Chapter 227

The news of the Celestial Venerable's misfortune swept through the entire Youzhou like swirling snowflakes.

After handing the wine to Fang Weng, Fan Xiaoxiao went home. Passing by the military camp, she saw Ren Le.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Fan Xiaoxiao knelt on the ground and bowed deeply to her.

"Oh, it's you."

Fan Xiaoxiao kept her head down, unable to see Ren Le's face, but judging from her voice, she seemed quite happy. Because this sickly princess in front of her didn't allow her to stand up, Fan Xiaoxiao didn't dare move. She obediently lowered her head, staring blankly at the snowflakes falling to the ground.

Suddenly, a pair of exquisite embroidered shoes appeared before her eyes. The next moment, Fan Xiaoxiao's hand was grabbed. Just as she was about to look up, she saw Ren Le standing very close to her.

She was startled by the expression on the other person's face, and her hand twitched slightly. It was a strange excitement; the eyes were wide open, the corners of the mouth were upturned, and the corners of the eyes were slightly curved. But upon closer inspection, one could see that the other person's eyes were lifeless, and Fan Xiaoxiao's image was clearly reflected in the dark pupils.

Did you hear that?

Fan Xiaoxiao felt a chill run down her spine from her gaze, and her mind went a beat slower.

"What?"

"The bell tolls!"

Ren Le grabbed Fan Xiaoxiao's arm and shook it twice, his mouth curving upwards to its widest extent.

Fan Xiaoxiao felt goosebumps rise from her arms all the way to behind her ears from her laughter.

Ren Le was completely unaware of Fan Xiaoxiao's unusual behavior; she remained as excited as ever.

After getting closer to Fan Xiaoxiao, he smiled and softened his voice.

Do you know what the sound of that bell means?

"The Celestial Venerable is dead!"

Before Fan Xiaoxiao could speak, she said what she was about to say. Then, she suddenly released Fan Xiaoxiao, turned around, and stood up with a maniacal laugh.

"Your Highness, shall we go to Tianshan first?"

The guard lowered his head, a fawning smile on his face.

His words seemed to awaken Fan Xiaoxiao. After realizing what he meant, she nodded: "Right, right, I almost forgot. We have to go see them! After all, they are Celestial Venerables!"

Ren Le picked up the corner of her skirt and was about to walk out. She hadn't taken two or three steps when she stopped abruptly, turned around abruptly, and pounced in front of Fan Xiaoxiao.

"By the way, Father and the others are very satisfied with your wine. They want a large quantity. In a few days, the palace will send someone to learn how to make wine from you. My lady, you must teach them carefully then."

Fan Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately realized that this princess was trying to squeeze every last drop of value out of her. It seemed that she would soon be making a move on Gu Chongtai as well, except that she genuinely liked her cooking skills.

We cannot back down here; if we show too much weakness, our family will inevitably be in danger.

"Your Highness is too kind. It is truly my good fortune that His Majesty has taken a liking to what I have made. However..."

She changed the subject, her face revealing two kinds of hesitation.

"Does the princess plan to build a winery in the Tianshan Mountains in the future?"

Ren Le frowned, thinking that Fan Xiaoxiao would say something to refuse. Just as she was about to speak, she didn't expect Fan Xiaoxiao to ask her if she planned to build a winery in Tianshan.

Why ask that question?

Fan Xiaoxiao straightened up slightly: "It's like this, there's a plant for brewing wine that only grows on the Tianshan Mountains. I came out today to retrieve that ingredient. However, something like this happened on the Tianshan Mountains today, so I was unable to retrieve it."

Secondly, there's a step in the brewing process that requires refrigeration, and this wine can only be brewed in the Tianshan Mountains during winter. If it's brewed after the season has passed, the wine will likely be sour and unpalatable.

Her words were sincere, and she made no attempt to refuse.

Ren Le narrowed his eyes, still feeling that something was amiss.

Although the girl in front of her didn't say anything to refuse, she still found it a bit strange.

However, if the court brewers were to come, they would certainly take this thing back to Chang'an. As for this girl, she wouldn't stay.

However, whether she said this because she wanted to decline or because she genuinely couldn't brew wine elsewhere, she really couldn't tell.

Thinking of this, Renle tilted her head slightly, her eyes fixed on Fan Xiaoxiao: "Then, in your opinion, Madam, what should be done about this matter?"

"I can't possibly go and tell Father that this wine can't be made, can I?"

Her voice turned icy cold by the end. Fan Xiaoxiao knew this person was truly enraged, and if she didn't say the right thing next, she might not even be able to go home today.

"In my humble opinion, wine can still be brewed. However, I cannot guarantee the taste."

Fan Xiaoxiao was right. Renle was acting erratically right now, and she could easily get herself into trouble if she wasn't careful. Only by calming her down could she figure out what to do next.

Even if the princess really does bring her a wine learner, she has ways to ensure that the learner can't afford to eat up her winery!

However, it's always best to be upfront about the unpleasant aspects. After all, if the other person can't learn what she's teaching, it's not that she hasn't tried her best, but rather that the other person is simply too stupid.

Ren Le squinted and stared at the top of Fan Xiaoxiao's head for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly smiled at Fan Xiaoxiao and said, "Speaking of which, I've been craving your roast meat for a long time. I've been busy with things in the military camp these past few days and haven't had a chance to taste it. Go and call your roast meat chefs to come and make some for me. Without something distracting you, you can focus on teaching the court's brewing masters."

Fan Xiaoxiao steeled her heart, realizing that this damned princess was trying to threaten her with Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang.

She lowered her eyelashes and smiled at Ren Le.

"This humble woman will obey Your Highness's orders. I will have my father and mother pack their things and come to Your Highness's side shortly."

The guard seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Fan Xiaoxiao's quick agreement. After frowning, he turned to Fan Xiaoxiao and said sarcastically, "And your rest of your family, come and help! We have a lot of people here! How can just you and your mother manage? Don't worry, the money will be settled on a daily basis!"

Renle waved his hand, a hint of dissatisfaction in his expression: "Her family members are either busy planting spices or making wine. If they were all brought over, not only would there be no one to serve the spices for roasting meat, but who would brew wine for me? I heard you seem to have set up a winery in the village, that's not bad. Chang'an needs quite a lot. Until the palace servants learn how to brew wine for me properly."

Fan Xiaoxiao felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn't expected that this princess would know so much about her family's every move, even something as simple as her family growing spices.

She bent down and responded to Renle. Before she could get up to say goodbye, a fast horse galloped towards them from afar.

"Princess! Your Highness! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! An avalanche has occurred on the mountain road ten miles away!!!"

(End of this chapter)