Chapter 258 Then Show Your Knife
For Jiang Qingzhi, who had lived two lifetimes, this was the first time to get married.
According to tradition, the wedding process is complicated and takes a long time.
But as they were about to go north, they had to keep things simple...but the girl's family had no complaints.
"My father-in-law and mother-in-law are very kind." Jiang Qingzhi was very moved.
Zhu Xizhong came to help and brought dozens of servants with him. "Just do your bidding, as long as you don't die."
Jiang Qingzhi was very busy these days and had no time to entertain him. Zhu Xizhong made himself some tea, came over and saw him looking at the list of guests for the banquet, and snatched it away, "This brother is better than you, go and do something else."
Zhu Xizhong was an old nobleman, so he naturally knew who should be invited to the wedding of a new noble like Jiang Qingzhi, the mortal enemy of the scholar-officials.
Jiang Qingzhi ticked the ones that had to be invited, and the rest was left to him.
"Master, someone is coming from the palace."
This time, it was Huang Jin who led the team in the palace, and dozens of eunuchs and palace maids accompanied him.
"His Majesty said that this time it was too hasty and he might not be able to handle it, so he asked us to bring some people with us."
Jiang Qingzhi called Fu Cheng over, and Fu Cheng was overjoyed and immediately took these people to make arrangements.
"Oh, right." Before leaving, Huang Jin said to Jiang Qingzhi privately, "The emperor summoned your father-in-law that day to discuss changing the wedding date..."
He looked at Jiang Qingzhi meaningfully, "This has never happened before."
This is what parents should do.
Jiang Qingzhi's parents are both dead, but his elders are still alive, but the Jiang family has never contacted him. As for his mother's family, Ye probably wants to kill him at this moment.
The last time Emperor Jiajing ordered Huang Jin to go to Suzhou to pay tribute to his uncle Jiang Gan, Huang Jin discovered that someone had graffitied on Jiang Gan’s tombstone and written some humiliating words.
Huang Jin immediately sent someone to the government office and threw the sign over. The whole Suzhou government was in chaos, and then the best constables and local soldiers were dispatched, and they quickly caught the suspect.
The young man from the Ye family who did this was a cousin of Jiang Qingzhi in terms of seniority.
He was beaten half to death and then exiled to the army.
The Ye family was silent.
From then on, the name Jiang Qingzhi became a taboo for the Ye family in Suzhou and could not be mentioned at all.
So while Jiang Qingzhi had fewer troubles, many things also had no one to take charge of.
The Taoist priest came forward and discussed with Li about changing the wedding date as the head of the family. Jiang Qingzhi felt it was very incongruous to think that the Taoist priest, who was usually as cold as a god and looked at his subjects like ants, was trying hard to smile.
Once a person is happy, his appetite will be good.
Jiang Qingzhi felt hungry before dinner time, so he cooked a fish dish himself and asked Sun Chonglou to send it to the palace.
Sun Chonglou rushed to the West Garden and said, "Hurry up, hurry up."
"What is it?" the guard asked.
"The dishes my young master prepared for His Majesty will not be fresh any later."
After a brief inspection, Sun Chonglou mounted his horse and rushed in.
——According to the Taoist's rules, it is strictly forbidden for officials to enter the West Garden in sedan chairs. You must either ride a horse or walk.
This is what the Taoist said at the time: Ride your horse more often when you have nothing to do, so as to avoid wasting money on medicine.
This remark is a satire on the absurdity of the current scholars who regard weakness as beauty and literary weakness as the standard.
Sun Chonglou dismounted and shouted from a distance: "Make a fire, get some oil."
The eunuchs heard him speak anxiously and thought it was some urgent matter, so they made a charcoal fire.
"Set up the pot, set up the pot!"
……
Set up the pot and heat the oil.
Put some chopped green onions on the fish and pour some soy sauce on it.
The oil was heated, Jiang Qingzhi picked up the iron pan and poured the oil on the steamed fish.
scoff!
The aroma of chopped green onions is brought out, mixed with soy sauce and fish flavor, which immediately whets your appetite.
……
“It tastes good.”
The Taoist coughed dryly and said, "Bring me some cakes."
"Your Majesty." Sun Chonglou felt that Emperor Jiajing was a bit of a bumpkin, "This fish goes best with rice."
"Oh! Let's try it." The Taoist priest readily followed suit.
"Take a piece of fish, but don't eat it yet! Dip it in the soup. Yes, try it..." Sun Chonglou looked at Emperor Jiajing with anticipation.
Emperor Jiajing took a bite of the fish and found it delicious.
The taste was surprisingly simple and refreshing.
The salty aroma of soy sauce suddenly came up, and the Taoist couldn't help but take a mouthful of rice.
When the rice is mixed in, it immediately becomes a hodgepodge in your mouth.
"How is it?" Sun Chonglou asked. A eunuch couldn't help but cough dryly, suggesting that Sun Chonglou should be more restrained. The Taoist glanced at this person, his eyes were cold.
The eunuch lowered his head quickly. Huang Jin coughed dryly and said, "Go pour tea."
This person standing here will only affect Emperor Jiajing's appetite.
"Delicious." Emperor Jiajing nodded.
"I'll just say it!"
Sun Chonglou laughed like a child, and even the Taoist priest started laughing.
The Taoist took a sip of wine and asked, "How come your young master has time to cook?"
Sun Chonglou blurted out, "I heard the young master mumbling in the kitchen, what was he saying..."
"Why, it's hard to say?" The Taoist said with a smile.
Sun Chonglou sighed, "Young Master said that the Taoist is aloof and arrogant, and never smiles at others. My father-in-law is really lucky, the best man in the world."
The Taoist priest's face darkened.
Huang Jin covered his mouth and laughed.
Sun Chonglou pretended to be like Jiang Qingzhi at that time, "Okay! The so-called delicacies that the Taoist eats in the palace are almost the same as what cows and horses eat in my opinion. Go get him a fish to open his eyes... no, whet his appetite." After a long time, the Taoist's scolding was heard from the West Garden.
"Melon skin!"
……
Everyone wants to go back to childhood, some are dissatisfied with the present and dream of rebirth, but some people miss the carefree childhood.
"Desire is a sea of suffering, but no one can escape from it, not even me."
When making steamed fish, the fish cannot be too big. If it is too big, the fish meat will be tough and difficult to absorb the flavor.
A steamed fish weighing more than one pound but less than two pounds was eaten by Xia Yan alone, and Jiang Qingzhi scooped up the fish head.
Xia Yan drank a glass of wine, his old eyes full of sighs, "Your Majesty kept me in the capital, first to set an example for the scholars and officials of the world. It's like whipping a corpse."
Xia Yan is that corpse. As long as he is in the capital, he will be whipped.
"I could have pretended to be sick and escaped, but I didn't. Deep down, I was expecting His Majesty to change his mind one day and reinstate me for the third time. This is desire. I am deeply trapped in it and suffer terribly. And you, kid..."
Xia Yan looked at Jiang Qingzhi, then looked at the side dishes on the plate, picked up a piece of pork belly, and savored it carefully.
"You ask for nothing, yet everything comes here. Whatever you lack, you have. It reminds me of something... water!"
Water benefits all things without competing.
Jiang Qingzhi had always disliked fish heads, and he thought it was strange to see others drinking fish heads. After several attempts, he discovered the secret.
"This fish head has several flavors. The meat on the outside is tender, and the meat under the eyes is even more delicious. Take a sip here, it's like crystal, wow! Beautiful! And here..."
Jiang Qingzhi wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "Many times, it's just heart for heart."
Xia Yan glanced at him sideways, "What if the emperor's instinct takes effect?"
"Haha!" Jiang Qingzhi smiled.
"I'm back." Xia Yan stood up and supported his knees with his hands. "I'm old, old. But I can still give you some advice for a smart but troublesome kid like you."
"You say." Jiang Qingzhi knew that Xia Yan must have something to do today.
Xia Yan asked, "Do you know how Shang Yang died?"
"Yes, he will be torn to pieces after death."
The term "charging a person by five horses" is also known as being torn apart by five horses.
"What happened to Wang Anshi?"
"My beloved son died young, and I left office in disgrace."
"I have never asked what your majesty and you are doing, but you can hide it from those idiots, but not from my eyes." Xia Yan pointed at his eyes and said, "Shang Yang's reforms laid the foundation for the Qin Dynasty to unify the six kingdoms. His contribution was invaluable. But he could not escape death in the end. Wang Anshi's reforms were dedicated to the country, but he still became a pariah. Congratulations."
The old man patted Jiang Qingzhi on the shoulder and asked, "Are you ready to be ruined or die on the street?"
Jiang Qingzhi ate the part of the fish head near the neck. "Look, there is the most meat here, but also the most bones. Some people like to slowly pull out the bones and enjoy the pleasure of eating meat in big mouthfuls. But I like to chew the meat and bones together in my mouth."
"Are you not afraid of the pain?"
"For such a big event, it's never a dinner party." Jiang Qingzhi chewed slowly, and the tiny thorns were gradually chewed into pieces.
“The general trend is like the tide, mighty and powerful. Those who follow it will prosper, while those who go against it will perish.” Jiang Qingzhi slammed his chopsticks on the table.
After Xia Yan left, the old man sighed all the way, probably thinking of his own ambitions back then.
But he only made minor efforts back then and never jumped out of the cage set for him by the Confucian school.
However, Jiang Qingzhi had never been bound by the so-called rules, so the literati always felt that he did not play by the rules and thus gave him the label of a Confucian rebel.
"Is the Confucian school rebellious?" Jiang Qingzhi coughed a few times and spat out a few fish bones.
Outside the door, Mo Zhan stood with a sword in his hand, looking coldly at the servants and palace maids who came to help.
As Jiang Qingzhi walked out, Mo Zhan suddenly asked, "My Lord, I am sorry..."
"explain."
"That day, I heard Mr. Hu and Mr. Xu talking about how the Lord did extraordinary things, but he ended up offending too many people. At the moment, those people are still cautious, so they are gentle. Once the conflict between the two sides deepens, they will definitely use any means. I dare to ask the Lord, what should we do?"
Mo Zhan added: "I am not afraid, but..."
"The literati are like gods to you." Jiang Qingzhi smiled, thinking that those idiots were just fools. "If they resort to any means..."
Jiang Qingzhi's eyes were deep, "Then draw your swords, and fight your way out of a bright and peaceful world! Fight your way out of a glorious Ming Dynasty!"
……
On the wedding day, Fucheng got up early and kept looking towards the east.
"Master, are you waiting for the gods?" Sun Chonglou asked.
"Stop making noise." Fu Cheng muttered, "The morning glow doesn't go out, but the evening glow travels a thousand miles!"
Fortunately, the weather was fine and there were no clouds in the morning.
Fucheng went to report happily.
"Auspicious day!"
"Congratulations, uncle!" Prince Yu's two brothers came.
"Where is the prince?" Jiang Qingzhi asked casually.
Since that day when the prince's heart knot was untied, the East Palace has sent gifts frequently, and each time they come, they bring greetings from the prince.
King Jing turned his head away, and King Yu said, "The Crown Prince is giving a lecture today."
The so-called lecture is what people in the palace call it, which is a small academic lecture.
Zhu Shitai came, "My father said to come to the palace to meet him."
Huang Jin also came and brought people to help.
Zhu Xizhong hurried over. Xia Yan was hosting the wedding today, and when he saw him coming, he scolded him, "If you're any later, you'll miss the time."
"Isn't she here?" Zhu Xizhong muttered, then asked the time and shouted, "Qingzhi, come out quickly to pick up the bride."
"Uncle, hurry up, I have prepared a poem to urge you to get ready!" Prince Yu was very happy as it was his first time attending a wedding.
Jiang Qingzhi walked out of the house and looked at an alley full of people going to pick up their bride. He suddenly felt dizzy as if time and space were reversed.
He shook his head.
Looking at the bright sky, he whispered:
"Dad, Mom, I'm getting married."
……
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(End of this chapter)
