Home/ I [Imperial] Am This Type of Man/ Chapter 19
Western Liang finally surrendered.
The emperor bestowed a banquet, and the old ministers got drunk and intoxicated, talking about the “Great Unification” that has been cherished for thousands of years, and the unwavering loyalty of the emperor that has never changed for thousands of years. Before such a happy event, the shadows in everyone’s heart were completely cleared away, and the twilight of Daqi once again ushered in dawn, filling the court and the public with vibrant and upward vitality.
The south is settled, the west is settled, and only the north is left.
Ji Jinrong didn’t mention it, the Zhennan King didn’t mention it, and the courtiers didn’t dare to mention it either. They were all afraid that the current prosperity is just a flash in the pan and will disappear in a blink. Rather than taking risks and stubbornly fighting against the powerful Turks, it is better to hold onto the current “Great Unification”.
Ji Jinrong was not in a hurry.
Before everyone realized, it was already late winter. Ji Jinrong has appreciated the snow several times and is no longer curious about this winter elf that was previously untouchable. That day, when he heard that the plum blossoms in the southern suburbs had all bloomed overnight, Ji Jinrong became interested and asked Han Shizhi and Changsun Meng to go out to the city together to appreciate the plum blossoms in the snow.
The Zhennan King had to deal with some military affairs, so he had to leave for three to five days. Counting the days, it should be almost time for him to come back and they would probably run into each other on their way.
Ji Jinrong had seen plum blossoms before, but not a whole patch of plum blossoms. When he arrived in the southern suburbs, he couldn’t help but feel a bit fascinated.
Looking at the whole patch of plum blossoms trembling and blooming in the snow, Ji Jinrong thought those rumors were indeed true. Taking a closer look, the delicate petals are either pink, white, or red. Some have only one layer, while others have one layer on top of another. The petals seem to be carefully crafted by heaven, as thin as cicada wings, but still able to withstand the heavy snowfall. Even if all the snow debris fell on them, they still bloomed proudly— even the most capable craftsman won’t be able to create something like this.
Ji Jinrong smelled the fragrance of plum blossoms in the forest and also smelled the cold air in the snow. He wrapped his mink fur tighter around his body and hugged the hand warmer, “It’s so cold.”
Changsun Meng was familiar with Ji Jinrong’s temper, and he joked casually with a smile: “Your Majesty is really afraid of the cold!”
Ji Jinrong didn’t mind. Compared with those conservative old men in the court, he still prefers young people like Changsun Meng. He is young, energetic, and interesting.
Changsun Meng introduced it eloquently: “I heard that walking along the plum tree grove, there is a small lake. There is also a restaurant next to the lake where you can eat delicious food and drink wine. Your Majesty, if it is appropriate, let’s go and try it.”
When it comes to food, Ji Jinrong will naturally not refuse.
Han Shizhi knew that although Ji Jinrong liked to eat delicious food, his body was still smaller than his peers. It’s probably because he(jj) suffered from poor health when he was young, so Han Shizhi didn’t object to Ji Jinrong’s small preferences. He asked, “Is this restaurant reliable?”
Changsun Meng couldn’t bear Han Shizhi’s suspicion the most, he was very careful in his actions!
He felt somewhat aggrieved: “Of course it is reliable. Knowing that His Majesty is going on a trip, I have already sent someone to conduct a thorough investigation. Not to mention the situation of the restaurant owner, we have even investigated his previous generations, and there is nothing suspicious. The staff in the store are all from surrounding villages, and no one has a bad background.”
Ji Jinrong smiled and said, “Thank you for your hard work.”
Han Shizhi also knew that he had too many concerns, which dampened their interest. Therefore, he stopped speaking and quietly listened to Changsun Meng introducing what delicious food this restaurant had. When he sat down, his gaze couldn’t help but wander outside.
The lake has frozen, and several children are playing on the ice, chasing after each other and having fun. Further away, there are many plum trees, opening up a vast expanse of pink, red, and white flowers, blooming lively.
Changsun Meng noticed Han Shizhi’s silence and asked, “What’s wrong with you, Shizhi?”
Before Han Shizhi could regain his senses, he replied in a daze: “Yanbei——” The words stopped abruptly as soon as he opened his mouth. He immediately apologized and said, “Your Majesty, please forgive me for my disrespect.”
Ji Jinrong said: “You don’t have to be so restrained when you come out to relax.” He looked at Han Shizhi and said gently, “Shizhi, were you thinking of Yanbei just now?”
Han Shizhi didn’t deny it and nodded.
Ji Jinrong said: “I was young at the time and don’t remember much about it.” He was referring to Yanbei’s appearance.
Han Shizhi saw that Ji Jinrong had no intention of blaming him, and there was an indescribable emotion in his heart. He talked to Ji Jinrong about the appearance of Yanbei: “Yanbei is not as prosperous as the capital and Jiangnan (south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River), with bitter cold everywhere. The climate there is not good, extremely dry in spring and summer, and severely cold in autumn and winter, making it very difficult for grains to survive. The food there is also very rough, and the richest thing is just to roast the bloody prey directly on the fire and eat a meal full of meat.”
Ji Jinrong remained silent.
Han Shizhi said: “At that time, I didn’t like Yanbei and longed for the prosperity of the capital. I always pestered my father and asked, ‘Why don’t we go to the capital?’ ‘Why don’t we leave when so many people have already left this place?’. My father said to me, ‘If your mother is not good-looking, would you dislike her?’ I didn’t understand it at the time, but later I realized what it meant. Yanbei is the ‘mother’ of our Han family, and our ancestors throughout history have taken root in Yanbei.”
A mother never looks ugly to her children.
Han Shizhi continued: “In the various counties of Yanbei, there are acres of farmland cultivated by our ancestors; to the extreme north of Yanbei, there is the Great Wall built by our ancestors through countless hardships. Perhaps it is barren, backward, and difficult there, but it is the hometown of tens of thousands of us Yanbei people.” He looked at Ji Jinrong with a burning gaze, “As I looked at the plum blossoms in the southern suburbs, I thought of the plum blossoms in Yanbei. Those plum blossoms are not in clusters, and only when you walk a long way will you be able to see one. That’s what is truly called walking in the snow to look for plum blossoms.”
Ji Jinrong and Changsun Meng listened quietly.
Compared with the carefully cultivated plum grove in front of them, the plum blossoms in Yanbei seem more desirable. Riding a tall horse, clattering forward on the snow, then following the mountain road for a long while, you suddenly see a cold plum blossom in the snow…. One must be very happy to look at that scenery.
Ji Jinrong said seriously: “One day, Yanbei will belong to us again.”
Han Shizhi smiled at Ji Jinrong: “I believe in Your Majesty.”
Changsun Meng looked at Han Shizhi’s smile, and his heart felt inexplicably hot. He volunteered: “Your Majesty, I want to go north in the future!”
Han Shizhi looked at Changsun Meng.
Changsun Meng also looked at Han Shizhi. After looking at each other for a moment, he opened his mouth and said, “Let’s go together, Shizhi!”
Ji Jinrong said jokingly: “What should I do if Shizhi leaves?”
Changsun suddenly hesitated.
Although Han Shizhi was disappointed, he also knew that Ji Jinrong needed people around him. He said: “I am a scholar, what will I do in the north?”
Ji Jinrong smiled and said, “This matter is not urgent, we will consider it in the long run.”
Ji Jinrong tasted the side dishes served by the restaurant, which were all popular among the people. It wasn’t expensive and the portions were not large, so he could eat them with wine.
Ji Jinrong was not good at drinking, so he only took a few sips. He was quite interested in the braised beef and smoked meat of the restaurant. After tasting a few bites, he found one to have a strong juicy flavor and the other to be savory and delicious, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth.
Ji Jinrong’s eyes were bright.
Han Shizhi and Changsun Meng exchanged a glance and both felt that their Majesty was truly adorable. Other emperors were extravagant and indulgent, building palaces, collecting beauties, and embarking on southern and northern expeditions, but their Majesty only had this small desire for food and drink. And His Majesty is not picky about food, as long as it’s delicious, His Majesty will eat anything!
The three of them were enjoying their meal when suddenly they heard a sound of horse hooves coming from afar. Looking up, a group of people came riding horses, all dressed in dark black riding clothes.
Ji Jinrong caught a glimpse of the person leading the charge and stopped using his chopsticks.
The Zhennan King rushed back from the army today, and when he heard that Ji Jinrong was having a meal at a restaurant near the plum tree grove, he directly led his people here.
Seeing that Ji Jinrong’s ears were red and his cheeks were a little flushed, the Zhennan King’s gaze swept over Changsun Meng and Han Shizhi.
These are the two people Ji Jinrong trusts most now.
The Zhennan King suppressed his evil aura and said, “Your Majesty, I have returned.”
Ji Jinrong said: “Sit down and drink some wine to warm your body.”
The Zhennan King was not polite to Ji Jinrong, so he sat next to him and drank the wine poured by the waiter in one gulp. He said: “Your Majesty, the people from Chenghai County have arrived, and I have ordered them to pick plum blossoms.”
Ji Jinrong thought of the plum blossom dew mentioned by the Zhennan King a few days ago and felt warm in his heart. He said, “That’s great.”
Just as the Zhennan King was about to say more, he heard a commotion coming from outside, and it was actually a young boy’s voice shouting “let me go”.
The Zhennan King suddenly remembered something and said to Ji Jinrong: “I caught an interesting guy on my way back. He is the son of King Yan. He is fifteen years old this year and can be regarded as Your Majesty’s nephew. I met him while he was sneaking out of the capital alone, so I had no choice but to tie him and bring him back.” After Ji Jinrong ascended the throne, all the kings and their princes were placed under house arrest. Because they had no real power and the people guarding them were not strict, they let this kid go.
Ji Jinrong was stunned.
Since childhood, he had a weak kinship and was not close to his brothers, let alone his nieces and nephews. In the past, there was a clever little nephew who accidentally entered his residence. Ji Jinrong teased him a few times and found it quite interesting. That kid was also pitiful. His father didn’t care about him and his mother didn’t love him. No one bothered to find a teacher for him. He used to carry a stool and listen to Ji Jinrong giving lectures to Wei Tingjun.
After getting along for a long time, Ji Jinrong also quite liked him. That child also appreciated his kindness and quietly joined the ranks of people who secretly brought him food. From time to time, he would bring some snacks for Ji Jinrong.
For a little kid in that situation, it was already the best thing he could handle.
Unexpectedly, after half a year, the child stopped coming.
Ji Jinrong thought that it was getting cold and the snow was too heavy, so it was not convenient for the child to sneak over here. He didn’t take it to heart. It was more than a month before he heard that the child was gone because he followed the crown prince’s eldest son to school and stole the spotlight from the little overlord, who pushed him into the water. It was freezing cold at that time, and there was no one to pay attention to him, so he just disappeared after one night.
Even if he had known how many secrets were hidden in the imperial palace, Ji Jinrong still fell seriously ill.
After returning from the Gates of Hell, he sent Wei Tingjun to the border.
There are some things he doesn’t want to do, and there are some things he doesn’t want to grab, but—
It’s too much!
It’s just too much bullying!
Ji Jinrong looked at the Zhennan King, somewhat puzzled as to why he had brought a “nephew” to him.
Ever since the child was gone, he no longer had the idea of being a “blood relative” in his heart— born into the royal family, who would care about flesh and blood ties?
The Zhennan King seemed to see Ji Jinrong’s confusion. He held Ji Jinrong’s hand under the table and said, “Your Majesty will know when you see it.”
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