Chapter 105 Deception (Two in One)
The private discussions of the people in the East Palace could not reach the main hall. Jiang Hengyun recalled his previous conversation with Si Li and felt a little helpless. The box-maker came from the side hall holding a wooden box. The silver light flowing on the mechanism in the box had dimmed, only slightly better than before, showing the metallic luster of the mechanism itself.
Xia Sheng knelt on the ground and trembled, fearing that the item was broken. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the prince say "it's okay".
"…When the clear light gradually fades, the person coming will become stronger. There is no need to worry."
Jiang Hengyun slightly closed his eyes as his mother's instructions echoed in his mind. When talking about the situation, the girl's curved eyebrows and bright eyes flashed repeatedly when she said he was a hero. He knew clearly that his time was running out. When the machine specially constructed by his mother with meteorite and silver dissipated its light again, it was time for Si Li, or should I say the girl under Si Li's shell, to leave.
On one hand, the girl is whispering about her pastoral dreams, and on the other hand, the bell of departure is about to ring.
There are fairy mountains on the sea, Yingzhou is one of them, and Si Yingzhou is his fairy mountain. Perhaps he was born with that man's dirty blood, and he just wants the goddess who came to the world to stay in his arms forever.
"Prepare the horses."
Jiang Hengyun closed the lid of the box, turned over and sat up, and rushed into the Prince of Yue's palace. The box-bearing creature who was left in the palace stood up after a long time. The wooden box was shaking in his arms, and it seemed to be a little heavier.
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Si Li was still in a daze about the system that suddenly upgraded her cooking skills to level three, when she heard a knock on the door. Xiao Qi, who had changed back into her short Hu clothing, pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing her stunned expression, she sighed exaggeratedly, "You don't know how uncomfortable that skirt is to wear."
"It looks pretty good." Si Li smiled.
"What are you thinking about sitting here? Are you eating something delicious alone?" Xiao Qi stretched out her long legs and sat next to Si Li. The girl had changed her clothes but had not taken off her makeup. There were still traces of plum blossom scent on her body from her stay at the Prince of Yue's Mansion today, which was cold but sweet like pastries.
Si Li shook her head. "Next August will be the Autumn Examination, followed by the Spring Examination. If you and Tao Tao study well, you can take the examination. I was wondering what I, a cook, can do."
I didn't expect her to be thinking about this. Xiao Qi was stunned for a moment. "You have done very well." She counted on her fingers. "Look, I went to see the renovation of the small house for young children in the nursery in Nancheng two days ago. At least they can have a good winter. Xiao Que is teaching them to read and write, so they can consider a future. Liu Wuling has turned over a new leaf. If there is no trouble in the autumn examination next year, he can still pass it with the guarantee of the teachers. Even if he doesn't pass it, he can still make a living in the academy. You asked the children in Nancheng for help several times, and the uneducated women also took the jobs of pasting paper tubes and assembling boxes. Wouldn't their lives become better?"
"There's more." Xiao Qi laughed, "You haven't seen the attitude of Shopkeeper Tang now. He tells everyone that it's a blessing to meet you. He heard a former employee of Guan's gossiping about you on the street, and he just rushed over to beat him up, but Guan's young master beat him up first, and even spat on him after that."
"How come I didn't know about this?" Si Li laughed and thought along the lines of Xiao Qi's words. Change always accumulates bit by bit. She changed the lives of these people, and perhaps these people could change the lives of others, which was also her contribution.
Xiao Qi made her laugh, and then pushed Si Li out the door, "Okay, okay, Mr. Si, please be kind and stew two more pieces of meat for me today!"
The children who were having a great time with Xiao Que in the courtyard saw Si Li coming out and bowed respectfully, "Shopkeeper."
Si Li didn't bother them, and they went about their business after a while. The lamb spine in the back kitchen was already being blanched, and the freshness of the white soup and the warmth of the ginger made the place warm. Xiao Que was called over by Si Li, and he grunted as he moved two piles of firewood into the kitchen, "Storekeeper."
"When we go to the academy tomorrow, ask Master Di if the lecturer thing you said before is still valid." All she can do for Daning is her cooking skills and her eyesight after seeing the modern world. Going to the academy is the best choice. It is most appropriate to subtly change the expectations of female students for the future in a course that seems to be the most suitable for home.
When Xiao Que stood in front of Si Li, he still had the same honest look as before, but it was much gentler. "Then can I go to and from school with the shopkeeper? I learn very slowly, luckily the teacher and the shopkeeper don't mind me." The question was still a little silly, and Si Li couldn't help laughing.
Mr. Di, who had invited Si Li several times, still got along as well as before. After deciding to only share basic information and pay a small amount of tuition, Si Li's whole day was divided into three parts: preparing academy teaching materials, cooking limited dishes at Wanglaiju, and paying attention to snacks. She would not stop until the lights came on at night.
Recently, the previous successive launch of new products by Wanglaiju has been overshadowed by new gossip. It is said that the prince of Dongyang got drunk after a naked incident on the street, and no one in his family went to Jingzhao Yin to redeem him, which made the people of Beijing see a big commotion. However, Si Li only overheard it when Xiao Qi came, and then cursed that the prince of Dongyang did not look like a good person.
Si Li didn't think much of the busy days, but Princess Jinhe, who stayed in Wanglaiju, felt distressed.
Si Li had just put down the pen with which she had summarized the basic recipes for potatoes and sweet potatoes and was rubbing her dizzy temples when she saw a glass of water being handed to her. She looked up and saw Princess Jinhe smiling, with eyes very similar to her brother's.
Jiang Shizhi had not been to Wanglaiju for three days. Si Li would never admit that her heart skipped a beat at that moment. Thinking that this man had previously said he wanted to propose marriage but had not yet done so, she could not help feeling a little uncomfortable. However, seeing that Princess Jinhe was getting better and better, she could no longer be angry.
"A Fei, thank you." There were still traces of charcoal ink on Si Li's hands. She drank a sip of water from Princess Jinhe's hand. The water contained pear paste that she specially made, which tasted sweet.
Jiang Rufei looked at her and corrected her, "Ah Fei." Jiang Rufei silently urged her to finish her glass before continuing, "The clothes, venue, people, and invitations for the coming-of-age ceremony."
Coming of age ceremony!
Si Li slapped her forehead. She almost forgot about this in her busy life. She remembered it mainly because she wanted to make the original owner proud at the coming-of-age ceremony. The original owner left last time, so she didn't pay attention to it anymore. But in the eyes of others, she is the original owner, so she naturally has to pay attention to the coming-of-age ceremony.
However, there is still more than a month to go, so there is no need to rush. Si Li relaxed when she thought of this. Jiang Rufei pressed her manuscript on the table and did not allow her to continue. Lin Ruying, who had always been invisible, stepped forward and saluted, "Mr. Zhong has sorted out the sequence of the coming-of-age ceremony. Miss Si can discuss it with Meng and Xiao. If you want to hold a big ceremony, it would be more appropriate to leave two months to spare. Now there is only a month left, so it may be a bit rushed."
Si Li took the booklet she handed over and read two pages. It was indeed written in a familiar handwriting, with detailed etiquette and suggestions on how to prepare, who to invite, and what to use. If you prepare things and invite guests according to this booklet, there should be no problem. Thinking of what Princess Yue said before, Princess Jinhe was afraid of the prince, but now she disturbed the prince's men for her coming-of-age ceremony, Si Li hugged Jiang Rufei and said, "Thank you."
Jiang Rufei froze for a moment, then quickly relaxed and hugged back, "I'm a supporter."
"Of course, I've already promised you." Si Li smiled.
Since they had to prepare for the coming-of-age ceremony, the elders in the family naturally could not be missing. Si Li took the booklet and went to the Jian family's residence the next day.
Because she had thought of another way to make glass, Si Li did not find anyone when she came to the Jian family this time. She was led by Jian Qingya to the glass kiln in the suburbs, where she saw the main force of the Jian family. It seemed that a distinguished guest had come to the kiln. Jian Bingde and Mrs. Jian had not come out yet, and the glass kiln was full of enthusiasm.
Si Li didn't remember much about how to remove impurities from the glass, but she did remember using a magnetic screen to remove most of the iron-containing silica sand ore, which saved the glass kiln from the gamble of production.
Because it is difficult to screen the raw materials, most of the glass produced previously had a lot of impurities and was very colorful, which was completely incomparable to the transparent colored glass shipped back from overseas. The glass that can be used to supply Si Li's glass boxes is carefully selected from each kiln, so the production is also limited. But after the magnetic screening method was introduced, almost all the glass produced was only a very light green color, and a small number of fine products were purely transparent. When the old master in the kiln saw the smart niece described by the owner, his eyes were red, and he rushed over to hug Si Li, "Miss, what do you think? Can this green color be removed a little more? What about the blue color?"
There were many servants of the Jian family who stayed outside, and they quickly stopped him, "Just ask, don't do anything!"
Si Li scratched her head in confusion, "I don't know much. The color is mainly due to impurities in the sand, just like the iron in this case. It will be much better if you remove it. But I don't know about the screening of other impurities. Master, you have to think about it."
"Impurities? Impurities..." The old teacher muttered to himself and went to think about something. Jian Qingya took Si Li's hand and said, "Master Ge is like this. Let's go and sit aside for a while. After seeing off the distinguished guests, we will go to see my father and mother."
As they were talking, a group of four people stepped out of the kiln inside the second door of the workshop. Songnian was leading the way, with a neither humble nor arrogant demeanor. Jian Bingde and Mrs. Jian were also not bad in demeanor, but the limelight was completely stolen by a person next to them.
Si Li was stunned when she saw the Crown Prince. She didn't understand how the Jian family's business was related to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but she bowed her head out of habit and said, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
When Jiang Hengyun saw the girl standing outside, he paused and even had difficulty moving forward.
After not seeing each other for three days, the girl's eyes were a little dark. Perhaps it was because she had been up early and late these days. When he was at the residence, she was a little girl who was still sleepy even after the morning court. Thinking of the faint mist and blush in Si Li's eyes when she was sleepy, Jiang Hengyun curled his fingers, steadied his voice, and said lightly, "No need to be polite."
Si Li did not listen carefully to the farewell ceremony afterwards. Only when the prince passed by her, the faint scent of pine, cypress and ink disturbed her thoughts and made her unable to concentrate. Jiang Shizhi's words came to her mind again, and Si Li shook her head violently.
"Ali?"
Si Li looked in the direction of the voice and met Madam Jian's worried eyes. She smiled and said, "I didn't expect to run into His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I was shocked."
"The Crown Prince may appear cold on the outside but not on the inside, don't be scared." Jian Bingde patted his fat belly from the busy days, compared the height of his legs and laughed, "When the Empress sent me and a few others out to sea in the past, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was only this tall. Now he is a handsome man, but his marriage was... delayed." He spoke vaguely, and everyone knew he was talking about the emperor in the deep palace.
Si Li asked again and learned that the Jian family's shipping business also started with the support of the Queen. In the past, they were just wealthy merchants in Xingling Prefecture. After being summoned to go to sea, they established half of the Jian family's business. This time, the prince came to the glass kiln for the newly produced glass plates. After Jian Bingde made the flat glass according to Si Li's method, he knew that this thing was beneficial to the country and the people as his niece said, so it would be best to donate a batch to the national treasury and the academy first, and the family could not keep it all for themselves. It happened that his family also had connections, so he sent a visiting card to the academy to find the prince to come and see it.
"Ali." Jian Bingde touched Si Li's hair and looked at the girl whose eyes gradually opened up. It was as if he saw the sister who admired the queen in the past. "You have a big idea. This time, the things are not your idea, and the price is still not lowered. I am reluctant to give it away, but if the method is changed, there will be no problem. No matter what happens later, your uncle is a layman. Speaking of this mundane matter, I will give you 30% of the money for the glass plate."
After the price of glass went down, 30% was not too much. Si Li did not refuse and smiled, "Thank you, uncle." The original owner forgave the Jian family and had already left. Perhaps she could be closer to the Jian family.
"Yeah." Jian Bingde responded. After finishing his business, he remembered to ask, "Are you here to see Liuli today?"
"no."
Si Li took a step back and bowed respectfully, "Ali is about to come of age, and I would like to ask my uncle and aunt to be the hosts of Ali's coming of age ceremony."
"How can we do that?! What did Si Laogou do again? Tell your uncle and I'll beat him up!" Jian Bingde's eyes turned red when he heard that. He jumped up and was about to mount his horse and run back to the capital. Songnian and Madam Jian held him down. Madam Jian said angrily, "It would be embarrassing to let him do it. He has caused so many troubles before and now he is still holding it back. Who knows what kind of tricks he will come up with!"
Madam Jian turned around and smiled gently at Si Li, "Ah Li, you should have a plan in mind? Don't worry, your aunt will make it beautiful for you. You may not be as beautiful as a princess, but you will definitely make other girls envious."
After being stopped for a while, Jian Bingde's anger was released, and he echoed his wife's words, feeling guilty and distressed. Si Li saw Jian Qingya pull Songnian over and asked a few questions, "Does it hurt?", but just after taking a look, Songnian blocked her sight. Si Li remembered that Jian Qingya's betrothal was said to be a marriage, so this husband might be this one.
Mrs. Jian, who had promised Si Li an enviable coming-of-age ceremony, suddenly realized that she had no use for the book after seeing Si Li take out the booklet with a sense of relief. It would be impossible for her to follow the booklet and not make it beautiful and grand.
It turns out that my niece really just wanted them to be the hosts of her coming-of-age ceremony?
Jian Bingde and Songnian still have to look after the glass kiln. The Jian mother and daughter bring Si Li back to Beijing together. The shops under the name of the Jian family and the shops in which they have invested are all operated at the same time. The first thing to arrange is the venue and invitations.
Si Li did not plan to return to the Si Mansion, and the place where she lived was not suitable, so she decided to hold the ceremony at the Jian Family Mansion. There were certain rules for how to write the invitations, who to invite to the ceremony, and who to invite to the banquet. The ceremony required intimacy, and the banquet required honor. When Jian Qingya came of age, Mrs. Jian had a headache for a long time, but this time, she did not have to worry about Si Li's coming of age, as it was all solved by the booklet.
As the guest of honor, Princess Yue had to go in person once more to invite the guests. The sponsor's invitation could be mentioned together, but the invitation had already been given to Princess Jinhe.
Si Li and Xiao Qi sent invitations to the house, and the matter was settled. When Xiao Qi learned that Si Li wanted to invite the Princess of Yue as the guest of honor, she almost had a question mark in her mind. Before she asked, Si Li knew that she had the same doubt as before, and stopped her in advance, "I don't know either, let's invite her first."
"How can we talk about this again?!" Xiao Qi grabbed Si Li and stopped her from running away. "The marriage proposal hasn't been finalized yet? It's not a big deal. Jiang Lang is not going to admit it, is he?"
Si Li was also overwhelmed, somewhat helpless, and a little uneasy in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She comforted him, "He told me to wait for him to propose marriage, and he wouldn't lie."
"You're like this, you need someone to coax you away!"
Madam Jian also expressed the same sentiment. On the carriage with Si Li to the Prince of Yue's mansion, her doubts almost overflowed, "The princess is the guest of honor. Doesn't that mean your marriage will be postponed? At least it can't be settled before the age of 15. Ah Li, what is the plan between you and the prince?"
Si Li vaguely used the same excuse as before to evade the question, but she knew that she could not convince this aunt who was involved in the ups and downs of the business world.
After entering the gate of the Prince of Yue's Mansion, the invitation to be the guest of honor and the sponsor was discussed, and Mrs. Jian said something to liven up the atmosphere. With a smile on her face, she was not polite at all, "Because of the position of the shop chosen by A-li, the prince and the princess have a lot of social interactions. It is not uncommon for young people to act rashly. But Princess, you also know that A-li will have to consider marriage after she reaches the age of 15..."
The more unpleasant words were not said. Anyone could feel the anger of the girl's parents. Princess Yue smiled on her baby-like face, which looked similar to Jiang Lang. "It's our fault. However, we have already asked the Qintianjian to calculate the date recently. It will take a few days for the marriage to be discussed. We will definitely not miss the coming-of-age ceremony."
She will not miss the coming-of-age ceremony, but will be engaged before the coming-of-age ceremony. How can the Princess of Yue be the guest of honor? Before Madam Jian could even ask, the Princess of Yue smiled and said, "The little girl blushed when she heard about the marriage. Quezhi, take Miss Si to rest. I will talk to Madam Jian."
Si Li was led away. The Princess of Yue gave a bitter smile, took out the engagement letter from her arms, and pushed it in front of Madam Jian.
Mrs. Jian's face changed, "What do you mean?" Without going through the official media, directly exchanging the engagement letter, who are you looking down on? !
"Let's take a look first. This matter... well, it's not that I want to keep it a secret, but it's really complicated and I can't tell you in advance."
Hearing what the Princess of Yue said, Madam Jian suppressed her doubts and opened the engagement letter. She was stunned when she saw the row of names on the far right, "Jiang Hengyun..." Her hand trembled, and the engagement letter floated down on the table.
No matter how confused she was, she would never confuse the names of Prince Jiang Lang of Yue and Crown Prince Jiang Hengyun!
Could it be that the prince wanted to marry her, so his brother gave way? Who does she think Ah Li is?
"If you are proposing marriage for His Highness, please take back your decision." Madam Jian's face was ashen. "A-Li and the prince have been in a relationship for these days. Even if the prince is unwilling, there is no need to humiliate him like this."
She still remembered the shyness on Si Li's face when she said, "He said I should wait for him to propose." If she wasn't really moved, she wouldn't have done this.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. What if I said that the prince that Ali met was Hengyun?" The Princess of Yue had a gentle expression and clear eyes, not pretending.
Mrs. Jian suppressed her anger and said, "I'd like to hear the details."
"Before, there were always people eyeing the benefits of the Queen's reforms. The prince would always be in danger when leaving the palace, so he exchanged identities with Alang to facilitate his travels among the people. Later, as the child grew older, he attracted many men and women. His original appearance attracted attention, so he continued this method. Meeting A Li was an accident. With Alang's face, he got to know her. By the time Hengyun fell in love with her, it was too late. But he told me that there was no deception in his conversation with A Li. He was afraid that A Li would not be able to bear the sudden exposure, so he asked me to tell you and take it slowly."
"Okay, very good!" Madam Jian was almost laughing out of anger. The Princess of Yue would not lie to her about the Crown Prince's marriage, but such a ridiculous acquaintance and mask substitution could not even be written in a storybook!
"In the next few days, Hengyun will be the matchmaker for the clan office, and Hengyun will be the one to pay the betrothal gift. He is also looking for a chance to talk to A-li, but before that, I would like to ask you, as A-li's relative, to sound out the issue, otherwise if A-li gets angry, it will be a loss for both families."
The Yue Princess's persuasion was still slow and steady. Madam Jian's temples were throbbing. She pushed back the engagement letter and stood up to salute with all her might, "We'll talk about this later. Thank you, Princess, for being the guest of honor of Ah Li. Our Jian family is a merchant family. We are grateful for your kindness."
"No need to be so derogatory..." Princess Yue saw Madam Jian out of the door, and rubbed her forehead with a headache until the shadow disappeared. "If it's not good, it will make an enemy. Heng Yun is really a big problem for me right away."
The carriage rocked towards the Jian family. Mrs. Jian looked unhappy. Perhaps the Princess of Yue said something about the marriage? Si Li nodded twice for Mrs. Jian and was coaxed to do her own thing. She took out the manuscript she had written in the past few days besides writing posts, and carefully recalled whether there were any omissions in the way to eat potatoes and other foods. As the first textbook of dietetics, it should be perfect.
But as she thought about it, her mind drifted away. Si Li couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Shizhi had changed his mind?
"Ali, if you don't marry the Prince of Yue, your aunt will choose another good man for you. Are you willing?" Mrs. Jian's tired voice rang out.
Si Li's heart skipped a beat. In Daning, marriages were based on equal status, and among the people she could choose from, the only one she was familiar with was Jiang Shizhi. She had struggled a lot before deciding whether to marry him, so what if she married someone else?
It would be better to part ways amicably and retire to some other place.
The girl's mind was shallow, and her thoughts were almost written on her face. Madam Jian saw through it with just one glance. She pressed her brows, trying her best not to show her anger, "What do you think of the Crown Prince?"
"Huh?" Si Li laughed a little, "What does that god-like figure have to do with me?" She paused suddenly. There was no need for her aunt to talk about these things suddenly. The smell similar to Jiang Shizhi's when she met the prince before, and the incongruity when she met Jiang Lang in the Prince of Yue's Mansion suddenly came to her mind again.
If Jiang Shizhi meant what he said literally, and Jiang Lang is not Jiang Shizhi, then who is Jiang Shizhi?
"I'm just asking casually." Madam Jian also smiled, "However, how long have you known the prince? Why do you want to marry him? What if he cheats on you? What if he treats you badly?"
The concern from the elders warmed Si Li's heart. She put aside her previous absurd speculation and curled her lips, "If he cheated on me and treated me badly, I will divorce him."
"Just childish talk." Mrs. Jane looked at her with tender eyes.
Si Li put away the manuscript in his hand and said seriously, "I just want to find a place to live a good life. What happens to others has nothing to do with me. Jiang Shizhi, whom I met, gets along well with me. He likes me and I like him, so let's be together. If we no longer like each other and can't get along, why should we stay together? My aunt is worried that he is cheating on me, but what can he cheat me of? At worst, I can report him to the clan office, and there will always be someone to take care of him."
The words were completely childish, frank and passionate, but Mrs. Jian was a little convinced. She made up her mind and prepared to send a message to the Prince of Yue to arrange a meeting for the two children. Everything should be discussed before the marriage.