Chapter 37 Chapter 37
Kyoto is also very cold this winter.
Not to mention the poor families, even the children of noble families had to wear thick fur coats to keep warm when going out to enjoy the snow and feast, and they could not take off the fur coats until they went indoors to warm themselves by the fire.
In the past, if there was a stove in the house, people would not need to wear too thick clothes. But this year it was extremely cold. Even with the stove, there was still a hint of chill. Some young men from wealthy families took off their outer clothes to show their generosity, but they ended up getting sick from the cold. Several of them were bedridden.
A serious illness in winter is extremely painful, not to mention life-threatening. For safety reasons, the children of noble families who attend banquets will ask the host to provide more heaters or wear more clothes.
Just wearing too much makes you look fat.
The Great Zhou Dynasty has always advocated a delicate and slender figure, regardless of whether it is a man or a woman. Wearing bulky clothes will make people look much uglier.
Madam Ye's face darkened when she learned the plum blossom viewing banquet would be held in the drafty pavilion. While there would be a stove in the pavilion, it certainly wouldn't be warm. Hadn't they always been held indoors? Why was it being held in the pavilion today?
If this is a cold...
"Mom, can I not go?" Madam Ye, who has a very good relationship with her mother, asked coquettishly.
"Afraid of the cold?" Mother noticed the embarrassment on Madam Ye's face and naturally understood why she was reluctant to go.
Madam Ye nodded shyly and said, "Mom, you know, so many people have caught a cold during the winter banquets recently. It would be fine if I didn't take off my outer robe when I went, but..." But who would not take it off for the sake of looking good?
Otherwise, when everyone else is slim and graceful, you will be fat and slow, which will look so ugly.
But she took it off. Thinking of the cold outside, Madam Ye shuddered.
"Don't worry. The Ruan family dared to hold such a banquet. I'm afraid they knew that a new batch of winter clothes had arrived in Kyoto. You can wear them when the time comes. It's okay to take off your outer fur coat."
Winter clothes?
Madam Ye was a little puzzled at first, but when she really put on the sweater her mother gave her, she understood why the Ruan family dared to hold such a banquet. This sweater was really too warm. She could wear another sweater after wearing the inner clothes, and a slightly thicker autumn coat on the outside.
The only bad thing is that in order to keep warm, this sweater is a bit too tight. Fortunately, she has never worn it like this before. After wearing it for a while, Madam Ye got used to it.
This scene happened in the Ye Mansion, and also happened in other people's houses in Kyoto. Soon, at various banquets, there were always some people who attracted attention because of their thin clothing. Soon, people who noticed it also knew about the existence of the sweater and quickly went to buy it.
The reason is simple. When everyone looks bloated or trades health for style, no one thinks there is anything wrong with it. But once someone can wear thin clothes without getting sick, those who pay the price will look a little stupid and need to change as soon as possible.
However, people bought sweaters, but no one asked where the sweaters came from. Naturally, no one knew that the sweaters came from Anyuan Prefecture.
The sweater trend among the upper class soon affected ordinary people, but when ordinary people asked about the prices of sweaters, they gasped and felt that they really could not afford them.
However, the sweater also left a deep impression on ordinary people. Originally, if the sweater suddenly appeared in front of the people, even if the price was affordable for them, it would not be easy to sell the sweater smoothly due to their distrust of new things.
But this time, the popularity of sweaters first spread to the upper classes, and then the common people spontaneously learned about the existence of sweaters. Because of their awe of the aristocratic families, they naturally thought that sweaters must be good things, otherwise why would those aristocratic families like sweaters? It can be said that this paved the way for the subsequent sales of sweaters.
…
"What are you thinking about?" As soon as Jiang Huai came back, he found Xiao Jingzhao in a daze, as if he was thinking about something and didn't notice him coming back. Suddenly, he had the idea of playing a prank and tiptoed towards Xiao Jingzhao.
However, Jiang Huai still remembered the lesson from last time and knew that Xiao Jingzhao always used ruthless moves when he attacked. With the lesson from last time, Jiang Huai walked to a position one hand away from Xiao Jingzhao and spoke. Although there was some distance, Jiang Huai felt that he should still be able to scare the other party.
But the result disappointed Jiang Huai. Xiao Jingzhao looked back at him and didn't look frightened at all.
In fact, when Jiang Huai tiptoed over, Xiao Jingzhao noticed his movements. The reason why he didn't move was because he wanted to see what Jiang Huai wanted to do. As a result, he found that Jiang Huai wanted to scare him again and stood some distance away from him. After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Jingzhao dug out from his memory the reason why Jiang Huai might have done this.
"Why did you look so worried just now?" Jiang Huai came over and asked curiously. However, Jiang Huai was not too worried that something bad would happen to Xiao Jingzhao, because they had no worries about food and clothing now, and had Wei Xuan as their backer, so how could there be any problem? Even if there was a problem, with Xiao Jingzhao's identity, he could help.
Xiao Jingzhao lowered his eyes. He had talked with Wei Xuan for a while a few days ago and had somewhat determined the future path. In order to return to Kyoto and ascend the throne in the future, he could not always hide beside Jiang Huai, or he could not always be an unknown junior. Even if he had to conceal his identity, he had to make a career.
"General Wei asked me if I would like to work in the army?" Xiao Jingzhao whispered. This was obviously a path he had thought of before, but when he told Jiang Huai, he felt inexplicably guilty.
"Go to the army to work?" Jiang Huai was stunned and looked at Xiao Jingzhao, trying to see from his face whether the other party was joking, but after looking at him, Xiao Jingzhao was still serious and did not seem to be joking at all.
"Why would Brother Wei say that?" Jiang Huai asked.
"General Wei said that I have a strong physique and great martial arts skills. It would be a pity if I just stayed at home idle, so he recommended me to work in the army." Xiao Jingzhao turned his head and avoided Jiang Huai's eyes deliberately.
This was his excuse for joining the army. The actual reason was very simple. In addition to not being able to stay in one place, it was more about the control of power.
Xiao Jingzhao knew that the Wei family would never betray him, but after what happened before, Xiao Jingzhao could no longer completely trust anyone, even if it was the Wei family. He could not bear to see the Wei family in power while he was separated from them. He needed to firmly grasp the military power before he could feel a little more at ease.
However, perhaps there is someone he can trust more.
Xiao Jingzhao looked at Jiang Huai unconsciously. Jiang Huai had been eating and drinking well these days, and his body had recovered a little. His complexion was rosy, his skin was fair, and his eyes were brighter and full of vitality.
Jiang Huai did not notice Xiao Jingzhao's gaze. The excuse given by Xiao Jingzhao made him not refute. He had been in the Great Zhou for so long and knew the ancients' desire to achieve great things. In fact, he himself was also making great achievements through business. How could he have the nerve to stop Xiao Jingzhao?
What's more, he had previously agreed with Xiao Jingzhao to let the other party take care of him for five years. After five years, the Jiang family would be rehabilitated and the other party would be able to rise to a high position. Now with Wei Xuan, if he joined the army, as long as Xiao Jingzhao did not die, he would be able to climb a lot in five years.
If I wait until five years later, even if the Jiang family helps at that time, that is only five years after all. How many five-year periods can a person have in his life, especially the five most youthful years? If I miss this opportunity, I may not be able to make it up later.
Thinking of this, Jiang Huai suddenly remembered one thing. He seemed to have never asked Xiao Jingzhao about his age.
Xiao Jingzhao was still waiting for Jiang Huai's answer when he found that Jiang Huai suddenly stared at his face. He subconsciously touched his face. Was there something on his face?
"How old are you this year?" Jiang Huai asked.
"..." Xiao Jingzhao was silent for a moment, then counted, "Twenty-three."
Five years later, he would be 28, and it would seem a bit old to join the army at that time. Jiang Huai remembered that the average life expectancy of people in ancient times was relatively short, let alone joining the army. Youth was an asset, as injuries could be recovered quickly and physical strength was good. If he really had to wait until 28 to join the army, he would probably be too old by then.
And if he remembered correctly, five years later the new emperor would ascend the throne and foreign wars would become very frequent. If he still wanted to join the army at that time, even if he waited until the war was over, he would not be able to recover as quickly as he did now.
"Don't you want to be an ordinary official anymore?" Jiang Huai asked.
Xiao Jingzhao shook his head and looked at Jiang Huai quietly, waiting for Jiang Huai's reply, but he felt that Jiang Huai might ask him why he changed his mind.
"Since you have made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you anymore. However, life in the army may be very hard. If you encounter any difficulties, you must tell me." Jiang Huai instructed carefully, as if he had already seen Xiao Jingzhao suffering in the army.
It’s not that Jiang Huai has a problem with the soldiers, but he has been to the military camp before, so he naturally knows that the lives of ordinary soldiers are indeed not good. Although compared with the poor people, it seems to be better, after all, the army provides food and military pay.
If they had just entered Anyuan Prefecture, it would have been a good place to go, but the problem was that they were now wealthy, and going back to the army would mean pure hardship.
Before sending Xiao Jingzhao to the military camp, Jiang Huai first went to the pharmacy and searched the herbs in the pharmacy, then asked a doctor. Amid the doctor's shocked questioning, he prepared some medicine packs for Xiao Jingzhao overnight. These medicine packs were to prevent Xiao Jingzhao from getting sick in the army and having no medicine.
Although there are doctors accompanying the army, Jiang Huai really doesn't dare to trust the abilities of these doctors. The most important thing is that there are so many people in the barracks and there are only a few doctors. If there is really a problem, it may not be Xiao Jingzhao's turn.
Xiao Jingzhao didn't expect that Jiang Huai would prepare so many medicine bags for him overnight. If he took them out, outsiders might mistakenly think that he was going to the army to be a doctor.
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