After Chu Qiao took a few people there, she bought an inn by the lake and ran it.
Firstly, it was to hide her identity. After all, a single woman living an idle life with a maid and two children was quite eye-catching. Secondly, she really wanted to find something to do. It would be boring enough if she just ate and slept all day.
Although they did not come here for the purpose of making money, because of Chu Qiao's novel management system and excellent sanitary conditions, as well as its superior geographical location, this "Student Inn" has gradually become famous in the local area. All tourists who come here will choose this inn as their first choice. During the two imperial examinations in spring and autumn, the inn is always packed with people and business is very prosperous.
Time flies quickly, and the days are like water in a stream, flowing quietly. She lived in this remote little town with her eyes and ears closed, restraining all the light, abandoning the memories of the past, and leading a quiet life like an ordinary woman.
Nothing has changed except this aging body. Although she is only twenty-one years old, years of running around and fighting, repeated wanderings in the ice and snow, and the sufferings she endured in her youth have caused her young body to suffer from many illnesses prematurely. Those old injuries would hurt excruciatingly whenever it rained. My knees and other joints felt like they were filled with snow and were always cold. Fine crow's feet began to appear at the corners of my eyes. My spirits became worse and worse, and I would feel so tired that I wanted to sleep after a little bit of fatigue.
She became a sickly woman, as if every part of her body was defective, and she suffered from typhoid fever almost every month. Many times when she was lying in bed, suffering from the torture of the disease, she even doubted whether this body was still hers. She felt like a puppet that was torn into pieces and was about to fall apart.
Fortunately, life finally calmed down gradually. There were no more bloody wars, no more cruel deaths, and no more bizarre and unpredictable games of strategy. Her heart finally calmed down, like a lake, without ripples.
In the past two years, she rarely inquired about the situation outside. But because she runs an inn, people come and go, and children are interested in it, so she always hears all kinds of news.
For example, the marriage between the fourth son of the Zhuge family and Princess Huaisong Nalan. It is said that after Zhuge Yue returned to Daxia, he readily nodded and agreed to the marriage. However, just as the officials of Great Xia were celebrating, Master Zhuge took out a marriage invitation and announced that he already had a wife in Qinghai. According to the ancestral precept that a wife who has shared the hardships of life should not be divorced, Princess Nalan could only be a concubine even if she married. If she gave birth to a child, she might be promoted to a concubine.
It was really like a stone stirring up a thousand waves. The Huai Song envoy was furious in an instant. This incident, which would have caused a huge wave among Simon, was turned into a complete joke under Zhuge Yue's playful tactics. It was like a stone sinking into the water, without even causing a bubble, and passed by peacefully.
Then, the seventh prince Zhao Che returned from the northern border with the full support of Grand Marshal Zhuge, and brought back more than 500,000 elite cavalry from the northern border. He opened up a vast territory on the border and put down the rebellion on the border. He and Zhuge Yue supported each other and broke the one-man rule of Zhao Yang in one fell swoop, and they competed with each other in the court of Daxia.
But life in Yanbei was not so good. Bian Tang closed the southern border waterway, and the economic exchanges between Yanbei and Huai Song were cut off. However, Yanbei did not have the ability to go to war with Bian Tang for the time being. After all, the double-pronged attack from Qinghai and Daxia had already made Yanbei suffer.
Fortunately, Zhao Yang is now busy fighting for power with Zhao Che, and the military force invested in Yanming Pass is much less than before. In a year and a half, only one large-scale attack campaign was organized, and the troops were called off after only two days at Longyin Pass. It was obviously a watered-down show.
The situation is strange and unpredictable, with constant twists and turns.
Zhao Yang must have understood that if there was no threat from Yanbei, Zhuge Yue’s Qinghai army would have directly crossed Longyin Pass and charged into the Great Xia capital. At that time, his Southwestern Army alone would not be able to fight against Zhao Che and Zhuge Yue.
So, to a certain extent, he actually became an ally of Yan Xun.
Things in this world are truly incredible.
However, what the literati and poets talked about most was the lavish wedding of Yanbei King Yan Xun.
On the occasion of the New Year a year ago, Yan Xun held a grand wedding in the Shuofang Palace. He married eighteen daughters of important officials at one time and made them all concubines. He also built a lot of buildings behind the Shuofang Palace to enrich his harem. The wedding banquet lasted for eighteen days, and people from all over Yanbei went to Shuofang to pay homage. It was an unprecedented and breathtaking occasion.
And on the second day after the wedding, the Nada Palace on Sunset Mountain was finally completed. Those who were fortunate enough to go to Yanbei and see the palace would describe the wonder they saw thousands of times. Literary men and women also wrote numerous poems and lyrics to praise the beautiful palace.
It is said that the Nada Palace on Sunset Mountain was built in mid-air and embedded in the steep cliffs. There are fountains with warm water flowing from the bottom to the top, colorful gardens floating in the air, rivers of wine with fragrance that spreads for miles, and golden carvings and silver walls that shine as bright as the sun. It was a miraculous building, even the Jinwu Palace in Bian Tang, which had a history of thousands of years, could not compare with it.
Everyone in the world knows that this palace was once built by Prince Yan for his lover, General Xiu Li. However, since General Xiu Li and King Yan broke up on Huo Leiyuan two years ago, this legendary woman who rose from a slave and repeatedly provoked King Yanbei of Yan, Sima of the Great Xia Army, and Emperor Bian Tang to launch the Three Kingdoms War has completely lost contact and withdrew from Simon's political map.
Some people say that she married into the royal family of Bian Tang, changed her name and stayed with Emperor Bian Tang. Some people also say that she is the wife claimed by Zhuge Yue, the Sima of Great Xia, and is currently leading troops in Qinghai. Some people also said that she had returned to Yanbei and now lived in the magnificent Nada Palace.
However, all the rumors were just speculations, and no one knew that the legendary woman was now running a small inn in a small town in the southern part of Bian Tang. Every morning and evening, I would take a walk along the shore of Jialing Lake and chat with some elderly people playing chess to kill time.
Life suddenly became simple. She no longer wanted to think about many things. However, sometimes, she would still think of the story she had told the boy in that dilapidated courtyard many years ago: "The king built a hanging garden for his beloved woman. There were fountains with warm water flowing from bottom to top, colorful gardens floating in the air, rivers of wine with fragrance that spread ten miles, and golden sculptures and silver walls that shone like the sun. The hanging garden eventually became a world heritage site that attracted worldwide attention, symbolizing the king's unchanging love for his lover."
Half a lifetime has passed, some people stopped, some passed by, some forgot where they came from, and some couldn't find the direction to go. Even if there was a trace of nostalgia in the memories occasionally, how could they restore the friendship that has passed away?
After all, it's all over.
The team arrived at Xiuling on the second day. Along the way, there were high streams, lush vegetation, and vast green pines. If they had not been in a bad mood, they would have had a good rest along the way.
However, a rainstorm in the evening of the third day interrupted Chu Qiao and others' journey.
The mountain road is difficult to navigate and full of mud. On the afternoon of the fourth day, we finally reached the Qingheng River, but found that the only bridge had been washed away by the flood after the heavy rain. A team that seemed to be also trying to cross the river was carrying out repairs, but after all, there were only more than 30 people, so the progress was slow.
There are only two options left. Either turn back and take a detour via Huaisong, which would take at least ten days; or wait until the bridge is repaired before crossing the river.
Chu Qiao gave each of the hired coachmen and guards an extra ten zhu of silver, and these honest people immediately joined the team building the bridge in front with great joy.
After a while, Ping An walked to the carriage and said, "Sister, the other party sent someone to thank us."
Seeing that the other party had no intention of coming to talk in person, Chu Qiao was happy to be free, and nodded calmly, "Go back and say that we are all going the same way and we all need to cross the river, so there is no need to thank me."
It soon got dark, thunder rumbled in the sky, and the weather was extremely hot and humid. Chu Qiao lifted the car window curtain slightly and saw dark clouds in the west. She was afraid that it would rain heavily soon.
Meixiang and several servants cooked the meat porridge. Chu Qiao saw that the team on the other side of the ferry was quiet. All the servants were repairing the bridge. There was only a simple green cloth carriage parked quietly under a pine tree. In the red light of the evening, the carriage seemed to be stained with a layer of red. When the breeze passed by, the curtains rolled up slightly, revealing a corner of brocade on a pair of white boots embroidered with gold. He was calm and indifferent, just like a noble person.
Meixiang called her guards and invited everyone to eat porridge. When Chu Qiao saw this, she told her to deliver the extra porridge to the people across the street. Unexpectedly, when Meixiang came back, she was holding a large oil-paper package in her hand. When she opened it, it was full of the best pastries and biscuits, as well as two large pieces of dried beef.
"You are really a person who knows how to repay kindness." Meixiang picked up a piece of cake with a smile, put it to her nose and sniffed it, saying, "It seems to be the thousand-layer cake from Baishuiguan Yufuji. Miss, smell it, does it look like the ones our store gets from Baishui?"
Chu Qiao frowned and took it. After looking at it for a while, she said quietly, "It's not the same. We bought mid-range cakes, which are not so crispy. Such cakes can't stand up to long journeys. I guess the other party just bought them to eat on the road."
Meixiang was slightly shocked when she heard this. Although she had no worries about food and clothing these years, she was born in poverty after all. She murmured, "To give away such expensive snacks, you must be very rich."
Jingjing had been ill for the past few days and always slept sickly. When she smelled the fragrance, she opened her eyes, but without seeing clearly what it was, she called to Meixiang, "Sister Mei, I want to eat."
"We must be on guard against others. This group of people has an unknown origin, so we should be careful. Meixiang, find a place to throw these things away, and don't eat them."
Mei Xiang nodded and said, "Miss, that's right."
There was thunder and strong wind for a long time, but they disappeared at nightfall. When it was completely dark, the wooden bridge was finally built.
The group seemed to be in a hurry to travel as well. One of them came over, said hello to Ping An, and left first.
Chu Qiao didn't want to waste any more time, so after that group of people crossed the river, she also led her men across the river.
However, when they reached the ferry, they saw that the porcelain bowl of meat porridge that Meixiang had brought over was placed in a field of wormwood. The meat porridge inside was intact, but no one had touched it. Several wild mice were squatting beside the basin, eating the food with relish.
Chu Qiao lowered the curtain of the car window and leaned quietly on the cushion, her brows slowly frowning.
Who are these people? But is it related to that incident?
Chu Qiao thought of the unusual movements in the Meishan Imperial Mausoleum area recently, and couldn't help but worry about Li Ce.
I hope I'm just overthinking it.