Chapter 52: When the Foolish King is Jealous

Jiang Yanyi sat in the clinic. The stone that was pressed into her foot had been picked out and wrapped with a circle of gauze.

Thinking about the embarrassment she had just made on the street, she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Chu Changping sat opposite her. The door was guarded by Chu Changping's confidants. There were no other patients in the clinic. The doctor and the child were boiling medicine in the back kitchen.

Jiang Yanyi hung her head like a quail and recounted her entire story of how she opened a restaurant in Xizhou City from the military camp. "At that time, I didn't dare to trust anyone, and I was afraid of getting into a murderous disaster, so I made up an identity. After leaving the military camp, I was alone, worried that something unexpected would happen on the way, and I didn't dare to go somewhere else rashly. I had to open a restaurant in Xizhou City as a temporary settlement, and wrote a letter to the capital to report safety."

"Although the prince is kind, I have never dared to let him know my true identity because I was suspected of deceiving him before... I met my uncle just now, and I was afraid that he would find out, so I had to pretend not to know my uncle."

She summarized these things in Xizhou in a few words. Chu Changping knew that she was evasive.

He hammered the table hard, turned his head and wiped his eyes: "It's all my uncle's fault. If my uncle had asked more carefully the last time he came to Xizhou, he would have asked someone to perform an autopsy before taking the coffin back to Beijing, and he wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to find you."

That time, it was also a coincidence. Feng Shuo thought it was Jiang Yanyi who died, so he asked someone to use the coffin to bury the body.

Chu Changping's people spent a lot of effort, but they only found out that "Jiang Yanyi" was dead. After digging the grave and taking out the coffin, Chu Changping didn't have the heart to take a closer look because the camp prostitute died in a miserable way, without even a piece of clothing on her body.

He left Yongzhou privately, and was anxious to return to Beijing for fear of complications. On the way, he could not find a woman to clean up the face of his "niece", so he had to transport the coffin back to the capital first. After all, he couldn't let a group of rough men under his command clean up the face and change clothes for his "niece".

Jiang Yanyi didn't know about this, and asked in confusion: "Has my uncle been to Xizhou?"

Chu Changping nodded and told her about the wrong coffin .

Jiang Yanyi felt a little subtle for a moment. It can be said that all the oolongs originated from that coffin, so her fate with Feng Shuo started with a coffin?

Chu Changping's next words made her uneasy.

"It is thanks to King Liaoning that I can come to Xizhou to see you this time. Otherwise, the entire Chu family would have been robbed by that tyrant! The letter you sent was also sent to the capital by King Liaoning in an expedited manner. Uncle thought that you had confessed your identity to King Liaoning a long time ago."

Otherwise, why would Feng Shuo help the Chu family?

Chu Changping has been in the officialdom for many years, but he doesn't believe that King Liaoning helped the Chu family just because he couldn't stand what the emperor did.

He originally guessed that King Liaoning wanted to use Jiang Yanyi's experience as a sharp blade to penetrate the aristocratic family. If the emperor lost the support of the people, King Liaoning would be able to get a hundred people to respond to his actions.

Jiang Yanyi will become the most advantageous weapon for the King of Liaoning to win the hearts of the people, but if everyone in the world knows that she was once sent by the emperor to be a camp prostitute in the army, what reputation will she have?

The King of Liaoning saved the Chu family, and Chu Changping was determined to repay his kindness, but if this kindness had to be repaid with the reputation of his niece, Chu Changping would rather not accept this favor.

He came to Xizhou this time, partly to see his niece, and partly to make the King of Liaoning give up the idea of ​​using his niece's reputation as a weapon for public opinion. He is willing to serve the King of Liaoning and repay his kindness.

In Chu Changping's view, his niece has suffered enough, even if it is to deal with the tyrant, Chu Changping is unwilling to hurt his niece in this way.

Jiang Yanyi was stunned for a long time before she came back to her senses.

The letter she sent to the capital was sent by Feng Shuo. After the emperor knew that her uncle came to Xizhou to collect her body, he had to deal with the Chu family, and it was the Chu family that Feng Shuo had protected...

He knew her true identity all along? !

Jiang Yanyi was confused for a while, and it took her a long time to calm down and ask: "Are mother and Yan Gui okay?"

Chu Changping felt very uncomfortable when he thought of the wolfish look of his sister and nephew when they returned to the Chu family. He was afraid that if he told Jiang Yanyi, he would worry for nothing, so he just said: "It's all good. When the situation stabilizes, I will find a way to take them all out of the capital."

Although the emperor dare not touch the Chu family because Feng Shuo has the handle in his hand, the capital is not safe after all.

Now Feng Shuo is controlling the emperor. When the world is in chaos, the Chu family will probably become hostages in the hands of the emperor again.

Jiang Yanyi wanted to ask something else, but the voice of Chu Changping's confidant came from the door: "Third Master, the prince asks you to come over."

Chu Changping replied, "I'll go right away."

He turned to ask Jiang Yanyi: "Where is Ayi now? Uncle will ask someone to send you back first."

Jiang Yanyi said, "It's next to the Protectorate."

Today's assassination must be not simple. Chu Changping may have gone to Feng Shuo to discuss this matter.

Chu Changping frowned when he heard Jiang Yanyi say that her restaurant was next to the Protectorate, but then he thought that maybe the King of Liaoning wanted to send people to protect Jiang Yanyi more conveniently, so he didn't say anything.

Jiang Yanyi's foot was injured by a stone and she couldn't stand on the ground. There was no maid by her side, so Chu Changping had to carry his niece out in person: "I'll buy you a few maids later."

Jiang Yanyi thought about her already crowded little broken courtyard and the monthly salary for the maids, and suddenly felt pained. She said: "Thank you for your kindness, uncle, but it's good now. I'm used to it. Besides, the outside of the pass is not like the capital."

Chu Changping was overwhelmed by the joy of seeing his niece before, but now he slowly calmed down. Listening to Jiang Yanyi's talk, he felt that the niece was very different from the niece in his memory. That coquettish and willful girl was rubbed into this state outside the pass.

Chu Changping should be happy that his niece has grown up, but he can't be happy at this moment. He just feels heavy. How many things did she go through to be forced to mature?

For a moment, a little sadness appeared in his eyes. He said: "Ayi, as long as uncle is still here, everything will be the same as before. Even if you are not the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, you are still my cousin of the Chu family. You don't have to suffer yourself, understand?"

Maybe it was because of blood. Hearing these words, Jiang Yanyi felt sad and tears welled up in his eyes: "I know, uncle."

There were people outside the clinic. Jiang Yanyi didn't want to cry in front of outsiders, so he held back his tears.

Lu Linyuan had a cut on his hand. He sat on a bamboo chair outside the clinic, and the doctor was bandaging him.

When Lu Linyuan proposed to break off the engagement, Chu Changping was still in Yongzhou. Chu Changping was thousands of miles away from Lu Linyuan, so even if he was furious, he couldn't do anything to Lu Linyuan.

Now seeing him, the new hatred and old hate add one, and the momentum will come forward to slap people: "枉 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如 如?" Once

the woman who is depending on is divorced, whether it is the woman's fault, it will only be a good person. Picking in a gear family, who is quite like the retired man's door, is unwilling to get married again, otherwise it is like picking up the broken shoes that people do not want . Seeing Jiang Yanyi holding him, Chu Changping thought his niece was still obsessed with Lu Linyuan. He was angry and sad, and shouted: "You silly girl, you are still protecting him at this time!" Jiang Yanyi was embarrassed and her scalp was numb: "I didn't! Uncle, let the past be the past. I was stubborn before!" The marriage was forced by the original body. If there was anything wrong with Lu Linyuan, it was probably that he did not resist his strong mother to the end and was forced to accept the marriage. In the carriage not far away, Feng Shuo looked at the scene outside the clinic through the half-lifted curtain, and the corners of his mouth were almost pursed into a cold straight line. Isn't she protecting Lu Linyuan? He knew that she was engaged to Lu Linyuan. He was proud and never sent anyone to investigate their past. But at this moment, he wanted to know what happened in their past. She said that she had hidden a lot of things from him and that she needed to think carefully before deciding whether to accept his feelings. Was Lu Linyuan one of the reasons? He had been out for a long time today. The cold wind penetrated his bones. Even though he was wearing a fox fur coat, the injury on his back still caused a slight pain in his bones. Feng Shuo covered his lips and coughed twice. Xing Yao heard Feng Shuo coughing outside the carriage and said with some concern: "Master, let's go back to the mansion first." Feng Shuo's eyes fell on the beautiful figure for a long time before he lowered the curtain, "She and Lu Linyuan went there, and not a single piece of paper can be missed. Check it out for me." This cold and gloomy voice made Xing Yao's heart tremble. Jiang Yanyi felt a sharp gaze on her. She looked around and saw only a magnificent carriage driving slowly away at the opposite corner of the street. She couldn't see the emblem on the carriage because it was too far away, but she felt that the line of sight just now came from the carriage. At this time, the doctor also bandaged the wound on Lu Linyuan's arm. Jiang Yanyi's words "obstinate and unrepentant" sounded strangely harsh to Lu Linyuan. She was indeed "obstinate and unrepentant" and even shameless. But now that she said this, Lu Linyuan suddenly felt that her former love for him had become light and fleeting, like an illusion made of fine sand, which was smashed by the words "obstinate and unrepentant" and scattered all over the ground, and could never be found again. He hid the inexplicable emotions in his heart, stood up and bowed to Chu Changping: "I am sorry for breaking off the engagement. But you can't force feelings." Chu Changping suppressed his anger, looked at the young man who bowed and apologized, and said: "You can get away with just a word of apology, but she has to pay for her whole life." If there was no engagement, there would be no unnecessary joy, and after breaking off the engagement, there would be no unnecessary disaster. Chu Changping is a rough man, but he still understands his niece's character. She will not do such a reckless thing until she is at the end of her rope. Chu Changping had seen Minister Jiang's partiality. He remembered that one year during the Spring Festival, he went to the Jiang family to pay New Year's greetings. At that time, Jiang Yanyi was only five years old. Minister Jiang brought his illegitimate daughter to greet the guests, but ignored her legitimate daughter. If the people who came to pay New Year's greetings did not ask a question, they would probably think that the illegitimate daughter was the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family. The five-year-old baby hid in the backyard and cried secretly. He took his niece out of the house to watch the lanterns on the street and bought her a bunch of small toys to coax her. But when he sent her home, the baby still cried with a sticky mouth, tears rolling like beads: "Uncle, Daddy doesn't like me, no one likes me..." From that time on, Chu Changping thought that his cousin of the Chu family would be spoiled by his family. What others have, Chu Changping's niece is no worse. He knew that the child had been sensitive since childhood, and his sister, Madam Jiang, was a doting child. She would often curse the concubines and aunts in front of the child. He had said this to Madam Jiang many times, but she never learned her lesson. The hatred led by her mother and the unfair treatment by her father made his niece unruly since she was old enough to understand. She would target her sister whenever she got the chance. After so many years of quarreling, she finally had the idea of ​​destroying someone's innocence. It was probably because she knew that her reputation was ruined after the engagement was broken off, and Lu Linyuan threatened to die to marry a concubine, so she completely went astray. Chu Changping's words made Lu Linyuan feel heavy in his heart. He wanted to say something, but Chu Changping had already stopped an ox cart and took Jiang Yanyi away. There is a locust tree next to the clinic. In the late autumn and early winter, dead leaves are scattered all over the ground. Lu Lin looked at the girl sitting on the ox cart moving farther and farther away. When the wind blew, many dead leaves on the locust tree swirled and fell to his feet. He always felt that Jiang Yanyi's current situation was all her own fault and had nothing to do with him. But at this moment, he felt a little guilty and panic for no reason. It was afternoon when Jiang Yanyi returned to the store. Chu Changping sent her to the store before going to the Feng Mansion next door. Although he was covered in dust, he was dignified and accompanied by several confidants. He looked quite impressive. As soon as Chu Changping left, neighbors came into the store to inquire about Jiang Yanyi under the pretext of caring about her. "Shopkeeper Jiang, the old man personally helped you into the store. Is he your relative?" Jiang Yanyi smiled and nodded: "It's my uncle, who came from the capital to see me." When they heard that he was from the capital, they felt that he was more extraordinary. "I said that Shopkeeper Jiang's demeanor is definitely not something that ordinary people can have. Your uncle is a capable man at first glance!" "Shopkeeper Jiang, is your uncle married? I have a niece. Although she is in her twenties, her talent and appearance are beyond reproach..." "Your niece is a slacker, how can she be worthy of him!" "You are a widow selling tofu. No matter how much, my niece is a virgin. How can she be better than you?" ... Although his uncle is a handsome uncle, Jiang Yanyi didn't expect that someone would come to ask about marriage so soon. She laughed awkwardly and said, "My neighbors, I am not feeling well today, so I will not entertain you. I will invite you to our store another day."

The assassination in the south of the city had already spread all over the city. When people heard what Jiang Yanyi said, and then saw that she still had gauze wrapped around her feet, they said a few words of condolence and left.

Jiang Yanyi heaved a sigh of relief, closed the shop door and went to the backyard.

Aunt Guo's identity was probably discovered by her, and she was afraid that she would think too much, so she went back to Feng Shuo to report and did not come to the shop again. Jiang Yanyi did not think so much. She wanted to thank Aunt Guo in person. If she hadn't been there today, she would have been in great danger.

She planned to tell Feng Shuo about Aunt Guo when she went to deliver the medicated food to him tomorrow. But when she thought of Feng Shuo, Jiang Yanyi's heart was confused again. She had not figured out how to face him.

How to describe this feeling, it's like looking back at the dark history of her childhood when she has grown up. She didn't know before that Feng Shuo had already known her identity, and she was pretending to be so...

Jiang Yanyi felt suffocated just thinking about it.

She put all this aside for the time being and looked at the vegetables in the backyard.

Although the store didn't do any business today, the ingredients were ordered a day in advance. There was a lot of mutton and various vegetarian dishes piled up in the yard, which gave Jiang Yanyi a headache. Fortunately,

the vegetarian dishes at this time of year are basically green vegetables and radishes that are long-lasting. The more difficult ones to deal with are the fat sheep that have just been slaughtered.

She stood in the yard with her hands on her hips and watched for a while, then said to Qiu Kui: "Let's use one to make a roasted whole lamb, and then make a lamb pot. For the lamb chops... make them smoked lamb chops. If the remaining lamb is not eaten, we can build a shed and smoke it into bacon."

Tonight, she has to prepare a welcoming banquet for her uncle.

There are more than ten confidants who came to Xizhou with Chu Changping, who can help her solve the problem of the ingredients that could not be sold today.

Later, she will send someone to tell Ma the butcher and other vegetable suppliers that they don't need to deliver ingredients to her store in the next two days.

The Hu family has discredited her store, and now even if she continues to open it, there is not much business in the store. Two of the three men died, and the remaining one was captured by Feng Shuo. After the interrogation, she would know how much he knew about today's assassination, and whether the dead cat at the door of her store this morning was related to the Hu family.

After everything is clarified, she will continue to open the hot pot restaurant. She

can take a break these two days, and it is also a good opportunity for her to heal the injury on her foot.