Shen Fengming opened his eyes and saw a beautiful face. Her gaze fell on him like a feather falling on the water, clear and transparent, with ripples.
On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Qilin Guard got a clue that there were spies from the Western Rong Kingdom hiding in the palace. They planned to use gunpowder to murder the emperor when he was admiring the lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Shen Fengming wanted to enter the palace to investigate, but even the Qilin Guards could not enter the palace at will. The security of the palace was the responsibility of the Imperial Guards.
He reported the matter to the emperor, who was furious, but did not let him continue the investigation. Instead, he let General Pang of the Imperial Guard take charge of the matter.
On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Shen Fengming discovered a piece of intelligence that the matter seemed to have leaked out, and the thieves decided to launch the plan ahead of schedule.
He immediately went to the palace to ask to see the emperor, and was about to report the matter to him when chaos suddenly broke out.
He smelled a faint smell of gunpowder, and then saw a huge wave coming towards him.
The emperor was right next to him at that time, and everyone was unable to react. He grabbed the emperor, jumped behind a big rock, and then protected him with his body.
At that time, he felt uncomfortable with the shock in his stomach, but he still followed the order and went to track down the thief.
The gang of thieves had obviously prepared a retreat route in advance. He chased them all the way from Liaobei to Dongqing, then turned to Jingzhou, and finally caught up with them in Luzhou, where he beheaded them.
When he saw Jiang Yunzhu in that alley, he hadn't slept for five days and six nights, but he leaned against the wall, not daring to relax at all.
However, when she walked up to him and he smelled the faint lemon soapberry scent on her, the taut string in his heart suddenly broke.
"Miss Jiang." Shen Fengming spoke.
Jiang Yunzhu came back to her senses and looked at him, feeling a little uneasy. He probably didn't remember what happened that night, right? "Are you awake?" she said.
Shen Fengming really didn’t remember what happened that night, but he knew that she had always been by his side.
"Well, how long have I slept?" he asked in a clear voice.
"Two nights and one day."
Shen Fengming calculated the time and looked around.
"Young Master Yang had to go back to Beijing for something, and asked me to take care of you, so I brought you back. How do you feel?" Jiang Yunzhu asked.
My stomach still hurts, I guess I got hurt, but it's nothing serious. My back hurts, I guess I got hurt too.
"Nothing." he said.
That's all. Jiang Yunzhu stood up and said, "Wait a minute. I'll go make some medicine for you and get you something to eat."
After she left, the room became quiet, just like Shen Fengming's mood at the moment.
But suddenly, he said, "Come in."
"Yes!" someone answered at the back window, and then turned over and entered the room.
Judging from his attire, he is a Qilin Guard.
"What's the situation now?" Shen Fengming asked.
"Commander, here is a letter from the deputy commander." The guard said, presenting a letter. The letter was sealed with special clay, indicating that no one else had read it.
Shen Fengming took the letter and opened it.
There was Yang Sheng's somewhat sloppy handwriting on it.
"I know you'll ask these stupid questions again when you wake up. I say, can't you just take a good rest? The emperor didn't let us go into the palace to investigate. It's obvious that he's wary of us, afraid that we'll reach out to the palace. What will be the result
If it weren't for you, that day would have... Never mind, these words are hard to say.
In the end, we have to clean up the mess anyway.
Don't worry, the emperor is fine. I will take care of the rest. Your task is to have a good rest. I will tell the emperor that you are seriously injured. You got injured while saving him. Shouldn't he let you rest for a year or so
This is what I really said to the emperor. Don’t suddenly recover from your illness, otherwise the emperor will think that I deliberately lied to him and punish me for deceiving the emperor.
Remember, remember!!!"
Reading Yang Sheng's letter is like listening to him speaking in person. I can even imagine the facial expressions on his face when he said these words.
Shen Fengming took out a lighter from his sleeve and lit the letter.
Looking at the cigarette ash falling to the ground, Shen Fengming looked out the window. Take a break for a year or two
Qilin Guard Commander Shen Fengming was seriously injured while saving the emperor, and then he chased the criminals for thousands of miles. Although he killed all the criminals, he was also seriously injured.
The emperor was furious and behaved disrespectfully in the palace. He angrily accused all the civil and military officials in the court of being good-for-nothings or harboring evil intentions, and no one could share his worries.
All the civil and military officials in the court were trembling with fear.
The emperor promoted Shen Fengming to the position of Left General, and rewarded him with a thousand taels of gold, three thousand pieces of silk, and countless rare treasures.
He took over the post of General Pang of the Imperial Guard and let his deputy general take over the post of general.
The Xia Dynasty's capital's Grand Military Governor's Office had five military governors who were in charge of the military and garrisons inside and outside the capital. The Left Military Governor had military power under his command, which was completely different from the prison wardens and guards in the Qilin Guard.
The emperor actually gave Shen Fengming military power, which shows his trust and reliance on Shen Fengming.
Yes, if it weren’t for Shen Fengming this time, he would have probably died.
This incident caused an uproar in the court. Everyone wanted to know Shen Fengming's attitude, and also wanted to know the severity of his injuries and whether they were fatal.
Especially some people who are interested in something are even more restless.
Visiting cards and letters for hospital visits came to the Shen family like snowflakes.
At this time, Princess Danyang and Scholar Shen were dealing with someone.
"How is Fengming's health?" Princess Danyang asked anxiously.
"The doctor said it's nothing serious and I just need to rest well." Yang Sheng replied.
"Then why don't you return to Beijing to recuperate?" Princess Danyang was almost dying of anxiety.
Yang Sheng blinked. Return to Beijing? Then Shen Fengming can still recuperate!
"The doctor said he should not move and it's best for him to recuperate where he is. Besides, Princess, you can see that so many people in the capital are looking for him. If he comes back, how can he rest and recuperate in peace?" He said half-truthfully.
If he can't even move, then he's seriously injured, but he just said he's fine. His words are obviously contradictory. Princess Danyang's face turned cold, "Are you lying to me on purpose
If this is really the case, believe it or not, I will not let you leave the Shen Mansion today!"
Yang Sheng secretly groaned. He really didn’t want to come, but he had to come. After all, these two people were Shen Fengming’s biological parents, and there were some things he had to tell them.
He looked at Scholar Shen, asking if he could understand him.
Scholar Shen attended court every day and knew the situation in the court, so he could understand Yang Sheng's statement. Shen Fengming was in the spotlight now, so it was time to bide his time and recuperate. It was better to recuperate!
He twisted his beard and praised in his heart. He had always worried that Shen Fengming was too strong, but now it seems that he is doing well.
"Is he really okay?" He had to confirm it first before he could feel at ease.
"I swear to God, he is really fine." Yang Sheng swore to the sky.
Scholar Shen was relieved and said, "It's okay if he doesn't return to the capital. Tell him to take a good rest. By the way, is he in Luzhou? Why don't we go and see how he is doing quietly? Don't worry, we won't alarm anyone."
This... Yang Sheng suffocated.
Princess Danyang finally believed that Shen Fengming was fine, and then her focus stopped at the two words Luzhou. Luzhou, this is the third time Shen Fengming has been there, right? Although he went there to chase the murderer this time, can he choose to recuperate in Luzhou
She thought of the food Shen Fengming brought back the last two times, and the words on the porcelain jar...
"Yes, it's not suitable for him to move. Can we go and see him?" she also said.
It was rare that she and Mr. Shen reached an agreement on this matter.
"Everyone is watching the Shen Mansion now. Even if the princess and the university scholar want to leave quietly, I'm afraid it won't be possible, right?" Yang Sheng said stiffly, "What if they are discovered by someone with ulterior motives..."
Princess Danyang and Academician Shen agreed with the idea.
"I guess Fengming will have a letter for you in a few days. How about you discuss it with him then?" Yang Sheng felt that this was all he could do.
This was all Princess Danyang and Academician Shen could do.
Yang Sheng stood up to say goodbye, but when he turned around, he heard Princess Danyang ask, "Tell me the truth, did Fengming meet a girl in Luzhou?"
Fortunately, Yang Sheng had turned around, otherwise Princess Danyang would have noticed something.
"I'm not sure either." After saying this, Yang Sheng fled.
Princess Danyang sighed softly.
Although the situation in the court was changing rapidly, Changshi Village remained peaceful and tranquil.
Jiang Yunzhu first cooked some vegetable porridge for Shen Fengming, and then cooked some medicine for him.
Shen Fengming was indeed hungry. After drinking a bowl of steaming hot porridge, he felt warm all over.
"Thank you." He took the medicine bowl and said.
"No need." Jiang Yunzhu said.
At noon, the Jiang family had a lively reunion dinner.
In the afternoon, Jiang Yunzhu was going to the county town to rent a shop. Before leaving, she turned a corner and knocked on the door of the side room.
Shen Fengming opened the door, with his black hair loose and his tall figure slender.
"You can get up already?" Jiang Yunzhu was surprised.
"Much better." Originally, Shen Fengming's injuries were not particularly serious, he was just too tired and remained unconscious.
Jiang Yunzhu took a look at him. The clothes he was wearing were changed by Yang Sheng in a hurry that day. After two days, they were wrinkled.
This time he parted with Yang Sheng in a hurry and did not leave any luggage for him.
"I'm going to the county town. Do you want me to buy you some clothes?" Jiang Yunzhu explained her purpose.
Shen Fengming lowered his head to look at the clothes on his body and said, "I'll go with you."
"Your body?"
"It's all right."
"Okay." Jiang Yunzhu didn't care. He would go buy it himself and it would fit him better.
Shen Fengming tied up her hair, patted the wrinkles on her clothes, and went out.
The two of them took Jiang Cheng's mule cart to the county town.
Jiang Yunzhu meant that if she bought him clothes first, he could go back or find a place to rest, so they went to the silk shop first.
There are also ready-made clothes in silk shops, but they may not be suitable.
Jiang Yunzhu randomly picked a silk shop that looked pretty good and walked in.
The shop owner was a middle-aged man in his thirties. His eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Yunzhu, what a pretty girl! But when he saw Shen Fengming following behind her, he almost forgot the words that were on his lips.
This young man is so handsome! But he is a little cold, making people afraid to look at him for some reason.
"Miss, Sir, what do you want to see?" The shopkeeper struggled for a moment and decided to ask Jiang Yunzhu.
"Are there any ready-made clothes that he can wear?" Jiang Yunzhu pointed at Shen Fengming.
"Yes, I'll get them for you to see." Soon, the shopkeeper came back with a few sets of clothes. There were six colors: tea white, crow blue, sky blue, cloud blue, primrose purple, and scarlet. "These are the colors most popular among young men nowadays. Which one do you like, young lady?"
He has completely treated Jiang Yunzhu as a client.
Jiang Yunzhu looked at Shen Fengming. Which one does he like
Shen Fengming looked at them one by one. He had never bought clothes for himself before.
"If you like it, you can try it." The shopkeeper finally said something to Shen Fengming.
Shen Fengming looked at Jiang Yunzhu, picked up the tea-white dress and asked her, "How about this?"
Jiang Yunzhu inexplicably recalled the sight of him in a white fur coat in the snow that day. The brown color was indeed better than black, she thought to herself.
"Why don't you try it?" Jiang Yunzhu said.
"Yes, sir, you can try it." said the shopkeeper.
Shen Fengming took the clothes and went to the back.
Jiang Yunzhu looked at the remaining clothes. The dark blue was actually very nice, the sky blue was also nice, the primrose purple, the scarlet red... She could hardly imagine what Shen Fengming would look like in clothes of this color.
I feel like it will be nice, after all he is handsome, but I also feel like…
She was just daydreaming, "What's going on?" Shen Fengming asked from the other side.
Jiang Yunzhu turned around and finally understood what it meant to be a humble home. Shen Fengming stood there, with phoenix eyes and red lips, broad shoulders and narrow waist, just like the snow on the top of the mountain, shining brightly. Moreover, it seemed that because of his illness, after he woke up this time, he didn't seem as cold and intimidating as before.
For example, the way he looks at me now is much softer than before.
"It looks good." Jiang Yunzhu said with a smile.
The corners of Shen Fengming's eyes slightly raised.
"Do you want to try other colors?" Jiang Yunzhu asked, holding the scarlet clothes. Well, she admitted that she wanted to see what he would look like in this color.
Shen Fengming shook his head. He didn't like this color.
Jiang Yunzhu: … She discovered that he really had a clear distinction between black and white. He either wore black or white.
Forget it, this tea-white dress is really nice.
"Boss, how much is this dress?" Jiang Yunzhu asked.
"Two taels of silver." The shopkeeper was still in a dream, and only came back to his senses when he heard Jiang Yunzhu's question. He had never seen anyone wear his clothes in this way, as if the clothes were not ordinary Hangzhou satin, but Yunjin that was worth a fortune.
Jiang Yunzhu touched the silver, and Shen Fengming had already taken out the silver from his sleeve and handed it to the shopkeeper.
It turned out that he had silver on him, and Jiang Yunzhu felt relieved.
After coming out of the silk shop, the number of people looking at them increased sharply, especially those looking at Shen Fengming. Jiang Yunzhu also thought that it was not bad for him to wear black, at least not so many people dared to look at him.
"I want to go check out the store, you..." Jiang Yunzhu asked Shen Fengming.
"I'll go with you."
That’s fine. “If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me,” she said.
"Um."
Jiang Yunzhu went to the street of Wenyuan Academy. She had come here several times a month before the Chinese New Year and had already picked out two shops for rent, one smaller and one slightly larger. At that time, she had no money, so she wanted to rent the smaller one. Now, she can ask how much the larger shop rents.
The shop was locked, with the words "Lucky Shop for Rent" written on it. I asked the person next to me, and he pointed to a paper and pen shop across the street and said, "The owner of that shop is the owner of this shop."
Jiang Yunzhu walked over.
On this street, three or four out of ten shops sell paper and pens. This shop is relatively large, with all kinds of pens, ink, paper and inkstones, and even books for sale on the shelves.
But at this time, the students were in class, so there was no one in the store.
The shop owner was a man in his forties, thin and with bright eyes. When he heard that Jiang Yunzhu wanted to rent the shop opposite him, he immediately took the key and went to the opposite side to unlock it and let her see the situation inside the shop.
This shop used to sell silk and satin, and there are still some broken shelves and other things left in the store. The store is quite spacious.
"There's a yard at the back and a well, which makes it very convenient for living or storing goods." Shopkeeper Meng said attentively.
Jiang Yunzhu went to take a look at the back, and sure enough, there was a yard with three main rooms and two side rooms. Although they were a bit shabby, they could be cleaned up and made habitable.
Jiang Yunzhu had already taken a fancy to this shop, but she didn't show it. She asked Manager Meng how to rent the shop.
"Twenty-eight taels of silver a year, payable in full."
The prices were not much different, but Jiang Yunzhu had a condition, which was that if she rented the shop, she had to sign a ten-year contract at a time. If either party regretted it, they would have to compensate the other party one hundred taels of silver.
She has seen many cases where shop owners would temporarily raise the price when they see that their tenants are doing good business, and she doesn't want to happen to herself, it would be too frustrating.
"Ten years? Miss, are you going to pay the rent for ten years in one go?" asked Manager Meng.
"Pay for one year first, and then pay the rent for that year at the beginning of each year." Jiang Yunzhu said, "This way, Boss Meng will save a lot of trouble."
"What about the rent?" asked Boss Meng.
"What does Boss Meng mean?"
"You also know that the people in our county are getting richer and richer. The rent of my shop, which is next to the academy, will only get higher and higher." Boss Meng said.
"Boss Meng, just say it directly." Jiang Yunzhu said.
Boss Meng's eyes rolled around. Just as he said, the rent of the shops on this street changes every year. How much rent should he ask Jiang Yunzhu for for a ten-year contract? If he asked for too much, she would definitely not give it, but if he asked for too little, he would still feel that he was losing out!
Seeing him like this, Jiang Yunzhu frowned and said, "Boss Meng, an iron mine was discovered in the county a few years ago, and people's lives have been getting better and better, but everything has a limit, and when it reaches that limit, it can no longer rise."
Jiang Yunzhu didn't say this on purpose. Indeed, the situation in the county is like this. After so many years of development, it has passed the outbreak zone and reached a stable zone. Although it will still rise, it will not rise too much.
Boss Meng thought she was trying to lower the price. Over the years, he had witnessed how this street prospered. He was most proud of the fact that he sold everything he had to buy these two shops. Now he runs one shop himself and the other earns rent. He didn't know how many people envied him.
Jiang Yunzhu stopped talking. A forced melon is not sweet.
Boss Meng looked at Jiang Yunzhu and said, "Let's rent it for a year. No, even if you offer a lower price this year, we can talk about it next year."
Jiang Yunzhu smiled and said, "Then I won't bother Manager Meng." Then she walked out.
“Hey, don’t leave. Otherwise, I’ll rent it to you for two years, three years…” After three years, Manager Meng stopped adding more. This was his limit.
Jiang Yunzhu didn't stop at all, ten years was ten years.
"Bah, who are you!" After Jiang Yunzhu walked away, Shopkeeper Meng spat on the ground and said angrily.
Jiang Yunzhu didn't hear it, otherwise she would have let him know what kind of person she was.
At this time, Jiang Yunzhu had already reached the street, and she was going to go over there to take a look at the smaller shop.
"Girl, do you want to rent a shop?" an old man next to her asked.
Jiang Yunzhu stopped and said, "Yes."
The old man looked into the shop next door and found that Boss Meng did not come out. He whispered to Jiang Yunzhu, "I advise you not to rent their shop. This Meng, relying on himself as the landlord, often takes advantage of the shop. The previous owner of this shop was really fed up with him."
"I don't want to rent this shop anymore, but thank you for letting me know, old man." Jiang Yunzhu said politely.
The old man nodded, then asked, "What do you think of my shop?"
Jiang Yunzhu almost didn't react.
The old man was a little embarrassed and said, "I didn't mean to say bad things about him so that you would rent my shop. Didn't you just say that you didn't want to rent his shop? That's why I asked you."
It seems to be true, "What about you?"
"This shop of mine was passed down from my ancestors. We are a family of scholars, and several generations have studied, but no one has ever passed the imperial examination.
God has pity on me. Three years ago, my grandson passed the imperial examination and was appointed as the county magistrate of Fuyuan County, Jinxing Prefecture last year. He has always wanted to take our family to live with him, but I couldn't bear to leave my shop, so I stayed.
During the Chinese New Year this year, he sent someone to send me the news that his grandson's wife was pregnant. My wife is worried about my great-grandson and won't let me work anymore, so I want to rent out the shop. "The old man was sad and happy when he talked about this. For several generations, studying and passing the imperial examination has become the obsession of almost everyone. Finally, the dream has come true.
All the efforts are worth it.
"Then congratulations to the old man first. His grandson has a bright future and now the family is going to have another addition." Jiang Yunzhu said sincerely.
The old man laughed.
Jiang Yunzhu looked at the shop behind the old man. It was a calligraphy and painting shop. The shop was very large and the old man kept it clean and tidy.
"Come in and take a look. To be honest, if my grandson hadn't insisted that I go, I would really be reluctant to leave!" the old man greeted.
"You are going to enjoy your life, grandfather of the county magistrate. From now on, everyone who sees you must politely call you old master." Jiang Yunzhu was naturally speaking in a nice way.
The old man felt happy after hearing this and let Jiang Yunzhu look around the store.
Jiang Yunzhu looked around the store. This store was bigger than the one next door, and there were all kinds of calligraphy and paintings hanging in the store. Going back, there was also a yard, which was also much bigger than the one next door. There were four rooms, with two side rooms on each side. On one side of the yard, there was a well, and next to the well was an apricot tree.
"The back is where our family lives. We'll move out after we pack up our things in two days."
As the old man was speaking, a man and a woman came out of the room, both in their forties. The man wore a square scarf and looked bookish, while the woman was slightly plump and looked to be the old man's son and daughter-in-law.
Jiang Yunzhu was still very satisfied with the shop, but she still wanted to make it clear, "Grandpa, if I rent it, I want to sign a ten-year contract, and the rent will be paid in full at the beginning of each year."
"Ten years?" The old man frowned. He seemed to know why Jiang Yunzhu and Boss Meng failed to reach an agreement. In ten years, who knows what will happen.
"Don't worry, old man. If it works, it works. If it doesn't..."
Just as Jiang Yunzhu said this, a loud female voice suddenly said, "Okay, why not? Ten years is ten years!" As the voice was spoken, an old woman walked out from the backyard.
The old woman's hair was combed meticulously, and she looked neat and tidy.
"Hey, you!" the old man said helplessly when he saw the old woman.
The old woman ignored him and said to Jiang Yunzhu, "Ten years is ten years, but we have to agree on the rent."
Jiang Yunzhu smiled. As long as the condition was met and the rent was not too outrageous, she would accept it.