Mountains and rivers pray for peace

Chapter 24 Eventful Autumn
As the battle turns and the stars move, autumn is getting stronger.

In a blink of an eye, it was October 25th, and Daqi's triennial autumn hunt was finally brought up.

Because Huo Qi was going to Dongyanling today, Wang got up early.

The son travels thousands of miles and the mother is worried, and now it is an eventful time, Wang doesn't agree with Huo Qi's going to those right and wrong places, but he can't get rid of Huo Qi's stubborn temper.

In addition, it was rare for Huo Qi to be coquettish with her and beg for mercy. Wang said she was not happy, but she still took care of Huo Qi carefully.There are many kinds of food prepared, and a few big cloaks are stuffed. In this late autumn, it is enough to keep out the cold.

Of course, in order to ensure Huo Qi's safety, the Wang family also ordered a dozen of the best kung fu servants in the mansion to accompany him all the way to escort Huo Qi to Dongyanling safely.

Everything was ready, and it was time to set off. A large group of people set off from the Duke Ning's Mansion, causing the nearby people to take a peek when they saw the battle.

From the capital to Dongyanling, it takes about three hours. Although the journey is long, but fortunately, the scenery along the way is beautiful and will not be boring.

Although Tingyu and Lefeng grew up with Huo Qi, it was the first time they went out with Huo Qi.The two servant girls lifted the veil of the car and looked at the scenery outside, their eyes could not stop being excited, even if they saw a wild goose by chance, they would pester Huo Qi and babble a lot.

Tingyu couldn't help but be curious: "Miss, what is this autumn hunting for?"

"Autumn hunting is a rule created by Emperor Jing Xiao, the founding emperor of Daqi, and it is held every three years. On the first day, a sacrificial ceremony is held to pray for God's blessings and safety. On the second day, the official hunting is held, and the princes will go deep into Dongyanling to hunt animals. , the prince with the most prey will be rewarded by His Majesty." Huo Qi thought for a moment.

Although Huo Qi said it was serious, it was also the first time for a big girl to sit in a bridal sedan chair.Qiu Yu's question aroused her curiosity about autumn hunting.

"Wouldn't it be possible to see the heroic figures of the princes hunting? I heard that all the highnesses in the palace are brave and good at riding!" Lingfeng said with a smile.

"It shouldn't be possible. The female relatives are all waiting for news outside Dongyan Ridge, and they probably won't see it." Huo Qi shook his head, seeking truth from facts.

"Does that mean you can eat roasted venison? I have only heard people talk about the deliciousness of venison, but I have never tasted it myself." Ting Yu said.

Huo Qi could only nod, and couldn't help but laugh in his heart.

Time flew by as they chatted and laughed on the carriage. By the time the three of them reacted, the setting sun outside the carriage curtain had dyed the sky blood-red, and the autumn hunting camp was already in front of them.

The camp is stationed at the foot of Dongyanling Mountain, less than a few miles away from the entrance of Dongyanling.This place is surrounded by mountains, and being inside makes people feel quite insignificant.Huo Qi and the two maids were all wearing green shirts. From a distance, they looked like a beautiful touch of blue in the deep valley.

Huo Qi was helped out of the carriage by Liang Feng and looked around at the surroundings out of habit.

Looking around, there are dozens of tents of about the same size in sight, presumably where the princes, ministers and their families stayed.

The tooth tent in the middle is hung with a flag and occupies the largest area. It is obviously the tent where Emperor Xiaowen and several concubines stayed.Outside each tent, there are two soldiers standing guard.From time to time, there were several teams of soldiers interspersed and patrolling, watching every move around them vigilantly, which showed how much the royal family attached importance to this hunt.

It was dusk now, and it was the wilderness. If it weren't for the blazing bonfire outside the tent and the boiling voices, the girls would feel a little flustered alone in Dongyanling.

Tingyu tightened his collar and looked around. The excitement just now had disappeared, and he became cautious: "Girl, where are we going now?"

"Don't worry, wait patiently for a while, Mrs. Luo will come to pick us up." Huo Qi patted Tingyu's head.

The Mrs. Luo mentioned by Huo Qi is actually Ning Hui, the daughter of the old master.Ning's husband is the cavalry general Luo Wen, who has been guarding the local area for a long time. He only returned to the capital at the end of the year. Ning has always stayed at her parents' home, walking around in her free time, quite free and easy. Naturally, she is also indispensable for royal events such as autumn hunting. Come and watch the fun.

Said that Cao Cao Cao Cao arrived.

But after a while, I only heard a hearty voice not far away, which made people feel warm.

"Qi girl, you are here!"

Huo Qi followed the sound and saw Ning walking towards her.She was wearing a narrow-sleeved riding outfit, and her black hair was neatly tied behind her back with a bamboo hairpin.Different from the ordinary women's clothes at the last Qiu Ju Banquet, Ning's outfit has the aura of a heroic woman. She looks heroic and has an unconventional heroic spirit.

After a while of sizing up, Ning Shi has already walked in front of her eyes.

Huo Qi came back to his senses, blessed his body, and greeted Ning: "Hello, Mrs. Luo."

Ning walked two steps closer, took Huo Qi's hand, and looked around Huo Qi's body. For some reason, this kind of scrutiny did not offend people, but made people feel a little shy.Then he said with a hearty smile: "Sure enough! Your mother was a beauty when she was young. If you follow her, you will be beautiful too! She is much better than your father!"

Tingyu next to him couldn't help but laugh after hearing this. He didn't know what the old man thought when he heard these words. The old man had always said that his girl had followed him.

"Ms. Luo's praise." Huo Qi smiled slightly.

The more Ning looked at her, the happier she became, and she said kindly: "Your mother and I have been friends for many years, why do you still have such a strange name for this girl, why don't you just call me Aunt Hui."

"Aunt Hui." Huo Qi was quite obedient.

Not to mention the friendship between Ning Hui and Wang Shi, as soon as she saw Ning Hui, she felt that she hit it off, so she called Ning Hui more affectionately, and it didn't make people feel uncomfortable.

Ning Hui smiled and led her to the tent, and was busy telling her: "I have arranged a tent for you in advance, right next to my tent. This will make it easier to look after you. If there is anything, It's okay, just come and find me."

Ning Hui thought it right, she really liked Huo Qi as a girl, and she had no children under her knees, so she treated Huo Qi as her own daughter.

Huo Qi nodded and agreed.

The four turned around along the path, and finally stopped in front of a tent several people high in the southeast corner.

The thick sheepskin hanging at the door, and the hunting wind hit the sheepskin, making a low "wow" sound.Open it and walk in, you can see a pear wood bed covered with suede, with a small sandalwood table in the middle, and a pot of rice wine has been simmering on the table, presumably for the purpose of dispelling the cold.

Inside the tent.

Huo Qi took off his cloak, skillfully poured two glasses of rice wine, and chatted with Ning Hui.Ning Hui and Wang Shi can be regarded as best friends, so naturally they also love Huo Qi, and said some considerate words.

But it didn't take long before Ning suddenly raised her hand to let the two maids who were packing their bags back down. The brisk and pretty face disappeared, and changed to a serious expression, which made people pay attention to what she was going to do next. the words said.

"Girl Qi, since Aqin has entrusted you to me, I have to give you a few words."

Huo Qi took a sip of rice wine, "Aunt Hui, but it's okay."

"If you had been hunting this autumn in previous years, you wouldn't have been too nervous. At most, there were so many people and you had to be careful when speaking. But this year, I'm afraid there will be dangers all around and there will be no peace." A rare hint of worry appeared on Ning Hui's brows. color.

"Oh? But why?" Huo Qi became interested.

Ning Hui looked at the door of the tent, then pricked up her ears to listen to the movement outside. She seemed to be sure that no one was nearby, so she lowered her voice and said, "I shouldn't have said so much to a little girl like you, but I'm afraid that you will be If someone else uses it to make a raft, you still have to be aware of it."

"This round of hunting may involve the dispute of the crown prince." Ning Hui paused, pondered over and over again, and finally said it.

"I once heard from my father that in the past years, His Majesty would reward the prince with the most abundant prey. But at best, he would only give some jewels. It is not a rare thing. How can it be involved in the battle for the throne?"

Huo Qi knew that this matter was not as simple as it appeared on the surface, but he still sold some gaps between words to guide Ning Hui to continue talking.

Ning Hui hesitated, and whispered: "In June of this year, some people spread rumors that a black lion and auspicious beast appeared in Dongyan Ling. The Great Master Yuanjing predicted that the black lion is a sign of auspiciousness. The person who hunted the black lion this time The prince, you should be the candidate for the prince who is a sign from heaven."

"How can you believe the theory of ghosts and gods?" Huo Qi disagreed.

But then she thought about it, the world was created by chance and harmony.I am reborn, so is the legend of this black lion auspicious beast definitely true?
Seeing that Huo Qi didn't seem to take it seriously, Ning Hui continued to take the trouble and said: "This prophecy, it doesn't count if anyone believes it, only if His Majesty believes it. Those highnesses in the palace have made a perfect plan this time, and each one is bound to win. Next It is extremely unpredictable. For the next two days, you can just stay in this camp to see the scenery. As long as you don’t enter Dongyan Ridge, you won’t have any problems.”

Huo Qi nodded and listened to the words.

A moment of silence.

Huo Qi revealed the real purpose of coming to Dongyan Ridge this time: "Huo Qi still wants to ask Aunt Hui about someone."

"Who?" Ning Hui took a sip of rice wine and twisted her eyebrows.

"Is Ningyuan General Cui Xin here? If it's convenient, can Aunt Hui lead me to meet him?"

"What do you want him for?" Ning Hui asked suspiciously.

"It's not a big deal. It's just that the second brother in the family admires General Cui very much and asked me to tell him." Huo Qi hesitated, but felt a chill in her heart. If she didn't want to find a high-sounding reason, she would not tell him. The name Huo Chi was on his lips.

Ning Hui did not doubt that there was him, and thought for a while: "It's strange to say that I came early today, but I haven't seen General Cui. I'm afraid I was summoned by His Majesty. Although we don't need to meet with His Majesty today, General Cui is You have to serve in front of His Majesty."

"That's it." Huo Qi nodded.

Back and forth, the two chatted for an hour unknowingly, until it was almost time for bed before they dispersed in a hurry.After Ning Hui left, the originally noisy voices outside the tent had subsided into silence.

The bright moon is in the sky, and the night is all around.

Huo Qi lifted the sheepskin at the door of the tent, poked his head out and looked around, and found that there was no one around except for the little soldiers who had just changed shifts at the door.This little soldier stood upright, wearing thin armor, if he could not hear the sound of breathing, he would have thought it was a statue.

Huo Qi patted Xiaobing's shoulder and put it close: "Brother, are you cold?"

Xiaobing: "..."

Not on set?
Another move.

Huo Qi changed his mind and pretended to be a nymphomaniac: "I heard that General Cui is majestic and heroic. I came here specially to see why I haven't seen General Cui today."

She was a little embarrassed in her heart, after living two lifetimes, they are almost 40 years old together, and she still has to learn the tricks of an ignorant little girl who is a nympho.

But this trick worked unexpectedly.

Coincidentally, that soldier was one of Cui Xin's men.

He was a little wary, but it was obvious that Huo Qi was a little girl of fifteen or sixteen years old, and he praised Cui Xin to himself. He thought that she liked his general, so he didn't shy away from saying a few more words: " Girl, General Cui has entered Dongyanling a long time ago, and I'm afraid he won't come back tonight. Even if you see through the moon tonight, you still can't hope to return to General Cui, so you'd better give up."

"So that's it, I'm bothering my brother."

Huo Qi also heard the hidden meaning of Xiao Bing's words, so he had no choice but to touch his nose and retract his tent.

For the first time pretending to be a nympho, it was a bit difficult for her.

After getting the answer he wanted to know, Huo Qi closed the sheepskin curtain, turned around and threw himself on the bed.Recalling the conversation with Ning Hui tonight, she always felt that things were not simple.

Although Cui Xin was the general garrison for this autumn hunt, but he came so many days in advance, why is he still stuck in Dongyan Ridge and has not returned for a long time.Logically speaking, Emperor Xiaowen is already in the camp at this moment, Cui Xin is not in the camp to protect Emperor Xiaowen's safety, how could he completely disappear?

Her main purpose this time is to find Cui Xin and persuade him to dispatch troops to save Huo Xian.Unexpectedly, she chased all the way, and seeing Cui Xin was as difficult as ever.But if she can't see Cui Xin, she will be in vain.

We must find a reliable way to meet Cui Xin.

　Completely stand-alone (sigh

　　
　
(End of this chapter)