Don't go back to hometown

After New Year's Eve is spring, the snow is no longer falling in various places in the south of the Yangtze River, the weather is gradually warming up, and there are signs of ice melting and snow melting.

Jiang Xianyu and Jiang Baizhou brought back a batch of relief money and supplies distributed by the imperial court from Huai'an this time, and handed them over to Governor Fang.Relying on these silver and materials, the victims of the disaster have also counted a not-so-satisfactory year, and the days are getting more and more hopeful.

Nowadays, the people in Jiangnan all praise the Xie family as a benevolent businessman, and the Jiang family as a chivalrous family.These two families not only hoarded charcoal and cotton and sold them cheaply to the government for the use of the victims; when the Jiangnan army refused to move, the latter broke into the mountains and rescued the imperial envoys for disaster relief, and brought them relief supplies and silver. .

Especially Xie Cheng and Jiang Xianyu, because of their outstanding appearance and young age, they are especially admired and loved.

Xie Chengming's spicy antique soup recipe researched by the cooks in Sichuan is getting better. On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Tao's classmates and Jiang's family were invited to taste it.

Everyone sat around a large table, on which were three soup pots lit by a charcoal stove, surrounded by hot vegetables and various slices of meat.

The chef from the Shu area combined the spicy taste of the Sichuan area with various spices and seasonings. After repeated attempts, they formed a unique proportion of spicy soup recipe, and retained the fresh soup that people in the south of the Yangtze River love, one red and one white, named as Mandarin duck pot.

After everyone tasted it, they all agreed that this mandarin duck pot was delicious in color and fragrance, suitable for all ages, and it was a good deal.

Especially several of Xie Cheng's classmates now admire his "multitasking" ability from the bottom of their hearts.In the short two months in Jinling, the other party not only studied and took care of the shop, but also came up with ideas for disaster relief and people, and now he quietly came up with a recipe for mandarin duck pot, planning to make a fortune.

If you were someone else, you might think that Xie Cheng was mercenary and stinky, but Zhang Tao and others had witnessed his financial resources and hard work for the disaster victims for more than a month, and they never had any contempt in their hearts.

Jiang Xianyu listened to everyone's praise of Xie Cheng, and raised the corners of his lips proudly, as if he was the one being praised.

Jiang's father, Jiang's mother and Jiang Baizhou were also surprised that Xie Cheng could come up with such a money-making idea at this time. They knew better than Xie Cheng's classmates. , accumulating real gold and silver for the Nine Kings, this transaction is probably also a plan for the Nine Kings.

So Father Jiang asked: "You mandarin duck hot pot, are you going to drive to the capital?"

Xie Cheng nodded: "After the Lantern Festival, I will set off for the capital, and take the staff to find a shop first, and make preparations. After the scientific examination is over, the restaurant will be opened."

"I'm going too!" Jiang Xianyu's lips were so hot that his lips were red, he put down his chopsticks and took a sip of tea, and raised his hand to express that he wanted to go to the capital with Xie Cheng.

"Why are you going to join in the fun?" Father Jiang gave him a blank look, disapproving.

Jiang Xianyu blinked innocently: "Sooner or later, go early to take the first chance."

Jiang's father naturally understood the meaning of his words. Originally, they planned to support the Nine Kings and gradually figure it out. After the Nine Kings ascended the throne, they would rehabilitate the Jiang family.

But now that they have shown their faces in front of the court, only by collecting evidence as soon as possible when the court is overwhelmed by the snow disaster in the south of the Yangtze River and has no time to take care of them can they clear up the grievances of the Jiang family when their identities are revealed.

He and Mother Jiang had some evidence in their hands, and they had to go to the capital to inquire about more; at the same time, they had to contact old friends of Master's back then to lay out the layout for the retrial of the old case...

So Jiang's father immediately decided: "In this case, we will go to Beijing together after the Lantern Festival."

Jiang Baizhou nodded in agreement, looked at Xie Cheng, Duan Shuwen, Zhang Tao and others, "By the way, I can escort you to Beijing for the exam."

Mother Jiang also looked at Xie Sangrou: "Are you going with Shuwen too?"

Xie Sangrou and Duan Shuwen looked at each other, and said with a smile: "It was originally planned."

"Then it's settled." Jiang Xianyu touched Xie Cheng's foot with the tip of his shoe, and blinked at him, "Let's all go."

Su He, who was pinching meat for Xiao Qixuan, quickly raised his head: "I want to go too!"

"Wo—" Xiao Qixuan covered his mouth full of food, and looked at everyone with wide eyes, "Wo wants it too!"

……

On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, King Yi Li Yi finally arrived in Jinling. After the governor's office arranged for disaster relief, he asked Fang Zhizhou to visit Jiang's family.

Fang Zhizhou suggested that Xie Cheng lead him there.

So on the second night, Xie Cheng led Li Yi, who was dressed in ordinary clothes and drove lightly, to the Ping An Escort.

Seeing Mother Jiang, Li Yi bowed solemnly and called "Mrs. Jiang".

Jiang's mother bent her lips and smiled with emotion, her eyes were slightly moist: "When I saw you in my sister's palace, you were only as old as Qixuan..." About half a year older than Hao'er, who was born by my sister.

Li Yi hadn't seen Qixuan yet, so he didn't react for a while.Xie Cheng explained: "Qixuan is the youngest son of my sister, and he has just turned four years old."

Li Yi understood, and smiled nostalgicly at Jiang's mother: "I'm ashamed to say, I don't remember the scene when I met my wife, I just remember that every time you come, the emperor's grandmother and the little emperor's uncle are very happy." .”

He lost his mother when he was young, and he was in the care of Empress Dowager Jiang, and he was grateful and respectful to Empress Dowager Jiang.Even though the other party was only twenty years old at that time, he still respectfully called her the emperor's grandmother, and regarded her as his second mother in his heart.

Jiang's mother also recalled those years, her eyes couldn't help turning red, and she choked up and asked, "How did Hao'er and sister... get away?"

Li Yi's smile faltered, and a faint pain flashed in his eyes: "Little emperor uncle... After dying of illness, the emperor's grandmother committed suicide by taking poison... she couldn't be saved."

Jiang's mother staggered back a step, and was supported by Jiang's father, already crying like rain.

Jiang's father hugged her to comfort her for a long time before Jiang's mother restrained her emotions and wiped her tears with red eyes.

Li Yi came this trip not only to reminisce with Jiang's mother, but also brought the clues he collected over the years.

The incident of Jiang Weifeng's rebellion was completely planned by Emperor Mingren and Jinshang, but it was handled very cleanly. I am afraid that only Jinshang himself knows the whole story.

The first emperor Li Hao was originally a child saved by the Empress Dowager Jiang with great difficulty. He was born frail and sickly, and his condition became worse after ascending the throne. He died of illness within a few years.

Li Yi checked the pulse case of the late emperor when he was an adult, and also suspected the imperial physician who gave the emperor medicine. However, the record of the pulse case was flawless, and the imperial physician also returned home, so he never found definite evidence.

But the more this happened, the more unable to dispel his doubts.

He told Jiang's family and Xie Cheng all this, and said that when they went to the capital, they would hand over these clues and evidence to them.

In addition, Li Yi also brought news of Shen Zhui.

"Shen Zhui sent troops into the mountains after you left Huai'an, and found an assassin. The man was buried in snow for five or six days after the avalanche, and now he is hanging half dead. I wonder if he can pry his mouth open."

"Xue Beng?" Xie Cheng's face changed slightly, and he looked at Jiang Xianyu in surprise.

Jiang Xianyu's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his neck to avoid Xie Cheng's sight.

Xie Cheng looked at Jiang Baizhou, who also turned his face away.

Xie Cheng's face darkened, but he didn't ask Jiang Xianyu at this moment, but restrained his emotions.

He looked at Li Yi: "Even if he survives, there is no certainty that he will confess honestly or bite others. The prince must be prepared that he will not be able to hit him with a single blow."

Li Yi looked at him appreciatively: "That's true. So I don't expect to rely on Shen to track down the mastermind behind the scenes, I just want to see them mess themselves up."

Xie Cheng had a lot of correspondence with Li Yi in his previous life, and knew a thing or two about his temperament, so he believed in his sense of proportion and didn't say anything more.

He turned to say: "Now that the disaster has been brought under control, the prince has made great contributions, and I am afraid that the return journey will not be peaceful."

Li Yi said with a slight smile: "This king will return with the imperial guards brought by the eighth emperor, and will be sent off by the Jiangnan army dispatched by Mr. Shen. Along the way, there may be a few students who are rushing to take the exam. If it is still not peaceful, We can only ask them to be witnesses."

Among other things, Li Yi now has a high reputation in the hearts of the people in the south of the Yangtze River. If the students who are rushing for the exam see him being hunted down and murdered with their own eyes, they will definitely complain about him and criticize the people behind the scenes.

Xie Cheng: "Then when does the prince plan to return to Beijing?"

Li Yi: "The ice on the canal is still unmelted, so I'm afraid we won't be able to leave."

Xie Cheng thought for a while, and asked him: "Can the prince transfer a batch of gunpowder from the Jiangnan Army?"

Li Yi's eyes lit up: "You mean blasting the ice?"

Xie Cheng nodded: "Maybe it's possible."

……

It was late at night when Li Yi left, and the posthouse was now vacated for the victims, so they could only stay in the governor's office.

Xie Cheng wanted to send him back, but Jiang Xianyu, who had been "playing dead" during the conversation, finally made a move and proposed to join him.

The governor's office is not far away, but it's only a stick of incense.Li Yi's carriage entered the mansion, and only Xie Cheng and Jiang Xianyu were left on the side of the road.

Xie Cheng didn't say a word, turned his horse's head and left.The direction to go is not the Xie Mansion, but the Ping An Escort.It was obvious that he was angry because he was angry, or he was planning to send Jiang Xianyu back.

It's just that the body of the horse is one position higher than Jiang Xianyu's horse, and he doesn't look back at him.

"Cough." Jiang Xianyu caught up with him, and broke the silence with a fake cough, "Xie Cheng."

Xie Cheng remained silent, rode his horse and took two steps forward.

Jiang Xianyu chased for a while, seeing that he still ignored him, so he jumped up, abandoned his horse and flew onto Xie Cheng's horse, squeezed behind him and hugged his waist, honestly admitted his mistake: "I was wrong, I didn't deliberately hide it from you, I just didn't want you to be afraid, anyway, it's all over—"

"Jiang Xianyu."

Xie Cheng reined in his horse and suddenly called him by his full name.

"I can agree to wherever you want to go, and I can support whatever you want to do, but you have to take your own life seriously."

Xie Cheng closed his eyes and tightened his jaw: "You clearly know that my life is also on your body."

Jiang Xianyu's nose was sore, he tightened his arms and hugged his waist, his forehead rested on his back shoulder, and his voice could not help but nasally: "I made a mistake, and I will never do it again. Don't be angry, okay?"

He is always like this, admitting mistakes very quickly, but correcting them is far away!

Xie Chengben was even more angry because of his insincere attitude, but he could hear the crying in his voice, and he couldn't get angry in an instant.

In the end, he turned his horse's head and rode to Xie's mansion.

"Hey? You won't send me back?"

"You want me to deal with you in the escort?"

Jiang Xianyu: "???"

It's not the "clean up" he thought, is it?