Chapter 24 She is his taste

"The last general was a piece of shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"Look, it's all written on this notice! He allowed his youngest son to rob women and force them into prostitution! Fortunately, the new general is very observant and has found out the identities of those poor women. He has written a memorial to the capital, asking for the grace of the emperor to let those poor women go home!"

The notice posted at the city gate attracted onlookers, and the discussion reached Jiang Yanyi's ears. She turned her head almost instantly to look at the notice, and her heart was ecstatic.

At this time, the curtain of the carriage was completely lifted. The man in the carriage had a heroic face. Even if he was sitting, he was like an iron tower. He had a short beard and a stern look. It was Chu Changping who was preparing to leave the city with a coffin.

The originally arrogant guard was frightened by his aura, and his voice dropped three degrees: "What business are you in?"

Chu Changping handed over a bulging purse: "Spice business, some small-scale transactions."

The guard felt that this man had an extraordinary demeanor and was generous, so he did not make things difficult for him and signaled his men to let them out of the city.

Chu Changping nodded in thanks, and his eyes swept over the notice at the city gate, with a heavy look in his eyes. He lowered the car curtain and was about to look away, when he suddenly saw a short, black-faced man also rushing into the crowd reading the notice.

He tilted his head and struggled to squeeze in.

Chu Changping took a quick glance and was shocked, thinking that this man looked like his niece.

At this time, the carriage was leaving the city gate, so Chu Changping had no choice but to open the curtain and lean out most of his body to take a closer look.

"What are you doing!"

Seeing that he seemed to be going back into the city, the guards at the city gate shouted and pointed several spears at Chu Changping.

Seeing this, the confidants who were dressed as escorts put their hands on the hilts of their swords at their waists.

Chu Changping did not see the black-faced man in the crowd, but there were several men wearing the same clothes as the black-faced man crowded there to read the notice.

He recognized that it was the uniform of the miscellaneous troops of the Xizhou camp. Even if his niece was still alive, could she, a woman from a distant family, still join the army?

Chu Changping thought that he was just overthinking and had made a mistake. Now the most important thing was to transport the coffin back to the capital as soon as possible. If there was a conflict with the officers and soldiers, and they found the coffin, it would cause a lot of trouble.

He calmly made a gesture to let his confidants not to act rashly.

Then he bowed to the guard chief and said, "Don't blame me, sir. I just saw a man who looked like an old friend, so I left the city."

The guard chief still had the bulging purse in his arms, and he was reluctant to give, so he said impatiently, "Hurry up, there are so many people waiting behind!"

Chu Changping sat back in the carriage. With the sound of horse hooves, the carriage and several carts left Xizhou City one after another.

At the end of the winding official road are mountains. Today the sky is clear, and the carriage is getting farther and farther away in the bright sunlight, until it can no longer be seen.

Jiang Yanyi squeezed for a long time before squeezing in front of the notice. Looking at the black words on the white paper and the bright red seal of the Xizhou government office, she felt like she was dreaming.

If her household registration is also approved, she will be a good citizen of the Great Xuan Dynasty from now on!

With her own capital, it is feasible to open a store and do business.

Several firemen squeezed in together.

The people around them shouted in dissatisfaction: "What are you squeezing for?"

"My shoes fell off! Ouch...some blind person stepped on my foot!"

Several firemen kept apologizing: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Seeing that they were also soldiers, the others were a little jealous and stopped complaining after a few words.

Several firemen were illiterate and could not understand what was written on the notice, but there were people who could read the notice nearby, so they heard the general idea and then said to Jiang Yanyi with a happy face: "Master Jiang, you can leave the barracks!"

Jiang Yanyi was captured, and when she registered for the list of barrack prostitutes that day, the other women heard what she said.

The Firemen Camp had such a cute and charming camp prostitute who could cook well. The firemen had also privately inquired about Jiang Yanyi and knew that she was not sent here because of a crime.

When a fireman who was about thirteen or fourteen years old heard what the big guy said, he said, "Master Jiang is now a cook on the stove, and it's the same in the Xizhou Camp."

He licked his lips. The braised pork cakes made by Jiang Yanyi were delicious, and he wanted to have them every meal in the future.

A bearded fireman slapped him on the head and said, "How can it be the same? What does a kid know?"

The barracks were full of men, and there used to be camp prostitutes in the Xizhou camp. Even if you worked in the Fireman Camp, people would always point fingers at you, unless Jiang Yanyi stayed in the Fireman Camp all her life and never got married. But how could this be possible?

The younger fireman didn't understand these things. He touched his head and said to the bearded fireman unconvincedly, "I'm fourteen, not young!"

The bearded fireman laughed and said, "You're still young if you're a virgin!"

Someone next to him immediately elbowed him hard, "What are you talking about in front of Master Jiang!"

The bearded man realized that what he said was inappropriate and quickly apologized to Jiang Yanyi, "Master Jiang, I'm a rough man and I can't speak, please don't be offended!"

"It's okay, let's go find Zhao Tou'er." Jiang Yanyi read the notice from beginning to end several times and confirmed that the Xizhou camp was going to let the decent women go home. After being ecstatic, his mind was full of things about opening a hot pot restaurant.

He didn't pay attention to what the firemen said.

It was difficult to squeeze in, and it was also difficult to squeeze out. When they passed through the wall of people, Zhao Tou'er and several firemen who had no interest in reading the notice had already drunk half a bowl of tea in the teahouse.

Before Jiang Yanyi could speak, several firemen rushed to tell Zhao Tou'er the content of the notice. Those who didn't know would think that they had relatives trapped in the Xizhou camp and could finally return home.

After listening to this, Zhao Tou'er praised sincerely: "This newly appointed general is a good one. He not only improved the food of the soldiers in the army, but also increased the military pay. Now those captured girls can also escape from the sea of ​​suffering."

He turned his head to look at Jiang Yanyi: "Girl, what are you planning?"

Jiang Yanyi could tell that Zhao Tou'er was asking questions for Chef Li. This morning, when Chef Li taught her how to cook, she also felt that Chef Li was already teaching her as an apprentice.

If she was willing to stay in Huotouying, with the connections that Chef Li had built up over the past few decades, he would definitely find a way to keep her.

But she didn't want to stay in the barracks for the rest of her life.

Being tired was secondary. She just wanted to be free. Besides, the pockmarked face incident still haunted her. She

was lucky to be rescued last time, but what about next time? She

was very nervous when cooking for the generals, for fear of being punished if she didn’t do a good job.

If she opened a shop by herself, she could open it for the whole day if she was happy. If she was unhappy or had an emergency, she could open it for half a day or even not at all.

She had the final say in everything, and she didn’t have to worry about anyone’s face. There was no risk of being beheaded for not cooking well.

If she worked harder, all the money she earned would go into her own pocket.

This is probably the difference between being an employee and being your own boss.

She also wanted to save some money and buy a small courtyard in the Jiangnan area in a few years, raise a cat to keep her company, plant flowers and cook in her spare time, so that she could live a leisurely old age life in advance.

Jiang Yanyi said, "Tou'er Zhao, you and Master Li have taken care of me a lot during these days in Huotouying, and I am always grateful to you two. But my father taught me this cooking skill, and I still want to open a small shop by myself and pass on his signature."

Tou'er Zhao nodded: "You are a filial person. Since you want to open a shop, have you thought about the way to go?"

Jiang Yanyi shook her head.

She has been in the Xizhou camp since she came here, and this is her first time out.

The original owner has never been to Xizhou either.

When it comes to doing restaurant business, the more prosperous the better. The most prosperous place in the entire Xuan Dynasty is the capital, but Jiang Yanyi doesn't have the courage to go there, a place of trouble.

She might meet an acquaintance one day, and if she is recognized, the male protagonist might send someone to kill her again.

The border has been difficult since ancient times, but what surprised Jiang Yanyi was that Xizhou City was quite lively. While sitting in the teahouse for a while, she saw many peddlers walking through the street in front with their shelves.

At the door of the restaurant opposite, there was a Hu woman holding a pipa and singing songs, which attracted many men to stop. Several firemen who rarely came out were itching to go to the door of the restaurant opposite to listen to the songs.

Zhao Tou'er said, "If you have no place to stay after leaving the military camp, I have a relative who owns a shop in Xizhou City, which is connected to a courtyard. The location is good, next to the Protectorate. He is in the perfume business, but how many families outside the Great Wall can afford cosmetics?" "He

lost a lot of money. His wife was angry with him and took her son back to her parents' home in Jiangnan. He planned to sell the shop and settle down in Jiangnan with the money."

Jiang Yanyi was tempted at first, but when he heard that he had to buy both the shop and the courtyard, he was frightened.

She waved her hands and said, "Zhao Tou'er, how can I have so much money..."

The only huge sum of money he had at the moment was the one hundred taels of silver note, in addition to the two taels of silver rewarded by the "military advisor" last night, and the one hundred yuan reward for making tofu pudding before, adding up to a total of one hundred and three taels.

Apart from these, he only had a hundred or so copper coins earned from his private stove.

The shop that Zhao Tou'er mentioned had a good location and a courtyard, so I was afraid that it would cost at least three hundred taels to buy it.

Zhao Tou'er interrupted her and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't finished what I'm saying yet. He can't sell this shop for a while, so he plans to sell it out. He'll pay you 800 yuan a month. If you want to sell the shop, I'll take you to have a look and talk to him. It's not difficult to give you 100 yuan less."

After hearing this, Jiang Yanyi was completely moved.

When she was in Huotouying, she could earn 34 cents in the evening in her private stove. If she opened her own shop outside, she would only earn more.

Moreover, she had enough capital, so she didn't have to worry about not making enough money. She could sell the shop at a loss in the first month. She could make a name for herself first and then think about making money.

If the West Province is too poor and the restaurant business is not going to work, she will no longer be in that shop and will start over in a prosperous and bustling provincial capital.

Jiang Yanyi immediately said, "Then I'll trouble Zhao Tou'er to take me to have a look."

Zhao Tou'er has been in charge of purchasing for decades. He knows what vegetables to buy in what season and has long-term cooperation with fixed vegetable farmers. He only needs to send a message and leave a few trusted firemen to watch over it. After he finishes his work, he will come back to check that everything is fine and take it back to the barracks. When

the group arrived at the place to buy vegetables in the east of the city, Zhao Tou'er negotiated with a few vegetable farmers, gave a few instructions to a few firemen, and then took Jiang Yanyi to see the shop.

It was quite a distance from the east of the city to the main street of the Protectorate. Tou'er Zhao stopped a moored car and took the two of them there.

On the way, Jiang Yanyi found that there were quite a few restaurants, which was a good thing for Jiang Yanyi.

If there were so many people opening restaurants to sell food, it meant that there was a market. If no one ate in restaurants, naturally no one would open a restaurant.

However, the prosperity of Xizhou City was still beyond Jiang Yanyi's imagination. She asked, "Zhao Tou'er, Xizhou doesn't look rich, why are there so many restaurants?"

Zhao Tou'er said, "Women at home must eat at home, but in this border area, there are few female mice. Most of them are single. If they have some money, they either go to restaurants or get seduced by women in the brothels."

"Besides the Turks, there are also small countries such as Mengshan and Dayue outside Xizhou. There are often caravans coming back from outside the pass. Can the merchants make fire and cook by themselves?"

After listening to Zhao Tou'er's explanation, Jiang Yanyi had a general understanding of the consumer groups of Xizhou restaurants.

Caravans basically choose inns, with food and accommodation included, to save trouble.

If you open a small restaurant, you can't do the business of the caravan. The main target is still the local people of Xizhou.

After driving for about half a minute, they arrived at the main street of the Protectorate.

Jiang Yanyi looked at the houses on both sides of this street. They were much more magnificent than other places, with white walls and gray tiles. The restaurants and teahouses along the street were also very high-end and grand. Most of the shops on this street were tailors and shops selling gold and silver jewelry.

Jiang Yanyi asked, "Are the people living around here probably all high-ranking officials?"

Chef Li looked at her in surprise and nodded, "The officials all live here, and those ruffians don't dare to act recklessly in this area. You, a girl, can live here without worry."

This was something Jiang Yanyi hadn't considered yet. Zhao Tou'er was so thoughtful, and Jiang Yanyi was grateful to him.

The shop Zhao Tou'er was talking about was adjacent to the Protectorate.

The wall of the Protectorate was more than three feet higher than that of the shop. From a distance, the lintel of the shop was inexplicably low and a little pitiful.

In broad daylight, the door of the shop was closed.

Zhao Tou'er thought that something might have happened to his relative, so he knocked on the door and heard a middle-aged man's voice: "Who is it?"

"Nephew, it's me, your second uncle!" Zhao Tou'er shouted outside the door.

Jiang Yanyi looked at the name of the rouge shop, "Liu Ji".

Zhao Tou'er called the owner of the shop his nephew, so the owner's surname should also be Zhao, but the shop is called "Liu Ji". It reminds him that the owner's wife went back to her parents' home in Jiangnan, and Zhao Tou'er, the nephew, planned to sell the shop and the house together and go to Jiangnan.

Maybe the owner of the shop is a timid person, or his wife's family is powerful.

While she was still guessing, the door of the shop opened and a wealthy middle-aged man came out. He looked somewhat like Zhao Tou'er and had a moustache, but his was much thicker than Zhao Tou'er's.

When Zhao Tou'er saw his eldest nephew, he asked him a lot of questions, "Why are you closing the door in broad daylight? Aren't you going to do business?"

Speaking of business, Zhao Dabao's face was flushed. He said, "Last night, a caravan bought all the spices in my shop. I was thinking of selling the shop and making enough money before going to Jiangnan. Now that I have made back my capital, I plan to close the shop and go to Jiangnan first."

He saw Jiang Yanyi as soon as he finished speaking. Because Zhao Tou'er had been working in the Huotou Camp, he recognized that the military uniform on Jiang Yanyi was from the Huotou Camp, and asked, "Who is this young man..."

Zhao Tou'er asked for Jiang Yanyi. Jiang Yanyi replied, "She is a girl with a pitiful life. She wants to buy a store in Xizhou to open a restaurant. I thought your place wouldn't be able to sell for a while, so I brought her here to have a look."

Zhao Dabao felt at ease with the person introduced by his uncle. He didn't ask much about Jiang Yanyi and introduced her warmly, "My shop is in a good location. You won't have to worry about business if you buy it. Look at the floor tiles. They were blue and white tiles at that time. Only the Fulai Restaurant opposite on this street used this kind of tiles..."

Jiang Yanyi took a quick look. The shop outside had been cleaned up. It looked to be about 60 square meters with good lighting.

She said, "I want to see the courtyard inside."

Zhao Dabao quickly led Jiang Yanyi inside. He seemed to be packing things. There were many cages and boxes in the courtyard.

There was a two-foot wide flowerbed next to the courtyard wall. The bougainvillea planted had already climbed all over the courtyard wall. The lavender flowers bloomed in this late autumn, which was indescribably beautiful.

There were three rooms in the house, a main room, a side room, and a kitchen.

Zhao Dabao asked, "Miss, what do you think? I'm not bragging, but looking across the entire Duhufu Street, you will definitely not find a second house better than this one."

Jiang Yanyi said "not bad" and walked into the kitchen, only to find that there was a meter-wide open space behind the kitchen, and the meter-and-a-half-high wall opposite was the courtyard wall of the Duhufu.

She asked, "I run a restaurant and cook. After all, the kitchen is used all day long. Will it disturb the neighbors?"

Zhao Dabao said hurriedly, "Don't worry about that. The new general of Xizhou lives in this Protectorate Mansion. The general is usually in the barracks. There are only servants in the mansion. The whole Protectorate Mansion is empty. Moreover, it is adjacent to the Protectorate Mansion. You don't have to worry about those thieves and robbers when you live alone here."

Jiang Yanyi thought that the uncle and nephew talked in a strange way.

However, this shop and yard really suited Jiang Yanyi's taste, and she planned to rent it.

If it was another official family next door, Jiang Yanyi would still worry about it, but the new general is definitely an upright and good man!

Jiang Yanyi rescued the prostitutes in the camp as soon as he took office, loved the soldiers like his own sons, and now let these decent women go home. She automatically put on the image of Bao Qingtian.

She threw away all the rumors about how fierce the general was when she first arrived at Huotouying.

Jiang Yanyi asked Zhao Dabao when he would go to the south of the Yangtze River, and Zhao Dabao just said that he would go in the next two days.

Because of Zhao Tou'er's relationship, Jiang Yanyi rented the house to help Zhao Dabao out of his urgent need, and only charged Jiang Yanyi 500 yuan for a month's rent. Jiang Yanyi gave 100 yuan

as a deposit.

The lease contract will not be signed until Jiang Yanyi officially rents the house. Zhao Dabao was afraid that he would have gone to the south of the Yangtze River by then, so he entrusted Li Tou'er to help.

After discussing these matters, Zhao Dabao was about to send Zhao Tou'er and Jiang Yanyi out, but heard the sound of armor colliding outside.

Zhao Dabao looked through the crack of the door and found that the troops had already stood at the door of his house.

He didn't know what happened, so he said to Jiang Yanyi and Zhao Tou'er: "You guys go out later. For some reason, there are a lot of soldiers standing outside."

Jiang Yanyi thought to herself, could it be that the higher-ups knew that she had disguised herself to get out of the Xizhou camp, and now they wanted to arrest her and punish her?

After thinking carefully, she felt that she didn't have the guts to do that.

Outside the main street of the Protectorate, the black-armored guards stood from the beginning to the end of the street, one every two steps. Not even a fly dared to fly over. The shops along the street quickly closed their doors. No one made a noise, and no one dared to look around.

A luxurious sedan chair with gold and jade tassels was carried by eight people and slowly walked in.

Next to the sedan chair was an old woman wearing a dark blue vest. The pattern on the cuffs was made with double-thread backstitching, which was a needlework that only the embroiderers in the palace knew. She had a pair of jade bracelets of extremely fine quality on her hands, and an emerald jade hairpin on her hair.

But the old woman's overall style was even better than those old ladies from the official families, not to mention how rich the people in the sedan chair were.

Behind the old nanny followed four maids of good looks, all wearing pomegranate bodices and pleated flowered skirts. The cheapest one wore a red gold bracelet.

The sedan stopped in front of the main gate of the Protectorate, but the person in the sedan did not get off.

The sound of hurried horse hooves came from the long street in the distance. Looking up, I saw a man on horseback galloping towards me. The black cloak behind him rolled up in the cold wind, like a strong black cloud.

"Pray--"

The person tightened the reins three feet away from the sedan, and the warhorse he sat on raised its front hooves high, neighing before stopping.

It was Feng Shuo.

He dismounted and walked quickly to the front of the sedan chair, "Mother, I am late to welcome you."

The sedan chair drivers tilted the sedan chair forward, and the old nanny at the side opened the curtain. A pair of jade hands painted with bright red cardamoms placed on the old nanny's hands. The woman in the sedan chair, who was too beautiful to be an ordinary person, uttered only two cold words from her bright red lips: "Kneel down."

The old nanny at the side looked at her worriedly: "Mother..."

The Grand Empress Dowager was unmoved.

Feng Shuo was silent for a moment, then knelt on his knees.

The Grand Empress Dowager raised her lips coldly and stepped on Feng Shuo's back to get off the sedan chair.

The sleeves of her dress, embroidered with golden peonies, spread out behind her, sparkling with stars in the sunlight.

Four maids hurried forward to hold up the hem of her dress.

The Grand Empress Dowager looked at Feng Shuo, who was still kneeling in the same place, with a deep disgust in her eyes: "The son of a bastard is worthy of calling me?"

Nanny Song, who was holding her hand, tried to hide the pain in her eyes and said softly: "My queen, you must be tired from the journey. Go into the mansion and rest first."

The Grand Empress Dowager snorted coldly and was supported by Nanny Song into the mansion.

The old butler, who was over fifty years old, hurried forward to help Feng Shuo: "Prince, please get up quickly. The queen is just sick again..."

Feng Shuo looked at the direction where the Grand Concubine left, with something suppressed in his eyes, but his voice was surprisingly calm: "I know."

He turned his head and looked at the dead silent Duhufu Street, and ordered: "Let them all retreat. The people on this street still need to do business."

Seeing Feng Shuo like this, the butler couldn't tell for a moment whether he really didn't care or just endured it all, and stood there without moving.

Feng Shuo said coldly: "Don't you understand what I said?"

The butler then gave the leader of the Black Armor Guard a look, and the sound of neatly arranged armor colliding rang out, and the Black Armor Guards who blocked the entire Duhufu Street retreated like a tide.

But every household still kept their doors and windows closed.

Feng Shuo glanced at the bright sun above his head. The emotions that he had been deliberately suppressing were clamoring fiercely at this moment, but his face was still unreflective. He

only ordered the housekeeper: "Serve mother well, and follow her original habits in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation. There must not be any mistakes. Xizhou has been uneasy recently. I will go back to visit mother later."

The housekeeper agreed quickly.

All those who surrounded the street of the Protectorate today were his private soldiers. They had no eyes when they shouldn't see, and no ears when they shouldn't hear. No one would know what happened just now.

Feng Shuo led his horse back. He hurried back after receiving the letter from the Grand Concubine Dowager entering the territory of Xizhou. He didn't even bring his personal bodyguard Xing Yao.

The horse's hooves stepped on the bluestone tiles, making a clear and monotonous "thump" sound.

He narrowed his eyes, and the arc of his mouth raised ruthlessly and self-deprecatingly.

The veins on his hand holding the reins bulged because he was holding the reins too tightly, and there was even blood sliding down from his palm along the reins and dripping onto the bluestone tiles.

A mother and son suddenly appeared on the empty street in front of him. The mother looked like the young Empress Dowager, and was extremely beautiful. The child took on the appearance of his mother, a baby like a jade ball.

The mother was giggling with the child a second ago, and her eyebrows were full of tenderness.

The next second, the mother looked at the man in the dragon robe, tears streaming down her face. She bit her lips and raised her hand to hit the child hard, cursing as she hit him: "You son of a bastard, are you worthy enough to call me?"

Feng Shuo looked at the child who was crying and curled up in a ball after being beaten, but still reached out to hug his mother. He led his horse and walked past with an expressionless face.

He passed the mother and child.

The crying of the child and the mother disappeared in his ears, and the streets were empty. Everything was just a memory of his childhood buried deep in his heart.

The Imperial Palace.

Autumn in the south always comes later than in the north. The leaves of the ginkgo tree in front of Cining Palace have just turned green and yellow.

The empress dowager rested her head on a soft golden pillow, while a palace maid knelt on the bed, gently massaging her legs. A purple-gold beast-mouth incense burner beside her emitted wisps of smoke.

The empress dowager leaned on the couch, feeling more comfortable than ever before.

She married into the East Palace at the age of sixteen, and just after she gave birth to the emperor's eldest grandson, the crown prince was killed by a mob on his way to Jiangnan to control floods.

Everyone thought that her tenure as the crown princess would soon come to an end, but the late emperor never appointed another crown prince until his death, and instead passed the throne to her son.

She was the crown princess for twenty-two years with a heavy heart, and was only named the empress dowager on the day her son ascended the throne.

But she was still uncomfortable, because there was still a grand empress dowager above her who was oppressing her, even though she was a crazy woman.

Now, no one in this nine-story palace can be more powerful than her.

Maybe because she felt relieved, her voice was a little longer than usual: "Tinglan, did you say that the one from Ci'an Palace has arrived in Xizhou?"

Her first maid Tinglan said with a smile: "According to the date, she has arrived." The empress

dowager said in a light voice: "She is a blessed person. My son is thinking of taking her out."

Tinglan knew what the empress dowager wanted to hear, so she picked out what she liked to hear and said: "How can a crazy person be considered a blessed person? Xizhou is a notoriously poor place. How can it be compared with the imperial palace? Let me say that the most capable and blessed person in the world is you, the empress dowager. You taught His Majesty well, so that His Majesty can sit on the dragon throne."

The empress dowager's smile deepened. She was obviously very pleased with what she said, but when it came to the emperor, the empress dowager thought of her recent worries: "The prince is good in everything, except that he has fallen in love with that little bitch named Jiang!"

Tinglan said, "That Concubine Jiang is not very pretty, and Your Majesty is just looking for something new. Look at how the late emperor doted on the girl in Ci'an Palace? Didn't she almost die from a cup of poisonous wine? In terms of beauty, Concubine Jiang is not even worthy of carrying shoes for the girl in Ci'an Palace. When spring comes, another group of beauties will enter the palace. How will Your Majesty remember that ugly girl?"

The empress dowager did not respond. The girl in Ci'an Palace entered the palace shortly after she gave birth to the emperor's eldest grandson. It is not an exaggeration to say that the late emperor favored her more than any other girl in the six concubines. The Queen Mother was in a difficult situation

at that time. In order to stabilize the position of the Eastern Palace, she planted many spies in the palace. However, she heard a secret that the one in Ci'an Palace looked very similar to the late emperor's deceased empress.

The late emperor's empress died in childbirth when giving birth to the crown prince. The Queen Mother had never met her mother-in-law.

She was worried that the late emperor would appoint another crown prince. She bought the eunuchs who served in the late emperor's bedroom, but she learned from the eunuchs that every time the late emperor summoned the one in Ci'ning Palace to

sleep with him, he made her wear the clothes worn by the dead empress, imitate the empress's words and deeds, and even asked her to pretend to be the empress, scolding herself as a shameless vixen and a scumbag who climbed into bed... The one in Ci'an Palace went crazy because she was tortured by the late emperor for a long time.

Later, she could no longer tell whether she was the late emperor's empress or Concubine Li.

That was a pitiful person, but that poor person had been stepping on her head for so many years, and the son she gave birth to had made her fearful for decades. The empress dowager could no longer feel pity for the grand empress dowager.

She plucked the beads on her hand, and when she thought that the person was no longer in the palace, she felt relieved again: "Forget it, anyway, the one in Kunning Palace is already pregnant, so let her take good care of the baby. When she gives birth to the prince, who in the harem can surpass her?"

The one who lives in Kunning Palace is naturally the empress.

"I heard that Minister Jiang will come to the palace to see his beautiful daughter today. You should inform the eunuch who led the way and warn him that Concubine Jiang must abide by the palace rules after entering the palace! As a concubine, she has not even gone to the empress's palace to pay respects in the morning and evening. She is really shameless!"

Cangjiao Palace.

Jiang Yanxi sat on the edge of the bed, holding a royal blue robe in her hand and embroidering it slowly.

Her appearance was not so stunning, but she was very attractive, with a sharp nose and red lips, and she was delicate and lovely.

Her leather was as white as milk, and the ambiguous purple on her neck was particularly eye-catching. A strand of her black hair hung down in front of her body, half covering the marks, as if trying to cover them up made them more obvious.

The personal maid advised her, "You should have surrendered to His Majesty

a long time ago. His Majesty loves you the most." Jiang Yanxi's eyes were cold, "Why should I surrender to him?"

The maid thought she was just being stubborn and said, "Your clothes will be ready in a few days. His Majesty will be very happy when he sees them."

Jiang Yanxi suddenly dropped her needle and thread, "Who said this is for him?"

The maid quickly looked outside and saw that there was no one else in the hall, so she breathed a sigh of relief, "Your Majesty, don't say such things!"

She sewed a men's robe, but not for His Majesty. Wasn't she waiting to be beheaded?

Jiang Yanxi sneered and said, "He brought me into the palace without any reason, and now I can't even make a piece of clothing for my father?"

When the palace maid heard that the clothes were made for Minister Jiang, she breathed a sigh of relief and advised, "Your Majesty, why are you so stubborn? Young Master Lu has been demoted to the border. If you want him to have a better life, try to obey His Majesty."

Hearing this, Jiang Yanxi didn't feel any pain when the needle in her hand pierced her fingertips. The overflowing blood left a small dark spot on her robe. She closed her eyes, tears falling from her eyes: "I harmed Brother Lu..."

The maid was almost crying: "My queen, just think of it as for the sake of Master Lu and yourself, just forget him, don't mention his name anymore, what will His Majesty do if he finds out?"

Jiang Yanxi closed her eyes resigned to her fate, "Maybe one day he will get tired of me and let me go."

At this time, the maid's announcement came from outside, Minister Jiang is here.

Minister Jiang was wearing a purple official robe of the third rank, and had a long beard, which made him look more elegant.

The maid quickly retreated.

Jiang Yanxi looked at her father and cried bitterly.

After crying, she talked about the real reason why she sent a letter to ask Minister Jiang to come to the palace.

"Father, I accidentally heard His Majesty angry a few days ago. It seems that the Chu family has done something wrong. I am afraid that it will involve you."

Minister Jiang said, "The Chu family now has only the third master serving as an official in the court. He took office in Yongzhou. What could happen to His Majesty? There are many ministers with the surname Chu in the court. My son is too worried."

Jiang Yanxi shook his head: "I heard His Majesty say the three words Chu Changping with my own ears."

Minister Jiang couldn't help but frown. Thinking of his daughter who died in Xizhou, his face changed drastically. Could it be that Chu Changping, the warrior, ran to collect Jiang Yanyi's body in an impulse?

He said angrily: "That warrior, must he be angry for a moment and drag everyone into the water?"

Jiang Yanxi felt that Minister Jiang was hiding something from him. After a detailed questioning, he learned that his younger sister was secretly sent to the Xizhou camp by the emperor as a prostitute.

Minister Jiang sighed, "It's unfortunate for our family. That rebellious girl has been a vicious person since she was young. Even after her death, she still makes the family restless..."

Jiang Yanxi did not respond. The memory of the day when she was framed by her eldest sister and almost lost her virginity to the son of the Minister of Works was still vivid in her mind. She thought that her eldest sister would at most be punished by her father to kneel in the ancestral hall. After all, every time she was wronged for so many years, this was the heaviest punishment her eldest sister had received.

But she did not expect that her eldest sister would end up like this.

No wonder Jiang Chu was crazy.

Thinking of her aunt who had passed away for many years but was often scolded by Jiang Chu, Jiang Yanxi didn't know why she said such words: "Father, if His Majesty really wants to punish the Chu family, I'm afraid it will involve you, otherwise... you can give mother a letter to let her go?"

Minister Jiang was stunned. He had been married to Jiang Chu for nearly twenty years. Although they had quarreled for many years, he had never thought of divorcing her.

Seeing that Minister Jiang was silent for a long time, Jiang Yanxi smiled bitterly: "It was Xier who was disrespectful. After all, mother is the biological mother of my third brother. Xier's words were not considered. If His Majesty wants to vent his anger on you, Xier will definitely try his best to deal with it."

Minister Jiang thought of Jiang Chu's harsh treatment of Jiang Yanxi over the years, and then thought of the beating he received from the eunuch on the way here, and his heart was broken.

"My son, I know it's not easy for you in the palace. You have suffered a lot at home these years. But your mother is now mentally ill. If I divorce her now, people will criticize me."

Jiang Yanxi said, "Xier is not miserable. I just feel guilty. Now that I have entered the palace, I can't fulfill my filial duty in front of you. Father, Yanhong is a maid my aunt left for me. Now she is past the age of arranged marriage, and I can't take care of her in the palace. She also saved me a lot of punishment when my mother was angry before."

Jiang Yanxi raised her hand . "Father, the only thing I'm worried about now is Yanhong. I'd like to ask you to take care of her for me when you're at home... I want to ask you to make me your aunt for Yanhong."

Minister Jiang didn't expect his well-behaved and sensible daughter to say such a thing, and he immediately scolded her, "Nonsense!"

Jiang Yanxi's tone also became tough, "Yanhong admires you, and I don't want her to be a servant and be ordered around anymore. Just think of her as a freeloader in your family."

The conversation ended unpleasantly.

After Minister Jiang left, Jiang Yanxi took off the jade pendant hanging around her neck, stroked it with her fingers, and cried secretly, "Aunt, I will get back what Jiang Chu owes you."

The jade pendant was given to her by Minister Jiang a few years ago, and it was said to be her aunt's legacy.

Minister Jiang said that her aunt died soon after giving birth to her, but Jiang Chu hated her aunt so much that she called her aunt a bitch. Jiang Yanxi believed that her aunt's death was related to Madam Jiang.

Jiang Chu cared most about status, so she took away her status as Madam Jiang.

Letting her maid become Minister Jiang's aunt was just the first step.

Xizhou.

When Jiang Yanyi and Li Tou'er left, the black armor guards on the main street of the Protectorate had already withdrawn.

The shops along the street also opened one after another.

Jiang Yanyi asked, "What happened just now?"

It was the first time that Zhao Dabao saw that situation, and he said he had never encountered it before.

"It's just a coincidence today. Don't you think these teahouses and restaurants are still open?"

Her words seemed to indicate that she was afraid that Jiang Yanyi would not rent the shop.

Jiang Yanyi thought about it and felt that at this price, she would not be able to find such a place even if she ran all over Xizhou City. What Zhao Dabao said was also true. Aren't other shops also open on this street?

She told Zhao Dabao that she would rent the shop. Zhao Dabao smiled and gave her a box of rouge.

As a chef, you need to have a keen sense of taste and a keen nose. Jiang Yanyi immediately found that the fragrance of the rouge was similar to the fragrance of the caravan she smelled at the city gate.

Could it be that the rouge in Zhao Dabao's shop was bought up by that caravan?

Jiang Yanyi didn't ask too many questions about other people's business.

After leaving the shop, Zhao Touer had to hurry back to the east of the city to inspect the purchased ingredients, which would take quite some time.

Jiang Yanyi wanted to buy something, so she went her separate ways from Zhao Touer and agreed to meet in the east of the city at 3 p.m.

The weather has become colder since the rain yesterday, and Jiang Yanyi was woken up by the cold several times last night.

She went to the garment shop and bought two sets of thick clothes, one for herself and one for Qiu Kui. She

also bought two cakes of good tea leaves, planning to give one to Zhao Touer to thank him for taking her to see the house, and one to Chef Li to thank him for taking care of her these days.

It was getting close to noon, and more people were eating out on the street.

Jiang Yan wanted to do some market research, so he carried his bags and walked into a restaurant with good business and ordered their signature dishes.

It was a private room on the second floor.

Feng Shuo had already poured several jars of wine at his feet.

He drank the jar of wine in his hand just like drinking water, and except for the burning throat, he couldn't taste anything else.

Feng Shuo threw away the jar of wine in his hand, his throat was hoarse from the strong liquor: "Waiter, bring the wine!"

The waiter was shocked when he saw the jars of wine on the floor when he came in, and then he looked at the man inside, who didn't look drunk at all. He thought to himself that this guest really had a big appetite, and quickly moved several more jars of wine upstairs.

After opening the seal of the jar, Feng Shuo tilted his head back and drank it just like before, but this time most of the wine spilled out and he kept coughing.

He seemed to... smell alcohol! He

originally thought that it was the Fire Head Battalion of the Xizhou Camp that restored his sense of taste, but he had tried it in the morning, so it was not the Fire Head Battalion's fault.

Feng Shuo's seat was by the window, and he looked up and saw the cook sitting downstairs with a painted face, chewing on a pig's trotter.

The clothes of the Fire Head Army were eye-catching, and he had seen Jiang Yanyi several times, so he could naturally recognize her from her coal-like face.

Feng Shuo frowned.

He went to the Fire Head Battalion this morning, but did not see her. He deliberately asked the cooks at the stove, and the cooks said that she was unwell and took leave.

How come someone who took a leave of absence appeared in this restaurant to eat pig's trotters?

A ridiculous idea suddenly flashed through Feng Shuo's mind.

He suddenly regained his sense of taste. Could it be related to the cook?

Jiang Yanyi was enjoying the pork elbow when she suddenly felt a look that made her scalp numb.

She looked up and saw that the military advisor's eyes were flashing with a light that made her hair stand on end, and he was walking towards her at a brisk pace.