Chapter 136

The night gradually became darker, and the light rain was getting heavier.

The lanterns were lit in front of the Feng Mansion, and the dim light shone on the oil-paper umbrella, which was particularly cold. Xie Chuji's face was pale, and the hand holding the umbrella handle trembled slightly in the cold wind.

Before closing the door, the concierge glanced at Xie Chuji again, and said reluctantly, "Miss, go back. Military Advisor Chi is really not coming back tonight."

Xie Chuji had stood in the rain for too long, and her lips were frozen and bloodless. She said, "Whenever he comes back, I will wait until then."

"Miss, why are you so stubborn?" The concierge was halfway through his words when he saw Xie Chuji stagger, the oil-paper umbrella in her hand fell into the rain, and she fainted on the ground.

"Miss!" The concierge was shocked.

Jiang Yanyi had just finished dinner when the servants of Feng Mansion came over and knocked on the door, saying that Xie Chuji had fainted at the door of Feng Mansion.

Xie Chuji was alone in Xizhou. Even if she was sick, she had no one to take care of her. Jiang Yanyi was familiar with her, so the people from Feng Mansion came to look for her.

"Have you found a doctor?" Jiang Yanyi thought of Xie Chuji's trance when she played chess with her before. She knew that Xie Chuji went to Feng Mansion to block Chi Qing, probably to confirm whether Chi Qing was Mu Xuanqing.

"Someone has been sent to invite him." The servant of Feng Mansion said so.

When Jiang Yanyi went to the next door, the doctor had not come yet, so she asked Aunt Guo to help boil hot water and twist a handkerchief to give Xie Chuji a hot compress first.

"Why are you doing this?" Jiang Yanyi sighed while twisting the handkerchief.

Xie Chuji was so sick that she was confused and couldn't sleep well. Even with her eyes closed, the corners of her eyes were wet.

After the doctor came to see him and prescribed medicine, Jiang Yanyi remembered to ask the servants of Feng Mansion: "Is Military Advisor Chi in the mansion?"

The servants of Feng Mansion did not dare to lie to Jiang Yanyi, but they did not dare to admit it directly, and they hesitated.

Jiang Yanyi still did not understand something, so he immediately said: "Take me to see Military Advisor Chi."

Feng Mansion set aside a courtyard for Chi Qing to live in. When Jiang Yanyi went there, the lights in Chi Qing's courtyard were still on, and several unfamiliar generals walked out of the courtyard, all in a hurry.

Probably because they knew that the Grand Concubine Dowager lived in the mansion, the generals were very cautious about the women in the mansion. When they met them, they lowered their heads and did not dare to look at them too much.

After the servants went in to report, Jiang Yanyi entered the courtyard.

Chi Qing seemed to have expected this, and the first thing he said was, "Miss Chu, are you here for Miss Xie's matter?"

He restrained his usual cynical look, and for a moment Jiang Yanyi felt a little strange.

But Feng Shuo had given a definite answer, and Jiang Yanyi no longer felt that Chi Qing was his brother.

Thinking of Xie Chuji's look, she still felt distressed. She said, "Miss Xie is a long-lasting lover. She always thinks you are Prince Mu. It's better to suffer a short pain than a long pain. You should meet her once and make things clear, so that she won't think about it."

Chi Qing pulled the corner of his mouth, "Miss Chu is right, I will see Miss Xie another day."

He promised so much, Jiang Yanyi didn't know what to say, she just felt that there was something strange between him and Xie Chuji.

After Jiang Yanyi left, Chi Qing listened to the sound of rain outside the window, lost in thought.

How should he meet her?

In the past, Mu Wuhou had made great achievements and was suspected by the late emperor. He and his brother, one of them was outstanding and took all the glory and risks, while the other was in obscurity, pretending to be a playboy and fighting chickens and running dogs all day to create the illusion of being useless.

In Bodhi Temple, he encountered Xie Chuji being bullied by the boy of Fan family, so he could only teach Fan Shengnian a lesson in the name of his brother. In

order to avoid his hiding his shortcomings from being discovered and for the sake of Xie Chuji's reputation, the matter of Bodhi Temple was covered up. However, the news of his saving people still reached the ears of the late emperor, and the Mu family was even more suspected. His parents had no choice but to propose marriage to the

Xie family on behalf of his brother in order to dispel the late emperor's doubts. His brother was the undisputed number one son in the world, and Xie Chuji was famous for her talent and beauty, making her the first choice for the sons of aristocratic families. Once the marriage was decided, almost everyone in the world would say that they were a perfect match made in heaven. At that time, he only thought that Xie Chuji was an interesting girl. In the face of the crisis of the family's survival, what was the admiration that began with a single encounter? The admiration for Xie Chuji gradually turned into affection after something happened in the Mu family and his brother broke off the engagement with the Xie family. Others avoided the Mu family for fear of getting into trouble. Only she rushed over regardless and tried to pull the Mu family out of the quagmire. At that time, Xie Chuji was waiting in front of the Mu family like now, begging to see Mu Xuanqing. His brother was carrying the burden of the family on his shoulders, and he could not find the slightest tenderness to face the love affair between his son and daughter. He was a little jealous of his brother - there was such a girl who was loyal to him and shared weal and woe with him. With this concern, it was easier to notice Xie Chuji in the future. But after his brother passed away, Xie Chuji regarded him as his brother. Year after year, day after day, he sent letters to him, stubborn and obstinate. It was also from those letters that Chi Qing learned that Xie Chuji's love for his brother originated from the rescue at Bodhi Temple. He couldn't imagine what would happen if Xie Chuji knew that it was actually him who saved people that day. In his heart, Chi Qing might have hoped that Xie Chuji would like him as much as he liked his brother, but whenever he thought of his brother who died tragically on the battlefield for the family, and thought of his feelings for Xie Chuji, he felt ashamed. That was the girl who had been engaged to his brother, respected by him, but in the end, his brother cruelly left her to protect her. Moreover, a hero saving a beautiful girl would become a good story, but what about a ruffian saving a beautiful girl? He was not his brother, and he did not have the world's praise and honor. He was just a notorious playboy. If a girl was saved by him, she would probably say thank you and then do her best to distance herself from him. He did not dare to see Xie Chuji because he knew that the truth was too cruel for both of them. It is better not to meet than to meet. Xie Chuji finally forced the answer she had been looking for. The sky cleared up after the rain, and the grass and trees outside the window were lush and green. To avoid suspicion, the two chose to meet at Jiang Yanyi's Ruyi Building. Xie Chuji had just recovered from illness and her complexion was a little bad. She, who usually wore a plain face, also put on her makeup for the first time. She liked to play chess and would carry her exquisite chessboard wherever she went.

In her own words, playing chess can calm people down.

Chi Qing hadn't come yet, so she played a game with herself, but it was obviously not to her liking, and Xie Chuji kept frowning.

When the door of the private room creaked, Xie Chuji dropped a chess piece, and her heartbeat quickened.

When she looked up and saw that handsome face, Xie Chuji burst into tears before she could say a word.

Chi Qing did not sit down, but walked to the window, stood by the window somewhat lazily, and stated the cruel fact in a calm tone: "I heard that Miss Xie came to me to confirm whether I am her brother. Then I will tell Miss Xie today that I am not, and Miss Xie has recognized the wrong person."

Xie Chuji's hand holding the chess piece tightened, and she said with a trembling voice: "Do you have a scar under your ribs?"

"Yes, isn't it the one given to me by Miss Xie in the Bodhi Temple that year?" Chi Qing's tone was lazy, just like the tone he used when he talked to Xie Chuji when he first met her in the Bodhi Temple.

Just when a little hope rose in Xie Chuji's eyes, Chi Qing said, "I think Miss Xie has heard about how bad my reputation is in the capital. If I didn't use my brother's name, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to scare the boy from the Fan family."

It turned out that the truth that she had been pursuing for so long was actually like this.

Even with rouge on, Xie Chuji's face still turned pale.

Chi Qing couldn't bear to watch, so she turned her eyes to the window and said in a casual tone, "When my brother was alive, he always hoped that Miss Xie would live a happy life. My brother has passed away for a long time, and I hope Miss Xie will mourn."

Xie Chuji's eyes slowly turned red. She stared at Chi Qing's profile without blinking and asked, "What about you?"

"He hopes I will live a happy life, what about you?"

The room was silent, and the breathing and the slight inhalation due to sobbing were clearly audible.

Chi Qing's back was stiff for a moment, and after a while he said, "I also hope that Miss Xie will be happy and carefree for the rest of her life."

After Chi Qing left Ruyi Tower, Jiang Yanyi went up to see Xie Chuji.

Xie Chuji held the black pieces in one hand and the white pieces in the other, continuing to break the half-finished game. Her eyes were red with tears, but she stubbornly refused to shed a single tear.

Jiang Yanyi did not say anything, but sat quietly beside her to accompany her.

After Xie Chuji finished the game, Jiang Yanyi hadn't said anything to comfort him yet, but Xie Chuji said, "I heard that your store has launched a hot pot that is so spicy that it can make people cry. I'm greedy today, so I want to try it."

Jiang Yanyi's store used to make hot pot with dogwood, but recently they started to use chili peppers to stir-fry the hot pot base. The aroma was so tempting that people on the street couldn't walk.

However, because the taste of the chili peppers was so overbearing, and the reputation of the hot pot made of the priceless red peppers, only a very small number of wealthy merchants could afford it.

Although the authentic red soup hot pot has not yet been popularized by the whole people, the edible value of chili has been hyped up. The price of pepper is higher than gold, and chili will only be more expensive. Jiang Yanyi holds the chili resources in her hands, and the wealthy businessmen from other states all take the initiative to come to Jiang Yanyi to get close to her.

She tried her best to attract wealth from other places to Xizhou so that the people of Xizhou could have enough food to eat. At the same time, she spent a lot of money to repair the roads to facilitate the transportation of goods to other states.

The people had hope for a better life, and they all remembered Jiang Yanyi's kindness. Even the newly built road was named after Jiang Yanyi's Ruyi Building, called "Ruyi Road".

The previous gossips behind her back were all covered up by various praises.

Jiang Yanyi went to the back kitchen and prepared the dishes herself and asked the waiter to bring them to the private room.

She was afraid that Xie Chuji couldn't eat spicy food, so she asked someone to prepare a hot pot. The red soup was bright red, and there were a lot of dried chilies floating on it. Just looking at it made people afraid to pick up their chopsticks.

In contrast, the clear soup was translucent, with green onions and mushrooms floating on it. It was light and fragrant, and more in line with the taste of the ancients.

A red soup hot pot without tripe would be soulless. Now with Ruyilou's strong financial resources and influence in Xizhou City, it is much easier for Jiang Yanyi to buy beef than before.

Even some wealthy families would bring the prepared meat to Ruyilou if they thought their chefs didn't cook it well, and give money to Ruyilou to help them cook it.

Xie Chuji insisted on eating red soup, so Jiang Yanyi helped her to cook a piece of tripe.

The palm-sized tripe was put into the pot, and the water in the red soup gurgled and instantly coated the specially made extended hot pot wooden chopsticks with a layer of red oil.

As the water boiled, the ingredients and chili peppers in the pot alternately floated to the surface of the water, and the spicy aroma spread out of the private room. Diners passing by the door of the private room couldn't help but stop and smell it, swallow their saliva, and sigh "It smells so good."

Jiang Yanyi picked up the tripe and dipped it in the red soup seven or eight times. When he saw that it was cooked, he put it in a dish of oil and handed it to Xie Chuji.

The oil dish contains freshly squeezed sesame oil, which is extremely fragrant. There are also scallions and coriander in it. Mix the tripe in the dish, and the red oil on the tripe will melt into the dish. The spicy feeling of the tripe is slightly reduced, and the aroma is enhanced and the heat is cleared. It is spicy, crispy and tender when chewed, and it is very refreshing.

After finishing a piece of tripe, Xie Chuji quickly poured a cup of simmered flower tea and drank it, then nodded at Jiang Yanyi: "The thick red sauce tastes better than any dish I've ever tasted. I don't know what this ingredient is, the taste is very strange, I've never tasted it before."

Jiang Yanyi put a piece of beef into her plate and said a little hesitantly: "What I just ate was tripe."

Xie Chuji's hand holding the chopsticks paused, and she almost vomited reflexively.

Jiang Yanyi hurriedly took the spittoon and handed it to her.

Xie Chuji gulped twice and drank some scented tea to relieve herself before she felt better. She looked at Jiang Yanyi with great guilt and said, "Sorry, I'm so rude..."

Jiang Yanyi said awkwardly, "It's my fault for not asking you in advance."

Xie Chuji shook her head repeatedly, "There is no such thing as expensive or cheap meat in the world. Aren't they all for filling the stomach? The tripe just now was delicious."

She seemed to want to prove that what she said was true and pretended to eat the tripe again. Jiang Yanyi looked at her pale face and hurriedly stopped her, "I just like to eat this. I'm greedy today, so leave it to me."

Xie Chuji still looked very guilty.

Jiang Yanyi picked up a cooked beef meatball with a spoon and put it on Xie Chuji's plate, "Eat something else."

The ancients did not eat animal offal. Jiang Yanyi herself did not like to eat some dirty things, but she was not immune to beef tripe.

Speaking of offal, she found out a few days ago that the waiters in the building threw away all the chicken offal, saying that it was just a little bit, and the fishy smell was too strong to handle, so it was inedible.

Ruyilou's business is now bigger, and the waiters sometimes waste food, and Chef Yao can't keep an eye on it. Jiang Yanyi was quite annoyed. Two days after she put Huo Jianjia in Ruyilou, the waiters immediately became obedient. Now they have to ask the manager of the restaurant for permission before throwing anything away.

She was in a good mood, and after making chicken offal noodles for the staff of Ruyi Building, the staff there now treasured chicken offal.

Towards the end of the meal, Xie Chuji, whether because of the spiciness or because she could no longer suppress her sadness, cried while eating. She drank two glasses of wine and was probably drunk again. With a red face, she asked Jiang Yanyi, "You liked the son of the Lu family so much, how did you let him go?"

Jiang Yanyi almost choked to death on the coriander pork meatballs he had just swallowed. After a while, he said, "If it's not worth it, let it go."

"Worth it? What do you mean by worth it? It's just a matter of thinking about it or not." Xie Chuji's eyes were hazy, but still revealed a sense of sadness.

Jiang Yanyi thought she was talking about Prince Mu, and sighed, "Chuji, in fact, life is not just about love. We still have many things to do. Some things, leaving them in memory is a kind of treasure."

Xie Chuji seemed to nod, and then seemed to be completely drunk, knocking his head on the table when he fell.

Jiang Yanyi saw Xie Chuji drunk last time. There was actually not much difference between her being drunk and not drunk. At most, she spoke more directly and boldly than usual. After saying what she wanted to say, she fell asleep. Jiang Yanyi had

no choice but to call Huo Jianjia in to help help Xie Chuji get on the carriage.

After Huo Jianjia entered the house, she kept glancing at the hot pot. After she picked up Xie Chuji with her small body, she asked Jiang Yanyi, "Boss, can we take this soup home to eat with hot pot in the evening?"

Jiang Yanyi nodded readily, "Pack it up and take it away."

Chili peppers were a rare commodity in this era, and a hot pot would use a lot of chili peppers. She wished she could eat it as two meals.

Huo Jianjia said, "Send some to Sister Qiukui as well."

The two of them had a good relationship. Whenever Huo Jianjia ate something delicious, she would think of leaving a portion for Qiukui and send it to the noodle shop when she had time.

Jiang Yanyi said, "Just call Qiu Kui over."

Huo Jianjia said, "She can't go out now, and she can't eat. She's just like Madam An Shao. She throws up when she smells oil."

Jiang Yanyi was stunned: "You mean, Qiu Kui is pregnant?"

Huo Jianjia nodded, "Sister Qiu Kui said that after the fetus is stable in three months, she and the blacksmith will come to kowtow to you to thank you."

Qiu Kui herself would never have thought of these things. It should be Luo the blacksmith who taught her.

Jiang Yanyi was happy, but more of a relief.

When Qiu Kui was with her before, she thought Qiu Kui didn't understand, so she didn't teach Qiu Kui these social things. After Qiu Kui was with the blacksmith, the blacksmith patiently taught her these things, and Qiu Kui learned very well.

Jiang Yanyi said, "Why didn't you tell me such good news earlier? When you go back, bring some supplements to see her for me so that she can have a good pregnancy."

She was originally most worried about Qiu Kui and Chu Yangui. Now Qiu Kui has her own family and will be a mother in the future. Jiang Yanyi is relieved. She is still a little worried about Chu Yangui.

The boy is growing up day by day, and slowly, she can't see through him.

Since the beginning of summer, Huaicheng had its first heavy rain, which not only triggered mountain torrents, but also caused landslides.

Huaicheng had heavy rains in previous years, but it has never been as severe as this year.

Wars and natural disasters are often the times when people's hearts are most easily shaken.

The mud and sand rolled down from the landslide blocked the official road. When the government officials went to clear the roadblocks and found the stone tablet engraved with the injustice for the Mu family, even the officers and soldiers were shocked and broke out in cold sweats, not to mention the ordinary people who were already suffering from the natural disaster. For

a time, the people of Daxuan Dynasty were in panic, and the voices that the emperor was immoral and persecuted loyal officials snowballed.

The people of Huaicheng vented their anger at the court on the local government. The officials were so powerful in the past, but now they are so wicked. Even if they have swords, they can't resist a hundred or so people throwing mud and stones.

The people even directly robbed the government granary.

The prefect of Huaicheng was miserable and at a loss, when his subordinates reported that someone wanted to see him and claimed that he could solve the problem of Huaicheng.

The prefect of Huaicheng received the visitor immediately.

The visitor was a handsome young man who looked not yet twenty years old. He had disabled legs and sat on a wooden wheelchair. Next to him was a man with a yellow face and short beard, who looked like a martial artist.

The prefect of Huaicheng sat on the armchair and said in a rather arrogant manner: "The people below reported that you have a way to control the flood in Huaicheng?"

Chu Yangui did not take the prefect's contempt seriously and said calmly: "I can't control floods. What I want to help you control is the people's hearts."

The prefect of Huaicheng narrowed his already small eyes, with a sense of sophistication and calculation in them: "The people's hearts? How about you? What is the cure?"

Chu Yangui said indifferently: "Rebellion."

The prefect of Huaicheng felt that the head on his neck suddenly became light, and the blood in his body almost flowed backwards. He slammed the table and shouted angrily: "How dare you! Come, catch this guy for me!"

The guards wanted to touch Chu Yangui, but Chu Zhong didn't even unsheathe the knife on his waist, and knocked down the seven or eight guards who rushed into the room with his bare hands.

A guard drew his knife and wanted to chop someone, but he directly picked up the knife and the knife fell on the low table next to the prefect of Huaicheng, just a millimeter away from his hand that was slamming the table. The prefect of

Huaicheng was frightened and sweated coldly. When he took his hand away, it was shaking like sieve chaff.

Chu Yangui's expression remained the same, still looking gentle and harmless: "My lord, just listen to me and I will tell you in detail. Why are you so angry?"

The prefect of Huaicheng stuttered, "You...you say."

"The grain warehouse in Huaicheng was robbed. Do you know what crime this is?"

The prefect of Huaicheng said, "The lighter one is demotion, and the heavier one is beheading."

Chu Yangui smiled and said, "Since you know that if you are loyal to the court, you will end up with these two outcomes. Why not follow the will of the people, rebel against the court, and join the army of the King of Liaoning?"

The prefect of Huaicheng came to his senses and sneered, "Are you the King of Liaoning's man?"

Chu Yangui asked back, "Do you think that if the King of Liaoning wants to take the land of Huaicheng, he needs to send lobbyists?"

Huaizhou is a small place, located downstream of Yuzhou and bordering Qingzhou. Although there are grain warehouses, it is only a small supply point and is not considered a military stronghold on the map of Daxuanyu.

If the King of Liaoning takes a fancy to this land, I am afraid he can take it in less than half an hour.

The prefect of Huaizhou was silent.

Chu Yangui then continued, "The people of Huaicheng are rebelling against the court, not you, sir. If you comply with the will of the people, you can continue to sit firmly in the position of prefect, and you may even be rewarded with a promotion for surrendering."

The prefect of Huaizhou was still hesitant: "If the King of Liaoning is defeated by the court's heavy cavalry in the future..."

Chu Yangui interrupted him, his expression stern: "Even if the King of Liaoning only has a few remnants of his army, do you think he can't take down Huaicheng?"

Chu Yangui made all the choices obvious.

If you don't surrender now, you will be beaten down in the future.

The prefect of Huaizhou gritted his teeth and made a decision quickly: "Rebellion!"

Chu Yangui's mouth corners slightly raised.

When Chu Zhong pushed Chu Yangui away, he whispered to him: "Young Master, do you want to use Huaicheng as a token of your surrender?"

Chu Yangui's eyes were as dark as ink: "I want more than just Huaicheng."

This time he took advantage of the Fengshuo stele incident. With a pretext, he could easily incite the people.

No matter how weak the Huaicheng government was, a group of refugees still couldn't directly rob the government. It was his careful planning and the plan to rob the granary for the people who were instigated by him that led to the successful robbery of the granary.

The granary was the main driving force for the Huaicheng prefect to surrender. As long as the granary was still there, the Huaicheng prefect was not afraid of being held accountable by the court, and the possibility of surrender was zero.

Without the granary, the best choice for the Huaicheng prefect was to surrender to Fengshuo.

The counties and prefectures neighboring Huaicheng would be terrified when they saw Huaicheng surrender without a fight. It would be much easier for him to lobby them then.

After all, there was a leader, and the situation in the world had come to this point. No one did not seek self-protection.

Even if he couldn't take the whole Qingzhou, he had to take half of it.

He will step into the political situation step by step, and will use his ability to make Feng Shuo's staff remember his name, instead of being called Chu Changping's youngest son and the princess's younger brother for the rest of his life.