Border Cook

"You are the only one who is wrong."

"It's not that I have many crooked ideas. I just want to spend more time with my wife. If this is called crooked ideas, then there is really no justice at all."

Lu Qiyan's face was full of grievance, and his eyes were so aggrieved that they almost dripped tears.

This pitiful look made Xia Mingyue couldn't help laughing.

"You..." Xia Mingyue sighed helplessly.

He is truly her nemesis!
Lu Qiyan was being unreasonable and Xia Mingyue had no choice but to obey Lu Qiyan's wishes. She just nestled in his arms and played with his hair.

"Is the matter done?"

"I've finished my part." Lu Qiyan said with a smile, "The rest will be handed over to the Third Prince."

As for the results, just wait and see.

Xia Mingyue smiled and didn't ask any more questions. Thinking of Lu Qiyan who had been running around in the mountains all night in the cold winter, she just lay down with Lu Qiyan for a while.

It was not until the sun had risen completely that Yin Qiao and Zhuang Cui came to ask and then they got up.

Breakfast is ready.

The red date and lily porridge cooked in the kitchen of Cao's villa is soft, sticky and sweet. There are pies with both meat and vegetable fillings, fresh and delicious steamed egg custard, and several very exquisite side dishes to go with the porridge.

It can be said to be very rich.

Xia Mingyue was drooling at the sight, and Lu Qiyan was also starving.

Lu Qiyan was still in a "sick" state at this time, so Xia Mingyue took the opportunity to take care of his diet and fed him personally.

Lu Qiyan was enjoying this kind of preferential treatment so much that the corners of his eyebrows almost flew out.

But while he was enjoying himself, Lu Qiyan did not forget to take the spoon and chopsticks and feed Xia Mingyue when he was eating. In this way, Xia Mingyue would not go hungry while he was eating.

Xia Yunji was enjoying his breakfast at the stone table in the yard. Wu Jin was beside him, chewing his meatballs and bones.

After all, last night's trip was really exhausting and consumed too much energy. I must make up for it!
The soldiers were very used to seeing Xia Yunji and Wu Jin eating together. After all, Xia Yunji and Wu Jin had a good relationship, and they all saw it.

However, in the cold winter and early morning, the man and the dog did not eat in the house with Commander Lu and Lady Xia. Instead, they ate outside in the yard on such a cold day...

What is the reason?

Doubts in people's hearts will prompt them to look for answers. So, after everyone exchanged glances, someone finally couldn't help but stepped forward to ask.

"Why are Commander Xia and Wu Jin eating breakfast in the courtyard?"

"Does eating breakfast in the yard violate military rules and regulations?" Xia Yunji asked back.

The soldier was stunned by this question, and then he smiled awkwardly, "It's not against military rules, but the weather is cold. If we eat in the yard, I'm afraid the cakes, vegetables, and porridge will get cold..."

"I prefer to eat cold food." Xia Yunji replied with his neck stiff.

Soldiers: "..."

Today's Commander Xia not only spoke very bluntly, but also acted as if he had eaten dynamite and was ready to blow someone to death at any time.

slip away.

The soldier didn't care about his curiosity. He shut up tactfully, returned to his guard position, and stood upright.

Xia Yunji did not forget to roll his eyes.

Just ask, ask, ask, and just know how to ask!
Anyone with a bit of common sense would know that since they had come out to eat in the yard, there must be a reason why they couldn't go back to the house for breakfast. And why were they asking so eagerly? Wouldn't that just break the window paper and embarrass him?

Bad intentions.

Xia Yunji viciously stuffed the rather cold pie in his hand into his mouth and chewed it hard.

He used so much force that even the veins on his forehead popped out.

This made the soldier who had just asked too many questions feel uncomfortable all over, especially his bones, which hurt for no apparent reason.

It was as if what Xia Yunji had just bitten hard was not the pie, but his bones.

Tsk, I must learn my lesson this time. No matter how big the doubts are in the future, I must not ask too many questions.

Don’t ask anything inappropriate!

After Xia Yunji stuffed half of the pie into his mouth, the resentment in his heart was not completely eliminated. However, when he saw Wu Jin, who was well-behaved at his feet, the expression on his face softened a lot. He reached out and touched Wu Jin's forehead, "Sure enough, Wu Jin is the most well-behaved."

That is it.

Wu Jin is the most obedient person in the world.

"Can we just ignore them from now on?"

OK OK...

No, that's not good!
Wu Jin immediately became alert. After looking at Xia Yunji seriously, he moved to the side while holding the bone he had not finished chewing, and gave Xia Yunji a meaningful look.

It seems to be saying, although we have a good relationship, you can't just try to sow discord between us.

Xia Yunji, "..."

Oh, God, oh, earth, this world is so dangerous!

At this moment, Ruan Zhiheng also complained about the dangerous world.

Because he received a message from Xiao Luoan yesterday and made an appointment to go to Meiling today to check the situation, Ruan Zhiheng got up early and prepared to go there after breakfast.

But he had just finished washing up when someone outside reported that Xiao Luoan had arrived and wanted to have breakfast with him.

Ruan Zhiheng's expression suddenly turned ugly when he heard this.

He had instructed his subordinates yesterday to prepare his favorite crab roe soup dumplings and silver thread noodle soup this morning. The noodle soup must be made with the soup made from black-bone chicken, and must also have a piece of his favorite sweet-heart abalone in it.

But now, the food is ready, but Xiao Luoan has arrived. Do I want to have breakfast with him?

Ruan Zhiheng was somewhat displeased, but he could only order someone to let Xiao Luoan in, and at the same time told his subordinates to prepare some simple meals.

Clear soup noodles, pickled vegetables, and ordinary white flour sesame cakes. The image of an honest official must be established.

After giving the instructions, Ruan Zhiheng sat down in the flower hall. Xiao Luoan came over in a hurry, and Xu Chong beside him was holding a food box.

Putting the food box on the table, Xu Chong took out the contents.

It's a smoked chicken, but it's already been torn into small pieces by hand for easy eating.

"It is a great honor for me that the Third Prince comes to my humble home for dinner. I feel even more uncomfortable that he even brings his own food." Ruan Zhiheng smiled.

"You are too polite, Lord Ruan." Xiao Luoan said with a smile, "This is the smoked chicken I bought from Juxian Pavilion last night. I heard it is the largest one in Juxian Pavilion that day. I bought it so that I can enjoy it with Lord Ruan this morning."

"Thank you for your concern, Third Prince. I am deeply grateful..."

"Hey, what do you mean by grateful or not? That's very impolite of me to say. I just remember that you are an honest official and you are very frugal. I think you seldom go to Juxian Pavilion for meals. You probably don't eat the smoked chicken there very often. Today you can enjoy a feast for yourself." Xiao Luoan said with a smile.

A trace of displeasure flashed across Ruan Zhiheng's face.

Who are you looking down on? Do you think he's a country bumpkin who has never even eaten this?

But even though he was complaining in his heart, Ruan Zhiheng still had a smile on his face, "The Third Prince is absolutely right."

After the opening greetings, the servants brought over sesame seed cakes, clear soup noodles and pickled vegetables, which were paired with the smoked chicken that Xiao Luoan had brought. The combination of meat and vegetables was light and delicious.

Xiao Luoan was busy and tired last night and was now starving. One bowl of clear soup noodles was not enough, so he simply ordered another bowl.

On the other hand, Ruan Zhiheng was unhappy because his morning meal was replaced. The food at this time was not to his appetite and tasted like chewing wax. He not only ate slowly but also ate very little.

"Master Ruan, do you have a poor appetite?" Xiao Luoan asked.

"It's probably because I've been tired these past two days. I went to bed a little late last night and got up a little early today, so I don't have an appetite yet." Ruan Zhiheng said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Third Prince."

"Lord Ruan is dedicated to the people and is busy all day long. How can you say that I am embarrassed? But we have to go to Meiling Mountain later. I don't know when we can have lunch. If Lord Ruan eats too little, I am a little worried that he will not be able to bear it."

"What the Third Prince said is very true."

Ruan Zhiheng put on a smile and stuffed the unpalatable food into his mouth.

After the meal, Xiao Luoan did not give Ruan Zhiheng any time to rest. He immediately asked someone to arrange horses and go to Meiling together.

We still followed the previous route to Meiling Mountain, entered from the narrow path trampled by people who had entered the mountain, climbed to the top of the mountain, and looked out over the view with our clairvoyance.

Everywhere you look, the mountains are just ordinary mountains, there is nothing wrong with them at all.

Xiao Luoan sighed, "It seems that someone reported that someone in Meiling Mountain was mining without permission. They were referring to those profit-seeking businessmen who were digging lime without permission."

"From your humble opinion, this should be the case." Ruan Zhiheng said, "After all, there are no minerals in Meiling, only some lime. Moreover, if someone really opened a mine, the mine would be so huge that it would be impossible not to see it."

"Indeed." Xiao Luoan nodded.

He had thought so before, and even the people who were sent out to investigate privately had preconceived ideas.

I just feel that mining is not a trivial matter. There must be a huge mine. Just standing on the top of the mountain and taking a glance, you can see if there are any clues.

Ruan Zhiheng and others also used this method to mine iron ore in Meiling for many years without being discovered.

The anger on Xiao Luoan's face flashed away, and then he sighed deeply, "It seems that my trip to Meiling has gained nothing after all. It's time to set off back to Beijing."

Ruan Zhiheng felt relieved when he heard this, but frowned slightly. "The Third Prince came to Meiling this time and found out that someone was stealing lime and dispelled the rumors. It can be considered a great achievement. Why do you say that you got nothing?"

"I came here on the orders of my father, the emperor, and I only found a few merchants. With so much noise but little action, I am bound to be scolded. I need to think of a way to make amends..."

Xiao Luoan thought for a moment and said, "How about Lord Ruan do me a favor and let me check the files of the government office over the past few years in Ronghe Mansion to see if there are any remaining cases. I will see if I can solve one or two of them, which can also be regarded as extra credit for me."

"Third Prince, I'm afraid this is..." Ruan Zhiheng refused without any hesitation.

Are you kidding? The files of Ronghe Mansion, can you just look through them at will?
What's more, many of the cases were arranged by him. If someone finds out there are any flaws, how will he explain it?
This Xiao Luoan, what a beautiful idea!

"This matter probably makes Lord Ruan feel embarrassed." Xiao Luoan said to himself, "If this doesn't work, why not just find some skilled craftsmen to go to Meiling to explore and see if there are really minerals. If there are, it will be a credit!"

"My father sent me to investigate Meiling this time. He is also investigating the mining issue. Since no one has been found to have opened a mine without permission, I will just let the government do it. Then I can finally explain something."

"Well, I think this is a good idea. Lord Ruan, I am not familiar with Ronghe Mansion, but you are the prefect here. Why don't we send out a notice now and gather all the relevant people to come to Meiling to conduct an investigation?"

Ruan Zhiheng, "..."

This is crazy!
Ruan Zhiheng coughed lightly, weighed the pros and cons for a moment, and said, "Actually, it's not impossible for the Third Prince to look at this file..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Luoan couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.

Sure enough, when the other party disagrees with your request, you make a more excessive request, and then the first request will be easily agreed to.

"In that case, let's hurry back to the government office without further delay." Xiao Luoan immediately raised his foot and walked down the mountain.

Ruan Zhiheng, "..."

Just eat and serve!

Moreover, Xiao Luoan wanted to check the files, probably not only to complete his own assignment, but also to find out his mistakes and cause trouble for him, so as to calm his anger for getting nothing from his trip to Meiling.

If he finds out something, it would certainly be bad, but if it could calm his anger and make him leave here early and return to the capital, it would not be a bad thing.

After all, the longer he stayed here, the less likely they were to make any moves in Meiling, which delayed many things.

Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief if they send him away early.

As for the things Xiao Luoan found out that might be unfavorable to him...

It doesn’t matter. The Wen family will remember all that he has done for them and will compensate him little by little!
Ruan Zhiheng felt much more relaxed when he thought about it, and walked down the mountain with Xiao Luoan.

After leaving Meiling, they went all the way to Ronghe Prefecture. After arriving at the government office, Ruan Zhiheng did not hesitate at all. He took him to the warehouse, took out all the files, and let Xiao Luoan read them.

As the prefect, Ruan Zhiheng was always busy with many things, so he naturally could not accompany him all the time, so he only sent the clerk in the government office to accompany him.

The clerk had also worked in the prefectural government for many years. He was very versatile and smart, so Ruan Zhiheng was very confident in him.

So, Xiao Luoan and Xu Chong began to check all the files to find the clues they wanted. (End of this chapter)