The hot soup was steaming in the copper pot. Everyone sat together, eagerly looking at the ingredients just thrown into the pot, eagerly waiting for the moment they were cooked.
Because it was so cold that even though there were several charcoal pots placed in the palace, they didn't feel warm. In addition, Song Qiyun and Bai Meng kept complaining that they were hungry. Song Jue asked his two father-in-laws to go to the imperial kitchen to get a hot pot. , on such a cold late night, it is most comfortable to eat a hot pot.
"Speaking of which, this year is weird. It's spring, but my hands and feet are still freezing at night. The wind was blowing a few days ago, and I feel uncomfortable this morning." Song Jue used chopsticks to pick and pull the copper The meat in the pot should be heated evenly to avoid being half-cooked and causing stomach upset after eating. He glanced at Xuanyuan Liang, who was sitting silently, and asked, "Has the old general seen such a situation before?"
"Such a situation doesn't happen often, but it happened once. It was when I was very young, probably..." Xuanyuan Liang took the hot soup handed over by Shen Cha, held it in her hand, and looked at it carefully for a while. , and then slowly took a sip, as if he was drinking some fine wine. He smiled at Shen Cha and turned to look at Song Jue, "It was when I was two or three years old. I have no memory of it. I also heard the elders in my family mention it. The winter in those one or two years was special. It's extremely long, and the weather is extremely cold. I heard it's almost the beginning of summer, so I haven't even taken off my thin coat. Some shady houses still need a charcoal pot." He sighed softly, "Don't Not to mention, if the weather is so cold, the harvest will be a big problem. If it is too cold in the spring, it will affect the spring sowing, and in the autumn, it will affect the autumn harvest. Your Majesty, you need to prepare early."
"That's what the old general reminded me." Song Jue nodded, "Fortunately, there have been bumper harvests in recent years and ample reserves, so you don't have to worry too much. The big deal..."
"Just grab it!" Song Qiyun raised his eyebrows and quickly grabbed the first batch of cooked meat. He dipped it twice in his dish and stuffed it into his mouth. "Since the floods started in the Kingdom of Jin, , Brother Haolin and Sister Xiaocha sent people to explore the bottom of the Jin Kingdom. The reserves are quite abundant. Not to mention enough to feed the entire Jin Kingdom for a year, even if Daxia and Liao are included, they can eat Two or three years is more than enough.”
"Hey, is the Wanyan family so rich? Wanyan Zongcheng and Wanyan Ping are really talented!" Song Jue and Xuanyuan Liang were shocked after hearing Song Qiyun's words, and looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha in unison, "He Is that true?"
"Yeah!" Shen Cha nodded firmly, "It's just a lot more. This number is not only our survey, Yelu also checked it, and it is basically consistent with our results. We joked in private that if the grain and grass If there is a problem, you can use local materials, and you will never go hungry." She took out the second wave of cooked meat, put part of it on Shen Haolin's plate, and gave the other part to Song Jue. "The people of the Jin Kingdom are also very resentful about this. Wanyan Zongcheng and Wanyanping tried to provide disaster relief, but they just scattered all the old rice."
"What they are spreading is not old rice, they are spreading their own virtue!"
"You're right!" Shen Cha nodded towards Xuanyuan Liang, "If it weren't for this, Wanyanping wouldn't be in the position where she is being pushed down by everyone today. At least the people of Yiqing Prefecture will stand on her side. But now..." She shook her head, "As long as there are connections, the whole family will sneak out of the city. Things that cannot be taken away will either be given to the neighbors or simply destroyed. Anyway, they will never be left behind. Yan Ping's. And those who couldn't get out of the city would dig cellars in their homes and hide food and supplies. They said they would rather send these things outside the city than give them to Yan Ping's people. ." She spread her hands with a very helpless expression, "Wanyan Ping probably didn't expect that the situation would become so bad."
"This is what you bring upon yourself." Bai Meng remained silent and took advantage of the gap between everyone's conversations to fill his stomach. After eating and drinking, he looked at Xuanyuan Liang and said, "Old General, do you think the idea I just made is true?"
"Well, I've been thinking about what you said just now." Xuanyuan Liang touched her chin and glanced at Bai Meng, "If you hadn't mentioned this today, I really wouldn't have thought about it in this direction."
"It's too late to think about it now." Bai Meng held the soup bowl and looked at Xuanyuan Liang seriously, "Think about it, is this possible?"
"Let me tell you my point of view first. I think it's very possible." Song Yaojia put down her bowl and chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, "My focus is different from yours, that's what I think. Xijing is now The construction style of most houses is a continuation of the previous dynasty, and many high-ranking families retain some traces of the previous dynasty. For example, the main house and the ancestral hall are actually separate, and the Xuanyuan family is still the same now, right?" See? Xuanyuan Liang nodded, and he continued, "The old general said just now that the fire was caused by the main house and the ancestral hall at the same time. If these two places are connected, then one of them was burned and affected the other place. , it may be reasonable to judge that it was an accident. But it is absolutely impossible for two separate and completely different places to be burned at the same time if it was not intentional."
"I agree with His Highness the Crown Prince's statement." Shen Haolin added, "Two points to add to what we just saw in the file. First, when the fire broke out, everyone in the entire mansion fell into a coma, and no one was awake. Second, all the records in the mansion and the ancestral hall were destroyed and burned. According to the description of the scene at the time, paper books and notebooks were torn out first and then burned, while bamboo slips and other items were It was crossed out and cut into several sections, and then burned. Therefore, after the fire, no written records could be found at all."
"This means that the person who committed the crime had plenty of time at the time. He or they could ensure that the people in the mansion would not suddenly wake up, so they had time to do such a thing. It also shows that, in addition to those who want to take over the entire mansion, Besides death, there is another purpose." Shen Cha looked at Xuanyuan Liang, "Destroy the evidence about the Xuanyuan family and those families related to the Xuanyuan family."
"And the only ones who have close friendship with the Xuanyuan family and hate the Xuanyuan family out of love are the only ones." Bai Meng sighed, "Old General, do you think what we are saying is right?"
"Listening to what you said, that's really what happened." Xuanyuan Liang smiled bitterly, "It's no wonder that our ancestors have always strictly restrained the children of the clan. They are not allowed to show off outside on the basis of their family background, and they are not allowed to cause trouble outside. He probably knows this very well.”
"In the end, a gangster was caught as the scapegoat in this case." Song Jue sighed, "This Black Armor Camp is really incredible. It has been decades since the Xuanyuan family fire and the Tantai family was destroyed, and they are still still entangled in it. . It’s a pity that Bai Mi is so careful. I probably didn’t expect that there is still a clan member of the Xuanyuan family serving as an official in another place, otherwise it would really be a tragedy of genocide.”
"Your Majesty is right." Xuanyuan Liang also sighed and shook his head gently. He didn't know whether he was lamenting for his ancestors. How could he have provoked such an evil god, and even his descendants could not live in peace. Can pass.
"The consistent style of the Black Armor Camp is to never let go. If the Xuanyuan family really played an indispensable role in the destruction of the Tantai clan, or if they have evidence to prove that the Xuanyuan family is the one who betrayed them, no matter how many Even if you keep a low profile, people will come to your door. At least now we can be sure that they have been targeting the Xuanyuan family all along." Song Jue followed, "But I have a question. As the absolute confidant of the Tantai clan, the Black Armor Camp is It is unimaginable that there are still remnants of those who were first exterminated by Emperor Liang and escaped. This is also unimaginable."
"There is nothing unimaginable. At that time, the Black Armored Battalion was no longer a pure escort, nor was it simply composed of elites in the army. There were also some strangers in the world. It was very difficult to escape or bring one or two young masters to escape. Easy." Shen Cha paused and looked at everyone present, "The people from the Tantai family... aren't they still alive?"
"You mean, the current leader of the Black Armor Battalion, or the person who planned all this, is a member of the Tantai family?" Song Jue and Shen Haolin exchanged a look, "What is your reason for saying that?"
"The reason..." Shen Cha's expression was solemn, "Everyone, please think about it. Your guards are very loyal to you, but you can ensure that their descendants, even generations later, will also be loyal to your descendants. ? Do you think this is possible?"
"This..." Several people looked at each other, they really couldn't guarantee this.
"Unlikely, right?" Shen Cha raised an eyebrow, "Although this Black Armor Camp was founded by Tantai Ce, in the final analysis, they and the Tantai family also have an employer-employee relationship. To be honest, they must be loyal. Yes, but people die for money and birds die for food. If there is a better way out, they will not stick to such a hopeless organization, even if it was very brilliant in the past. But now more than two hundred years have passed, and There are still people who are loyally guarding this black-armored camp, it’s impossible not to be surprised.”
"You are right. There must be loyalty, but it will not be loyal for more than two hundred years." Xuanyuan Liang finished the soup in his bowl, "If the Black Armor Camp is not managed by the Tantai family, those people will not be loyal for more than two hundred years." If you are so obedient, you can’t be so dedicated to your life.”
"Moreover, we can make a bold guess that the person in charge of the Tantai family now is probably a direct descendant of Tantai Ce."
