phoenix knot

Su Mingyue and the weaving lady were sitting on the edge of the bed making small clothes for the children. The wind came in through the gaps in the layers of felt cloth, blowing the lamps and shadows in the yurt to shake.

"It's windy again." The weaving lady said.

The oil lamp went out, and the surroundings were plunged into darkness.

"Isn't this a wind lamp? Why is it not windproof at all. I'll light the lamp, hey, where is my flint and steel?" Lianxiang fumbled up and down.

Su Mingyue sighed: "Forget it, forget it, take care of your eyes, let's do it tomorrow."

The weaving lady's surname is Lin, and she has no name at home. Her parents call her Ah Si, and she is called the daughter-in-law of the Shao family when she is married. Now that the Shao family has been trampled by the Mongols, and is gone, Su Mingyue and Mama Cui will not call her daughter-in-law. She is the daughter-in-law of the Shao family, and Su Mingyue named her Lin Zhichun, hoping that she can weave spring in the south of the Yangtze River with her skillful hands.

The name has been changed. Where did the weaving machine come from in the North? They can barely do some needlework. The two of them are skillful. As long as they ask for some rags and skins, they can also make some winter clothes for the group. Barely survived the cold night in the Northland.

The oil lamp was extinguished, and the dolls in the room began to whimper and cry. Su Mingyue's daughter jumped out of Lianxiang's arms and threw herself at her mother, squeezing it to her chest to be fed. The other two children rushed toward Mother Cui together.Lin Zhichun smiled and said, "It's time for weaning at this age, and I'm still arguing for breastfeeding without shame."

No matter how willing the child is to listen, he still groans in his chest. There is nothing delicious in the Northland in winter, but this sip of milk is enough to satisfy his appetite.

Lin Zhichun said: "It's really time to wean. Mother Cui was originally a wet nurse invited by Master Dong Liu. Now Mingyue's sister wants to breastfeed herself. It's a good thing for my family, Ah Xiang, to pick up a wet nurse for nothing."

Cui's mother smiled and said: "I have a lot of milk here, and if she doesn't eat it, it will be wasted."

Lianxiang said: "It's not that Rongrong picked up a nanny for nothing, it's that we picked up a girl for nothing."

Mother Cui said: "Because of sister Mingyue, the few of us survived. You don't have to thank me, just thank her."

Su Mingyue said: "Okay, let's not thank each other for talking about these things every day. We have cultivated for a hundred years to cross the same boat, and we have cultivated for a thousand years to sleep together. Now we are sleeping together, isn't it because of a thousand years of cultivation? fate?"

"Aniang, lamp!" The girl in Su Mingyue's arms poked the oil lamp with her hand.

Su Mingyue said: "The lights are off, it's time for Dongnong to sleep."

"Ma'am, pat." The girl begged, and Su Mingyue patted her lightly, humming a Jiangnan tune in a low voice.

The other two girls hummed along, asking their mother to follow suit.

Cui's mother smiled and said: "Nongnong is babbling, my brother Meng is almost two years old, and he can only call her A Niang."

Su Mingyue said: "Don't be in a hurry, after a year or so, don't find her annoying."

Several people coaxed the child to sleep and sat there for a while. After all, it was still early in the morning. The child had slept in the afternoon and refused to sleep at this time. For some reason, Brother Meng started crying, and Lin Zhichun's daughter started crying too. Only Su Mingyue Han Yunnong in his arms played with the hair on Su Mingyue's chest with his small hands, "Mother, it's cold."

Lianxiang wrapped her tightly with a small quilt, and wanted to take her into her arms to sleep, but she refused and insisted on squeezing into Su Mingyue's arms, shouting: "Don't want aunt, don't want aunt."

Lianxiang pretended to be angry, "Then don't play with Auntie tomorrow, Auntie won't take you to play."

The little girl repeated between wanting and not wanting it, which amused everyone.

"Father, Qin! Qin!" the little girl begged again.

There was the sound of strings being plucked through the curtain, Liang Xuanchen sat on the other side and began to draw the bow.

Accompanied by the sound of "woo-woo" outside, the Matouqin played a weeping music, and everyone in the room listened attentively, even the little child in his arms stopped making trouble.

After the song was over, Su Mingyue said: "Third Brother is only a few years old when he plays this matouqin, and his skills are already superb. Your song "By the Lulun River" can really make people feel affection for this northern land."

"Madam praises me, I'm bored anyway, I can only learn to play the Matouqin to relieve my boredom."

Shuikong couldn't help sighing behind Liang Xuanchen, "We followed Suhebalu to run around on the grassland, and now we've been trapped in this ghostly place for so long, when will he let us go?"

Liang Xuanchen said: "The Mongols brought the letter I wrote to Yangzhou to Fengqi, but I didn't let him send money to Suhebalu. If he tasted the sweetness, he would not want to let us go. Fortunately, I and that day It’s a good place to relax, otherwise I think he would have killed us early in the morning, and staying here would not be able to squeeze out any oil and water, and it would be a waste of food. As long as we can hold on, he will let us go sooner or later.”

Lianxiang sighed: "I think those Mongolian soldiers are always eyeing Mingyue, we must be careful. Last time, these thieves deliberately lured me and the third master away. If Xiuqin and Caiying didn't sacrifice their lives to save me..."

Xiuqin and Caiying were girls captured by the Mongols halfway. Su Mingyue was terrified when she recalled that day, "It's a pity that the two of them died in a foreign land. I don't know when they will return to their hometown."

Liang Xuanchen said: "We can't leave even one step away."

Su Mingyue's eyes were sore, "Thank you, third brother, for protecting me."

Liang Xuanchen said: "Fortunately, I am blind, so it is not inconvenient for you to stay by my side."

While talking, someone shouted from outside, saying that Suhebaru was invited.

Liang Xuanchen got up, and Lianxiang also got up and pulled Su Mingyue over. Su Mingyue put down the sleeping child in her arms and got out of the yurt. The three of them went out together, and followed the guards to Suhebalu's big tent.Seeing that Su Mingyue and the maid followed him again, Suhebaru said with a smile, "You little daughter-in-law really can't do without you even a single step."

Liang Xuanchen's face was full of displeasure, "Then I have to ask your subordinates, who pestered and disturbed my wife repeatedly, if I hadn't protected her, wouldn't she have been bullied by your people? Pity us both. Maid, she committed suicide due to humiliation and anger, and just died in a foreign land. Great Khan, I respect you as a man, is this your way of hospitality?"

Suhebalu laughed and turned the page, and mentioned the matter of asking Liang Xuanchen's family to send a ransom, and also described the matter in a high-sounding way, saying that he, his wives, his wives, and a large group of maids were here. It cost a lot of money to eat and drink, and the food expenses should always be given.

"My second in charge in Yangzhou heard that I was taken captive by the Mongols. I'm afraid he has taken away my wealth and set up his own family. Will he pay for my return?" Liang Xuanchen was furious again.

Suhebaru nodded awkwardly, "I heard that you have a lot of friendship with the guard at the Yanmen Pass. I have no food or grass here. I want to borrow some in the pass after the spring. Why don't you open and close the gate for me then?"

Liang Xuanchen raised his eyelids, and said: "I have friendship with a Yanmen gate guard general, let me tell you. If you really want such a number one person, you can try it. It depends on whether he will listen to me."

On that day, Song leaned close to Suhebalu's ear and murmured something, Suhebaru said again: "You have hidden ten thousand shi of grain in the pass, where are these grains?"

Liang Xuanchen said: "The grain is in Yongping Mansion, you just let me go. Now that it's been so long, the imperial court has already confiscated it. Even if it is not confiscated, the old grain is stored in the warehouse, and Shuoshu eats it. And the food is in the pass, if you don’t let me go back, how can I bring you food.”

Suhe Baru said: "I let you go back, and you will obediently bring me food? I asked you to write a letter to a reliable person to deliver food."

Liang Xuanchen simply played a rogue, "I am alone, and the second and third bosses under my command would like to take away my wealth. Usually, I have money and power and can suppress it. Now I am in this ghostly place where birds do not lay eggs. They wish I were dead."

Suhebalu was a little impatient, turned around and said to Na Risong in Mongolian: "Just kill it."

Liang Xuanchen, Su Mingyue and Lianxiang all understood what they said, Lianxiang pressed her fingers on the blade in her sleeve, her face remained calm.

Risong was a little unhappy that day, and killed people just like that when he disagreed. Similar conversations had been staged countless times. As he was talking, Cui's mother suddenly ran over outside crying, saying that Mongolian soldiers had taken Han Yunnong away.

Su Mingyue was startled, and was so frightened that she wanted to run out, but was held back by Liang Xuanchen.

"Don't panic, let's go and have a look together." Liang Xuanchen turned his head to Na Risong's direction and said, "Na Ri Song Anda, you also come, at least help us control these bandit soldiers."

The two ran back to the tent where they lived, and sure enough, a Mongolian soldier was holding Han Yunnong in his arms. The little girl lost her mother at this time, and was dug out of the warm bed again. She was so frightened that she cried loudly.

"What are you doing?" Liang Xuanchen said angrily.

The Mongolian soldier giggled and said, "I like this little girl, I just play with her."

"This little girl doesn't belong to your family, give it back to me!" Liang Xuanchen stretched out his hand, holding the white jade and purple bamboo stick tightly in one hand, and was about to explode.

The Mongolian soldier had suffered from the bamboo stick, so he backed away, and ran away as if flying away with Han Yunnong in his arms.

After running far away, the Mongolian soldier shouted: "It's okay to go back to your girl, let your wife sleep with me, or I will throw her on the grassland to feed the wolves tonight!"

There was a bang in Su Mingyue's head, and she said angrily: "If you have the ability to throw her to feed the wolves, I will definitely kill you!"

Lianxiang was ready to pounce, but she was a bit wary.

Liang Xuanchen turned back to Na Risong and said, "You can't control your subordinates, or do you not want to control them?"

Na Ri Song lowered his face, and said to the Mongolian soldier, "Hurry up and return the child."

The Mongolian soldier said: "This is what the Great Khan meant. He can't afford the money. Let's ruin his beautiful wife first to see if he still can't afford the money."

Liang Xuanchen said: "Even if you ruined all three of my wives, I can't afford the money." He turned around and persuaded Na Risong, "Anda, can you take a step to speak? I have a treasure to dedicate to you." You, but I can only give you one person, you must protect the personal safety of my three ladies."

Na Ri Song raised his eyebrows, leaned closer and said, "What?"

Liang Xuanchen said in a low voice: "Suhebaru's head."

Na Risong was startled, "You are so brave."

"Don't say you don't want it." There seemed to be a cold light flashing in Liang Xuanchen's blind eyes.

"How dare you, a blind man, offer such a treasure to me?"

Liang Xuanchen smiled, he really wanted it. "Hurry up and ask that person to release my daughter. We go to the tent to talk. This place is freezing to death."

Na Risong reprimanded the Mongolian soldier, and sure enough, the Mongolian soldier couldn't resist his intimidation and threw the child on the ground. Su Mingyue and Lianxiang rushed forward and hugged the girl into their arms. "Ah Niang" kept yelling, crying out of breath.

Back in Liang Xuanchen's simple tent, Na Risong carefully asked his subordinates to watch out, and then sent the women and children to the back, and then began to talk secretly with Liang Xuanchen.

"How do you know that I want Suhebalu's head?" Na Risong's expression was unkind, he claimed that he usually disguised himself very well and was polite to everyone, including Liang Xuanchen.

Liang Xuanchen said quietly: "Suhebalu is just a reckless man, how could it be possible to unify the whole of Mongolia, and then send his troops south to dominate the Central Plains? Your Golden Family wants to restore the glory of the past, only by relying on your wisdom of Song Khan that day. Okay. You don’t want to flatten the Jurchen, destroy the Oirats, and wipe out the Tartars?”

Nari Song said: "Kill Suhebalu, I will replace him, the Jurchens form an alliance with him, they will be the first to jump up, Nanchao has concluded an alliance with Suhebalu, and they will not let it go."

Liang Xuanchen said: "The Jurchens and Suhebalu are not blood brothers, and they will not come to avenge him. As for the Southern Dynasty, someone in my dynasty will give a memorial to the Han emperor and persuade them to conclude an alliance with you. But this year There are frequent conflicts between Oala and Tatar. If you don’t seize this opportunity and take advantage of their snipe and clam fight, and you are behind the oriole, it will be difficult to unify Mongolia in the future. You let Suhebalu go west, and you see that he agrees Is it? He just wants to work as a bandit, and when the Southern Dynasty’s customs were lax, he went south to grab a fortune. Compared with the east, Wala and Tatar, the root grass does not grow well, and the cattle and sheep are not fat. He does not want to go. Get rid of him and replace him , this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Risong was silent that day.

Liang Xuanchen said again: "It's not convenient for you to kill Suhebalu, but I can."

"How do you do it?"

"I have my own way."

Nari Song said: "But you are blind."

Liang Xuanchen said: "I risked myself, and you won't suffer. As long as the matter is completed, you promise to send me and my three wives back to my hometown."