She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

In July, the scorching sun roasted all living things.

Compared to the grassland, the climate in Dachong Capital is still too hot.

At noon, both the horses and the casual people were as dejected as the drooping grass on the roadside.

"Rui Luo, how long will it take?" Hu Gui couldn't help it and asked as he lifted the curtain of the carriage.

Luo Ya had been complaining of dizziness and nausea since the morning. The car was filled with biscuits and milk cubes, and there was no tea or anything like that to relieve her discomfort.

He hadn't eaten anything until now and was lying drowsily on Ge Yun's lap.

Hu Gui felt sorry for his sister and had to rush to the city to find a doctor to see her.

Rui Luo was wearing a bamboo hat to block the sun. When he heard the call, he turned back slowly.

We have already traveled half the distance since leaving the post station. If we want to enter the city, we still need to walk another half. I am afraid we will not reach the capital until night.

Seeing the horses moving slower and slower and the warriors accompanying them being soaked in sweat, Rui Luo frowned worriedly.

The time for the agreed meeting was getting closer and closer. Although they set off quickly in Kezhou Sandao for fear of exposing their identities due to the large crowds in the area, Kezhou was a thousand miles away from the capital, and the journey was exhausting and everyone was on the verge of collapse.

I really miss the cool breeze and bright nights on the grassland.

Rui Luo took a sip of water and replied, "Little Prince, we are still halfway there. Do you want to stop and make some corrections? There seems to be a river ahead."

The river is the source of the capital's moat, flowing slowly out from the mountain gap. In the shade, it can somewhat reduce the summer heat.

"Okay, let's go there."

When the cold water splashed on Luoya's face, it collided with the drowsiness caused by the summer heat and suddenly woke her up.

"Well!"

Her hands were wet, and it was her brother who splashed water on her. It was Ge Yun who supported her with his arms.

Ge Yun was older than Luo Ya, and her body was bigger, so she was completely trapped in his arms. Seeing her brother's worried look, Luo Ya took a few deep breaths.

It was my first time in the Central Plains. The capital of Da Chong was so uncomfortable and unforgettable.

"How is it? Are you still feeling uncomfortable?" Hu Gui asked.

Luo Ya nodded. After the stimulation of the cold water wore off, the feeling of dizziness and weakness came back like a tide.

Just when I was worrying about what to do, the voice of an old man suddenly came from behind me.

"What's wrong with you little kids?" The old man was only wearing a thin linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his arms, straw sandals on his feet, and a shoulder pole on his shoulder.

The basket in front contained food, but the basket at the back was blocked and nothing could be seen clearly.

His hair was already gray and thinning, and was tied up on top of his head with a cloth. He looked honest and kind.

Hu Gui looked behind him again and saw an old woman of about the same age, also wearing a bamboo hat and holding two farm tools in her hands, one was flat and thin, the other was long and thin.

There is no farming on the grassland and farm tools are rarely seen. Hu Gui has only seen iron shovels for shoveling horse manure, so he guessed that these two people must be farmers from nearby.

"Oh, are you suffering from the heat?" The old woman came over and saw Luo Ya's red face. She felt sorry for her. "Poor you, it's so hot."

The old man was different. His eyes lingered on the three people, and then he looked at Rui Luo and others in the distance and asked, "Are you not from the Da Chong clan? What are you doing all the way here?"

Although the group had changed into Han Chinese attire, their different looks were difficult to disguise, especially Ge Yun's brown curly hair and green eyes.

The bloodline of the Louqi people is more obviously different than that of Youbei and the Central Plains.

Hu Gui stood up, brushed off his clothes, and saluted, "Old man, we are the Hu merchants who followed the shopkeeper to Da Chong for business. This is my brother and the shopkeeper's daughter. The journey is too long and the weather is too hot. We can't stand it anymore. Let's take a rest here for a while."

Seeing that the young man was well-behaved and polite, the old man nodded in understanding.

"You are so lucky. I don't know why it is so rainy in the capital this year. It is rainy all the time in April and we need to wrap ourselves up in thick clothes. And in summer, it is scorching hot. The heaven is so cruel." The old man looked back at his wife and said, "Take out the drink and share it with them."

The old woman responded and took out a large jar from the front of her shoulder pole. She opened the lid and a strange smell emanated from it.

Rui Luo had been looking over here and walked over curiously.

"What kind of medicinal soup is this?" Hu Gui asked when he saw that the soup in the pot was very dark in color and had a bitter and complicated smell.

The old woman took a bamboo ladle, filled a bowl and handed it to Luo Ya first, "You don't know this, we usually call it Yinzi, it's actually a herbal tea made from herbs that clear away heat and relieve summer heat. Put it in the well to cool it down, and take it with you to work in Longshan to drink, and you won't get a heat stroke if you drink it."

Luo Ya reached out to take it. Ge Yun's eyes were fixed on the bowl of "drink". He snatched it away halfway and drank it all in one gulp.

This time, not only Luo Ya was stunned, but even Hu Gui beside her was stunned.

The old woman laughed cheerfully, "Why, are you still worried about poison? We'll all drink this!"

This sentence reminded Hu Gui. He looked at Ge Yun again and suddenly felt that he had overlooked something.

There was still brown tea dripping from the corner of Ge Yun's mouth. He wiped it casually with his sleeve. His pair of deep and bottomless green eyes were also looking at Hu Gui.

Everyone drank the old woman's drink. After a while, Luo Ya recovered and was no longer weak. She regained some vitality.

She took off her shoes, rolled up her clothes and played in the river.

From time to time, she would scoop up a handful of water and splash it at Ge Yun beside her. He would let her do it. At most, some water got into his eyes, causing him to squint.

Hu Gui sat far away under a tree, looking at his sister.

The old woman and the old man also came here to rest during the farming off-season, so they sat next to Hu Gui and chatted with each other. "Brother, are you attracted to the daughter of the shopkeeper?" The old man asked with a smile, taking a sip of his drink.

Hu Gui turned back suddenly, "How could it be?"

He subconsciously refuted this statement.

Ge Yun should not and could not get close to his sister for this reason.

Lou Qi blamed You Bei for the destruction of his country. There was a blood feud between them. Ge Yun went to You Bei as a hostage. All his actions were justified.

"Of course not." The old woman looked surprised. "I think you and the little girl are more like brother and sister. You are also the son of the shopkeeper, right? Your sister is still young, so it's natural for you, as a brother, to not accept it."

Hu Gui, who was exposed, rubbed his hair embarrassedly, "But she is still young."

"Not young anymore!" The old woman waved her hands. "In our Central Plains, this is called childhood sweethearts. In a few years, when the little girl is mature and attractive, we can get her engaged!"

Hu Gui was a virgin and did not quite understand the meaning of love between men and women. His master taught him many poems about love between men and women in the Central Plains, but he seemed to understand them, as they were too subtle.

After what happened today, I realized that people in the Central Plains are not all about red tape.

But what he is more worried about now is Luo Ya.

What if Ge Yun approaches her with some intention to hurt her and she doesn't know anything? What should she do?

He only has this one sister. She should grow up carefree and marry the person she loves.

The old man waved a palm-leaf fan, as if he could see through his thoughts, and said leisurely, "As one drinks the water, one knows whether it is hot or cold. How do you know that they are not in love with each other?"

"Oh, right." Hu Gui changed the subject, remembering something serious. "You two live in the suburbs of the capital. You are old. Why do you still have to do things like working in the fields yourself?"

Speaking of this, the old woman stopped smiling and let out a long sigh.

"The taxes are high. The agricultural tax has increased by 20% this year. We can hardly make ends meet. I grow a few acres of wheat at home. Both of my sons have been conscripted to serve His Majesty in the palace. They haven't been home for a year. We are the only two old men who can go to work. Otherwise, we will be arrested if we can't pay the taxes."

Hu Gui had already learned about the Emperor Chonghuang's construction of a temporary palace from the reports of his spies.

It stands to reason that it is not against the will of heaven for an emperor to build a temporary palace to live in. Even his father had multiple royal tents.

If the national treasury is well-off and people live a stable life, there is no need to levy taxes to build a temporary palace.

According to the old woman, the tax was increased by 20% again, which meant that it was not the first time the tax was increased. Moreover, even farmers had to conscript men to do hard labor, which meant one thing.

Da Chong has neither money nor people.

So, can the rewards for this year be distributed? If the Emperor Chong couldn't afford the rewards, why did he summon You Bei here?

After saying goodbye to the old man and his wife, I returned home with a heavy heart.

Half of it was because of Luoya, and half of it was because of the new emperor’s purpose.

For the first time ever, Hu Gui let Luo Ya out of the carriage, allowed her to sit on the horse, and took her away by himself.

This way Ge Yun won't stay with her, Hu Gui thought.

"What are you moving? Be careful not to fall!" Luo Ya kept leaning forward, and Hu Gui scolded her.

"...Brother, are you really not hot?"

"I want to take a carriage."

Luo Ya looked listless, like a hungry lamb.

Suddenly returned: "..."

When the news reached Chong'an Hall, Shen Lang was holding his little beauty, whose body was covered with red marks, and listening to the report from the Ministry of Rites through the screen.

"This... Your Majesty?" There was no reply for a long while. Seeing that the minister was hesitant to speak, Xue Ping reminded him.

The little beauty was sent by Jin Feng. She was chosen based on Chen Zhaoying's appearance. She had skin as white as cream and beautiful eyebrows. Although her appearance was similar to Chen Zhaoying's, her bone structure was far inferior to Chen Zhaoying's.

In the entire court, only Jin Feng dared to defy the will of the world, blasphemed the late queen, and helped Shen Lang to insult his sister-in-law.

The little beauty's skin was twisted under Shen Lang's fingers, and soon it turned black and blue.

Because there was someone outside the screen, she dared not make a sound. She had to endure the pain, frowning and with red eyes.

This is what Shen Lang wanted to see.

When Chen Zhaoying knelt and begged him to let Xuancheng go, she also had a reluctant and bitter face.

"Come if you want to. Ask the Honglu Temple to find an inn to arrange for you. Don't arrange an audience unless necessary." Feeling relieved, Shen Lang threw the woman in his arms away, walked out of the screen with his robe loose, and slumped in the chair like a boneless person.

"Yes." This matter was no longer under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites, but the Ministry of Rites had to risk their lives to ask about the reward. "Your Majesty, I would like to ask the Ministry of Revenue for the reward for You Bei. They said they can't afford so much money..."

"Who said I'm going to give you money?" Shen Lang suddenly raised his voice, "Why haven't those rubbish we sent out found Xuancheng yet?"

"Your Majesty means..."

Shen Lang looked teasing.

"What do you say?"

(End of this chapter)