Chapter 824 Gift

Chapter 824 Gift

Chapter 824 Gift
Compared with the previous year, the first month of the eighth year of the Shengui Emperor (324) was extremely lively.

At this time, you have to admire the tenacity of people in troubled times.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities have come together and ravaged us repeatedly. Those who have survived to this day have seen everything and have experienced more than one major epidemic.

The seventh day of the first lunar month, Cheng Mansion.

There's actually not many people in this house.

The man was on business in Xuzhou, and his eldest son stayed in Guangping to look after the family business. Only his youngest son and Shi Hong could help.

The three women, Mrs. Li, Mrs. Cheng and Mrs. Wang, were not in any mood to celebrate the festival.

Cheng was doing needlework at home, while Li was holding a ruler, urging her youngest son and Shi Hong to study.

Wang was basking in the sun by the window, looking listless.

The housekeeper Wang Chang came from the guest house to pay a visit to the mistress and tell her some new news.

"The people who retreated to Youzhou and Jizhou had to slaughter their livestock to survive the winter. As a result, they don't know how to survive next year." Wang Chang kept rambling: "Jin Jizhou Governor Liu Wangqiao planned to register these tens of thousands of people as civilians on the grounds that Changshan and Zhongshan counties were uninhabited. This is really too much."

Shi Yijian fell asleep on the bed nearby.

Wang's eyes were slightly red, as if she had just cried not long ago.

She was mourning her fate.

Her brother would not leave Dai County. If this city was conquered, she would lose her last support from her mother's family.

What would happen then? How would the Wang family treat her?
Was it sent to Yuwenqiu Buqin, the old man who had taken away two generations of princesses from the Tuoba clan, in order to beg for his support?
He was already very old and was about to die. It was said that his sons were also lustful ghosts. Before Qiu Buqin died, he had already played with his father's concubine. Qiu Buqin did not take it seriously and just scolded him.

She has been thinking about these things these days, and every time she thinks about them, she shudders and feels extremely scared.

If she was just a grassland girl, she might be able to tolerate it. But as a core member of the New Party, Guangning Wang received Han education since childhood, and it was difficult for her to accept such a thing.

She couldn't sleep well, had no appetite, and lived in worry and fear every day.

Every time she coaxed the child to sleep, she would sit quietly by herself and start wiping away her tears.

"Khatun?" Seeing that Wang seemed distracted, Wang Chang had to cough.

"Yeah." Wang responded weakly.

Wang Chang sighed secretly.

Even he found this situation difficult and even discouraged. Khatun was just a woman, only 19 years old after the Chinese New Year, and she was probably even more frightened than him.

But there are some things that cannot be left unsaid, because she still needs to make the decision.

He gritted his teeth and said, "I saw Helan Nugen and his party in the guesthouse. Judging from their expressions, they were very happy. It seemed that the King of Liang had made a promise. The Khatun must be on guard."

Wang's heart trembled.

Wang Chang continued, "I think we should find a way to meet with King Liang and explain the pros and cons. Yihuai is powerful, and if we support him, he may become too powerful to be eliminated and become a threat to our borders in the future. King Liang is a wise ruler and will definitely listen to me. If that doesn't work, then check the property you brought with you. In recent years, it has been very cold and icy, and sable, fox and bear skins are in great demand and extremely precious. If Khatun agrees, I will visit Prime Minister Yu Chen, Military Commander Wang Yan, Pei Miao, Central Commander Mi Huang and others, and bribe them with generous gifts, which may have a miraculous effect. If that doesn't work--"

At this point, Wang Chang's face changed and he said, "Then we can only think of another way, Khatun..."

Wang Chang kept talking, and Wang was listening at first, but later on, she felt that she was slowly losing her breath. A sense of despair welled up in her heart, and she almost burst into tears on the spot.

She suddenly thought that if she could go back to the past, she would definitely not want to marry into the Tuoba family. Perhaps it would be better to marry into a local wealthy family. At least she wouldn't have to worry like she does now.

Helan Nugen, Tuoba Yihuai, no, useless... As her head was buzzing, only these words came into her ears intermittently, making her face even paler and she was about to collapse.

There was no way out, it was useless. Her brother had been defeated, and she and her son were treated coldly. Seeing that they were about to suffer a tragic fate, she didn't know what to do.

She was only nineteen years old, and she subconsciously wanted to escape these difficulties and unload the burdens placed on her, but she couldn't do it.

"Khatun?" Wang Chang was shocked when he saw Wang's pale face and dead look in her eyes.

"Nothing." Wang's voice was nasal and her eyes became even redder.

Wang Chang observed the man's expression and knew something was wrong, so he said a few words casually and then bowed and left.

Wang did not see him off. After Wang Chang left, she slumped over the table, powerless and motionless.

Not long after Wang Chang left, the small door in the backyard was gently opened and someone drove in a horse-drawn carriage.

Li called the servants to take the gifts off the carriage.

"Is this Shu brocade? I haven't seen it for many years. I always feel that the Shu brocade woven in Luoyang and Yecheng is a little inferior to that in Chengdu." Li said happily while gently stroking the New Year gift.

Cheng also watched with joy.

King Liang gave her many ornaments, each of which was exquisite, which made her very happy. Not only did the gifts make her happy, but she also felt that King Liang cared about her very much and did not just "bully" her.

Li turned to the end and found a brocade box at the bottom. After opening it gently, he found a letter, several pieces of brocade and a very strange-looking hat inside.

The envelope was written: "To the wife of the king." Li knew that it was for Wang. So she sent someone to call Wang's maid and asked her to take the gift away.

"What a strange hat." Looking at the maid's receding back, Li muttered to herself.

The whole body is made of brocade, and the brim of the hat has a draped skirt that reaches the shoulders and covers the ears and neck. There are also ribbons hanging on both sides, which seem to have beautiful jade ornaments on them.

It looks like a hat used to block the sun and sand when riding a horse. Could it be a common item on the grassland?
The maid quickly delivered the brocade box to Wang's residence.

They shouted several times outside the door before Wang woke up as if from a dream. She wiped her eyes, rubbed her face, and responded.

The maid brought in the brocade box, placed it on the table, and said a few words in Wuhuan language.

"It was actually given by King Liang." To be honest, Wang was a little shocked.

After the shock, I had a strange feeling in my heart.

Around the New Year, it was cold and snowy, and there was bad news everywhere, which made her shed countless tears.

To be honest, she didn't know how she had gotten through the past few days. The worry in her heart was growing day by day, and now it had developed into fear.

Just now, she felt that they, mother and son, might have become disgusting things that no one cared about. Once the King of Liang launched an attack on Dai, they would be imprisoned or even beheaded as a sacrifice.

People are most likely to scare themselves, and once they fall into this state, it is difficult to break out unless external forces intervene.

Wang lay on the table and cried for a while, feeling cold all over and trembling, and it took a long time for her to recover. When she saw the New Year gift brought by the maid, she subconsciously relaxed and almost fell to the ground.

"Shi Yijian has just woken up. Go to the compartment and take him out for a walk." Wang forced herself to hold back, waved her hand and gave the order.

"Yes." The maid took the order and left.

Wang took out his riding cap and looked at it carefully.

The material is excellent, the workmanship is fine, and the style is also beautiful. King Liang must have consulted the Xianbei generals, and then sent people to make it and send it here.

Wang's slender fingers gently stroked it, and the sunlight shone on the ribbons and ornaments, emitting a shining golden light.

By the time she was done stroking it, the sadness on her face had dissipated a lot, and she was actually a little happy. Perhaps, the loneliness and fear she felt in a foreign country made her particularly like this kind of thing.

Wang carefully put away her riding hat and picked up the letter.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, hesitated for a long time, then opened her eyes and read carefully.

"Since the Yongjia period, there have been many disasters in all directions. Although we have achieved some peace, we still need to be prepared for the worst. As the saying goes, when you are safe, you should be prepared for the worst. Moreover, there have been disasters for years, and the fields have been left barren. For several months, there has been a major epidemic, and the people have been suffering from illness. The depletion of material resources is truly shocking; the hardship of human feelings is truly pitiful..."

"Yilu and Yiyi have long been loyal and have made many achievements. The court first gave them Xingbei, then Yanmen, and then Dai County. They were granted territory three times and given titles twice. The honors and favors they received were the highest and the lowest..."

"A king is based on benevolence and forgiveness. I have already stopped fighting and cultivated culture, and have been peaceful and inactive. However, when I was patrolling the border, the Xianbei came south, burned and looted cities, and maimed lives. The cruelty was shocking. I explained the consequences and dangers to the ruler, but he did not listen and insisted on his own way. He has already occupied Yandai and is planning to attack Jinyang. It is difficult to agree, so I fought with him..."

When reading this, Wang bit her lips subconsciously, feeling panic in her heart and a bit resentful on her face.

How could she not know who the "substitute master" was? It was her deceased husband.

King Liang said that he had originally intended to "lay down military power and cultivate culture", but it was his husband who insisted on going south, which led to the fighting.

Wang looked a little uncomfortable, but a voice suddenly popped up in her mind: King Liang is a gentle gentleman, and he didn't forget to give her gifts during the New Year. Maybe what he said is true...

Thinking of this, Wang put down the letter, covered her face, and felt full of resentment in her heart.

Perhaps, even she herself did not understand whether she blamed her husband for his fruitless journey south, which led to the tribe's rebellion and put them and their son in such a situation, or she blamed King Liang for beating her husband so hard that he lost all prestige and was eventually murdered.

She couldn't tell the difference.

After a long time, she picked up the letter again with trembling hands and continued reading.

"Now the residences are sufficient, famine is far away; the weapons are ready, and the soldiers are gathering. I regard Yanmen as an important town, the old land of Wuling, covering the mountains and rivers of Jin, and reassuring the hearts of the soldiers in Taiyuan. Therefore, you should comfort the soldiers, prepare the food and supplies carefully, personally hold the yellow axe, and lead the bears. Climb the West Xing and look at Pingcheng, drive the righteous army and save the country..."

"The sharp troops are driven by the wind, and the divine soldiers are swept by lightning. When the nest is overturned, no egg is left intact. Tuoba once served as a vassal and defeated the Xiongnu many times. Madam is beautiful and intelligent, and knows this old story. If you have the heart to revive it again, you may be able to recruit the scattered people and make them change their hearts and serve you. I am thinking of the old merits, and I have not been unable to revive the broken and continue the extinct, and preserve the friendship between the monarch and the ministers of the Jin Dynasty. This is all because of Madam..."

After reading this, for some reason, Wang suddenly burst into tears, and tears fell drop by drop onto the letter paper.

Her vision became increasingly blurry, and she finally could not hold on any longer and burst into tears at her desk.

All the previous fears seemed to have found an outlet in an instant.

It turned out that King Liang had not forgotten Shi Yijian, nor had he forgotten her.

At this time, she actually felt a little aggrieved.

Since he changed his mind because of her, why did he ignore it before?

Her mind was in a mess, with all kinds of thoughts flying around. In the end, she didn't know what she was thinking about, but she even blushed.

She hesitated for a long time, and finally stood up as if possessed by a ghost, took out the riding cap again, and stroked it gently.

(End of this chapter)