Chapter 75: Release (Catching Bugs)

Seeing that she didn't move, Jiang Hengyun opened the cloth bag. The linen cloth unfolded under the moonlight, revealing a dark gold kitchen knife with a wide blade and a thick back. The blade was as thin as paper, and a thin line of light shone out. Si Li knew at a glance that this was a good knife.

Jiang Hengyun said calmly, "Your knife skills are OK, but you don't seem to have a suitable kitchen knife. I happen to have one that is lying around unused."

But...why give her a knife?

In her previous life, Si Li had heard of some customs, including the one that it was inappropriate to give a sword to someone, as it meant giving someone a handle and entrusting their life to someone else. I think the feudal society of Daning was more particular about such taboos. Her relationship with the Prince of Yue didn't seem to have reached this stage yet, so why would he suddenly give her a sword?

Si Li subconsciously wanted to refuse, but when the words came to her lips, she saw Jiang Lang's natural expression and wondered if she was overthinking it. Maybe Daning didn't have this habit?

Seeing her stunned, Jiang Hengyun frowned slightly. This was an obvious rejection. He shouldn't have said anything, but he somehow explained, "I thought we were friends after all these years. This knife was used by my aunt. A kitchen knife should be used in the kitchen. If you don't take it, it will just be useless in my hands."

We are friends.

I really didn't expect to hear such words from the mouth of the Prince of Yue. Si Li's heart skipped a beat and she couldn't describe the feeling.

"My cooking skills...are far inferior to those of the Empress." Si Li pursed her lips. The legendary figure's utensils were right in front of her, and it was such a good knife. It would be a lie to say that she was not eager or surprised. But when she thought of her own cooking skills, Si Li felt that she was not worthy of being able to show off her skills.

Jiang Hengyun wrapped the cloth, and the kitchen knife, shining in the moonlight, disappeared from Si Li's sight. She subconsciously leaned forward to look, and a sigh of regret for the missed opportunity escaped her lips. Before she could even care about the loss, she felt her heart sink.

"Jiang Lang" stood very close to her, his eyes were deep, and seemed to be smiling, but also seemed to be a little scrutinizing, "There is no need to refuse the things that this prince sends. Miss Si seems to be longing for her, aunt?"

Is she so obvious? Si Li was no longer shy, wrapped the sackcloth, carefully held it in her arms, and smiled shyly, "The Queen is amazingly talented and brilliant, and as a junior, I naturally admire her." Thinking of the relationship between the Queen and him, Si Li asked curiously, "Actually, there is something I have always wanted to ask, but I felt it was a bit abrupt and didn't say it. Since the prince has recognized me as a friend, I wonder if you can help me solve my doubts?"

"Release it." Jiang Hengyun stepped back a little and stood with his hands behind his back. If Si Li knew the royal children of the current dynasty as well as Si Tang did, he would know that there was no one who could pronounce the word "Release it", let alone a prince who could pronounce the word "Release it".

Si Li was a little confused, but when she thought of what her friend had said before, she understood what he was going to do. However, she had no achievements, and it was not appropriate to exchange names according to Daning's custom. She also had an identity to hide, so she thought for a while and said, "Call me Yingzhou." Lihua's nickname was Yingzhou Yuyu, which she learned from her grandfather in her previous life when she pestered him about the origin of the name.

"Yingzhou." Jiang Hengyun repeated it, "What a good name." Yingzhou, one of the mysterious mountains in the sea, a place that countless people could not find or reach for, and that was unknown to them. The smile on his lips was frivolous, and his sense of scrutiny became stronger.

When he pronounced the name, it was as if he was chewing the two words on the tip of his tongue over and over again. The sound was gentle, like the gurgling of water.

It was clearly just a nickname that was just thought of, but being called like that, Si Li still felt the tips of her ears burning. She quickly changed the subject back to the previous point, "Since the prince and Shi Zhi said so, I'm just asking casually, don't take it to heart. Although the Empress has passed away, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still here. How come I saw that Qiyun Tower and the Empress's belongings were all handled by the prince? If it's inconvenient to say, forget it." Seeing that "Jiang Lang" raised his eyebrows slightly, as if looking at her, Si Li quickly made a patch to save herself from being punished by this big Buddha.

No one has called the name Shizhi since her mother passed away. When Jiang Hengyun heard her calling Shizhi, his eyes became dazed and he turned his head away.

"It's still early. Yingzhou is curious, why don't you come with me to Qiyun Tower for a look?" Jiang Hengyun withdrew his gaze from Si Li and walked towards the small door without waiting for her answer.

"Hey, wait!" Si Li ran back, put down the kitchen knife, picked up the corner of her robe, and followed Jiang Lang's footsteps.

The courtyard on the side of Qiyun Building was much larger than the usual residence. It had stables, stables, and even a millstone that was covered by a shed in the distance. With just a quick glance, Si Li recognized the kiln and wine cellar entrance surrounding the kitchen on the first floor. There seemed to be another cellar entrance further away, and it was unclear whether it was an ice cellar or a storage.

This is the grand scene that the best restaurant in Beijing should have!

Thinking of the former grandeur of Qiyun Tower that was rumored in the capital, Si Li could almost imagine the orderly appearance of people coming and going in the backyard. Initially, the Prince of Yue wanted to hire her to work as a deputy chef in Qiyun Tower, but she didn't expect that after so many twists and turns, she would see the backyard of Qiyun Tower.

"Why don't you leave?"

A voice that was somewhat different from Jiang Lang's usual timbre echoed in front of her. Si Li once again found the similarities between him and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but one was like a spring stream, and the other was like a cold spring in late autumn, but they were two different temperaments. Seeing Jiang Lang stop in front of the kitchen door and wait for her, Si Li widened her eyes and said in surprise, "Can I, can I come in?"

It's no wonder she was surprised. The kitchen of a restaurant is a confidential place. Although Qiyunlou has been closed for many years, she is also an outsider. Why did the invitation include this place?

"Here is the real Qiyun Tower." Jiang Hengyun's expression was calm. He was the owner of this place and naturally understood what Si Li was cautious about.

"Then, thank you very much, Shizhi." Si Li bowed and followed him into the back kitchen of Qiyun Tower.

The kitchen was in perfect order, with stoves, pots and bowls all in good condition. The only thing that was out of order was an old chopping board, leaning against a bamboo frame, as if the owner had taken it out and forgotten to put it back. There were spices in each porcelain cup in front of the stove, the amount varied, as if they had just been used not long ago. Si Li unknowingly walked past "Jiang Lang" to the chopping board.

Qiyunlou doesn't look like a restaurant that has been closed for a long time. From the neatly swept backyard to the spotless kitchen, everything looks as if it is just a temporary break after the day's business and the owner may come back at any time.

She had seen this chopping board before, in the system's teaching videos. Si Li subconsciously clicked on the only recipe demonstration video that had an emotional tone in its introduction. The chopping board in the hands of the woman in blue was exactly the one she had seen. The knife in her hand looked very familiar, and it was in her arms just now.

The crisp and heart-stirring voice of the woman in the demonstration video of mashed potatoes echoed again in the Qiyun Tower across time and space.

The previous vague guess came true at this time. The last person who owned the system was the queen. Thinking of the description of Mashed Potatoes as "one of the most delicious foods in ██'s childhood memories", Si Li didn't know for a moment whether this referred to the queen's childhood memories before she traveled through time, or the prince's childhood memories she left behind.

The queen died in the deep palace of Daning at the prime of her life. Can she really survive with the Kitchen God System?

Si Li fell into confusion, and a huge feeling of powerlessness enveloped her. Her hometown in her previous life was too far away from her, and it seemed extremely difficult to live a good life in this life. Even the queen who had done so many things was dead, what else could she do? She was even just an ordinary coder. In addition to having a picky mouth, she couldn't even cook a good meal at first.

"give."

A handkerchief appeared in front of Si Li's eyes. The white cloth had no other patterns on it, and it carried a faint scent of pine, cypress and ink. She came back to her senses slowly, and tears were streaming down her face without her noticing.

"Thank you." Si Li lowered her head somewhat wolfishly, closed the system panel, and tidied herself up before looking up and smiling apologetically, "I soiled your handkerchief. I'll wash it tonight and return it to you tomorrow."

"Are you crying for the Queen?" Jiang Hengyun asked softly.

"Yes and no." Si Li said sincerely, partly because of the untimely death of the empress who was half his master, and partly because of his own uncertain future.

"In the past, my aunt would make mashed potatoes for us, just like the ones you make." Jiang Hengyun found a place to sit down and motioned for her to sit next to him.

This beginning sounded like a long story of reminiscing about the past. Si Li had just realized the unfortunate ending of his ancestors and wanted to know about the past, so he obediently followed and sat down, smiling dryly to cover up, "Maybe I'm lucky and happened to inherit the inheritance of the Empress."

That place was right next to the stove, leaving a long depression. I don't know what it was originally used for. There was still an arm's length of space between the two people sitting down. Si Li sat down and looked up, just in time to see a round of moonlight coming through the high beams of the back kitchen, gentle and bright. She almost thought that the house had a hole due to disrepair, but after a closer look, she found that there was a circle of glass installed near the top.

Judging from this level of transparency, Daning's technology cannot achieve it, and it must have been shipped back from the sea. Such a large circle must have cost several thousand taels. Si Li was shocked for a moment, and then looked back at the seat where he and "Jiang Lang" were sitting, and realized that this was clearly the seat where the queen had viewed the view before.

People today cannot see the moon of the past, but this moon once shone on the ancients. I wonder if the empress, when she was sitting in the Qiyun Tower and looking at this moon, would miss her hometown with the same bright moon?

Jiang Hengyun did not comment on her obvious nonsense and continued, "As you said, she is a brilliant person. But... she is so brilliant and extraordinary that many people cannot accept her, whether it is her companions, her bedmates or herself."

These words sounded heavy, and Si Li felt cold in her heart. The history she had learned told her that most radicals did not have a good ending. Could it be that the Queen's ending was related to her making too many reforms? But in Si Li's eyes, every one of them was good for the country and the people. How could it come to a point that even she could not accept?

"So sweet potatoes and potatoes ended up being called pig food?" Si Li made a joke with a wry smile. They were a high-yield crop that could save lives, but they had been carrying a bad reputation for nearly a decade, which made the queen, who had worked so hard to expand shipping to find them, feel very uncomfortable.

Jiang Hengyun pulled the corner of his lips sarcastically, "The reputation is too great." He didn't say the next sentence, Si Li continued in his heart, "The achievements are so great that they frighten the emperor." The empress's glory is too great, but people don't know much about what the current Emperor Jingwen has done. The most they say about him is "kind and doesn't like to go to court." In this way, it can be explained why the Prince of Yue couldn't accept what his bedmate said.

The emperor might be able to accept the empress breaking the thousand-year-old restrictions on men and women, or he might be able to accept the empress promoting trade routes and supporting merchants, but the credit must never be left to the empress.

But now that the queen has passed away, her reputation is still far-reaching. Who could have protected her? What roles did the crown prince and the eldest son play in it?

"So what if it's pig food? Every household has it. We can still eat it in a disaster year." Jiang Hengyun laughed in a low voice. "She only thinks about others and forgets about herself. In the end, all her changes are in vain."

"No." Si Li didn't expect that this prince who seemed to be a supporter of the queen would be so pessimistic. "It has changed a lot. If it was the previous dynasty, it was difficult for women to study, let alone take the imperial examination? There are also merchants, maritime bans... There are too many things." She couldn't help but sigh like an admirer, "This Daning is full of traces of the queen. I really hope I was born a few years earlier so that I can see her."

Si Li suddenly realized that she had said something wrong. According to the original owner's age, she originally had the opportunity to meet the empress, but she always missed the palace banquets for various reasons. At most, she only went to a banquet to meet Jiang Lang and his sister. Others had no chance to see them.

Jiang Hengyun's expression was somewhat unpredictable, "If you were born a few years earlier... you wouldn't have been able to see her." Not only was it that if she was born a few years earlier, the empress would not have passed away and she would not have had the chance to come, but it was also that if she was born a few years earlier, she would not be herself, and it would be useless to see her. He stared at Si Li, as if he wanted to see the lazy and carefree core from under this pretty and bright shell.

Si Li didn't realize the double meaning of his words, shrugged, avoided Yu Ruili's gaze, looked at the moonlight and smiled, "Even if you saw me at that time, you wouldn't remember it, just like the prince, um, Shi Zhi also forgot that we met when we were children. At that time, Princess Jinhe wanted you to be her husband."

Thinking of the scene in the original owner's memory, Si Li wanted to laugh. Who would have thought that the calm person now would have such a wolfish look? However, the habit of doting on his sister remained the same as before.

Jiang Hengyun was startled by her description of the past, and quickly remembered that Jiang Fei was chasing Jiang Lang everywhere, and he was holding Ru Fei's hand and taking care of the children, but he didn't know that there was another person behind the rockery. But that person was not the current Si Li, and he only recalled it for a moment and then forgot about it.

"Have you decided to accept the invitation from Qun Ying Academy?" Jiang Hengyun asked.

Si Li nodded, "Of course, but I think we should bring the Imperial College students with us. Well, I'm just a chef, my words don't carry much weight, I just said it casually, after all, you see, we are all students, we are all in the National Academy, we should be treated equally."

Jiang Hengyun was silent for a while, then said, "You and your aunt are very similar. You both have some special ideas."

Si Li's heart skipped a beat and she waved her hands repeatedly, "I'm not as good as the Empress Dowager. I don't have such lofty ambitions to care about the country and the people. When I make enough money, I'll find a beautiful place to retire and see my friends from time to time, and I'll be satisfied." She said this partly because she was afraid that the prince would see something, and part of it was her true feelings. She was afraid that she would have no chance to go back in modern times, and she had no interest in the Si Mansion. She might as well finish her mission early and run away to become a rich man.

She herself didn't know that when she talked about retirement, her eyes sparkled and her whole person seemed to be lit up. Jiang Hengyun curled his fingers unconsciously. He suddenly understood the feeling of the man in the palace who was embarrassed but unwilling to let go when he saw his mother, and his heart itched.

It would be nice to live in seclusion in the mountains with her. With such a bright and lively person by my side, it would be hard to get bored even if we were together day after day.

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This month's poem is quoted from Li Bai.

Caught some bugs, will update in the afternoon