At the end of February in the third year of Huining, the ice on the river broke.
　　Zheng Yuheng set off for Heguan. He came alone. Except for the servant who protected him at the beginning and one or two officials from the Ministry of Revenue, no one else saw him off.
　　It was still early, and the sky was still dim in winter. He had quietly climbed up from the bedroom of the Cining Palace, tiptoeing, and did not wake up Dong Lingjiu. Just when he was about to leave Beijing at this time - there was no need to see him off, and parting was sad in vain, Zheng Yuheng did not say a word, and did not mention this matter at all.
　　When the officials said goodbye to their carriages at home, Zheng Yuheng quietly stared at the slightly white sky in the distance and the stars that were hiding in the sky.
　　"Mr. Zheng." A voice suddenly sounded, reaching out and patting his shoulder. Zheng Yuheng turned around and saw that it was Zhang Jianqing, another grain and grass supervisor of the Ministry of Revenue.
　　Zhang Jianqing, courtesy name Zimo, is also a young and capable official. He is considered the younger generation of Wen Shilang and Xu Shangshu. When he was young, he studied at Xu Shangshu's house and listened to the "Analects of Confucius" by Shangshu. Later, he married Wen Shilang's cousin and was considered Wen Shilang's cousin-in-law.
　　This person is talented. He is only 24 years old now. He ranked fifth in the second class of the imperial examination. He was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue because of Xu Shangshu. However, his current situation is difficult and embarrassing.
　　"Brother Zimo." Zheng Yuheng returned the greeting, "Why don't you say goodbye to your family?"
　　Zhang Jianqing said casually, "I don't like to see sad scenes of crying. Besides, we are going to the north to realize our ambitions and conquer the four fields. We should have great ambitions. If we act so sentimental from the beginning, we will definitely think about it all the time when we get there. How can we work with peace of mind?"
　　Zheng Yuheng saw his sharp words, turned around to look at the other adults who were holding hands with their wives and children and finally saying take care of each other, and praised expressionlessly, "Brother Zimo has great ambitions."
　　Zhang Jianqing patted his shoulder, "Come on, if you don't want to praise others, just put away this cold face and don't let people see that you don't want to praise."
　　Zheng Yuheng apologized, "I will learn it next time."
　　"Tsk, forget it. I'm afraid you can't learn it." Zhang Jianqing put his arm around his shoulders and said, "I'm grateful for your care along the way. You know my waist is not in good condition. I fell off a horse when I was a teenager... Well, but I came to find you not because I want you to take care of me. I came because I saw that you were all alone and no one was there to see you off. Your family members are not in Beijing, right? You said that your sweetheart, whom you talk about every day, didn't come to see you off at this time?"
　　Zheng Yuheng thought to himself, if she showed her golden face even a little, you would be so scared that you would immediately kneel on the ground to greet her and pay your respects.
　　Although he thought so in his heart, he was still cold on the surface, with a dull tone: "Mutual affection, just in the heart."
　　"What do you mean in the heart? Let me tell you, my wife cried so hard yesterday. I waved my hand and told her that you are so effeminate, don't hinder my husband's success, so I didn't let her come." Zhang Jianqing was a Jinshi, and he said this just to liven up the atmosphere, "This is called mutual affection. Oh, you don't know, your sister-in-law loves me so much--"
　　He is a few years older than Zheng Yuheng, so it is appropriate for Master Zheng to call his wife sister-in-law.
　　Zheng Yuheng sighed and said, "Brother Zimo, you are the person who talks the most and the most I have ever met."
　　Zhang Jianqing was quite proud of it. His ancestral home is in the place where they are going this time, which is the cold land in the northernmost part of Dayin. Later, his ancestors came to the warm and wealthy Hetao area after two large-scale population migrations and lived on the banks of the Changliu River that runs through Dayin.
　　Later, due to the change of his father's official position, he went to Beijing, took the exam, and became an official, so there is no need to elaborate on it one by one.
　　Just as the two of them stood at the edge of the team and chatted, waiting to set off, a magnificent carriage pulled by four snow-white horses came rumbling, the wheels pressed on the remaining snow on the road, and the bells on the eaves of the carriage kept ringing.
　　The carriage did not stop in front of the red-robed officials, but stopped beside Zheng Yuheng and Zhang Jianqing. Then, the attendant put down a small stool, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a woman with a flying bun and dressed as a lady lifted the curtain and stepped down on the small stool.
　　Zhang Jianqing didn't recognize her, but felt that she was noble and had an extraordinary origin. Just as he was about to pull Zheng Yuheng to avoid losing his manners, he saw the always cold and taciturn little Zheng Lord bowed his hands to greet him, but his eyes did not suppress it, as if he passed through this person and looked into the heavy curtain of the carriage.
　　"Madam Zhao."
　　"Lord Zheng." Zhao Qing returned the greeting.
　　She was a first-class maid in the Cining Palace, but her status was not as high as that of the two female ministers, Li Ruixue and Du Yuewan, but this also meant that her face was less often seen.
　　Zhao Qing did not wear official uniform, but dressed like a lady from an official family, wearing a veil.
　　She said, "The master said that she should not have come, and I know you would rather not let her come, but if you think it is not right and cannot be done, then you will live against your will."
　　Zheng Yuheng turned his eyes and looked at the carriage curtain painted with a silver phoenix.
　　He murmured, "I know... I know what she meant."
　　Zhao Qing said, "After a long separation, the master said that Mr. Zheng had never traveled far since he was a child. This is the first time he has traveled so far. If he is cold, hungry, or uncomfortable with the climate outside, he is smart and young, and he can take care of it himself, so she doesn't need to worry about it. There is only one bad thing."
　　Zheng Yuheng said, "Of course... I am not a child anymore, there is nothing I can't do, please don't worry about me."
　　Zhao Qing smiled, showed him the thing in her hand, and said, "The master said that she is only worried that Mr. Zheng will be unable to relieve his lovesickness after we parted today."
　　Zheng Yuheng was stunned for a moment, and saw that she had a small wooden box in her hand, which contained a handful of red beans.
　　His Adam's apple moved slightly, and his eyes suddenly became hot. However, because he was in front of everyone, he couldn't be too emotional, so he took the wooden box from Zhao Qing, stroked the lines on it, and whispered, "Thank you, Madam Zhao."
　　Zhao Qing returned a female gift.
　　Zhang Zimo, who had just figured out what was going on, also glanced at the pattern on the box and said, "Is this... a picture of the Vulture Peak of Mount Lingshan in the northeast of King Girgha of the Kingdom of Jietuo? This is the place where the Tathagata preached the Lotus Sutra. The mountain of compassion, the land of Buddhism. I vaguely remember that when Buddhism was popular when I was a child, even stone pillars and windows had this pattern engraved on them."
　　Zhao Qing said, "This lord has a good eye."
　　Zhang Zimo chanted a Buddhist name and said, "Madam, does the master believe in Buddhism? But this pattern is not popular. People have known for a few years that it will offend the nobleman. The taboo of the ancient sage was mentioned frequently during the time of the emperor. Although it was not investigated, it was changed in the end. "
　　Zhao Qing shook her head and said nothing, and turned to ask Zheng Yuheng: "Does Lord Zheng have anything to say to me?"
　　Zheng Yuheng glanced at the carriage again, and her tone became gentle unconsciously: "She also understands what I want to say. I just want to ask Madam Zhao, when did she wake up after I left last night, how many times did she cough, and did she take the medicine? It is said to be spring, but it is still cold. Please advise her to put on more clothes and go to bed early, don't worry or miss her."
　　Zhao Qing answered one by one, and then agreed. At this moment, the front team had already started to leave the capital surrounded by military guards.
　　The two saluted each other, and Zhao Qing turned around and got on the car. The moment she lifted the curtain, Zheng Yuheng seemed to see a pair of familiar white hands, holding the delicate coral bracelet, and the fingertips fell on the dense hem of her gorgeous clothes on her knees.
　　Then, the curtain of the car fell hurriedly.
　　Zhang Zimo pulled him and said jokingly, "Come back to your senses, come back to your senses, stop looking, it's time to go, didn't you say no one would see you off?"
　　Zheng Yuheng jumped on the horse and waited for Zhang Zimo to get in the car. He rolled up his sleeves and lowered his head and said, "I didn't know she would come."
　　The team moved forward slowly. Zhang Zimo stuck his head out of the car window and asked thoughtfully, "What kind of family is it? This carriage, this grand style, and this maid who delivers messages, oh my, no wonder you can't marry her, who else can marry her? Only the king of heaven can do it, right? This can't be the daughter of those noble families in the capital, right?"
　　Zheng Yuheng said expressionlessly, "No."
　　"If you don't want to say it, then don't say it. Why do you always look like this?" Zhang Zimo said, "But for a family like this, you...well, a humble person, I say Junzhi, when the time comes, the mansion will make a move, and there will be relatives and sisters-in-law everywhere. You are a fifth-rank official in the capital and a humble scholar, I think you'd better not join in the fun."
　　Zheng Yuheng ignored him.
　　"Junzhi, Junzhi? Come on in the car and talk to me. I have an injury on my waist and can't ride a horse..."
　　Zheng Yuheng replied perfunctorily while turning around to look back.
　　The car was still in the same place, and it seemed to have shrunk several times with the change of distance. When he looked back, the bells on the eaves of the car trembled with the wind. When the ice was broken, the cold air was blowing and the horses were neighing.
　　It was clearly a spring breeze, but it felt rustling.
　　...
　　Early March, the fifth day after Zheng Yuheng left the capital.
　　After Dong Lingjiu discussed politics with Wen Haolan in the Cining Palace, she sent someone to send Lord Wen out of the palace.
　　She first looked at several routes and configurations of logistics supplies, and then looked at the marching routes and the routes of the generals under General Geng, with a stack of military speeches and suggestions in her hands.
　　"Only a few days after leaving, he has already begun to point fingers at the ministers and generals who are away." Dong Lingjiu threw one of the copies on the table, "If I were more cruel, this man should be killed."
　　The female minister Ruixue responded, "Your Majesty is kind and loves the people."
　　"The censors kill people with their pens. They write these things to kill their hearts. To kill the emperor's heart is to kill the generals who are away." Dong Lingjiu said, "Draft an imperial decree to dismiss him from his post and let him go back to pick mulberry leaves and farm. He has been writing poems about retreat every day to belittle the court and raise his own value. I have tolerated this unhealthy trend for a long time."
　　Ruixue nodded in agreement, spread out paper and picked up the pen.
　　Just as she was drafting the imperial decree, the eunuch outside reported that the Queen of Fengzao Palace came to pay her respects.
　　Wang Wanrou has always been reluctant to disturb her when she is busy. She must have her own reasons for coming here at this moment. Dong Lingjiu put aside the things at hand and asked her to come in.
　　Queen Wang was still dignified, but at this moment, she had a smile on her face that she couldn't hide. After she bowed and greeted, she said, "Your son has good news for you, mother."
　　"Good news?" Dong Lingjiu didn't react at first. Her brain was still focused on the affairs of state. When she heard this, she was at a loss for a moment. It wasn't until she met her eyes that she suddenly realized, "Rou'er, you are..."
　　"My mother," Wang Wanrou said in a gentle voice, "The imperial physician said that your son is two months pregnant."