Chapter 48 Call Her Qingqing
Xiao Ji pondered for a moment, but ultimately didn't take this doubt too seriously.
He was confined to the palace for many years and rarely left, so naturally he didn't know much about the wages outside. He only saw in the documents of the Ministry of Works that it cost 120 copper coins to hire a laborer. He also knew that the price among the people should be lower than the official price, but he didn't expect it to be less than half.
When the water is too clear, there will be no fish. But this water is too muddy. Whose pocket has more than half of the silver gone into?
Thinking of the reason, Xiao Ji sneered. These termites in the Ministry of Works... It was ridiculous, but he felt ridiculous himself. First, as the crown prince, he was deceived by these people. Second, he was no longer the crown prince, so it was not his turn to worry about these things.
But after being the Crown Prince for so many years, taught by his teachers to worry about the people, how could he let go of the beliefs he had believed in for more than a decade? And he had no intention of letting go. The crimson fire in his heart was hidden under the ashes, and it only took a gust of wind to ignite it.
Moreover, Xiao Ji vaguely felt that his current stay in the palace would be an experience that would bring him great changes. He would know more things that he had never known or noticed before. He would go deeper into this land, and he would... no longer be deceived by some people.
Xiao Ji, who had read the books of sages for many years in the palace, suddenly understood deeply what it meant to know that one must practice it personally.
The young man in the wheelchair breathed a sigh of relief. He felt the depression in his heart dissipate a little, and he had time to care about other things. He asked, "Did you find anything?"
Zhao Tong, who was pushing the wheelchair, also put away his playful expression and said seriously, "There wasn't any last night, but I think they can't hold it in for a few more days. They will definitely come again, and more than once."
Although the emperor had declared Xiao Ji's leg broken and that he would be lame even after recovery, how could the kings let down their guard so easily? They all suspected that Xiao Ji was faking it, so they naturally sent spies to investigate.
Moreover, although the crown prince was deposed this time, the remaining crown prince's party was not purged, which made them feel uneasy, as if the root of the problem had not been eradicated.
Xiao Ji nodded, as if thinking of something, and then instructed: "You and Fugui, watch out, not only must you be on guard against those spies, but also some outsiders. There are now... female relatives in the family, ahem, both Zhu are unmarried girls."
How could Zhao Tong not know what his master meant? This was a desolate place in the wilderness. Although there was a village a few miles away, it was still sparsely populated. If some short-sighted people set their eyes on this place and thought they were easy to mess with, who knows what kind of disaster might happen.
However, Zhao Tong did not specify whether this was for the two Zhu'er or for his wife.
He chuckled twice and said, "Actually, all your personal guards want to come with you. How about calling two people?"
Even though Xiao Ji was demoted to a commoner, he was surrounded by six loyal guards, each leading their own team. They were willing to give up their official salaries and follow Xiao Ji, but were stopped by Xiao Ji.
When this matter was brought up again, Xiao Ji still waved his hand and said, "No need. Let them stay in Beijing. They are here too. We will..." The last words were almost inaudible, but Zhao Tong still nodded solemnly.
After the two finished talking about business, they wanted to find a place to hang the underwear. The conditions were poor and there was not even a clothesline. In the end, Xiao Ji had to hang the underwear made of mulberry silk on the branches of a wild tree.
It was only after it was hung that one could see that the wild tree was actually a small sycamore tree, just over a meter tall. Because no one had trimmed it, it grew with its branches spread out in all directions, so Xiao Ji didn't recognize it immediately.
Looking at the tree, Xiao Ji couldn't help but think of her again.
Of course he knew her name. The two sisters were called Qingtong and Qingwu.
Qingwu, Qingwu...
He muttered to himself twice, then told Zhao Tong to push the cart quickly and said, "Let's go for a stroll in the palace."
Yesterday they were so busy cleaning their place that they just skimmed through the first half and didn't watch the second half at all.
While the two of them were visiting the palace, Qingwu was cooking porridge in the kitchen. There was nothing good in the village, only some rice and flour, two taels of relatively fresh pork, and some vegetables. Qingwu thought for a moment and decided to make a pot of vegetable and lean meat porridge.
This job was easy for her. Her grandma was picky about food, and she didn't know how much effort she put into cooking to satisfy her grandma.
So when Xiao Ji and Zhao Tong finished touring the second half of the palace and returned to the kitchen, they saw a steaming earthenware pot on the simple wooden table that they had temporarily carried from the village.
Qingwu, dressed in a blue brocade robe, was coming out with bowls and chopsticks. She turned around and said something to the maid inside, with a smile on her lips.
As Xiao Ji's wheelchair rolled over the threshold, the wooden wheels rubbed against the blue bricks, making a sound. Qing Wu turned at the sound, the silver hairpin on her temples swaying gently with her movements. A light blush appeared on her face, her eyes sparkled, and her whole body was full of vitality.
Seeing Xiao Ji and Zhao Tong coming back, she took a few steps forward and placed the porcelain bowl on the table. The crisp ding-dong sound was mixed with her greeting, "Liu Lang is back just in time. The porridge is just ready."
Through the thin mist rising from the earthen jar, the already beautiful face added a touch of charm, and Xiao Ji's heart couldn't help but tremble.
He watched her words and actions, and truly felt the feeling of the folk saying "A man without a wife has no home" and "Three meals a day, four seasons, and a family reunited."
Qing Wu didn't notice their gazes and swiftly separated the dishes and chopsticks. This made Xiao Ji and Zhao Tong look at him with admiration. Xiao Ji paused and couldn't help asking, "Did you really... do this?"
He knew that although aristocratic women valued virtue, speech, appearance and skills, this was only superficial. Most aristocratic women focused on music, chess, calligraphy and painting, accounting and household management, and not many of them seriously learned how to cook.
The same was true for the emperor's concubines. They often sent soup to curry favor with the emperor, but how many of those soups were cooked by the emperor himself?
Before Qingwu could answer, Fugui, who was chopping wood in the corner, said cleverly, "I saw Madam brewing it herself, and my mouth is watering just by smelling it."
Hearing this, Qing Wu smiled and said, "I have boiled a lot, enough." Seeing Xiao Ji finally pushed to the table, she opened the earthenware jar and
The moment the jar is opened, milky white steam wrapped in the fragrance of vegetables and the rich taste of minced meat hits you in the face.
Qing Wu first poured a bowl for Xiao Ji and placed it in front of him, and gently reminded him: "It's hot now, so drink it slowly."
Just looking at Zhao Tong made his Adam's apple roll. He stole a glance at his master - Xiao Ji staring at the thick vegetable porridge in the bowl, his peach blossom eyes full of tenderness.
Seeing that he was still hesitant to move, Qing Wu pushed the bowl of porridge in front of him, and his fingertips accidentally brushed the back of his hand. "Taste it, is it salty enough?"
She didn't care, but the boy's hand trembled for a moment. He hurriedly picked up the spoon to stir the porridge, scooped a spoonful and put it into his mouth. Fortunately, the weather was still cool in the morning, so the porridge was not too hot.
The hot porridge slid down his throat, the tender lean meat was wrapped in the sweetness of the vegetables, mixed with the faint scent of ginger. Xiao Ji, who was used to eating those delicate meals, couldn't help but brighten his eyes. The most original and simple aroma of the meal was enough to capture people's hearts.
As soon as he raised his head, he met Qingwu's phoenix eyes. She stared at him and asked with a smile, "How is it? Is it delicious?" Her eyes were full of "Praise me quickly."
Even Zhao Tong understood this meaning, but he felt that his wife might be disappointed this time. His master was not the kind of person who would praise others. Usually, a "well done" was already a compliment.
As expected, Xiao Ji didn't know how to praise him for a moment. He paused for a few breaths before uttering, "...Not bad."
Zhao Tong immediately held his forehead with his hands. He couldn't bear to watch it. He simply couldn't bear to watch it.
Even without Zhao Tong's reminder, Xiao Ji could see that Qing Wu was unhappy. It wasn't that he was unhappy, but his anticipation was gone. He suddenly felt anxious, but he didn't know how to praise her.
Qingwu was not angry, but thought to himself: He is indeed a descendant of the emperor, and is always flattered by others. What nice words can he say?
She was just used to it. Her grandma would always praise her cooking skills, so she wanted to be praised. But it didn't matter. After all, she had also cooked meals that no one praised. Not only did no one praise them, but no one ate them either. Thinking of the meals at the Song family, Qingwu's interest disappeared in an instant.
She turned to go to the kitchen to get some freshly boiled tea for the villagers who would be coming to work. However, just as she turned around, she heard a voice suddenly call from behind: "Qingqing."
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