June in Chang'an is yellow-white, and locust trees are blooming all over the streets. Although the government had posted notices early prohibiting the picking of locust flowers from the locust trees along the street, there were always locust flowers scattered on the ground under the locust trees every morning, as well as messy footprints.
At noon, the Prime Minister's Mansion. Zhou Ruoxiao stood at the gate and looked at the tall locust tree on the side, which was dotted with a few locust flowers.
Zhou Ruoxiao smiled hoarsely, shook his head, and stepped into the Prime Minister's Mansion. As soon as you enter the door, a refreshing fragrance hits your face.
Zhou Ruoxiao laughed and said, "The Prime Minister's Mansion is different. It is filled with fragrance and fairy spirit."
"Haha, how did you know that there was no distinguished guest coming to the door, and the flowers are shining brightly." Wang Daofan's voice came from the house, "King Xiaoyao came so early, I have just started wrapping this locust flower bag."
Zhou Ruoxiao strode into the door. The maid on the side was about to serve tea, but instead of accepting the tea, he followed the sound and walked towards the kitchen.
Kitchen. Wang Daofan was pouring soy sauce into a wooden basin filled with minced meat. One of the two cooks on the side is washing locust flowers and the other is kneading dough.
"The key to making steamed buns depends on the skill of filling. It's like feeding soy sauce to minced meat. You can't pour the soy sauce in at once, otherwise the meat will lose its flavor. You feed it three times, and finish each feeding. You have to stir it evenly so that the meat can be delicious." Wang Daofan held a pair of chopsticks and slowly stirred the minced meat in the barrel. The soy sauce and minced meat gradually merged under the stirring of his chopsticks.
"I didn't expect that the prime minister can not only govern the country, but also be good at cooking." Zhou Ruoxiao praised.
"To govern a big country, if you cook small dishes, I can only cook a few small dishes." Wang Daofan sprinkled on minced green onions, minced ginger, and finally poured a little camellia oil, "This camellia oil is what Master Lengsi, the governor of Yanzhou, used on Changbai Mountain. I made some tea leaves, come here, let me smell it, does it smell good?"
Zhou Ruoxiao went over and took a sniff. In the small jade bottle, the light yellow tea oil exuded a strong fragrance, "It smells so good. It seems that I have a good taste today."
"Since King Xiaoyao is willing to be invited to my house, how can I disappoint King Xiaoyao." Wang Daofan smiled and said, "The stuffing has been prepared. Is King Xiaoyao interested in making it with me?"
"I'm very happy, but if I don't wrap it well, I hope you can give me some advice." Zhou Ruoxiao rolled up his sleeves and said.
One cook brought rolled out bun wrappers, and the other brought a basin of water and a towel in his hand. Zhou Ruoxiao and Wang Daofan washed their hands with water and dried them with towels.
Wang Daofan picked up a piece of bun wrapper and filled it with stuffing while saying, "This bun is also very particular. If you put too much stuffing, the wrapper won't be able to cover it and the filling will be exposed. If you put too little stuffing, it won't be interesting to eat. .”
Zhou Ruoxiao looked at the newly wrapped buns in his hand and saw the neat wrinkles on the buns, "How much filling is too much and how much is too little?"
"It depends on the appetite of the person who eats the buns." Wang Daofan raised his head and glanced at the buns in Zhou Ruoxiao's hand, and said with a smile, "King Xiaoyao deserves to be from the army, and his appetite is indeed not small."
"Prime Minister, how much filling is appropriate for this Jiuzhou bun?" Zhou Ruoxiao picked up another piece of bun wrapper and said.
"It depends on who the state shepherds make the buns for." Wang Daofan said, "But it's hard to find the stuffing now. But King Xiaoyao lived a happy life. Not long after returning from Yumen Pass, he made the three of us The princess’s spring water was stirred.”
"Prime Minister, where did you hear this rumor? The third princess and I just move around a lot on weekdays." Zhou Ruoxiao explained calmly on the surface, but there was an unexplained pause in his heart, inexplicably thinking of That day, under the cover of the evening breeze, the girl holding the parrot in her hand secretly looked at him.
"I didn't expect it. I thought that the folds of the buns made by King Xiaoyao were like the first one, with clear edges and corners, and hidden iron-blooded edges. But now I saw this second one, but it opened my eyes. I didn't expect that King Xiaoyao could also do it. This is the realm of tigers sniffing roses." Wang Daofan looked at Zhou Ruoxiao with a smile on his face and said.
Zhou Ruoxiao then regained his concentration and looked down at the freshly made buns in his hands. The wrinkles were as smooth and round as mutton fat.
In the First Prince's Mansion, Li An led Huo Xuemin carrying a food box to a room with closed doors and windows. Outside the room, two guards looked at them expressionlessly.
"Thank you, gentlemen, for your hard work. I'm here to deliver food to the eldest prince." With a smile on his face, Li An took out a few taels of broken silver from his arms and gave them to the guards, and said, "Two gentlemen, take this and buy some wine. Drink."
The two guards looked around and saw that there was no one around. Then they took the silver in his hand and said, "Okay, go in. But don't stay too long. It's hard for us to explain if someone sees us."
Li An led Huo Xuemin into the house. Because the doors and windows were closed, the room was also very stuffy. On the table were three meat buns that Li An had delivered in the morning, none of which had been touched. On the bed, Jiang Fengqing was lying quietly with her eyes slightly closed.
"First Prince, Miss Huo has brought you some food. Get up and eat some." Li An said while clearing the table, taking out the food from the food box and setting it up.
"Put it on the table." Jiang Fengqing turned over and faced the wall, but she didn't want to face them.
Huo Xuemin frowned slightly. Looking at Jiang Fengqing, who lay on the bed every day, she felt that he was so strange.
"Am I so unsightly? The eldest prince doesn't even want to look at me." Huo Xuemin said word by word, "In that case, what's the point of me coming here every day? It's just to disturb the eldest prince's rest. , It’s nothing to attract people’s attention.”
Every word Huo Xuemin said was like a sharp blade scratching at Jiang Fengqing's heart. He recalled that he had just met Huo Xuemin two years ago, when Jiang Fengqing was in high spirits and returned with a great victory in suppressing bandits in Jingzhou with the Red Guards. As the only daughter of the Huo family, Huo Xuemin danced the "Jinghong Dance" at the banquet to welcome the Red Guards' triumphant return.
That day, Jiang Fengqing stared at Huo Xuemin dancing on the stage with drunken eyes. The two looked at each other, with the same arrogant heart in their eyes. Their eyes were calm and could not make waves; their eyes were clear, so clear that they could only tolerate. Next person. Their marriage contract was signed by Jiang Nanchu and Huo Long when they were just born.
Later, when he was going to regulate the Yellow River, he left her a promise, "I will marry you when I come back." And she believed his promise. She waited for a long time until he returned to the city, but she couldn't wait for him to turn around. . She glanced at Chang An, but he didn't even look at her.
Huo Xuemin gently closed the door and left. She was extremely disappointed with Jiang Fengqing. She knew very well that Jiang Fengqing was secretly plotted this time, and she didn't care that Jiang Fengqing had lost his status as a prince. She could even ask her father to give him a chance to make a comeback, but she couldn't accept that Jiang Fengqing had collapsed. She was in him The high-spirited young man can no longer be seen. Behind him there is only an old man who is still living in the mud of the past, waiting for degradation and decay. In the end, there is only a lonely tombstone left, waiting for passers-by to see, and then I lamented what happened to him, and then there was nothing more.
What a deep debt, such a huge marriage contract that even all nine states can't avoid.
What a shame, you don't even look back when I'm behind you.
Li An said nothing, just silently put the cold meat buns into the food box, and then left at the urging of the guards outside.
A guard looked into the room again, confirmed that Jiang Fengqing was still lying on the bed, and then closed the door.
"Hey, this eldest prince is really good at sleeping. It's already noon and he's still lying on the bed."
"I've been lying in bed for several months."
"But the eldest prince also asked for it. With such a beautiful and rich fiancée, he went to Feng Lai Tower to steal incense and was caught. Who can blame him?"
"Okay, okay, just say a few words less, it won't be good if others hear you."
In the stuffy room, Jiang Fengqing wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, and the pillow towel was soaked with silent tears. Jiang Fengqing bit the quilt tightly. There was a hole in the quilt, and the cotton wool had entered, but he didn't care. The pain in his heart had already filled his chest, making his whole body tremble. Why didn't he want to look back at Huo Xuemin, but what face should he use to face her? After losing his status as a prince, how could he accept the engagement?
"I only have one chance. I don't dare to take you to gamble, otherwise I can't afford to lose..." Jiang Fengqing cried silently, her pale face already covered with tears.
The Second Prince's Mansion. There were nearly thirty chairs placed in the courtyard. The people sitting on the chairs were all officials of the third rank and above in the court. All of them were powerful dignitaries. But at this time, most of them looked at Jiang Ruoting, who was sitting above, with a flattering expression. Without him, the eldest prince has been abolished, and the fourth prince is still young. Now Jiang Ruoting's inheritance of the throne is a certainty.
"Yesterday, I sent an invitation to all the officials of the third rank and above in Chang'an, asking them to come to my house to discuss something today. Now the only ones who can come are the twenty-seven adults in front of me." Jiang Ruoting stood up and handed over his hands. After bowing, he said, "I am very grateful to all of you for taking the time to accept the invitation despite your busy schedule. Please accept my bow."
"What are you talking about, Second Prince? The Second Prince has his destiny, and we should go through fire and water without hesitation." Chen Dong said loudly, "My lords, do you think so?"
Everyone agreed.
"Lord Chen's words make sense." "The second prince has both political integrity and talent. We are all the only ones who follow the lead."
"I'm really flattered that the adults love me so much." Jiang Ruoting glanced at Chen Dong approvingly and said, "The reason why I want to invite you all here today is to ask you to help me palm my eyes. Someone gave me a gift a few days ago. A treasure, I don’t know if it is genuine or fake.”
Jiang Ruoting clapped his hands as he spoke. Four men struggled to lift a box from the house. As soon as this box is taken out
, the whole yard is filled with a strange fragrance.
"This fragrance...could it be made from the seventh-grade Tianxiang tree that the emperor killed in the South China Sea a few years ago? But wasn't it collected into the national treasury?" A second-grade old man exclaimed.
"Sir, you are indeed well-informed. It is the Tianxiang tree." Jiang Ruoting said with a smile, "I saw that it had been neglected in the treasury, so I wanted to make the best use of it, so I used it to build this treasure chest."
Everyone burst into admiration.
"The second prince really has a keen eye for pearls and is extremely intelligent." "It has been hidden in the treasury. Isn't that a waste of natural resources? It should be taken out and put to good use."
The four men carefully placed the box in front of Jiang Ruoting, then breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from their heads.
Jiang Ruoting opened the box proudly and took out a dragon robe!
"Bang"
Chen Dong was so frightened that he fell off the chair. His hands were shaking for a long time before he could hold on to the chair and sit back down again. He just felt that it was a sunny day today, but the soles of his feet felt cold. He secretly thought in his heart, "The second prince's move is not to ground the earth, but to ground the earth."
There was also a commotion among the other officials, who were all whispering among themselves to discuss the second prince's intentions.
Jiang Ruoting didn't care about the various looks in these officials' eyes, either surprised or gloomy. He opened his arms and let his four men help him put on the dragon robe. The eight golden dragons outside the dragon robe were shining brightly in the sunlight, making them look majestic.
Jiang Ruoting walked down the steps and came to the noisy officials. The officials immediately stopped talking and looked at him together.
"My lords, have we discussed this yet?" Jiang Ruoting said with a gentle smile.
"Second Prince, this dragon robe can only be worn by the emperor. I'm afraid it's too early for you to use it." An official from the Ministry of Etiquette with white hair and beard whispered.
His words prompted echoes from some officials.
"Yes, the Second Prince doesn't feel comfortable wearing it right now." "The Second Prince should wait a little longer."
Jiang Ruoting kept the smile on his face and looked at the etiquette official quietly. After all the officials who supported the proposal calmed down, he said, "Now I want to ask the adults who think that the dragon robe I am wearing is real to stand behind me and those who think the dragon robe I am wearing is fake." Adults, please continue to sit in your chairs."
Chen Dong was on pins and needles for a moment. How could he identify whether this dragon robe was genuine or fake? He had never worn it. He didn't dare to take another look at the dragon robe. It would be useless to look at this kind of thing too much. He also made up his mind to stand on whichever side there were more people. Then look at your nose with your eyes, your mouth with your nose, and your heart with your mouth.
Two, five, seven...
The officials all stood up in twos and threes and stood behind Jiang Ruoting, but Jiang Ruoting still smiled and looked at the official from the Ministry of Etiquette who was sitting on the chair as steady as a rock. Although many officials stood up one after another, his expression remained unchanged, neither happy nor sad.
Finally, twenty-four chairs became available in the courtyard. Standing among many officials, Chen Dong felt that the three sitting officials were quite lonely. The officialdom was like a battlefield. How could a small number of people fight against a large number of people? These three are all old officials. In Chen Dong's view, it is time to withdraw from this battlefield when you are old, because when you are old, you are prone to confusion and mistakes. Walking in this officialdom is like walking on thin ice. If you get confused, you may step into an ice hole and drown.
Chen Dong felt that these three old officials were confused. It was obvious that the second prince was asking the important officials in the court to take a stand and prepare to reshuffle the forces in the court. The rafters at the top are rotten first. It's too early to worry about it now and can't be worn. The second prince has to wear it sooner or later. It doesn't matter if he tries this dragon robe early to see if it fits him. Is it possible that someone else can make it useless for him? The deposed prince? Chen Dong suddenly thought of a person, a person in the court who might really be able to depose the prince. Maybe it's not that these three old officials didn't make their stand clear. Not standing up may mean they made their stand clear. They are not on the side of the second prince, but they think there is a better choice.
As the sun set, the officials walked out of the second prince's residence in twos and threes, got into their own carriages, or walked together. Chen Dong looked back at the huge Second Prince's Mansion. Through the gaps between the officials who were walking out one after another, he saw Jiang Ruoting standing with his hands behind his hands and looking at the sky, still mumbling something. He followed Jiang Ruoting's gaze, but only saw an ordinary sunset glow. Without thinking much, he turned around and got into the carriage to go home. If you don't understand it, just don't look at it, and you'll be less troubled.
Zhou Ruoxiao walked out of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Wang Daofan smiled from behind and said, "King Xiaoyao, please go slowly. Come back for tea next time when you have time."
"Thank you, Prime Minister, for your hospitality today. I will definitely come back next time I have time."
Zhou Ruoxiao walked quietly on the way back home. In the evening, some vendors on the streets had already begun to close their stalls and prepare to go home for dinner. When passing by the Grand Prince's Mansion, a swallow suddenly flew past his eyes and flew behind the plaque that read the Grand Prince's Mansion. The plaque is made of golden nanmu. It is still strong and firm after being exposed to wind and rain, except that the surface is already covered with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. But this does not prevent the swallow from using the inside to build a nest. It does not care what the surface of the plaque looks like.
Zhou Ruoxiao stood in front of the plaque for a while and then left. The swallows were still flying around, stuffing mud or branches into the plaque, and no one thought there was anything wrong with this.
