Chapter 43: Changan Xiezhi said to you: "Don't worry, it's ugly...
Jiang Rong held her hand, watching her unable to break free and thus confined to him, her hair swaying in the wind, the faint fragrance of tending to flowers and plants wafting through the air. He could also see that when she was emotional, her cheeks would turn red, and there would be a slight gleam of water in her eyes.
She is afraid of pain.
When I was a child, I would scream when sparks landed on the back of my hand while burning on the earthen stove. But because I was greedy, I would just wipe away my tears and continue burning.
Both delicate and hard-working.
When she grew up and got married, she no longer had to pretend, and she behaved calmly and gracefully like a mature woman, knowing when to act and when to move. Even across the bustling streets, he could tell at a glance that she was enjoying a happy love relationship between a man and a woman.
Only sudden events could allow her to reveal her true nature, but she would quickly suppress it.
She is afraid of herself.
But she had been holding it in, but when she felt the two bodies rubbing against each other, her body stiffened and she didn't move, but she was frightened, so she leaned back on the table with her arms, and touched the flour that had not been cleaned on the table behind her. It had just been washed, but there were still traces of moisture, and it was easily stained by the white flour.
Clinging tightly to her delicate skin.
It seems like it can't be washed clean.
When she noticed this, she instinctively turned around to look at him. That look was filled with fear, timidity and determination.
If he took another step forward, she would not be able to refuse and would still have to endure it.
The fingers, which had become dirty again, were bent tightly, pink and white intertwined.
The gauze dress was close to her body, and her breath was close to his. His armor was the toughest barrier, but also his cold edge. His condescending authority always loomed over her head.
"I heard that before you chose Yan Que, the Yang family of Donghuai was furious and went to question you. He refused to believe that his family background and talent and character were inferior to Yan Que, who was just a doctor. He didn't understand why you chose Yan Que."
"How did you get back?"
Xu Junrong didn't know how this man, a prince and so high up in the world, knew about these romantic affairs. It happened so many years ago. Who would still talk about those days at her age?
She herself can't remember it clearly.
"Your Highness, I am already a middle-aged woman. If I were to mention things from my youth, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
Middle-aged woman?
Jiang Rong: "You have no self-awareness."
Xu Junrong's face darkened. He turned away, but his chin was pinched. He turned around and had to meet the man's face and gaze. "You..."
She was furious, but she couldn't hold it in, not daring to confront the man's fierce and unclear gaze.
Lowering her eyes, she answered in a low voice, obediently, so as not to distract him from other matters in this atmosphere. "Thinking about it carefully, it's probably to tell Yang Que: With great power comes conflict. I'm a worthless person. I love fine clothes, but I'm also afraid of trouble, and I don't like to fight with others. I'm a lazy waste, and I'm really unworthy of the responsibility of being the mistress of an aristocratic family. The Yang family is a good family, but I'm not worthy of it."
The Yang family is also a powerful family in the Jianghuai area. Although it is not as strong as the foundation for the rise of the Jiang family dynasty, it has been passed down for three hundred years and has been passed down through poetry and books. It is very famous and is a different kind of family.
But no matter how good the reputation is, due to the large number of descendants, the struggle for succession is also fierce. The four direct sons of the Yang family alone are enough to cause ten big dramas, not to mention the struggles among the side branches.
Her answer probably convinced Yang Jiazi at that time.
Jiang Rong suddenly laughed, his laughter deep, "Yang Que, you remember the name so clearly, I remembered it right away."
Xu Junrong smelled danger and noticed his sudden anger. Just as she was about to break free, a hand easily grabbed her waist.
“Ah~”
Before she could react, he lifted her waist and lightly carried her onto the stage.
The height suddenly changed, and it was her turn to be on top of this person.
She put her hands on his shoulders in panic.
He pressed forward.
The skirt seems to be lifted up...
Her eyes were red.
He saw it, and suddenly, his hands loosened a little.
Jiang Rong let her go, but stretched out his arms, supporting her thighs on both sides, and also holding up her drooping legs and skirt.
He helped her adjust the hem of her skirt.
Unbridled insolence under the strict protection of etiquette.
Only then did Xu Junrong suppress his fear and sit on the edge of the platform, but he could not escape the awkward position of being strung up.
She seemed to be superior to him, but in reality... she had never been so physically intimate with a man before.
Yan Que is also a gentleman, how could he be so reckless?
She gritted her teeth, hating that this man was a prince who was above everyone else and second only to one person.
These bastard rich and powerful people.
She stroked the skin on her wrist, which felt tight and numb after being restrained by the big hand, turned her eyes away, ignored him, and did not mention what had just happened.
But I can't go down.
This time, Jiang Rong looked up at her. He clearly saw all her embarrassment and timidity, but he said, "You and I have known each other since we were young. In fact, we have known each other longer than Yan Que. There is no need to pretend to be dignified and distant in everything."
"Unless your memory is particularly bad only with me."
He was a little angry.
Xu Junrong's expression changed, and his eyes looked strange, from confusion to anger, but he still argued in a soft and pitiful voice.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I cannot agree with what you said. Yan Que and I met, fell in love, and got married when we were young. Before that, I didn't know many other men. If they pursued me or sent matchmakers to my house, that was their own business. It doesn't mean that I would have an affair with every one of them. Why do you have to humiliate me like this?"
"Even if I really am that kind of woman, and it's against morals, I still have no honor to meet a descendant of the royal family like you."
"I admit that we are in this situation. I rely on your protection to keep my daughter and I safe, and I am grateful. But this will damage our reputation, so please don't talk nonsense."
"You never thought that Yan Que would see you like this..."
The impeachment by the governor has not yet passed, what nonsense is he talking about?
Jiang Rong stared at her, unable to contain her anger and arguing hastily despite the difference in status. He had been listening carefully, trying to figure out that what she said was true, as it seemed that she really had no impression of him at all.
He was just helpless, but when he heard what happened next, he heard her bring up the story again.
More than ten years.
How many times?
He came forward suddenly.
Xu Junrong fell silent, leaning back, but her lips were still close to the other person's.
The armored xiezhi head still stuck to her body.
Jiang Rong said nothing and just endured it.
When they were young, his Jiang family was still a local powerful family and the lord of a frontier. Like other kings in the era of competition, they threatened the already declining Zhongjue.
The Xu family's hometown is next to the Jiang family's hometown.
Rising across the river.
It's just that their family backgrounds are different.
It was so bad that even when the Jiang family took control of the Central Plains and proclaimed themselves emperors, people later paid little attention to the fact that the small Xu family mansion was next to their hometown.
This cannot be blamed on the stupidity of those in the court, because even Xu Junrong herself did not know that she had met Jiang Rong. She knew that the huge garden across the river came from the Jiang family's assets, but the Jiang family was a huge family with extensive development and businesses in various places. However, this most original old house had not been returned by its owner for many years.
She thought there were no Jiang family members there.
Jiang Rong calmed his breath, stuffed the letter back into the box in front of her, and closed the box.
Xu Junrong was stunned and looked at him.
Jiang Rong ate a small cake. There were only a few left on the table, and each one was only enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
So he took one after another.
Finished eating.
Talk after eating.
"He used to show off to me that the cakes you made were of a master's style, comparable to the chef at Piaoxianglou, and you were known for your unique skills."
"I didn't tell him that I had already seen the pastries you worked so hard to make all night long."
“It’s ugly, but it’s delicious.”
"Instead of constantly trying to explain Yan Que's guilt over our brotherhood and using it to threaten me to stop messing around, it's better to start with yourself."
"At least I have no regrets about the former. I never overstepped my bounds. Otherwise, do you think you could have married and had a daughter?"
"It's only the latter that I regret."
After saying that, he stretched out his arms, easily wrapped them around her waist, and got her down from the stage.
Soft and fragrant in my arms, weak and boneless.
The general didn't say anything, but after landing, he tightened his arms around her waist again. She noticed it and leaned against his chest, saying nothing.
They are no longer young, have all had spouses, have experienced the loneliness of losing their partners, and have only one son or daughter.
Maybe after a few years, we will all know our destiny.
This was the only thing they agreed on despite their class differences.
Some things, even without saying them, are known to both parties.
He let go, sighed, picked up the lunch box, and when he was about to go out, he seemed to think of something and looked back at her.
"Recently, many people have died in Chang'an, mostly officials, but among them was a scholar from Xie Wengong Academy."
Xu Junrong was stunned and replied, "Your Highness, a scholar of this age, his father or grandfather might have proposed marriage to me. What's his surname? Let me think about it."
She can be infuriating.
Jiang Rong said indifferently, "No, I'm just saying this. After all, you and Yan Que's daughter is extremely smart, more capable than my son. I wonder if she can handle this case."
He left.
Xu Junrong stood there, and it took a long time before he vaguely remembered that when he was young, he and Xu Junyan played around too much, and the elders in the family could not control them. At that time, the previous dynasty was corrupt, and the emperor's family was in chaos. There were also signs of war. The elders wanted to disperse the bloodline and preserve it, so they sent them to their hometown to escape the summer heat and study and cultivate their virtues. The old house had not been taken care of for a long time. As soon as they arrived at night, the two of them became greedy and missed the delicious food in the city. They insisted on cooking and making cakes by themselves in the evening.
result.....
It is indeed out.
The two of them were full after eating a few, and left some for breakfast. But when they went there in the morning, they found that several cakes were missing from the steamer.
There are traces of water on the ground.
At that time, Xu Junyan was still shouting: "God damn it, someone is stealing coal like this? Look at the water stains, could it be a ghost who died of starvation in the water?"
She punched me several times.
Now that I think about it, it’s really ugly and not tasty.
It tastes worse than it does now.
After thirty long years, who could remember this unidentified thief?
But now think about it, it seems that Prince Yan's military achievements were based on naval battles.
Their hometown is indeed a place with beautiful mountains and rivers, where people can practice water skills and even produce dragons.
When a dragon emerges from the river, flies up to the sky and into the earth, it becomes a real dragon.
But there are too many dragons in the Jiang family, and the chaos of multiple dragons in one family is two extremes from the previous dynasty.
But the recent incident is related to Xie Wengong Academy?
The best academy in the world.
The prime ministers, empresses, imperial concubines, princes, nobles, etc. who have been able to enter the Taimiao for generations.
The scholars are not important, this academy is important.
Xu Junrong has never liked to use his brain since he was a child. At this moment, he suddenly felt a headache and thought of Yan Siqing again.
"What are you going to deal with?"
"My daughter isn't a laborer for the Jiang Dynasty. Why are you hiring someone like that? Why is this case dragging on for so long..."
When no one was around, she cursed under her breath and clattered pots and pans to vent her anger.
But I don’t know what’s outside the door.
Jiang Rong didn't leave. He listened to a few words through the door, and the corners of his lips curled up silently.
Outside the courtyard, Jiang Rong mounted his horse, gave his subordinates food boxes, and went to the patrol camp himself.
One column went out of Chang'an City, while the main team went to the garrison in Beishan.
"Your Highness, the situation at court is changing. Both the court and the people are stirring up controversy over the Red Flame Ghost Fire Serial Case, claiming it's the ghosts of the 3,000 soldiers from Snowman Hill that are causing trouble. You've accepted the military's order to conduct a thorough investigation to reassure the people, but this may only arouse His Majesty's suspicions."
The old military advisor was worried, and his eyes swept across the small courtyard in the big courtyard.
The compound is huge, with strict guards and countless brave soldiers and warriors.
The courtyard is elegant, quiet and peaceful.
He vaguely knew who lived there. After so many years, who couldn't tell whether the person inside was important or not?
The censor impeached him, the Dali Temple intervened, but the prince himself refused to release him and would not allow him to enter within three miles of the courtyard.
These confidants never dared to ask about it, but they all felt that something was wrong and believed that this matter and this person would become a disaster sooner or later.
But today they were surprised because this was the first time Jiang Rong brought them here.
It seems to be announcing something.
Jiang Rong did not comment, but just quietly looked at the blue bricks and white tiles behind the wall on his horse, pulled the reins, and said lightly.
"If I don't accept it, His Majesty will think that I would rather sacrifice military affairs and national security for the sake of self-preservation. This is a serious crime."
The bias of the monarch's heart never lies in how innocent or pure the people below are, but in whether the people are beneficial or harmful to the monarch.
He turned and walked away without explaining why he had brought them there.
But after a while, the military advisor understood.
The prince wanted them to see how he entered the hospital - admitted to the hospital and personally discharged the soldiers.
Those are the rules that apply only in the imperial palace and the prince's mansion.
The former is to respect the emperor's majesty.
The latter is because of going home.
————————
Yan Siqing knew that her charming and seductive mother's cooking was not very tasty, but she had strong theoretical knowledge and was full of interest in experience. She always insisted on making food for her and her father herself.
Naturally, as a child, she despised it and had a hard time swallowing it, but her father was the only one who flattered her and praised her all the time.
But they always ate up all the cakes made by dear Mrs. Xu.
Eat every one of them cleanly.
I didn't know that I wouldn't be able to eat it for more than ten years.
If I knew, I would definitely be sweeter.
Yan Siqing lowered her head, but did not cry. She just stared at it for a long time before taking it and eating it.
Eat and swallow at the same time.
Xiaoyun and Xiaoshan both noticed it and hesitated whether to get off the car to give the other person some private space.
As a result, Yan Siqing took the pastries and shared them with them.
Xiaoyun was moved, "Mrs. Yan, how dare you..."
Yan Siqing: "My mother did it."
Xiaoyun was even more terrified, "I don't dare to do this anymore..."
Yan Siqing: "Don't worry, it's not delicious, even though it's ugly."
Xiaoyun Xiaoshan: “???”
In the end, we still ate it because the road to Chang'an was still humid and warm, and this kind of pastry would easily go bad, which would be a waste.
In addition, Yan Siqing has always been kind to those around her. The two little girls were busy making medicine and had not eaten much since early in the morning. She felt guilty and was also worried that they would be hungry.
Xiaoshan: “It’s delicious actually.”
Yan Siqing looked at her.
Xiaoshan smiled shyly, "It smells like my mother."
Xiaoyun became quiet and ate silently with her head down.
They also have parents, but unfortunately, those who can become assassins and secret agents have broken families and the dust of the past that they cannot bear to look back on.
But who can really let go of the past?
The blazing stove, the crackling of firewood, the iron pot with sparse rice grains mixed with grass roots, the vague memory of my parents following their instructions, the gentle feeling of a broken fan patting me to repel mosquitoes in the summer heat, the rice cakes that were hard to share during festivals...
Burning, sparkling, rolling, noisy, quiet, sweet.
The world remains the same, and the world passes away.
Yan Siqing didn't say anything either.
Inside the carriage, the three women were silently eating pastries that didn't look very good and might not taste very good. When they were done eating, they clearly saw a letter lying underneath.
Xiaoyun and Xiaoshan were stunned for a moment, but turned their faces away and just finished their meal.
"A little sleepy."
"I feel sleepy after eating..."
The two of them just closed their eyes.
Yan Siqing: “….”
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she was also wondering how her mother could put the letter in the lunch box so openly.
Why does Prince Yan trust him so much?
Or... took it out and put it back.
Yan Siqing looked through it and found that there was a layer, but the letter was not inside.
Oh, I understand.
Yan Siqing smiled bitterly. It must have been difficult for her mother these years, and Prince Yan would also be difficult to deal with.
The letter was not opened.
This also means that her mother also has some advantages, at least the Prince of Yan is respectful.
After opening it, Yan Siqing looked at the contents inside.
Just a few words and a few numbers.
——Don’t come unless it is necessary. I am very happy. I don’t miss the Xiezhi in Chang’an.
The handwriting is different.
Once upon a time, as the little bully of the Xu family, she was lazy and idle, and did not like to study. Her handwriting was very shameful, completely different from her talented younger brother. Her bad handwriting was well-known far and wide. When she got married, she was ridiculed by the elders of both Xu and Yan families. Later, she was laughed at by her more talented daughter. In anger, she pinched her daughter's cheek and drew a little turtle.
Now, I have practiced writing very well, which is very beautiful and dignified.
Xu Junrong was actually prepared not to implicate his daughter and denied his identity, so he changed his handwriting.
As a daughter and a mother, Yan Siqing has thoroughly experienced the heartbreaking pain. She was silent for a moment, folded the letter, and carefully kept it.
But, Chang'an Xiezhi?
Xiezhi is a weapon and refers to the military.
The father and son of Prince Yan were proud of their military achievements and were famous among the kings, but the danger also lay there.
Did her mother want her to stay away from Prince Yan's Mansion? And did she mean that the changes in Chang'an this time still originated from Prince Yan's Mansion?
No, the factional struggles in Chang'an were a well-known faction. After all, the monarch was old, and his princes were fully fledged and powerful, so fighting was inevitable. It was nothing more than an intensification of the situation, not a "change".
Unless something unexpected happens, no one can predict who will be harmed by the change, whose overall situation will be affected, and whose clan will be dragged down.
It was probably because of this incident that Prince Yan Jiang Rong recently went to the Ministry of War to investigate.
Yan Siqing knew that because of the impeachment by the censor some time ago, the Prince Yan's Mansion retreated to advance, and Jiang Rong had relinquished a lot of military power. Now he was contacting the Ministry of War again, which could only be because the victims of this case were related to the Ministry of War, or the public criticism of this case itself pointed to some old affairs or secrets of the Ministry of War.
The Dali Temple couldn't even refute or shirk responsibility, so the people and the court in Chang'an were discussing and speculating about it, which was why someone with sufficient status was needed to go to the Ministry of War to investigate.
Prince Yan probably took on this task.
This is also what her mother hurriedly reminded her...
——Don’t get involved in this case, otherwise you will be more deeply involved with Prince Yan’s Mansion and easily be dragged down.
Yan Siqing remained silent, but he lifted the carriage curtain with his fingers and glanced out. He saw Jiang Hui, who was riding a horse in front, talking in a low voice with a serious expression.
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