Golden Branch

In late spring, April, the grass and trees are lush.

The bright sunshine scorches the earth hotly.

Just like a summer afternoon, the air seems to become misty.

There were two deep ruts on the spacious official road. The horse's hooves splashed a layer of fine yellow sand, which mixed with the heat, adding a bit of dryness.

“Gee! Gee!!”

The charming female voices appeared and disappeared amid the clatter of horses' hooves.

A group of people stretched for nearly a hundred meters. Among the silver armors that gleamed coldly in the dazzling light and shadow, a touch of red was particularly conspicuous.

At the front of the team was a snow-white figure.

The white horse, white clothes, and jade-like face make her look like a banished immortal flying from the horizon.

His face was calm and his eyes were cold. He leaned on the horse's back and galloped at a fast speed.

In a few days, it will be Aheng's birthday.

He was still three or four hundred miles away from Mount Li.

"Soon! I'll be there in three to five days."

Lou Yu squeezed the stirrups hard, and the man and the horse almost merged into one, like a shot arrow.

He calculated the date of his return and strictly followed the plan for his daily schedule.

The accompanying guards and attendants had long been accustomed to Lou Yu's swift and decisive actions, except for—

"Lou Lang, wait for me!"

That red figure was trying hard to catch up.

She waved the whip wildly and shouted at Lou Yu.

That voice was naturally charming, like a bewitching fairy, or like a bunch of small hooks, densely hooking the man's heart.

However, if you get closer and take a closer look, you will find that the beauty in red looks a little embarrassed at this moment——

Long black hair, a little messy.

The exotic clothes on his body were also covered with dust.

And between her brows was the pain that she tried hard to endure.

Of course it’s painful!

As soon as I opened my eyes, I was riding a horse, at a forced march speed.

The whole person was sitting on the horse's back, and the inner thighs were rubbed red and raw.

The bones in his body were almost broken by the violent shaking.

In addition to physical torture, one must also maintain a high level of mental concentration.

Tsk, at such a fast speed, any slight negligence would result in a tragic fall from the horse.

A broken leg is a minor injury, but a more serious one might be a broken neck.

"I thought he was a refined gentleman, gentle and considerate, but I didn't expect that he had no compassion for women at all."

"Why is he rushing so hard?"

"Isn't he a favorite of Emperor Dayu? Even if he needs to return to the capital to report on his work, there's no need to be so anxious."

"Or is there someone he wants to see as soon as possible?"

During the days of traveling, the woman in red kept muttering to herself.

She even wanted to ask a certain handsome man face to face: "Why are you so anxious to go back? Who is there in Chang'an that makes you so worried?"

Lou Yu looks gentle and good-tempered, but in fact he is as cold and arrogant as a god in heaven.

He would not speak hastily or get angry or crazy, but when you saw his deep and quiet eyes and felt his cedar-like breath, you could not help but feel awe and would not dare to be presumptuous in front of him.

This feeling is very strange!

He is not a frightening evil person, but people dare not blaspheme him.

The woman in red has always been invincible in front of men. No matter what age, status, or personality a man has, he will surrender to her obediently.

Except for this favorite of the emperor who came from the Central Plains Dynasty, all the tricks of the woman in red were ineffective.

"Humph! I just don't believe it! With my skills, even monks who strictly abide by the precepts can be charmed by me, so how can a mere mortal be an exception?"

The more difficult someone is to conquer, the more exasperated she becomes.

What's the point of a man who can kneel down at her skirt with just a snap of his fingers?

It would be more interesting to let the high and mighty gods fall down to earth!

Not to mention, Lou Hanzhang is the top noble in the Central Plains Dynasty. Making him her subordinate will be more conducive to her plan!

"Lou Lang! Lou Lang!!"

The woman in red rode her horse at full speed and finally caught up with the snow-white figure.

Her voice was charming and gentle, like a feather, gently stirring the man's heart.

Lou Yu tightened the reins, tilted his head slightly, and glanced at the woman in red with his lively fox eyes.

There was clearly no chill in her expression, but the allure on the red-dressed woman's face suddenly froze, "Lou Lang... Jun!"

The affectionate name was immediately changed.

She didn't know why, but facing such calm eyes, she just couldn't use her charm as she wished.

"Princess, what's the matter?"

With the sound of wind whistling in his ears, Lou Yu asked as he rode his horse.

"...Oh, I've already told you, there's no need to be so distant. Just call me Ashlin!"

The stiffness on the red-dressed woman's face flashed away, and she put on a coquettish smile again, trying to get closer to Lou Yu.

Lou Yu, however, acted like a gentleman and an upright minister. "Etiquette cannot be abolished! The princess is the princess of the Yi tribe and the future queen of the tribe. As a minister of the Celestial Empire, I should treat her with courtesy!"

Lou Yu did not slow down just because he was talking.

The woman in red, the foreign princess Ashilin whom Lou Yu met in southern Xinjiang, had a flicker of frustration in her eyes.

This guy has a good-looking appearance, but he is actually unromantic.

Etiquette cannot be abolished?

Could this person be an old-fashioned person who only knows how to abide by etiquette?

Boring!

But damn it's challenging.

"Oh, what's the point of being polite? In our tribe, friends are the most important thing."

"Lou Langjun, you are a friend of our tribe. We feel like old friends from the moment we meet..."

Although Ashlin is the princess of the tribe, she has lived in the mountains since she was a child.

But she had also come down the mountain, studied, and received the so-called teachings of saints.

She can speak elegant language and understands many allusions.

This made her original wildness have a bit of elegance.

She is wild, charming, and well-versed in literature, which makes her even more charming.

"I am honored by your kindness, Princess. However, Dayu is a country of etiquette, and we must not violate the rules of propriety!"

Lou Yu continued to look like a rigid old scholar.

He increased the frequency of whipping without leaving any trace, and the red Dayuan horse under his crotch instinctively sped up.

clatter! Da da!

Almost in the blink of an eye, the horse that was originally running parallel to Ashlin quickly rushed out a body length.

Before Ashlin could react, Lou Yu had already run ahead.

"..."

This guy is really hard to tease.

Is he a man?

After repeated setbacks, Ashlin couldn't help but start to doubt her own charm.

Am I not beautiful enough?

Not charming enough?

Other men would be captivated by her just by a glance, without even a finger.

One by one, they crawled at the edge of her skirt like dogs, kissing her feet fanatically and devoutly.

But Lou Yu, she was so proactive, almost undressing in front of him——

Uh, how about we try it at the next station?

……

"There are still more than 200 miles!"

In the evening, the team arrived at the post station.

Lou Yu had a stern face and jumped off the horse nimbly.

"My dear, eat something and take a rest."

The guards of the Lou family came over, took the reins from Lou Yu, and spoke respectfully.

"...You should have a good rest."

But Lou Yu did not mention himself.

Today is the tenth day of April.

Ah Heng's birthday is April 21st, which is eleven days away.

Calculating the distance, he could reach Mount Li in two days at the fastest and three days at the slowest.

In the pigeon letter he had just received the day before, Ah Heng told him that she was at her villa in Mount Li.

First, it is for the purpose of attending classes;

Secondly, it can relieve the heat.

The weather this year is exceptionally hot. It's not even summer yet, but the capital is dry and hot.

Wang Heng was the most pampered. She also raised the prince and the emperor's grandson, so her life became more and more luxurious.

There are academies on both sides of Mount Li, and an amusement park is under construction.

Wang Heng can definitely continue to "combine education with entertainment" in Mount Li with her two children.

Lou Yu: ...It’s better to be in Mount Li, it saves dozens of miles of travel.

They had been separated for several months. Although they communicated with each other from time to time and even had portraits, they still couldn't see each other face to face. How could Lou Yu not miss her?

Especially since they are newlyweds.

It was a sweet moment, but they suddenly separated.

Wang Heng is neither familiar nor unsociable, and is rather heartless, so perhaps she won't miss him too much.

However, Lou Yu, who finally got to eat the meat, couldn't sleep all night.

Ahem, he was able to finish the affairs of Yongzhou so quickly, and still find time to go to Yuezhou, Jiaozhou and other southern border areas, just because he didn't want to always be trapped in longing.

He had to keep himself busy.

He also had to finish his mission in Lingnan as soon as possible.

He wants to go back to Beijing and stay with Aheng forever!

After finally finding an excuse to return to Beijing to "report on his work", Lou Yu not only had to complete the coming-of-age ceremony in the capital, but also had to celebrate Aheng's birthday.

He calculated the distance and time, and indeed arrived at the capital before Wang Heng's birthday.

Now, it's only about 200 miles away, and he can definitely arrive early.

Not enough!

How can it be done just in advance?

Lou Yu wished it could go faster and faster!

Throwing the reins to the guard, Lou Yu entered the lobby of the post station under the guidance of the attentive postmaster.

After a simple meal and a hot bath, Lou Yu began to prepare.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door of the guest room.

"Mr. Lou! Mr. Lou!" Another delicate and charming voice.

"Princess, what are your instructions?" Lou Yu asked in a deep voice, without any emotion in his voice.

"You've been traveling all day today, Mr. Lou must be exhausted! I have a secret spice from our tribe that can soothe the mind and promote sleep! Mr. Lou, you can give it a try!"

As she spoke, Ashlin wanted to push the door open and walk in.

Swish!

The door suddenly opened.

Lou Yu had already changed into a sky-blue Hu costume.

"Thank you, Princess!"

Lou Yu did not refuse and reached out to take the burning incense burner.

Seeing that Lou Yu accepted it, a dark light flashed in Ashlin's eyes.

She didn't argue any further, nodded, turned around and left.

It was as if she really just came to deliver something.

"Congratulations to the princess!"

Lou Yu continued to play the role of a minister who was self-disciplined, upright and honest.

After watching Ashlin leave, he turned around and returned to his guest room.

From the exotic incense burner, wisps of white vapor drifted away, and a strange smell also quietly filled the air...