57 Sophora japonica cake
◎◎
Jiang Qinglan felt as if he was struck by lightning.
One is the recurrence of the Jingkang Shame and the Mongol conquest of the Southern Song Dynasty; the other is her identity being revealed, which is the deepest fear in her heart.
This was her secret, and she couldn't tell anyone, not even Wang Huiniang, who was like a relative to her.
At this moment, the secret was revealed, and she suddenly panicked, feeling cold sweat dripping down her face. There was noisy voices in her ears, but she couldn't hear a word of what they were saying.
Two patrolling yamen runners in black robes came over. The lame old Taoist rushed over and hugged one of the runners' legs, saying, "Sir, sir, there's a demon causing trouble here!"
Seeing this, the children in the crowd also started to clamor, some low and some high.
From the emperor to the common people, the people of Song Dynasty were very devoted to Taoism. That's why this lame Taoist priest, who was so despicable, was able to deceive many people.
The bailiff thought to himself: Since the Taoist has pointed it out and there are other witnesses, why not go back and take a look.
Just walk towards Jiang Qinglan.
At this moment, there was a sound of horses neighing, and the crowded crowd automatically made way as if it were split open by a knife.
Everyone looked up and saw a young man in his twenties dismounting from his horse.
He wore a purple shirt with narrow sleeves and a round collar. His jade leather belt shone brightly in the light. He wore a gold-thread hair crown on his head and a goldfish bag hung from his waist.
The essence is: wearing brocade clothes and jade belts, looking radiant, noble but not extravagant, elegant but majestic.
He walked forward, without saying a word, and just cast his eyes upon the crowd, and they fell silent.
Mo Shan followed Xie Linchuan and ran forward, stepping on the lame Taoist's back, making him lie down like a dog, unable to move at all.
"You're such a cunning old man! Last month in Jiangning Prefecture, you swindled a family named Feng out of all their wealth."
"That old man ate your elixir and died, and you fled to Lin'an and started cheating and deceiving people again!"
"Old Li from Elm Alley and Chen Zheng from Zhijinfang have both been fooled by you!"
Seeing the two yamen runners still standing there stupidly, he yelled, "What are you doing? Take them to the government office!"
Upon seeing this, the two yamen runners dragged the man away, and also took the young man who had given false testimony back with him.
Pinglin dispersed the onlookers again, and went away with Wang Huiniang and others, leaving the two of them to talk.
From the moment the lame Taoist pointed out the evildoer, Jiang Qinglan felt like he was in a dream.
She was completely unaware of what everyone was saying, how Wang Huiniang was cursing, or even when Xie Linchuan appeared.
At this time, the crowd dispersed, and the Imperial Street was still full of lights and brilliance. She finally woke up from her dream.
She raised her eyes and fell into a pair of eyes as black as ink. She didn't recognize who he was and blurted out: "You don't believe what he said?"
In Xie Linchuan's eyes, she was polite to him at first, but after knowing his identity, she rejected him openly, and sometimes even had a bit of disgust.
He had never seen her as obedient as she was now, like a meowing kitten. For a moment, he was filled with emotion and felt very tender.
The night wind blew the strands of hair behind her ears out, and he even wanted to reach out and help her smooth them away.
But thinking of her personality, he finally restrained himself and smiled brightly: "You are stupid, he is a liar!"
Seeing that she was still confused, he explained, "Think about it, have you offended a man named Pan?" As he said that, he took out a crudely printed booklet.
The booklet was called "Strange Stories from the West Lake". It was about a restaurant on a slanted street, which was full of monsters and demons. They sold human flesh and human hearts, and their main business was to collect people's yang energy.
"This fellow named Pan, seeing that Yao Jun's plan failed on New Year's Eve, came up with another plan. He recruited a few scholars and made up a lie."
At this point, Xie Linchuan burst into laughter. "What a pity! His book is no match for mine."
On the other side of the well-printed book, there were five large characters written in large letters: "The Biography of the Divine Concubine".
One of the stories tells of a young lady named Jiang who was transformed from the Jasmine Fairy in heaven and came down to earth to experience trials and tribulations.
This kindhearted man, full of righteousness, bravely rescued an orphan girl from the Leaping Golden Pond. In the end, his kindness was rewarded and he married a man named Xie.
"Right now, the most talked-about book in Fengle Building is this one!"
Jiang Qinglan saw the densely packed words on the book and listened to his unhurried narration, feeling as if waves were surging in his heart.
Does he also know about what happened to Yao Jun on New Year’s Eve?
Wang Huiniang had no doubts, she was certain. But he... really did all this silently without even a hint of suspicion?
That damned "Legend of the Divine Concubine"—if it were in the past, she would have turned around and left in anger if he had teased her like that. But now, she didn't have time to bother with such trivial matters.
From today on, no one will doubt her identity anymore. Otherwise, that would be the fate of that lame Taoist priest.
One of the two huge stones pressing on her heart suddenly loosened, and the fear of the past few days dissipated a little. For a moment, her throat became dry and her eyes were sore.
Seeing that the purple hibiscus was still in front of him, he quickly lowered his eyes.
After a long while, amidst the clamor of voices, she softly managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Thank you."
The Imperial Street was filled with noise, but this sentence, as gentle as a cat's meow, was like a thunderclap over Xie Linchuan's head, and he was startled.
Just at this moment, the Aoshan Lantern was pushed past by someone, and the huge light and shadow fell on his face, with golden fragments dancing on his thick and long eyelashes.
After a while, in the middle of winter, he suddenly waved his gold-sprinkled fan, leaned over, and said with a smile: "That's very nice to hear. Say a few more words and let me hear them."
Show-off.
Jiang Qinglan had tears in his eyes, but he couldn't help but burst into laughter, lowered his head and shook it.
…
Over there, the head of the Song family, Song Wen, his wife Pan, and their child Jin Ge'er had just returned to Tianshui Lane when a servant suddenly came to invite him, saying that he had something to ask him to do.
Song Wen is now at a critical moment of promotion. Although it is the Lantern Festival holiday, he cannot delay for a moment. He changed his clothes and hurried there.
Jin'er seldom goes out.
Tonight was the Lantern Festival. Seeing him looking at the courtyard wall with such pity, Mrs. Pan couldn't bear it, so the family went out for a walk. They returned in less than half an hour.
Who would have known that Jin Ge'er was so excited when he suddenly saw the colorful world that he couldn't even lift his eyelids and pointed outside with his chubby fingers, meaning that he wanted to go out and play.
Pan was helpless. She hummed a little tune and walked around the room with him in her arms.
After an hour of struggling, I finally coaxed the child to sleep.
She put Jin'er on the small bed, gently closed the bedroom door, and walked out.
Her arms were sore from holding the baby for days, and she was just about to ask someone to find some plaster for bruises and injuries when Song Wen walked in with a dark face like a gust of wind, bringing a chill into the room.
"Where's Jin'er?"
"He's already asleep." Pan went forward to untie Song Wen's cloak, complaining, "What's the matter? Why do you have to talk about it so late at night? It's the Lantern Festival."
Pan came from a merchant family, but he was smart, capable and good at observing people's hearts.
Back then, Song Wen was just a poor scholar. It was she who recognized his talent and sponsored him to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination.
After he passed the imperial examination, Pan persuaded his parents to move their business to Lin'an. Through her careful planning, the Pan family business grew bigger and bigger, which also benefited Song Wen's official career.
Therefore, over the years, although she failed to give birth to a son or daughter, Song Wen always treated her with respect and love.
Even towards his concubine, who was only a gift from his superiors, he was lukewarm.
Pan untied the tie and couldn't hear Song Wen's answer. She looked up and saw that his jawline was extremely tense and his eyes were gleaming with resentment.
Pan was horrified, but before she could react, she was slapped hard in the face, and she saw stars and couldn't stand steadily.
"Bitch!" Song Wen sneered, "What a good thing you and your brother did!"
Pan's face was burning, and she still couldn't believe that she was slapped by Song Wen. She stood there in a daze, holding onto the armchair.
Song Wen walked over again, pinched her jaw, and said through gritted teeth:
"Very good, very good. You two, brother and sister, one of you is domineering at home, and the other is bullying men and women outside. As long as there is no trouble, I will turn a blind eye to it."
"How dare you, you even dare to provoke the Prince of Dongping's Palace. You are so bold, don't you know how strong your own bones are?!"
Pan also knew that her brother Pan Kai was a fool.
She had also cleaned up his messes a lot, so when she heard this, she hurriedly pulled Song Wen's arm and said, "Husband, what are you talking about? How could my brother get into trouble with such a big shot?"
Song Wen waved his hand casually, causing Pan to stagger.
"Do you think Lord Li is joking by calling me over so late at night? Your brother has brought trouble upon himself and is now being taken to Qiongzhou!"
"What?" When Pan heard this, her face turned pale with shock and her whole body trembled.
Qiongzhou is a poor and mountainous area with bad waters, and is a place where criminals are exiled.
Little did she know that the following words would make her feel even more horrified.
"As for you," Song Wen sneered, "I'm giving you two choices now: One, I'll write a letter of divorce immediately. You've broken up four of the seven grounds for disobeying your parents, being childless, jealous, and gossiping!"
"Second, go back to Taizhou and live in your ancestral home, where you can eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures. When Jin'er grows up, he can still call you mother during festivals."
Pan was stunned, staring blankly with her beautiful eyes: "Song Wen, how dare you divorce me!"
Her pair of vicious eyes actually frightened Song Wen, and he took a step back unconsciously.
After a moment, he stood still again: "I dare not? You vicious woman, I have wanted to divorce you for a long time!"
Song Wen has always been taciturn, but today he erupted with years of accumulated resentment:
"Yes, you were kind to me back then, and I never forgot it for a moment. I served you carefully and cherished you. But you...you are too cruel!"
He was a man of twenty-six or twenty-seven, but when he said this, his eyes turned red:
"How did Furong die? Who sold Shaoyao to the brothel? I repeatedly warned you that Yue Niang was a gift from the higher-ups and couldn't be touched, yet you came up with this vicious scheme of substituting a cat for the prince..."
He tilted his face slightly, letting a tear slide down the corner of his eye, "I just had a meal with my cousin, and you actually..."
Pan's face turned pale at first, and she listened to him like a wandering soul, standing in silence for a long while.
From the age of sixteen to twenty-six, she transformed herself from the daughter of a tofu-selling family in Taizhou to Mrs. Song, a woman who was well-connected in both politics and business in Lin'an.
All the past events flashed before my eyes.
A man who hates petty things is not a gentleman, and a man who is not vicious is not a man! She had long forgotten about peony, hibiscus, and cousin! He remembered every detail clearly!
She shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, but she also giggled.
Song Wen was horrified. He had always been afraid of her, but today he was just using her as leverage to exploit the situation.
This vicious woman...I'm afraid she's crazy!
Pan smiled and said, "Very good! Very good! Song Wen, you useless man, I have been blind for the past ten years!"
After saying that, he went to the desk to get paper and pen, wrote something quickly, and slapped the "Divorce Letter" with the ink not yet dry on Song Wen.
"You must remember that it was me, Pan Xiangjun, who no longer wanted you, Song Wen. It was I who divorced you!"
Song Wen was stunned.
…
After the first month of the lunar year, early spring arrives.
In the past few months, Jiang Qinglan only collected money for Xue Ji's affairs, and his life was very comfortable.
When the Little Spring came, along with the trend of light spring clothes, many secret histories of the palace were also circulated among the people of Lin'an.
Emperor Chengping doted on Concubine Chen and tacitly allowed her to violate the rules and wear the Nine Dragons and Four Phoenixes Crown, the imperial crown ornament. After this matter was leaked out of the palace, it was severely criticized by the censors.
Emperor Chengping had no choice but to confine Concubine Chen to house arrest, and the third prince was also implicated and reprimanded.
There is another piece of sex scandal.
One day, Princess Fu'an, who had returned to Beijing to live as a widow, went for a visit to the West Lake and accidentally fell into the water. Fortunately, she was rescued by Lu Fei, the Junior Supervisor of the Secretariat.
Princess Fu'an always wanted to repay the kindness, and repeatedly gave the Lu family the four treasures of the study, precious calligraphy and paintings, gold foil and jade bottles.
Whenever the princess's mansion held a banquet, she would send invitations to the widowed mother and eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family, giving them enough face in Lin'an City.
Rumors about Princess Fu'an and the Secretary Junior Supervisor gradually spread.
However, by mid-February, these rumors quickly died down due to the arrival of another major event.
On February 11, the 16th year of the Chengping reign, Li Deming declared the founding of the Western Xia Kingdom and dispatched a 30,000-man vanguard to storm Jinming Fort. The defending general, Li Shibin, held out for a month, defeating the enemy's internal traitor.
On the ninth day of the third month, Li Deming abandoned Jinmingzhai and surrounded Yanzhou in a roundabout way. Song generals Liu Ping and Shi Yuansun were ordered to reinforce, and the two sides fought a fierce battle at Sanchuankou.
The Western Xia had a strong army and powerful fighting force, while the Song Dynasty had a strong fortress, sufficient food, and a large number of soldiers and generals. The two sides won and lost alternately, and the situation remained stalemate. [1]
While the border was raging with war, in Lin'an City the warm breeze brought spring and flowers bloomed in profusion.
The spring examination has passed. Some of the successful candidates have received new official positions and are riding high with joy. Some of the failed candidates are lingering in the capital, waiting for the next year.
For a time, young scholars appeared in an endless stream in major taverns and teahouses.
In the Xinghua Restaurant, a eloquent scholar was boasting about the "Battle of Sanchuankou":
"The prefect of Yanzhou, Fan Yong, has always been timid and cowardly. If His Royal Highness had not ordered Generals Liu and Shi to send reinforcements quickly, how could Yanzhou have been defended?"
Some of the diners present clapped their hands in admiration, some sighed with emotion, and some quietly wiped away tears as they thought of the devastation that would result from war.
Among the crowd, only one person wearing a soft-soled hat and a green sunflower robe remained silent, with his head buried in eating a plate of locust flower cakes.
The weather is warm at this time, and white locust flowers are blooming on both sides of the Chunbo River, giving off a fragrant scent all the way.
This locust flower cake is made by mixing freshly picked locust flowers with eggs and flour and frying them in a pan.
The outer layer is slightly browned, and it is crispy and fragrant when eaten, while the inside is soft, moist and extremely tender.
The first taste is the aroma of egg, but when your teeth bite into the pistil, a honey-like sweet juice will ooze out and mix with the aroma of egg, flour and oil, giving it an endless flavor.
The methods of making locust flower cakes vary from place to place. People prefer sweet ones and like to add malt sugar to the flour, which makes the cake taste more honey-like and has the fun of fresh flower cakes.
The Xinghua Restaurant version has more Sichuan and white peppercorns, making it salty, slightly sweet, and a bit like a salt and pepper pancake.
Yang Song was lost in thought when he suddenly felt someone bump into his arm. "Brother Yang, what do you think?"
He raised his head suddenly, swallowed the cake in his mouth, and then said excitedly:
"Delicious! So fragrant! When I was a kid, I often munched on locust flowers like cattle herding cattle. This cake brings me back to my childhood!"
When everyone heard this, they burst into laughter.
Yang Song pretended not to know what they were laughing at. He looked around blankly for a while, and then he also laughed foolishly.
He has always been cautious and never discusses state affairs in public.
Jiang Qinglan listened to all the diners' comments. He didn't care about Yang Song's pretense of ignorance, but he was worried: Has the war started?
In real history, the Western Xia Dynasty coexisted with the Northern Song and Liao dynasties in its early years, and with the Southern Song and Jin dynasties in its later years, ultimately falling to the Mongols. Its founder was... Li Yuanhao! But they didn't seem to mention him just now.
Some things here are the same as in history, but some are different.
Would the Jingkang Incident and the Mongol conquest of the Song Dynasty actually happen? The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.
After lunch, when the diners left the restaurant one after another, Jiang Qinglan called Yang Song over and went to a quiet place near the window to talk in private.
"Young Master Yang, I know you were just being deliberate in hiding your abilities. In your opinion, how is our army faring in the battle against the Western Xia?"
Yang Song was still obsessed with the locust flower cake. Not only did he finish the whole plate, he also packed up a plate to take away.
Hearing this, he had no choice but to put the box down, feeling a little embarrassed: "Madam, please forgive me. Although I intend not to participate in their discussion, I really don't know anything about this war."
Jiang Qinglan didn't force him, so he had to ask in a different way: "Is there a person named Yuan Hao in Western Xia? Perhaps a prince?"
Yang Song thought for a moment and said, "The sons of the King of Western Xia are all named Ji, such as Li Jiwei, Li Jiyuan... I don't think there is anyone named Yuanhao."
No? That's strange. Is it completely different from history?
At this moment, Xie Linchuan walked in leisurely, his narrow-sleeved robe draped with a warm spring light. "You might as well ask me instead of asking him."
Yang Song knew the relationship between the two of them. He rolled his eyes, bowed, and immediately got up with the box.
Since the night of the Lantern Festival, Jiang Qinglan's attitude towards Xie Linchuan has become a little better. As long as he doesn't cause trouble or say strange things, he can even get a smile from him.
At this moment, she thought to herself: Although he is a playboy, he is a descendant of a noble lord after all. He has more channels to know the secrets of the court than they do.
She did not avoid him, but waited for him to speak again.
Xie Linchuan walked over to her, tilted his head and smiled, the warm March sun brushing his eyes and eyebrows with love: "If you beg me, I will tell you."
Jiang Qinglan frowned and turned away.
"Okay, okay, auntie, I'll tell you."
He wanted to grab her, but he restrained himself and just moved sideways to block her way. He said with a serious face:
"Yuan Hao was originally a groom in the Xixia royal palace, with a slight limp. Somehow or other, he managed to seduce the Xixia king's youngest daughter and become Li Deming's son-in-law. At the Battle of Sanchuankou, he was the Xixia army's deputy general."
Jiang Qinglan frowned.
As a PhD in Tang and Song literature, she was not familiar with the history of Western Xia, but she still remembered that Li Yuanhao in history was the eldest prince who followed his father to fight since he was a child.
Such a talented and ambitious founding emperor, now he is a lame groom who relies on women to get to the top?
It is just like the differences between Wanyan Zongmou and Wanyan Zonghan in history.
For a moment, her expression changed and she was full of doubts.
Xie Linchuan was also surprised when he saw her expression: "Why are you asking him?"
Jiang Qinglan ignored him, his mind in turmoil.
He really knew! After all, he was from the Dongping Palace, so he must have some old military subordinates, right?
Even though what she knew might be different from what actually happened, it never hurts to give her a reminder.
Historically, when the Jingkang Incident occurred, the Western Xia cooperated with the Jin army and took advantage of the situation to rob.
After a long pause, she said softly, "This man is very powerful, perhaps even the future ruler of Western Xia. You must remember—and it's best to tell the Princess too—that she must be careful of him in any Western Xia war."
Xie Linchuan's eyes flashed.
He had only just discovered Yuan Hao's prowess. The Battle of Sanchuankou was when Yuan Hao first showed his prowess. But how did she know that? They were completely unrelated.
As the saying goes, still waters run deep. She has so many secrets.
Jiang Qinglan was stunned when she saw his stern expression and gleaming eyes, like a completely new person. Then, she pursed her lips and said, "Don't be surprised. It's my father who said that."
She thought about it carefully and finally came up with this idea -
Later, when someone asked her how she knew these court affairs, she would blame it all on Jiang Yuan, since there was no way to verify it anyway.
Xie Linchuan looked at her and nodded: "I understand, thank you." He was very serious.
Jiang Qinglan then thought of something more pressing: "You even know about Yuan Hao, so you must know about the Liao Kingdom's Second Prince, Yelu Wang? In your opinion, how does he compare to our Crown Prince and Third Prince?"
Yelu Wang's experience is somewhat similar to that of Wanyan Zongwang, who destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty in history. Regardless of whether the crown prince or the third prince ascended the throne, if Yelu Wang attacked southward, who would win?
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the capital was in Bian Jing, but now it is in Lin'an, which is very far away from the Liao Kingdom. Even if the war was lost, Lin'an would not be besieged all of a sudden, right?
She thought for a long time, her brows deeply furrowed, not noticing that her worried look was completely seen by the person opposite her.
Why should she, a girl, worry about all this? He recalled how engrossed she had been reading the "Geography of the Northern Barbarians" a few months ago, and how interested she had indeed been.
Well, what if I tell her? He walked closer and whispered:
"You're asking the wrong question. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince are imperial stars, while Yelu Wang is a military talent. What you should be asking is how Yelu Wang compares to me, Xie Linchuan."
He paused, then smiled proudly, "Of course I'm awesome!"
At that time, the bright spring sunshine poured in through the gaps in the diamond-lattice wooden windows, covering his shoulders and back, making him look even more handsome and upright.
His expression was so confident that for a moment, Jiang Qinglan almost believed it.
The wind rattled the wooden windows.
She closed her eyes, thinking of him, a dandy boy who had never even been to Lin'an, and all those big words, and shook her head: "Anyway, this man is more terrifying than Yuan Hao, and he is a major threat to our Song State. My father said..."
She suddenly opened her eyes, revealing a hint of coldness, "If I have the chance, I must kill him!"
She couldn't help being cruel.
The shame of Jingkang, the Song people were extremely cruel!
“There was looting, killing, and pillaging, and the flames stretched to the sky, burning till dawn, and the people’s cries shook heaven and earth.”[2] Countless people died. Children drowned in icy lakes, their bodies were thrown into fires, women were driven like sheep and pigs, and some committed suicide, and reports of them were spread on the streets…
Xie Linchuan raised his handsome eyebrows in surprise: "How could Lord Jiang tell you this, since you're a girl?"
Jiang Qinglan's face turned pale.
"My father personally witnessed the great defeat at Qigou Pass. He said that under a siege, we are all ants dying, so what distinction is there between men and women? A woman who is weak and unable to even tie a chicken will only suffer even more."
"Every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country. Even if a woman cannot be famous among the nobles, she must be able to protect herself."
After hearing this, Xie Linchuan looked at the seemingly weak girl in front of him and was stunned and speechless for a moment.
On both sides of the Chunbo River, locust flowers are in full bloom, like snow. At this time, the fragrance of flowers and the spring breeze blow into the restaurant and into people's hearts.
"Lord Jiang..." Xie Linchuan sighed secretly, his heart filled with lofty ambitions. He said with a serious expression, "After all, my Song Dynasty has hundreds of thousands of men. I will definitely let you have a home and a family to rely on!"
His eyes were blazing, like dancing flames. "I will definitely do what you said!"
At that time, thick clouds covered the sun, thunder rumbled, and spring rain was about to come. Pedestrians on the street ran and galloped, and there seemed to be the sounds of golden swords, iron horses, and sharp armor.
Jiang Qinglan was stunned for a moment.
【Author’s words】
[1] Reference to the First Song-Xia War during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, with some modifications.
[2] Ding Teqi, “Jing Kang Chronicles”.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
