Chapter 167 An Unexpected Encounter with Lady Zhao, Duchess of England
The capital city remains the same, only my status and circumstances are different now.
The floor heating in the house was so warm that you didn't need to wear thick clothes.
After taking off his thick clothes, Little Fatty walked more and more nimbly.
Dan Niang, who was initially intrigued, has now become accustomed to it.
"It's a bit cold in the capital, but it's warm inside. It just uses too much firewood. You can't afford to burn it unless you have some savings."
Yao Shisan still had a slight cough. "Dan Niang, has Xiaoman arrived?"
She fell ill for two days after arriving in Beijing, and didn't even have the strength to hold a pen. She only finished writing the letter yesterday.
Zhou Congxian returned to Jinzhou before finishing his official business there, but he left Ji Xiaoman behind.
They will come over on the day of Xiaoman (the 24th of the lunar calendar) to bring some essential daily necessities.
She wanted Xiaoman to help her deliver the letter to the post station.
Dan Niang handed her the medicine bowl, saying, "Not yet. You should take care of yourself first. It won't make a difference if you send the message in a couple of days."
Yao Shisan shook his head. "We can't delay any longer."
Danniang thought for a moment, "Then I'll go deliver it. Brother Xiaoman said yesterday that he would be a little late today, but I don't know how late he will be."
“You don’t know the way. The roads in the capital are crisscrossed. It would be bad if you got lost.”
She frowned and drank the medicine in the bowl in one gulp.
"I'm much better now. I'm going to the post station and I'll be right back."
Dan Niang couldn't help but worry as she watched her cough from time to time.
But she also understood Yao Niangzi's worries.
They have escaped, but Lord Jiang and Shuang'er still know nothing about it.
They were caught off guard and could be captured by King Cheng to threaten Lady Yao.
Wouldn't Madam Yao have traveled all that way for nothing?
Danniang tied the cloak that Lord Zhou had left behind onto her.
"Our family is waiting for you to come home."
Yao Shisan went out.
This house belonged to Chai Shizi, a son of Zhou Congxian's friend, the Marquis of Xinwu. It was situated by the Feng River and offered beautiful scenery in all four seasons.
The river is covered with a thick layer of ice, and now many children are playing on ice sleds on the ice.
If Fu'er's little monkey cart were brought, the two wheels could be removed and used as an ice sled.
Yao Shisan looked away.
We won't be staying in Beijing for long anyway. Tomorrow I'll get the kids an ice sled to play with; it will be a rare childhood memory.
As soon as you turn onto the main street, a bustling noise rises up.
The street vendors hawked their wares, and shops lined the streets.
The post station is quite far from here; you'll need to rent a car to get there. The nearest carriage and horse rental shop is near Zhaixing Pavilion.
With all the twists and turns, Dan Niang was bound to get lost.
Yao Shisan entered the carriage shop, and a noblewoman walked out of the jewelry store directly opposite.
Her gaze unconsciously swept across the opposite side, but she suddenly froze.
that……
like……
Ask your mother, "What's wrong with Madam?"
Zhao came to her senses and said, "It's nothing."
Even after getting into the carriage, the woman's profile she had just seen still flashed through her mind.
Could there be such similar people in the world?
Since Jiang's death, her son has become a completely different person.
If she were to find another person who looked like Jiang for her son, would her son be able to return to his former self?
"Stop the car!" Zhao suddenly called out.
"Madam?" Xiang Mama asked, puzzled.
As if she had made a decision, Zhao said, "Turn around."
The mother didn't understand what had happened, but still told the driver to turn around.
The carriage from the Duke of England's mansion returned to the Jewelry Pavilion, and Zhao got out of the carriage but walked straight towards the carriages opposite.
The servants from the carriage company immediately came to greet them.
"Madam, would you like to rent a car?"
Zhao glanced around, but the person she had just seen was not there.
"Did a young woman just come in?"
The servant nodded. "Yes, she has already rented a car and left."
Zhao pressed, "Where did she go?"
The servant shook his head, "I don't know."
Zhao walked out of the carriage shop and helped her mother up, noticing her somewhat dazed appearance.
"Is there someone you're looking for, Madam?"
Zhao paused, "Do you think there are any two people in this world who are exactly alike?"
"Two people who are exactly the same?" Xiang's mother thought for a moment, "I'm afraid only twins born to the same mother would be identical."
Zhao said, "I just saw a woman who looks exactly like Jiang."
Xiang Mama felt a chill run through her body. "Madam must be too tired these days and has misjudged."
Jiang Niangzi was burned to death, and her former residence was also demolished.
In broad daylight, could it be a ghost...?
Zhao glanced back at the carriage shop again, "Perhaps..."
The post station is located in the south of the city.
As the carriage passed the Song residence, Yao Shisan subconsciously lifted the curtain and glanced inside.
The plaque of the Song Mansion remains, but it is now covered with cobwebs.
The seal on the door was half rotten from being exposed to the wind and sun, with the remaining half fluttering in the air.
The Song family is gone.
Yao Shisan slowly lowered the carriage curtain, and after a long while, she let out a soft hum.
"Serves you right!"
It seems one must live a long enough to witness the enemy's fate.
Yao Shisan sent letters to Bianzhou and Dingxian.
No matter where my brother is, he can receive letters.
As I stepped out of the post station, the aroma of sesame cakes wafted from the roadside.
Crispy and fragrant sesame cakes are a specialty of Beijing.
She brought some sesame cakes home, and before she even reached her doorstep, she saw several children gathered around the entrance.
Ji Xiaoman arrived, bringing two ice sleds.
Two little girls were chattering away around him.
Yao Shisan approached and discovered that Ji Xiaoman was connecting two ice sleds together.
"Xiaoman, why did you buy an ice cart? How could I let you spend so much money?"
Ji Xiaoman looked up and smiled, "It's just an ice sled, it won't cost more than a few copper coins."
“I’ve seen a lot of kids playing on ice sleds in the river these past few days. Fu’er and Xuan’er have nothing to do all day at home, so they thought the ice sleds would be fun.”
Danniang came out carrying a bowl of ginger soup. "Drink a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold during Xiaoman."
“Madam Yao is back. The ginger soup is ready. Fu’er and Xuan’er, come in and have a bowl.”
The two little girls couldn't wait any longer. "We don't want ginger soup, we want to go play!"
"The car is ready."
"Great! We can play now! Xuan'er, you choose first."
The two couldn't wait to push the cart.
Yao Shisan laughed, "Forget it, kids are hot-tempered, let them go play."
Ji Xiaoman led the two little girls down into the river.
Children on the riverbank laughed and chattered.
Such joy is something only the children here experience.
In Dingxian County, no matter how heavy the snowfall, the river will never freeze.
Even if the water in the bucket freezes, it will only form a thin layer of ice chips.
Therefore, Dingxian County lacked the conditions for ice extraction, and in the summer, a single piece of ice could fetch an exorbitant price.
Many people work hard for months but can't even get a single piece of ice.
It's much cheaper in Beijing.
Ice is collected and stored in cellars during winter, and sold in summer.
Yao Shisan suddenly thought of a good business opportunity.
"Dan Niang, there's so much ice in the capital during winter. We can haul it back to Dingxian in the winter and make frozen desserts in the summer!"
Dan Niang knows about ice cream bowls, but what is freezing point?
What is freezing point?
Yao Shisan: "The dim sum is either steamed or fried, and it's always hot."
"Iced desserts are steamed and then chilled, making them perfect for summer."
Dan Niang said, "But I've never had this kind of frozen dessert before, and I don't know how to make it."
Yao Shisan smiled and said, "That's easy, we'll go buy it in a bit!"
Dan Niang stared in disbelief, "Eating ice cream in the dead of winter?"
"It might be strange elsewhere, but it's not strange in the capital."
Yao Shisan pulled her towards the Fengshui River, saying, "Anything is possible in the capital."
"Do you see that big lantern over there?"
Dan Niang followed her hand and looked across the river. On a tall pavilion, a huge lantern stood out conspicuously.
"I see. If this lantern were lit, that area probably wouldn't need oil lamps anymore."
Yao Shisan said, "That place is called Tianjiao Pavilion. It only deals with women. Can you guess what they sell?"
"Do you sell rouge and face powder?"
Only women patronized the cosmetics and face powder shops.
Yao Shisan glanced at Dan Niang, "She's a painter."
"The painters were women, and the buyers of their paintings were also women."
Reading and painting were primarily done by men, and famous painters throughout history were also men.
But some people just don't believe in fate and opened this Tianjiao Pavilion.
Dan Niang turned to look at Yao Niangzi, "Thank you for showing me so much."
The boat journey in Chuzhou, the Tianjiao Pavilion in the capital.
Yao Shisan smiled and said, "No need to thank me. I'll be eating at your shop for free when you open it in the future."
Dan Niang laughed, and just as she was about to respond, the sound of arguing came from the ice.
The two turned around and saw Ji Xiaoman protecting the two little girls behind her.
Opposite them were two fierce-looking servants.
"It was your car that hit us!"
Ji Xiaoman stood in front of the two little girls, holding their hands, so he didn't dare to go too fast.
The other party crashed into you, and because one person's weight is less than the weight of two people, the impact caused you to tip over.
Now they're turning around and blaming them.
"It was you who knocked our young master down!"
The two servants naturally dared not say that they had accidentally knocked the young master down.
The little boy rubbed his bottom, so angry he almost jumped up.
"Who threw me?! I'll kill him!"
Dan Niang ran over and checked the two of them to see if they were injured. She was relieved to see that they were both alright.
Yao Shisan said, "You were trying to speed up the rickshaw, which is why your young master fell over. Now you're trying to frame others."
The little boy looked to be about the same age as Fu'er, and was at the age where he was being mischievous.
They are usually pampered at home, so they must be furious to have been thrown around like that.
The two servants fueled his arrogance.
“Young master, everyone playing here is either rich or noble. These few commoners are ignorant and arrogant. They hurt you and they won’t admit it.”
This area is located in the upper reaches of the Feng River, and the mansions along the river belonged to high-ranking officials and nobles.
Yao Shisan and his companions were dressed plainly, indicating they were not from a wealthy family.
The young master's eyes flashed with ferocity. "Go and call a few more men, and arrest them all!"
"Who are they trying to arrest?"
A boy who looked about eight or nine years old stood on an ice sled, with two large, shiny black dogs tied in front of him.
The big dog came to an abrupt stop, and the ice sled swung in a beautiful arc on the ice.
Finally, it stopped beside the group.
The servant was the first to react.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness the Seventh Prince!"
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