Chapter 138: Zhang Mai’s marriage 2

When he heard that Special Envoy Zhang was going to hold a wedding with Wei Xi, Shi Ba also ran away and said, "Envoy, why don't I get married that day." Zhang Maiyiqi: "Have you got married too?"

Shiba nodded embarrassedly.

"Which daughter is it?" Zhang Mai asked.

"It's Abul's sister." Shiba said.

Zhang Mai laughed: "Not bad, you married a rich second generation."

Shi Ba asked blankly: "What is a rich second generation?"

Zhang Mai smiled and said, "That's your wife."

However, there are more than three of them. There are almost hundreds of soldiers and generals who are about to hold their wedding in the city. It turns out that there are many bachelors in the Tang army in Anxi. But after Vardan's slaughter, there are countless widows in Shule City. The men have been long-lasting, the women have new widows, and some enthusiastic people like Wang Er's sister-in-law have joined forces to hold weddings all over the city and get married every day.

After Zhang Mai heard about it, he simply said that those who are willing can hold this marriage together and be the groom together on the day of his marriage.

After the news came out, the whole city caused a sensation. In less than a half day, more than 100 people came to join in the fun. There were twenty-three generals and soldiers above the level of the team. Although it was cold and the ground was frozen, the Shule was full of spring.

Now the mountains are covered with heavy snow. The northwest and northeast places where Shule are entered are guarded soldiers, and they are at least two or three hundred miles away from Shule. If you see wolf smoke, you will definitely have enough time to prepare for defense, so Guo Luo and others will all handle the wedding with peace of mind.

After Xi Sheng decided to marry, he sent a lot of cloth and silk for Elena to cut clothes, including two sets of ready-made clothes. Elena transferred half of cloth and a set of ready-made clothes to Shanya. Shanya took it and saw that the clothes seemed familiar, but it turned out to be her own thing. After Shule changed hands, it was searched by the Tang army and became a spoil. This time Xi Sheng was going to get married, and Hu Cao ordered to give a reward, which was among them. After turning around, it came to Shanya again.

She saw the objects and thoughts were surging in her heart. But Ilena didn't notice that she had already walked out of her sadness and was trying on it with another set of clothes. She asked Shanya: "Girl, do you think this dress fits? Do you think it's better to do another set, or just use this set? If you want to do another set, I don't know if it's time to do it." After asking a few words, she saw Shanya being dumb and tears were hanging on her cheeks, and hurried over and asked, "Girl, what's wrong?"

Shanya wiped her tears and said, "No, nothing, I just miss my brother." Suddenly, she grabbed Ilena's hand: "Sister, can you do me a favor? Let Xi Duwei help me, I want to meet my brother."

Ilena lived with her for more than a month, and had known about her. She sighed and said, "Okay, I'll tell you when he comes. Don't worry, although your brother is a believer of the demon Valdan, he didn't kill anyone when he was Tushita. Not only did he kill someone, but he also tried to dissuade Valdan, the big devil, and even got locked up - all the soldiers and civilians in the city know this. Now the people of Shule are naturally the envoy Zhang and Yang Duwei who saved everyone from fire. Thank you Tang Jun, but they are also a little grateful to your brother. Tang Jun is also an army that cares about the hearts of the people. I don't think they will make things difficult for your brother."

With the help of Xi Sheng, Shanya finally found out about her brother's whereabouts, but she was not in the city, but went to build canals and dams outside the city.

After the public trial meeting, Zhang Mai, in accordance with the decision of the Military Account Conference of the Great Protectorate, demoted the 22,000 prisoners of war who helped the evil and did not commit suicide to slaves, including 8,000 strong men, and formed two battalions, called "Zhuangnuying". Xi Sheng told Shanya that her brother Xue Fu is now in the second strong slave camp.

Shanya said angrily: "Zhuangnuying? My brother did not participate in the massacre, so why was he demoted to Zhuangnuying?"

"Don't be so angry." Xi Sheng said: "It's not that we demoted him to Zhuangnu Camp, but that he was going to go by himself. After Tianfang Temple opened the door to surrender, Special Envoy Zhang went to see him and persuaded him to surrender, but he saw that he was ashamed. Not only did he refuse to surrender, he even didn't want to stay in the city. Instead, he wanted to live with the subordinates of the Sweat and Blood Cavalry Corps who were demoted to slaves. Therefore, Special Envoy Zhang had no choice. I was also by my side at that time. This was something I saw with my own eyes. We had no intention of abuse, but he gave up on himself, so we had no choice."

Shanya felt sad again when she heard this, and said, "Brother Xi, please help me no matter what. I want to see my brother."

Xi Sheng said: "Your brother is repairing the dam canal, and it is very dangerous there. Why not wait until the spring is coming next year and I will arrange for you to meet your brother."

Shanya refused and said, "No, I'm going now! If I can't see him safe and sound, I will be unable to sleep or eat. Please! Brother Xi."

Xi Sheng was moved by her brother-sister relationship and agreed. He has now been promoted to the commander and his reputation has become famous. This matter is not difficult for him. After two days of activity, he received a reply and sent two subordinates to escort Shanya out of the city. Yilena sent it to the city gate and reminded: "Sister, go early and come back early. If Prince Xue is safe, remember to rush back to attend my wedding. Sister is waiting for you to comb my hair."

Shanya traveled south and gradually grew higher. Over the past month, Yang Dingguo and Faxin, Wen Suhai have pulled 20,000 strong people, 8,000 strong slaves and 3,000 soldiers to repair the canal dam according to the previous plan of the Jokhang Temple. What I am afraid of is that the snow is too heavy. If the temperature changes violently in spring, it will cause melting snow floods and cause disasters.

Although the altitude here is not as high as the Geluoling Pass, under such weather, the major project cannot be started at all. It can only be repaired on the original basis. More than 30,000 people and 50,000 horses carry the stone and soil bit by bit, and it has to be started while the wind and snow stops. This is a project that benefits the people, and it is related to the harvest of the coming year, so the enthusiasm of the 20,000 people is very high.

Shanya rushed to the mountain and met someone to inquire. As soon as she inquire, she found out.

"Prince of Sweat and Blood, he is in front. You can find him by walking along this canal. Although he is a slave, he is also a celebrity, and everyone recognizes him."

Shanya heard these Tang Min farmers who called "The Prince of Sweat and Blood" and seemed quite kind. She wondered in her heart, so she asked the reason. A farmer laughed and said, "The Prince of Sweat and Blood is a good person. Not to mention that after going up the mountain, the eight thousand strong slaves had no energy. He told the slaves that the construction of canal dams is a great thing for the people and a great thing. We are all sinners, and doing this is a redeemable sin. He also took the lead in working hard, and almost died on the mountain several times. His old subordinates also followed him to fight for his life. At least three or four thousand strong slaves were moved by him. Now that the fortifications are progressing so smoothly, he has made great contributions."

Shanya heard about her brother's affairs and felt a sense of pride in her heart, thinking: "Even if my brother is in the slave group, he will still make a name for himself!"

I walked up the canal. This canal was a relic of the Sui Dynasty. It has been unknown how many years since Shule fell into the Hulu, and the Huhus had been destroyed and built in less, so this canal was abandoned. Therefore, it has been disrepaired over time. According to the plan of the Jokhang Temple, if it is really necessary to establish a foundation that will last for thousands of years, it will have to be rebuilt, expand the channels, and build high canal dams. Such a project is extremely expensive, and it will take action in the summer. At present, it can only be repaired on the original basis.

Shanya walked for half an hour, and it was almost dusk, and saw a large group of people gathering there, surrounding an old man. The old man was Yang Dingguo, the deputy arch-master of Anxi of the Tang army. A young man said to him: "I heard from Master Faxin that the snow in recent years has fallen more than before, and is more than twice as high as in previous years! If the weather gradually warms up in the next spring, the snow slowly melts, and the river water slowly rises, it is not only harmless, but the river water can penetrate deep into semi-arid areas, and the water will definitely be more lush in the next year.

, But if the heat is too fast in the coming spring and the snow melts too strongly, it will be very harmful. Although this ditch brings water into the Shule River, it can only deal with Xiaosun. I hope the true god will bring blessings. Don’t have a big flood in the coming spring. If we can survive the spring smoothly, then we will have more than half a year to slowly repair it. But if there is a big flood, the large pastures in the southeast of Shule City will not be preserved. If it is a major flood, even Shule City may be in danger."

This person has a very familiar accent, but he is talking about Tang Yan. He is a little far apart. He can't hear it clearly for a while. When he gets closer, he only listens to Yang Ding National Highway: "Although we hope to be free from disasters and harmless, we have to make the worst plans. I have asked Hesheli to lead people to collect wood and transport it into the city to let the people in the city tie a raft in case of emergency."

I heard the young man just now say, "That's the worst plan. It's not very likely to be bad enough to be that level. We try to increase and strengthen this section, and try not to let the water rush to Shule..."

Shanya's head buzzed, and she kept crying in her heart: "It's brother!" The brother and sister would not have been unable to recognize the voice, because Xue Fu used to speak to her sister in Dayuan, Persian, or Tianfang, but she was talking at this time Tang Yan. First, Shanya was not used to listening to her brother talking about Tang Yan, second, the language and tone difference between Tang Yan and Central Asia was too great, and third, she was far away just now, so she didn't recognize her for a while.

She rushed over and shouted to her brother in her hometown dialect! Xue Fu raised her head and was stunned: "Why are you here?"

At this time, their discussion was coming to an end, and Yang Dingguo ordered: "It's too late. If it's dark today, it's not close to the camp. Let's go back and rest. If there is no wind or snow tomorrow, I will continue to work."

The people and Zhuang dispersed in response, while the soldiers took them back to the camp. Xue Fu's identity was a bit special. The soldiers who were in charge of him were quite polite to him. Seeing that he did not leave, Shanya rushed over and rolled into Xue Fu's arms and started crying. Xue Fu sighed and said, "Silly sister, why are you crying?"

Shanya raised her head. The crying sound was a mixture of sadness and joy. When she looked up, she could see her brother's appearance clearly from a close distance and her face changed drastically!

Xue Fu's skin was blown open by the cold wind, and there were messy beards everywhere from his cheek to his chin, and frostbite were growing in the exposed area - that's fine, after all, it can be maintained, but there was a long scar on his forehead to his left cheek. The handsome face that could be compared with Shanya was ruined at this moment!

"Brother! You...how did you become like this!" Shanya was trembling all over, and tears rolled down again. This time she was full of sadness. "I should have taken you away that night, I should not listen to you, why did I leave you there! I shouldn't have listened to you!"

"Don't do this," Xue Fu wiped away the tears from his sister's face and said, "It's all over the past few days. I'm very happy now than the torment in hell that night. I was a little worried about you, but now I feel relieved when I see you are fine."

Shanya couldn't bear to look at her brother's face, sobbed in his arms. Xue Fu hugged her and said, "Let's find a place to shelter from the wind first. After nightfall, the weather will be frighteningly cold. In fact, you shouldn't have come."

The place where they were stationed was a hillside notch, with huge rocks that could block the wind. Even so, it was still so cold that it was irresistible. When Yang Dingguo heard about Shanya coming to visit his brother, he specially borrowed a tent for him. Although this was just a trivial matter, Shanya had already seen from it that Yang Dingguo attached great importance to his brother and did not really think of him as a slave.

Xue Fu heard her raise this topic and said, "The Deputy Protector is still very good to me. In fact, he is mainly engaged in education for us slaves. When the work started that day, he promised that as long as we work hard and learn Tang Yan, we will help everyone get rid of slavery and still sit back on civilians after three years."

Shanya said: "It will take three more years!"

Xue Fu grinned reluctantly, chuckling, and said, "After all, we are prisoners of war who have committed serious crimes. Besides, the people of Shule are resentful towards us. If they want them to accept us, it is rare to trust. This must be a process."

Shanya said, "But brother, you have not made any mistakes!"

"I'm at fault, and it's a serious crime!" Xue Fu's face turned dark. The piety in his eyes was still there, but that piety had changed, becoming more peaceful and deeper.

The tent was quiet for a long time, and Shanya didn't know what to say, but she also realized that Xue Fu had really calmed down. The last time she saw her brother in the dark house, Xue Fu's whole face was twisted, and the pain was like being roasted on the stove. But now, although there was a scar on her face, she became much more cheerful. However, Shanya still couldn't bear to let her brother, the prince who was extremely noble in her mind, become a slave.

"Okay," Xue Fu broke the calm and said, "Tell me how you have been here during this period."

"Well, I can't be a princess anymore, nor can I be a princess. Now I live in the house of a military servant Wang Er's sister-in-law in Tang Jun. That Wang Er's sister-in-law is very good. I live with her, and there is no inconvenience. I just have to do everything myself, no one serves me, and Tang Yan is too difficult to learn..."

Xue Fu was stunned and then smiled and said, "Yes, you don't know Tang Yan, it's all my fault. I only asked you to learn Tianfang dialect. In fact, you knew a little when you were a child, but you didn't continue to teach you when you were old. It was useless for too long, so I forgot."

Shan Yaqi said: "Will I do it when I was a child? Well, no wonder some sentences I learned to feel familiar..."

The brother and sister talked until late at night. The next day Xue Fu drove her down the mountain and did not allow her to stay. Shanya and her brother parted with tears. After meeting this time, she was not worried for the time being, thinking: "Xi Sheng didn't lie to me. Seeing that my brother is like this, it's not that Special Envoy Zhang wants to demote him as a slave, but that his brother is exiling himself. But I can't let him continue like this. I must help him! Whether it's for my brother or myself!" I made up my mind on the way.

When I returned to the city, two days before the wedding was held. When I saw her coming back, I was happy. When I asked her brother Ping'an, I was happy for her and said, "By the way, after you leave, someone will come to find you."

"Who?" I thought to myself, could it be Blue Flower?

But I heard Elena say, "It's a little old man named Mahumeng."

Shanya was a little surprised and said, "Ma Humeng!"

"Yes, do you recognize him?"

"Well, he is our family."

"He left an address. Do you want me to ask Xiaozhong to find him?" Since discussing with Xi Sheng that day, Yilena has started calling her two sons, Xiaozhong and Xiaoxiao.

"No need, if he has something to do, he will come to me again."

Shanya also found out about Ma Humeng through Xi Sheng. When Xue Fu was willing to be a slave, Ma Humeng cried and wanted to follow him, but Tang Jun had eight or nine hundred sweat-blooded horses. How to raise, take care of, and breed such a large herd of horses was a very knowledgeable job, so he refused to let him go, and he had a job to take charge of the horse.

Although Shanya knew Ma Humeng's whereabouts, she felt that Ma Humeng could not help their brother and sister get out of trouble, so she did not plan to find him. She just helped prepare for Ilena's marriage. On the day of the wedding, she put on the light red dress that Ilena gave him, and only had a ribbon on her head. Although she did not put on makeup, she looked more elegant.

Ilena is about to get out of the box, and Wang Er's sister-in-law grabbed Shanya and teased: "Girl, don't go! If you go, the grooms of the imperial envoy's mansion must fight for you. At that time, this big wedding will not be possible."

Shanya smiled and said, "Sister is really good at telling jokes."

The wedding was held in the original Bograh Khan's Mansion, the current imperial envoy's mansion. Deputy Guardian Yang Dingguo also rushed back to preside over the presidency. The hall was a place for the church. More than 100 grooms were preparing in the east and more than 100 brides were making makeup in the west. The imperial envoy's mansion was crowded on this day. The Jokhang Temple, Pufa Temple, Avista Temple and the elders of the Ming Cult were all present to bless. The tribe chiefs of the Tubo, Turks and Zhaowu tribes in the surrounding areas also took the opportunity to pay their respects to Zhang Mai. The merchants paid money and the craftsmen worked hard, and everyone was filled with joy.

Yang Zhuo, Zheng Han and several other children shouted there: "Brides, be careful, don't talk to the wrong husband! The grooms are also careful, don't hold the wrong wife!"

The adults laughed loudly after hearing this. Shanya was combing Elena's hair and said with a smile: "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely help you meet your brother-in-law later, and you won't be replaced."

After a while, after combed his hair, Ilena looked in front of the mirror and admired Shanya, and even praised Shanya for her good gestures. At this time, Sister Wang, the second sister-in-law, came over and said that Miss Guo next door, invited her to come and have a gathering.

"Miss Guo?"

"It's almost the special envoy's wife." Wang Er's sister-in-law said with a smile.

For now, Guo Fen is the leader of Shule women, a big shot. Ilena is just a slut in the market, and she can't help but feel a little nervous. Shanya said, "Sister, you are about to be the wife of Xi Duwei. It's very common for Miss Guo to come and invite you to gather here. What's the saying in the Chinese family? Well, you'll get familiar with each other again and again, and you'll get familiar with it slowly. I heard that Miss Guo is very nice, you don't need to be afraid."

Sister-in-law Wang smiled and said, "That's natural! The eldest lady has good martial arts, good character, good appearance, and good deals with people - she is simply the perfect woman, you will know if you have seen it."

Today is a collective marriage, and there are more than 200 brides and grooms together. Xi Sheng is the one with the highest status among the people who got married today, except Zhang Mai, so there is an independent small room for Yilena to dress up. After she and Wang Er's sister-in-law went out, the room became quiet.

Shanya looked at her flowery face in front of the mirror, remembering what happened last night.

Although she didn't go to find Ma Humeng, Ma Humeng still came when she heard that she had returned to the city. When the master and servant met, they naturally couldn't help but talk about Xue Fu for a long time. But as she talked about it later, Ma Humeng tactfully expressed another intention, but was to come to serve as a mediator for Shanya.

As Wang Er's sister-in-law said, with Shanya's appearance, if she wants to get married, she only needs to say a word, and half of Shule's bachelor will be moved. However, Shanya's current identity is a little awkward. She said she is lowly, but she is still Princess Ningyuan. The Dayuan lineage is still in some power among the Tang army. Although Xue Suding did not obey Xue Fu's orders, she was polite to meet. But if she was to say that she was noble, she was also a woman who almost became a female slave, and she was also a married wife who was determined to be a special status, so it was difficult to choose a husband.

But Ma Humeng introduced a person who is outstanding in the entire Western Regions!

"Brother Zheng Wei?"

I heard Ma Humeng say that when he and the young master of the Zheng family played Han family wine together when he was a child, they were childhood sweethearts. I also remember that his brother once said that Zheng Wei was a rare talent in the Western Regions. His handsome appearance was just a shiny moment compared to Xue Fu before his disfigured appearance. In all aspects, Zheng Wei was a rare good match for Shanya.

However, Shanya's impression of Zheng Wei was very weak, so faint that it was almost gone.

"Marry into the Zheng family?"

Last night, she did not agree to Ma Humeng, but she did not refuse. For some reason, she seemed to have another plan hidden in her heart.

"Oh, sister!" Wang Er's sister-in-law broke in and interrupted her thoughts, "Come on, go and meet Miss Guo."

"Miss Guo?"
To be continued...