Jiang Yanyi took a long time to find his voice: "How is it possible..."
The Prince Mu, as people talk about him, is a rare talent among men. He is good at both literature and martial arts, and has the air of a gentleman. He is the ideal husband that all the girls in the world dream of marrying.
Although Jiang Yanyi didn't have much contact with Chi Qing, looking at Chi Qing's nonchalant look, how could he be called a gentleman
Xie Chuji's eyes were red, but he pretended to smile calmly, poured another glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp: "Before I got engaged to him, I met him once in Bodhi Temple."
"At that time, the Fan family was in a very important position. When Fan Shengnian learned that I was burning incense in the temple that day, he led his troops to surround the Bodhi Temple, intending to destroy my reputation and force me to marry into the Fan family. Fortunately, the prince passed by and taught Fan Shengnian a lesson. He also sent troops to escort me back to the Xie family, so I escaped."
"He has a scar under his ribs. When he saved me, I had a dagger in my hand and I mistakenly thought he was Fan Shengnian's man, so I stabbed him in panic."
Xie Chuji blinked, and the tears that he had been holding back for a long time finally burst out.
She still remembers that when he was stabbed, the two-finger-wide wound under his ribs was bleeding. She was so scared that she burst into tears, but Mu Xuanqing just frowned. His elegant and handsome face, which also had a bit of heroic spirit, looked very calm.
He even smiled like nothing had happened and comforted her: "I didn't cry even though you poked a hole in my body. Why are you crying?"
His tone was lazy but not frivolous. The slanting light of the setting sun shone on his handsome face, making him look as if he had walked out of the light.
From then on, she remembered that smile and that person.
Her father told her that when the Mu family came to propose marriage for Prince Mu, Xie Chuji was happy.
It’s a pity that this joy didn’t last long, as something bad happened to the Mu family.
Mu Xuanqing broke off the engagement with her at the first opportunity. She begged her father to bribe the jailer and plead for the Mu family in the Golden Palace. Finally, when Mu Wuhou's letters of treason were found out, no one in the court or the public dared to speak up for the Mu family.
When the entire Mu family was executed, she almost cried to death in the carriage outside the execution ground.
The emperor ordered that the bodies of the Mu family should not be collected. Xie Chuji spent a lot of effort to bribe someone to secretly transport the bodies of the Mu family from the mass grave.
When they were digging graves and erecting tombstones for the Mu family in the deep mountains and forests, she went to see them off in person and found that the young man who was beheaded had no scars on his ribs. Coincidentally, Duke Chen resigned and returned to his hometown, so she thought that Mu Xuanqing and his brother might still be alive.
Relying on the Xie family's network of contacts, Xie Chuji found out where Duke Chen was. He sent letters to him several times and finally pried open Duke Chen's mouth and learned that Mu Xuanqing and his brother were still alive.
"I know he draws a line between himself and me everywhere because he doesn't want to drag me down, but why doesn't he ask me if I'm afraid of being dragged down?" Xie Chuji choked up.
If Chi Qing was really Mu Xuanqing, Jiang Yanyi could understand why he didn't want to have any contact with Xie Chuji anymore.
Xie Chuji has a pure heart and is willing to risk her life for him, but Mu Xuanqing cannot selfishly drag Xie Chuji into the kang with him.
Before the Mu family was rehabilitated, he was a traitor who was despised by everyone. In addition, he had enemies hiding in the dark, so he did not dare to take such a risk.
If the truth were to be revealed, Xie Chuji would be guilty of a capital crime, and the entire Xie family would be implicated.
As for the fact that the Mu family has been rehabilitated, Mu Xuanqing still refuses to recognize Xie Chuji, Jiang Yanyi can't understand why.
However, the fact that Chi Qing is Mu Xuanqing is just their guess and there is no evidence yet.
Jiang Yanyi asked: "How can you be sure that Chi Qing is Prince Mu?"
Xie Chuji's cheeks were red as if she was drunk, but her eyes were clear as day. She looked at Jiang Yanyi with a half-smile: "Can you not even recognize your sweetheart?"
These words successfully stumped Jiang Yanyi.
No matter how similar twins are, they will still have subtle differences.
Xie Chuji sighed, with a look of resignation on his face: "You can call me stubborn or obstinate, as long as I can confirm whether he has scars, I will know whether I have recognized the wrong person."
Jiang Yanyi felt that given the relationship between Feng Shuo and Chi Qing, he should be clear whether Chi Qing was Mu Xuanqing or not.
After Xie Chuji left that night, Jiang Yanyi wrote a letter and took it to Feng Mansion next door the next day, asking someone to bring it to Feng Shuo.
Due to the war in Yuzhou, the post station no longer delivers letters to Yuzhou, but Feng Mansion must have a way to contact Yuzhou.
When Jiang Yanyi handed the letter to Fuxi, Fuxi smiled with relief, and Jiang Yanyi felt extremely embarrassed.
She wrote the letter not to express her love for Feng Shuo, but just to ask him about Chi Qing.
***
After days of hard fighting in Yuzhou, the imperial cavalry was unstoppable, and for the next few days the city of Yuzhou hung up a sign prohibiting war.
The imperial cavalry attacked several times, but were suppressed by the artillery fire on the city walls. Unable to break through the city, the imperial army attacked the grain route. The grain and medicinal materials transported from the south to Yuzhou by water were intercepted halfway, and Yuzhou was once again in danger.
The lights in the commander-in-chief's tent were on all night, and his staff and generals sat on each side of the tent, discussing countermeasures.
"… I think it is time to announce to the world that the new emperor's favorite concubine is a princess of the previous dynasty. This will surely arouse public anger among the court officials, and we can use this to restrain the new emperor."
"Not right! The old subordinates of the previous dynasty want to overthrow Xuan and restore Qi. They are hiding in the capital, and Concubine Xi is the new emperor's bedmate. This is a sword hidden in the dark. If you bring the sword into the light, this sharp weapon will be useless!"
"That's right. If the new emperor reveals the identity of his favorite concubine as a princess of the previous dynasty, he will have only two options. One is to admit her identity and then perform a ceremony to confer the title on her to show his benevolence. The other is to sentence the remnants of the previous dynasty to death. The new emperor can still do the same as he did with the Gao family and say that he had no prior knowledge of the matter, thus clearing himself of all charges. Therefore, revealing the identity of the new emperor's favorite concubine is not advisable, not advisable!"
An elderly counselor said as he shook his head.
"This... The new emperor expropriated the Gao family and rehabilitated the Mu family, and has accumulated a lot of reputation among the people. Although the reason for our expedition is the same as that of Fan Wei and others, using the reason that the new emperor made concessions to foreign countries and murdered loyal officials, the Fan family is a rat family that is despised by everyone in the Daxuan Dynasty. It is hard to convince people about the reason for our expedition. Now that the grain route has been cut off, it is difficult to collect grain in the Central Plains." Another strategist couldn't help sighing.
Xiao Han stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to western Sichuan to collect grain!"
He was very popular in western Sichuan. If he went to western Sichuan to collect grain, the people would give him half a bowl of rice even if they only had one bowl of rice.
Feng Shuo, who was sitting in the main seat, said, "Wait a little longer."
Everyone in the tent didn't understand what he meant.
After a moment, a messenger came in from outside the tent, half-knelt down, and raised a brocade box above his head with both hands: "Your Majesty, the items sent from the capital have arrived."
Xing Yao stepped forward, took it and presented it to Feng Shuo.
Feng Shuo opened the brocade box and took out a pile of letter papers as thick as a finger. He looked at the people in the tent and said, "The new emperor cannot escape responsibility for the tragedy of the entire Mu family!"
Everyone passed the letter around and were horrified. A few hot-tempered generals even spat and cursed.
How glorious can the factional struggle for succession be
When Gao family was enfeoffed as Shi Yan, he failed to win over Mu family. Mu Wuhou's wife was the younger sister of King Cheng's wife. Rather than letting Mu family become King Cheng's helpers, it was better to seize the military power of Mu family.
The Gao family dared to act in this way, they must have discussed it with the Empress Dowager Gao. Those letters were left behind when the Gao family communicated with the Eastern Palace.
The Gao family kept the letter hoping to wait until the new emperor weakened his relatives and threatened the new emperor when they were desperate. However, they did not expect that the Mu family's affairs would be exposed, and they were completely hopeless.
Empress Gao finally chose to give the evidence to Feng Shuo with the intention of revenge.
After the staff and generals had cursed the court, one of the staff immediately said, "It has rained heavily since spring, and several villages have experienced landslides over the years. Why not carve a stone tablet to express our solidarity and grievances and place it at the site of the landslide? When the local people find it, they will say it is a warning from heaven!"
The ancients revered ghosts and gods, so after the story of the stone tablet spread, it was not difficult for the unjust case of the Mu family, which had just been settled, to be brought up again.
Once public opinion has fermented to a certain extent, the hard evidence will be released. By then, the royal family's framing of loyal officials will become a scandal known to the world.
Feng Shuo said: "Yes."
After the discussion was over and the staff and generals left the tent one after another, Xing Yao handed the letter sent from Xizhou to Feng Shuo: "Master, Miss Chu wrote you a letter."
Feng Shuo had a lazy look on his face, but when he heard that it was Jiang Yanyi's letter, he instantly perked up.
Even if you try to press down the corners of your mouth, you can still see the slightly upturned curve.
Feng Shuo opened the sealing wax and after reading the first line of the letter, the joy on his face faded.
After reading the letter, he had no expression on his face.
Xing Yao didn't know what was in the letter that caused Feng Shuo's emotions to fluctuate so obviously, so he asked carefully: "Did something happen in Xizhou?"
"No." Feng Shuo's voice was cold and hard.
He had been gone for months, and when she remembered to write him the first time, she wrote him a letter full of inquiries about other men.
The more Feng Shuo thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.
He wanted to crumple up the letter and throw it away to avoid being upset by looking at it, but when he thought that this was the first letter Jiang Yanyi wrote to him after he went south, he was reluctant to do so.
In the end, Feng Shuo put the letter into a small box and picked up his pen to write a reply to Jiang Yanyi.
I wonder what strange remarks she had heard, why did she ask him if Chi Qing was Mu Xuanqing
Although Chi Qing and Mu Xuanqing are twin brothers, he can still tell them apart.
Once Mu Xuanqing dies, there will be no more gentlemen in the world.
*****
It was already mid-May when this letter was delivered to Jiang Yanyi.
Yang Xiu brought a caravan back from outside the Great Wall, carrying several carts of dried chili peppers. Jiang Yanyi did not rush to use the chili peppers for cooking, but instead raised the price of chili peppers, hoping to use them to replace pepper.
When Yang Xiu led the caravan to transport porcelain out of the country again, Jiang Yanyi asked them to purchase large quantities of medicinal materials for treating external injuries from other countries.
Jiang Yanyi read the letter with great anticipation, and when he found that Feng Shuo replied in a firm tone that Chi Qing was not Mu Xuanqing, he thought about the expression on Chi Qing's face when he told him that his brother had died in the battle, and he felt more and more that Chi Qing could not be Mu Xuanqing.
But why does the tone of the second half of this letter seem more and more sour the more I read it
Why does she try every possible means to find out about other men
Jiang Yanyi found it funny, but when he saw the three words "I miss you so much" at the end of the letter, his eyes softened again.
Jiang Yan had seen him write and could even imagine his expression as he wrote these three words at his desk.
She traced the words carefully with her fingers and said slowly: "I miss you too..."
*****
That day, Xie Chuji came to play chess with Jiang Yanyi again. After Jiang Yanyi told her about the letter she had written to Feng Shuo, Xie Chuji was stunned at first, and then smiled faintly: "I know that his current status is embarrassing, and he doesn't want to delay me, so he let the people around him play along."
She pinched the inky chess piece with such force that her knuckles turned white.
Xie Chuji is an excellent chess player. In the past, when she and Jiang Yanyi played against each other, Jiang Yanyi lost more than he won. But today, Xie Chuji was obviously not in good shape, and Jiang Yanyi actually won several games.
Jiang Yanyi was afraid that she was upset, so he asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"
Xie Chuji held his forehead, feeling a little tired: "I feel dizzy, maybe I caught a cold last night."
She was not feeling well, and Jiang Yanyi offered to call a doctor for her, but Xie Chuji declined. Jiang Yanyi did not keep her any longer and asked her to go home and rest early.
Dusk comes a little later in May. Xie Chuji walks into the drizzle holding an oil-paper umbrella with a painted winter plum blossom on it, but he does not return home. Instead, he goes to Feng Mansion.
"Excuse me, is Military Advisor Chi at home?" Xie Chuji's face was a little pale, and his eyebrows and eyes were even colder.
Chi Qing had no place to stay in Xizhou. He was either in the military camp or temporarily staying in Feng Shuo's mansion.
Since Chi Qing returned to Xizhou, Xie Chuji has come to ask three or five times, and the doorman still answered her the same way as before: "Miss, Military Advisor Chi is in the barracks, not at home."
This time, Xie Chuji didn't walk away like he did the previous times. Instead, he asked, "When will he come back?"
The concierge was a little embarrassed, "This... I don't know Military Advisor Chi's schedule."
Xie Chuji bowed and said, "Thank you very much. I will wait for him here."
Holding an oil-paper umbrella, she walked down the stone steps step by step in the slanting wind and drizzle, standing quietly by the road like a jade sculpture. Because of her outstanding appearance and demeanor, almost all passers-by would take a second look at her.
The doorman looked at Xie Chuji standing at the stone steps, feeling somewhat reluctant, so he closed the door and went to report.
"Military Advisor Chi, that girl is very stubborn and has been standing at the door refusing to leave. What should we do?"
Chi Qing held a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, glanced at the dusk outside the window, and said, "Persuade her to go home before dark."
The doorman responded and left. When Chi Qing looked at the bamboo slips in his hand again, he couldn't bear to look at it anymore. He threw the slips aside in annoyance and gently pressed his hand under his ribs.
There, there was an old scar about two fingers wide.
He lowered his eyes to hide the emotions surging in his eyes: "How could I be him."
The author has something to say: My grandmother passed away, and I want to take a day off tomorrow to see her off for the last time.
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2021-02-15 01:15:44~2021-02-16 00:08:52~
Thanks to the little angel who cast mines: Only the beautiful scenery and delicious food are not to be missed 3; irritable kungie 2; a great spirit, a thousand miles of joy 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Purple 43 bottles; a:) Maple Leaf? 38 bottles; Sinking in Your Eyes 20 bottles; Peach Z 10 bottles; Purple Snow, Panda Milk Cover Oolong Tea, Peach Shengsheng 5 bottles; Rabbit White White Silly Tender, A Little Liangjin, Summer Insects Silent Ice 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!