Chapter 623: The Deposed Princess Strikes Back at the Female General 70
Ji Yunhuan asked in confusion, "We are so familiar with each other, and you have almost worn out the door of the Duke's Mansion, but you have never invited me to your house, and Xue Qing and others have never been to your house either. Where do you live, General Yi?"
Yuwen Yi paused while holding the teacup. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Yuelai Inn."
Ji Yunhuan spat out a mouthful of tea and coughed loudly, "No, if you want to stay, you should stay at Hongfu Inn on Hongfu Street. It's close to Zuixianglou and the palace, and it's convenient for entertaining guests. Yuelai Inn is so far away. Why did you stay there instead of staying at the Eighth Prince's Mansion?"
Yuwen Yi felt a little embarrassed. It was indeed difficult for him to say these words, but he couldn't lie to Ji Yunhuan either.
"Actually, I don't have a residence in the capital. Hongfu Inn is too expensive, and Yuelai Inn is a little cheaper."
"When I was first conferred the title of Prince, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said they would build a Prince Yi Palace for me. They worked on it for two years but it was still not finished. Later, I was no longer Prince Yi, so naturally I could no longer live in the palace."
"I was away from the capital for a long time, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs didn't pay much attention to it. They said they would demolish the buildings that didn't meet the regulations and turn it into the Eighth Prince's Mansion before giving it to me, but it was never done. Later, I was conferred the rank of the second-rank Zhenjun General, and logically I should have a general's mansion, but the emperor didn't reward me, and no one mentioned the matter, so naturally it was left unresolved."
Ji Yunhuan wanted to ask, "Is there no one who gave the general a house?" Even though military generals were not as popular as civil officials in the capital, being a second-rank official would still be the object of flattery by many officials.
But on second thought, with Prince Rui around, no one would dare to give gifts to General Yi. And even if someone did, they would definitely have something to ask for. Given Yuwen Yi's personality, he probably wouldn't accept it.
Yuwen Yi continued to explain: "Whenever there was a reward, I took it to the palace and gave it to my mother. My mother had a hard time in the palace. She had no money to support herself. In winter, she didn't even have charcoal to burn."
"My mother bought me a manor outside the capital. She knows that I like riding horses and archery. The location of the manor is quite remote, but it is large enough. If I stay in the capital for a longer time, I will live there and entertain my friends in the army."
Ji Yunhuan had never seen such a poor prince. He was so poor that he didn't even have a house in the capital.
Although the fourth and fifth princes were disliked by the emperor, they had the support of their maternal family, and they had everything they needed, and lived a rich and prosperous life.
Not to mention Prince Rui, even the stewards of Prince Rui's mansion lived a more comfortable life than Yuwen Yi. They all had big houses in the capital, beautiful wives and concubines, and lived better than ordinary officials.
Ji Yunhuan sighed, "You've suffered so much over the years. Don't worry, it won't happen again in the future. I will get back what belongs to you little by little."
Yuwen Yi didn't feel it was that hard. "I have been fighting in the west and the north over the years, and I have seen a lot of suffering among the people. Many farmers can't feed their children, so they would rather lie about their age and send their children to the army."
"But being a soldier is not such a good job. You can lose your life if you are not careful. Even so, for ordinary people, being able to join the army is already a very good way out. You can have enough food to eat, get salary, and get promoted if you make merit. All I can do is to make sure these deserved rewards are fulfilled, but it is difficult to do just that."
"People's livelihood is very difficult. Compared with that, I am not suffering that much. Now I have met you and have made such great achievements in the war. Even the emperor cannot erase my achievements. Compared with the past, it is much better."
Ji Yunhuan was deeply touched. If she were in Yuwen Yi's shoes, she felt that she did not have as broad a mind as Yuwen Yi.
"The general is a kind person. It is precisely because people's lives are difficult that the court needs people like the general."
"You can't always live in the inn, it's too inappropriate, and you can't live outside the capital. How can you fight for power when you are not in the capital? You should live in Yunlan Courtyard for the time being. It has a good location and is close to the palace. It will also be convenient for you to come and talk to me in private."
Yueying whispered, "Miss, that was the coming-of-age gift given to you by your wife, how could you..."
Ji Yunhuan waved his hand indifferently, "That place is the most suitable. A big place will have a good reputation. Face-saving is still very important. You arrange for someone to clean it up, and then send the Queen Mother's reward over there."
Yueying didn't say anything more and went to do it immediately.
It was natural for Yuwen Yi to stay for lunch.
Butler Zhuo has become accustomed to the frequent appearances of the Eighth Prince. The Eighth Prince has blocked a knife for the young lady and is also a good student praised by the Duke. Naturally, he is a distinguished guest in the Duke's Mansion.
A full table was prepared for lunch, mainly meat, with some nourishing medicinal foods.
Yueying stared at the young lady drinking the tonic soup. Ji Yunhuan could only eat light vegetarian food before, but now she likes strong-flavored dishes more and more. The tasteless tonic soup made her frown.
Yuwen Yi put down the chopsticks that were reaching for the braised pork and asked in confusion, "Is it so unpalatable? How about I accompany you?"
Ji Yunhuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly gave most of the soup in the bowl to Yuwen Yi, "You have also been injured secretly, and there are eighteen kinds of medicinal herbs in it, which can strengthen your body, replenish qi and blood, and will be of great benefit to your body. Drink it while it's hot."
Yuwen Yi finished the drink in just a few gulps. He was not picky about food, but every time he came to the Duke's Mansion, the lunch was always particularly to his taste.
Yueying grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Miss, you are cheating! I will stay up a little longer tomorrow to prevent you from dividing it again."
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two men set up a game of chess in the yard and had a fierce battle.
Butler Zhuo rushed in, "Miss, Prince Rui is here again! He broke directly into the Duke's Mansion, and the servants are stopping him from entering the second gate."
"He has come several times since the young lady returned to Beijing. Before, he just stood at the door, clamoring to see the young lady, but the young lady ignored him and stopped him outside. Every time, he would leave after less than an incense stick of time. He showed no sincerity at all."
"Even with this hypocritical look, there are still people in the capital who praise the King Rui for his deep affection and write many sour poems that are widely circulated. There are also people who scold the young lady for being ungrateful. I think those scholars have lost their brains. They are clearly divorced and have nothing to do with each other, but they make it seem as if the young lady is wrong not to see him..."
Before the butler could finish his words, the sound of fighting was heard outside the courtyard. Prince Rui actually broke into the inner courtyard with his guards.
Wu Jie took action without Ji Yunhuan's order. King Rui's guards were no match for him and soon fell silent.
Across the courtyard wall, Prince Rui shouted, "Yun Huan! Come out! Why don't you want to see me? I know you still have me in your heart. The whole capital is talking about you, but I know you are not an ungrateful person, so I came to find you in person. I don't want you to be criticized."
"How dare you! Wu Jie, if you dare to touch me, you will bring trouble to the entire Duke's Mansion. Get out of here! I will not leave until I see Yun Huan today, and I will never leave even if I die!"
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