Chapter 49

Walking through the fields, Xu Fengnian casually asked, "Why doesn't Sweet Potato like to leave the mansion? But you like to go out every few days?"

Qingniao replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "She's just lazy."

Xu Fengnian jumped to another question, "Xu Xiao clearly knew that this time Zhang Julu would take office, rectify the government, and reform the border troops. He started clearing the land in Liaodong at the beginning of last year, and the journey was fraught with difficulties. No fewer than ten officials from the Geography Bureau died from sudden illness or assassination, and more than thirty resigned or took leave. Yet, Zhang Julu still managed to uncover that over a dozen people, including the Liaodong Censor Bai Huai, the palace supervisor Lu Taiping, the general Fu Han, and the major general, had forcibly seized civilian land, ranging from six hundred hectares to several dozen hectares. Although many of these people were former subordinates of the Beiliang army, after twenty years, why does Xu Xiao still want to stir up trouble and challenge the Chief Minister? Isn't this going against the tide? Moreover, Xu Xiao says he wants the court to make the two Liaos as solid as a rock, but half of the most corrupt officials are connected to him. No one would believe that. What do you think Xu Xiao is thinking?"

Qingniao dared not answer such a question.

Xu Fengnian didn't really expect an answer; he just wanted to ask to feel better. The complaints of the soldiers in the two Liaos about the neglect of civil administration were not of interest to the young prince. For example, in Beiliang, the military was the strongest in the world, with no water in it. But if you were to say that the Beiliang society was peaceful, even Xu Xiao would blush. If the Grand Marshal were a moral saint, the Lingzhou governor wouldn't have to try so hard to curry favor in the capital, and his daughter, the so-called Beiliang scholar, wouldn't have become a golden canary with an uncertain future.

Thinking of this, and then thinking of how the "Four Evils of Beiliang" had scattered and severed ties, leaving only Li Hanlin, the bastard, still in Beiliang, Xu Fengnian felt a wave of frustration. He plopped down on the edge of the field, his face dark, and grumbled, "Qingniao, help me find some fun."

Qingniao calmly replied, "Soy sauce beef."

Xu Fengnian stood up and smiled, "You really understand me, Qingniao."

The two, who had a master-servant relationship but didn't act like it, walked for a while and then sat in a grand and luxurious carriage. The decoration of the carriage was secondary; the key was that the two five-colored horses were worth a fortune. In the kingdom, no matter what state or county, the most direct way to gauge the wealth of a young master was to look at the price of his horses. Of course, there were some fools who would buy a pair of famous horses like the white cranes of the Cao family to save face, regardless of their family's financial situation. However, the "Da Yuan Qing Xiang" among the five-colored horses was priceless and always a top tribute. Only Xu Fengnian dared to ride them; other princes and nobles wouldn't dare to show them off.

Xu Fengnian entered the soy sauce beef shop and saw a familiar scene. The shop owner, Old Jia, was busy, while Little Jia, the girl, sat on the stairs, lost in thought. She held a green bamboo branch between her fingers, slowly rotating it. Old Jia, who had no children, doted on this distant relative as if she were his own daughter. The world's parents' hearts are the same. The girl's name was interesting; her surname was Jia, and her given name was Jiajia. Even more interesting was the large cat she had brought into the city years ago, but it hadn't been seen for the past two years, and no one knew if it had wandered off or died.

Qingniao went to get the beef from the shop owner, naturally taking it without buying. In Beiliang, the young prince never bought, stole, or borrowed anything; he just took it.

Xu Fengnian walked to the stairs and asked with a smile, "Hehe, where's your big cat? Gone? How about I give you one? Come to the mansion with me?"

The girl, nicknamed Hehe by Xu Fengnian, always seemed naive. She had once dared to glare at a big young master like Li Hanlin in the shop and treated the young prince indifferently, without much fear. But today, she seemed different. When she saw Xu Fengnian, she subconsciously moved her bottom, probably still shaken by the last time she saw the young prince kill someone in the alley. Xu Fengnian, who was cautious, had already had someone keep an eye on her for some time. As for why he called her Hehe, there was a story. It was said that the girl rarely smiled and at most would give a few expressionless "hehe" sounds. One "he" meant it was funny, two "hehe" meant it was very funny, and three "hehe" had never been heard by anyone.

Seeing that she didn't react, Xu Fengnian felt it was boring to perform a solo act and turned to find a seat. The shop was suddenly empty, and Old Jia, with his wrinkled face, smiled and bowed beside the table. Actually, he didn't need to do anything; Qingniao had already arranged everything. The chopsticks and bowls were brought from the carriage, ivory chopsticks, jade porcelain bowls, and the soy sauce beef was already sliced and neatly stacked in the bowl. Xu Fengnian didn't use chopsticks but grabbed a few pieces and put them in his mouth. This was the taste he wanted, rich but not greasy, the sauce was authentic but didn't overpower the flavor of the high-quality beef.

Xu Fengnian finished the beef and leaned back in his chair, looking drowsy.

He closed his eyes, pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth, and crossed his legs, lifting one foot. He gently tapped his teeth thirty-six times, guiding the breath to the mystic point, and let the breath flow naturally.

The shop owner, Old Jia, didn't understand what was happening but assumed the young prince was just tired and didn't dare to offer unnecessary service, only hoping that the beef was satisfactory. Xu Fengnian's breathing was now abnormally steady. Just as the essence of Buddhism is merely eating, drinking, and defecating, the Great Yellow Court's technique ultimately boiled down to the unremarkable practice of breathing. When Xu Fengnian could hear a person's heartbeat, he would reach the second level of the Sixfold Pavilion.

Xu Fengnian suddenly turned his head and looked at the stairs, where the girl was staring blankly at the bamboo branch in her hand.

Xu Fengnian stood up and smiled, "Old Jia, give me two more."

Old Jia beamed, "Sure, I'll get them right away."

Xu Fengnian didn't wait long before Qingniao returned with two more plates of fragrant soy sauce beef. Back in the carriage, Xu Fengnian lifted the curtain and looked at Old Jia, who was still bowing at the shop entrance, and frowned, "Something seems off."

Qingniao shook her head, "This person has a clean background, just a common small merchant."

Xu Fengnian smiled and dismissed it.

Old Jia returned to the shop, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and sat down to rest. There wouldn't be any customers for a while, so he took the opportunity to rest, rubbing his back. Seeing the girl still sitting on the stairs, he sighed.

This little girl was a free eater and drinker in the shop, and she didn't even smile at the young prince and his entourage. If she were his own daughter, he would have scolded her.

The girl left the shop with the bamboo branch and walked out of the city.

She walked slowly, and by the time she left the city, it was already dusk. After another hour, she entered the lush Jinweng Mountain, seemingly not planning to return to the city. Beiliang had strict curfews, and she wasn't the young prince, who could freely enter and leave the city at night.

Was a young girl planning to spend the night on the mountain?

Jinweng Mountain was home to wild animals, and the deeper you went, the more dangerous it became, even for hunters who had to travel in groups at night.

The girl continued to walk with a stern face on the lonely mountain path.

The full moon was high in the sky, and she had already lost the trail but continued to walk.

At a water pond, she bent down and drank some water, only enough to quench her thirst.

A strange sound came from the dense forest, startling a few cold crows.

The girl stood up and looked into the forest.

A black bear, almost as tall as her, charged out, causing the ground to shake.

It stopped in front of the girl and roared.

Its fangs were exposed, and its foul breath sprayed the girl's face, blowing her hair back.

The girl remained expressionless and unmoved.

The giant bear seemed to be irritated by this small prey and opened its mouth to bite.

Boom.

A more powerful earthquake came from the forest.

When the bear turned its head, it was sprayed in the face by a large mouth.

The bear's fur stood on end, and it was too scared to move.

In recent years, hunters in Jinweng Mountain had found the bones of large wild animals, including tigers and bears. They couldn't understand what could be so powerful to rule the mountain. Mountain spirits? Demons?

The answer was here.

A "big cat" even larger and more powerful than the bear lowered its head and roared at the "little bear."

The girl finally spoke.

"Hehehe."

{Piaotian Literature}