Xu Mingzhi was initially thinking of refusing, but remembering the heavy money bag from before, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

After agreeing, Xu Mingzhi plucked a few thorny flowers from the garden of Marquis Ningyuan, intending to apologize with a thorn on his back, and then jogged all the way to Tianxiang Tower.

Upon arriving at Tianxiang Restaurant, he found it crowded with diners. Xu Mingzhi punched himself hard in the nose, and snot and tears immediately streamed down his face. He then walked over, sobbing.

"Third Sister, Zhou Wan, I've come to beg for forgiveness. Can you forgive me for what I did before? It was all because of that scoundrel, Marquis Ningyuan, that I was forced into it."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of all the diners were instantly drawn to him. However, after seeing that the person who came was Xu Mingzhi, they were naturally not surprised. After all, they were all regulars at Tianxiang Restaurant and were very clear about what had happened. They just treated it as a farce.

Zhao Ping immediately went to inform San Niang, while Zhou Wan opened the window upstairs and took a look.

The two women naturally knew what kind of person Xu Mingzhi was; his words were like farts. Although they weren't together, they tacitly decided to ignore him.

Xu Mingzhi cried for a long time, but when he saw that no one paid any attention to him, he pulled a white cloth from his waist and draped it over the doorpost of Tianxiang Tower, preparing to commit suicide.

"Look, look! He's brought quite a lot of stuff. He's planning to make a scene, throw a tantrum, and threaten suicide this time!"

"Is this guy a tough guy? How come he even picked up those women's tricks?"

"Hahaha, I think he's just a spineless coward!"

"Xu Mingzhi, don't try to morally blackmail us. Even if we die somewhere else, we still need to eat." As she spoke, she threw an eggshell at Xu Mingzhi's head.

"Yeah, what kind of person is this?" someone chimed in, picking up a vegetable leaf and throwing it out as well.

...

The diners were saying all sorts of things, which made Xu Mingzhi's face turn bright red. He took a few deep breaths and then fled in panic. He had been thinking and realized that he definitely wouldn't gain any advantage this time.

After everyone left, Zhou Wan and San Niang couldn't help but start muttering to themselves.

In the following days, Xu Mingzhi came to cry every day, which caused most of the diners at Tianxianglou to leave.

...

Tie Xiong was fast on his feet and soon returned to Chang'an. However, he went straight to the palace and showed the meat to the Emperor.

Although the beef in Chang'an is fresh, the quantity is limited, and most of it can only be supplied to the palace. If beef could also be available in the market, that would truly benefit the people.

The Emperor immediately clapped his hands: "Good! It seems your trip has been worthwhile."

"Tie Xiong, you have done a great job this time. You and the Regent should continue to work hard and try to bring us a lot more meat when you come back at the end of the year."

His words stunned all the court officials present.

They looked at each other in bewilderment.

Qi Guze...isn't he already dead?

Lord Shen sensed something fishy was going on. He glanced at Marquis Ningyuan, then immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, wasn't the Regent Prince already dead in the Ministry of Justice's prison? How come..."

"If he escaped from prison and fled to the Dark Moon Kingdom, wouldn't that further confirm his collusion with the Dark Moon Kingdom?"

"Your Majesty, such a villain must absolutely not be allowed to live!"

Upon hearing these words, Tie Xiong's face darkened, and he wished he could immediately announce the Emperor's intentions to the world.

But the Emperor waved his hand, his face equally ashen: "Lord Shen, it was I who ordered the Regent to be brought out, and it was I who ordered the Regent and Princess Heyue to set off for the Mingyue Kingdom together. If we follow your wishes, wouldn't I also be punished?"

"Your subject dares not," Lord Shen could only awkwardly retreat.

The Emperor continued, "Tie Xiong, when you return from the Underworld Kingdom, I will reward you handsomely."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Tie Xiong stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke directly, "Your Majesty, Princess Heyue is preparing to open a Tianxiang Restaurant in Mingyue Kingdom in order to speed up the 'barter' process. However, she currently does not have any dishes. I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me permission to bring some dishes from Tianxiang Restaurant over."

Upon hearing this, the emperor beamed with even greater joy.

Although he wanted to ease tensions between the two countries, he could tell that the Mingyue Kingdom was still wary. If he could use the Tianxiang Pavilion to improve relations between the two countries, that would be truly wonderful.

He immediately agreed, saying, "That's a good thing, but I'm afraid Princess Heyue alone won't be able to handle it all—"

"Tie Xiong, since you and Zhou Wan from Tianxiang Tower are husband and wife, it's not good to keep living apart. Why don't you take her with you on this trip? It would be helpful to Princess Heyue."

"Remember, if you have any shortages, just write to us."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

Tie Xiong got the result he wanted and practically jumped out of the palace.

They had only just arrived at the entrance of Tianxiang Tower when they saw Xu Mingzhi kneeling there, weeping bitterly.

He frowned and quickened his pace.

The next instant, a long sword was pressed against Xu Mingzhi's neck, and a voice was icy cold: "Xu Mingzhi, what kind of trouble are you trying to cause now?"

"Tie Xiong?"

"Tie Xiong, you're back?" Zhou Wan's tears instantly flowed down her face, and she threw herself into his arms.

Xu Mingzhi never expected Tie Xiong to return so quickly, and couldn't help but shiver, but still continued, "Brother Tie Xiong, I've come to apologize to Miss Zhou Wan and Miss San Niang..."

"What happened before was all my fault. Right now, all I want to do is go to the Underworld Kingdom to see my sister."

“Brother Tiexiong, it’s perfect that you’re back. Why don’t you take me with you?”

Seeing his unusual behavior, Tie Xiong frowned even more and turned to look at Zhou Wan beside him.

But Zhou Wan shook her head.

Tie Xiong was only back temporarily, so he couldn't really believe Xu Mingzhi's nonsense. He could only continue to drive him away: "We don't need you to apologize here. If you really know you're wrong, you'd better study hard and stop causing trouble for Tianxiang Restaurant. Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you!"

He was, after all, a soldier, and was already quite burly. Now he had really scared Xu Mingzhi half to death.

Xu Mingzhi shuddered and immediately ran away.

After seeing that the person had left, Tie Xiong quickly helped Zhou Wan into the room.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Wan grabbed his hand as soon as she entered the room, her expression anxious: "Tie Xiong, tell me the truth, how is A Yue now? Is she really not coming back?"

Tie Xiong was completely bewildered upon hearing this, having no idea where to begin.

Fortunately, Jiang Shichen returned in time.