In the fourth year of Sheng Yuan Dynasty, it was the ninth day of the fifth lunar month.
The weather in Yunzhou is getting clearer and clearer, and the coldness has only faded away not long ago, but now it is already a scene that makes people sweat on their foreheads at noon.
But it is a pity that the people of Yunzhou are not blessed to enjoy this rare warmth after a long period of cold weather.
The government office, the inner house in the backyard.
In the courtyard, Lin Ji held a basin in his hand and kept stirring the fillings in it. Waves of a fishy aroma kept coming out.
On the side, next to the table in the courtyard, Beishang rolled the kneaded dough into a long strip, and then cut it into small pieces one by one with a knife.
Beside Beishang, Shen Long was wearing an apron and holding a rolling pin to roll out the dough into thin and even dumpling wrappers.
The only idler was Zi Qing, who occupied the magpie's nest and lay on Lin Ji's recliner.
"I don't like eating mutton." She said without opening her eyes.
"There's also pork and chives."
"I've eaten lotus root stuffing in the south, and it was delicious."
Lin Ji raised his head and glanced at her angrily.
"In Yunzhou, where can I find lotus seeds for you?"
Zi Qing turned her head, as if she was stimulated by Lin Ji's gaze. She was the only one in the yard who didn't know how to cook. She kept chatting while waiting for food. Even she herself felt a little bit embarrassed.
Fortunately, at this moment, someone quickly walked into the small courtyard.
The person who came was Qi Mu, a subordinate of Zi Qing and a fifth-level monk.
He was Zi Qing's clerical deputy in Beijing, just like Zheng Lixin and Lin Ji.
Now he temporarily holds the post of chief arrester of Yunzhou.
Logically speaking, the Yuanshen cultivator should have received a Yuxing or a commander, but unfortunately he was called to Yunzhou from Beijing by Zi Qing, and he was originally here to take the blame.
It doesn't matter what official position he is in. Anyway, he will fill in whichever position is more troublesome.
As for the group of people under Qin Jinsong in Yunzhou, they are now completely scattered.
After Qi Mu walked into the small courtyard, he bowed to Lin Ji and others one by one and called them seniors. Even Beishuang didn't stop to say hello, and then quickly came to Zi Qing.
"Sir, most of the people in the city have fled, and the remaining ones cannot be persuaded to leave."
"Then don't worry about it anymore and let them be destroyed together with Mocheng." Zi Qing waved her hand impatiently.
It's not that she is cold-blooded, it's just that a few days ago, she asked the monks in the government office to persuade the people in the city to leave day and night, and made it clear that Mocheng could not be defended.
Most of the people still cherish their lives. Even Supervisor Tiansi said so. They will not really wait for death and leave long ago with their small fortune.
But there are always those who cannot leave their homeland, either because they are too old and don’t want to leave, or because they cannot take their property with them, or even more so because they are reluctant to part with the land in their name.
All in all, today's Mocheng has lost its former prosperity and hustle and bustle as the capital city of Yunzhou, and will become a dead city.
Hearing Zi Qing's answer, Qi Mu was not surprised and whispered: "General Song from the Zhenbei Army found me not long ago and said that he wanted to set up camp outside the city. Moreover, many monks in the army were seriously injured. I hope Supervisor Tiansi can provide some support from the warehouse."
"Where does the Zhenbei Army camp have anything to do with the Supervisor Tiansi?" Zi Qing sneered, "As for the monks in the Zhenbei Army? They were originally invited with generous salary, but now they don't even have any medicine for wounds. Do you think those monks are there?" Will you stay?"
"This..." Qi Mu hesitated.
But Zi Qing waved her hand and said: "If you don't believe it, just go to the army and you will understand. How many monks are left in the Zhenbei Army now, and how many Yuanshen monks are there among them?"
"You give away the things in the warehouse, and in a blink of an eye they are in the pockets of the leaders of the army. They were sent by the court after Lu Nanting died. Even if the Zhenbei Army was destroyed, they still have a place to go. This is Taking advantage of the opportunity to line their own pockets.”
"this..."
"Don't think so much, just eat some dumplings and then hit the road." Zi Qing pointed to the chair beside her and motioned for Qi Mu to sit down.
"Three adults are here, how can there be a seat for a lower official?" Qi Mu shook his head quickly, "I still have some official documents, which were sent by colleagues from all over Yunzhou, and also related to the Zhenbei Army. They all need to be processed in time. "
"What a mess! When Qin Jinsong was here, he had been piling up official matters for who knows how long, and there was no big trouble in Yunzhou. Now that the Zhenbei Army is about to be destroyed, what trouble can be bigger than this?"
The speaker was Shen Long. He put down the rolling pin, dusted off the flour on his apron, and looked at Lin Ji again.
"Is it almost done?"
"I'll make the dumplings." Lin Ji took the filling basin and passed Shen Long, stood in front of the chopping board, and started making dumplings skillfully.
While holding his hands, he also smiled at Qi Mu.
"Mr. Qi, there is no need to be restrained. When Lin was the commander in the capital, you often drank and chatted with me. Why are you so reserved now? You are also someone who deals with the Taoist realm all day long. Is it possible that the three of us are the same? Can this person still make things difficult for you?"
Qi Mu smiled bitterly and finally sat down.
"Master Lin said it lightly."
Even though he knew nothing would happen, facing the gathering of three Youtian officials from the Supervisory Tiansi, this invisible pressure still existed after all.
Soon, Shen Long was carrying a large pot and boiling water in the yard.
This pot was taken from the back kitchen of a restaurant in the city. A pot weighed twenty or thirty kilograms. The people in the restaurant couldn't take it with them and didn't want to take it with them, so they gave it to a few people in the government office.
When the water boiled, dozens of dumplings were made.
"Beishuang, get off the pot."
"Here we come." Beishuang responded, bringing the dumplings neatly stacked on the plate to the pot and putting them in one by one.
After the dumplings started to float, a few minutes passed before Zi Qing, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't bear it any longer and reached out to the pot to pick one up.
After stuffing it into her mouth, she looked bitter.
"Mutton."
"The leeks haven't been wrapped yet. Didn't you see that the stuffing is still here?" Lin Ji rolled his eyes, who told you to be so impatient?
After a busy period, another half hour passed.
Several people in the courtyard gathered around the table, each with a chair, each holding a vinegar dish.
On the table, there were only a few dumplings left in the plates, and they had all cooled down, and no one was willing to get started.
"The dumplings taste just right and the fillings are well prepared." Zi Qing put down the vinegar plate and praised with satisfaction, but she also did not forget to criticize, "It's a pity that there is no lotus root. It's a fly in the ointment."
Lin Ji ignored her.
Shen Long on the side burped and rubbed his stomach.
"Why, can you still eat enough?" Seeing this scene, Zi Qing sneered.
Shen Long shook his head.
"That's not true. I can eat another ten or a hundred pounds, but that doesn't count as enjoyment. It means that you are full and have nothing to do."
After the words fell, Shen Long stood up and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Lin Ji and Zi Qing also stood up together.
"The barbarians are twenty miles outside the city. The Zhenbei Army's military camps are all within easy sight of the city. Do you think Mocheng can still be defended tonight?"
"I can't hold on any longer." Lin Ji shook his head.
"Then...walk?" Shen Long raised his eyebrows.
"Let's go." Lin Ji nodded.
After the words fell, the three You Tianguan each looked at each other and disappeared almost at the same time.