Chapter 593 Heading North to the Capital
On the afternoon of May, the fields were filled with the strong fragrance of flowers, and wild flowers of all colors were in bloom, red, pink, and blue, decorating both sides of the official road with great splendor. In the blazing sunshine, butterflies and bees danced from the meadows dotted with wild flowers.
The discordant chirping of cicadas is heard hoarsely in the bushes and woods.
The rice has also entered the filling stage before maturity. Old farmers carrying baskets and farm tools are gathered in small groups. , humming wild tunes, talking about the harvest, walking along the wide official road to the farmland. When they were approaching the farmland, there was a sound of horse hooves coming from behind, which attracted the attention of the old farmers, and they all turned around and looked back.
In the distance, I could see cars rattling, horses rustling, and smoke and dust billowing on the broad official road.
"Who is this?" The old farmers looked at each other. They couldn't see clearly from a distance, but they could only vaguely see the carriages and horses.
However, they did not wonder for long. Soon, the huge carriage and horses were less than thirty meters away from everyone, and they could see clearly. After they could see a little more clearly, these old farmers crawled to both sides of the official road and got out of the way in time.
Although ordinary people can walk on official roads, when officials travel, ordinary people must give way in time, otherwise they will violate the law. Under normal circumstances, even when officials are passing by, ordinary people have to stay on both sides of the official road and wait in a polite manner for the officials to pass.
No ordinary people feel that there is anything wrong. As for the official way, if the officials cultivate it, they have to let others go first.
Ten war horses came roaring in two rows. When they got close to the old farmer, they picked up the reins, slowed down the horses, and galloped forward slowly. On the war horse was a fully armed sergeant. He glanced at the prostrate old farmers on both sides with an expression on his face. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk. When he saw that he did not carry any sharp blades or other objects, and there was indeed no safety risk, he withdrew his gaze.
When the horses passed by, the old farmers glanced quietly, and then breathed carefully. It was hot in May, but the sergeant who had just passed by was fully armed from top to bottom, including a helmet, ear protection, neck protection, and shoulder pads. , body armor, breastplate, leg armor.
It can be seen at a glance that they are completely different from the carefree soldiers in the guardhouse. Their eyes are those who have experienced a life-and-death bloody battle.
After the leading ten horses, there was a massive motorcade, which stretched for a long time. There were seven or eight carriages, and each carriage had a triangular red flag with the character "李" on it. There are uniformly dressed guards at the front and rear of the motorcade, riding horses to patrol.
The carriage in the middle of the motorcade is larger than the carriages in front and behind. The four windows of the carriage are like a mobile house, and the workmanship is more exquisite. The outside of the spacious carriage is carved with flowers, and the carriage is drawn by three horses with bright coats. , there are two flags on the cornice roof. In addition to the triangular red flag with the word "Li", there is also a red flag with the word "Zhu".
“There are three horses pulling the cart.”
"What a majesty! What kind of official is traveling with his family? We can sit in that carriage sometime."
After the convoy went far away, the people lying on the roadside gasped and stood up. I patted the dust on my body and looked at the traces of carriages and horses in the distance, feeling envious.
"What are you dreaming about in broad daylight? Planting your land well is the foundation."
An old farmer slapped his youngest son who was standing aside stupidly and woke him up. Everyone, and then the old farmers glanced at it with envy from a distance, then took their farm tools and walked to the fields.
The huge convoy in front moved along the official road for a while. When the official road curved, it changed to another straighter road and continued to move towards the north.
Changed lanes several times and headed north.
I don’t know how long we walked, but the carriages and horses that had not stopped all this time slowly stopped.
"We are almost in the capital, why don't you leave?"
A girl asked from the largest carriage in the middle, a small hand pushed open a window from the inside, and then Zhang, a bun-faced girl with baby fat, poked her head out of the carriage and asked the nursing home outside the carriage, urging them to move forward.
"I'm sorry, Miss Hua'er. Please tell me, Miss. We can't go forward for the time being. The wooden bridge in front of us is broken. Although the river is not wide, the water is not shallow, so we can't wade across the river. "The guardian who came after hearing the sound rode over and pointed to the river in front of him to reply.
"Then what should we do?" The girl with a bun face wrinkled her bun face.
"I sent someone to the village to ask for directions. There are no other bridges nearby. The nearest one is ten miles downstream. However, because there are mountains on the other side of the river downstream, you have to go around twenty miles to cross the river." replied.
“Ah, it’s already this time. One more hour will come and it will be evening. If we cross the river and take such a long detour, we will have to walk for another day.” The girl with the bun face curled her lips when she heard this. , his eyebrows also wrinkled.
"Miss, this is terrible. Let me ask clearly. The bridge in front is broken. There is another bridge ten miles downstream. It's just that you have to take a detour of more than twenty miles to cross the bridge." The girl with a bun face said from outside He retracted his head and replied to the girl sitting in the middle, anxiously.
The interior of the carriage is very comfortable, with curtains hanging on all sides. There is a rosewood coffee table with a built-in fruit plate and tea products, a Ru kiln flower bag filled with newly picked wild flowers; there is also a small small table in front of the coffee table The stove is fixed by an exquisite frame carefully designed by the craftsman to prevent bumps; there is a shelf near the window where the dowry and copper-inlaid glass mirror are placed.
Behind the coffee table is a soft couch, covered with silk of moderate thickness, and leaning on the soft couch is a pretty girl.
The girl has a delicate appearance, her skin is white and greasy, her eyes are as dark as ink, she is lightly painted with powder, and her lips are like cherry petals. She is indescribably beautiful.
The long black hair is tied up in a bridal bun. The hair ornaments on the bun are layered, exquisite and luxurious, with gold wire braided as flower branches and stamens, embellished with red orbs, and gold butterflies hanging down. As the carriage trembled, the drooping golden butterfly also swayed. The gold hairpins on both sides of the bun and the earlobe pendants are also the same as Bu Yao, with red orbs dotted and red pearls hanging down.
The graceful Qianban wore a long red dress with gold thread trimming the edges and outlines of peonies and cloud patterns.
Beautiful and luxurious.
She has a face as beautiful as a fairy and a temperament as noble as a princess.
“You can’t take a detour, otherwise you won’t be able to catch up with your husband’s birthday.”
The pretty girl held a volume of the Book of Songs in her hand, but her mind was not on the Book of Songs. After listening to Baozi When the maid asked, she shook her head slightly and turned her gaze to the window.
Seeing this, Baozi's maid obediently opened the window so that her young lady could see the scene in front of her clearly.
The pretty girl looked forward through the window. After a moment, her black eyes lit up, and she called the bun girl to her and gave her a few instructions.
After a while, the car door opened, and Baozi's maid walked out and walked towards the river. Accompanied by the nurse, she covered her nose and knocked on the door of a house by the river.
This yard is a bit run down and the smell is not very good.
"Hey, old man, how much does this shabby house of yours cost?" Baozi's maid asked, covering her nose and pointing to a wooden house in the old man's yard.
“Ah, why?” The old man who opened the door was shocked.
"Would you like it?" the steamed bun maid urged, covering her nose.
"Give me ten taels of silver, I..." The old man opened the door and thought for a moment. He still had two houses in his house, and this dilapidated house had not been lived in for several years and it leaked.
The maid of Baozi heard this Without thinking, he took out a ten-tael silver note from the sachet at his waist. , handed it to the old man, and then said, "If you remove a few long wooden strips from this shabby house and repair the bridge in front of your door within two-quarters of an hour, I will return your shabby house to you." ."
"Really?" The old man opened his eyes.
"Hurry up, from now on, I won't pay you back after the time has passed." Baozi's maid urged.
The wealth moved people's hearts, so the old man called a few neighbors, and quickly removed a few beams from the dilapidated house, and repaired the bridge within two-quarters of an hour.
The convoy crossed the wooden bridge without stopping for a moment and continued to move forward, getting closer and closer to the capital. (End of this chapter)