Chapter 155 Delicious Food and Drink
Lin Changning's injuries have healed considerably recently, with most of them scabbed over. He enjoys spending his mornings practicing boxing with Lao Ma and a few other commanders, which makes his days quite pleasant.
Knowing that she liked pastries, Qi Rong sent people to deliver them to her every day. In just one week, her thin face became rounder, and her overall complexion improved.
The chefs at the Prince's mansion somehow managed to send over pastries that were all medicinal dishes, with unique flavors but exceptionally delicious. After sharing some with Old Ma and the others last time, they came to snatch the food every day. Fortunately, Qi Rong knew her appetite and sent enough.
Later, she simply ordered the kitchen to make the pastries the size of steamed buns, and sent up more than ten every day. When the girls ate the pastries, the maids in the courtyard would cover their mouths and giggle, which made Lin Changning extremely embarrassed.
Perhaps one of the maids had said something too much, because recently the rice that was brought over no longer needed to be served in bowls, but instead they were brought large basins. The amount of food the kitchen provided was also much larger, making them look like they were eating buckets.
Having lived in the Prince's mansion for so long, Lin Changning's appetite has not only increased, but his body has also begun to grow rapidly, he has grown a full head taller, and is now almost as tall as Old Zhang.
After lunch, the group went back to their rooms to rest since there was nothing else to do. Ma San Niang had recently moved to another courtyard with her mother, and Old Ma would go there every day and only come back at night.
Zhang Bo's affair has blown up. A group of people in the court are attacking this confidant of the emperor. Not only did he suffer a defeat, but he also tried to desert in the face of battle. The commander-in-chief of the army was also blamed. The failure to deliver the grain and supplies led to the deaths of the Daxing border troops. These people all bear inescapable responsibility.
The censors were in an uproar. Several cities on the frontier had been lost, and the areas of Datong, Yongning, and Daxing had all fallen into the hands of the rebels. Even an army of 200,000 had suffered a defeat.
The censor was practically pointing his finger at the emperor and berating him for misjudging people and losing the family's legacy.
Of course, these messages were all spread by the King of Chu, and because the border residents of Daxing were relocated to Taiyuan and their household registration was handled, the matter was highly praised among the people.
As for the generals of Daxing Garrison, the King of Chu ordered that their traces be erased and that they be registered as new residents of Taiyuan.
However, with only a slight change to her name, Lin Changning seized the opportunity to change Lin Changping's name to her own real name, Lin Changning. Old Zhang even joked that her new name sounded like a girl's and suggested giving her a more imposing name, such as Lin Yuanba. Old Ma said that Lin Wanjun would also work, while Old Zhou, who was a bit more cultured, gave her the name Lin Xiaolie.
Thanks for the invitation, but I don't like any of them.
Lin Changning covered her face. Qi Rong looked at Lin Changning and smiled, closing the coffin: "May you hold onto this Changning sentiment and enjoy the vast expanse of mist and clouds together. Changning is quite nice, let's keep this one."
The clerk in charge of changing household registration nodded and quickly processed the information for the group. From then on, they would be native Taiyuan residents. As for their official positions, they were basically settled. They were all incorporated into the Prince's personal guard and placed under the Taiyuan Right Guard, while continuing to hold the position of commander of a thousand households.
Because the Right Guard only had eight hundred guards, and most of them were sons of local powerful families, it was not easy to govern them.
Qi Rong remained in command, leading the Taiyuan Right Guard. The King of Chu also had the idea of having him reorganize the troops, and ordered them to continue recruiting soldiers themselves. Each commander was assigned 800 men. Lin Changning was in charge of the existing 800 men, while Lao Ma and Lao Zhou recruited soldiers from the border residents of Daxing and the people of Taiyuan.
Once the men have recovered from their injuries, they can take up their posts. Their families have also been brought in one after another. The Crown Prince of Chu has also allocated small courtyards for them around the palace for their families to live in, which has relieved everyone's worries.
Qingshui County —
The guards from the Prince's Palace who were there to pick up Lin Changning's family had already arrived at the village entrance in their carriage. At this time, many villagers were already sowing seeds in the fields, and they immediately became wary when they saw the carriage that seemed out of place in the village.
Fifth Uncle came out of the fields and walked onto the main road. Just as he was about to ask the guards, he stopped the carriage and spoke first: "Old man, is Lin Changping's house in the village?"
Fifth Uncle looked the guards up and down, noticing that the two were dressed neatly and unlike ordinary people. He nodded and replied, "Indeed, Changping has gone to join the army. Is there anything you need, young master?"
The guard jumped off the carriage with delight: "I am a colleague of Commander Lin. My master asked me to come and pick up Commander Lin's family. Please lead the way, sir."
Fifth Uncle hesitated for a moment before asking, "Who is your master?"
The guard remained silent, only smiling as he looked at Fifth Uncle. Fifth Uncle felt uneasy under his gaze. Could it be that Sixth Brother had offended someone outside?
Fifth Uncle thought he had asked about something terrible, and his expression changed instantly.
Seeing this, another guard cupped his hands and said, "Sir, we cannot say too much about such an important person. You only need to know that we will not harm Commander Lin."
After speaking, he inadvertently revealed the waist tag belonging to the border troops.
Fifth Uncle breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands in greeting: "Sixth Brother's house isn't far, I'll take you there."
Upon arriving at Lin Changning's home, Fifth Uncle led them into the courtyard. At this time, the Lin family was unaware of Lin Changning's death in battle, nor did they know that Chang Zhiyuan had gone to Daxing to search for him. The courtyard was filled with joy, and Lin Changsi was sitting in the courtyard weaving bamboo baskets for two little girls.
Seeing the visitor stand up, he looked at Fifth Uncle with some confusion.
Fifth Uncle nodded to Lin Changsi and introduced, "This is Liu Lang's colleague. He said he was looking for you."
Lin Changsi bowed to the two guards and said, "My lords, is this my sixth brother?"
The guards exchanged a glance in return, then looked at Uncle Wu at the door. Uncle Wu immediately understood that they were being ushered out, exchanged a few polite words, and left the courtyard.
Hearing the noise, Lin's mother and her two sisters-in-law also came out of the house.
Lin's mother looked at Lin Changsi and asked, "Erlang? What's this?"
The guard bowed and greeted them with a warm smile: "This must be Madam Lin. We are Lin Qianhu's colleagues, and we have come here to escort you to Taiyuan."
Lin Changsi immediately became alert: "Isn't my sixth brother in Daxing? How come he's in Taiyuan?"
The guard looked around and asked, "Could we borrow a place?"
Lin's mother nodded and led the two into the house, saying, "Please, gentlemen."
Once inside the house, Lin's mother asked her daughter-in-law to go to the kitchen to boil water and make tea, while she followed Lin Changsi into the house to inquire.
After the guard sat down, he handed over Lin Changning's handwritten letter and took out a jade pendant with a slightly rough texture.
"This is a token given by Commander Lin. You may take a look, my lady and my husband."
The two opened the letter, feeling somewhat flustered. Only Changping and Changning in the family were literate, and Lin Changsi knew very few characters. He hesitated upon seeing the envelope.
The guard seemed to sense their predicament and explained, "To be honest, Madam, Daxing was recently attacked by 10,000 Tartars, and nearly half of the Daxing Guards were killed in action. My master..."
Suddenly, Lin's mother became anxious and interrupted, "My son? How is my son?"
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