Chapter 496: Shocking News

Princess Lejia picked up a piece of peach preserves and took a bite.

"Aying, Zhengzheng, have you noticed that the return journey seems to be much faster than the way here?"

I don’t know if it’s because my mindset has changed, but I always feel that the journey from the northwest back to the capital seems to have been shortened a lot.

In short, the return journey was much faster than the journey here.

It has only been a few days and they have already walked most of the way.

Zhou Ying also picked up a piece of dried apricot: "I feel the same way. The way out is long, but the way back is short."

In fact, they are not the only ones who have this idea, others do too.

Moreover, unlike when we first went to the northwest, these days everyone was full of energy and didn't feel tired at all no matter how fast they traveled.

Along the way, the atmosphere was always relaxed, pleasant and harmonious.

Chen Huazheng smiled and said, "Because everyone wants to return to the capital as soon as possible, seeing that they will be returning home soon, everyone's mood has become very good. So they feel that time has passed faster."

Many people will encounter such a situation: leaving home to an unfamiliar place and then returning.

Although the distance is the same, everyone will have this feeling that the return journey is shorter than the going journey.

In Shen Huazheng's original world, this situation was called the "return trip effect" by scholars.

Zhou Ying: “It seems to be true.”

She had traveled before, but she didn’t know if it was because of her age or her state of mind.

I didn’t have this feeling at the time, but now it’s very strong.

Princess Lejia also thought it made sense, and she was indeed in a good mood.

I wanted to go home quickly and see my grandma and parents.

Princess Lejia swallowed the peach preserves in her mouth and suddenly changed the subject.

"Do you think Jiang Ran is really related to Dongyi?"

At that time in that alley, Princess Lejia heard clearly that those men in black called Jiang Ran "Master" and were very respectful to him.

Later, Ning Yu and General Xie captured those people and confirmed that they were all Dongyi people.

Although she didn't understand why the Dongyi people would get involved in the border affairs between Daliang and Chen, Princess Kelejia was more concerned about what the relationship was between Jiang Ran and those Dongyi people?

Those Dongyi people called Jiang Ran their master, so does that mean Jiang Ran might be a Dongyi person?

At least he should have Dongyi ancestry.

If Jiang Ran has Dongyi bloodline, what about Xiao Han and Jiang Yirou? ?

Chen Huazheng thought for a moment: "At least on the surface, Jiang Ran has a close relationship with those Dongyi people. And no matter whether he really has Dongyi blood or not, those things are definitely related to Jiang Ran."

In fact, she always had a vague feeling that someone seemed to want to push Jiang Ran into the open.

So that everyone can focus on him.

Even the evidence that Jiang Ran was colluding with the Dongyi people that General Xie, Ning Yu and others had initially found from various channels seemed to have been found by someone who had guided them step by step along the clues.

Of course, no matter what the result is, Jiang Ran has already been abandoned.

His life is probably over.

But now Jiang Ran’s background is in doubt, and many things are not as simple as they seem on the surface.

If Jiang Ran really has Dongyi ancestry, then it is no longer just his problem.

Maybe even Jiang Jinrong and his son will be implicated by him.

Thinking of this, Chen Huazheng couldn't help but feel fortunate that Princess Lejia was adopted by Princess Yi'an to Marquis Wenxin.

This family is really more noisy than the other. Fortunately, Aning has nothing to do with them anymore.

Zhou Ying: "Maybe we'll know the answer when we return to the capital."

Given the importance the court attached to this matter, when Ning Yu arrived in the northwest, there must have been someone in the capital investigating Jiang Ran.

By the time they return to the capital, Jiang Ran's true identity should have been clearly known.

It is also possible that Jiang Ran’s identity has already been clearly investigated.

It's not just Jiang Ran. Perhaps as early as when it was discovered that Jiang Ran was colluding with unidentified people to cause trouble, Xiao Han, the entire Han family, and Jiang Jinrong and his son had already been under surveillance.

Chen Huazheng: "That's right, you'll know when you get back."

She didn't want Princess Lejia to keep thinking about these things, so she changed the subject intentionally.

"But let's not think about this now. There are more important things."

Princess Lejia was stunned for a moment: "What's the matter?"

Shen Huazheng smiled and said, "Of course, I'm thinking about what we're going to have for lunch."

Just like when they went to the northwest, these days Shen Huazheng and his group traveled during the day and rested in the post station at night.

So lunch was also eaten on the way.

Hearing this, Princess Lejia also laughed.

Zheng Zheng is right, Jiang Ran’s affairs are not important at all.

What matters is what they have for lunch.

Jiang Ran’s little trouble was not enough to affect their meal.

As before, at lunch time, the convoy found a place to stop.

Everyone had a clear division of labor. Some people took food, some collected firewood, and some went to the river to catch fish.

Although today's lunch has been decided to be sesame cakes and baked potatoes, it would be nice if we could catch some fish and shrimp in the river as a snack.

"Master Shen, look what we caught?"

Xiang Yang and Yin Rong came to Shen Huazheng excitedly and handed over the small buckets in their hands as if they were offering treasures.

When Shen Huazheng took a look, she found that there were snails inside.

Xiangyang smiled and said, "Master Shen, these snails can also be made into a dish."

Ever since they tasted the fried snails, Xiangyang and others have been thinking about it all the time.

When they saw snails today, they immediately thought of the tender and juicy snails they had eaten last time.

Their mouths watered at the thought of the spicy and delicious taste.

Shen Huazheng: “Of course.”

She looked carefully at the snails in the bucket. The light green shells were shiny and attractive, and they looked very fresh.

A smile appeared on Chen Huazheng's face. The snails before Qingming Festival are at their plumpest, and now is the best time to eat them.

Simply stir-fry it in a pan and you will have a delicious and tasty dish.

One bite and you’ll be filled with the freshness of spring.

Yin Rong also asked, "Master Shen, what are you going to do with these snails? Do you want to stir-fry them?"

Xiangyang also looked at Chen Huazheng expectantly. Snails are so similar to field snails. It should be delicious if they are fried in the same way as field snails.

Shen Huazheng thought for a moment and said, "We can make a dish of fried snails with soy sauce."

Xiangyang and Yin Rong were confused. Isn’t it fried snails?

Why is it fried snails with sauce? ?

Also, what is fried snails with sauce?

Zhou Ying: "Are fried snails with sauce meant to stir-fry snails with sauce?"

Chen Huazheng smiled and said, "Yes, there are many ways to eat snails, and fried snails with sauce is a must-try. These snails are plump and tender, and making a dish of fried snails with sauce must be delicious."

Xiang Yang & Yin Rong: (ˉ﹃ˉ)

Add the sauce and stir-fry…it sounds delicious.

Lord Shen said it was a unique dish, so it must be delicious.

They don’t know if there are enough snails. If not, they will go and get more.

Princess Lejia was also very happy. She had only eaten snails in snail noodles.

The taste of stir-fried snails and the snails in snail noodles should be different.

Hehehe, today I can eat the fresh food made by Zheng Zheng again.

After deciding what to do, everyone did not waste any time and began to work together to prepare lunch.

Chen Huazheng asked someone to prepare a big pot and started preparing the stir-fried snails.

Qingzhi Qingtang was very skillful and quickly cleaned the snails. Then he soaked the snails in water and added salt and vinegar to speed up the snails' sand spitting out.

With the experience of handling snails before, they cut off the tails of the cleaned snails one by one without Shen Huazheng's instructions to make it easier to season them.

Since the stir-frying time is relatively short, there may still be unkilled parasites in the snails.

Chen Huazheng put the snails into a pot of cold water, brought them to a boil over high heat, and then cooked them for about two minutes before taking them out.

Rinse repeatedly with cold water and set aside.

Blanching the snails in boiling water before cooking can reduce the risk of parasite infection without affecting the taste of the snail meat.

Qingzhi quickly cleaned up the water in the pot and added oil over high heat.

Chen Huazheng added ginger, onion and garlic to the pot and sautéed them until fragrant, then added peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves and stir-fried them until fragrant.

Qingtang was quick to pour all the drained snails into the pot.

The deliciousness of snail meat requires the right seasoning and cooking time, otherwise it will not bring out its best flavor.

Shen Huazheng held the spatula and kept stirring back and forth.

Qingzhi also stood aside, adding light soy sauce and chili sauce to the pot at the right time.

Chen Huazheng quickly stir-fried the snail meat with a spatula, allowing the snail meat to fully absorb the flavors of the various seasonings in the pot.

As she moved, the shells collided with each other in the pot, making crisp sounds. Naughty little oil stars kept jumping out of the boiling oil pot.

Seeing that it was almost done, Chen Huazheng added cooking wine and bean paste to the pot, then added a small bowl of water, brought it to a boil over high heat and then turned to medium heat.

Then add sugar to the pot to enhance the flavor and continue stir-frying until the snail meat is thoroughly cooked.

The rich and fresh aroma wafts in the air, making you salivate.

While everyone was busy with their work, they couldn't help but look towards Shen Huazheng.

Alas, they didn't want to be so useless, but the smell was just too delicious.

The world is big, but food is the biggest.

Face and the like don't mean anything at all.

When the fried snails are out of the pot, the snail meat has been stir-fried until golden brown.

The snails sparkle in the sun, emitting an enticing aroma.

Shen Huazheng deliberately left a little soup so that it would taste more fragrant.

Princess Lejia couldn't help but move closer, her eyes shining frighteningly.

In terms of color, aroma and taste, this dish of fried snails with sauce already has two of the above, and the taste is definitely not bad either.

As expected, as long as you follow Zheng Zheng, there will be endless delicious food to eat.

No one in this life can separate her from Zheng Zheng! !

*

There was laughter and joy all over Chen Huazheng's side, and the years were peaceful and quiet.

However, things were shrouded in dark clouds for Jiang Jinrong's family in the capital.

Jiang Jinrong was wholeheartedly waiting for Jiang Ran to return home, but what he waited for was the news that Jiang Ran was colluding with Dongyi and intending to cause unrest on the border.

This was devastating news for Jiang Jinrong and his son.

When Jiang Jinrong heard the news, he fainted on the spot.

Fortunately, Marquis Wenxin had made preparations in advance and asked the doctor to wait on the side.

The doctor came forward and gave Jiang Jinrong a few injections, and he slowly woke up.

"Brother, are you telling the truth? Did Xiao Ran really do that?"

Although he knew that Marquis Wenxin would never lie to him about such a thing, Jiang Jinrong was still unwilling to believe that his youngest son would do such a thing.

Although in the eyes of others, Jiang Ran may be a pile of useless mud.

But in Jiang Jinrong's eyes, Jiang Ran was just undetermined.

He also knew that Jiang Ran had been raised by Xiao Han for many years, and his personality had become somewhat crooked.

The reason why Jiang Jinrong made up his mind to let Jiang Ran leave the capital and go to Luzhou to study was that

On the one hand, he wanted to keep him away from the troubles in the capital, and on the other hand, he also wanted to take this opportunity to gradually change his temper.

Jiang Jinrong was unwilling to believe it no matter what. The decision he made after careful consideration not only failed to change Jiang Ran's temper, but instead pushed him to a dead end.

Seeing his brother's frail appearance, although Marquis Wenxin felt a little reluctant, he still told him the cruel truth -

"He did get involved with the Dongyi people. He not only kidnapped innocent people in the northwest, but also took them to test drugs. Those drugs were strictly prohibited by the previous emperor. Some people have died because of them."

Jiang Jinrong's face turned pale and frightening: "Why would he do this? What good will it do him?"

Although Marquis Wenxin simply brushed the issue off with a single sentence, "Those medicines were strictly prohibited by the previous emperor," Jiang Jinrong was not stupid and he understood the seriousness of the matter.

Since it is a banned drug, it must be harmful to the human body. Most likely something serious has happened, otherwise it would not be strictly banned.

Just from the sentence added by Wen Xinhou at the end, "some people have already died from it", we can infer how toxic this medicine is.

But why did Jiang Ran do this? ?

This was exactly what puzzled him, as he had clearly already arranged the path for Jiang Ran.

As a father, Jiang Jinrong doesn't ask Jiang Ran to be outstanding, as long as he is willing to live a peaceful life.

As long as Jiang Ran is willing to follow the path arranged by Jiang Jinrong honestly, although the possibility of becoming rich and powerful in the future is relatively small.

It is easy to live a stable and prosperous life.

But why didn't Jiang Ran study hard, but had to do those unscrupulous things, and how did he get involved with the Dongyi people? ?

The people of the northwest didn't provoke him, so why would he help the Dongyi people to harm others? ?

Wen Xinhou was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "Jiang Ran went to the northwest this time for Aning."

Jiang Jinrong couldn't help but exclaimed: "What?! Isn't it enough that this evil creature has harmed others? Could it be that he wants to do something to An Ning?"

How could he do that??

No matter what, Aning and he are blood-related siblings! !

Suddenly, as if he thought of something, Jiang Jinrong's pupils trembled.

That letter...

He thought of the last letter Jiang Ran wrote to them.

Jiang Ran thought that it was Princess Lejia who caused Xiao Han and Jiang Yirou to be imprisoned, so he wanted to take revenge on her.