Chapter 199 New Snow
The Junzhou Incident came and went quickly. The people only knew that on the 19th, there were shouts of killing on the street and flames from the city gate. The people didn't know what happened, so they could only close their doors and gather their families together. The noises outside became more and more frightening, and there was even an army coming in from behind. The sound of armor and swords clashing echoed in the empty streets, making people panic.
However, the situation that the people expected did not happen. No soldiers rushed into their homes to rob and kill, and no gangsters gathered to cause trouble. The noise outside lasted for half the night and gradually died down. Someone bravely his stuck head out to see that Wangxianlou, the largest wine house in Junzhou, was burned into a sea of fire.
Apart from the quarrel that kept them awake all night, there seemed to be no other damage.
The people were curious for a day or two, but soon forgot what happened that night and returned to their daily lives when nothing new happened. The sounds of people hawking New Year goods in Junzhou rang out again, and the familiar smell of steamed cakes wafted through the alleys. The people were busy bargaining, and no one cared where the former bigwigs of Junzhou had gone.
After several days of interrogation and pursuit, Prince Qiao was captured, and all those who participated in the rebellion were arrested and brought to justice. Ren Yao interrogated all day yesterday and did not fall asleep until midnight. She dozed off for less than two hours before getting up again to inspect the patrol. She was exhausted physically and mentally, and when she walked out of the government office, she did not look at the road and accidentally knocked down a child.
The child was playing with a bamboo dragonfly and bumped into Ren Yao without warning, falling to the ground with a thud. Ren Yao was startled and reached out to help him: "Are you okay?"
The child looked up and saw Ren Yao's cold armor, and was so scared that he started to cry. Ren Yao was stunned, standing there at a loss, trying to get the child to stop: "Don't cry."
The contrast between a Yulin soldier in armor and an unarmed child quickly attracted a lot of attention. Passersby pointed at Ren Yao and whispered to him.
Ren Yao was not good at dealing with children and was so anxious that he didn't know what to do. At this time, a pair of slender white hands picked up the wings of the bamboo dragonfly, walked slowly to the child, squatted down and asked, "Is this yours?"
The child saw the handsome man with gentle eyes and nodded cautiously. Li Huazhang smiled, put the bamboo dragonfly in the child's hand, and said softly: "Now it can continue to fly, you can go and play."
Ming Huashang also came over from behind, picked up the child, and said, "Be careful when you play this time. Go quickly, and have a healthy new year."
The child was not hurt, he was crying out of sheer fear. He immediately forgot what happened when he got the toy. He timidly glanced at Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang, took the bamboo helicopter, and ran away: "Happy New Year."
The child ran a long way in one breath before he dared to look back at them. Li Huazhang smiled and waved to him, pulled Ming Huashang up, and said to Ren Yao: "I have been busy checking documents and chasing fugitives these days, and I didn't notice that the New Year is coming. General Ren, happy New Year."
Ren Yao was stunned for a moment and couldn't help asking, "Is New Year's Eve already over?"
"No, today is the day." Li Huazhang said, "Thank you for your hard work during this period. I'll have to trouble you to bring Prince Qiao and his accomplices back to Chang'an."
Ren Yao thought of Chang'an, and her face turned pale. She hesitated to speak, and said with difficulty: "I'm sorry, I..."
"No need to explain." Li Huazhang put his hands behind his back, his eyes still clear and bright, gentle and calm, "You did nothing wrong, there is no need to feel sorry. We are friends, of course we hope you live a good life, as long as the choice comes from your heart, no matter what you choose, Er Niang and I understand you."
"Yes." Ming Huashang said, "My second brother and I, including my sister, Brother Su, and Brother Xie, have never doubted you."
Li Huazhang was still so gentlemanly, Ming Huashang was still so considerate, Ren Yao believed that they really had never blamed her. However, it was precisely because of this that Ren Yao felt even more uncomfortable.
After Prince Yong left the capital, the situation in Chang'an was reshuffled. None of the heroes of the Shenlong coup had a good ending, except her. But Ren Yao knew very well that she was able to take the throne because others disdained to be in the same company with Queen Wei and Princess Anle.
In order to show her status, Empress Wei deliberately promoted many female officials and generals to prove that women could rule the world. Ren Yao was the banner that hit the cusp. Xie Jichuan and Su Xingzhi were both more talented than her, but just because Ren Yao was a woman, she was promoted and reused.
She once hated her female identity because she was a girl and even if she had mastered all the skills, she could not inherit the mansion. However, now, also because of her female identity, she was able to rise to the top and enter and leave the palace.
But Ren Yao was not happy at all. She finally understood that her grandmother was right. Serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. Too much attention was not necessarily a good thing. She watched Empress Wei play power games and sell official positions every day, but she did not allow others to disobey her. Ren Yao was tormented every moment, but for the sake of Pingnan Marquis Mansion, she had to greet her with a smile.
She refused to admit it, but in fact, Li Huazhang, Ming Huashang and others were her only friends. She didn't care if others scolded her for being ungrateful, but she didn't want them to think so.
She didn't want to lose these friends. The more reasonable Li Huazhang was, the more guilty Ren Yao felt.
Li Huazhang saw what Ren Yao was thinking, sighed, and took advantage of the fact that no one was around to whisper: "I understand your situation. In that position, there are many things that have to be said and done, but as long as you have a clear conscience, you don't have to care about your reputation. I'm glad that you were not affected, so you can protect more people. If it wasn't you who came this time, I don't know how many Xuanxiao Guards would have died in vain in order to stop King Qiao."
Li Huazhang understood Ren Yao's approach very well. It was inevitable that Weihou would attack Junzhou. Since the situation was irreversible, it would be better for her to take the lead. At least the intensity of the battlefield could be controlled, and there would be room for maneuver if something really happened on the front line.
In fact, Ren Yao also did it.
Ming Huashang also said, "Yes, that night when we were in Wangxian Tower, we were about to lose control of Prince Qiao. Thanks to you bringing troops to support us, we were able to resolve the mutiny. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't dare to implement this plan. Prince Qiao and the Jiannan Jiedushi colluded with each other, and I don't know how many people would be harmed. Look how good it is now. The people are busy preparing for the New Year, and the turmoil in Prince Qiao's mansion has not affected the people at all. All this is your credit."
Ren Yao was moved. She had never hated her poor speaking skills so much in her life. She could only bow to the two of them and said, "I, Ren Yao, will recognize you two as my friends for life."
Ming Huashang smiled, stepped forward and took Ren Yao's arm, saying with a smile: "We were just talking about the fact that it looks like it will snow again tonight, and the roads will be difficult to travel on. Why don't you go to Shangzhou to rest for two days? It's just right that we can celebrate the New Year together, so you can leave on the second day of the New Year. Sister Ren, what do you think?"
Ren Yao was smiling at first, but he looked suspicious after hearing this. Li Huazhang thought Ren Yao was afraid of getting too close to him, so when the news reached Weihou's ears, he added, "Don't worry, it's just a private banquet, no one else will be there. If you are asked, just say that I didn't know that Prince Qiao was going to rebel, and I was invited to Junzhou as a guest. I almost became a hostage, but thanks to you for arriving in time, you saved us. My husband and I are holding a small banquet to thank you for saving our lives, and it won't violate the taboos of Chang'an."
Ren Yao shook his head, hesitating, "I'm not afraid of people knowing that I'm close to you, it's just... forget it, it's already in the past, why bother about it. Okay."
Ren Yao's words were somewhat inconsistent, but Ming Huashang inexplicably understood that Ren Yao didn't want to celebrate the New Year with them not because he was afraid of Queen Wei's suspicion, but because he didn't want to face Jiang Ling.
Perhaps, I am afraid to face it.
Since Ming Huashang invited Ren Yao, there was no way she would leave out Xie Jichuan and Jiang Ling. By then, everyone would be sitting in the same room, and it would be unavoidable. It would be too embarrassing for those who hadn't let go.
Ming Huashang understood but pretended not to know, and said with a smile: "Great, let's go quickly. If we set out now, we can reach Shangzhou in the evening."
The evidence was almost collected, and Ming Huachang had arranged for the Xuanxiao Guard to leave the city. Now there were only the Shangzhou soldiers brought by Li Huazhang and the 500 Yulin soldiers brought by Ren Yao in Junzhou. The Shangzhou soldiers were going home for the New Year, needless to say, and the Yulin soldiers were going to escort the prince Qiao and other criminals back to Chang'an, and they would also pass through Shangzhou, so they would go to a safe place to rest for two days. No one objected. Li Huazhang reorganized the team, and with a command, everyone went to Shangzhou together.
Li Huazhang guessed correctly. Snowflakes really fell in the sky in the afternoon. Fortunately, they were not far from Shangzhou. After entering Shangzhou City, the camp had received Li Huazhang's message long ago, and food and shelter were ready. Li Huazhang working knew that the soldiers had been non-stop for several days and were already exhausted. After a simple headcount, he let the local soldiers go home and arranged for the soldiers from other places to return to the camp to rest.
By the time everything was settled, it was already dark. Li Huazhang invited Ren Yao and Jiang Ling to stay at their mansion. Xie Jichuan, Ming Yuji, and Su Xingzhi were not supposed to be in Shangzhou, so they had already entered the government office in advance. Jiang Ling was also quiet all the way. Li Huazhang was originally very calm, but they behaved like this, and even he was a little embarrassed.
Li Huazhang couldn't help but miss Ming Huashang. It would be great if she was still here. With her around, any knot in his heart would be dissolved. Thinking this way, he stepped over the threshold, but suddenly felt something was wrong and took a step back.
A bucket of snow had been placed on the door beam at some point, and it fell off when they entered, with soft, crystal-clear snow particles splashing down and splashing all over the people below.
Because Li Huazhang was familiar with the environment, he stepped back in time and was lucky enough to escape with only some snow falling on his sleeves. Li Huazhang brushed off the snow helplessly, turned around, and saw Su Xingzhi who was also helpless.
Su Xingzhi sighed and said, "I didn't want to do that, but Second Mother insisted that I sneak attack you."
Ming Huashang hid behind a tree and laughed out loud when she saw this. Xie Jichuan stood far away on the corridor, wishing he could carve the words "It has nothing to do with me" on his face. Ming Yuji was obviously a little embarrassed and tried to save the situation: "Are you guys okay?"
Jiang Ling wiped the snow off his face and said through gritted teeth: "Ming Huashang, I am not done with you!"
Jiang Ling grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, rolled up his sleeves and rushed towards Ming Huashang. Ming Huashang dodged and hit back with a snowball she had prepared long ago. Jiang Ling was so angry that he vomited blood when he saw that Ming Huashang had prepared a bucket of snowballs: "You...you came back so early, and you are doing this?"
Yes, Ming Huashang’s happiness is so simple and straightforward.
Jiang Ling was hit by Ming Huashang several times in succession, and he was furious. He noticed that Ming Huashang kept running around the tree, so he came up with a plan and kicked the tree trunk while Ming Huashang was not prepared. The snow on the tree branches was startled and fell down like a snow mountain collapsing. Not only was Ming Huashang covered, but even Ming Yuji and Xie Jichuan who were watching the fight on the corridor were covered in snow.
Xie Jichuan raised his hand, saw the snow stains on his sleeves, gritted his teeth, and was already on the edge of endurance. Su Xingzhi saw that Ming Yuji's collar was full of snow, and hurried over to Jiang Ling and said, "Look carefully before you hit, don't hurt innocent people."
Jiang Ling had not forgotten that it was Su Xingzhi who had just poured snow on him, so he made a snowball from the ground and threw it at Su Xingzhi without any hesitation. Ming Yuji originally did not want to get involved in such a shameful matter, but when he saw Jiang Ling actually attacking Su Xingzhi, he could not bear it any longer and hit back.
Li Huazhang was helping Ming Huachang wipe his hair with concern, when suddenly the snowballs started to gather. They were standing in the middle and could not avoid being affected. Li Huazhang was hit several times in succession. He knew that the instigator had missed the target on purpose, so he endured it silently. Ming Huachang had long disliked Jiang Ling, and when she found out that the guy was deliberately throwing snowballs at Li Huazhang, she angrily said, "You're done, Jiang Ling!"
When Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling's enemy met, they were extremely jealous of each other. Both of them were strong contenders for the last place, and their aim was not good. After a while, the snow was flying in the courtyard. No one knew who was fighting who, and everyone was involved in this chaotic battle.
Li Huazhang stood on the corridor, watching Ming Huashang grab a handful of snow from the ground and stuff it into Jiang Ling's neck while Jiang Ling was fighting with others. Jiang Ling screamed in fear from the cold, turned around and ran after Ming Huashang. Ming Huashang hurriedly hid in the direction of Ren Yao, who attacked instinctively and gradually fought with Jiang Ling, not remembering the embarrassment on the way. On the other side, Su Xingzhi protected Ming Yuji and walked to a quiet place, not wanting to get involved in the melee of that group of people, but there would always be snowballs hitting them.
Li Huazhang chuckled. He was not wrong. She was very good at dealing with people and would always solve problems for those around her in unexpected ways.
A man stood next to Li Huazhang. Li Huazhang didn't turn around, but he had already identified the person from the sound of his breathing. Li Huazhang still had a smile in his eyes. He reached out to catch a piece of snow and asked, "Have you ever had a snowball fight?"
Xie Jichuan looked at him silently, suspecting that Li Huazhang had just been hit on the head. Li Huazhang ignored Xie Jichuan's gaze and said to himself: "I played snowballs before I was six years old, so I know that you should use fresh snow for snowball fights, so it won't hurt, but you should use overnight snow to make snowmen, so it's easier to hold."
Xie Jichuan was silent for a moment, trying to decipher what Li Huazhang was implying: "And then?"
"No more." Li Huazhang looked back and said seriously, "I'm sharing my experience of playing snowballs with you."
This answer really made Xie Jichuan silent. He was silent for a while and said, "So, you still like the life before the age of six?"
Li Huazhang shook his head, looked at Ming Huashang who was laughing and laughing in the courtyard, and said slowly: "I like my current life more."
This time, Xie Jichuan also remained silent. The two of them watched in silence as several people hugged each other and played in the snow. Xie Jichuan whispered, "So you'd rather give up all the credit that's already been earned to others?"
What happened in Wangxian Tower is unknown to outsiders. Why was the city gate opened so quickly? Why did the Junzhou military camp not respond in time? If Li Huazhang doesn't tell, no one will know. In the eyes of others, Li Huazhang was tricked by Prince Qiao to Junzhou, and thanks to Ren Yao's timely arrival, he rescued the couple. Prince Qiao was taken away by Ren Yao, and the rebels who participated in the rebellion were also hunted down by Ren Yao after Li Huazhang provided information. Everything Li Huazhang did was hidden underwater, and the world only saw Pingnan Hou Ren Yao, who miraculously defeated the enemy with a small number of people and turned the tide.
Li Huazhang looked at the snow mist rising in the courtyard and said calmly, "We are all friends, there is no need to be fussy about it. Besides, I don't need these false names, but she does."
"Heh." Xie Jichuan sneered, "You think of her as a friend, but who knows if she will sell you out for fame and fortune in the future."
Li Huazhang shook his head slowly, his voice calm and firm: "She won't."
Xie Jichuan raised his eyebrows and stopped talking about this topic. He asked, "When will Ren Yao leave?"
"I don't know." Li Huazhang said indifferently, "Shang Shang asked them to stay for the New Year, maybe on the second or third day, depending on Ren Yao's mood."
"What about you?"
Li Huazhang's eyebrows moved slightly, and he turned around to look at Xie Jichuan: "What do you mean?"
"Now it's Li Chongfu, the next one is you." Xie Jichuan stood under the corridor with his sleeves folded. The noisy and joyful noises were right in front of him, but his voice was cold and distant, as if he was out of touch with all the excitement. "They are unkind, why do you still insist on gentlemanly etiquette and be bound by useless morality? Prince Qiao has been arrested, and the Shangzhou people you are worried about will not appear. Hurry back to Chang'an now, it's not too late."
Li Huazhang did not comment, but asked: "Shangzhou may not have war, but what about Jiannan? Don't forget, now only Li Chongfu is captured, and the governor of Jiannan is still fine. He was deceived by us, but he will react sooner or later. If we don't deal with the governor of Jiannan, the rebellion will not be truly eradicated."
Xie Jichuan raised his eyebrows and said incredulously: "But he is the governor, holding the military and political power of Jiannan, and has 30,000 elite soldiers under his command. How can you fight him alone? It is better to return to Chang'an and ask the court to issue an edict to dismiss him. The court's affairs should be left to the court to solve."
"What if he refuses to listen to the court?" Li Huazhang said, "He has a large army and is deeply rooted in Jiannan. We have to guard against the worst case scenario. If he becomes disloyal and no longer listens to the court's orders, but instead raises his own army, Jiannan will be in turmoil, and Tubo will take the opportunity to invade the Tang Dynasty, which will be a real disaster. If that happens, Shangzhou and Junzhou will be the barriers to Chang'an, and I can't leave."
Xie Jichuan said: "This is just a possibility, and it is the worst case scenario. It may not happen."
"If you don't take precautions, it's likely to happen. By then, it will be too late."
Xie Jichuan looked at him intently and asked, "Just a possibility, is it more important than the throne?"
Li Huazhang looked at the scattered jade pieces dancing in the air and whispered, "There are always some things in the world that are more important than fighting for power and profit."
Xie Jichuan looked at Li Huazhang for a long time and said, "Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes." Li Huazhang's voice was light and calm. "According to the Duke of Zhenguo, my name was given by the Crown Prince Zhang Huai. He only took one look at me and asked the Duke of Zhenguo to take me away. I have never met him, so I don't know what he thinks, but I think he just wants me to be a gentleman and never expects me to compete for the throne. If he can escape from the rebellion, he will naturally take me back. The throne should be inherited by my brother, not me. If he can't protect himself, it will be difficult for me to survive, so how can I inherit the throne? Maybe this is destined. Neither he nor I are cut out to be emperors."
Xie Jichuan said: "That's because Empress Wu usurped the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, Prince Zhang Huai would have become a wise ruler."
"But there are no ifs in history," Li Huazhang said. "History chose Empress Wu Zetian, and she also created history. I am indeed the most legitimate grandson of Emperor Gaozong, but the throne now belongs to Empress Wu Zetian, not Emperor Gaozong. Empress Wu Zetian's son is still alive, so how can it be her grandson's turn?"
Many people around him told Li Huazhang that he was of the most orthodox royal bloodline and the eldest son and grandson of Emperor Gaozong, but Li Huazhang himself knew that he had no chance of becoming emperor.
No matter how virtuous and virtuous Prince Zhang Huai was, he was only a prince. He did not ascend the throne during his lifetime. How could his son inherit the throne 20 years after his death? Empress Wu Zetian reigned for so many years. After her death, the throne should have been inherited by her prince, not by a 20-year-old calendar.
Li Xian was the crown prince personally recognized by Empress Wu Zetian in her later years, and Prince Xiang had also been the crown prince in the palace for more than ten years. These two people were far more reasonable than the crown prince Zhang Huai, who was only in name only. If Li Xian died, the throne should be inherited by Li Xian's son. If Li Chongmao was killed by Empress Wei, Prince Xiang would still be next in line. Unless Li Xian and Prince Xiang's sons were all dead, it would be Li Huazhang's turn.
This is obviously not something that can happen naturally. The Tang Dynasty has experienced too much turmoil. Since the abdication of Emperor Zetian, in just two years, three incidents have occurred: the Shenlong coup, the Chongjun coup, and the Junzhou rebellion. Two princes and half of the court officials were involved. Nowadays, people's livelihood is turbulent, border troubles are serious, and everyone in the officialdom is in danger. The reign of Emperor Zetian has become the most stable time in the Tang Dynasty. The court urgently needs to rest and recuperate, rather than being caught in endless royal infighting. With the ability of the Xie family, perhaps they can help him fight others, but is it necessary?
That's enough. The Li family's restoration of the country was definitely not to bring chaos to this land. He wanted to use the limited remaining life to accompany the one he truly loved and do something meaningful.
Xie Jichuan found it very ironic. The young master that his father had sacrificed his career to protect had no intention of fighting for the throne. Then what was the meaning of the Xie family's twenty years? Xie Jichuan paused for a long time and laughed briefly: "So, you don't even want to try, just give up?"
"It's not mine in the first place, so why should I give it up?" Li Huazhang said, "I'm grateful for your care and support over the years, and for your continued planning and not forgetting Crown Prince Zhang Huai. However, the so-called restoration is just an illusory dream, and it's time to wake up."
In fact, how could Xie Jichuan not know that the most wrong thing Xie Shen did in his life was to misjudge his opponent. He thought that the opponents of Prince Zhang Huai would be the two princes Li Xian and Li Dan, and he was confident that he could defeat them, so he resolutely saved the young master of the Eastern Palace. He never thought that his real opponent was Empress Wu. After Empress Wu ascended the throne, everything was different. Xie Shen's move of betting his entire fortune to save Li Huazhang was particularly bad.
However, what can the Xie family do now that things have come to this? They can only go on with their heads held high. Li Huazhang is far inferior to the Prince of Xiang in terms of legality, but a fight may not be impossible to change his fate. The Xie family is willing to face the challenge, but Li Huazhang has already quit the game.
Xie Jichuan sighed deeply, but he was not surprised at all. He looked at Li Huazhang, and there was no respect from a subject to his lord in his eyes, nor was there the intimacy that the Xie family had been telling him to pretend to be. There was only a calm and indifferent scrutiny of his best friend in name only.
Li Huazhang did not feel offended and calmly let Xie Jichuan look at him. Xie Jichuan looked at him for a long time and said, "I have always believed that if a person does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. Human nature is selfish, but you are an exception. Before I met you, I did not believe that anyone was so stupid as to choose the latter between the throne and morality."
Li Huazhang smiled and said softly, "What the Tang Dynasty needs most now is peace and stability. My status is not right. If I insist on fighting for the throne, I will only drag the court into endless internal strife. This is not what I want. If the world is peaceful, someone must give in. Then let me do it."
"But how do you know that others will appreciate your initiative to withdraw?" Xie Jichuan said, "If you don't hold a high position, what you do is just wishful thinking. What if the next person in power is ridiculous and suspicious? You can't even protect yourself, so how can you talk about peace in the world?"
Li Huazhang was about to speak, but he felt something and didn't dodge. A snowball brushed past his clothes and hit the railing. Li Huazhang and Xie Jichuan turned around together. Ming Huachang's sneak attack failed and he was caught by the person in question. He was very embarrassed. Jiang Ling stood beside him with a wolf-like body, and said in disdain: "You can't hit me at such a close distance. Ming Huachang, can you do it?"
Ming Huashang was angry: "If you can do it, come on!"
"I'll do it if I want." Jiang Ling stepped forward, stretched his shoulders, and was about to throw. Li Huazhang leisurely broke off a branch from the side and threw it onto the pine tree in front of the corridor. The pine tree finally couldn't bear the weight and shook off a layer of snow. Jiang Ling was blinded and shouted, "Wait, you actually sneaked up on me! Who is hitting me!"
Li Huazhang looked at Ming Huachang who was taking advantage of the situation and felt helpless. But when Jiang Ling rubbed his eyes and turned to counterattack, Li Huazhang felt that they had been making trouble for too long and walked straight towards them. When crossing Xie Jichuan, Li Huazhang said in a low voice: "From now on, I'll leave it to you."
Xie Jichuan stood with his sleeves hanging, looking at Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling who were more noisy than children, and Li Huazhang who was trying to take sides, and felt confused.
He really couldn't understand why Han Jie put them in the same team when he formed the troops.
He looks like he has the same IQ as them?
This snowball fight ended with no one being spared. Several people who were called "superiors" when they went out were soaked by the snow and returned to their houses to change clothes. After a while, they were refreshed. At this time, they learned that although Ming Huachang returned home early, she did not have time to ask people to cook in order to prepare snowballs. When they finished the snowball fight, the people in the kitchen had gone home to celebrate the New Year.
Everyone: "..."
Ming Yuji could only roll up her sleeves and join the battle herself. She hated those who did nothing but just sat at the table waiting for food, so she unceremoniously ordered the others to help. However, Ming Yuji found that these people not only knew how to cook, but were also very particular about many things, not eating this or that. Finally, Ming Yuji got annoyed and decided to let them all eat dumplings, and they could mix whatever fillings they liked.
Ming Yuji said so, but the technical work of mixing the stuffing still fell on her in the end. She was not only skillful with hidden weapons, but also very skillful with kitchen knives. The chopping board was chopped with bangs, and several pots of stuffing were prepared in a short time. Others were responsible for kneading the dough and making dumplings. Jiang Ling thought that he was a member of the Yulin Army, born with supernatural powers and unparalleled bravery, so of course he should do the hard work of kneading dough. He kneaded for a while, added water when the dough was hard, and added flour when there was too much water. In the end, Ming Yuji couldn't bear it anymore and drove him away to knead the agent, and kneading the dough was handed over to the experienced Su Xingzhi.
Jiang Ling reluctantly joined the other group, but the situation here was not optimistic either. Ming Huashang and Ren Yao were women with nimble fingers, so they were assigned to make dumplings, while Li Huazhang and Xie Jichuan were responsible for rolling the dough. Jiang Ling thought that Ren Yao would be the one who failed, but under Ming Huashang's hands-on demonstration, Ren Yao was able to make dumplings quite well. On the contrary, the other two, who knew everything about astronomy and geography, and were good at both literature and martial arts, could not roll the dough for dumplings.
Ming Huashang and Ren Yao could only wait helplessly. Jiang Ling looked around and said, "At this rate, I should be able to catch up with lunch tomorrow."
Finally, Su Xingzhi couldn't stand it anymore and came to help. Li Huazhang and Xie Jichuan had never been treated like this before, and both felt that they had encountered a great humiliation. Li Huazhang secretly observed Su Xingzhi's movements, and finally he was able to roll out the dumpling skin completely, and politely "invited" Su Xingzhi to go back. Jiang Ling was bored and pulled the medicine, watching Xie Jichuan stumbling and rolling the skin, and gradually widening the gap with Li Huazhang next to him. He asked curiously: "You don't know how to do this too?"
Xie Jichuan couldn't roll the dumpling wrapper into a round shape. He was angry with himself, and Jiang Ling added fuel to the fire. Xie Jichuan narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "I have never been to the kitchen before today. It's not normal."
Jiang Ling sighed: "But Li Huazhang has never been in the kitchen, but he learned it."
Xie Jichuan still looked calm and indifferent, but his fingers were clenched. Jiang Lingsi didn't notice the danger at all and kept jumping around in the minefield: "Ming Huashang, have you seen Li Huazhang cook? This is his first time rolling out dumpling skins, right?"
Ming Huashang remembered that in previous years, the Duke of Zhenguo would put sugar in the dumplings, and whoever ate it would have a smooth and worry-free year and good fortune. This year, there were seven of them, so they should put seven pieces of sugar. Ming Huashang was thinking about finding the sugar, but when he heard Jiang Ling's words, he turned around and asked, "What did you say?"
"Has Li Huazhang ever cooked before?"
Ming Huashang recalled and shook her head: "Even if my father threw me into the kitchen to make fire, I would never let him cook. Hey, what was I going to do?"
Ming Huashang knocked her head with the back of her hand, unable to remember what she was going to do. Li Huazhang saw this and silently went to the compartment to take out the prepared candies and put them next to Ming Huashang. Ming Huashang talked to Jiang Ling for a while, looked down and saw the neatly arranged candies, and clapped her hands suddenly: "Oh, yes, I want to find candies!"
Li Huazhang went back to rolling out the dough without saying anything. This episode was very small and was soon drowned out by the nonsense of Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling, but Ming Yuji and Ren Yao noticed it.
Lian Xie Jichuan also glanced at the candy silently. Even though they couldn't explain it clearly, the other party could understand the meaning accurately and did it silently. The two of them didn't say a word of love, but it was enough for people to see their daily life.
The love that can be expressed without words is actually more touching than those vows of love.
Xie Jichuan suddenly felt lonely, a feeling he had never had but longed for. It was great that there was still such love in the world.
After a night of hard work, the dumplings were finally ready. It didn't take that many people to cook dumplings, so the others moved to the living room to wait. Ming Huashang asked people to move the tables and set the tableware. Soon, dumplings were ready in the kitchen.
Li Huazhang said to Ming Huashang, "I'm here, go and ask them to come for dinner."
Ming Huashang knew that Li Huazhang was much more careful than she was, so she gave it to him without any worries. She walked to the side hall and found that Jiang Ling had fallen asleep after just a short absence.
Ming Huashang was surprised: "He fell asleep?"
"Yes." Xie Jichuan said coldly, "I called him but he didn't wake up."
If it were in the past, Ren Yao would have slapped him, and it would have been a sure hit. But now, she felt a little awkward in front of Jiang Ling, and was too embarrassed to do anything. Ming Huashang sighed and said, "Let me do it. Jiang Ling, wake up."
Jiang Ling slept soundly, not moved at all. Ming Huashang called out several times, a little angry, and said suddenly: "It's time to eat!"
"Ah?" Jiang Ling straightened his head suddenly, unable to open his eyes, but he could find the direction of the conversation accurately, "What to eat?"
Ming Huashang looked at him speechlessly: "Eat your head."
"Shang Shang." A familiar voice came from behind the partition. He said softly, patiently and carefully, "The dumplings have been served for you. They are filled with your favorite fillings. Come and try them."
Ming Huashang immediately left Jiang Ling, the fool, and hurried over: "Don't move, I'll serve it myself!"
Li Huazhang's voice was soft and smiling: "I know you marked the dumplings. Don't worry, the one wrapped in sugar is in your bowl."
"How did you know I marked it?"
“Yes.”
"What?" This was Ren Yao's voice of disbelief, "You did it too? Hey, Xie Jichuan, put it down, that's mine!"
Jiang Ling rubbed his eyes and went to eat slowly. After such a long time, he was no longer hungry, but he couldn't help but smile when he smelled the hot aroma.
This was the most hasty New Year he had ever spent. There were no extravagant banquets, no dazzling singing and dancing, no father, stepmother, younger brother, or retainers. There were only a few friends and a pot of dumplings that he made by hand. But Jiang Ling felt that this New Year had a more festive atmosphere than any other time.
May the people in heaven and on earth enjoy joy and pleasure every year tonight.
.
The third year of Jinglong, New Year's Day.
In fact, this date is not accurate. The previous emperor passed away, and Prince Wen succeeded to the throne. Empress Wei took over the throne and ruled the country. Jinglong was the reign title of the previous emperor, so we should not use Jinglong anymore. But the court report has not been delivered yet, and we don't know what the new emperor's title reign is, so we will use Jinglong for the time being.
There was a lot of noise last night. Because of the national mourning period, fireworks could not be set off, so Er Niang and Jiang Ling set off rats in the yard and burned a hole in the clothes.
The kitchen was a mess because of their mischief. I wanted to clean it up last night, but Er Niang refused, saying that we should enjoy life today and wait until next year to deal with next year's affairs. But she fell asleep and slept through it. When I got up this morning, she was still motionless. I met Ren Yao on the way and he said that he would return to Beijing today to report, so he came to resign.
I was going to wake her up, but Li Huazhang said she had just fallen asleep, and Ren Yao also said there was no need to wake her up and we could see each other another day.
I thought so too. The new emperor will definitely summon Li Huazhang back to the capital when he holds a ceremony to celebrate the emperor's arrival. We can meet in Chang'an in a few days, so there is no need to rush.
But seeing them leave with my own eyes, I still felt a little sad. It was so lively last night, but in the blink of an eye, only the empty courtyard was covered with snow, and half of the wine in the corridor had not been finished. Li Huazhang said that he would take this wine to Chang'an, and next time he saw them, he would let them drink more wine, and they would not leave until they were drunk.
I hope that next time I see them, they will be more skilled at making dumplings and won't waste so much flour.
The rain stopped in the morning, at the Shangzhou Governor's Mansion.
——The sixth case, “The Curse of the Serpent,” is finished.
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