She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

Both parties were puzzled and kept silent at the same time.

The guards at the city gate saw that this was clearly the general Li Chongxuan who came to take charge, so they dared not question or stop him. So they did not wait for the Ma family to arrive, and treated Ah's party as guests and let them into the city gate along with Li Chongxuan.

Ah-yi looked at the sky and said to Zheng Da, "I want to talk to the general. Why don't you go to the Ma family first and I will come over later."

Zheng Da hesitated, fearing that a war was about to break out and the city was unsafe. But Ah-yi had her own reasons for doing things, and it was not right to stop her, and it would be considered overstepping the boundaries, so he nodded and agreed.

Yunli was also worried.

Ah-yi gently stroked her shoulder and said, "It's okay, go ahead. Li Chongxuan is the garrison commander, the city gates are under martial law, it's not a tense time yet."

Although there were few people on the street and many families had already closed their doors and started to seek shelter, I still managed to catch a few people and ask them for directions.

A'an looked at the group of people going away, then turned around.

Li Chongxuan stood solemnly in front of her in his armor, his whole body covered with the coldness of the border sandstorm. The temperature dropped even at noon.

"It's been a long time since we parted in Kezhou, General." Ah'ao smiled faintly and bowed her head obediently as a greeting.

Li Chongxuan looked her up and down.

I should have known that since this little girl ran away from the capital, there would be constant trouble along the way. First, last year in Kezhou, the Jinwu Guards captured her with great fanfare. After returning to the palace, I heard that she was sent to repair the roof beams for the emperor, which was simply unheard of.

Then there was the even more spectacular escape from marriage, or the emperor personally broke into the palace. The couple turned the capital upside down, and the emperor is said to be still in a coma and seriously ill.

That is to say, the prestige of the emperor today is not high, and the people's support is not high. Such a thing of contempt for the emperor's authority was actually written into a storybook and spread among the young ladies, which was inappropriate.

I didn't expect to meet you here.

But her identity could not be made public, so Li Chongxuan did not respond. He just led her to follow him and entered the city wall together.

A'ao followed behind him, and from the look on her face just now, it could be seen that Li Chongxuan was quite dissatisfied with her for escaping from marriage again.

He was in Yuanzhou, far away from the emperor. Unless he saw it with his own eyes, he would never understand whether the capital was turned upside down by her or whether it was already on the verge of collapse.

Military generals are brave and loyal, and will not easily betray their monarchs. Moreover, Li Chongxuan's character is like this, so it is not surprising that he can make such a judgment.

The adjutant brought the map, and Li Chongxuan stood on the city wall, inspecting the surrounding terrain while checking the map.

If it is as the scouts reported, we will have to fight with Youbei's army sooner or later, either tonight or tomorrow.

Ah'an stood beside him and her eyes looked up involuntarily.

Changguan is the pass of Yuanzhou. Because of the terrain, Changguan is located in the northeast of Yuanzhou City, and Yuanzhou is more southwest. The obstruction of Changguan and Qingxian is a natural barrier for Yuanzhou City.

Changguan is a county town at the foot of the mountain, with mountains on both sides, one is the extension of Wuling Mountain, and the other is Lianying Mountain in Yuanzhou. The two mountains spread further south, becoming closer and narrower, with a river in the middle, flowing south through Yuanzhou.

This kind of terrain is fan-shaped, which is relatively advantageous for frontal combat, but once the enemy chooses to hide on the mountain, the people in the city will be in danger.

In addition to defending the main city of Yuanzhou behind them, they also had to defend the people in the city. If the people were in trouble, who would they be defending an empty city for?

Li Chongxuan remained silent. For the first time, he was at a loss as to how to deal with the current battle situation.

Because it had never been thought that the Youbei people would not attack from Kezhou, but would take the long and arduous route to the northwest. Moreover, there were high mountains in the northwest, and it would be too costly to cross the mountains, so Yuanzhou had been on the defensive, ready to assist Kezhou at any time.

But who would have thought that this time they would change their tactics and start from Qing County, which was considered a surprise attack. In addition, Qing County surrendered to the enemy, so naturally they quickly captured the city and the pond. Now only Changguan was left in the two important towns.

How to defend, minimize losses, and win is an even more difficult problem.

Ah'ao saw through his dilemma.

Not all military commanders are omnipotent. Heng Qi was good at turning defense into offense in Kezhou, which was also forced by the situation. Although Yuanzhou is a border, it has rarely fought due to its terrain, so it is also good at defense.

Moreover, after years of defending, people have become conservative and avoid fighting. But the current Changguan must be broken in exchange for a glimmer of hope, so it will be useless to defend it any longer, and the situation will only get worse.

Li Chongxuan's difficulty was that he didn't know how to attack.

The city has limited food and supplies, and behind it is the hinterland of Yuanzhou. If Yuanzhou is captured, the next step is Pingzhou. Once Pingzhou is passed, they will head straight for the capital.

Success or failure depends on this one move. The more the arrow is on the string and has to be shot, the more we dare not act rashly.

His eyes fell on the mountains on both sides, and he hesitated to move forward.

Ah-yi looked at the mountains and said inconspicuously, "It's a good idea to lure the enemy deep into our territory and turn defense into offense."

Li Chongxuan turned around suddenly, and even the adjutant behind him looked at A'ao with surprise.

"What do you mean by this?"

He is pretending to be ignorant even though he knows the truth, Ah'ao sneered.

What can he do if he is not brave enough to take responsibility? He is hesitant and timid. Just for this reason, it is impossible for Li Chongxuan to start a rebellion in his life.

Ah-yi pointed at two cliffs on the map and said, "These two mountains may seem high and dangerous, but in fact, they are high in the middle and low on both sides. It is very easy to climb up and ambush. However, we cannot do such an easy thing, but the Youbei people can do it easily."

It is open to the outside and narrow inside, so whoever is outside will benefit.

"But the mountain is here, you don't have to be unwilling. If you want to get out of this predicament, you have to take risks, and you are afraid of taking risks." Ah'an frankly told the following situation, and her words were as light as the wind and drifted in the air. Li Chongxuan had to look at her differently.

"Ah's son, you know all this. I really underestimated you." Li Chongxuan's face softened and he even smiled. Ever since Kezhou's not-so-peaceful conversation, Li Chongxuan consciously changed his address.

Even if he didn't want people to know Ah's identity, he was protecting her invisibly.

Otherwise, the cause of the war is right before our eyes, and it is hard to say whether anyone in the entire army would want to hand over the person directly to vent their anger.

"Besides, what are you doing in Yuanzhou during this period of chaos and war?"

This is finally the first question I ask since we met.

Ah-yi took out the letter from her sleeve and explained, "The elder of the Ma family in Changguan City is seriously ill, so I came to help the host family prepare for the funeral. If it weren't for the quick arrival of You Beiren, I'm afraid it would take another day or two to arrive."

Li Chongxuan read the letter carefully, but said something that A'ao didn't expect.

"I do know about this matter, and it really has something to do with you." Li Chongxuan handed it back to her, "This old man Ma is also quite famous among the literati. He has been ill for the past month and it is difficult for him to recover. His family has already informed relatives and friends in advance that the old man wants to give away his few private collections. Among them is Huai Chengbai, who used to be the chief priest. He should be at Ma's house today."

"Mr. Huai!" Ah's eyes widened when she heard the voice. "I thought he was traveling around the world and it would be hard to find him anymore."

It has been so long since we last met. Ah-yi recalled with regret that her memory of his voice and appearance had begun to blur.

I don’t know if it was the wind or my rising emotions, but my eyes felt hot and my nose felt sore, so I took a deep breath.

"I see." She calmed down. "I came here at the risk of my life. I have no intention of leaving except to do business. If there are things that I should take responsibility for, I will do it without hesitation. The general's ideas are naturally very comprehensive. If there are risks that you cannot afford, just let Ah-yi do it."

She raised her head, her hair brushed against her cheeks, and her bright eyes were firm and bright.

Li Chongxuan just watched the sunlight pouring down on her like a piece of armor.

She was very different from when she was at the wedding ceremony in Kezhou. Although she was thinner, she looked more like a tree that could not be crushed by wind and frost, rather than the flower he had always believed she was.

Li Chongxuan neither agreed nor refused, but just asked her to go about her business first.

The woman disappeared from the tower, and reappeared on the street a moment later, walking briskly at first, and then almost running.

Li Chongxuan then vaguely remembered that the little princess and Huai Chengbai seemed not only to know each other, but also to be her enlightenment mentor.

The leaves in the forest are still, and the birds are singing in the warm sun.

Before the storm comes, this is the only peaceful corner left.

A white flag was hung high in front of Ma’s house.

The lanterns were replaced with ones with the word "Diān" in their shape, and even the two stone sculptures guarding the gate were wrapped in white cloth.

Ah'ao sighed and thought that she was still a little late.

When the servant saw her, he put down his work and hurried over to ask, "Madam, are you here to pay your respects? Please come in."

Ah-yi shook her head. "I am the shopkeeper of Shui Changdong in Kezhou. I am here to handle the funeral."

The servant nodded repeatedly. It was obvious that he had been working for a long time and was a little exhausted. He still courteously invited Ah-yi in and said, "Madam, please come this way."

The Ma house is not big. It was just that Mr. Ma’s son, who is now an official, had some savings and borrowed money from the temple to buy this house.

Walking around the corridor with screen wall, we saw many people gathered in the courtyard. I guess this courtyard was where the body was kept.

Ah'ao straightened her clothes and was about to step inside when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"It's been a long time since we last met. Our Ah-yi has become even more beautiful than before."

A'ao looked back and saw Huai Chengbai, dressed in plain clothes and waving a fan, standing at the end of the corridor, looking at her with a smile.

The closer I get to home, the more timid I feel. I dare not ask the people who come to visit me. The old saying is true.

For a long while, Ah'ao didn't say a word.

Huai Chengbai came over, wiped away the tears on her face, and said angrily, "Are you really here to pay your respects? My master is still alive. You should go in and cry later."

After seven years of separation, Ah-yi opened her mouth, but her voice had already unconsciously choked up, "How did you become so old?"

Huai Chengbai's temples are all gray, and he really looks like an old man over fifty years old. There are layers of wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his smile is full of kindness.

He touched Ah-yi's forehead with his fan and taught her a lesson, "You are rude. I won't call you Master anymore."

Only then did A'ao burst into laughter.

The road ahead is long. When Huai Chengbai left, he said, no one can be together forever. All knowledge has been passed on. As for life, one has to explore it on his own.

Years have passed, and I don't know if I have disappointed him.

Huai Chengbai seemed to see through her thoughts and said slowly, "When the master was away, Ah's life was also very thrilling."

He actually knew?
(End of this chapter)