The night gradually became darker, and the original drizzle became heavier.
Lanterns were already lit in front of the Feng Mansion, and the dim light shone on the oil-paper umbrellas, giving off a special kind of chill. Xie Chuji's face was pale, and the hand holding the umbrella handle trembled slightly in the cold wind.
Before closing the door, the concierge glanced at Xie Chuji again, and said reluctantly, "Miss, please go back. Military Advisor Chi is really not coming back tonight."
Xie Chuji stood in the rain for too long, and her lips were frozen to the point of being pale. She said, "I'll wait until he comes back."
"Girl, why are you so stubborn?" The doorman had just said half of his words when he saw Xie Chuji stagger, the oil-paper umbrella in her hand fell to the ground in the rain, and she fainted on the ground.
"Girl!" the concierge was horrified.
***
Jiang Yanyi had just finished dinner when a servant from Feng Mansion came knocking on the door, saying that Xie Chuji had fainted at the door of Feng Mansion.
Xie Chuji was all alone in Xizhou. Even when she was sick, there was no one to take care of her. Jiang Yanyi was familiar with her, so people from Feng Mansion came to look for her.
"Have you found a doctor?" Jiang Yan thought of Xie Chuji's trance when he was playing chess with her before. She knew that Xie Chuji went to Feng Mansion to block Chi Qing, probably to confirm finally whether Chi Qing was Mu Xuanqing.
"Someone has been sent to invite him." said a servant in Feng Mansion.
When Jiang Yanyi went to the next door, the doctor had not come yet, so she asked Aunt Guo to help boil some hot water and wrung out a handkerchief to apply hot compress to Xie Chuji first.
"Why are you doing this?" Jiang Yanyi sighed while twisting his handkerchief.
Xie Chuji was so sick that he was confused and couldn't sleep well. Even with his eyes closed, the corners of his eyes were wet.
After the doctor came to see him and prescribed some medicine, Jiang Yanyi then remembered to ask the servants of Feng Mansion: "Is Military Advisor Chi in the mansion?"
The servants of Feng Mansion did not dare to deceive Jiang Yanyi, but they did not dare to admit it directly either, and they hesitated.
Jiang Yanyi still had something he didn't understand, so he immediately said, "Take me to see Military Advisor Chi."
Feng Mansion set aside a separate courtyard for Chi Qing to live in. When Jiang Yanyi went there, the lights in Chi Qing's courtyard were still on, and several unfamiliar generals walked out of the courtyard, all in a hurry.
Perhaps because they knew that the Grand Concubine Dowager lived in the mansion, the generals were very cautious about the women in the mansion. When they met them, they lowered their heads and dared not look at them for too long.
Jiang Yanyi entered the yard only after the servant went in to report.
Chi Qing seemed to have expected this, and the first thing he said when he saw her was, "Miss Chu, are you here to ask about Miss Xie?"
He restrained his usual cynical look, which made Jiang Yanyi feel a little strange for a moment.
However, Feng Shuo had given his word, and Jiang Yanyi no longer felt that Chi Qing was his brother.
Thinking of Xie Chuji's appearance, she still felt distressed. She said, "Miss Xie is a long-lasting lover. She always thinks you are Prince Mu. It is better to suffer a short pain than a long one. You should meet her and make things clear. It will also help her stop thinking about you."
Chi Qing pulled the corner of his mouth, "Miss Chu is right, I will see Miss Xie another day."
Since he had already promised this, Jiang Yanyi didn't know what to say. He just felt that something was weird between him and Xie Chuji.
After Jiang Yanyi left, Chi Qing listened to the sound of rain drops outside the window, lost in thought.
How would he see her
In the past, Marquis Mu Wu had made many outstanding achievements and was suspected by the late emperor. He and his brother, one of them showed his talent and took all the glory and risks, while the other kept a low profile, pretending to be a dandy and spending his days fighting cocks and running errands to create the illusion that he was incompetent.
When Xie Chuji encountered being bullied by the boy from the Fan family at Bodhi Temple, he could only teach Fan Shengnian a lesson in the name of his brother.
In order to avoid his hiding his incompetence and for Xie Chuji's reputation, the matter of Bodhi Temple was covered up. However, the news of his saving people still reached the ears of the late emperor, and the Mu family was even more suspicious.
My parents had no choice but to propose marriage to the Xie family on behalf of my brother in order to dispel the late emperor's doubts.
My elder brother is the undisputed number one young master in the world. Xie Chuji is famous for his talent and beauty, and is the first choice for young men from aristocratic families when choosing a wife.
Once the marriage was decided, almost everyone in the world said that they were a perfect match made in heaven.
At that time, he just thought that Xie Chuji was an interesting girl. In the face of the crisis of his family's survival, what did the admiration that started from a single encounter mean
The slight admiration for Xie Chuji gradually turned into emotion after something happened to the Mu family and his brother broke off the engagement with the Xie family.
Everyone else avoided the Mu family, fearing that they would get into trouble. Only she rushed over regardless and tried to pull the Mu family out of the quagmire.
At that time, Xie Chuji was waiting in front of the Mu family's door just like he is now, begging to see Mu Xuanqing. His brother carried the burden of the family on his shoulders and could not spare the slightest bit of tenderness to deal with his children's love affairs.
However, he was somewhat envious of his brother - he had a girl like this who would stay with him and share the joys and sorrows with him.
With this concern, it became easier to notice Xie Chuji from then on.
But after his brother passed away, Xie Chuji recognized him as his brother.
She sent him letters year after year, day after day, stubborn and persistent.
It was also from those letters that Chi Qing learned that Xie Chuji's love for his brother originated from the rescue at Bodhi Temple.
He couldn't imagine what would happen if Xie Chuji knew that it was actually him who saved the person that day.
Secretly, Chi Qing might hope that Xie Chuji could love him as much as he loved his brother, but whenever he thought of his brother who died tragically on the battlefield for the family, and thought of his feelings for Xie Chuji, he felt ashamed.
That was the girl who had been engaged to my brother and respected by him, but who was finally cruelly separated from him in order to protect her.
Moreover, a hero saving a beautiful girl would become a good story, but what does it mean if a ruffian saves a beautiful girl
He is not an elder brother, and he does not have the world's praise and glory. He is just a notorious playboy.
If a girl was rescued by him, she would probably say thank you and then try her best to distance herself from him.
He didn't dare to see Xie Chuji because he knew that the truth was too cruel for both of them.
It is better not to meet.
***
Xie Chuji finally forced himself to get the answer he had been looking for.
The sky cleared up after the rain, and the grass and trees outside the window were lush and green.
In order to avoid suspicion, the two chose to meet at Jiang Yanyi's Ruyi Tower.
Xie Chuji had just recovered from an illness and looked a little unwell. Even though she usually went out without makeup, she was busy putting on makeup for the first time.
She likes playing chess and carries her own exquisite chessboard wherever she goes.
In her own words, playing chess can help people calm down.
Chi Qing hadn't arrived yet, so she played a game of chess with herself first, but it was obvious that the result was not to her liking, and Xie Chuji kept frowning.
When the door of the private room creaked open, Xie Chuji just dropped a chess piece from her hand, and her heartbeat quickened.
When Xie Chuji looked up and saw that handsome face, tears started to flow before he could say a word.
Chi Qing did not sit down, but walked to the window, standing lazily by the window, and said the cruel fact in a calm tone: "I heard that Miss Xie came to me to confirm whether I am her brother. Then I will tell Miss Xie today that I am not her brother. Miss Xie has recognized the wrong person."
Xie Chuji's hand holding the chess piece tightened, and she asked with a trembling voice: "Do you have a scar under your ribs?"
"Yes, wasn't it given by Miss Xie at the Bodhi Temple that year?" Chi Qing's tone was lazy, just like the tone he used when he first met Xie Chuji at the Bodhi Temple that year.
Just as Xie Chuji's eyes showed a little hope, he heard Chi Qing say, "I think Miss Xie has heard about how bad my reputation is in the capital. If I hadn't used my brother's name that day, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to scare the Fan family kid away."
It turns out that the truth I have been pursuing for so long is this.
Even with rouge on, Xie Chuji's face still looked noticeably paler.
Chi Qing couldn't bear to watch, so he turned his gaze to the window and said in a casual tone: "When my brother was alive, he always hoped that Miss Xie would live a happy life. My brother has been gone for a long time, so I hope Miss Xie will mourn for him."
Xie Chuji's eyes slowly turned red. He stared at Chi Qing's profile without blinking and asked, "What about you?"
"He wants me to be happy and worry-free. What about you?"
The room was silent, and the sounds of breathing and slight inhalations due to sobbing could be clearly heard.
Chi Qing's back stiffened for a moment, and after a moment he said, "I also hope that Miss Xie will be happy and carefree for the rest of her life."
****
After Chi Qing left Ruyi Tower, Jiang Yanyi went up to see Xie Chuji.
Xie Chuji held the black pieces in one hand and the white pieces in the other, and continued to break the half-finished endgame. Her eyes were red from tears, but she stubbornly refused to shed a single tear.
Jiang Yanyi didn't say anything, just sat beside her and kept her company quietly.
After Xie Chuji finished the game, before Jiang Yanyi could say anything to comfort him, Xie Chuji said, "I heard that your store has launched a hot pot that is so spicy that it can make people cry. I am greedy today, so I want to try it."
The spicy hotpot in Jiang Yanyi's store used to be made with dogwood, but only recently did they start using chili peppers to make the hotpot base. The aroma is so delicious that people on the street can't walk.
It’s just that because the taste of the pepper is so overbearing, and the pot is famous for being made of extremely valuable peppers, only a very small number of wealthy merchants can afford it.
Although the authentic red soup hotpot has not yet achieved universal popularity, the edible value of pepper has been hyped up. The price of pepper is higher than that of gold, and pepper will only become more expensive. Jiang Yanyi has the resources of pepper in his hands, and wealthy businessmen from other states all take the initiative to come to Jiang Yanyi to get close to him.
She tried her best to attract wealth from other places to Xizhou so that the people of Xizhou could have enough food to eat. At the same time, she spent a lot of money to repair roads to facilitate the transportation of goods to other provinces for sale.
The people now had hope for a better life and they all remembered Jiang Yanyi's kindness. Even the newly built road was named after Jiang Yanyi's Ruyi Tower, called "Ruyi Road."
All the gossip that was previously going on behind the back was drowned out by all the praises.
Jiang Yanyi went to the kitchen and prepared the dishes himself and asked the waiter to bring them to the private room.
She was afraid that Xie Chuji couldn't eat spicy food, so she asked someone to prepare a double-flavored hotpot. The soup was bright red with a lot of dried chilies floating on top. Just looking at it made people afraid to pick up their chopsticks.
In comparison, the clear soup noodles are translucent, with green onions and mushrooms floating in them, and are light and fragrant, which is more to the taste of the ancients.
Red soup hotpot is soulless without tripe. Now with Ruyilou's strong financial resources and influence in Xizhou City, it is much easier for Jiang Yanyi to buy beef than before.
Even some wealthy families who were dissatisfied with the food cooked by their own chefs would bring their prepared meat to Ruyilou and pay Ruyilou to help them cook it.
Xie Chuji insisted on eating the red soup, so Jiang Yanyi cooked a piece of tripe for her.
The palm-sized tripe was put into the pot, and the water in the red soup was bubbling, instantly coating the specially made extended wooden hot pot chopsticks with a layer of red oil.
As the water boils, the ingredients and peppers in the pot float to the surface alternately, and the spicy aroma wafts out of the private room. Diners passing by the door of the private room can't help but stop to take a sniff, swallow their saliva, and sigh, "It smells so good."
Jiang Yanyi took the tripe and dipped it in the red soup seven or eight times. When he saw it was cooked, he put it in a dish of oil and handed it to Xie Chuji.
The oil dish is filled with freshly squeezed sesame oil, which is extremely fragrant. There are also scallions and coriander in it. Mix the tripe in the dish, and the red oil covering the tripe melts into the dish. The spicy feeling of the tripe is slightly reduced, and the aroma is enhanced and the heat is cleared. It tastes spicy, crispy and tender when chewed, which is very refreshing.
After finishing a piece of tripe, Xie Chuji quickly poured a cup of heat-reducing flower tea and drank it, then nodded at Jiang Yanyi: "It's thick with oil and red sauce, and it tastes better than any dish I've ever tasted. I don't know what the ingredients are, the taste is very strange, I have never tasted it before."
Jiang Yanyi put a piece of beef into her plate and said hesitantly, "What we just ate was beef tripe."
Xie Chuji paused holding the chopsticks, and was about to retch almost reflexively.
Jiang Yanyi hurriedly took the spittoon and handed it to her.
Xie Chuji vomited twice, and drank some scented tea to relieve the pain. He looked at Jiang Yanyi with apologetic eyes and said, "I'm sorry, I was rude..."
Jiang Yanyi said awkwardly: "It's my fault for not asking you in advance."
Xie Chuji shook his head repeatedly: "There is no distinction between expensive and cheap meat in the world. They are all just for filling the stomach. The tripe just now was delicious."
As if she wanted to prove her words were true, she pretended to eat the tripe again. Jiang Yanyi looked at her pale face and hurriedly stopped her: "I just like to eat this. I'm greedy today, so leave it to me."
Xie Chuji still looked very guilty.
Jiang Yanyi scooped up a cooked beef meatball with a spoon and put it on Xie Chuji's plate, "Eat something else."
The ancients did not eat animal offal, and Jiang Yanyi himself did not like to eat some internal organs, but he had no immunity to cow tripe.
Speaking of offal, a few days ago she discovered that the guys in the building had thrown away all the chicken offal, saying that it was just a small amount, and it was difficult to handle and smelled strong, so it was inedible.
Ruyilou's business is now big, and the waiters sometimes waste food, and Chef Yao can't keep an eye on it. Jiang Yanyi was quite annoyed. After she put Huo Jianjia in Ruyilou for two days, the waiters immediately became obedient. Now they have to ask the restaurant manager for permission before throwing something.
She was in a good mood and made chicken offal noodles for the guys at Ruyi Building. Now the guys in the building treat the chicken offal as a treasure.
At the end of the meal, Xie Chuji didn't know whether it was because of the spiciness or because he couldn't suppress his sadness any longer. He cried while eating. He drank two glasses of wine and was probably drunk again. With a red face, he asked Jiang Yanyi: "You liked Mr. Lu so much. How did you let him go?"
Jiang Yanyi almost choked to death on the coriander pork meatballs he had just swallowed. He took a moment to calm down and said, "If it's not worth it, just put it down."
"Worth it? What does worth it mean? It's just a matter of thinking about it or not." Xie Chuji's eyes were hazy, but still revealed a sense of sadness.
Jiang Yanyi thought she was talking about Prince Mu, and sighed, "Chu Ji, life is not just about love. We still have a lot of things to do. Some things should be kept in memory, which is a kind of treasure."
Xie Chuji seemed to nod, but also seemed to be completely drunk, and when he fell down, he hit his head on the table.
Jiang Yanyi had seen Xie Chuji drunk last time. There was actually not much difference between her being drunk and being sober. At most, she spoke more directly and boldly than usual. After saying what she wanted to say, she fell asleep.
Jiang Yanyi had no choice but to call Huo Jianjia in to help help Xie Chuji get on the carriage.
After Huo Jianjia entered the house, she kept glancing at the hot pot. After she picked up Xie Chuji with her small body, she asked Jiang Yanyi, "Boss, can we take this soup back to eat with hot pot tonight?"
Jiang Yanyi nodded readily: "Pack it up and take it away."
Chili peppers are a rare commodity in this era. A hot pot meal requires a lot of chili peppers, and she would like to eat it as two meals.
Huo Jianjia said, "Send some to Sister Qiu Kui as well."
The two of them had a good relationship. Whenever Huo Jianjia ate something delicious, she would always think of saving a portion for Qiu Kui and would send it to the noodle shop when she had time.
Jiang Yanyi said: "Just call Qiu Kui over."
Huo Jianjia said, "She can't go out now, and she can't eat. She's just like Madam An Shao, she vomits when she smells oil."
Jiang Yanyi was startled: "You mean, okra is available?"
Huo Jianjia nodded, "Sister Qiu Kui said that after the pregnancy is stable in three months, she and the blacksmith will come to kowtow to you and thank you."
She would never have thought of making these okras by herself. It must have been Luo the blacksmith who taught her.
Jiang Yanyi was not only happy, but also more relieved.
When Qiu Kui was with her before, she thought Qiu Kui didn't understand, so she didn't teach Qiu Kui these social skills. After Qiu Kui got together with the blacksmith, the blacksmith patiently taught her these things, and Qiu Kui learned very well.
Jiang Yanyi said, "Why didn't you tell me this good news earlier? When you go back, take some supplements and go see her on my behalf so she can have a good pregnancy."
What she was most worried about originally were Qiu Kui and Chu Yangui. Now Qiu Kui has her own family and will be a mother in the future, so Jiang Yanyi is relieved. She is only a little worried about Chu Yangui.
The boy grew up day by day, and slowly, she could no longer see through him.
****
Since the beginning of summer, Huaicheng experienced its first heavy rain, which not only triggered mountain torrents but also caused landslides.
Huaicheng has had heavy rains in previous years, but never as severe as this year.
War and natural disasters are often the times when people's morale is most easily shaken.
The mud and sand that rolled down from the landslide blocked the official road. When the government officials went to clear the roadblocks and discovered the stone tablet engraved with the words "vindication for the Mu family", even the officers and soldiers broke out in cold sweats, not to mention the ordinary people who were already suffering terribly from the natural disaster.
For a time, people throughout the Daxuan Dynasty were in panic, and the voices that the emperor was immoral and persecuted loyal officials snowballed.
The people of Huaicheng vented their anger towards the imperial court on the local government. As powerful as the officials were in the past, they were now in such a miserable state. Even with swords, they were no match for the mud and stones thrown by a hundred or so people.
The people even directly robbed the government granaries.
The prefect of Huaicheng was in great distress and at a loss as to what to do. Then one of his subordinates informed him that someone wanted to see him and claimed that he could solve the problem of Huaicheng.
The prefect of Huaicheng immediately received the visitor.
The person who came was a handsome young man, who looked to be under 20 years old. He had disabled legs and was sitting in a wooden wheelchair. Next to him was a man with a yellow face and short beard, who looked to be a martial artist.
The prefect of Huaicheng sat on the imperial chair and said in a rather arrogant manner, "The people below reported that you have a way to deal with the flood in Huaicheng?"
Chu Yangui did not take the prefect's contempt seriously and said calmly: "I don't know how to deal with floods. What I want to help you do is to win the hearts of the people."
The prefect of Huaicheng narrowed his already small eyes, showing a sense of sophistication and calculation: "People's hearts? Tell me how to deal with it?"
Chu Yangui uttered a word calmly: "Rebel."
The prefect of Huaicheng felt that the head on his neck suddenly became light and the blood in his body almost flowed backwards. He slammed the table and shouted angrily: "How dare you! Come, arrest this guy!"
The guards wanted to attack Chu Yangui, but Chu Zhong didn't even draw the knife on his waist, and knocked down the seven or eight guards who rushed into the room with his bare hands.
A guard drew his sword and wanted to chop someone, but he simply knocked the sword away, and the sword fell on the low table next to the Huaicheng prefect, just a millimeter away from his hand that was slamming the table.
The prefect of Huaicheng was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, and when he took his hand away, it was shaking like a sieve.
Chu Yangui's expression remained the same as before, still looking gentle and harmless: "My lord, just listen to me and I will explain in detail. Why are you so angry?"
The prefect of Huaicheng stuttered, "You...you say."
"The granary in Huaicheng was robbed. Do you know what crime this is?"
The prefect of Huaicheng said: "At the least, he will be demoted, at the worst, he will be beheaded."
Chu Yangui smiled and said, "Since you know that if you remain loyal to the court, these two outcomes will be waiting for you, why not follow the will of the people, rebel against the court, and join the Liaonan King's army."
The prefect of Huaicheng finally came to his senses and sneered, "Are you the Liaonan King's man?"
Chu Yangui asked in return: "Do you think that if the King of Liaonan wants to take the land of Huaicheng, he needs to send a lobbyist?"
Huaizhou is a tiny place located downstream of Yuzhou and bordering Qingzhou. Although it has a granary, it is only a small supply point and is not considered a military stronghold on the Daxuan map.
If the King of Liaonan takes a fancy to this piece of land, I'm afraid he can take it down in less than half an hour.
The prefect of Huaizhou remained silent.
Chu Yangui then continued, "The people of Huaicheng are rebelling against the imperial court, not you, sir. If you comply with the will of the people, you can continue to hold the position of prefect, and you may even be rewarded with a promotion for your surrender."
The prefect of Huaizhou was still hesitant: "If the King of Liaonan is defeated by the imperial cavalry in the future..."
Chu Yangui interrupted him, his expression grim: "Even if the King of Liaonan only has a few remnants of his army left, do you think he can't take down Huaicheng?"
All of Lu Chuyangui's statements were made clear.
If you don't surrender now, you will be beaten down in the future.
The prefect of Huaizhou gritted his teeth and quickly made a decision: "Rebellion!"
The corners of Chu Yangui's mouth rose slightly.
As Chu Zhong pushed Chu Yangui away, he whispered to him, "Master, do you want to use Huaicheng as a token of your loyalty?"
Chu Yangui's eyes were as dark as ink: "I want more than just Huaicheng."
This time he took advantage of the incident of the Fengshuo Stele. With a pretext, he could easily incite the people.
No matter how weak the Huaicheng government was, a group of refugees still couldn't rob the government directly. It was his careful planning and the plan to rob the granary for the people who were instigated by him that led to the successful robbery of the granary.
The granary was the main driving force for persuading the Huaicheng prefect to surrender. As long as the granary was still there, the Huaicheng prefect was not afraid of being held accountable by the court, and the possibility of him surrendering was zero.
Without the granary, surrendering to Feng Shuo is the best option for the Huaicheng prefect.
The prefectures and counties neighboring Huaicheng would inevitably be terrified when they saw Huaicheng surrender without a fight. It would then be much easier for him to lobby them.
After all, there is someone taking the lead, and the world has reached this point, so no one will not seek to protect themselves.
Even if he couldn't take over the whole Qingzhou, he would at least take over half of it.
He will step into the political arena step by step, and will use his abilities to make Feng Shuo's staff remember his name, instead of bearing the title of Chu Changping's youngest son and the princess's younger brother for the rest of his life.
The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2021-02-16 00:08:52~2021-02-18 23:59:24~
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