Chapter 133 Chapter 133 End of the text
In late spring, the drizzle has just stopped.
On the official road, a team of hundreds of people, the sound of horse hooves produced a rhythmic melody.
The half-closed roller curtain was wrapped in moist water vapor, and crystal dew beads were still hanging on the edge of the bamboo strips. Sheng Puzhu closed her eyes and slept lightly, half of her face sunken on the soft pillow with gold-threaded embroidery. Her red lips and nose, and slightly furrowed brows, in the hazy spring light, showed a bright and flamboyant vitality.
"Madam, brown sugar water." Madam Du said as she carefully helped the sleeping person up.
Sheng Puzhu did not wake up, but automatically swallowed a few sips when the teacup touched his lips.
The brown sugar water was too sweet, she didn't like it very much and shook her head slightly.
Nanny Du sighed and was about to say a few more words of advice when the carriage stopped for a moment and a tall and straight figure lifted the curtain and walked in.
Xie Zhiyan waved his hand: "I'll do it."
Inside the carriage, the warm breeze carried the delicate fragrance of camellia, mixed with the crisp scent of grass after the rain, like the transition between spring and summer, when the sun dried the dew on the grass tips and the flowers bloomed vigorously in that moment.
Sheng Puzhu was trapped in a dream, and only felt the low couch beneath him sink slightly, and a warm breath approaching his side.
"Puzhu, drink a few more sips."
After finishing a cup of brown sugar water, Xie Zhiyan watched her quietly for a while, then held her in his arms and comforted her. He then changed to a warmer hot water bottle and placed it against her lower abdomen. He said gently, "We'll reach Yumen Pass tomorrow, so just bear with it."
"Yeah." She responded in a daze. Sheng Puzhu felt that the embrace was surprisingly reassuring.
The next morning, the carriage entered the city.
Sheng Puzhu woke up, swept away yesterday's fatigue, and stretched slowly.
Aunt Du, who was standing by, also breathed a sigh of relief: "Look, my lady, he's finally better."
Sheng Puzhu smiled faintly: "I'm sorry to have worried Madam these past few days."
Madam Du shook her head and sighed, "My husband took care of my wife personally during her period, and I was just lending a hand at best."
Sheng Puzhu has been in good health since she was a child. Under normal circumstances, her menstruation is not only on time, but also not too uncomfortable.
But this time, the abdominal pain was difficult to stop. It might be because of the fatigue from traveling. Her period was a month late. She thought she was pregnant, but it turned out to be due to the spring cold. Not only did she have abdominal cramps, but she also had a high fever. Xie Zhiyan took care of her day and night for many days before she gradually got better.
The house they settled in was an old house purchased by the Xie family in Yumenguan City. After being renovated by several generations, it has both the exquisiteness of Chang'an and the grandeur of the north.
She came in a hurry last time and had been repairing the tent. Sheng Bozhu had never been to the Xie family mansion in the city, so she was curious.
Seeing the carriage stopped, he raised his hand and opened the curtain.
Xie Zhiyan was riding a horse beside him, talking to a tall man. The man had a healthy tanned skin and his facial features looked vaguely familiar at first glance.
Sheng Puzhu was stunned and blinked. She looked a little surprised. Before she could speak, the other party bowed respectfully to her: "Sister-in-law."
"Thank you for that?"
"It's me." Xie Jiyan smiled with his white teeth showing under Xie Zhiyan's cold gaze.
"You should go." Xie Zhiyan patted him, his deep eyes and eyebrows filled with coldness.
After the man walked away, Sheng Puzhu's eyes were still fixed on his legs which were now able to walk freely.
"Madam, stop looking." Xie Zhiyan knew that Sheng Puju was just curious about Xie Jiyan's legs, but he still moved forward jealously.
"When did his leg get better?" Sheng Puzhu asked.
"He was almost able to walk when we left Chang'an. Later, your brother secretly adjusted the prescription for him several times." Xie Zhiyan pursed his lips and spoke in a light tone.
Sheng Puzhu raised her head and smiled lightly: "Brother will help you because of my husband's face."
Xie Zhiyan didn't argue, but reached out and picked the person up, not caring about the looks around him at all: "The yard has been cleaned up. If you see anything else you need to add, just tell Madam Du."
Sheng Puzhu was still curious about Xie Jiyan: "He is at Yumen Pass, what is he doing now?"
Xie Zhiyan looked at her for a long time before reluctantly saying, "If you have made great contributions, Xiao Heyin will show mercy. The reason why he only executed Xie Juyuan was not just because of Xie's past achievements."
"Puzhu, people are always driven by profit." Xie Zhiyan lowered his head, his gaze heavy, his voice cold. "Although I can't write two 'Xie' characters with one stroke, Xie Mingzong couldn't stand the bitter cold at the border and died on the road. Qin went mad, and from Chang'an to the north, only Xie Jiyan survived."
Sheng Puzhu understood that as long as the Turks and Uighurs were not exterminated, the war at Yumen Pass would continue. The land that was won would inevitably require a defender for generations, and Xie Jiyan was the best candidate at the moment.
He was guilty and could not return to Chang'an. Before his leg injury, he had made great military achievements following Xie Zhiyan.
"What about Changning? Is she also in Yumen?" There was anticipation in Sheng Puju's eyes.
"Yeah." Xie Zhiyan's tone finally showed a hint of laughter, although he still looked very serious. "Aunt Duanyang secretly gave money to Changning, and she opened a pastry shop in the city. It's not a big shop, but business is pretty good."
Sheng Puzhu's eyes suddenly became wet. After Princess Changning Xiao Yueshu was exiled, although she sent people to take care of her secretly, she disappeared for a while. She also heard some time ago that someone had seen Xiao Yueshu at Yumen Pass, but she had a woman's hairstyle and looked like she was already married.
She once doubted whether the news was accurate.
"She's married, isn't she?"
Xie Zhiyan nodded: "You know him."
Sheng Puzhu was stunned. She thought about all the people she knew in her mind, but she couldn't find any suitable candidate.
Xie Zhiyan sighed in his heart, opened the door, put her on the bed, and kissed her rosy lips: "You just saw it."
"Thank you for your words?" Sheng Puzhu exclaimed.
"right."
Sheng Puzhu's almond-shaped eyes opened wide, still with an incredible look: "I never thought that they would have such a possibility."
Xie Zhiyan turned around and wrung out the clean handkerchief, then paused, "I didn't expect that either."
The climate in the north is still very cold even though it is late spring.
Sheng Puzhu bathed and changed her clothes. She was truly exhausted after more than a month of continuous travel. She fell drowsy into Xie Zhiyan's arms and said, "My dear, please give me a cold handkerchief to wake me up. I haven't paid my respects to my mother and father yet."
Xie Zhiyan leaned over, his thin lips first brushing against the back of her snow-white neck, then moving downwards, his large palm resting on her soft belly. "It's okay, mother doesn't care about these things. You should rest first."
Sheng Puzhu tilted her neck back, her sleepy eyes meeting Xie Zhiyan's deep phoenix eyes. His body was as tall as a mountain, his eyebrows were clear, and his pupils were as dark as ink, all of which were filled with repressed love and affection.
"No, I have to go and pay my respects."
Sheng Puzhu's waist softened. She wanted to struggle, but she felt that every limb was tied up. When the man's fingertips covered with thin calluses personally took off her silk stockings, his dry and broad palms circled her ankles.
"Xie Zhiyan, I haven't showered yet."
"I know." Xie Zhiyan curled his lips and said hoarsely, "Let's have a good sleep first."
Sheng Puzhu slept soundly that night, and only woke up in a daze the next morning. She must have woken up once in the middle of the night, but Xie Zhiyan coaxed her into eating a few bites of easily digestible food, and then she fell asleep again.
"Awake?" Xie Zhiyan's voice was deep, as if he had not slept all night.
"Yeah." Sheng Puzhu nodded dazedly, blinking her wet eyelashes. She saw that Xie Zhiyan was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, and there was even a faint dark blue under his eyes. "My dear, have you not slept all night?"
Xie Zhiyan did not deny it. He reached out and touched her soft cheek, and whispered, "Father and mother left Yumen Pass last night. I need to take over my father's mission and prepare to attack the Turks directly."
"Puzhu, I don't know when I'll be back."
"You have to take good care of yourself."
The incident happened so suddenly that Sheng Puzhu even felt her breathing quicken. "When was the decision made?"
Xie Zhiyan hooked her soft palm: "Before Fu Yunzheng returns to Chang'an."
Sheng Puzhu finally realized that it was no wonder that they were ready to set off the day after the Lantern Festival, and that Xie Zhiyan would often disappear for several days on the road and then reappear.
A few days ago, she had abdominal pain during her period, and he, who usually controlled his emotions very well, showed some anxiety.
"Why didn't you tell me at the beginning?"
Xie Zhiyan said honestly: "I'm afraid you'll worry."
Sheng Puzhu nodded: "Then what do I need to prepare?"
"Puzhu, you don't need to prepare anything, just take care of yourself."
Seeing her dazed look, Xie Zhiyan reached out and hugged her in his arms, saying in a hoarse voice, "I'll be back as soon as possible."
"good."
"I'm waiting for you."
In the spring of the third year of Fengchu, the Turks and Uighurs were destroyed, and the various tribes scattered in the northern desert were also torn apart.
In the ninth year of Joan of Arc, Xie Zhiyan spent two years repelling the Turks and Uighurs who had occupied the Hexi Corridor for nearly forty years. He won ten battles and regained control of the desert and grassland.
From the second year to the third year of Fengchu, in just one year, Xie Zhiyan led the Black Armor Army into the desert. What he wanted was not only sand dunes and grasslands, but also permanent peace in Yumen Pass.
On the day the news came, Sheng Puzhu was reading a letter sent from Chang'an in the recently opened Linlang Pavilion inside Yumen Pass. The bright spring light cast mottled shadows on the branches and leaves, and carriages heading south passed by the shop from time to time.
Suddenly, a crowd of people surged on both sides of the wide street. A cry of surprise came from somewhere, and the dark mass of cavalry behind them was like an endless tide.
"It's Xie's Black Armor Army." Someone shouted, and the rumbling sound of horse hooves was like thunder.
Sheng Puzhu leaned against the carved wooden window, stood on tiptoe on the third floor of Linlang Pavilion, and looked down, staring at the ink-colored and elegant man on the warhorse, as if she were in another world.
The pitch-black warhorse stepped across the stone slabs. Xie Zhiyan was not wearing a helmet, his black hair was tied up high with a jade crown, his angular eyebrows and eyes, and his broad and powerful shoulders were weighed down by the solemn and dignified armor. Behind him were three thousand personal soldiers, winding around like an endless line.
"Husband."
Sheng Puzhu waved at the window and threw the handkerchief with a fragrant breeze into the man's arms.
The two men's eyes met across the crowd. After just one glance, the man reined in his horse and turned over.
The crowd watching the excitement suddenly became quiet, and then burst into even more lively laughter.
"My dear, you asked me to wait for you." Sheng Puzhu saw Xie Zhiyan striding towards her, and she forced herself to meet his burning gaze.
"Bozhu." Xie Zhiyan's chest was heaving and his breathing was heavy. He wanted to hold her tightly in his arms, but he was afraid that the rough yellow sand on his body would rub her delicate skin.
During this year, they had only met three times, and fifty-six days had passed since their last meeting.
"Why don't you hug me, my dear?" Sheng Puzhu pretended to be calm, but her voice was choked with sobs.
I can't fit in at all.
Xie Zhiyan's eyes were deep, and he restrained himself for only a few breaths. He picked up the cold tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp, chewing the tea leaves, before he kissed Sheng Puzhu heavily.
Sheng Puzhu bit back hard, and her slender arms climbed onto Xie Zhiyan's neck. The armor was too hard and it hurt her arms, but she didn't care at all. The two of them pressed their bodies tightly together, fighting for the last nectar between each other's lips and teeth.
"I miss you."
"I'm going crazy thinking about it."
Xie Zhiyan was panting, domineering and strong. Sheng Puzhu's cheeks were flushed by his kiss. She had no time to swallow her saliva, and when they separated, beautiful silver threads were pulled out.
The desert, the yellow sand, the golden baked Hu pancakes with the aroma of wheat.
Xie Zhiyan was born with a love for this land, like the ancient sand dunes outside the Great Wall, the snow on the top of the Qilian Mountains that never melts all year round, and the mountain god bowing his head, turning his blessings into sighs.
At this moment, he heard the sound of his own heartbeat, and the corners of his eyes were red, as if he had been crying secretly. In fact, he hadn't, he just couldn't control his emotions.
Sheng Puzhu pressed his cheek against the cold armor, with a focused expression and mist in his eyes.
She heard Xie Zhiyan say.
"My heart longs for you, like the rising sun over the long river."
"My dear Puzhu, I am the love of my life."
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