Chapter 36: Changes In this life, everything happens much faster than in the previous life...
Ji Zhangqing coughed lightly, his awkwardness returning. He placed his hand on Yang Yan's shoulder and said, "Well... you're her ex-husband after all, so it's normal for her not to write to you. Don't be too upset. The next time Chai Si writes to my wife, I'll have my wife tell Chai Si in the letter to write to you as well."
Yang Yan didn't like people putting hands on his shoulders, but this time, he didn't shake Ji Zhangqing's hand off. Instead, he said, "Okay."
His "OK" drove Ji Changqing crazy.
Ji Changqing was just saying it casually. How could he really convince his wife? Even if his wife was willing to say this in the letter on behalf of Yang Yan, Chai Heng might not really write it.
Ji Zhangqing: "Then wait, wait for the next time. The next time Chai Si writes to me, I'll tell you."
"No need for next time. I will go back home with you now." Yang Yan said seriously, without any intention of joking.
Ji Zhangqing was in a difficult position and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Okay."
It was late spring, and the crabapple blossoms on Wansui Mountain were in full bloom. In the bright sunshine, Chen Lianyi washed two large baskets of laundry in the yard, even the dozen or so tricolor brocade black-horn belts that Ji Changqing had tucked away under his suitcase.
Ji Changqing has now reached the fifth rank. According to the court dress system of the Great Qi Dynasty, the black horn belt should be replaced with a silver belt as soon as possible, so the ones she found out are no longer useful. However, Chen Lianyi is used to living in the countryside of Cangzhou and has experienced too many hard times. She would rather work harder to tear up the cloth from the black horn belts and make them into strips for tying things, rather than throw away such good things in vain.
When Ji Changqing brought Yang Yan back to the Ji Mansion, Chen Lianyi was busy hanging out the laundry. Seeing Yang Yan, she probably guessed his intentions. After giving her husband a fierce look, she put down the clothes in her hands and said to Yang Yan, "Sir Yang, I can probably guess what you're up to, but I won't tell Chai Heng anything for you."
If Chai Heng is willing, it would be fine for her to say a few words.
But Chai Heng didn't want to have any communication with Yang Yan, so if she had to pass on the message to Yang Yan, wouldn't she become a villain?
Although Chen Lianyi was an extremely gentle person, she spoke very directly on this matter. Ji Zhangqing touched his nose. He knew Yang Yan's temper. It was rare for someone to embarrass him like this. So he stood in front of Chen Lianyi and said, "This is my fault. I promised you it was too early. Since my wife doesn't want to, then you..."
"No problem."
Yang Yan, contrary to his usual behavior, did not get angry. Instead, he smiled politely at Chen Lianyi and said, "Can you let me see Chai Heng's letter? I'll leave after reading it."
He was in an unusually good mood today.
It almost made Ji Changqing think that this was not Yang Yan.
"It's not difficult for him to read the letter. Just give it to him to take a look." Ji Changqing turned his head and said to Chen Lianyi.
Chen Lianyi knew exactly why Yang Yan was in their house. It must be that her husband couldn't bear to see someone so disappointed, so he had brought him here without thinking. Zhenzhen was so dissatisfied with everything, and letting someone go like that was like playing a trick on her. Chen Lianyi naturally couldn't do that, so she said, "Come in."
There is a stone table and several benches in the yard.
Yang Yan had no intention of being a guest: "Thank you, I'll just watch from the yard."
"Alright."
Chen Lianyi casually wiped her still wet hands on her skirt, turned around and went into the study.
When Ji Zhangqing saw Chen Lianyi leave, he apologized to Yang Yan repeatedly: "It's my fault, it's my fault. I didn't control my mouth. Do you want some tea? I'll go get you a cup of tea to make amends."
"No more drinking. Go and do your own thing. I'm glad I could read her letter."
After not seeing Chai Heng for three or four months, Yang Yan's heart had calmed down considerably. When he realized that even a little information about her recent situation was a luxury, he didn't dare to ask for more.
Ji Changqing saw Yang Yan as a proud man who didn't take anyone or anything seriously. He possessed an uncharacteristic aloofness that often drove those around him mad. So, when Chen Lianyi had rejected him earlier, Ji Changqing had been a bit frightened. Now, he truly felt that Yang Yan had changed a bit.
Before he could say anything, Chen Lianyi came out with the letter.
Chai Heng had been away from the capital for three or four months, and she hadn't written many letters to the Ji family, only three or four. She and Chen Lianyi had a sense of familiarity, so besides asking how to make pancakes, they'd occasionally share some personal conversation, discussing their own lives.
He would either accompany his fellow apprentices in swordplay practice, or take the young men to the mountains to hunt. If he was lucky, he could hunt a wild boar, which several of them would carry back together. If he was unlucky, he wouldn't even catch a rabbit.
When Chai Heng mentioned that she couldn't even catch a rabbit, her tone in the letter was somewhat sad. Through the letter, Yang Yan seemed to be able to see her helpless look, and his heart couldn't help but soften.
The last letter arrived the day before yesterday, saying she had learned how to make pancakes, and her fellow apprentices praised her for being delicious. Even Cui Miao thought she was very good.
Seeing Cui Miao's name, Yang Yan's fingers tightened slightly.
Although he did not show his displeasure, Ji Changqing still caught some of his suppressed unhappy emotions.
"The eldest son of Cui Rushi's family made great contributions in the Bingmasi some time ago. The court happened to be short of a governor of Youzhou, so he volunteered to go there, saying that he had a sweetheart in Youzhou. Furong Mountain is located in Youzhou, and Cui Rushi had some friendship with Prince Jing and his wife in his early years. If Cui Miao is not used to living in the Youzhou government office and wants to live on Furong Mountain, it is normal to make room for him there since the place is so big." Ji Changqing explained.
After he finished explaining, he suddenly realized, "This guy has never been to Youzhou in his life, how could he have a sweetheart in Youzhou? He also happens to be with Chai Heng, so the person he likes can't just happen to be Chai Heng."
Ji Changqing had a lot of dealings with the Cui father and son in his early years. The personalities of the father and son were completely different.
Cui Rushi, at first glance, is the kind of person who has been deeply involved in officialdom. He is ruthless and smooth as an old fox.
Although Cui Miao was Cui Rushi's son, he was honest, upright, and somewhat dull. In terms of stubbornness, he and Chai Heng were surprisingly compatible.
"Chai Heng must have planned to never come back after leaving."
"If she doesn't come back, Cui Miao will go look for her."
"If I were Chai Heng, as time went on, I might actually be moved."
Ji Changqing couldn't control his mouth for a moment.
With every word he spoke, Yang Yan's face became uglier. By the time he finished speaking, Yang Yan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
Ji Zhangqing stopped talking: "Sorry, I said the wrong thing."
Yang Yan didn't get angry. From the moment Chai Heng was determined to leave and had no intention of turning back, he understood that she was free. In her previous life, she was willing to be tied to him because she liked him. Now that she didn't like him anymore, she could like anyone else.
This person could be Cui Miao, Lu Shichu, or anyone around her.
"No problem."
"She has the freedom to fall in love with others. We have already divorced, and I can't tie her to my side forever." Yang Yan tried his best to control his emotions and said lightly.
If he had realized this earlier, things wouldn't have gotten worse.
Despite what he said, Ji Changqing was still a little worried about him. Cui Miao could go to Youzhou to serve as the governor of Youzhou, but as the Minister of War, he could not leave the capital without a clear conscience.
"The Western Rong have only been peaceful for three or four months, but there's been unrest again these past few days. Tuoba Yuanli and Tuoba Ying have both been thrown into prison by Tuoba Ye, a seemingly ordinary man. It seems that Tuoba Ye is the most difficult to deal with in the Tuoba clan, unlike his other brothers. After he eliminates the Western Rong, I'm afraid he'll target our Central Plains next. At this time, you, the Minister of War, must hold on."
Ji Changqing sighed. The situation in the Western Rong region was uncertain, and the border had only been stable for a short time. The more unstable the situation, the more the Ministry of War needed to maintain stability. If Yang Yan, tempted by Cui Miao, went to Youzhou and quit, the sage would probably want to chop him down with a single blow.
In the face of the overall situation, many things still need to be distinguished.
Yang Yan naturally knew what Ji Changqing meant, and he was indeed a little restless.
I really don't know when I will run to Furong Mountain to see Chai Heng because I can't help missing her.
But not now.
Everything in this life was moving faster than in his previous one. In his memory, in his previous life, after the Jingnan Army had defeated the Western Rong once, it took another ten years before the Western Rong invaded the Central Plains for the second time. It was also during that time that Tuoba Ye completely seized control of the Western Rong regime. If the previous life's progress had continued, Tuoba Ye would have been an unknown, unloved figure at that time.
At this time, he should sort out the overall situation instead of getting bogged down in romantic matters.
"Don't worry, I won't leave Beijing for the time being."
"If Chai Heng sends me another letter in the future, please let me know."
Ji Changqing was a little uncomfortable with his politeness.
"Of course." Ji Changqing couldn't bear to see him look frustrated, and suddenly remembered that in addition to the letter, Chai Heng had also sent some dried mountain products, bamboo shoots and bacon all the way from Furong Mountain a while ago.
However, those mountain products were sun-dried and darkened. Considering Chai Heng's unrefined personality, Ji Changqing and Chen Lianyi were always worried that they would die after eating them, so they kept them away.
Since it would be a waste to leave it there without eating it, Ji Zhangqing simply did a favor: "Chai Si also sent some other things over a while ago. Take a look. Do you want to take them?"
Having said that, he turned and went into the kitchen and took out the pile of mountain products, dried bamboo shoots and bacon.
While Chai Heng wasn't exactly meticulous, she was genuinely thoughtful and considerate, and giving these gifts was her style. Yang Yan looked at the pile of gifts, thinking that she could go to such lengths for Ji Changqing, a man she'd only known for less than a year, yet had forgotten that he existed in the capital. He couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. He didn't let himself get away with it for long, accepting it with alacrity.
This is a tough time for the chef in the small kitchen.
For the next month, not only did they try every possible way to make these things, but each time Yang Yan only allowed them to stew a small amount the length of a finger.
This caused the chefs in the Marquis' Mansion to complain bitterly, saying that they had seen stingy bosses, but they had never seen one as stingy as this one.
Zhou Jiu usually didn't pay much attention to the small kitchen. The small kitchen chef, who cursed Yang Yan behind his back, usually avoided Zhou Jiu, the loyal butler, so Zhou Jiu had never paid much attention to what Yang Yan ate these days. It wasn't until the news that the Western Rong were making trouble again, and Tuoba Ye had exposed the bodies of his two brothers outside the city tower, that the military officials had been staying up all night for several days, that Zhou Jiu began to think about Yang Yan's diet.
After all, as a qualified housekeeper, the most important thing is to take good care of your master's health.
Then, he went to the small kitchen and found that for a month, his family had been eating these unhealthy foods. The key was that in order to prevent other ingredients from affecting the taste of these foods, he usually did not allow the small kitchen to cook anything else.
If he didn't do anything else, he would just eat more of these, but he couldn't bear to do so.
Zhou Jiu felt a little sad for a moment, but he didn't dare tell Yang Yan that he had actually sent him quite a few of these mountain products, dried bamboo shoots and Chai Heng.
*
Cui Miao arrived in Youzhou three months after Chai Heng returned to Furong Mountain. Chai Heng was very surprised when he arrived.
His parents and brothers were all in the capital. As long as his parents were there, he would not travel far away. Chai Heng never thought that he would travel thousands of miles to a place like Youzhou.
"You said before that you didn't like the capital, so I was worried that you would never return to the capital. If you didn't go back, I would have no chance to see you. So later I thought, it doesn't matter if you don't go back, I will come to find you, there will always be a chance."
"Don't be nervous. Don't feel you have to be with me just because I came to see you. Ah Heng, we can start by being friends. I want to stay in Furong Mountain with you. If you don't like it, I can stay at the foot of the mountain with you."
It was a rainy day when Cui Miao came. He was wearing a straw raincoat and sitting on a tall horse. He held a long sword in his hand and rode the horse slowly towards her, then said the above two sentences.
Through the rain, Chai Heng couldn't even see Cui Miao's face or the expression on his face. He only knew that he must be very nervous, so he stuttered when he spoke.
Chai Heng didn't know whether she should agree to let him stay in Furong Mountain. She had been hurt by love before, having even given her life to Yang Yan when she loved him, only to have it end badly. So, if she were to start another relationship, she wouldn't dare to give so easily.
But in Chai Heng's opinion, this is unfair to the next person she likes. Therefore, without knowing whether there will be a result with Cui Miao, she does not want to delay Cui Miao.
She was very hesitant.
But Yin Yuzhen, who happened to see this scene, did not hesitate and directly kept Cui Miao and moved his house not far from Chai Heng.
"I think this little Cui is pretty good. Although he's not as good-looking or as white as Yang Yan, it's useless to rely on one's looks to make a living."
"You don't have to rush to make a decision, and you don't have to rush to think about whether you really want to be with him. Just try being neighbors for a while. It doesn't matter if he doesn't like you. Even if you stay single for the rest of your life, my master's wife can still support you for the rest of your life."
Therefore, with Yin Yuzhen's encouragement, Chai Heng gradually accepted the fact that Cui Miao was her neighbor. During the day, he would go to the government office to work, and in the evening, when he finished his work early, he would have dinner with Chai Heng and Prince Jing and his wife.
The days passed quietly. Chai Heng wasn't used to having Cui Miao as a neighbor at first, but over time, she grew accustomed to him. Especially since she used to only bring her fellow apprentices with her when she went hunting in the mountains, now she could bring him along too. Cui Miao was strong, so he could help her carry back any large prey.
The two of them don't talk about feelings, but they get along very happily.
I thought the days would continue to be peaceful and uneventful until news came from the court that the Western Rong army had begun harassing the border villages again.
When Tuoba Yuanli and Tuoba Ying were in charge, the harassment from the Western Rong army was limited to stealing horses, cattle, sheep, etc. from the border herdsmen.
Now that Tuoba Ye, the madman who murdered his father and brother to ascend the throne, had begun to abduct people. Over the past three days, more than a dozen herders from Shouyang Village on the border had disappeared, all captured by the Western Rong army.
Upon hearing the news of Tuoba Ye's ascension to the throne, Chai Heng, who hadn't had any worries in a long time, suddenly became worried. She was worried not for any other reason, but because in her previous life, it had been a long time since Tuoba Ye ascended the throne. From the first battle with the Western Rong to the last, there was at least a decade in between, which allowed the Jingnan Army to rest and recuperate.
Now, only a few months, about half a year, have passed, and the Western Rong people have started to make trouble again.
Master and his wife had just been bumped here from there, and now they had to be bumped back again. Even a strong body couldn't bear it.
Even if the war has not yet begun, just being on the road is extremely exhausting. Chai Heng felt sorry for the two of them. Thinking back to their previous life, they worked hard and died on the way back to Beijing, and their credit was taken away by others, he felt sad.
"Ah Heng, you stay home and guard the door. Tomorrow your master and I will set out to take a look at Shouyang Village. We plan to lead a small team to rescue those dozen or so herdsmen. Don't worry about us. Eat and drink as you please. We will be back when we are done."
"Shouyang Village is so far from here, and you've only been back in Furong Mountain for a few months. Let me go." Chai Heng said that she wouldn't be able to guard the house with peace of mind. Instead of that, it would be better to let her go. "I've dealt with the Xirong people before, and I'm familiar with the terrain of the border. My sword and knife skills were taught by you, Master and Madam. Although they're not perfect, they'll be able to perform well in critical moments."
Especially since she had died once, she was not afraid of death.
"How can that be? What if you are in danger when you go? How can your master and I sleep well?" Yin Yuzhen shook his head repeatedly and rejected her without thinking.
Chai Heng said, "Even if there is, as a Qi person, it is my duty to do something for the people living on the border. If you and Master were to leave like this, I wouldn't be able to sleep well in the mountains."
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