Home/ I [Imperial] Am This Type of Man/ Chapter 12
As soon as winter approached, the weather became cold.
Ji Jinrong was afraid of the cold, his hands and feet were cold, and he held the hand stove in vain.
In the past three months, the courtiers have gained a new understanding of His Majesty. His Majesty is naturally pampered and wants to eat good food, which cannot be said to be extravagant, but he is very delicate. Since the Zhennan King left for the Western Border, the entire palace has been very busy every day, circling around Ji Jinrong.
It’s just that Ji Jinrong loves to toss so much, but the atmosphere in the court becomes more and more different day by day.
On this day, when the Zhennan King was about to return to the capital, the courtiers remembered that Ji Jinrong personally saw off the Zhennan King, and they had the attitude of ‘wait and see’ in their hearts.
Everyone wanted to see what was going on with the new emperor and the Zhennan King.
The Zhennan King returned with half of the black cavalry battalion fully loaded.
He entered the palace directly.
Compared to when he left, the palace was much more heavily guarded. Upon seeing him, the imperial guards guarding the palace gate still stopped him and cautiously asked him to take off the sword and put down the sharp weapon.
The Zhennan King wasn’t angry, but instead showed a hint of joy on his face. He quickly cleared out all the things that might hurt people, and ordered the black cavalry battalion responsible for “delivering food” to cooperate with the inspection. He then mounted his horse and rode straight towards Zhengyang palace.
Ji Jinrong was listening to Taifu’s(imperial preceptor) lecture when he heard the sound of horse hooves coming from outside the palace. His heart skipped a beat, and he said to the Taifu, “Taifu, that’s it for today.”
Taifu’s ears were not as sensitive as Ji Jinrong’s, so he was a little unhappy. Many of Ji Jinrong’s views make him feel very novel and he liked them very much. If Ji Jinrong wasn’t the current emperor, he would definitely have taken Ji Jinrong as a close disciple and teach everything he has learned throughout his life!
Although that’s pretty much it now.
Taifu’s face looked solem, “Although Your Majesty is talented and intelligent, you must not slack off in your studies.” As he was about to persuade him earnestly, he suddenly heard an attendant reporting on the side, “Your Majesty, the Zhennan King is asking for an audience outside!”
Taifu immediately changed his tone: “Your Majesty, I will retire first.”
Ji Jinrong smiled.
Ji Jinrong personally escorted Taifu out and saw the Zhennan King standing outside the palace. Although the western border is not as cold as the north, it is not a comfortable place either, and the face of the Zhennan King was inevitably affected by the wind and frost.
However, for men, this bit of wind and frost actually adds a more mature charm to them.
Ji Jinrong suddenly couldn’t remember Wei Tingjun’s appearance.
In his heart, Wei Tingjun was always the half-grown boy.
As Wei Tingjun got older, Ji Jinrong body became weaker. He spent more time sleeping and less time awake. Often when he woke up, he could only see Wei Tingjun’s back standing outside the hall.
He couldn’t remember how tall Wei Tingjun had grown, how many scars Wei Tingjun had added to his body, or what was hidden in Wei Tingjun’s eyes when he looked at himself.
At that time, he was dragging a body that was living one less day. He dared not think about whether he could survive until the next day, so how dare he think about anything else.
Ji Jinrong smiled slightly at the Zhennan King: “You are back.”
Looking at the smile on Ji Jinrong’s face, the Zhennan King felt his heart tingling, as if it had been hit by something.
He originally thought that when he came back, he would see a sharp sword pointed towards him.
The Zhennan King knelt down on one knee and saluted Ji Jinrong: “Yes, Your Majesty, I have returned.”
Ji Jinrong walked down the stone steps and helped the Zhennan King up.
Feeling that Ji Jinrong’s palms were slightly cold, the Zhennan King couldn’t help but reach out and cover them.
Ji Jinrong didn’t struggle, but generously used the Zhennan King’s palms as a hand stove.
The two people walked into the study, and the charcoal fire was already burning red. He Tai was adding and removing coals to ensure that the room wasn’t too cold or too hot. Hearing them come in, He Tai stepped aside respectfully and brewed tea for them.
Ji Jinrong said: “It’s good tea.”
The tea was brought back by the Zhennan King from the south. The tea at that time wasn’t the best, but it was still better than what Ji Jinrong used to drink before.
Mainly after being scalded with water, the tea turned into a translucent red color, which looked particularly beautiful when served in a small snow-white cup. Without adding any ginger, salt, or pepper, drinking it will make your stomach feel warm.
Ji Jinrong drank a cup and felt his body warm up. He immediately smiled and said to the Zhennan King, “I like it very much.”
The Zhennan King said: “It’s good if Your Majesty likes it.” He laughed, “The people in the southern ports are the best at managing it. If Your Majesty likes it, I will ask them to bring new tea around the Qingmeng festival. Tea should also be drunk like this, without adding salt, pepper, or ginger. The tea brewed will have a lovely green color and a clear fragrance. Your Majesty will definitely like it too.”
Ji Jinrong said: “These things— You didn’t know before.”
The Zhennan King said: “I only know a little bit about it. Those who are really particular about it have to carefully consider what kind of water to use to make tea, and what kind of tea to pair with what cup.”
He stared at Ji Jinrong, “I didn’t care about these things before. Later, when I found out that I could see Your Majesty, I slowly began to pay attention. Unfortunately, time was a bit short, and I couldn’t fully understand all those things. Moreover, by that time, it was already the end of the crossbow, and many things had already been lost.”
If others heard this, they would definitely not understand what the Zhennan King was talking about, but Ji Jinrong clearly knew it in his heart. Everything the Zhennan King was talking about doesn’t belong to this world similar to the great Zhou dynasty, but to the world that the Zhennan King had “destroyed” before.
Rather than calling him a “rebellious minister and traitor”, it would be better to say that the world happens to need such a person. Regardless of bloodline inheritance or national succession, changing dynasties is not a bad thing, at least it is a good thing for the people.
This was what Ji Jinrong realised when he was on his sickbed.
At that time, he also had the idea of selecting an heir from the royal family to be the crown prince, but seeing the figure standing outside the palace, Ji Jinrong suddenly had an idea.
Instead of choosing someone from the royal family who has no character or talent, why not choose the capable and influential Wei Tingjun? Is it because they have royal blood flowing through them?
But the late emperor also had the blood of the royal family, but what was the result, he almost destroyed the country!
So does it matter what your last name is or what kind of blood is flowing through your veins? There is obviously a ready-made candidate like Wei Tingjun who has the talent to govern the country and cares about the people. Why not let Wei Tingjun be the emperor?
At that time, the more Ji Jinrong thought about it, the more satisfied he felt with this choice.
When Wei Tingjun becomes emperor, he could marry his sweetheart, and the two of them could live a happy and peaceful life together.
And Great Zhou will be passed down to the next generation in the hands of Wei Tingjun. No matter whether he chooses royal descendants or other capable people in the future, Great Zhou will still be Great Zhou, and Wei Tingjun will never let it disappear.
However, at that time, he never really thought about who Wei Tingjun’s “sweetheart” was.
He never thought that Wei Tingjun would “slaughter the heavens and destroy the earth” after his death in exchange for his chance of survival.
Ji Jinrong retracted her thoughts and looked at the Zhennan King with bright eyes, “You said in your letter to come back and have hot pot.”
The Zhennan King said: “People have made preparations, and they should be going through inspection now.” He stood up and went to the dining area with Ji Jinrong.
“Hot pot” uses a newly made copper “pot” with a stove under it, and carbon is burning in the furnace. The water in the pot has already boiled, and bubbles are popping up.
These ingredients are what Ji Jinrong has been looking forward to for a long time: Various parts of the cow! Most of the beef has been thinly sliced, evenly fat and lean, looking like it will be cooked as soon as it is boiled. The beef tenderloin was specially selected. Because the meat is fresh and tender, the color of the meat is light red, with a tempting luster.
Ji Jinrong also saw something yellow and shiny, which looked like grease. He was a little surprised: “What is this?”
The Zhennan King said: “This is called beef heart oil.” He poured half of it into the soup in front of him and cooked it. After a while, he picked up the cooked beef heart oil.
After being soaked in soup, the yellow oil had turned into snow-white colour, exuding an indescribable aroma.
The Zhennan King said: “Your Majesty, would you like to taste it first?”
Ji Jinrong said without hesitation: “Yes!” He picked up a piece and put it into his mouth, feeling that it was tender and crispy. Upon tasting it carefully, his whole body seemed to be wrapped in something, feeling warm and cozy all over. It’s so delicious!
Ji Jinrong’s eyes were brighter than before.
The Zhennan King saw that Ji Jinrong liked it and couldn’t help but feel happy in his heart. He put the rest into Ji Jinrong’s bowl, and then poured the rest of the uncooked portion in the boiling soup in front of him. By the time Ji Jinrong finished eating, most of it was also cooked.
Under Ji Jinrong’s expectant eyes, the Zhennan King put it all into his own bowl and said: “This thing is a membrane wrapped around the cow’s heart, which is full of fat. Eating too much is not good for your health. Your Majesty, why don’t you eat something else?”
Ji Jinrong: “…”
Ji Jinrong turned his grief and anger into appetite and ate the sliced beef tenderloin.
The Zhennan King cooked some bamboo fungus and green vegetables and put them on a small plate. He pushed it in front of Ji Jinrong and said: “This is not bad either. It is not easy to grow vegetables in the winter.” He looked at Ji Jinrong who had a bitter look on his face and ruthlessly broke Ji Jinrong’s fantasy of avoiding vegetables, “Your Majesty, you have to eat them.”
Ji Jinrong: “…”
This guy hasn’t changed at all!
Ji Jinrong is now in good health and enjoys eating all kinds of meat. He hates the vegetarian dishes he had to endure before and almost never touches them. Under the gaze of the Zhennan King, Ji Jinrong picked up a piece of bamboo fungus and put it into his mouth.
This thing looks quite beautiful, like a half-open white umbrella. Taking a bite, the texture is smooth, the juice is fragrant and sweet, and the taste is extremely delicious.
Ji Jinrong said happily: “I didn’t expect it to be quite delicious!”
The Zhennan King said: “It doesn’t matter if Your Majesty eats more of this.”
Of course, Ji Jinrong wouldn’t be polite to the Zhennan King.
Just by tasting all the fresh ingredients, Ji Jinrong already felt full. He looked at the remaining ingredients regretfully and said, “I can’t eat any more.”
The Zhennan King was very satisfied with Ji Jinrong’s self-awareness.
Without hesitation, he moved all the remaining ingredients in front of him and wrapped them all, leaving Ji Jinrong stunned. The Zhennan King said: “I consume a lot of energy and eat more than others. If Your Majesty can’t eat anymore, you can drink some tea slowly.”
Ji Jinrong picked up the tea brought by He Tai and drank it slowly, looking at the Zhennan King who was enjoying his meal with his peripheral vision.
If he had looked at Wei Tingjun carefully, he should have been able to see that the two faces were somewhat similar.
It’s as if the eyebrows and eyes on the current face are very similar.
It’s just that he has never looked directly at Wei Tingjun or the Zhennan King, so he didn’t recognize him. If the Zhennan King hadn’t taken the initiative to expose it, he might still be thinking about where that “powerful existence” was.
On the contrary, the Zhennan King recognized him at the first glance.
Ji Jinrong finished drinking the tea in the cup.
The Zhennan King also put down his chopsticks.
Ji Jinrong said: “Let’s go for a walk.”
Outside the hall, night has fallen at some unknown time.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, spreading a faint light.
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