& The summer of Dazhong Xiangfu's sixth year was hotter than previous years. In just a few days, the price of ice in the entire ice market doubled, and cold drinks became an indispensable part of people's lives. ⊙,
At noon, the sun scorches the pavement so hot that the whole street is like a steamer, but it is very cool under the shade of the trees.
Under the shade of the tree, Xiao Yuan was wearing a white brocade robe, holding a folding fan in his hand, crossing his arms and looking at the crowded cold drink stall across the street.
He turned to look at the young lady next to him who was wearing a green dress and a curtain hat, and asked, "Is it really that delicious?"
It's just a cold drink. Is it worth rushing to buy it under the bright sun?
Xunuo snorted softly, lifted a corner of the gauze curtain, revealing half of his face, and said, "You'll know if you buy one and try it."
The method of making cold drinks is not difficult, but before there were only two flavors on the market, and people were tired of eating them every year. Now that there are new flavors and the prices are affordable, more and more people will buy them.
She taught each of the three shopkeepers at the ice shop a recipe for a new flavor of cold drink.
The three shopkeepers are all businessmen. They think fast and can keep up with their actions.
They used their own ice to make cold drinks, and first set up a stall to sell them on West Street. After finding that the sales were good, they started to add stalls in other places the next day, gradually filling the streets and alleys of Bianjing City, until the third watch of the night. There were people queuing up to buy.
The three ice shops were short of manpower, and many more people were hired later. Only a few people were left to look after the business of the ice shop, while the rest went to the streets to sell cold drinks.
Because cold drinks have new flavors, the vendors who sold cold drinks in the past could not sell even half of the cold drinks they made throughout the day. The ice they bought turned into water at home...
"Sixth Lady. I'm short of money. Can you lend me five cents?"
"An ice drink only costs three cents, so why borrow five cents?"
Ice drinks sell for three cents each. Two five cents and a small promotion method also helped to sell a lot more ice drinks.
Xiao Yuan stretched out his hand, with a somewhat joking smile on his face, and said, "I can't eat it alone."
Xu Nuo untied her purse and threw it to him, and said disdainfully: "I spent a lot of money when I visited the brothel. Why are you so poor now that you don't even have money to buy cold drinks?"
Xiao Yuan took the purse. After taking out the money, he tied it back to Xu Nuo's waist, put away the smile on his face, and said seriously: "I want to save the betrothal gift. I have to save some money."
Xu Nuo froze for a moment, and the noise not far away became inaudible. After hesitating for a moment, he asked in a nonchalant tone: "What to do?"
Xiao Yuan straightened up, smiled lovingly and said, "Of course I want to marry you."
Under the curtain. Xu Nuo's face turned slightly red.
Xiao Yuan seemed to notice Xu Nuo's shyness. He reached out to hug her, but Xu Nuo pushed her away and said stiffly: "Go buy a cold drink, I want ice and snow bean water."
Xiao Yuan responded and walked to the other side of the street. Only then did Xu Nuo dare to lift the gauze on the curtain again. Looking at Xiao Yuan's tall back, the red on his face gradually faded.
She is in her twenties. He was actually embarrassed by Xiao Yuan's words. This really confirmed the words of his colleagues at the police academy in his previous life: "What a girl!"
Wait for Xiao Yuan to come back. She asked: "You said you had something to say to me before, what was it?" Xiao Yuan came to Xu's house yesterday to hand over a name card and invite her out, thinking it was an important matter.
"I'm going to join the army, become a general within three years, and come back to marry you." Xiao Yuan held a cold drink in one hand, looked into Xu Nuo's indifferent but clear eyes, and told him his decision in recent months.
Although civil servants in the court were valued, if he were a civil servant, he would probably have to struggle in the officialdom for ten years before he could reach the position of marrying her.
After joining the army, military merit can help him get promoted faster and have the ability to marry her earlier.
Although he has the idea of joining the army, he has not yet made a decision and has not told the Xiao family.
He wanted to ask her first, it would be a decision they both made together.
He would not marry her when he was useless or even ruined. That would undoubtedly add hardship to her future life.
He wanted to marry her openly and openly and make her future life worry-free.
Xu Nuo understood Xiao Yuan's considerations, nodded and said, "Okay, when will we set off?"
Xiao Yuan raised his head and looked towards the northern sky, with empty eyes, and replied with a smile: "In August, join the new army."
He didn't expect Xu Nuo to answer so readily, and the heavy knot in his heart instantly opened. Only with Xu Nuo's support could he join the army without hesitation.
In Youshi, Xiao Yuan personally cooked dinner for Xu Nuo. Every dish was refreshing and delicious, very suitable for summer.
Xu Nuo naturally swept away the food on his dining table.
By the time the two of them had finished drinking and eating, the window outside the window had turned into a golden color at dusk.
The days are hot and the nights are much cooler.
On both sides of the Bianhe River, the breeze blew through the branches and leaves, also blowing away the heat of the day.
The two lay on the roof, looking at the stars in the sky, chatting about the past...
"At that time, King Zhou often came out of the palace to look for me in Xiao's Mansion. On the hottest days, we played all day long and our clothes were soaked with sweat many times. When King Zhou was about to return to the palace, my mother took out Two cold drinks were given to us, which we ate with great joy, without wasting a drop.”
Those days were his happiest days, and every bit of them was engraved in his mind.
"Although he is a royal nobleman and has been more noble than others since he was a child, he never asserts his identity and treats others very kindly. He taught me a lot during the days when we played together, but I couldn't save him... …”
Xu Nuo listened to Xiao Yuan telling stories about his childhood, listening to him talk about the King of Zhou, and his mother, and couldn't help but think of his etiquette that was no less than that of a noble.
Whether it is clothing or food, they are all habits left over from his childhood days with the King of Zhou.
They were once the closest friends, trusting each other and willing to give each other their backs.
But now, everyone thinks that he defeated the King of Zhou and thinks that he is an unknown person.
Since King Zhou left, his life has been difficult to move forward, and those remarks are lingering under him like a haze.
"You don't need to regret." Xunuo stood up, stared at Xiao Yuan's face, and said seriously.
Xiao Yuan said expressionlessly: "But, I clearly had a chance to save him, but because of my negligence, I harmed him..."
Gu Xunuo knew that King Zhou died of illness, but as Xiao Yuan was younger than King Zhou, it was really beyond his power at that time.
But now that Xiao Yuan has said these words, is there another hidden story behind what happened back then?
As the crown prince, King Zhou's death affected not just a few people or a few families, but the development of the entire history.
"That day, I went boating with the King of Zhou. After we got ashore, the King of Zhou shouted that he was hungry and asked someone to prepare snacks. As soon as we sat down at the table, a little eunuch brought snacks to us. He put down the plate and left in a hurry. I looked at that The eunuch was surprised and wanted to ask more, but King Zhou had already started eating, so I didn't care."
When Xu Nuo heard this, he knew that this was a frame-up.
The people around King Zhou were all selected by Queen Guo. If there were any faces, they were probably the ones added by Queen Guo for King Zhou. Who would have thought of anything else?
"I remember very clearly that the first snack King Zhou ate was plum blossom cake. He finished one and said to me, 'Shiro, you can try making it in the future. Make two boxes, one for my mother-in-law, and one for my mother-in-law." Give it to your mother, they love eating this stuff.'"
Everyone said that Xiao Yuan was recruited into the palace because of his good cooking skills.
But when he was less than ten years old, no matter how talented he was, his cooking skills could not compare with those of the royal chefs. This was just a name for him to enter the palace.
"After he said these words, he fell down."
"And I didn't even have time to say a word. I watched him fall, and I also fell down amidst the exclamations of the eunuchs and maids."
"When I woke up again, it was already ten days later. The imperial doctor said that it was a miracle that I could wake up."
By the moonlight, Xu Nuo saw the deep sadness and regret in Xiao Yuan's eyes and asked, "Where is King Zhou?"
Xiao Yuan clenched his hand and said in a calm voice: "He, he died on the second day of his coma, and I never saw him again."
"I was able to get out of bed after half a year, and everything started again. But all the comments outside the palace about the death of King Zhou and about me were so unpleasant. After I fully recovered, my mother hanged herself. Not because I can’t stand the opinions of the outside world, but I want to give the queen an explanation and also to save my life.”
The calm voice could not hide the sadness in his heart. In the moonlight, his eyes were bright but filled with tears.
Xu Nuo held Xiao Yuan's hand without saying a word, just holding his hand quietly.
Xiao Yuan's mother was undoubtedly smart. If she didn't use her life as a bargaining chip, the royal family would probably let Xiao Yuan guard the tomb of King Zhou.
That way, his life would be ruined.
After Xiao Yuan finished speaking, the two of them were silent for a long time.
Xu Nuo hesitated for a moment and said, "Now, have you found the person who killed King Zhou?"
Everyone knows about King Zhou's death, but they don't know how he survived the half-year stay in bed and the days of learning to walk again.
With his temperament, whether it was for the King of Zhou or for himself, he would find the murderer behind the scenes. (To be continued.)
