Jiang Yanyi hugged him back. He was much taller than her, and his chin could just rest against her forehead. With this hugging posture, Jiang Yanyi's face was almost touching his chest, and she could clearly hear his heartbeat.
He asked her this, probably because he knew what her original self had done when she liked Lu Linyuan.
Jiang Yanyi sighed softly: "Feng Shuo, the Jiang Yanyi you met in Xizhou is no longer the same person as the one in Beijing."
"I like you, and only you. What happens to Lu Linyuan has nothing to do with me. He did something wrong, so he should be punished, but I don't want you to punish him severely because of me."
"You may have to fight for other things in this life, but in this relationship, you can be open and honest. There is no need to taint your life for an irrelevant person. Even if he has a thousand good qualities, he is not half as good as you in my heart."
Feng Shuo didn't say anything. His big hand landed on her back, his fingertips penetrated her thick long hair, and his palm pressed against the light-colored skirt she was wearing, tightening it. There was a hint of hoarseness in his voice: "Thank you."
He just thought that the current her in Jiang Yanyi's words was not the same person as the one in Beijing, which meant that Jiang Yanyi had completely bid farewell to the past. But it was impossible for him not to be touched by the subsequent confession.
He had been fighting for something all his life, and for the first time someone told him that there were some things he didn't have to fight for, because they already belonged to him.
It was also the first time that someone cared about his reputation. In the eyes of the world, he was no different from Yama. He could be blamed for any insults, and he was used to it. Now, this feeling of being cherished was strange, but he was greedy.
When he was young in the palace, he was often scolded for not being supposed to live in this world. Even his mother, when she saw the countless scars on his body, would cry and tell him that perhaps he should not have been brought into this world in the first place.
He had always been treated like a worn-out shoe by others. Even though he was later divided into pieces and crowned a king, and people respected and feared him, it was only because of his identity as the King of Liaonan and his past military achievements.
Feng Shuo closed his eyes and let the surging emotions in his heart slowly calm down.
Jiang Yanyi leaned against the fox fur edging on his cloak and said, "It's the same for my sister, you should handle it impartially, don't think of saying anything malicious on my behalf."
She didn't want Feng Shuo to lower himself to do such a thing.
Feng Shuo asked: "Don't you hate her?"
Jiang Yanyi said, "Yan Gui and I have been together since childhood, and I did a lot of things that were too much for her. I was punished for the wrong things I did, and I have no right to hate what I should have to bear. I just hope that we will never meet again. She had her reasons for exiling me to Xizhou, breaking Yan Gui's legs, killing my mother, and forcing the Chu family to this point, but the real culprit is the emperor, and I should hate the emperor as well."
To be fair, the original Niang San, after all, was given the title of a vicious supporting role. She had been beating and scolding Jiang Yanxi since she was a child, and even hired someone to destroy her innocence. As an old-fashioned and miserable little white flower heroine, Jiang Yanxi was basically bullied in the early stage of the Jiang family, and was bullied by concubines after entering the palace. Every time, she had to rely on the male lead or the second male lead to rescue her.
When she read the novel, she didn't like the weak character of the heroine, especially after being taken advantage of by the hero in various ways. She said she hated him but loved him to death in her heart. It really made her want to rush into the book, pick up the heroine, shake her head, and clear the water from her brain.
Now that she has really come here, she is still a vicious female supporting role. If she meets the male and female protagonists, she will die if she is not careful. She just wants to stay away from them. The original body and her relatives have been punished a hundred times more painfully than the female protagonist. They have already paid off what they owed the female protagonist.
Jiang Yanxi committed a crime, so she should receive the punishment she deserves. She didn't want to see Feng Shuo deliberately deal with Jiang Yanxi for her own sake.
Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor. One day, she will make the emperor and Minister Jiang pay back what they owe to her mother and the Chu family.
She let Feng Shuo know Jiang Yanxi's identity in order to keep the initiative in their hands. After all, she was not stupid, and she couldn't help Jiang Yanxi and Lu Linyuan hide it from Feng Shuo.
Feng Shuo remained silent. Jiang Yanyi looked up at him and asked, "Why, do you think I'm indecisive?"
Feng Shuo's dark eyes were gloomy, and he said, "No."
When he loosened his arms, he held Jiang Yanyi's face with both hands, and his delicate and lingering kisses fell between her eyebrows. The heavy snow was still falling, and the snowflakes fell on her face and were cold, but his lips were warm.
He kissed eagerly, as if he was afraid of losing something.
She is always frank and can always clearly distinguish right from wrong.
He had always been afraid that Jiang Yanyi still had feelings for Lu Linyuan because Lu Linyuan was born in a wealthy family and was full of righteousness and pride.
Which girl in the world doesn't like such an upright man? However, every step he takes is full of intrigue and conspiracy. He is despicable, shameless and will do anything to achieve his goals, because only in this way can he survive.
With her personality, she probably likes the kind of upright gentlemen described in the classics.
Jiang Yanyi was stunned by Feng Shuo's kiss. Her crow-feather eyelashes trembled slightly. She vaguely remembered that the first time he kissed her was also on a snowy day like this.
When Feng Shuo kissed her lips, his tiger teeth bit her plump lower lip lightly: "What are you thinking about?"
Jiang Yanyi said vaguely: "I'm thinking about you."
The uneasiness in my heart was miraculously soothed by these words.
Feng Shuo ended the kiss and pinched the tip of her nose lovingly, "What kind of lip balm did you put on today?"
Jiang Yanyi blushed: "I didn't put it on today."
She had just come from the Chu family and didn't bring any lip balm with her.
Feng Shuo pursed his lips, as if he was really judging. After a moment, he raised his head and looked at her and said mischievously, "It's strangely sweet."
Jiang Yanyi blushed even more. She drank Tremella, Lily and Lotus Seed Soup when she came here. Old Madam Chu was old and her taste buds were not very sensitive, so the food she ate was heavier in flavor, and there was a bit too much sugar in the lotus seed soup.
She raised her fist and punched Feng Shuo in the chest: "Not serious."
Feng Shuo easily caught her fist and held it in his palm. Seeing that she was blushing, he stopped teasing her.
He knew that the entire Western Province was now full of negative comments about the Chu family. Although she didn't say it, she was actually worried in her heart. She came here suddenly today, probably for the Chu family, so she said, "The rumors about the Chu family outside will soon be covered up, don't worry."
His tone was firm, but Jiang Yanyi was a little doubtful. Rumors were like a flood and a beast, and could not be stopped by force. Having experienced the Internet information age in the future, she knew that in order to cover up a topic, she had to bring up another more controversial topic.
The emperor had thrown a basin of dirty water at the Chu family. How else could we cover it up except by waiting for people to forget it themselves
She asked, “What are you going to do?”
Feng Shuo said: "If I rebel, no one will talk about the Chu family anymore."
Jiang Yanyi was really surprised. She was stunned for a moment, then pointed out the key point: "Any action must have a legitimate reason to be considered as a legitimate cause."
Although the new emperor was violent, he had suppressed the all-powerful relatives since he ascended the throne, and also forged the Fan family into a sharp blade that could cut whatever it pointed at. Although the Fan family was notorious, it was undeniable that the new emperor used the Fan family to exclude dissidents, check and balance the relatives, and promote a group of court officials who were loyal to him.
The Lu family has been a loyal minister for generations. As a great scholar of the time, Mr. Lu has different ideas from the new emperor. Firstly, the new emperor sacrificed too many innocent people when he was reorganizing the court. Secondly, the new emperor was too emotional and demoted his subjects for the sake of concubines. This was really intolerable to Mr. Lu, so he angrily rebuked the new emperor in the Golden Palace.
As for personal vendettas, there are certainly aristocratic families who have been innocently implicated and hate the new emperor, but this cannot shake his foundation. If he rebels for his own personal vengeance, he will not gain the upper hand among the people.
No one wants to live a life of displacement unless their fundamental interests are affected.
Unless... she spread the news that she was punished by the new emperor to be a camp prostitute in Xizhou, and the new emperor was immoral, then she would have a reason to rebel against him.
Feng Shuo seemed to know what she was thinking. He squeezed her palm and said, "Back then, Marquis Mu Wu was defeated in a battle in Yingzhou, so that the people of Daxuan in the fourteen cities of Yingzhou were massacred by Minghan State. The whole court was shocked. Marquis Mu Wu committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and then the entire Mu family was executed. But when I took over the battlefield in the southern border, I found that there were many strange things. Marquis Mu Wu's death was not simple."
Duke Chen went to great lengths to replace the Mu brothers with two death row prisoners in order to conceal the truth. After resigning from office and retiring, he entrusted the Mu brothers to Feng Shuo. Mu Xuanqing followed Feng Shuo through life and death, just to find out the truth about the death of Marquis Mu Wu and to clear the name of the Mu family.
In the battle where he and Mu Xuanqing were almost killed, Mu Xuanqing received a feather arrow in the military tent, with a note attached to the arrowhead saying "To know the cause of Wu Hou's death, defend Yingzhou for three days". Unfortunately, they did not wait for the truth of Mu Wu Hou's death, but waited for the Minghan army to approach.
Jiang Yanyi was horrified when he heard this: "The loss of Yingzhou is related to the emperor?"
Feng Shuo's eyes were deep. "After that battle, the military power of the Mu family fell into the hands of the Gao family, the empress dowager's relatives. The new emperor was able to successfully seize the throne, and the military power of the Mu family still intimidated many people."
When the new emperor was registered, he was seriously injured and still on the run. If Mu Xuanqing had not blocked the axe for him, he would probably have died on the battlefield. It is unknown whether future generations will scold him for his failure to defend the city or lament that he died for his country.
Even though he already knew that the royal family used dirty methods to fight for the throne, Jiang Yanyi still felt sick when he heard Feng Shuo talk about this past event.
How many loyal ministers were buried under the imperial power.
If Feng Shuo's speculation is true, then the Yingzhou Incident not only allowed the new emperor to gain military power, but also eliminated the threat of Feng Shuo.
She endured the discomfort in her heart and asked, "Have you found any evidence in these years?"
"If there was evidence, Chi Qing wouldn't have dared to use his original surname until now." He spoke in a low voice, and when he raised his eyes again, his gaze had become sharper: "But the evidence from that year can't be found, but it's not hard to find evidence that the new emperor appointed Fan Yaonian to contact the Turkic prince."
The Turkic prince is still in prison. Even if he refuses to admit his guilt, it is not difficult to make him put his fingerprints on the confession. Although Fan Yaonian is dead, his father Fan Wei is still alive. The Fan family rebelled. In a sense, they are on the same front.
Fan Wei hated the new emperor to the core, so he would certainly be happy to cooperate in accusing the new emperor.
In order to remove a thorn in the flesh, the new emperor did not hesitate to invite a wolf into the house. Regardless of whether the new emperor's calculation was to let him fight with the Turks until both sides were defeated and then reap the benefits, since he had eliminated him and consumed the Turkic troops, the world would be ashamed if the truth got out.
The king's power is supreme, so are the lives of the common people the same as those of ants
***
When Feng Shuo went to interrogate Lu Linyuan again, Lu Linyuan was sick due to a cold. His skin was pale and his lips were cracked.
But when he saw Feng Shuo, he immediately sat up straight, trying hard to make his demeanor look impeccable, as if he was the most respectful student in front of the saint.
"Your humble servant greets His Majesty... cough cough..." He started coughing after paying his respects.
Feng Shuo sat on the armchair. The cell was dark with only a few rays of light from the torches on the wall. His stern face was half illuminated by the firelight and half hidden in the shadows. Without saying a word, he put endless pressure on Lu Linyuan.
Feng Shuo waited until Lu Linyuan had finished coughing before asking, "Since you came under my command, I have never treated you badly. Today, I want to hear from you in person, who exactly is that woman surnamed Li?"
Lu Linyuan was horrified. He looked at Feng Shuo's sharp and majestic eyes and suddenly had a feeling that Feng Shuo already knew everything and was asking him now just to give him one last chance.
He has always admired the King of Liaonan, but now he is suspected by him. Lu Linyuan feels uncomfortable.
His nails dug into his palms but he didn't feel any pain. He closed his eyes and finally confessed, "I am guilty. I deceived the prince. She... is the eldest daughter of the Jiang family."
Feng Shuo looked cold and said, "Chi Qing has asked you more than once, why don't you tell me?"
Lu Linyuan said somewhat embarrassedly: "I feel guilty. I just don't want the political disputes to affect innocent people."
Jiang Yanxi was once the emperor's favorite concubine. Now that she fell into Feng Shuo's hands, the best case scenario was that she would become Feng Shuo's bargaining chip against the emperor. After all, she was the girl he had been infatuated with for his entire life. Even if their love had faded, he couldn't bear to see her finally get her freedom and then become a hostage again.
He originally thought that he would let his men take away the token that the Turkic prince gave to Jiang Yanxi, and then send her to the countryside. His men would give her a large sum of money, and she would live a good life in hiding. It would be fine if their relationship ended there. However, he did not expect that Jiang Yanxi would come back to find her and reveal her true identity.
Lu Linyuan felt ashamed to face Feng Shuo again, and at the same time he was worried about Jiang Yanxi's safety.
He knelt down and kowtowed to Feng Shuo: "I know I am ashamed of my duty, Your Majesty."
After hearing his words, Feng Shuo just sneered: "Innocent people were affected? Do you know that she almost helped Ogusdan pass the message to the Turkic spy?"
Chi Qing took Jiang Yanxi to Ogusdan to try it out, and sure enough, they found something. Then, he threatened Jiang Yanxi with Lu Linyuan and forced her to tell him what Ogusdan had told her when he asked her to escape. Now he has sent people to the teahouse at the north gate to capture the Turkic spy.
Hearing this, Lu Linyuan's face turned pale instantly. He said painfully, "She must be... unaware of the identity of the Turkic prince."
If he had revealed Ogustan's identity on the carriage at that time, Jiang Yanxi would not have been so foolish as to regard the prince of the enemy country as her savior. Lu Linyuan now regrets his decision.
Even if Jiang Yanxi did not mean it, once the news got out, it would be tantamount to treason with the enemy, and Feng Shuo would not be wrong to kill her.
When Feng Shuo heard his defense, his eyes turned colder. "I heard that you worked in the Ministry of Justice when you were demoted to Xizhou. Is this how the Ministry of Justice handles cases?"
Beads of sweat slid down Lu Linyuan's forehead. He couldn't bear to watch Jiang Yanxi being executed by Feng Shuo. He felt an itch in his throat again. He coughed and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the emperor values her very much. Please spare her life. Linyuan is indeed ashamed of you. I am willing to die for you to repay you for your cultivation. I hope you will give me another chance!"
Rather than being treated as a Turkic accomplice, it might be better for Jiang Yanxi to be a hostage.
Before Feng Shuo could say anything, Xing Yao suddenly came in hurriedly from outside and whispered something to Feng Shuo. Feng Shuo's expression changed slightly. He stopped interrogating Lu Linyuan and got up and left the prison.
Lu Linyuan vaguely heard Xing Yao's deliberately lowered voice coming from the prison corridor outside, as if he was talking about the Chu family or something.
Is Feng Shuo’s sudden departure related to the Chu family
Chu Changping is indeed a capable person. Lu Linyuan became extremely anxious when he thought that the Chu family had already moved to Xizhou and he still had to hide. It was also because of Mr. Lu’s prestige among Confucian scholars in the capital that no one dared to touch the Lu family.
He had a fever and a splitting headache, and tried hard to find information about the Chu family during this period of time from his memories of his previous life.
In the previous life, Chu Changping also came to Xizhou to collect Jiang Yanyi's body, but it was indeed Jiang Yanyi who died at that time.
In the end, all the members of the Chu family were thrown into prison, and only Chu Changping survived with the help of the Grand Princess. Chu Changping's only son was captured alive, and Chu Changping led his old subordinates to rescue him. It happened that the emperor personally left the palace to look for Jiang Yanxi, and the two groups of people met, and Chu Changping and his only son were killed by arrows.
Lu Linyuan felt that he must have been delirious due to the fever. When Chu Changping was killed, he actually thought that Jiang Yanyi and his brother would have a hard time in Xizhou in the future.
***
Outside the cell, Feng Shuo listened to Xing Yao's report of the urgent news from Danzhou, and his face was gloomy: "Danzhou has less than 5,000 troops stationed there, where did the 30,000 troops come from?"
Chi Qing, who had just arrived, was also very worried. "According to the spies, although the army was led by the Queen Mother's nephew Gao Yuanju, he was accompanied by a thousand imperial guards. I'm afraid the real leader is the one sitting on the throne, and the troops mobilized should also be the Gao family's garrison troops. General Chu led three thousand elite cavalry and did not dare to attack them head-on. In addition, the people are now cursing the Chu family. General Chu and his men are in a dilemma. The court has been encircling and suppressing them, so they have to hide in the mountains."
Feng Shuo pondered for a moment, then said, "Spread the news that the concubine of the Jiang family is in our hands, and see how the emperor reacts. Send someone else to meet Chu Changping, just in case."
Feng Shuo had also heard about the crazy things the emperor did for Jiang Yanxi. Even as soon as Jiang Yanxi arrived in Xizhou, the emperor secretly led his troops north. Feng Shuo felt that he might be involved.
If the emperor really values Jiang Yanxi, it would be great if he could use Jiang Yanxi as a hostage to exchange for Chu Changping's only son.
Chu Changping's only son, Chu Chengmao, was once the top scholar in the imperial examination. Later, he gave up literature and took up military studies. However, Mu Xuanqing was too popular in those years, and all the other young men in the capital were eclipsed by him. Chu Chengmao had just joined the army, so even if he had some success, his fame was overshadowed by Mu Xuanqing.
Feng Shuo walked out, Chi Qing followed him and said, "There is one more thing I need to ask you. The emperor's troops are stationed in Danzhou. Once the news of your rebellion spreads, it will be easy for the emperor to lead his troops to seize Yuzhou. Without the food supply, hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Xizhou will starve to death. In my opinion, we should send someone to Yuzhou to lobby Xing'an Marquis. If it succeeds, it will be great. If not, we have to find another way to purchase food and grass that can last at least three months."
Feng Shuo said: "Just do as you say."
Chi Qing asked bitterly: "Who should be sent to Yuzhou?"
Feng Shuo paused, thought for a moment and said, "Lu Linyuan."
Chi Qing's eyes flashed with confusion, but the next moment the fox's eyes lit up instantly, and he bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
The Lu family and Marquis Xing'an are old friends, so it is most appropriate for Lu Linyuan to go and lobby Marquis Xing'an.
For the sake of Mr. Lu, even if Marquis Xing'an had a cruel heart, he could not just chop off the head of his old friend's son.
Moreover, this move can also test Lu Linyuan's loyalty.
Previously, Feng Shuo still thought that Lu Linyuan could be used, but he turned around and deceived his superiors and subordinates. Now, no matter how loyal Lu Linyuan expressed, Feng Shuo didn't dare to believe him completely. This was a good opportunity to test him.
Feng Shuo ignored Chi Qing's flattery. He instructed Xing Yao: "Keep your mouth shut about Chu Changping's matter and don't let it spread out. Keep a close eye on the concubine of the Jiang family and don't let her commit suicide or escape."
Xing Yao clasped his fists in response. He knew very well that Feng Shuo didn't want the news to leak out, probably because he was afraid that Jiang Yanyi would know that Chu Changping was in danger and would be worried.
Once the decision was made to rebel against the imperial court, Feng Shuo and his staff had endless things to discuss. In order to prevent the Turks, the city walls north of Xizhou were reinforced every year, but the city defenses in the south were too weak. Now that the issue of food and fodder had been resolved, they had to start deploying defenses.
***
Jiang Yanyi went back to the antique soup shop and took a look around. She found that even if she was not in the shop, the business would not be bad. She finally felt relieved. She didn't have to stay in the shop all the time, so she could free up time to do more other things.
Bing Shao said that the pots and stoves at the noodle shop were all ready to use. With the idea that the earlier the noodle shop opened, the more money it could make, Jiang Yanyi went to the noodle shop with Bing Shao in the afternoon.
There are five experienced master chefs in the noodle shop, two of whom are good at making noodles in plates, and three are good at rolling noodles.
The so-called "rolling the noodles" is to roll the fermented dough into a large vat specially used for dough fermentation. After the dough is fermented, it is twisted into thumb-thick thin strips and quickly wrapped around two wooden poles. This step is called "winding the noodles". The rolled noodles need to be fermented again.
The noodles that have successfully fermented for the second time are taken to a ventilated place to dry. A wooden pole is placed on a high rack to hang the noodles up, and another wooden pole is used to drag the noodles down with appropriate force. When they are pulled to the bottom, the thumb-thick strips will become noodles of uniform thickness, which can be stored for a long time after drying.
These veterans who have been making noodles for decades don't need Jiang Yanyi to say anything when doing their work, as every step of the process is ingrained in their bones.
On the first day of work, the other guys were also very excited and wanted to show off their skills in front of Jiang Yanyi, so they all worked very hard.
Among these people, the shortest one had been in the business for five or six years. They didn't know what Jiang Yanyi was going to use the stove and the big pot for, and why he ordered a steamer as big as a winnowing basket. But when Jiang Yanyi asked them to light the fire in the pot for the steamer, they didn't dare to raise any objections and just did as he was told.
Jiang Yanyi saw that the noodles had turned into thin threads, so he asked the waiter to take them down, put them into the steamer to steam them, and then continued to make noodles like hanging noodles, wrapping the steamed noodles with wooden poles, and then put them in the earthen kiln to dry.
This earthen kiln is the kind that is specially used for roasting whole lamb. When Jiang Yanyi built it, he specially asked the mason to make it bigger. Nearly ten wooden poles can be hung in at a time to seal the kiln mouth. Then, charcoal fire is used underneath to bake the noodles for a few hours, and the moisture in the noodles will be completely dried up.
Although this method is not as good as the industrial manufacturing of later generations, it is already the fastest and easiest method under current production conditions.
Take out the dried instant noodles and cut them into noodle blocks with a chopper.
Because the steamed noodles were of varying densities, the cut noodles also had their own ugly shapes. Limited by current technology, Jiang Yanyi could only let the waiters select the cut noodles. The denser noodles would be sold at two cents a piece, and the sparser ones would be sold at one cent a piece.
The guys were amazed at the instant noodles they made. Even though there was no seasoning or sauce, they just boiled water and soaked a piece of noodles in salt.
Instant noodles without oil tasted bland, and without the special sauce, this bowl of salty instant noodles was not delicious, but the guys were still excited. Before today, they had never thought that steaming the noodles first and then drying them would turn them into food that could be eaten immediately after soaking in water.
Realizing that this would be a way to make a lot of money, the guys were happy to work overtime to make the pancakes without Jiang Yanyi's encouragement.
Jiang Yanyi brought the pancakes made that afternoon back to the Antique Soup Shop to sell. Because they were placed directly at the door, they were almost sold out.
Upon learning that instant noodles were now available, many people came to place orders in advance, and Jiang Yanyi's reservation list was several pages long.
The author has something to say: Feng Hanhan is engaged in infrastructure construction, while Jiang Yiyi makes money.
I hope that all the candidates who are preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination will not worry too much about the exam after the exam. Good or bad, you have done your best this year. Relax your tension, go out with your good friends, eat something delicious, watch your favorite movie, and relax. Even if you feel that the exam results are not ideal, don't blame yourself or feel sad, and don't feel sorry for your parents. The support of parents and friends is to make us better, not to become pressure. The people who love you the most in the world are always your parents.
The postgraduate entrance examination is just like the college entrance examination. It can help us take a more convenient path in the future and is a stepping stone for finding a job. But if you fail, it’s okay, at least you have tried your best on this path. There are so many people in the world who are not postgraduates. If you are really unwilling, you can try again.
(Because a very good friend of mine broke down after the exam, crying and saying that she felt useless and didn’t dare to talk to her family on the phone, the author was really distressed when she heard her say that she had been under all kinds of pressure in order to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination. So I said a few more words to everyone in the preface, hoping that all the babies who are preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination will have a happy ending after all the hardships)
Give you a hug, good night~