The Moon Over Tang Dynasty - Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Feeling happy and angry (Part 2)

It’s March in the blink of an eye, and Xizhou City is getting hotter day by day. Although Qu Zhizhan’s illness has improved a lot, he can no longer handle government affairs. The war is about to start, and it is the farming season. Pei Xingjian and Qu Chongyu are very busy. Liuli was also busy at home, cleaning and sorting winter clothes and sewing spring and summer clothes.

On this day, when Yun Yi came to Qushui Fang, she saw Liuli putting the winter robes she had disassembled, washed and re-sewed into boxes. She slapped her forehead with a smile, “I almost forgot, Yu Lang had muttered earlier. , I don’t know how my brother-in-law’s winter robes were made!”

Liuli smiled and said, “Actually, it’s nothing, it’s just a bit trivial to make. There is an inner liner inside the winter robe. Take about half a pound of duck and goose velvet, seal it evenly with the finest satin material, and seal it evenly in the middle. Just use thin thread to sew it into small pieces about the size of your palm. Such an inner bladder is enough for a dozen ducks, but it is too laborious to get one piece.”

Yun Yi clicked her tongue and said with a sad face, “I can’t do such delicate things. Sister, can you help me…”

Liuli smiled and waved her hand, “I’ll be free in a few days, so it’s okay to make one for you. Don’t bother anyone else, and I don’t like to waste the effort!”

Yun Yi’s words were choked back, and she pulled Liu Li like a candy but refused, “You don’t need to do it, sister, just watch me do it, just give me more guidance.”

Liu Li smiled and said, “Your sister Liu is also doing this for her family Fang Lie. If you are afraid that you can’t do it well, you might as well do it with her. She can also give you guidance.”

Yun Yi was immediately overjoyed, “Will Ariel also come to Xizhou?”

Liuli shook her head and replied vaguely, “I don’t know exactly. She said she had to finish her work before coming to pick up the mother and her son. Sister Liu was also a little worried.” Liu Ruyue was actually not only worried, she was also very angry. , Fang Lie is currently waiting around Shule City day and night. He has sworn a blood oath to avenge Su Haizheng’s head and atone for his sins…

Yunyi thought for a long time and sighed with a rare sigh, “What can he be busy with? It’s not that troublesome thing! Yulang is not in a good mood these days. Ayuan has been with him for more than ten years, and he rushes in front of him again. That arrow was always hard to bear in his heart…”

Liuli couldn’t help but sigh. Men seemed to be like this. Pei Xingjian was often depressed these days. He regretted that he only wanted to remind Fang Lie to avoid it, but he never thought that Su Haizheng could directly attack Xing. The late Khan took action because he was worried that the court would mishandle the Su family and his son, which was chilling.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more worried she became. She did not dare to put too much hope in Gaozong. With his usual style, I was afraid that the matter would not be handled properly. Waiting would be painful, but who knew that the will would still be fulfilled by then? What will happen? This feeling of hope and fear is like waiting for the second boot upstairs. However, looking at Liu Ruyue’s worried face, she secretly made up her mind.

As the days passed, it wasn’t until the sixth day of April, two days before the Buddha’s birthday, that someone rushed to report that people sent by the imperial court had directly entered the Protectorate!

Liuli couldn’t help but stood up suddenly: the boot finally fell off. She said without hesitation, “Let Bai Sanye go to the government office quickly and let him remember my instructions!”

At this time, in the main hall of the Xizhou Governor’s Mansion, the first edict had been read out. Qu Zhizhan, who had just recovered from a serious illness, helped Qu Chongyu stand up tremblingly, “I have seen the Governor.”

The new Anxi Protector Gao Xian in front of him has a smiling face that is somewhat similar to Qu Zhizhan. He had been the governor of Shazhou for many years and had met Qu Chongyu once before. He smiled even more kindly at this time and said, “Quduhu is so polite! Gao will have many things to ask the governor for advice on in the future.” He turned around and said to Pei Xingjian again. Qu Chongyu said with a smile, “Deputy Protector Pei and General Qu are both young and powerful and have a bright future. We will rely on these two for matters in Western Xinjiang in the future.”

Qu Chongyu and Pei Xingjian looked at each other and saw a complicated and unspeakable look in each other’s eyes. They could only smile and clasped their hands and saluted, “I don’t dare to take the position. I will be a lower-ranking official but I will follow the orders of the Great Protector.”

The first edict brought by the new Protector-General was to establish the Jinshan Protectorate at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, to be co-governed with Tingzhou, to enrich the border people, expand the army and farmland, and command the Tang army in the states north of the Tianshan Mountains. Apparently it was because the Kunling Protectorate was no longer in name only, and it was necessary to strengthen its armaments to fight against the Chu Mukun, Chu Yue and other tribes at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains.

Now, Qu Zhizhan has been ordered to take the post of Protector of Jinshan Protectorate, and Cui Zhibian, the former Governor of Yizhou, has been appointed as the Governor of Xizhou. That’s all. Pei Xingjian was promoted to the deputy governor of Jinshan, and Qu Chongyu was appointed as the Zhonglang General of the Zuotun Army. With Pei Xingjian’s current sixth-rank officer and Qu Chongyu’s fifth-rank honorary officer, the two were directly promoted to the rank of Fourth-grade practical positions are extremely rare and exceptional promotions.

Gao Xian chuckled and waved his hand, “What the hell, you two have cracked the siege of Tingzhou this time with great wisdom and courage. If Gao hadn’t been a few years older, I would have been so proud.” Then he smiled at Qu Chongyu, “I still remember General Qu’s house in Dunhuang. It’s really amazing. When Gao settles down in Qiuci, he will have to ask more advice from the general…”

Qu Chongyu answered a few words with a smile. Seeing that he was going further and further, he couldn’t help but said, “I would also like to ask the Protector Dadu for advice. Now that the Protector Dadu has arrived in Western Xinjiang, what will the court do to the Su family and his son?”

Gao Xian said “Oops”, “I almost forgot, that Su Nanjin is in Xizhou City now?”

Qu Chongyu’s heart sank slightly, and he nodded and said “yes”.

Gao Xian still had a smile on his face, “That’s good. If you want to bother the general, I will bring him up now. I have to go to Shule to hand over the Su family and his son to the supervisory censor sent by the imperial court. The Holy One decreed that Su Haizheng was timid in the face of the enemy and should be punished with death. He was demoted to a commoner and returned to the capital to discuss the crime. He was exempted from death and demoted. It sounded like Wang Wendu and Cheng Zhijie back then. Maybe it would take a few years. Just like them, they can retaliate… Qu Chongyu lowered his eyes, was silent for a moment, and responded in a calm voice, “Yes, I will go and bring him out now.”

Gao Xian hurriedly said, “Don’t bother the general, just let the officers take Gao’s personal soldiers. This Su Nanjin is now an imperial prisoner.” He looked at Qu Chongyu with a smile, “There is no need to worry about the escort. Excuse me, General.”

Qu Chongyu’s body froze slightly, then turned around and smiled, “Thank you, the Protector, for your concern!”

Not long after, Su Nanjin’s hoarse but somewhat hysterical voice came from outside the door, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy, thank you, the Protector, for your mercy!”

After staying in the Xizhou dungeon for nearly two months, Su Nanjin was still wearing the clothes she wore when she came to Xizhou, but they had become empty. Her hair, hair, and face were all filthy, but her eyes were bright at this time. Surprisingly, I looked up and saw Qu Chongyu walking out behind Gao Xian. Looking at Qu Chongyu, I laughed loudly. The more I laughed, the happier I became.

Gao Xian frowned and said, “Take him down, clean him up and then hit the road!”

Su Nanjin was dragged up by two soldiers and walked out. As he walked, he turned back and said with a smile, “Qu Yulang, your care for these two months will be unforgettable for Su. When I return to Chang’an, I will repay you well!”

His voice was shrill and hoarse, which immediately attracted many people to look at him. When he asked the Xizhou police officer who was guarding the gate, there was an angry voice on the street, “How can it be justified if we don’t kill this thief!”

Gao Xian’s brows furrowed even more tightly, “Who is making the loud noise?”

Pei Xingjian hugged his hands indifferently and said, “The Protector-General is just a citizen of Xizhou.”

Gao Xian was startled, then a smile appeared on his face again, “Deputy Protector Pei, officials of the Tang Dynasty should help each other and not be at odds with each other. Fortunately, both Deputy Protector Pei and General Qu put the overall situation first and handled matters properly. That’s why we are in today’s situation! The Su family and his son are indeed guilty of serious crimes, but the prestige of the imperial court cannot be reduced, and the arrogance of rebelling against the party cannot be sustained. I believe that after the censor takes them back to Chang’an, I hope the emperor will properly handle this matter to appease the people. The two of you need to work together and don’t let a good situation fall by the wayside.”

Pei Xingjian bowed slightly and did not answer. The Great Protector was simply reminding himself that the imperial court had compensated himself and Qu Chongyu with extraordinary promotions, and he could no longer act on his own whim and disregard the imperial court’s face – even though the Xing Xi Die Khan had made many contributions, he was just a surrender of the Turks. , the imperial court can punish Su Haizheng, but it will never kill him to pay for a Turkic surrender, because Su Haizheng, as the Protector of Anxi, represents the face of the imperial court after all…

Qu Chongyu was even too lazy to speak. Until Gao Xian and his party left Xizhou, they just held hands and saluted. Su Nanjin had freshened up a little and put on new clothes. She seemed to have regained some energy. She slowly got on her horse, glanced at Qu Chongyu, then looked back at Xizhou City, and sneered.

Seeing dozens of war horses heading south, Qu Chongyu turned to look at Pei Xingjian and said coldly, “Congratulations, Deputy Protector Pei!”

Pei Xingjian silently turned around and left, went straight back home, and sat beside the table in a daze. Liuli had already heard about this from Bai San. Seeing that Pei Xingjian’s expression was more solemn than he had ever seen before, she couldn’t help but whisper, ” Keep your promise, this is not what you want, don’t think too much.”

Pei Xingjian shook his head gently after a long time, “Everything in the world is difficult, and official duties are small, but there are some things… I just feel that I can’t help them!”

Liuli also fell silent, and after thinking for a moment, she softly said, “Just now Bai San had a few chats with the soldiers who were escorting and supervising the censor this time. They all chose very durable horses for this trip, and they didn’t bring any There are so many bags, but from the tone, it seems that they won’t stay much. After going to Shule to declare the decree to Su Haizheng, they will take the father and son back to Chang’an as soon as possible.”

Pei Xingjian nodded, “Nine times out of ten.” He had heard of Gao Xian before. He was gentle and cautious. He also worked with Su Haizheng in Shazhou. His intention to protect him was obvious. He didn’t even eat dinner today. So he rushed to Shule, which was very different from his usual style. Apparently he wanted to get the Su family and his son out of Western Xinjiang as soon as possible to avoid any complications. Shule was close to Liuzhong, and taking the sea route was much faster than other roads… He was about to continue talking when he suddenly woke up and looked up at Liuli in shock, “Liuli, you…”

Liuli looked at him with unwavering eyes. It was probably impossible for the man in front of her to obey the court’s orders and the emperor’s will, just as it was impossible for her to think that these trivial matters were more important than her friends. She smiled nonchalantly. He stood up and said, “Sister Liu has been having trouble sleeping and eating for more than two months because she was worried about Fang Lie. Therefore, I just told her everything Bai San found out today.”

I revised it twice, so it’s late. The key is that I still feel dissatisfied… The ending is really not easy, alas.

By the way, many years ago, Alan once saw a sentence in a magazine, which seemed to be said by a British man. The main idea was that if one day, I have to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friends, I hope I will choose to betray the country. – This sentence does seem weird, but I still have to say that I think this sentence is basically correct. Of course, there is a premise – you will not make friends with shameless bastards. In fact, this is the choice Pei Jiu faces in this chapter, because in that era, “I am the country.”

 (End of this chapter)