would notice it.

Nanny Wu led the maid to bring wine and left a sneer as she passed by her.

He deserves it. In order to stand out in front of the princess, he deliberately said weird things and exposed her!

Zheng Yunqi seemed not to hear anything and continued kneeling calmly.

She arrived after Zeng Qiuhua entered the tent. She had already been kneeling for half an hour. After the message was passed, she knelt for another half an incense stick of time.

When Zheng Yunqi entered the tent, there was an obvious dust mark on the knee of his cloth robe, which showed that he had been kneeling for a long time.

When she came before the princess, she bowed her head and pleaded guilty, kneeling down with difficulty.

"Thank you, Princess."

"Thank me for what?"

"Thank you, Princess, for your tolerance. Thank you, Princess, for your consideration for me." Zheng Yunqi said, "If I am lucky enough to serve you, Princess, I will kneel for a little longer so as not to be hated by others."

Mu Xue smiled: "You are indeed smart."

She turned to Zeng Qiuhua and said, "Help her sit down, slowly."

Zeng Qiuhua kowtowed again to express his gratitude. After sitting down, he said, "I think Qiu Niang probably told you everything about our past. I was asked to be the second wife of a low-ranking bannerman in his sixties. Then he died within two years. His children sent me back to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to grow vegetables, and then I followed you to join your team."

Her attitude was quite frank: "Before, I really thought that this was the end of my life, but after meeting you, I felt that maybe there is always a way out."

"I dare to ask, Your Highness, do you want to be the moon of your husband, or the sun of Khalkha?"

Mu Xue did not answer her directly, but just asked: "How about the former, and how about the latter?"

"Everyone has his own methods and ways." Zeng Qiuhua said.

"If you wish to be the moon, you need to work harder on your husband's body. Send a letter to the capital every festival to ask for peace, and you will live a peaceful life."

"But if you want to be the sun -" she raised her eyes, "it's nothing more than eight words, be kind to others and accumulate strength. Forgive me for being frank, but you have too few people available now. Officials who are truly flawless and talented will never be assigned to you. It is even more impossible for you to use the Eight Banners soldiers. Your family assets are only one chief secretary, two guards and some servants, dozens of maids and eunuchs around you, and us, the hundred or so companions."

Zeng Qiuhua smiled and said, "If it weren't for this situation, I wouldn't dare to take the risk and stand up in front of you."

This person actually understood her situation very well.

Her current dilemma is that there is no one available. If there is a choice, which talent would rather go to Mobei than stay in the capital? Even if it is Mu Xue's chief official, even though he has the title of a fourth-rank official, if the fourth prince is willing to take him in, he would rather give up his fourth-rank official hat and go to the fourth prince's mansion to be a small official. Why? There is a future.

Most of the aristocratic families also thought the same. Even Mu Xue's maternal grandparents were the same. When she was chatting with the Fifth Prince, she found out that Guo Luoluo had already asked them to let someone from the Guo Luoluo family serve as the chief secretary when the Fifth Prince returned to Beijing to open a residence.

Mu Xue felt a little uncomfortable when she heard this. She specially held a banquet in the princess's mansion in the capital to invite her grandparents, but no one mentioned wanting to work with her. She was a princess of the Heshuo family, with a rank higher than that of a county prince, but even her own uncle would put the Baylor Lord ahead of her.

But it is too difficult for her to do anything alone.

Mu Xue sighed and nodded, "You are right. This is indeed my difficulty now."

She looked at the two of them gently: "But I believe that virtue is never alone, it will always have neighbors. Aren't you two willing to assist me? This is a very good start. I also look forward to you two bringing me more help in the future."

The princess's attitude clearly shows that she treats them as her aides.

This is an opportunity that never existed before.

Zeng Qiuhua and Zheng Yunqi looked at each other and stood up in agreement, saying, "We are willing to serve you."

"Okay, dogs and horses need to eat too." Mu Xue stepped forward, holding Zeng Qiuhua with one hand and Zheng Yunqi with the other, and said excitedly, "It just so happens that I prepared black sesame paste and lotus root powder. They both taste like southern food. It just so happens that you are here, so let's eat together."

The topic suddenly changed from serious to relaxed, and Zeng Qiuhua and Zheng Yunqi were both a little stunned.

The princess really asked someone to prepare three portions of black sesame paste and lotus root powder, and also hot sweet milk for them.

She was said to be a princess who married far away, so she was only an eighteen-year-old girl. Zheng Yunqi's heart softened as he ate the sweet soup.

After drinking the sugar water, the remaining sweetness had not yet dissipated. It was already late, Zeng Qiuhua and Zheng Yunqi wanted to say goodbye, but the princess suddenly called them.

She waved her hand, signaling the maid to come forward.

There were actually two moxibustion bags on the tray in the maid's hand.

Mu Xue picked it up and handed it to Zheng Yunqi personally, advising him, "Go back and apply it to your knees, otherwise it will hurt. We still have to travel tomorrow."

Two very light moxibustion bags exuded a faint scent of moxa leaves. Zheng Yunqi was stunned for a moment, then took them with both hands: "Thank you, Princess."

"I also heard about your bravery in protecting people in the sandstorm." Mu Xue said, "That's great. I feel relieved to have you protecting them."

Coming out of the princess's tent, the two walked together. There were no stars or moon today, and the night sky was filled with thick, fluffy clouds.

There was no light except the lamps lit on both sides.

Zeng Qiuhua sighed, "When I was chosen to go to Mobei, I didn't expect to have such an adventure."

"Distance is not a problem. The most important thing is the person." Zheng Yunqi said, "The princess is a great person."

"Well, how does it compare to the One you once served?"

The one she used to serve, Zheng Yunqi thought of the past and shook her head and said, "Completely different. The young prince is a lunatic who will do anything to achieve his goal. He is stubborn and conceited. He imprisoned his father and betrayed the emperor. He did whatever he wanted. He surrendered and rebelled again. If he was willing to listen to him, with his friendship as a guard beside the late emperor, he would not have ended up like this, dragging all of us down...ah..."

"And this one——"

She pondered for a moment and said, "Somewhat similar to Uncle Liu."

During the journey, Zheng Yunqi secretly observed that the princess was indeed a magnanimous and generous person. The most rare thing was that although she was a princess, she strangely did not have the feeling of superiority that the princes and sons of the royal family had. Instead, she was willing to care about the common people. It was also strange that Liu Bei was born into a family of weaving straw sandals and lived a hard life, but the fourth princess was pampered and well-off. I don't know how she could have such a state of mind.

Zeng Qiuhua agreed: "Now that you put it that way, there are indeed some similarities."

She sighed a little: "It's just that the princess is very kind, but sometimes, brutality is more useful than kindness."

"Some things can only be carried out with cruel means." Zheng Yunqi said, "Now that I am by the princess' side, can I make up for this? I am not afraid of death anyway, and I can be ruthless."

When Zeng Qiuhua heard this, he stopped and looked at her meaningfully.

"A few days ago, a certain sister was still scolding me, saying, 'I dreamed of meeting a wise master', but in the end, I only had two encounters with the princess, and even Shang Yang was willing to do it for her?"

Zheng Yunqi was also stunned: "If you didn't tell me, I wouldn't have noticed it. Ha, it's true."

The tent of the dowry family can be seen from afar. There are two children excitedly talking about the taste of beef jerky. One says, "The spiced ones are delicious," and the other says, "The spicy ones are more fragrant!"

"It's so nice to follow the princess. We can eat meat." The child who insisted that spiced beef jerky was the best exclaimed.

Zheng Yunqi also laughed.

For the lower class, great achievements are attractive, but somewhat ethereal. She herself has seen tall buildings rise and fall, so she feels it more clearly.

To be honest, the princess's method was not very clever, on the contrary, it was simple and straightforward. However, if you follow her, even if you are a bond servant at the bottom of society, you can have clothes to wear and meat to eat, and you will not be beaten or bullied at will. Even in such a desert with raging wind and sand, she will never give up on you easily.

How could it not be a blessing to follow such a princess?