Seeing Lin Xiangzhi's serious expression, Xiao Jingzhao immediately believed Lin Xiangzhi's words.
He raised his hand, gesturing for Eunuch Ma to take Sui Sui to wash up.
When there were only two people in the hall, Xiao Jingzhao looked at Lin Xiangzhi.
"I think it won't be easy for them to steal the seeds. The ingredients for today's banquet were all sent by Hu Qing. I deliberately wanted to show them the strength of Wanling."
Lin Xiangzhi leaned forward slightly. "Does His Majesty mean that after today, they will not be given these rare delicacies?"
"That's natural. Their daily meals are arranged by officials from the Court of State Ceremonial at the post station. Hu Qing said that there are no extra tomatoes entering the market for the time being. Apart from those sent to the palace, the rest are only sold at Juxian Pavilion."
Lin Xiangzhi thought for a moment and said, "Those barbarians have been staying in the capital for quite some time, so they will naturally go to the best restaurants in the capital. If they go to Juxian Pavilion, they will naturally order that dish."
"Xiangzhi's idea is indeed more thorough. I will immediately send someone to Juxian Pavilion to deliver the message."
"Your Majesty, it would be inappropriate for Juxian Pavilion to falsely claim that they have run out of ingredients. We should think of a way that satisfies both sides."
Xiao Jingzhao recalled the way Sui Sui described scrambled eggs with tomatoes and said, "I have a way to prevent them from succeeding."
"Your Majesty, I suggest we send someone to investigate the post station at night to see what other underhanded tricks they have up their sleeves."
Xiao Jingzhao fully agreed with Lin Xiangzhi's suggestion and immediately summoned Xiang Song.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Greetings, Lord Lin!"
After exchanging greetings, Xiang Song went straight to the point: "Did His Majesty send me here to hand over Young Master Nangong to the envoy from Liang?"
Xiao Jingzhao's eyes flickered slightly. "Let's postpone Nangong Zeyue's matter for a while. Mo Ziyan's influence is too great. I'm not sure if he has any people among the envoys."
"Your Majesty is wise. Young Master Nangong is currently outnumbered and vulnerable. Handing him over would be like a lamb being led to the slaughter, a life wasted."
The day after the Liang envoy arrived, he requested to see their eldest prince.
Xiao Jingzhao resolutely refused, saying that the person was still thousands of miles away and had already sent a message, and would not be able to return to the capital for some time.
"For Nangong Zeyue's safety, and to prevent those people from running rampant in Wanling, tonight you will personally lead a team of secret guards to the post station to investigate. If there is nothing unusual, withdraw the team without letting the other side notice."
Xiao Jingzhao felt from the bottom of his heart that his arrangement was not honorable enough.
As the ancients said, those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trivial matters.
For the sake of Wanling's interests, Xiao Jingzhao did not want to be a hypocrite.
"Your subordinate obeys."
Xiang Song was about to leave after receiving the order when Xiao Jingzhao quickly called him back.
"Wait, it's still early. Go to Juxian Pavilion and tell Hu Qing that recently, no matter who goes to the restaurant, the tomatoes must be cooked before being served."
"Understood."
As Xiang Song left, Lin Xiangzhi laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you are the best strategist. Will those barbarians cause trouble at the restaurant?"
A chill ran through Xiao Jingzhao's eyes. "With the First Pavilion Under Heaven bestowed by me personally, if they dare to cause trouble, I will make them go back crying."
With the national treasury now full, Xiao Jingzhao has issued an edict ordering the Minister of War and relevant departments to begin recruiting soldiers and horses to strengthen Wanling's power.
After reporting his findings, Lin Xiangzhi rose to take his leave.
After taking a few steps, he turned back and asked, "Does Your Majesty really intend to hand over Nangong Zeyue in a few days?"
"Hmm, I will first use this as a bait to test the waters before handing it over."
Lin Xiangzhi breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. He and Su Jin knew each other in Yannan. If anything happens to him, Su Jin will be sad."
Xiao Jingzhao gave a mysterious smile. "You're worrying unnecessarily. He's not alone. Taking his life won't be easy."
...
The sun was setting in the west.
A light layer of dark clouds drifted over the capital, like a giant net slowly closing in.
After leaving Jinxiufang, Jiang Shuyue went to Nvrenfang on her way.
Gao Mu and Cang Yun went off to carry out their respective missions, while she and Qiu Ju strolled through the streets.
The streets were bustling with people, and occasionally, the faces of people from other ethnic groups could be seen among the crowd.
"Miss, look at those foreigners, they have high noses and deep-set eyes, they're quite good-looking too."
Jiang Shuyue teased, "How could anyone be as good-looking as your Gao Mu?"
“Miss, I’m serious. Just two days ago, I saw two blonde, blue-eyed women. I don’t know where they came from.”
"real?"
Jiang Shuyue was quite surprised that there were people of a different ethnicity in the capital, whose facial features resembled those of modern Uyghurs.
With red hair and blue eyes, they must have come from overseas.
Could it be that Wanling's navigation technology has developed rapidly?
Jiang Shuyue's curiosity was piqued; she wanted to know what level of civilization had been reached on the other side of the sea.
Following Qiuju's gaze, several Uyghur-looking men were indeed seen moving among the crowd.
They were tall, a head taller than everyone around them, making them particularly noticeable.
Jinxiufang was not far from Nürenfang; the two arrived after crossing a bustling main street.
"Sister Yue'er, Miss Qiuju, what brings you two here today?"
Du Yutong didn't know the exact date of Jinxiufang's opening. After Su Jin left, she felt empty inside and often followed her aunt to Women's Workshop to learn incense making to distract herself from her longing for Su Jin.
She was in an exceptionally good mood upon seeing Jiang Shuyue arrive.
Jiang Shuyue glanced at the dazzling array of items in the shop. "Not bad, the variety is much richer than before."
Du Yutong stepped forward and took Jiang Shuyue's hand, leading her to the backyard. "Sister Yue'er has a good eye. With Headmaster Lin helping to make connections, merchants have sent over many rare items."
"Uncle Lin and Aunt Du are that close?" Jiang Shuyue winked at Du Yutong, feigning ignorance.
"Shh! Don't say anything, Auntie will be embarrassed." Du Yutong made a shushing gesture and then started chatting with Jiang Shuyue about other things.
From the conversation, Jiang Shuyue learned that the person who helped connect her with the merchants was actually Nangong Zeyue's senior brother.
He had been doing medicinal herb business in the capital for many years and knew many merchants from all over the country.
The fabric that Madam Su sent to the Du residence is being worked on by embroiderers at a rapid pace. The Du residence doesn't have many embroiderers, so it's estimated that it will take several more days to finish.
When Aunt Du learned that Jiang Shuyue had arrived, she immediately put down what she was doing and came over to chat with her.
Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Aunt Du's skin was glowing, and her delicate features were tinged with a kind and gentle beauty.
"Aunt Du looks radiant; it must be because everything is going smoothly and she's in a good mood," Jiang Shuyue said, raising her eyebrows mischievously and exchanging a smile with Du Yutong.
Du Wenru replied with a smile, "Yue'er really guessed right. Business is booming, and Yutong and her brother's marriage has been settled. I can finally put my mind at ease."
Jiang Shuyue and the others tacitly understood that Aunt Du was an elder, and they dared not make fun of her.
After drinking a cup of tea and sitting for a while, Jiang Shuyue got up to say goodbye.
As night fell, Jiang Shuyue took a bath in her spatial dimension and then, with her beautiful hair flowing freely, slipped out of the space.
As soon as I stepped out of the restroom, I smelled a faint, cool bamboo scent in the air.
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