Chapter 29 Mr.
Su Changxun has been in the border town for ten years, but how smart is he?
Even if he only heard some rumored information about the situation in the court, he could still make a rough guess.
The little prince Jun Qiulan seemed quite smart before.
Now it has come to this.
If a smart person doesn't have a good ending, then there must be something wrong with the person sitting in that position.
He received the news after the deposed prince and his family arrived at the border town.
No care.
In this place, if you can't stand up on your own, if you can't get over the hurdle in your heart, no one can help you.
Don’t even talk about helping someone in need. If you can’t get out of this sea of snow, how long can the charcoal sent by outsiders last?
No matter if they were implicated or exiled for their own crimes, it would be good if three out of ten of them could survive.
Fortunately, this family was strong-willed and determined. After being exiled from royal family to a border town to survive the hardship, they adapted quickly.
That day, he took the initiative to show up in front of Jun Yu in order to find out the truth.
Because there was one thing he had never figured out.
Jun Yu was a man of letters, willing to earn a few coins by writing letters for others. His family no longer had servants around them, but was well managed by the mother and daughter. He also led his neighbors to start a small business and had a good relationship with the villagers.
But what about Jun Qiulan, the deposed crown prince? Jun Qiulan seemed to be nowhere to be seen here.
He had heard that the deposed crown prince had fallen into despair and stayed at home all day, depressed and unwilling to go out.
No, that's simply not possible.
If Jun Qiulan was this kind of person, he would have died on the road of exile long ago. Even if he had managed to survive to the border town, he would have been a walking corpse.
But he received news that Jun Qiulan and his father had been running around the city in the first few days after their family arrived in the border town, eagerly looking for a job in order to have a stable place to live. He even moved sacks and did hard labor for several days.
It doesn't make sense that after settling down, you would become depressed.
Just a few days ago, someone bought a folding fan from Jun Yu's stall and gave it to him. He recognized at a glance that it was not Jun Yu's work, but it had some of his charm.
No need to think too much, it must be Jun Qiulan's work.
At that time, he was in the emperor's favor and taught the little prince painting for a period of time, but he only gave a few pointers in his spare time.
This is very interesting.
A person can fake other things and disguise himself, but the emotions expressed in his writing cannot.
The green pine on the fan is clearly full of hope of living against death.
Yesterday, he heard again that the little princess went to the general's mansion to work as a maid.
Things are getting more and more interesting.
He knew that Jun Yu had gone to set up a stall again, and today he wanted to meet Jun Qiulan.
Unexpectedly, Jun Qiulan was not at home.
There was only a woman named Song Xirong next door, so he didn't feel comfortable going into the house. He just drank a bowl of coarse tea in the yard.
It's also interesting that this coarse tea is not the same as the coarse tea in this border town.
After being exiled to the border town, he could only do hard labor at first, but he soon settled down. The coarse tea he drank was definitely not a kind that could be found in the border town.
He could see that Song Xirong seemed a little nervous.
Is that strange?
What Jun Qiulan did must not be known to outsiders.
Song Xirong: "Mr. Su, I have sent someone to the city to inform Brother Yu. He should be back soon."
Su Changxun nodded, "Today I'm mainly here to see my little disciple."
"It's rare for Lan'er to go out today. I don't know where he went. Maybe he went hunting in the woods? I'm afraid he won't be back for a while."
Song Xirong was anxious, but she couldn't show it, so she could only bite the bullet and say, "Mr. Su, I'm the only woman at home. Why don't you go for a walk in the village? Our village has quite a beautiful scenery. Maybe you'll feel like reciting a poem or writing a couplet. When Brother Yu comes back, he can chat with you for a while."
He almost said to kick us out directly.
Su Changxun found it even more interesting, but people's words were scary. As a foreigner, it was indeed not suitable for him to be alone with Song Xirong, so he simply walked out of the yard and went to the village to take a look.
This village is naturally good. Putting aside the natural scenery, the main thing is that the village is not far from the city and is safe enough.
Very interesting.
Everyone knows the nature of the local government and the unspoken rules.
Except for those who were to serve in the army, the other prisoners who were exiled were basically first assigned to the most dangerous villages.
To put it bluntly, no matter whether you were wrongly accused or implicated, you were originally an exiled prisoner. The closer you are to the border, the more dangerous it is. It's not a pity if you die. If you're not dead, just stay alive and farm.
Speaking of the locals in this border town, if you count a few generations back, most of them were exiled, settled down here and survived.
How did Jun Qiulan arrange for his family to live in such a village with good conditions in such a short time?
Unbelievable.
The news he heard was that Jun Qiulan had been doing hard labor for two or three days in a row, and suddenly the family had arranged a house for him. The women next door were also settled in together with them.
How did you settle down? Did an old friend secretly help you?
Who wouldn't care about this family's status? Who would dare to help the deposed prince at this time?
Su Changxun was leisurely strolling around, and he wanted to find out more and more about such interesting things.
Jun Yu received a letter from Song Xirong and quickly packed up his things and went back.
They planned to visit Su Changxun tomorrow, but Su Changxun came to them on his own initiative, which was a bit strange.
"Madam, where is Mr. Su?" Jun Yu was barely catching his breath.
Song Xirong: "I sent him to wander around the village. After all, I'm the only woman at home, so it's not convenient for me to entertain him."
Jun Yu breathed a sigh of relief. "Did Mr. Su tell me why he came here?"
"He just said he wanted to come and see Lan'er." Song Xirong was also a little confused.
Ever since Jun Yu met Su Changxun last time, after a brief exchange between the two, they also expressed their intention to get close to each other.
Later, he said he would visit Su Changxun, but because his son didn't have much free time, the trip was delayed.
Why didn't Su Changxun come earlier or later, but came after Wan'er went to the general's mansion?
Jun Yu had heard many stories about Su Changxun's heroic deeds in debating with scholars in the court.
He served as an official for eleven years, and his political achievements need not be mentioned much. Even the emperor promoted him to the position of prime minister as an exception, wanting to spread a good story about the monarch and his minister. This man's wisdom and strategy are really not something that ordinary people can easily guess.
In the past, Jun Yu and Su Changxun only had some friendship at the level of literati, and their friendship could not be considered very deep.
"He asked about Lan'er, what did you say?"
Most people think that Jun Qiulan never goes out and stays at home in depression. When he occasionally goes out, he behaves gloomily and distantly, and is not familiar with the villagers.
"I said Lan'er went out." Song Xirong sighed.
After all, there is the relationship between master and disciple, and no matter what, Lan'er has to go out to welcome guests. But now Lan'er has gone to another world, so we can only say that he has gone out.
What I'm afraid of is that Lan'er will suddenly come back and run into Su Changxun.
How can I explain then that Jun Qiulan is staying at home and is unwilling to come out to see his former teacher?
While the couple was still discussing, Su Changxun walked around the village and came back.
Just arrived at the door.
"Mr. Su." Jun Yu hurried over. "I'm really sorry, Lan'er is out today and hasn't come back yet. How about I invite Mr. Su to have a drink at the tavern in the city?"
Just as Su Changxun was about to nod, he saw Jun Qiulan running out of the house in a hurry.
The expression on his face suddenly became meaningful.
Jun Qiulan came back after buying some things. He was still thinking about writing a birthday painting for Yan Jing, so he thought of writing it when he came back and asking his father for advice.
He had never had the opportunity to write calligraphy or paintings to celebrate birthdays in the past. Who could let the prince write this?
But as soon as he got home, he heard his father's voice.
When I looked at the time, it was not yet the time when my father usually came back. My heart sank, thinking something had happened.
He threw away what he was holding and rushed out without even hearing what his father said.
Unexpectedly, they saw Mr. Su standing at the gate of their courtyard.
"Mr. Su, why are you here?" Jun Qiulan calmed down in an instant: "My student and my father are discussing a visit tomorrow. Please come in."
Su Changxun smiled.
Jun Yu didn't dare to breathe. He knew how smart this man was. He could even guess the thoughts of those in higher positions.
In the past, he and his wife did not build up momentum for their son like the parents of other princes, did not contact the court officials, and did not even have much contact with their son. This was what Su Changxun mentioned casually when they were fishing together.
Su Changxun pretended not to see the couple's nervousness, and did not mention that he had arrived a while ago, let alone that the parents had just insisted that he was not at home.
The puzzles are getting more and more interesting.
"Nothing much, I have some free time today, so I came to see my little disciple."
When he was teaching Jun Qiulan, Jun Qiulan had just become the crown prince, and he had been teaching him for less than a year. Later, the court was in turmoil, and he was unable to take care of himself. He was one step behind, and ended up being exiled instead of beheaded, which was already a good ending.
Jun Qiulan bowed and saluted, "It was my fault. I even asked the master to come and see me."
Su Changxun waved his hand, "Now that we're here, let's not bother with these formalities. Just think of me as someone who's here to eat for free."
Song Xirong: "Then I'll go get ready first, you guys chat."
Su Changxun was invited in.
When I looked up, I saw some things scattered around the room.
There are three rooms in total, two are bedrooms and one is the main room. We usually eat and read in the main room.
Jun Qiulan was also nervous. He had been in such a hurry to go out that some of the things in his bag were scattered at the door as he moved. His door was not closed either. The room was small and one could see the end at a glance. There were also some strange things on the bed.
He quickly packed up his things and closed the door.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know much about common things before, so I left the room in a mess. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."
Su Changxun smiled without saying anything. Just as he sat down, he saw a book on the table.
Colored pages.
Jun Yu was so panicked that he hid the book behind his back.
It seems like there is something fishy going on here.
Su Changxun raised his eyebrows, "It seems that Brother Yu doesn't welcome me very much."
Jun Yu's expression flickered. "This is a book for women. My wife probably hasn't had time to clean it up yet."
Usually no one from the village comes to visit.
And because of Jun Qiulan, they usually made folding fans next door, so basically no one came to their house.
Occasionally, when the sisters-in-law next door come over, they will say hello at the door in advance.
I really didn't expect this today.
When Su Changxun arrived at the door of his house, Song Xirong was living next door. After she came over, she did not go into the house, but made a pot of rough tea in the kitchen. Su Changxun just sat in the small courtyard for a while before.
Su Changxun smiled deeply: "It's me, Meng Lang, please don't blame me, Brother Yu."
Obviously he doesn't believe it.
But there was no other way now, so Jun Yu quickly put the book back into the bedroom.
I still have to pay more attention in the future.
Today really caught them off guard.
Fortunately, nothing seemed to go wrong afterwards.
Su Changxun chatted with the father and son about some news about the border town.
The father and son also talked about the changes in the capital in recent years.
For a moment, the atmosphere was very harmonious.
It was only around dinner time that Su Changxun casually mentioned, "I heard that my disciple has been devastated since being demoted. How about this? I'm still short of a servant to help me organize my books. You're almost an adult, so it's not good for you to always stay at home and rely on your parents for support."
If Jun Qiulan had not had this opportunity to travel through time, facing the current situation, he would probably be filled with gratitude.
But now, it is definitely not possible.
He couldn't give up his burgeoning career there, nor could he give up the changes that world had brought to their lives.
How can I refuse now?
Jun Yu lied, "Lan'er was injured during his exile, so he needs to rest for a while. My wife and I are still young and able to work, so we don't plan to let Lan'er go out to work for the time being. When we have money in the future, we can buy a few acres of land in the village and live a down-to-earth life."
Su Changxun chuckled and just raised his eyes slightly to look at Jun Qiulan.
Jun Qiulan felt guilty, but perhaps because of his acting skills, he remained calm and said, "I can also help father paint folding fans at home. It's not like I'm just sitting around doing nothing. Besides, I have indeed injured my foundation. The doctor said I need to recuperate for a while."
If his face wasn't so red when he said this, it would be more convincing.
Su Changxun just watched the father and son telling lies with their eyes open.
The food is served.
There's nothing good about the food.
They fried a plate of eggs, which was considered a meat dish, and also fried some vegetables. They usually ate like this, but Jun Qiulan often brought them some braised dishes to improve their lives, and they had not had time to take out today's dishes yet.
We have guests today, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to serve these two dishes.
Song Xirong simply took out a few pieces of fermented tofu that Jun Qiulan brought back.
They also have tofu here. If someone asks about it, I can just say that I made it myself. She is a scholar who is good at writing, so I can't ask her for a recipe, right?
"Farmers eat simple food." Song Xirong smiled, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Mr. Su."
Su Changxun really wanted to laugh, as he had experienced hard times before.
When he was studying, his family was poor and he might not be able to eat meat for a whole year. It was not until he passed the imperial examination that his situation improved a lot. Besides, when he was first exiled to the border town, he also endured a hard life alone, and he wanted to break a steamed bun into two days to eat.
Let’s take a look at the farm food that my sister-in-law mentioned.
The eggs were fried until fluffy. I don’t know how much oil was used. And the vegetables had oil spots on the surface.
As farmers, how could they bear to spend so much oil on cooking?
Based on their family's current income, they shouldn't be able to use oil freely, right?
Even if it was to entertain guests, there would be no waste in this situation. The only explanation was that they had no shortage of oil and salt.
He didn't say it, nor did he show it, "Thank you for troubling my sister-in-law."
Jun Yu: "Mr. Su, please start eating. There's no need to be so formal. Let's just have a simple meal today. I'll come back to bother you another day."
Su Changxun: "Brother Yu is being too formal."
One chopstick goes down.
very good.
There wasn't even a hint of bitterness in the dish.
The salt in the border town, let alone coarse salt, is something only wealthy families can afford. Ordinary people basically buy salt stones and grind them themselves.
It can't be used directly. Dissolve it in water and soak a piece of cloth in it. It is called salt cloth. Brush it in the pot when cooking. It's good if the food has a slightly salty taste.
The salt must also have a bitter and strange taste.
There is also a plate of something called fermented tofu, which seems to have been pickled. A lot of salt is used, and there are at least seven or eight other seasonings.
After this visit today, the mystery in his heart was not solved, but he had more questions.
This made it more interesting for him.
After dinner, it was getting late, and Su Changxun had no intention of getting to the bottom of the matter today.
"If it's not too much trouble for my little disciple, why don't you accompany me for a while? Take me out of the village."
Of course Jun Qiulan couldn't refuse, and it just so happened that it was time for him to show up in the village.
After walking for a while, the former teacher and student became a little silent.
"Next month, the local prefect will be replaced. The new prefect has some relationship with me. Does Qiulan have any other ideas?"
Jun Qiulan knew that Mr. Su wanted to tell him his secrets, but his secrets could not be revealed to anyone.
"I don't have any other ideas for now. I just hope that the surveillance from above can be relaxed so that my family can start a small business. We rely solely on farming, and we lack the experience and strength."
This is true.
As a royal relative, who knows anything about farming unless they have a special hobby? Being able to distinguish the five grains is good enough.
Whether or not there is enough food to eat after planting for a year is another matter.
On the contrary, if they do some small business, and Song Xirong happens to be from a merchant family and has experience, it should not be difficult for the whole family to work hard, make some money, and live a well-off life.
What about scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans?
They are still exiled prisoners and cannot leave this place as long as the emperor is in power.
When the next emperor comes to power, oh, other people may be blessed by the amnesty, but it is definitely impossible for them with their identities.
The most important thing is to be able to live your own life.
Su Changxun chuckled, "The fermented tofu tasted good today. Your mother said she made it herself. I'm giving Master the recipe as a gift. Isn't that too much to ask?"
Song Xirong was really wrong. He just had the nerve to ask for a recipe.
Jun Qiulan was stunned for a moment, "Okay, I'm going to visit you tomorrow."
There are many recipes on the Internet. It should be no problem to copy one down.
Su Changxun nodded, then suddenly asked, "Then what about the book your father hid today? Why is it in color?"
I just took a quick look, but couldn't make out the words on the cover clearly.
Jun Qiulan pretended to be calm. "That's my father's old collection of books. Before he was exiled, he secretly entrusted it to an old friend for safekeeping. He only secretly sent it to me a few days ago. It's a book about daughters."
Su Changxun smiled, which made Jun Qiulan's scalp tingle.
In that kind of emergency, it would be better to hide some money than books, right?
He could understand why scholars loved books as if they were their lives, but his family was going to be exiled to a border town to live a hard life, and material things were always better than books.
He has had personal experience of this.
"Are you still in contact with the capital?" Su Changxun asked again.
“No.”
There is nothing to hide about this.
He said, "Some of our old friends have defected, and others, when we first began our exile, helped us both covertly and openly, and even gave us some money. However, given our current situation, it's not necessarily a good thing for them to continue to contact us."
In the past, if friends or even subordinates gave them some money and helped them to bribe the escorting officials, they were already doing their utmost.
They have families and even networks behind them that they need to consider. If they are too closely associated with the deposed prince who is "plotting rebellion", wouldn't that be courting death?
I have settled in the border town for so long and have not received any letters from the capital.
It doesn’t matter whether it was intercepted by someone or not delivered at all.
What Jun Qiulan hoped more was that they would stop sending letters or secretly taking care of them.
Everyone has his own destiny.
"That's fine." Su Changxun sighed, "Let the past be the past."
"Disciple knows." Jun Qiulan spoke from the heart, "Although this border town is a little poor, we don't have to worry about all kinds of conspiracies and calculations every day when we open our eyes."
Su Changxun looked at his young disciple again and chuckled, "Just send him here. Come over early tomorrow."
Jun Qiulan bowed and said, "Take care, sir."
When I got home, my parents were extremely worried.
"Lan'er, what did Mr. Su say? What did he ask?"
Song Xirong recounted the incident of Su Changxun arriving early today, especially the fact that Jun Qiulan ran out of the house the moment Jun Yu said his son was not at home.
"Lan'er, Dad is afraid that he will find out."
Jun Qiulan was also a little flustered, but then calmed down. "As long as we keep silent and deny it, who would know that I'm going to another world every day?"
Makes sense, how could one imagine such a bizarre opportunity?
Anything that happened in that world would be like a fairy tale here.
"Try to test the waters tomorrow?" Jun Yu asked again.
Jun Qiulan shook his head. "No need. Talking too much will only lead to mistakes. Since the gentleman hasn't mentioned anything, we assume he doesn't know. Even if he has some guesses, he can't provide any evidence. We'll just have to adapt to the situation tomorrow."
What he said about being able to adapt to circumstances did not include the fact that he received a notice from the crew of Strategy of the Bastard in the evening, saying that he would have a role tomorrow.
He was still wondering what to do when he received another friend request from Qu Feng.
After passing the test, Qu Feng said that there would be a group play in the early morning tonight, and asked Jun Qiulan to go there in the middle of the night so that he could observe and learn from it up close.
Jun Qiulan is now in a dilemma, and it seems that he can't refuse either side.
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The author has something to say: There will be another chapter after 12 o'clock, hehehe.
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