Chapter 155

Jiang Yanyi was a little confused. Counting the days, it was indeed her birthday in a few days.

It was also a coincidence that her and the original person's birthdays were actually on the same day.

If Feng Shuo didn't say anything, Jiang Yanyi almost forgot about his birthday.

She asked, "How did you know that my birthday was coming soon?"

Feng Shuo gently twirled the hem of her clothes with his fingertips, and said unhurriedly: "I knew it when we exchanged Geng Tie."

Jiang Yanyi suddenly realized that when they got engaged, the matchmaker was going to get the money. The birth dates and horoscopes of both parties are used to tell fortunes.

She asked funnyly: "What did the fortune teller say, do we have a good match?"

Feng Shuo glanced at her and said: "A match made in heaven."

These words hit Jiang Yanyi's point of laughter, and she almost couldn't stand upright with laughter.

Feng Shuo's eyes showed a helpless look. Jiang Yanyi was thin-skinned, but compared to the ancient people who were born and raised there, he was not as shy about many topics.

Feng Shuo went back to the desk and took out the pen and ink. "You lie down on the couch. I will You paint."

Jiang Yanyi pulled at the dress that he had lifted to her shoulders, and turned to look at Feng Shuo, as if to say, "That's it?"

She was wearing a lilac-colored chest-length top and a snow-white top. The fine gauze dress, now half of it fell to the crook of her arm, and the other half was draped over her other shoulder. Her slightly messy black hair fell down, half covering her snow-white shoulders, making her look naturally charming

. This level may have been sensual enough for the ancients, but in modern times, it is considered conservative even for artistic photos.

Jiang Yanyi lay down on the couch without any worries. After getting into position, she felt like she was about to do something. She stood up and went to the window to pick a pink hibiscus. When she lay down on the couch, she placed the flower on her lips

. Shuo said, "You can paint now."

Her clothes were too plain, and the painting was a bit out of place, but with a hibiscus flower on her lips, she looked very charming.

The light pink flower would not be too eye-catching. , which matched the color of her clothes and brought out her demeanor.

Feng Shuo half-closed his eyes and looked at Jiang Yanyi for a long time before he picked up his brush and started painting on the paper.

Jiang Yanyi thought that he would have to hold this position until his neck got sore, but Feng Shuo painted unexpectedly fast.

When he said "finished", the desk was already a mess except for the painting, stained with various colors of paint . There were even more brushes.

Jiang Yanyi took off the hibiscus from his mouth, pulled up his clothes and ran over to see it with great interest.

It must be said that Feng Shuo's painting skills were really amazing. Not only did he paint realistic portraits, but he also had a camera from the past. The kind of mood that can't be captured.

Jiang Yanyi thought this was a sexy painting, but in the painting, the incense burner was filled with smoke, the hibiscus flowers outside the window were pink and white, and she was half lying on the couch holding a hibiscus, her eyes lingering with amorous glances. There was something both affectionate and ruthless in her eyes, full of sophistication, without a trace of vulgarity.

Jiang Yanyi was very satisfied and half-jokingly said to Feng Shuo: "With your painting skills, even if you are not a prince, you can probably make a fortune by painting for people on the street."

Feng Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly: "It's not "There are many people who can let me paint for them."

Jiang Yanyi quickly flattered him: "Your Majesty, your brushwork is so good, it would be a pity if you don't paint a few masterpieces."

Feng Shuo teased: "Well, a masterpiece The treasure is here."

Jiang Yanyi blinked: "Are you willing to show it to others?"

Feng Shuo looked at Jiang Yanyi. Of course he was reluctant.

Feng, who was defeated, leaned forward slightly, leaned close to Jiang Yanyi's ear, and said with a hint of joking He said slowly in a tone: "This is a family heirloom that I kept for myself."

The hot air he exhaled sprayed all over Jiang Yanyi's ears. Jiang Yanyi felt his ears were very itchy and could not help but dodge.

Feng Shuo chuckled. Jiang Yanyi glared at him, took the painting and was about to leave. "I should go back now."

Feng Shuo relied on his long arms to reach around her shoulders and hold down a section of the scroll. This position was equivalent to trapping Jiang Yanyi. Between his arms and his desk, the man in question said in a businesslike tone: "Why are you in such a hurry? I'll write another poem."

He had previously written a poem for his antique soup shop, which attracted many scholars and poets. Many people rushed to the store to check in. Jiang Yanyi was confident in his talent and was really looking forward to his poem.

Feng Shuo changed a wolf hair brush and dipped it in ink, and wrote a poem in cursive script in the upper left corner of the painting.

His calligraphy It is also a unique piece, vigorous and unrestrained, with a sense of romantic spirit.

After writing the poem, Feng Shuo lowered his eyes and asked her, "Do you recognize it?"

Jiang Yanyi thought to herself that although the calligraphy she practiced was not cursive, how could she not recognize words? Who was she looking down on?

She read the poem on the painting seriously . : "The smile in the dream opens her pretty face, and her eyes are like falling flowers. The marks on the mat are on her jade wrist, and her sweat... soaks the red gauze..." ①

Jiang Yanyi was stunned for a moment, and then she realized that he was writing an obscene poem. Jiang Yan blushed and raised her fist to hit him: "You are teasing me!"

Feng Shuo laughed loudly.

Jiang Yan was angry and rolled up the painting to take it away, but Feng Shuo snatched it away again. He said, "Since it's a birthday gift, it should be given to you on your birthday."

Jiang Yanyi snorted at him, picked up the hem of her skirt, and trotted out of his courtyard.

Feng Shuo looked at her from behind, and couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

Why was she so lovable?

In a blink of an eye, it was October 9th, a few days before Jiang Yanyi's birthday, and Feng Shuo personally led his troops to the front line again. They had to set off for the capital. They were destined not to be able to celebrate their birthday together.

Now that the area north of Hengzhou was basically stable, Jiang Yanyi only brought a thousand followers with him.

Thinking that there were not many lakes in the capital, There wasn't a lot of crabs in the area, so Jiang Yanyi brought a jar of drunken crabs back to Beijing.

Feng Shuo loved drinking, and drunken crabs had a wine aroma that pleased him very much. The drunken crabs Jiang Yanyi had made before were almost as delicious as the ones he had eaten before . He had almost finished eating them, so before leaving Hengzhou she specially pickled another jar of crabs for Feng Shuo.

After a long journey, Jiang Yanyi arrived at the post station on the night of his birthday. He personally went to the kitchen to make a bowl of longevity noodles to reward himself.

Aunt Guo knocked on the door and came in with a big wooden box, saying with a smile on her face: "Boss, happy birthday."

Jiang Yanyi was slightly stunned. Besides being delighted, she was also somewhat touched in her heart: "How did my aunt know that it was my birthday today?"

She had been busy on the road these days and had not told anyone else about her birthday.

Aunt Guo said, "Before the prince left for the war, he told me that this is the birthday gift he prepared for you."

Jiang Yanyi originally thought that the box contained a gift from Aunt Guo, but when she heard that it was from Feng Shuo, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of anticipation.

The main reason was that the box was square and quite large, and it seemed that it could hold a lot of things. Jiang Yanyi's intuition told her that it shouldn't be the painting.

She opened the box and was really dazzled by what she saw, and her lips curled up.

In the box was a lit revolving lantern with an exquisitely crafted lampshade. On each side of the lantern screen was her portrait, lying or standing, walking or still. Each one was lifelike and extremely vivid.

As the heat from the candle flames in the lantern rose, the revolving lantern began to rotate slowly, and her portrait on the wall became coherent, painted according to her activities from morning to night.

Seeing that Jiang Yanyi liked it, Aunt Guo was also very happy from the bottom of her heart. She had been holding back for so many days and had not told Jiang Yanyi that Feng Shuo had prepared a gift for her, just waiting to light the revolving lantern tonight and show it to her in person.

Aunt Guo smiled from ear to ear: "I have lived to this age, but I have never seen a lantern as beautiful as this one. From painting the wall to polishing the lamp frame, the prince worked alone in his room every night after handling government affairs."

Jiang Yanyi felt that the candlelight in the lantern seemed to shine into her heart, filling her chest with warmth.

That night, she placed the lantern in front of her bed, lying on the bed with her hands supporting her chin, staring at the lantern in a daze, and occasionally reaching out to adjust the tassels on the lantern.

"I only have one wish for my birthday this year, that you stay safe on the battlefield."

The moonlight pouring in through the gauze window was as white as frost, and the night wind blew in through the cracks in the window lattices that were never closed, adding a bit of coolness to the room.

The night in Hengzhou was equally chilly, with a crescent moon hanging high in the sky.

After Feng Shuo finished processing the last volume of official documents, he rubbed his brows and looked up at the deep night outside the tent. Was it almost midnight?

There was a rolled-up painting next to the bamboo basket where the documents were piled. He reached out and stroked the scroll, murmuring, "Ayi, happy birthday." He

was unable to spend a good birthday with her this year, but after completely resolving the war in the south, he would spend every birthday with her in the future.

Because there was no rush this time, it was more than ten days later when Jiang Yanyi returned to the capital with a thousand men.

The Chu family went to the capital for a few days first, and Chu Changping recuperated in the Chu Mansion. Now Chu Chengmao was basically handling all the big and small things in the capital.

Chu Chengmao became famous for killing the King of Xinyang. After seeing his methods, some old officials in the capital who tried to make things difficult for him by relying on their seniority knew that he was not a decent person like Chu Changping, and they no longer dared to provoke this young man who seemed easy to talk to but was actually full of calculations.

Mrs. Chu was old and tired from the long journey. She heard that Chu Changping was seriously injured and was too worried. She fell ill on the road. Although she saw Chu Changping after arriving in the capital, she was still weak and bedridden. She invited many doctors to diagnose her, but there was no improvement. After

Jiang Yanyi arrived at the Chu family, he learned that Mrs. Chu was ill. He went to visit her without even changing his clothes.

When Madam Chu saw Jiang Yanyi, she couldn't help but scold her: "I know that you are a child who has your own ideas about everything, but at that critical moment, you went south without notifying your family. Are you trying to make grandma anxious to death?"

Jiang Yanyi knelt in front of the bed and admitted her mistake: "Grandma, don't be angry. I am sending your granddaughter south to do my part for the people of the world..."

Madam Chu wanted to scold her, but when she saw that the little flesh on Jiang Yanyi's face that had grown during the Chinese New Year was gone, she couldn't help but feel distressed: "You only care about the people of the world, have you ever thought about grandma? I heard that your merchant ship was hijacked, and grandma was so worried that she couldn't sleep well for several days and nights. If something really happens to you, how will grandma explain to your mother when she gets there?"

"Grandma, what are you talking about? You are in good health, and you can live another twenty years." Jiang Yanyi said hurriedly.

Xue also comforted her: "Grandma, you are just worried too much, and you are sick. Look, isn't Ayi doing well? Uncle San can get out of bed now, and the injuries on his body are not serious."

Old Madam Chu said: "Don't worry, even if Prince Yan sends a little ghost to seduce me, I will not leave."

She turned her head to look at Jiang Yanyi and said: "Grandma has to watch you get married for your mother. My girl Yi has suffered a lot, but no one can take away the wealth in her life. When the King of Liaonan came to propose marriage, your father and I were unwilling to agree to this marriage, fearing that you would suffer in that rich mansion in the future."

"Now that the Liaonan King is about to ascend the throne, my grandmother is even more uneasy. Once you enter the palace, you will be trapped in a deep sea. But the date of your marriage with the Liaonan King has been set, and there is no turning back. On the bright side, this is a blessing that others can't even ask for, and it can't be avoided, so let's keep this blessing. Your father and brother have made great contributions this time, and the Chu family will have weight in the court in the future. Even if the Liaonan King's feelings for you fade, he will not dare to treat you badly for the sake of the Chu family."

Jiang Yanyi knew what Mrs. Chu was worried about. The old lady was worried that she would lose favor in the future. With a palace wall between them, it would be difficult to even see her, let alone support her. But if the Chu family stood up and broke off the engagement, not to mention how the Chu family would live after offending Feng Shuo, she would have no hope of finding a husband again, after all, no one dared to offend the royal family.

She held the old hand of Mrs. Chu with both hands and said, "Don't worry, grandma. I believe that the prince is not such a heartless person."

Mrs. Chu sighed and said, "Silly girl, don't bet everything on a man's heart. This kind of affection is strong when it is strong, but it will fade away if it is said to be weak. Since ancient times, which emperor did not have three palaces and six courtyards? If you are expecting him to be good to you alone in the future, you will have to suffer. If you have a child, your future will be easier. Have you been taking the prescription that grandma gave you years ago?"

Jiang Yanyi said vaguely, "I have taken it."

It was a prescription for regulating women's menstruation, and it is said to help conceive offspring. Jiang Yanyi drank the medicine purely because she had a cold uterus before. Every time she had her period, she was in pain. After taking the medicine, she is obviously not in pain now.

Mrs. Chu was satisfied, and gave Jiang Yanyi a few more instructions, asking her to go see Chu Changping.

Perhaps because he was injured too badly this time, when Jiang Yanyi saw Chu Changping, he felt that he had lost a lot of weight. If it weren't for his heroic stature and facial features, he would have been comparable to those skinny civil officials.

"Yan Gui plans to move your mother's grave to the Chu family's cemetery before the New Year. What do you think?" Chu Changping was writing something on the desk. He was wearing a Confucian robe, with wide sleeves hanging down from his forearms, making him look even thinner.

Jiang Yanyi said, "I should fulfill my filial duty."

Chu Changping nodded and said, "You will be leaving the palace in the next year. It is unknown whether the King of Liaonan will ascend the throne or get married first. Your grandmother wants to prepare both the wedding dress and the empress's dress. Otherwise, when the King of Liaonan returns, I am afraid that time will be tight and there will be no time to prepare any decent clothes." Jiang Yanyi

nodded and said, "I will follow your and grandmother's orders in everything."

Chu Changping continued, "It is said that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Now everything in the mansion is taken care of by your sister-in-law. Your grandmother should have told her to prepare the fabric for the wedding dress. You can go to her and pick out the patterns and colors you like. What style you want, whether you want Su embroidery or Shu embroidery, just tell her."

Jiang Yanyi said, "I don't need to worry about that."

Chu Changping glanced at her clothes and said, "You must be tired after the long journey. Go downstairs and wash up and rest."

Jiang Yanyi responded and retreated. When she reached the door, she turned around and saw Chu Changping's thin figure. She couldn't help but call out, "Uncle."

Chu Changping raised his head and asked Jiang Yanyi with his eyes if there was anything else.

Jiang Yanyi said with some sadness: "Please take care of yourself. The Chu family still needs you to support them."

Chu Changping knew that his niece was concerned about him, so he nodded and said to her: "Go and have a rest."

Jiang Yanyi then left the study.