They saw a woman standing at the door with a smile.
She was wearing a shining silver hat on her head.
The inner layer was made of cloth and iron wire, and it was suitable for wearing.
The crown was made of hundreds of dried silver flowers, clustered together.
In the middle of the hat,
The silver fan was high.
There were several phoenixes and butterflies on the flowers.
Some were flying and some were standing.
The shape was realistic.
The woman was about eighteen or nineteen years old.
Her face was delicate and beautiful.
Her eyes were watery.
She was a beautiful girl.
Looking at her clothes, she was definitely not a Han girl.
"Xin Youduo, you came at the right time!
Hurry up and take a look at the Marshal's condition! "
Niu Jizong shouted at the top of his lungs, not understanding the situation at all.
Shocked by this shout, everyone immediately glared at him reproachfully.
Xin Youduo's eyes swept over everybody's faces, then she walked to Li Lian's bed and called out in a low voice, "Marshal!
Marshal! "
Her tone was gentle. He Xin, who was next to her, felt that she was calling him and couldn't help but want to say yes.
Li Lian smiled weakly.
He whispered, "… You're here … This time … I'll have to trouble you …" Although he didn't say anything, he heard what doctor He said clearly.
It was not good. He seemed to be very relaxed when he was playing with Feng Zizhi just now. In fact, the fever, cough, vomiting, abdominal pain, and other symptoms caused by the plague really tormented him.
Now, it was very difficult to even say a word.
"Marshal,
You should rest first!
"
Xin Youduo skillfully put her finger on Li Lian's pulse.
After pondering for a while,
Just as she was about to say something, Li Lian stopped her.
He glanced at Feng Zizhi, and Feng Zizhi understood.
"The Marshal needs to rest. There shouldn't be too many people in the room. Except for the Lieutenant General, General Mingwei … everyone else, please leave!"
With just a few words, Feng Zizhi "invited" all the generals except for He Qi, those from Tientse Province, and those from Gao Kegong out of the room.
The other generals were not fools. They stood far away and could not see the scene where Li Lian signaled to Feng Zizhi. They only thought that Feng Zizhi was obviously guarding against them. He was afraid that they would harm the Marshal if they knew about his illness, so they all began to make noise.
He Qi frowned slightly. Although he felt that it was inappropriate, he thought that Feng Zizhi was not a person who would speak without thinking, so he did not say anything. He even took the initiative to let his two sons lead the way and leave.
He Cheng nodded and grabbed his younger brother. His body moved and he wanted to leave, but he found that he couldn't move his younger brother.
He turned around and saw his younger brother staring at the beautiful figure of the Miao girl.
He Xin's feet seemed to have taken root in the ground, and he couldn't move at all.
He Qi also saw his younger son's embarrassing appearance. While other people's attention was still on Feng Zizhi, he quickly coughed twice.
He Xin's neck suddenly shrank. His older brother's fierce tugging didn't attract his attention at all, but his father did it with just a light cough.
Although the He family was not like the Niu family, who beat their children from morning to night, even in the middle of the night, as a military family, the He family naturally had a set of rules to discipline their children: copying the Art of War.
It was similar to the Niu family beating their children in the middle of the night. The He family would also ask about the Art of War in the middle of the night.
Think about it, in the middle of the night, when everyone was sleeping, a white-clothed figure with long hair (the person below was wearing underwear) stood by his bed and quietly asked: "Young master ~ ~ Do you still remember what so-and-so's next sentence was?
"
No matter how much courage the "young master" had, no matter how good his memory was, he would be scared into forgetting!
Seeing that the "young master" couldn't answer, the white-clothed ghost (housekeeper) was satisfied and took out the four treasures of the study that he had already prepared. "Young master, please copy so-and-so's Art of War 300 times."
According to the He family's rules, as long as the servant asked the "young master" correctly, the servant would be able to receive an extra month's salary.
Therefore, the servants were all racking their brains and coming up with all kinds of strange ideas to ask the "young master" correctly.
It wasn't that the previous "young masters" didn't protest about being asked to memorize books in the middle of the night, but the "master" always said that it was to train their courage and reaction time. On the battlefield, the enemy wouldn't give you enough time to react.
Of course, it was unknown whether or not they had the intention of watching a play.
When Li Lian formally adopted Li Lian, he once visited He Qi to ask for advice on how to make his son a talent. He Qi didn't hide anything and shared the He family's tradition of teaching children. Li Lian, who heard it for the first time, was dumbfounded. He somewhat disrespectfully speculated that the reason why He Qi was so unsmiling (long-term facial paralysis), was it the result of the He family's secret of teaching children (destruction)?
The topic was digressed.
He didn't want to go to the battlefield in the middle of the night to pick up a fight and copy the congratulatory letter of the Art of War. He reluctantly followed his brother and left.
Due to the Dongchang Changgong's "prestige" and He Qi's obvious acquiescence, the other proud and arrogant soldiers could only swallow their complaints and leave in a huff.
Seeing that the "miscellaneous people" in the room had finally left, leaving behind only Li Lian's trusted aides or loyal supporters, Feng Zizhi asked Xin Youduo: "How is the Marshal?
"
"The Marshal has my clan's holy gu – the phoenix gu. The Xiongnu people's plague gu can't do anything!
It's just that the Marshal lost a lot of blood earlier, and even the phoenix gu was on the verge of death, giving the plague gu an opportunity!
"
Xin Youduo paused and said confidently: "Later, I will use a blood replenishing method on the Marshal. As long as the phoenix gu in the Marshal's body is full of blood and energy, it will regain its spirit.
Mix the desolation salt and cool it down.
Coo?
Misty salt and cool glance of fate?
Mercenary emperor!
He Qi and the others nodded their heads in agreement, feeling a sense of relief.
However, "What phoenix gu?
Why does he have a phoenix gu in his body?
Why didn't you tell me?
What in the world was going on?
The first sentence was a question, the second sentence was a question to Xin Youduo, and the third and fourth sentences were strong dissatisfaction and condemnation to Li Lian.
Li Lian, who was in a weak state, shouted in his heart. He was unprepared and Xin Youduo blurted it out.
Feng Zizhi, who was in a furious and dissatisfied mood, stood coldly with his hands behind his back. He was originally tall and slender. Standing like this and staring coldly at the other party, he looked even more imposing. Xin Youduo, who had not seen much of the 'world', did not dare to look straight at him.
Li Lian also did not dare to test his lover's anger at this time. He lowered his eyes and pretended to be very tired and wanted to rest. In fact, he was madly winking at Xin Youduo from an angle that Feng Zizhi could not see.
"…" Xin Youduo looked at Li Lian blankly.
"Don't worry about him, you say it!"
Having slept in the same bed for more than ten years, how could Feng Zizhi not know Li Lian's little tricks?
He took a step forward, and the pattern on his navy blue satin robe directly covered Li Lian's figure on the bed.
Xin Youduo's heart suddenly jumped. She hesitantly looked at Li Lian's direction.
Feng Zizhi casually raised the corner of his mouth and looked at Li Lian with a faint smile. "Don't worry, the Marshal won't mind what you said.
Marshal Yuan, what do you think? Am I right?
"…"
"…"
Li Lian had no choice but to say, "… Xin Youduo … just give me a rough idea."
"Don't be too detailed."
Xin Youduo popped out her pair of round eyes and looked at the current situation. It seemed that the Marshal's savior hadn't told his lover about what he had experienced in the Zhu Rong Palace. Perhaps, the Marshal's savior didn't want his lover to worry about him!
"Don't worry!
The Marshal's benefactor!
I know what to do! "
Xin Youduo tried to tell Li Lian with her eyes. Unfortunately, Feng Zizhi's robe completely blocked her eyes, and Li Lian could not see it at all.
"The Marshal is the great benefactor of our clan.
During that year's drought, there was no harvest in the mountains. Countless people starved to death every day.
The Marshal not only opened the granary to provide food, but also allowed us to receive land for farming, saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people from various clans in the southwest.
In order to express our gratitude to the Marshal for saving our lives, after a discussion, the clan leaders and elders of various clans decided that the Miao clan would plant our clan's sacred object – the Phoenix Gu in the Marshal's body. "
She did not have the slightest shyness, and said naturally and generously.
"The Phoenix Gu is our clan's most precious sacred object.
This Gu is called the Phoenix. Although it is not as good as the Nine Lives Spirit Cat, the Phoenix can be reborn from the ashes, and live and die in an instant.
According to legend, the Phoenix Gu uses the blood of the person who planted the Gu as a guide, and has the miraculous effect of healing the dead and regrowing flesh and bones. "
Speaking of this, Xin Youduo puffed out her chest and looked proud.
But the miraculous effect of the Phoenix Gu could only succeed if it was triggered by the Miao clan people who were proficient in Gu. Therefore, this was one of the reasons why the Miao clan sent the daughter of the clan leader, Xin Youduo, to follow Li Lian.
Her words were reasonable. If what she said was true, and the Phoenix Gu had such a miraculous effect, it was simply giving Li Lian a second life.
Li Lian stretched out his arm and gave Xin Youduo a thumbs up from behind Feng Zizhi to show his appreciation.
But Feng Zizhi seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. His voice deepened a few degrees, and one could not tell whether he was happy or angry as he called out, "Li Lian!
"
That thumb retracted back under the blanket in the blink of an eye. It was so fast that Xin Youduo wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Feng Zizhi was not so easily fooled by Xin Youduo.
His words went straight to the point that Li Lian and Xin Youduo had been trying to avoid, "That year, Li Lian went into the mountains alone for seven days. What happened during these seven days?
Tell me the whole story.
"
Li Lian and Xin Youduo trembled as they looked at Feng Zizhi in disbelief.
Seeing this, Feng Zizhi's beautiful black eyes flashed with a trace of certainty.
Li Lian had been keeping the experience of those seven days a secret. No matter how much he asked, he would either gloss over it with a few words or evade the topic.
Seeing that Li Lian did not have any more wounds or scars, he did not pursue the matter out of trust and to leave some space for his lover.
But now, it seemed that he should have made things clear from the start. Otherwise, he would not be worried today!
"... The Marshal is a kind-hearted person. He could not bear to see the hundreds of thousands of people in the southwest suffer. Alone, he used seven days to convince the chiefs and elders of more than five hundred tribes in the southwest. He successfully changed their prejudice against the Han Chinese and was willing to lead the people down the mountains.
Forgive Xin Youduo for speaking bluntly, but this was not an easy matter. One must know that those old men were stubborn and rigid. They were not polite with their words. The Marshal suffered a lot! "
Xin Youduo pursed her lips and flatly denied that anything special happened during those seven days with Li Lian.
How dare he show off his slight skill in front of an expert with this level of carelessness!?
In the palace, even the little eunuchs in charge of emptying the toilets had a much higher status than this!
Feng Zizhi's thin lips formed a cold arc. The slightly upturned corners of his mouth revealed a trace of a cold smile, which made people feel a chill in their hearts.
"Your mouth is really stubborn. I want to see if your mouth can still be so stubborn under the torture of Dongchang!"
His tone was very cold, as if it was the coldest winter, penetrating one's bones.
"Come!
"
As soon as the order was given, four East Faction Guards wearing pointed hats and white leather boots walked in from outside the door.
Ran Feng was anxious and opened his mouth to plead for Xin Youduo.
In any case, he was the one who brought her here. Since she came in one piece, she should naturally leave in one piece.
Niu Jizong was quick-witted and quickly covered his mouth, indicating that he should not speak.
The gentleman He Qi and Lin Han looked at Feng Zizhi disapprovingly.
Li Mingzhu was the most direct and directly rolled his eyes. A scumbag who bullied a girl!
"This is already everything!
I was young at that time, and I was not present!
Do you want me to tell you what the Marshal ate and who he talked to during those seven days!?
Even if you hit me, this is the only thing I can say! "
Xin Youduo looked in the direction of the Marshal's great benefactor and said anxiously.
Even though she was the daughter of the Miao family, she had been in Tientse Province for so many years and had more or less heard of the endless and terrifying torture in Dongchang.
However, her voice was coquettish and her words still sounded very sweet, as if she was acting coquettishly. There was no sense of urgency or fear in her voice at all.
Feng Zizhi was unmoved. His smooth and pale face looked very cold and aloof.
Xin Youduo gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She encouraged herself and thought, "Xin Youduo!
Xin Youduo!
You can't be afraid!
You can't tell anyone about the Marshal's great benefactor!
People in the Central Plains often say that one cannot be subdued by force. You can't let them look down on the Miao people!
"
Feng Zizhi saw that she was like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water. She didn't get angry and just smiled. The corners of her eyes and eyebrows were so delicate that they didn't look like a real person, but the smile on her lips was cold.
He would not really do anything to Xin Youduo. He was just trying to scare this little Miao girl with words.
He Qi, Niu Jizong, Lin Han, and Li Mingzhu were all aware of this, so they did not say anything. Even though the others felt pity for her, they did not dare to plead with the Dongchang Factory Manager because it concerned the health of the Li Lian.
"In recent years, Tientse Province has been spending more and more on medicinal herbs. Now that we have defeated Xiongnu in one fell swoop, there will be a long period of stability in the future. It seems that we should reduce our expenditure and invest our money in other areas."
Feng Zizhi's expression softened. Suddenly, he changed the topic and talked about a seemingly unrelated matter.
Although Li Lian had the power to establish his own government and set up Tientse Province, set up his own flag, handle military and political affairs, act arbitrarily, and hold great power, after careful consideration, he felt that it would not be good to be self-sufficient even in money.
Therefore, the expenditure of Tientse Province all went through the Emperor's money bag - Dongchang's account.
All the expenditure of Tientse Province was funded by Dongchang, so Feng Zizhi knew the accounts of Tientse Province like the back of his hand.
On the other hand, the Heavenly Policy Mansion spent the most money on medicine other than horse grass and equipment.
Xin Youduo's expression stiffened. As the military doctor of Tientse Province, she reported a lot of poisons and expensive medicinal herbs every month. First, it was to refine her unique medicine for Tientse Province's soldiers. Second, it was to cultivate her own "little pets".
If Feng Zizhi cut the expenditure of medicine, the food and growth of her cute little guta, little snake, little scorpion, little snake, and little spider would definitely be greatly affected!
Xin Youduo, who was unyielding and worked hard to protect the face of the Miao people, couldn't help but look pitifully at the Dongchang Factory Manager for the sake of her babies, hoping that he would be merciful.
Feng Zizhi, who had a heart of stone, didn't change his expression and turned a blind eye.
Poor Xin Youduo had a bitter face and looked like she was about to cry.
"Cough cough … Yan Nian, don't tease her.
"
Although Li Lian was blocked by Feng Zizhi's figure and couldn't see everyone's expression, he could imagine that little Xin Youduo was teased miserably.
For Li Lian and Feng Zizhi, who were nearly 30 years old and had experienced many hardships, Xin Youduo, who was only 18 years old, was indeed a child.
Feng Zizhi wasn't surprised that Li Lian had spoken. He originally didn't expect the little Miao girl to be able to tell him everything. No matter how detailed her knowledge was, she wouldn't know better than the people involved.
It was good that the little Miao girl could speak, but it wasn't a big deal if she didn't, because his goal was to make Li Lian speak on his own initiative.
"On the first day I entered the mountains, the chiefs and elders of the barbarian tribes were willing to sit in the same room with me because of my 50 thousand dans of grain, but they were indifferent to my persuasion. On the second day, I tried my best to persuade some of the pro-Han tribes and tribes with insufficient grain, but only a few of the famine-stricken tribes showed goodwill to me. On the third day, I tried my best to persuade them, but only a few of them responded, less than one in a hundred.
Only four small tribes with less than a hundred people were willing to support me for the sake of the lives of their people. Those large tribes with tens of thousands of people were still hostile to the Han people and would rather die than submit.
The conflict between the Han people and the barbarians has been going on for hundreds of years. It's not something that can be easily resolved with just a few words or some grain. "
Li Lian said in a flat tone.
"On the fourth day, the longer it dragged on, the more people starved to death in the barbarian tribes. My 50 thousand dans of grain was just a drop in the bucket. They began to speak ill of me and attacked me with their swords. They all discussed how to imprison me in the mountains and take the opportunity to attack the county town, seize the grain, and save their people.
When I was imprisoned in the stone room, the chiefs of the small tribes who were willing to support me told me a traditional rule of the barbarians.
"
Xin Youduo continued, "We barbarians have been practicing the art of Gu since we were young. We have always respected Gu, respected Gu, and loved Gu.
According to a common rule of the barbarians, no matter who it is, as long as he can pass through the Zhu Rong Shrine and gain the recognition of the Snake Ancestor, the Centipede Ancestor, the Scorpion Ancestor, the Spider Ancestor and the Toad Ancestor, he can become a worshiper of the hundred tribes in the southwest and ask us to do one thing for him.
"
"The Zhu Rong Shrine is the headquarters of the Great Five Immortal Sect, and also the sacred land of the hundred tribes in the southwest. The shrine enshrines the Zhu Rong statue and the Five Ancestors.
The shrine is full of traps, and the descendants of the Five Ancestors can be found in every corner of the shrine.
According to the rules, the participants of the trial need to take off their weapons and armors, put on a white robe, and walk barefoot through the traps and the descendants of the Five Ancestors without hurting them.
However, the descendants of the five ancestors, who were able to live in the Zhu Rong Divine Palace, were all extremely poisonous creatures. Normally, the trial takers would be bitten to death and poisoned to death before they could even walk into the Zhu Rong Divine Palace and greet the five ancestors.
No matter how high your martial arts are, in this dangerous environment where you are unarmed and unarmed, you will only end up dying without a complete corpse.
"Even if the participants have profound internal strength, great lightness skills, or poison skills, and can pass through the Zhu Rong Shrine, as long as one of the Five Ancestors doesn't acknowledge him, he can only become the dessert of the Five Ancestors."
That is to say, after going through untold hardships to pass through fatal traps and dangerous poisons to arrive in front of the Fifth Ancestor, as long as the Fifth Ancestor happened to be unhappy or had a whim to eat some snacks, all the hard work would be in vain.