incomprehensible

It is said to be a celebration of the great victory, but the real master has not come back after all, and these wine games and gambling games are nothing more than small troubles.It wasn't until Ye Xuehuan came back from outside the customs that Lan Qi truly appreciated the enthusiastic, heroic and unruly style of the Northwest Frontier Army.

Early in the morning, the entire pass was crowded with people waiting to be greeted, including soldiers and civilians, and even foreign merchants from the Western Regions; Lan Qi stood in front of the gate of the commander-in-chief's mansion, and as far as he could see, there were crowds of people, densely packed, without a trace There is no place to go, let alone go out.

Lan Qi couldn't help being speechless, according to the message, when Ye Xuehuan entered the pass, at least it would be evening, and the road was blocked at this moment, so he had to wait for a whole day?

Cheng Shujuan persuaded him: "These ordinary people don't see the prince all year round, so why should Young Master Lan squeeze with them? The princes of the left and right will also hold a banquet at the commander's mansion tonight, just wait with peace of mind."

Lan Qi felt that it was reasonable, not to mention that he just heard something in the past two days, and he was feeling awkward, so he turned around and went back to the commander's mansion with peace of mind, and ordered Cheng Shujun to prepare the evening banquet according to the usual practice, and deliberately promised him Ye Xue Huan left behind.

Ye Xuehuan entered the customs a little earlier than expected, but it was already approaching westward.He looked at the skull hanging on the high wall. Because it was exposed to the sun and rain, it had already been mottled and blackened. From a distance, he didn't know what it was, but no one thought about taking it down.

To this day, the skull of the barbarian king is about to become one of the symbols of Jilei Pass. It is said that every foreign merchant from the Western Regions has to pay a special visit when they first arrive, and listen to his heroic deeds of beheading the barbarian king by defeating as many as possible. .

Ye Xuehuan didn't think these things were so glorious. Few people knew that what was shown in that battle was not his bravery at all, but the dark side of the struggle for power within the Central Committee—in order to overthrow him and prevent him from fighting in the Northwest In the beginning, Liu Ting even used the border barbarians to collude with foreign thieves to murder the prince, but he failed to find any real evidence. Whenever he thinks about it, he still feels a dull pain in his back.

In fact, since the opening of the Western Regions, the defense of the Jilei Pass has been strengthened. The three generations of border commanders, from Yao Lie to Lin Yuan to Ye Xuehuan himself, have never let the border man break through to the Jilei Pass. Quite saw the skull on the city wall, and he hung it for Liu Ting to see.After being awarded the Commander Seal, he used the excuse that he did not know the details of the frontier barbarians, and recruited troops on a large scale for three consecutive years, expanding the Northwest Frontier Army to 15 people.

Now that Liu's family has been destroyed, he has become the only one under Zhongyang. The skull supposedly has lost its meaning, but it has become a kind of label on him. Thinking about it, I am quite emotional.

He released a loud arrow under the closed door, and upon receiving the order from the top of the city, high-spirited battle drums and horns sounded immediately; the closed door was slowly opened, and the cheers inside were overwhelming, and the city walls trembled slightly, rustling to the ground. Ash.

Naturally, those who stood at the front were his most acquainted and closest generals. According to the usual practice, Lin Xize handed the return wine to the returning soldiers one by one.

It’s not Kuangsha during the expedition, but the most famous Immortal Drunk in the Northwest. It’s soft in the mouth, but spicy in the stomach, mixed with the bitterness and sweetness of some medicinal materials. Just one sip can make people feel ecstatic. After the fierce battle, Feel the beauty of living in this world more and more.

Ye Xuehuan greeted the generals one by one, but he didn't see Lan Qi in his eyes, so his heart skipped a beat.Of course he didn't think that Lan Qi would run away in anger again, but it was probably because what happened last time left him with such a deep shadow that he couldn't see anyone at this time, and a sense of emptiness suddenly came to his heart, and he couldn't help but Panicked, a layer of cold sweat broke out in the palm of his hand, but he didn't dare to show it, chatting and laughing with his surroundings, while scanning the crowd calmly, trying to find that familiar figure.

There was also Xuanfeng's bodyguard who came to meet him beside him. Seeing that he was absent-minded, he leaned over and explained in a low voice: "There are too many people here, and the subordinates are afraid of hurting Young Master Lan, so let him wait at the commander's mansion."

Only then did Ye Xuehuan feel relieved, but she intuitively felt that it was not that simple.With Lan Qi's lightness, as long as he wants, he can step on the eaves, even climb directly to the top of the city, and watch him return triumphantly from a distance.Too many people and clutter is an excuse, I'm afraid this little cat has lost his temper again.

He glanced at the beaming Lin Xize beside him, secretly surprised, could it be that this kid is already promising enough to make Lan Qi angry?

He wanted to return home, but he really couldn't squeeze out the crowd, so he had to ask his soldiers to disperse the crowd and slowly open up the road.

The people in the army were better, knowing that they obeyed orders and left; the people were unwilling to give up this rare opportunity to pay respects to Prince Rong. People still refused to leave, the back and forth were blocked, and it was extremely difficult to walk.

Lin Yuan took Lin Xize away halfway, and the rest of the generals who had just returned had to go back to tidy up first, and someone had to be responsible for arranging the wounded, recording battle achievements and battle damage, so they all left one after another, and went to command in the evening. The government celebrates together.

After finally stepping into the gate of the commander-in-chief's mansion, it was already completely dark.

The rainstorm is approaching, these few days have been cloudy, but tonight it has unbelievably cleared up. There is a sad crescent moon hanging in the sky, and a few wisps of clouds are lingering around, which is quite sentimental.

Ye Xuehuan walked lightly into the gate, but it was Cheng Shujun who greeted him, saying that Lan Qi was preparing for the evening banquet in the martial arts field, and asked him to take a bath and change clothes first, and the hot water had already been put away.

He immediately felt a little anxious and annoyed, feeling that he had spoiled Lan Qi so much that he was a victorious man, so if he didn't hurry up to act like a baby, he would just show off his face and put on airs.

He went back to the bedroom alone. The tub was filled with hot air and the water was still hot. There was a medicinal bag for relaxing and activating the muscles, and the faint medicinal smell could not cover up the scent of ambergris in the room.After washing off the dust and exhaustion, he finally felt better. He began to think about how to punish his disobedient kitten at night, and the more he thought about it, the happier he felt.

And Lan Qi was in the martial arts arena at this time, watching the scene in front of him speechless.He ordered Cheng Shujuan to make arrangements according to the usual practice in previous years, and he didn't actually care about the "conventional" situation, but the servants in the commander's mansion obviously knew it well - food is not important, as long as there is wine.

At least a hundred large wine jars were placed on the edge of the martial arts arena, almost all of which were piled up to form a wall; a small high platform was built on the north side, and a separate food table was placed on it, presumably reserved for Ye Xuehuan's main seat , and below it are rows of long and low tables, one by one bamboo mats are spliced ​​together, and the huge martial arts arena has become crowded, like a small restaurant on the street.A cluster of huge bonfires was lit in the center, and the flames were higher than people. Several cooks were cooking meat and soup around the fire. Whole pigs and sheep were put on the grill, and their skins were dripping with oil. .The northwest tastes heavy salt and spicy, and since the trade with the Western Regions, there are many habits of using spices. Even in the open space, the strong spicy fragrance can't go away, mixed with a choking smoke, directly put Lan Qi blocked the outside, afraid that if he took a step forward, his nose would fail.

Compared with this scene, the scene where Ye Xuehuan greeted Bai Wanwan back then was simply elegant.

He asked the servants in the mansion, and said that this kind of banquet is actually a floating banquet in disguise, but all lieutenant soldiers can come and go as soon as they come; because there is no place that can accommodate all frontier soldiers, only in this way can everyone As many people as possible can drink a bowl and share the joy of returning triumphantly.Moreover, the frontier is an important place, after all, it is necessary to maintain combat capabilities at all times, and it is necessary to go back to duty and stand guard after drinking almost, and it is not necessary for everyone to stay until the end.

It's quite reasonable, but Lan Qi is still hesitant.

Ye Xuehuan hadn't arrived yet, and the soldiers returning from the expedition were still tidying up, but a group of people who stayed behind in the customs had already arrived impatiently, sitting down at random, chatting and laughing in groups.Among them were quite a few of Lan Qi's poker friends, and when they saw him, they joked: "You can't play cards, but you can't lose when you drink. Even if you try to blame the prince today, you must be poured out!"

Lan Qi sighed silently, and retracted himself next to the weapon rack piled in the corner.

So when Ye Xuehuan came to the Martial Arts Field, he searched several times from afar, and finally found the little figure he had been thinking about day and night, leaning on the weapon rack, wandering outside the range of the bonfire, quietly and desolately People are standing, even if there is a noisy banquet a few steps away, it still looks dim and sparse.

Ye Xuehuan suddenly felt sour.

Lan Qi has never liked such occasions, and she showed herself to others in order to be able to stand with him and be recognized by everyone.But no matter how skillful he is, not being able to go into battle to kill the enemy is always a flaw. After all, it is impossible for him to fully integrate into this group of lieutenant soldiers.It's better to deal with the officialdom in Qianming City, but in this Ji Lei Pass, he must be out of place.

——How difficult it must have been for him to wait for more than half a month.

Ye Xuehuan sighed softly, and approached quietly along the periphery of the martial arts field; Lan Qi naturally noticed the movement, but didn't even look back, letting him wrap his arms around her waist from behind.

"That's not good." Ye Xuehuan bit the tip of his ear, and said with a low smile, "I must punish you tonight."

The familiar breath fell on his ears, and Lan Qi's entire neck flushed uncontrollably, but relying on everyone watching at this moment, forgive him for not doing anything out of the ordinary, so he didn't answer, and hummed disapprovingly twice.

Ye Xuehuan stretched out her hand and patted his buttocks, "Be good from now on, and I can consider getting a lighter punishment."

Lan Qi pointed to the lively scene in the martial arts arena, curled his lips and said, "Shouldn't you stay up all night tonight?"

Ye Xuehuan knew what he was referring to, but wanted to misinterpret it, her voice was lower and hoarse: "Since you want to stay up all night, I will naturally satisfy you."

He had just taken a bath, and his body smelled of refreshing saponins and wormwood. His hair was slightly damp, so he didn't wear a hair crown, but tied it up high. As soon as he lowered his head, it fell on Lan Qi's neck and shoulders. It's itchy.

Lan Qi couldn't hold back anymore, turned around and buried him in his chest, listening to his beating heart, softly called out: "Rong Cai..."

"Yeah." Ye Xuehuan hugged him tightly, kissed the top of his hair, and murmured, "I'm back."

The two hid in a corner secretly tenderly, and Lin Yuan had arrived with a group of generals.Seeing that everyone was seated, Ye Xuehuan walked up to the small high platform slowly, leading Lan Qi by the hand.

The martial arts arena was quiet for a moment, and everyone got up together; Cheng Shujun filled a bowl of wine at the side, and Ye Xuehuan picked up the wine bowl, and said in a deep voice to all the soldiers in the field: "This time I am going on tour, I will wait for you in Chang'an. At the foot of Yushan Mountain, a total of more than 270 border barbarians were wiped out. Although the victory was complete, more than [-] soldiers died."

He flipped his wrist and spilled the wine on the ground, "To the sacrificed martyrs!"

There was silence in the audience, as he poured wine to comfort the dead spirits.

Cheng Shujun filled the second bowl for him, and Ye Xuehuan continued: "The Western Regions have been in business for more than 50 years, and I want Lei Pass as a trade gateway, and I have never let Bian Man cut off a trade route. A wall made of copper and iron. I hereby swear by Ye Xue's name that as long as I live, I will not let the barbarians invade an inch of my territory, and I will not let any soldier die in vain!"

He held up his wine bowl, "Respect the border guards!"

There was a loud response from the audience, and they drank all the wine in the bowl together.

"As for the third bowl..."

Ye Xuehuan signaled Cheng Shujun to pour another bowl, his voice suddenly softened, and a soft smile appeared on his lips, "... respect to the family members who are waiting for us to return."

Although his eyes were on the field, his fingers were secretly caressing Lan Qi's palm. Obviously, he was acting for his own benefit, and he brought a group of soldiers to worship him alone.

The soldiers off the field couldn't help being stunned. It was not the first time for Ye Xuehuan to toast before the banquet, but he had never said to respect his family before; everyone drank the third bowl of wine with different expressions, and felt mixed emotions in their hearts. Miscellaneous, men with families are different after all.

Lan Qi was really caught off guard, no matter how awkward he was, he couldn't help being sweet with relish at this moment, he couldn't even stretch his face, and he couldn't hide those two little dimples even when he lowered his head.

Ye Xuehuan liked it so much, she wished she could give him a kiss in public, but in the end she resisted it and said with a big laugh, "Let's go!"

The food and drink came in order, Ye Xuehuan took Lan Qi to sit down, and kept serving him vegetables, while deliberately teasing: "Eat enough, you will have the strength to be punished later."

Lan Qi whispered: "I have eaten."

The implication is that he didn't want to participate in this banquet.

Ye Xuehuan frowned secretly, and sighed: "If you don't like it, we'll leave the table earlier."

Lan Qi shook his head, "I want to accompany you."

"You..."

Ye Xuehuan felt hot, so she simply lifted his leg and hugged him directly.Lan Qi didn't bother to manage the hundreds of pairs of eyes off the court, so he bent his knees and curled up, huddled up, and buried his face in his neck, as if he could isolate himself from the hustle and bustle, and only immerse himself in his favorite In the warm embrace.

People kept coming forward to toast, Ye Xuehuan held Lan Qi in his arms, but didn't get up; other people didn't really want to get close when they saw the eyes full of Qingqing.

This is of course unreasonable in terms of etiquette, but Ye Xuehuan behaved very calmly, and the soldiers on the field seemed to be tolerant, and even looked at them intimately with narrow and friendly eyes-this shows that most Everyone has accepted Lan Qi and recognized their partnership; Ye Xuehuan was overjoyed and couldn't help wondering what kind of means Lan Qi used to convince the army in just half a month.

After a round of toasting, Lin Yuan led Lin Xize forward.He didn't think the two were nasty, so he walked up to the small high platform, took a sip with Ye Xuehuan, turned to look at Lan Qi, and said softly: "The dog has been taken care of recently."

Lan Qi replied: "I should be the one to thank Mr. Ling."

Ye Xuehuan was surprised, and his first reaction was that Lan Qi had done too much, playing Lin Xize to death, to the point that Lin Yuan had to come forward to coordinate; but judging by the expressions of the two, it seemed that they were just exchanging greetings, and the exchanges were harmonious and friendly , only Lin Xize himself looked awkward.

Lin Xize really didn't want to come, but as soon as Lin Yuan came back, he pressed him about how he got along with Lan Qi. Although he couldn't understand it, he could only tell the truth.Lin Yuan's expression was very complicated after hearing this, so he didn't say any more, just brought him to toast.

Lan Qi's answer just now was clearly ridiculing him. The provocation failed, and instead he gave away two opportunities for nothing; but it was probably because Lan Qi's expression was too soft at this time, so he seemed very sincere.

——It was the first time he saw such a soft Lan Qi, with the dancing flames reflected in the side face, half white and half orange red, and there was a little sweetness between the eyebrows and eyes; that appearance was by no means beautiful, but it was the most annoying. The appearance of human affection.

Lin Xize suddenly felt a little hot on his face.

He didn't even pay attention to the conversation of the few people at all, and fled after toasting a bowl of wine indiscriminately, thinking in his heart that he must have drunk too much.

After Lin Yuan left, Ye Xuehuan asked with a smile, "Are you subduing him?"

"My lord's words are unfair." Lan Qi replied indifferently, "It was all sent up by him himself."

Ye Xuehuan heard him calling the lord hypocritically, knowing that his petty temper had come up again, so she stopped asking more questions, and planned to go back to the guards for more details.

The atmosphere in the venue gradually heated up. Most of the people had drunk to seven or eight minutes, chatting and laughing at each other, but neglected Ye Xuehuan, the host—or in other words, they deliberately didn't want to pay attention to him.It was rare for Ye Xuehuan to be able to eat quietly on such an occasion, and he picked up a whole lamb rib in a slow manner, and occasionally fed Lan Qi a mouthful.

Lan Qi nestled lazily, eyes half-opened and half-closed, eating whatever he was fed, very well-behaved.

Ye Xuehuan had already drank a lot, and he felt a little drunk; seeing that he was so defenseless, he suddenly became terrified, swallowed the rest of the wine in the bowl, pinched Lan Qi's chin, and crossed over .

Lan Qi was fed by him all night, and he never thought that he would be fed wine in the end, and he had already swallowed at least half a bowl when he was about to react.Immortal was extremely drunk, as soon as he took a sip, his throat seemed to be on fire, all the way along the esophagus and into his stomach, and soon his brain seemed to be on fire, the world was spinning, his hands and feet were weak, and he was in a daze .

Ye Xuehuan succeeded in his treachery, looked around, saw that no one was paying attention, so he stood up holding him, and said to Cheng Shujun who was waiting by his side: "If anyone comes to me later, just say that I went for a walk to sober up, and I will be back soon."

Cheng Shujuan looked at his clear phoenix eyes, and then at Lan Qi, who was hazy with drunken eyes, while slandering that this was not a sober walk, but a murderous attempt to take advantage of alcohol, he replied with a flattering smile: "Your Majesty, please rest assured and leave it to me."

Ye Xuehuan nodded approvingly, and when he returned to the bedroom, he put Lan Qi on the bed, pressed him up and kissed him carefully, from forehead to nose tip, then between his lips, knocked his teeth, and wrapped his tongue around him playfully.

This kind of kissing method was too sensational, Lan Qi only felt that his brain was burning more fiercely, he was dizzy and couldn't lift his energy, and his mouth was muttering, and he didn't know what he was muttering.

Ye Xuehuan tilted her head and licked his earlobe, while blowing into his ear: "Baby, do you miss me?"

"Think..." Lan Qi replied vaguely, "I miss you so much..."

He panted lightly, with the intoxicating aroma of wine in his breath, water vapor in his slightly closed almond eyes, his cheeks were blush, like a camellia in full bloom.

Ye Xuehuan saw that his bones were crisp and his lower abdomen was tight, but he still asked patiently: "Then why are you playing temper? You promised to see you the first time you came back. Why didn't you obey me?"

Lan Qi seemed to be upset, and snorted heavily, "Isn't it...there is going and returning, the beginning and the end?"

It sounded like she was angry, but unfortunately her tone was too soft, her voice was too soft, and she was still hiccupping, it seemed like she was acting like a baby.

Ye Xuehuan laughed. In the past, when he went to battle, Lin Xize gave him the wine to help out, and he never cared about it. He didn't expect that this would overturn the jealousy. I don't know who was the talkative person who told him about this custom.

"Hey, don't be angry anymore." He bit Lan Qi's lower lip, "I'll let you pass the wine from now on, okay?"

He was just coaxing Lan Qi, but in fact he didn't intend to let him pass the wine in the future.It's better now, before winter and after spring, when the border man is most active, the weather is freezing, even if he is brought to patrol the border, he must be hidden in a warm house, so he is not willing to let him go out to enjoy the wind and suffer.Fortunately, Lan Qi is drunk now, and won't remember anything tomorrow morning, and he is not afraid that he will hold on to her.

After drinking, Lan Qi didn't have the ability to think at all, so he was coaxed casually, revealing two sweet pear dimples, hooking Ye Xuehuan's neck, and humming in his ear: "Do you hurt me?" I... won't be angry..."

Ye Xuehuan took a deep breath, wishing to let him go for a gallop right away; but after finally getting drunk, he really didn't want to let go of the opportunity so easily, not to mention that he himself was half or sixty drunk, which was the most exciting time. When I was in bed, I always wanted to play something exciting, so I deliberately put on a straight face and said: "I said I will punish you tonight."

He moved quickly, and stripped Lan Qi down to only his inner garment, which hung loosely in his arms, but he himself was well-dressed, and somehow he pulled out the copper bell that Lan Qi used for training, and tied it around his ankle , hugged the man to the window by the waist, pushed the window wide open, put Lan Qi on the window sill, and said with a low smile: "Today, the execution will be carried out publicly, lest you never have a long memory."

It was already halfway through the night, and the sky was not as good as it was when it first entered the night. The thick clouds blocked the moonlight, making it difficult to see in the dark; but it was precisely because of this that the shadowy flowers, plants and shrubs outside looked more strange and deep, as if they were everywhere anytime. People can come out.

Although Lan Qi was so drunk that he was in a daze, he still knew a little bit of shame. Suddenly, half of his body was exposed outside the window, and he panicked. He grabbed the window sill with both hands, struggling to get down. rattle.

Ye Xuehuan pinched his back firmly, and threatened in a low voice: "If you move around again, we will go outside."

Lan Qi was in a dilemma and begged at a loss: "No, you will be seen... I was wrong, you forgive me..."

He didn't know where he was wrong, and instinctively thought that begging for mercy would be let go; Ye Xuehuan was a little soft-hearted, but he didn't intend to let him go, and only comforted him softly: "Be good, don't be afraid, you won't be seen."

【Tunnel section】

The two of them lingered ecstatically amidst the night wind and insects, Ye Xuehuan was completely unafraid, since Cheng Shujuan understood his instructions, naturally no one would approach this bedroom, and there was no risk of being broken into. The semi-open-air environment is just to add a different kind of sentiment.He lightly pecked Lan Qi's lips, then kissed along the tip of his chin to the small protrusion in his throat, revealing a bright red mark.

However, at this stall, there was a sudden strange sound from the bushes not far away, as if something was passing by the grass quickly; Lan Qi suddenly woke up as if awakened from a lingering dream, terrified. The tone of the voice changed: "Someone... Rongcai, some...!"

He was trembling all over, Ye Xuehuan hurriedly pressed him into his arms to protect him, and comforted him in a low voice: "It's just the wind, it's okay."

Even though he said so, he couldn't help but look around, and actually found a shoe tip that hadn't been hidden behind a short tree not far away.

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public ♂ open ♂ execution ♂ punishment ♂