rumor
The next morning, Fuling went to the warehouse as usual to supervise the employees' work and left Jiang's house first.
Seeing that the young lady said she was going to the pharmacy, Guizhi didn't think much about it. She said goodbye to Jiang Nian and went back to her room to draw a sketch of the new health product packaging.
The teahouse had just opened in the early morning. Jiang Nian, with her hair tied up and a veil on, and dressed in an ordinary moon-white simple dress, went to the bun shop opposite the teahouse first.
There were not many people in the teahouse, so she decided to buy a breakfast at the bun shop before going in.
There weren't many people queuing outside the bun shop at this hour, and Jiang Nian waited outside for a while before it was her turn.
The scallion and pork buns were freshly baked and were still hot when held in the hand. The oil paper in the hand was folded several times, and the delicious flavor came straight to my face with the heat and the fragrance wafted to my nose.
Someone came forward to buy food behind him, so Jiang Nian took a few steps back and sat down on an empty wooden chair.
The burly man at another table was eating with his mouth full of oil, and his soy milk cup was pinched and tilted on the table.
"Have you heard? On the way here, they said Wang Laoliu and his gang were trying to sneak into the Seven Gorges to mine, and then they disappeared mysteriously like everyone else."
The skinny guy on the opposite side got excited when he heard this.
"Are there any strange stories this early in the morning? Come over and listen to them."
The strong man was not afraid of being heard by others, and continued in this voice:
"It is said that a thousand years ago, the Seven Gorges were protected by an immortal named 'Lu'."
"This deity has mercy on the world. Anyone who goes to the temple on the mountain to worship it and makes a wish to it will get what they want."
"As more and more people knew about this, many of them came to pray to the gods based on their reputation."
"Later, the god named Lu seemed to have lost his power and could no longer fulfill the wishes of many people."
"Some people seek help with their entire families, spending all their wealth. Some seek help for incurable illnesses, and when they reach the top of the mountain, they lose the strength to get down."
"As more and more people were unable to obtain their wishes, their anger gathered strength and smashed the tall statue into pieces, shattering its features so badly that it was impossible to tell whether it was a nose or eyes, leaving nothing resembling a god."
"I don't know if it was because of this, but they provoked the wrath of the gods. When they smashed the rocks, a landslide occurred, and all the people on the mountain were buried under the soil. Even the village at the foot of the mountain was not spared."
Jiang Nian finished the bun in his hand and looked to the side.
A group of people had already gathered around the table where the rumor was being told.
The strong man continued.
"After the landslide, a huge cave was revealed in Qixia Mountain. That cave is now the mine."
"Aside from the civilians, even the soldiers who went in to mine never came back. They only went in and never left."
"And every time a person enters the cave, there will be one more crow outside the entrance."
"The more people go in, the more crows linger outside... I've heard that those who bravely go out to observe the crows and come back say that they have something in their beaks."
A circle of people surrounded the table, completely motionless.
"What are you holding?"
"Is Qixia Mountain very close to Cang County? I came back from Cang County."
The strong man kept it a secret. "Yes, we're back from Qixia Mountain and Cang County. I heard there was going to be a war, and a place called Pingzhou was safe, so they told us to go there. That's why I came."
"No wonder... I had never heard of this strange rumor before. It turns out it's from the capital."
An unfamiliar place name.
Jiang Nian sat aside and listened quietly, frowning slightly.
There have indeed been some unfamiliar faces coming to Pingzhou recently, and even yesterday's visitors were from the border areas.
What the guest from the border said yesterday was exactly the same as what my father said.
Usually, strict precautions and thorough investigations are initiated at the border, which are related to the country's military and political affairs.
There has been no announcement in the capital recently regarding anything political, so it must be a military issue.
Which country is Huan going to fight against?
However, in ancient times, large-scale migrations were generally related to disasters and conflicts, but there is no confirmed evidence at present.
Did these people really move to Pingzhou because of rumors?
This is too weird.
Jiang Nian wanted to continue thinking deeply about it when a burst of exclamations suddenly broke out from the side.
"Human flesh?"
"How could it be human flesh? There might be more meat from wild animals in the mountains."
The burly man waved his fingers in an unpredictable manner.
"I heard it clearly in Cang Jun. It was human flesh."
Everyone shook their heads, feeling both unbelievable and understandable.
"Indeed, if you offend the mountain god, he will punish you..."
—
The storyteller in the teahouse started telling a story. Jiang Nian was not in the mood to listen to the story today. To avoid the same thing as last time, he chose a corner on the first floor and mingled with the businessmen and people listening to the story.
The people around talked about what they had seen recently while traveling for business, and occasionally chatted about the gossip in the alley.
With one corner of her white gauze veil lifted up, Jiang Nian quietly glanced around and ordered a cup of scented tea from the waiter's order.
The wooden table was polished to a shine by the shop owner. The first customer this table welcomed today was Jiang Nian, so there were no stains left on it.
The thoughts that were interrupted just now came back to me as the waiter walked away with the menu.
Rumors of a war spread from Cang County, and then people came to Pingzhou.
Judging from what they said, Cang County should be near the capital, in the north.
But Pingzhou is in the south.
Compared to running from Cang County where he had always lived to Pingzhou where he had only heard of but never met because of a rumor, is it really possible to walk such a long distance without avoiding a fictitious war rumor?
In this dynasty, people would only run away after seeing the real army reaching the outside of the city or the local powerful families moving away.
Jiang Nian was thinking about it for no reason, and inexplicably thought that Xiao Yingzhu was also in Pingzhou at this time.
A place that was only slightly famous because of its insect repellent. First, there were court officials, then a duke who was on a mission from the emperor, and then common people who traveled halfway across the country to come here because of a rumor.
There are really hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
It would be unreasonable not to say what is going on here.
Xiao Yingzhu came here for the insect repellent in her hand. His motivation for doing so came from the emperor, and the emperor wanted the insect repellent because the country was suffering from pests and diseases.
But this has nothing to do with these outsiders coming here.
But how did they get together at this time?
Or is there some connection that she hasn't thought of yet?
Jiang Nian drew on the wooden table with his fingertips.
The two countries next to Huan should be Xuanmo and Donglan, and below Xuanmo is Cang County, and below that is the capital.
If we start with the war, apart from what I heard about the Duke's Mansion from the listener, I learned that it was Xuanmo who was fighting with Huan. Xuanmo is not doing well now, so it should be Donglan.
If Donglan knew how to fight, the person in Huanli who would have the best access to the latest intelligence would be Emperor Changde.
Dead end.
She paused her gentle writing on the table and sighed.
Now the idea of whether Donglan will go to war is based on my own subjective conjecture, not to mention that there are always some things that are not clear.
It seems to be getting closer to the truth.
However, taking a glance at the twists and turns in it, Jiang Nian's fingertips rubbed the table slightly.
She always felt that there was something wrong with those outsiders.
It was like... it was like they arrived at this place on a plan, it wasn't accidental.
Xiao Yingzhu didn’t mention this matter...Do I need to tell him?
The name and address of the teahouse appeared in his mind, and Jiang Nian's heart sank slightly.
The voice of the person next to her interrupted her thoughts. The person next to her talked about what he had seen and the recent business situation.
"When I was out and about a while ago, I heard that minerals are selling for a very high price these days."
"Minerals? Are they all expensive?"
"Yeah, the prices at those pawnshops are way too high, and I don't see many people selling. Seeing the momentum, everyone's pawning them like treasures."
The traveling merchant yawned, waved to the waiter to settle the bill, and patted him on the shoulder at the table across from him.
"Don't go, you haven't finished yet, I want to hear more!"
"Hmm..."
The merchant paid a dozen coins to the waiter standing nearby, and continued talking without getting up.
"I heard that the soldiers there have tightened their control over the minerals. It seems they've mined a lot of them, and they're trying to take some mineral-related goods from the people!"
"Ordinary people? How can ordinary people have that kind of money? This is ridiculous. How is it possible?"
"Of course there are some! They're all in those villages that made their fortunes from mining!"
"this……"
A while ago, in a remote village, some shiny objects were discovered because the foot of the mountain where they lived had collapsed. When they took a closer look, they found that they were actually gold and silver.
They actually witnessed a rare spectacle that only happens once in a century. The people in that village became rich overnight. They were all wearing gold and silver, and no one knew how much money they made.
"Oh, if only I lived in that place, I wouldn't have to worry about paying taxes for the rest of my life..."
"Yeah, how can there be such a lucky person in the world... Can this kind of good luck fall on my head!"
"Every day, I'm forced by my grandmother to go to that mosquito-infested and difficult-to-climb mountain to worship the ancestor. I really doubt whether there is such a thing as an ancestor in the world. I worship every day and pray for sudden wealth, but he hasn't given me anything..."
Jiang Nian took the scented tea brought by the waiter, held the cup wall and gently turned it on the table, lowered his eyes and fell into deep thought for a while.
Ever since her father mentioned the border, she had had a vague premonition, which had gradually accumulated with the passing of time, and now had finally piled up into snow, collapsing in front of her.
Perhaps this dynasty is not as peaceful as she imagined.
Since she traveled through time, she has not heard any rumors about war, but that does not mean that there are no rumors.
It's just that she was lucky and traveled to a relatively peaceful area.
And this area may be at the center of a vortex at the moment.
But she was still unaware of the peace she saw before her, and subconsciously suppressed the hidden restlessness.
It was not until recently that some people who had nothing to do with her in the past appeared frequently that she suddenly realized this.
Jiang Nian has never had the concept of running away or retreating. What she can do now is to fight against the enemy with troops and block the water with earth, and to personally peel off the conspiracies and tricks in the darkness until the end.
After finishing the flower tea in her hand, it was getting close to noon. It was time for her to go back home and revise the new recipe she had written last night carefully. She would take what she had seen and heard in Yuejiang Pavilion, incorporate her own ideas, and ask Xiao Yingzhu about it.
If a result is obtained that is not denied.
Then all the thoughts that came to her mind next would have a basis to support them.
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