Madam Han had said so much, what else could Chu Changping say
He turned to look at Old Master Chu: "Father, what do you think?"
Old Master Chu obviously hasn't come back to his senses yet. What is the identity of the King of Liaonan, and what is the identity of the Chu family
He tightened and loosened his grip on the cane, and asked in disbelief, "This... are you going to take Yi girl as your legal wife?"
Not to mention that Feng Shuo was originally a noble, even when the Chu family was still prosperous, the daughter of the family was not qualified to be a concubine. Now Feng Shuo has become the most powerful among the several rebel kings to take over Kyoto, and his candidate for the main wife must be a daughter of a prince.
Madam Han said with a smile: "This is according to the three matchmakers and six betrothal gifts, isn't this marrying a wife?"
Old Master Chu held his cane in his hand and said nothing for a long time. When Chu Changping was transporting the coffin back to Beijing, the emperor wanted to deal with the Chu family and the King of Liaonan came to their aid. He felt that something was wrong and now he finally knew the answer.
The King of Liaonan did not take a fancy to Chu Changping's ability from the beginning, but he took action to protect the Chu family because of Jiang Yanyi.
Later, the doctor from Feng Mansion came to treat Chu Yangui's injury. King Liaonan specifically mentioned Chu Yangui's injury at the banquet. When the siblings were leaving the mansion, the carriage from Feng Mansion came to pick them up... At that time, he only vaguely realized that King Liaonan might have some feelings for his granddaughter, but he never thought that the other party was planning to take her as his wife.
Old Master Chu opened his mouth and finally said, "The prince has been very kind to the Chu family. It is a blessing for my granddaughter to be favored by the prince. Changping, you are Yi's father, so you are the one who decides this matter."
Chu Changping's mood was still complicated. On the one hand, he was happy that the Liaonan King was so fond of Jiang Yanyi, but on the other hand, he was afraid that Jiang Yanyi would be bullied in the future because of the huge gap in their family backgrounds. He said, "When it comes to the marriage of children, we still have to ask them what they want. Please wait, Madam Han. I will send someone to ask Miss Yi what she wants."
"It should be so. It should be so." Old Madam Han kept smiling.
The Chu family does not have deep roots in Xizhou, and their power is not as great as that of other generals under Feng Shuo. For them to be able to get such a marriage is like pie in the sky.
But apart from being a little shocked, the Chu family did not act as if they were selling their daughter and immediately agreed to the marriage. It was no different from any other marriage proposal made by an ordinary family. Old Madam Han actually admired the Chu family's way of handling things.
The servant who went to ask the question quickly came back and replied: "The Second Miss said that everything is up to the Third Master."
Girls are shy, and saying this almost means that they agree to the marriage. Old Madam Han was entrusted to make this trip, and naturally she hoped that the marriage would be successful. She smiled and asked Chu Changping: "Mr. Chu, what do you think?"
If the woman agrees to the marriage proposal, she can ask for her name. The matchmaker will take her name and birth date back to the man, who will use their birth dates to divine in front of the ancestral temple. This is considered auspicious. After the marriage proposal is made, the betrothal gift can be given. Once the betrothal gift is received, the marriage is almost halfway done.
Chu Changping said, "Thank you, Madam Han, for making this trip in person. I'll have someone write down my daughter's birth date and horoscope for you."
Madam Han smiled from ear to ear: "I am looking forward to drinking the wedding wine from Mr. Chu's family."
***
Jiang Yanyi was also confused by Feng Shuo's sudden proposal, but she had to face what she had to face.
After the servant from the front hall came to ask questions, Old Madam Chu asked Chu Shubao and her sisters to go out first, leaving Jiang Yanyi to be questioned alone.
"Good boy, tell grandma, did you know the King of Liaonan when you were in the Xizhou camp?" There was a hint of guilt in Old Lady Chu's voice.
When she first arrived in Xizhou, she had lost her beloved daughter, and it was Jiang Yanyi who took care of her daily life and asked about her well-being. Occasionally, when she talked about the days when she was sent to the Xizhou camp, Jiang Yanyi only said that he was cooking in the Huotou Camp.
Mother Yang beside her had an experienced look in her eyes. She could tell whether a girl was a virgin just by looking at her figure and face.
After learning from Mother Yang that Jiang Yanyi was not bullied in the military camp, Old Lady Chu felt a little comforted. However, she was also afraid that mentioning those experiences would embarrass Jiang Yanyi, so she rarely asked about her life in the Xizhou camp, treating her as if everything was starting over again.
But when the King of Liaonan suddenly came to propose marriage, Madam Chu had to think more.
In response to Madam Chu's question, Jiang Yanyi nodded.
She is a girl, and unless her elders ask her about these things, she has no way of telling them.
Jiang Yanyi said, "Don't worry, grandma. He is not as the rumors say, a ruthless killer. He has always been polite to me."
This is meant to tell Madam Chu that Feng Shuo has never bullied her.
Madam Chu sighed, "Silly child, the Liaonan Palace is of high status, and grandma is worried that you will have a hard time in the future because of your low status."
Old Madam Chu has seen too many cases in her life where a wife only has the title of the main wife but is bullied by a concubine.
She said, "You are young now, and you look good, so he likes you. But when you are old, there will be young and beautiful girls who will come to him, and you won't be able to compete with them at that time. You must have a son by your side. Although you have been adopted by your third uncle, you still have to observe the mourning period for your mother for one year. During this year, your grandmother will find someone to take care of your body."
No matter how stupid Jiang Yanyi was, he understood what Madam Chu meant by regulating the body.
She blushed and said, "This is the marriage proposal. I am in good health and don't need any treatment."
Madam Chu tapped her forehead and said, "What do you know, little girl? Listen to grandma. Grandma will never harm you."
As soon as Jiang Yanyi came out of Old Madam Chu's room, Chu Shubao and her three sisters surrounded him instantly.
Being stared at by six pairs of eyes, Jiang Yanyi was feeling a little embarrassed, but he saw Chu Shubao with a sad face: "Ayi, I heard that the reason why the King of Liaonan is not interested in women is that he likes men. Is he trying to use his kindness to the Chu family as a cover to marry you back home?"
Jiang Yanyi: “…”
This development was something she had not expected.
Chu Jiabao also looked a little worried: "When I was in the capital, I heard some rumors that the King of Liaonan is completely inhumane, so his temperament is so cruel. What if he tortures you after you marry him?"
Jiang Yanyi: “…”
She was very curious about how bad Feng Shuo's reputation was.
The youngest, Chu Huibao, pinched the corner of her clothes nervously and said, "He might lock up my second sister and not give her any food."
Jiang Yanyi: "... His temper isn't that bad."
When Jiang Yanyi returned to the antique soup shop that day, he went to find Feng Shuo.
Feng Shuo thought she would be surprised, but the first thing Jiang Yan said to him was: "Let's improve your reputation, shall we?"
Feng Shuo: ...
He stopped writing and looked up from the official documents. After a moment's thought, he realized that Jiang Yanyi was talking about his reputation outside. He said with a smile, "Are you disgusted?"
Jiang Yanyi moved an embroidered cushion and sat next to his desk, saying in a muffled voice, "I feel bad."
He does have a bad temper, but it's definitely not as bad as the rumors say.
Even though he did many things for the people, he never publicized them.
Feng Shuo ruffled her hair and said, "You can't stop the gossips in the world. Those scoundrels like to spread rumors. Once I kill all the scoundrels, the rumors will naturally fall apart."
Jiang Yanyi pulled down his hand that was on top of his head, hugged his arm, and gently rubbed his face against it: "I don't want you to be misunderstood like this. Feng Shuo, water can carry a boat but can also overturn it. The people are led by the nose by others. They believe whoever has the loudest voice. You don't bother to make these noises, I'll go."
Although she wore thick winter clothes, when Jiang Yanyi held Feng Shuo's arms with both hands, his elbows were just against her chest, and that place seemed much softer than other places.
Feng Shuo's hand holding the brush trembled slightly, and a drop of ink fell from the tip of the brush, smearing half a page of paper.
He calmly pulled his arm out, "You go? What are you going to do?"
Jiang Yanyi's little brain started to work quickly. She said, "When it's cold, you can give out some porridge. I'll find someone to mingle with the crowd and spread the word about your kindness and love for the people. The people who can't even get enough food will be grateful to you. Reputation is accumulated bit by bit. And the achievements on the front line, whether it's storytelling or being compiled into a play, should be publicized among the people."
The fact that Xizhou is still stable today is all thanks to Feng Shuo. Many people in the south have not been able to survive for years and are all fleeing for their lives.
Sometimes you need some comparison to realize how good your life is now.
Feng Shuo said: "It's up to you."
He changed the subject: "I asked Madam Han to go to the Chu family to propose marriage."
Jiang Yanyi felt a little embarrassed and coughed twice: "I know, why is it so sudden?"
Feng Shuo looked at her thoughtfully: "I'm afraid the night will be long and full of dreams."
At this time, Jiang Yanyi didn't quite understand what she meant. Not long after the teahouse was renovated and the antique soup shop moved, he learned that Xing'an Hou wanted Feng Shuo to marry his daughter at the banquet.
***
Jiang Yanyi chose to relocate the shop two days before the Laba Festival. A new plaque with black background and gold paint was placed in front of the door of the teahouse. Because the neighborhood was called Ruyifang, Jiang Yanyi used this place name when naming the teahouse, "Ruyilou".
Both the first and second floors sell antique soups. The clear soups are mainly mutton hotpot and mushroom hotpot. The red soup does not have as wide a following as the clear soup, but it already has a group of diners who love spicy food.
Now that the place is bigger and Jiang Yanyi is more financially wealthy, the decoration of Ruyi Building is more elegant and beautiful than the original antique soup shop, but the style still follows the previous one.
There were five waiters upstairs and downstairs, and more staff were added to the kitchen. The recipes for clear soup and spicy hot pot were in Jiang Yanyi's own hands. He just had to prepare the broth and stir-fry the base ingredients in advance. Most of the people hired were chef Dunzi and kitchen helpers.
Before officially opening the store, she made new clothes for all the shop assistants using decent materials. After the shop assistants were dressed in uniform, the place looked a lot more upscale.
Jiang Yanyi also gave them a brief training, from the posture of serving dishes to the honorifics to use when talking to diners, she demonstrated everything by herself. The guys were able to do it, and the service in her restaurant had unknowingly opened up a gap with other places.
On the official opening day, Jiang Yanyi used every strategy he could to attract customers, and quite a few diners came to the restaurant. However, the place was too big, and most of the diners went upstairs, so that the lobby downstairs looked empty, giving people the illusion that it was deserted.
The old scholar was originally going to tell stories on the stage downstairs, but because there were so few diners downstairs, he was too embarrassed to open his voice.
Jiang Yanyi had a headache. This was indeed her mistake. She could only tell Yang Xiu, "Go buy a screen."
Putting a screen at the entrance can block the view while being pleasing to the eye, which is the best of both worlds.
The performance of business on the first day of opening affects the store's reputation. If few people come to support the store upon its opening, the store will not be very good in the eyes of others.
Jiang Yanyi was feeling worried when a few hooligans walked into the building like big shots, asking loudly what delicious food there was.
Although the other party had a very arrogant attitude, the waiter who had been trained by Jiang Yanyi still politely introduced the various soup pots and dry pots in the store, as well as Chef Yao's specialties.
"The stuff doesn't look like anything, why is it so much more expensive than other places?" The leading man looked around the lobby and pouted: "No wonder there are so few customers in the store."
There was a plate of osmanthus cake on the table for free. The man picked up a piece and took a bite. He immediately made a "Puh" sound and shouted, "Is this for human consumption? It smells so bad. Did they squeeze some rat shit into the cake when they were steaming it?"
The waiter looked unhappy, and realized that the man in front of him was looking for trouble, so he said, "Hey, sir, the flower cakes in our store are praised by all the dignitaries after they tasted them, and you are the first one to say that they are unpalatable."
The man dumped a plate of sweet-scented osmanthus cake on the ground and crushed it with his feet: "I said it tastes bad, it tastes bad. I'm running a shop and I'm not allowed to say the food is not good? What kind of rule is this?"
The man had a loud voice and could be heard clearly at the door.
Jiang Yanyi was not angry yet, but Chu Shubao could not stand it anymore. She slapped the counter and stood up: "This sweet-scented osmanthus cake is given away for free by the store. You didn't spend a penny and wasted the store's things. How dare you? Do you believe me, I will report you to the police?"
The man looked at Chu Shubao with a lewd look in his eyes: "Everyone knows that this building is owned by your Chu family. Mr. Chu is a powerful official, so I am naturally very afraid of him."
"You!" Chu Shubao was so angry that she wanted to roll up her sleeves.
Jiang Yanyi held Chu Shubao down and said to the man, "The food in this store doesn't suit your taste. Please go to another store."
At first, she was worried that it was Lai Fu Restaurant that was causing trouble again, but the other party knew that they were members of the Chu family and that Feng Shuo's proposal was almost known to everyone in the city, yet they still dared to cause trouble. The person behind it must be a tough guy.
The man stood up, and a few of his gangsters also kicked away the bench and stood up.
The man said, "I ate some cakes from your shop and now I have a stomachache."
Jiang Yanyi ordered the waiter who had just received them: "Go and get a doctor for this warrior."
The waiter was about to run out, but the man said jokingly, "Why do we need a doctor? The boss can rub it for me, and maybe it will stop hurting."
His words were frivolous, and not only did a crowd of people gather at the door to watch, but even the diners upstairs heard his nonsense and couldn't help but stand up and look down at the railing.
Jiang Yanyi's face turned completely cold.
Yang Xiu, the best martial artist in the store, was not there, but Aunt Guo had been following Jiang Yanyi. She immediately shouted, "You filthy bastard, get him out now!"
Several waiters downstairs went over and pushed the man, but they didn't expect that the men knew some martial arts, and the waiters were no match for him and were knocked to the ground.
Aunt Guo was about to take action herself when a female voice suddenly rang out from upstairs: "Asshole!"
Immediately afterwards, a woman dressed in Hu clothing jumped down from the building, took out the long whip hanging at her waist and started whipping the troublemakers.
None of the big men dared to fight back. One of them even had his face broken by a beating and almost fled in panic.
The woman put away the whip. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a pretty face. Compared with ordinary girls, there was more heroic spirit between her eyebrows.
The guests upstairs all applauded.
Jiang Yanyi stepped forward to thank the woman: "Thank you for your help, may I know your name?"
The woman looked at Jiang Yanyi and said with a hearty smile: "My last name is Yang."
She put a ten-liang silver ingot on the counter, glanced at Jiang Yanyi, Chu Shubao and Chu Jiabao, thought for a while, and seemed to think it was not enough, so she took out two ten-liang silver ingots and put them together: "The food in your building is delicious! The rouge is beautiful too, I'll buy two boxes."
Before Chu Jiabao had the time to wrap the rouge box for her in a bag embroidered with beautiful patterns, she just picked up two boxes of rouge and walked out of the store briskly.
Sisters Jiang Yanyi and Chu Shubao looked at each other and felt that something was strange.
Despite this unpleasant episode, business still has to be done.
Jiang Yanyi asked a waiter to follow the men who were beaten away to see where they went in the end.
Shopkeeper Xu of Lai Fu Restaurant may have heard that someone was causing trouble at Jiang Yanyi's place, so he came to eat pot in a pretentious manner. When he saw Jiang Yanyi, he bowed and said, "I heard that Shopkeeper Chu moved his shop today, so I came to congratulate Shopkeeper Chu."
He glanced at the lobby downstairs and asked in surprise, "Why are there so few tables downstairs? Is there no one listening to the storytelling in your store?"
He pretended to be sorry and said, "The chef's antique soup had a very good business on the main street of the Protectorate. It's easy to run a small shop, but not everyone can open a restaurant."
Jiang Yanyi smiled with a fake smile: "Thank you for your concern, Shopkeeper Xu, my business in this building is still good."
Manager Xu said, "I am sincerely thinking about you, Manager Chu. If you can't run this restaurant anymore, you might as well transfer it to me. It's better to stop early so that you won't lose money in the end."
Before Jiang Yanyi could answer, Yang Xiu hurried back from outside and shouted, "Boss, quickly ask the kitchen to prepare the food. Old Madam An is having a birthday party in our building."
When Manager Xu heard the news, he was confused for a moment and looked a little embarrassed.
The An family is a wealthy family in Xizhou, and there must be at least thirty tables for Old Lady An’s birthday celebration.
Jiang Yanyi said, "Look, I'm busy now, so I won't say more to Shopkeeper Xu. Just tell the waiter what you want to eat."
Shopkeeper Xu felt that the diners in the restaurant seemed to be pointing and laughing at him. He was sure that he could not eat his meal and almost ran away.
The lobby on the first floor can be reserved for the An family to hold a birthday banquet. The other party said they wanted to eat hotpot, but this was the first big business the store had ever received. Jiang Yanyi wanted to build a good reputation, so he went to the kitchen himself and planned to make longevity noodles for the birthday celebration.
While they were busy, Chu Shubao suddenly came into the kitchen, pulled Jiang Yanyi out, and asked mysteriously: "Do you know who the girl who just rescued you is?"
Jiang Yanyi shook his head.
Chu Shubao said with a complicated expression, "It's the Princess of Xing'an Marquis. I just heard someone say that on the day when Third Uncle returned to Xizhou to celebrate his success, Xing'an Marquis proposed at the banquet that the King of Liaonan marry her."
Jiang Yanyi finally understood why Feng Shuo was in such a hurry to propose marriage to the Chu family.
But if that girl was really the Princess of Xing'an, her behavior when she left didn't seem to be targeting her. Instead... it was a bit like a gift to her, Chu Shubao, and Chu Jiabao.
***
The inn where Xing'an Hou stayed.
The men who had run away from Jiang Yanyi's shop knelt in the room. Xing'an Hou pointed at their noses and angrily scolded them: "Useless, you can't even do a small thing!"
The leading man said, "My Lord, it was... it was the county lady who took action that forced us to retreat."
Xing'an Hou kicked the man and said angrily, "Zheng'er has a straightforward personality, but the King of Liaonan dared to humiliate my son like this. I cannot swallow this anger no matter what!"
In another room of the inn, Yang Zheng had rolled around on the bed with an embroidered pillow in her arms, so happy that she was rolling around several times.
The maid who was taking care of her asked in confusion: "County Lady, why are you grinning like an idiot?"
Yang Zheng sat up, resting her chin on the embroidered pillow, smiling so hard that her teeth were showing: "I helped his sister today, he will be grateful to me, right?"
The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2021-01-07 23:59:42~2021-01-08 23:59:52~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the rocket launcher: pp 6;
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Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!