Xiao Ruxun had set the meeting place with Ye Mengxiong at a relay station on the northern side of Paper Mill Town.
There was a small pavilion next to this relay station. No one knew when or who had built it, but it looked exactly like the pavilion that Xiao Ruxun and Ye Mengxiong had parted ways in the capital. The moment Xiao Ruxun saw it, he found himself unable to move.
Thus, he had set the meeting place here. Then, just as he had done in the past, he had Old Firehead make a few small stir-frying dishes and some good wine from the cellar.
The weather of the tenth month was already rather cold, so drinking chilled grape wine like back then was no longer feasible. It was better to drink some aged wine. This cold weather would at least strengthen one's body.
The appointed time with Ye Mengxiong was forty-five minutes into the morning. Ye Mengxiong had always been punctual, and he promptly appeared in Xiao Ruxun's line of sight.
When he saw that the sixty-seven-year-old Ye Mengxiong was riding a horse, Xiao Ruxun couldn't help but sigh. Disregarding the obstruction of his two guards, he immediately strode over to greet him.
"Duke Ye!"
"Ji Xin!"
Ye Mengxiong dismounted from his horse at a distance. Handing the horse over to his two attendants, he walked over to Xiao Ruxun.
Xiao Ruxun also strode forward. When he got close, Ye Mengxiong excitedly placed a hand on Xiao Ruxun's shoulder and examined Xiao Ruxun.
"You're even more composed than before, no longer that brat. It seems like your many years of campaigning have taught you many things. This is good, very good!"
Ye Mengxiong couldn't stop the smile on his face, and it was the same for Xiao Ruxun.
"Duke Ye is as valiant as ever. You're still as vigorous as ever, Ruxun inferior to you! Ruxun has already prepared some meager wine. Duke Ye, please! "
"Good! Alright! "
Ye Mengxiong followed Xiao Ruxun to the pavilion.
In front of the gazebo, Ye Mengxiong stopped and looked at it for a while. Then, he smiled again.
"This pavilion looks familiar! Ji Xin, could this be the pavilion where we said our goodbyes outside the capital? "
Xiao Ruxun laughed and said, "You have a good eye, Lord Ye. This pavilion is very similar to the pavilion where we left back then. When I first saw it, I was also in a trance, thinking that time had turned back to that year."
Ye Mengxiong sighed.
"Time flies like an arrow. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. So many things have happened in the world, but I don't know when I will be able to truly settle down."
Ye Mengxiong looked at Xiao Ruxun.
Xiao Ruxun smiled and then helped Ye Mengxiong into the gazebo.
"These dishes were prepared by Ruxun in the past. There was a good chef in the army, so I had him make them. Unfortunately, the weather is cold now, so I didn't dare to make iced grape wine. Instead, I found some good wine from the cellar. Today, I would like to drink with Duke Ye."
Ye Mengxiong looked at the dishes and wine on the table with a beaming smile and said, "Good, good! It's been a long time since I've had something to eat and drink. Come, sit, sit down! "
Xiao Ruxun helped Ye Mengxiong sit down and then sat down on another stone stool. He filled Ye Mengxiong's cup and filled his own cup.
"Duke Ye, this cup of wine is for you!"
Xiao Ruxun raised his cup.
Ye Mengxiong also raised his cup with a smile.
"Good, good. Come, let's not talk first. Cheers!"
After saying that, the two of them drank their cups of wine together.
After drinking, the two of them picked up their chopsticks.
"Come, Duke Ye, try these dishes. The chefs in the army are good at cooking. They were all picked from the refugees who came to Myanmar from the Central Plains a few years ago. Many of them are chefs in taverns and restaurants. Their cooking skills are top-notch. There are also various local specialties. I was able to eat many local specialties in Myanmar."
Xiao Ruxun smiled and introduced these dishes to Ye Mengxiong.
"Oh? There's such a thing? Then I'll have to try it! "
Ye Mengxiong chuckled and reached out with his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat and chewed it. Then, he revealed a satisfied expression. "Mmm! Not bad! Not bad! To be able to make this taste, he must be a chef who has been working in this restaurant for many years. Ji Xin, you really know how to manage. Myanmar is a dead land with over a million homeless refugees, but you've managed to revitalize the whole situation. "
Ye Mengxiong looked quite emotional. "Back then, how many people in the imperial court paid any attention to Myanmar? Almost no one mentioned it. They only treated Myanmar as a pigsty. Those who couldn't feed themselves in the Central Plains were thrown to Myanmar to avoid becoming roving bandits. But in the end, you've found a treasure! "
Xiao Ruxun smiled and said, "There's no such thing as a dead land or a living land. It's just that no one is willing to curry favor. Myanmar is in the south, but it's close to the ocean. As long as there are ships and people, it can quickly develop. To tell you the truth, Duke Ye, I've already made contact with the Western Continent on the Europa continent by relying on this dead land. I've even sent a fleet to the Europa continent. That's a place that even Eunuch Sanbao didn't set foot in. "
Ye Mengxiong looked amazed.
"Oh? There's such a thing? Does the Europa continent really exist? "
"Of course. We used to think that the Frangiyi lived in the Nanyang, but that's not the case. The Frangiyi lived on the Europa continent. There are many other Western Continents on that continent. They also have several countries like Korea and Nihon, which are constantly at war with each other …"
Xiao Ruxun generally shared the news brought back by Chen Longzheng with Ye Mengxiong. Only then did Ye Mengxiong know the vastness of the world, and that there was such a rich and colorful world outside of the Daming continent.
"So I started doing business with them. I sent them silk, tea, porcelain, and iron pots, and they gave me shiny silver. But I don't know what the specific results will be."
Ye Mengxiong was sometimes amazed, and sometimes he was lost in thought. He was extremely curious about everything Xiao Ruxun had said.
"The world is so big, and the world is so vast. I've really been a frog at the bottom of a well!"
"That's right. Outside of the Divine Land, there's still such a vast space overseas. It's really fascinating!"
As they chatted, the atmosphere became more and more relaxed. After eating and drinking for a while, the two finally got to the main topic.
"Ji Xin, as I've said, I don't believe Shen Yicheng when he says you rebelled. Now, you have to give me a clear explanation. As you said in your letter, did Shen Yicheng really do such a rebellious thing as abolishing the emperor?"
Xiao Ruxun sighed and put down his chopsticks.
"Master Ye, when did Ruxun lie to you? Shen Yicheng took advantage of the night to launch a mutiny. I wasn't the only one he wanted to kill. The people His Majesty could use, from the four Soaring Dragon Guards to the Director of Imperial Horses to the Director of Rites, to the two thousand Zhennan Army under my command, all died under Shen Yicheng's mutiny.
The former Minister of Justice, Duke Song Yingchang, and the old Grand Secretary, Duke Zhao Zhigao, were also martyred. Shen Yicheng told the outside world that they died of illness, but it was too strange that two important officials died of illness in succession.
Not to mention that Shen Yicheng built Taichang ahead of time. According to the rules, it should be normal for him to build Jianyuan next year. He couldn't help but mention Jianyuan before, other than feeling guilty, what other reason could there be? That little Emperor is a puppet that Shen Yicheng pushed out. On the surface, Shen Yicheng is the Grand Secretary, but in reality, he is Cao Mengde, Sima Yi! "
Ye Mengxiong was silent for a while.
"The dukes in Wuchang are also suspicious of what you said. They are also questioning Shen Yicheng's intentions in giving the new Emperor Jianyuan ahead of time. Now, it seems that Shen Yicheng really did something rebellious!"
Ye Mengxiong's expression became very ugly. "Shen Yicheng is familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics, how could he do such a thing? Only a disloyal and unjust dog thief can do such a thing, how could he do it? "
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