Chapter 1 A Spoonful of Pork Lard Rice

Chopped scallions are scattered at the bottom of the bowl, topped with steaming rice, a large spoonful of pork lard, and a splash of soy sauce. Mix it thoroughly, and serve with a side of salted radish and pickled ginger.

Zheng Fan picked up his spoon, scooped up a mouthful, and savored the aroma.

But after the first spoonful, he had to pause after the second.

Lord Zheng admitted that such a large bowl of pork lard rice would be a dream come true during military campaigns, but he usually had enough grease in his stomach. Eating this bowl of rice directly would be too greasy.

On the other hand, the laborers at the two tables opposite him were eating with gusto.

Oh, right.

And Fan Li, who was sitting next to him, had already scraped his bowl clean.

Then, he wiped his chin.

Looking at his master with a pitiful expression.

Lord Zheng smiled and called out to the woman who was busy working:

"Three more bowls!"

"Coming right up!" The woman promptly started preparing.

Fan Li revealed a satisfied and expectant smile.

This place couldn't even be considered a proper storefront; it was just an alley off the street, with tables and chairs set up against the walls, where a woman ran her business.

"Is it good?"

Zheng Fan asked the Sword Saint sitting next to him.

The Sword Saint chewed slowly and said:

"Acceptable."

"Mm."

Since Lord Zheng had asked, he took another spoonful himself. Luckily, the pickled ginger was crisp and refreshing, helping to cut through the greasiness.

At a small table behind Lord Zheng sat an old man. In front of him were a pot of wine, a plate of peanuts, and a plate of dried tea leaves.

Strangely, there was a small screen next to the old man, providing some privacy, but it felt out of place.

Every time the old man took a sip of wine, he stroked his goatee, shaking his head slightly or nodding gently, as if he had already seen through the affairs of the world, or as if he had just comprehended some profound truth.

Lord Zheng had seen this kind of behavior many times.

In Fengxin City, rumors had spread that Lord Pingxi liked to eat tangbingzi (soup noodles) at a shop near his mansion. So, every day, many "underappreciated" or "ambitious" scholars and so-called eccentrics would sit in the tangbingzi shop, eating noodles and making these kinds of gestures.

But Lord Zheng was a lazy man. He didn't have the energy to imitate Duke Xiao of Qin wooing Shang Yang or Liu Bei visiting Zhuge Liang. He was just out to satisfy his appetite. As for recruiting talent, Blind Zi usually took care of that.

So, those people were really putting on a show for a blind man.

Lord Zheng really couldn't eat any more. It was too rich and filling. He worried that he would get a stomachache. His body was already a fifth-rank expert, but it was still a bit delicate when not in battle.

At this moment, He Chu walked over, carrying a large pot of rice to help place on the small stove.

The woman took out a handkerchief and tenderly wiped the sweat from He Chu's forehead.

Yes, He Chu was married.

He had married a woman from the royal clan.

But not a close relative.

Although the Ji family emperor now held absolute power, it wasn't as if the Ji family members were as destitute as the Sword Saint had been in his childhood. However, after generations of descendants, even some of the distant relatives of the royal family weren't much different from ordinary people. The only difference was that they could still find their names on the family tree.

But they were neither powerful nor bureaucratic.

When the previous emperor was in power, the transfer of the power to collect money and grain from the Court of the Imperial Clan to the Ministry of Revenue was an act of undermining the foundation of the royal family. When the new emperor was a prince in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, he would wield the knife towards the royal family when finances were tight and he needed to cut spending.

Looking at the fact that the deposed crown prince was only granted the title of Earl, it was clear that the new emperor would inherit the tradition of the previous emperor and continue to reduce the status and expenditure of the royal family.

So, if the Yu family's royal family was worse than dogs because the imperial power had declined, then the Ji family's royal family had become real dogs because the imperial power was too strong and didn't need these poor relatives to help.

But regardless, the royal family was still the royal family, and a royal woman was still different from an ordinary woman.

This royal woman's father had gotten into trouble at work. He was first fined two hundred taels of silver, but his family had no spare money to pay the fine, so it was included in the bride price.

Normally, a royal woman wouldn't have to worry about getting married. If she lowered her standards, she could always find a decent family among the common people. But her father's case still had some unresolved issues, so many families were tempted but didn't dare to wade into this muddy water.

At that time, the previous emperor was still enjoying his retirement in the rear garden, and the Crown Prince Party and the Sixth Prince Party were fighting fiercely. The people below couldn't really participate, but that didn't stop a wave from washing over and killing them.

Therefore, she couldn't get married.

Old He had been arranging a wife for He Chu. His request was simple: his daughter-in-law should be literate.

When the matchmaker came, he had his son meet her. At first, he only heard from the matchmaker that she was a royal woman, a lady of a noble family, and that her family was short of money to pay the fine.

Old He thought it was good, a bargain.

The family's savings from Nan'an County had all been brought to the capital. The pork business in the capital had been going well, and no local thugs or yamen runners had come to extort them.

Two hundred taels of silver? Old He could afford it!

Most importantly, although Old He usually didn't say anything and strictly forbade his son from saying anything, he actually had a good idea in his heart. He would listen to stories in the teahouse and listen to people talking in the streets and alleys. He understood.

Either his family would be finished along with his son-in-law;

Or his family would rise to the heavens along with his son-in-law.

He didn't expect to rise to the heavens with his son-in-law, but at least he would have someone to rely on in his old age, right?

He didn't expect his son-in-law to see him off in his final days; he couldn't afford that.

But at least he wouldn't have to worry about not having money to buy medicine when he was seriously ill, right?

Therefore, he was willing to spend the money.

The royal family was worried about the fine and had no way to pay it. When they heard that a family had offered to cover it, they were extremely happy.

Everything went smoothly, as if they couldn't wait to exchange the silver for the person.

Finally, they got married.

When they got married, the Prince's Mansion sent a gift, but didn't announce it.

But the next day, Old He had He Chu return everything, adding some festive noodles, red eggs, and an oil strainer.

His daughter-in-law's surname was Ji, and her name was Bi He.

On the second day of her marriage into the He family, she started making breakfast for the two men. With a proper mistress in the small courtyard, life started to feel warm.

The daughter-in-law was capable. She also set up a pork lard rice stall across from the He family's pork shop. Although it was mostly for the business of the lower-class people, the income was not bad. After all, her husband's family sold pork, so the pork lard was self-produced and self-sold.

After He Chu got married, his life finally settled down. He ran back and forth between the two shops every day, helping wherever he was needed.

Thanks to the He family's pork shop, or rather, because it was an offshoot of the He family's pork shop, no local thugs or yamen officials dared to cause trouble at the soy sauce rice stall.

Life was getting better and better.

But who knew that half a month after the marriage, his daughter-in-law's grandfather would come to the door.

The old man's surname was also Ji, and his given name contained the character "Guang," so Old He called him "Old Guang."

Old Guang came with the house deed.

He had been living in Nanwang City with his eldest son. When he heard that something had happened in the capital, his hometown, he immediately returned. When he found out that his second son had sold his granddaughter to pay the fine, he almost died of anger.

But the person had already been married off. What could he do?

Old Guang was a stubborn man. He held a knife to his own neck and forced his second son to take out the house deed after they had divided the family. This was their old house in the capital, their ancestral home. It wasn't big, but it was worth at least three or four hundred taels of silver.

The old man directly mortgaged the house deed, saying that he would take it back when they had gathered the two hundred taels of dowry and sent it over.

If they couldn't gather it, then the house deed would belong to the He family. He signed and stamped it.

It was a lively scene that day.

The second son was taciturn and didn't like to talk after the incident, but his wife and concubine made a lot of noise.

Even Bi He said that she would support the stall and raise the money, but Old Guang scolded her, saying that since his granddaughter had married into the He family, she was a member of the He family, so there was no reason for her to use her earnings to make up for the family's deficit. This was her father's debt. Since her father was useless, her grandfather would take care of it.

In the end, the house deed stayed with the He family.

It was also strange that a month after the marriage, Bi He's taciturn father, who had committed the crime, received a new assignment and was transferred to the imperial city as a guard.

In fact, the imperial palace guards had a tradition of being selected from the royal family and nobles. After all, they were of the same family and could be trusted. It was also a kind of family benefit. But there were so many members of the royal family, and they had to fight for connections and spend money to get in. Who would have thought that this great opportunity would suddenly fall on him?

Now, the family had hope, and it was no longer a distant dream to gather the dowry.

And Old Guang and Old He became familiar with each other after coming and going.

Old He knew how to deal with people, and so did Old Guang.

Old Guang liked to go to his granddaughter's stall to drink in the afternoons when he had nothing to do.

He brought his own wine and mooched a small plate of peanuts and a small plate of dried tea leaves from his granddaughter and grandson-in-law. In his words, he had given this granddaughter snacks when she was a child, so he deserved to get a little something back in his old age.

So, when Lord Zheng's table had finished three bowls of pork lard rice and called for three more, Old He came over, first kicking his son to tell him to stop flirting with his wife and go back to the pork shop. Then, he sat down next to his relative-in-law, took out a handful of dried fruits or melon seeds from his pocket, which he didn't know where he got from, put them on the table, and his daughter-in-law added a small wine cup. The two old men sat there and started drinking.

In fact, the two old men were from different generations, but they treated each other as equals.

Old Guang was a member of the royal family and had lived in Nanwang City, so he was considered "knowledgeable." He also loved to brag and liked to talk to people.

Old He used to go to teahouses to listen to stories, so now he could even save on the tea money.

One loved to brag, and the other loved to listen. They were a perfect match.

"Relative-in-law, I used to hear people say that a celebratory event can ward off bad luck. I didn't believe it before, but now I have to believe it. Look, my second son has now been promoted to palace guard colonel, and my eldest son has also sent a letter saying that he has been appointed as a grain transportation official in Nanwang City.

Alas,

This family was about to fall apart, but who would have thought that in less than half a year, the situation would be different."

"That's right, that's right."

Old He nodded with a smile.

Your son has been promoted.

My son-in-law has also been promoted.

This official position is acceptable: Emperor.

The new emperor ascended the throne as Ji Chengjue, the Sixth Prince of Great Yan. The former Consort He was made Empress.

After hearing this news, Old He and He Chu sat together, facing each other, without setting up their stall. They sat there all night.

Bi He was so scared that she thought the two men had been possessed.

"Alas, even now, His Majesty has just ascended the throne, and things are not peaceful. To think that our Grand Yan's prime minister was assassinated on the street by those barbarians.

Those damned barbarians!"

Lord Zheng found it quite interesting to listen to.

Old Guang added:

"Those barbarians who were born without assholes!"

"..." Lord Zheng.

Old He nodded and said, "So, are we going to war again?"

Old Guang waved his sleeve.

He said:

"Of course, a prime minister of a country, relative-in-law, do you know how high of an official that is? He is truly second only to the emperor and above everyone else.

How can we Yan people endure such humiliation?

His Majesty has already issued an edict, ordering the two princes, North and South, to immediately go to Beifeng County to lead troops to conquer the barbarians, and demand that they pay their blood debts!"

"The two princes, North and South, have gone?" Old He asked.

"Yes, in a time of crisis, they acted expediently. It was impossible to hold a grand send-off ceremony. But, alas, relative-in-law, have you ever been to the desert?"

"No, have you?"

"When I was young, I got a transportation job and went there once. The desert is huge. I didn't even go inside, just took a glance at the edge, and damn, it was all sand, endless sand.

These barbarians are in that sand. Actually, it's not difficult to fight them, the problem is, they can run.

Alas,

If there are no accidents, there will be another great battle."

"That's right, there will be another battle."

Another war.

This was the first reaction of the Yan people after hearing the new emperor's declaration of war.

Fighting.

The regular army was fine; Beifeng County had its own. There was also a Northern Garrison Army outside the capital that was ready to be deployed at any time.

But the problem was that a large-scale battle would inevitably require the mobilization of a huge number of laborers and auxiliary soldiers and the requisition of a large amount of grain.

Everyone's lives were already difficult. If there was another great battle, how would they survive?

But then, not many people complained.

Everyone didn't want to fight because they really couldn't make it if they kept fighting, but they didn't object to fighting because it was to fight the barbarians.

Leaving aside the prerequisite of the prime minister being killed, in Yan, fighting the barbarians was politically correct, from the imperial court to the common people!

No one dared to advise the emperor at this time to start anew with the people, to endure in silence, and to gradually plan for the future.

No one dared, and no one would do it.

For hundreds of years, the Yan people had understood a truth from countless bloody battles with the barbarians: they must never retreat a step against the barbarians!

As for anti-war sentiment, it really hadn't gained momentum.

If the new emperor issued an edict at this time to attack Qian or Chu with the power of the whole country, the people would really be unable to bear it.

But the target was the barbarians.

They complained, they sighed.

But the old Yan people still did what they had to do. Those who were preparing to enlist prepared to enlist, those who were preparing to become laborers prepared to become laborers. Even the bureaucratic system at all levels had spontaneously started to operate, counting the able-bodied young men in their counties, prefectures, and even villages.

The old Yan people were also people.

During the reign of the previous emperor, years of wars had already exhausted them. If they were to launch another long-distance expedition to another country, they would inevitably feel weary of war.

But the problem was, if they didn't fight the barbarians, if the barbarians gained momentum, then the Yan people's homes would inevitably be affected, and the Yan people's land would be engulfed in war.

What was the point of being weary of war?

Fight, they could only fight!

Great Yan was now a giant beast that appeared strong on the outside but was actually extremely tired. But at this time, it still instinctively began to wipe its fangs, preparing to pounce on its old neighbor to the west.

The dark clouds of war, accompanied by the new emperor's decree, had already begun to gather.

At this time, He Chu took a break from the meat stall to see his wife again.

"Chu, when it's time to be conscripted, you should go too, to fight the barbarians," Old Guang called out to his grandson-in-law.

Old He nodded first.

He said:

"Okay, he should go."

He was the brother-in-law.

His sister's husband was the Emperor of Great Yan.

Old He felt that when Great Yan was going to war, his son should be the first to go.

The common people, even those like Old Guang, who seemed to know a lot of inside information, couldn't really calculate the dates of these events.

The prime minister died, the new emperor was furious, he first killed the barbarian delegation in the Court of State Ceremonies, and then issued an edict to attack the barbarians.

Later, when the results came out, no one could figure out that the journey and time seemed a bit off.

Zheng Fan forced down another mouthful of pork lard rice.

Closing his eyes, he swallowed it.

The Sword Saint saw this scene and said:

"You've become delicate."

"That's right."

Lord Zheng didn't hide it at all.

Just then, a team of cavalry with colorful flags on their backs galloped from the capital, shouting:

"Victory, victory! The two princes have broken through the royal court and killed countless barbarian kings and barbarian nobles!"

"Great victory, the royal court has been destroyed, and a jingguan (mound of corpses) has been built!"

"Great victory in the desert, the barbarian king has been beheaded!"

In an instant, the streets, regardless of nobles or commoners, all cheered and shouted madly. With the continuous spread of the news of the great victory, the capital of Great Yan, which had been immersed in the sad atmosphere of losing the emperor, suddenly became a noisy ocean.

Following this, the people spontaneously shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

This was an exciting victory, and its significance even surpassed victories over other countries.

The Yan people felt at this time that their emperor had left, but their emperor was still there!

Lord Zheng pushed away the remaining half bowl of pork lard rice with some distaste.

He smiled:

"Oh, I was so worried."

"You were more certain than anyone else before, and you were so confident that you thought there was no possibility of losing," the Sword Saint said.

"When fighting a war, how can there be no risks? I was also worried that I had said too much and planted too many flags, which would backfire, hahaha."

The Sword Saint shook his head.

Lord Zheng clapped his hands.

He said:

"Alright, the war has been won, and the royal court has been destroyed.

Heh heh, Old Tian should be back soon."