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"As long as it's not something vulgar, I'll take it all."
"As long as it's not something vulgar, I'll take it all."
Tuoba Ze was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled. His eyes suddenly fell on the tea set cabinet beside him, so he went over and took down an exquisite box from the corner of the top shelf. He then invited Xuan Yuan Yue upstairs to sit in a unique private room before gently opening the box in his hand and mysteriously saying, "Young master, please take a look at this tea set!"
Xuan Yuan Yue sat there, waving a folding fan in her hand. She glanced casually at the box, where nine teacups were neatly arranged, each with a dragon pattern. She smiled disdainfully and said, "Hmph, what's so special about a few black dragon-patterned teacups? Any set in my manor is much rarer!"
Tuoba Ze continued to smile and sat down beside him: "Young master, you may not know this, but this tea set made of the finest clay is Lingkong's most famous 'Dragon Soaring to Rain'."
Clearly, the name was intriguing, and Xuan Yuan Yue said, "I have heard of it before. The name is indeed magnificent, but I don't know what 'Dragon Soars to Bring Rain' means?"
Tuoba Ze then took out all nine teacups and arranged them in a line in front of Xuan Yuan Yue: "Young Master, please take a closer look and see if there are any differences between these nine teacups?"
Although Xuanyuan Yue despised the person, she still bent down to examine the famous teacup closely.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the nine teacups depicted nine dragons in various forms: some were climbing on mountain rocks with their eyes wide open in anger; others were roaming in the clouds, shrouded in thunder and mist; some were playing with water droplets amidst surging waves; some were male and female facing each other, seemingly chasing each other; and others were poised to fight. The various expressions and postures of the dragons were vividly portrayed.
At this moment, Tuoba Ze said with great interest: "These nine teacups, from right to left, are:
The first dragon has just leaped out of the cave, its head and tail fully exposed, clinging tightly to the boulder, eagerly awaiting its arrival.
The second dragon, with only its head and tail visible, blends into the swirling mist, its eyes glancing sideways as it looks back at the first dragon.
The third dragon leaped up from the rock, its eyes and ears gleaming as it stared straight ahead, baring its teeth and brandishing its claws, its expression fierce.
The fourth dragon was swept into the whirlpool by the sudden giant wave. It struggled fiercely, its eyes ferocious, and the pearl in its left claw seemed to be crushed, its posture extremely painful.
The fifth and sixth dragons formed a group. The fifth dragon's horns had fallen off. It suddenly rose up and stared at the six rushing dragons, forming a fighting stance.
The seventh dragon frolicked and roamed in the sea of clouds, almost disappearing into it.
The eighth dragon soared through the clouds, its tail appearing and disappearing in the sky, displaying an arrogant demeanor.
The ninth dragon, meanwhile, lay prone on the rock, looking back at the scroll's head.
Seeing that Xuan Yuan Yue was already engrossed in the tea, Tuoba Ze continued, "Young Master, please enjoy your time. I will personally prepare some of our shop's signature teas for you to sample. Without good tea to accompany it, even the finest teaware is just decoration; how can it bring forth dragons and rain?"
As they exited the private room, the guard who had been following them asked, puzzled, "Your Highness, that man clearly doesn't seem to be here for procurement. What is his true intention? Should I take him away..."
However, Tuoba Ze chuckled and stopped, his hands behind his back. He glanced casually back at the doorway, seemingly with interest, and said, "Can't you tell those two are women?"
"They are women?" The guard asked in surprise, turning around to glance at the private room again.
"Hmph, no rush. This prince wants to see just who she is and what she's up to here," Tuoba Ze said slowly, half-closing his eyes. Then he leaned close to the guard's ear and whispered something to him.
Soon, a pot of steaming hot Yanjian Jiulong tea was brewed, and Tuoba Ze personally carried the tea tray in to warmly welcome him: "Young master, please try our Sihai Tea House's prized tea, named 'Jiulong,' which is derived from the saying 'Nine dragons soar across the four seas from the rocks, a first-class tea among teas.'"
Watching Tuoba Ze skillfully and professionally prepare the tea, the beautiful tea soup poured into the teacups with a powerful, downpour, as if rain had come to life. Instantly, the lifelike, uniquely shaped black dragons on each cup seemed to come alive and soar in the rain. Xuan Yuan Yue exclaimed in amazement, "What a magnificent display of dragons soaring to bring rain!"
He looked with delight at the enticing color of the tea in the nine teacups before him, and inhaled the aroma of the tea that Tuoba Ze had personally handed him. After taking a small sip, he couldn't help but praise it repeatedly: "Truly worthy of the name 'Dragon Soaring to Bring Rain'! This Nine Dragons Tea and these Nine Dragons Cups are a perfect match. Look at the bright orange-yellow color of the tea soup, and the red and green leaves. If you bring it closer, you can even smell a rich orchid fragrance. Not bad, not bad at all, it is indeed a tea that can be served as the centerpiece of the shop."
"I'm glad you're satisfied, young master." Tuoba Ze also picked up one of the teacups and said humbly with a smile.
Xuan Yuan Yue smiled, put down her teacup, and tentatively asked, "By the way, I've heard that your Sihai Tea House is quite popular with many high-ranking officials and nobles. I've also heard that the Princess Consort of the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city purchases her tea and teaware from Sihai Tea House, is that right?"
"That's right. I see that you have an extraordinary air about you, young master. May I ask which lord's residence you belong to? You must be quite familiar with the Prince of Qin's residence!" Tuoba Ze was quite frank. After all, the reputation of Sihai Tea House was growing, and almost everyone knew it. If he were to deliberately conceal it, it would only make it seem like he had something to hide.
As Xuan Yuan Yue had anticipated, her identity was indeed questioned. Just as she was about to deliver her prepared explanation, a thought flashed through her mind, and she smiled, changing her words to:
"Hehe, to be honest, I am a merchant from Dongning Kingdom. I admire the King of Qin's reputation, but I am not very familiar with him. So, you must be quite familiar with the King of Qin and the Princess Consort who came from Dongning?"
Tuoba Ze paused, looking at the tea in his cup that he was about to drink, then sighed softly, put down the cup, and said, "I am truly ashamed. Although I do business with the Prince of Qin's mansion, I have never actually met the masters of the mansion. Usually, it is the maids and servants from the mansion who come to the tea shop to purchase tea. I was just wondering if you, sir, are acquainted with them. If so, I would be extremely grateful if you could introduce me to them. However, it seems that hope is lost again!"
"Hmph, it seems there really is some unspeakable secret between Sihai Tea House and that Princess Qin, who actually denies knowing Princess Dongning." Xuan Yuan Yue smiled apologetically on the surface, but thought to herself.
"Why does she always try to find out about the Four Seas Tea House and the Qin Prince's Mansion? She speaks with a completely authentic Western Qin accent, yet she lies and claims to be a merchant from the Eastern Ning Kingdom. Could it be that she also has some connection with the Eastern Ning Kingdom? What exactly is she trying to do?" Sitting opposite her, Tuoba Ze was also sipping his tea without making a sound, while pondering the matter with great puzzlement.
"Knock knock knock"
Just then, a guard knocked on the door and came in. He leaned close to Tuoba Ze's ear and whispered something mysteriously to him.
Tuoba Ze smiled and stood up, saying politely to Xuan Yuan Yue, "I'm so sorry, I have some urgent matters to attend to. Please have a seat, young master. If you need anything, just tell the servants. I will be back soon after I finish my business."
"Please make yourself at home," Xuan Yuan Yue said, standing up as well.
"Someone, take good care of this young master, and don't neglect him." After giving all the instructions, Tuoba Ze walked out the door and left.
No sooner had Tuoba Ze left than Xuanyuan Yue was looking around at the elegant surroundings when she saw Jinlan walk up to the tea shop waiter and say a few words to him.
Then she quickly turned back and whispered something in Xuan Yuan Yue's ear before they walked out of the private room together.
Coming down from upstairs, I walked along a corridor to the backyard, turned a few corners, and came down the corridor again, arriving at the entrance of a secluded little courtyard.
Seeing that no one was around, Jinlan could no longer contain herself: "Princess, you've seen it with your own eyes. No one from the Prince of Qin's residence came today. We've been out of the palace for most of the day, so let's hurry back! If we're too late, the palace gates will be locked, and we'll be completely finished. The Empress will definitely find out. My legs are still shaking from what happened here. Didn't you see all those complicated people outside? They were all like wolves and tigers, it was terrifying!"
However, Xuan Yuan Yue ignored all advice and insisted, "Stop talking nonsense. It's not even noon yet, what's the rush? Let's wait a bit longer. After talking with that manor lord just now, I'm certain she'll come in the next couple of days. There must be a conspiracy here, and I'm determined to catch her red-handed this time."
"These next two days? No way..."
"Hmm?" Faced with Xuan Yuan Yue's unwavering and unquestionable gaze, Jin Lan had no choice but to shut her mouth and swallow back all the words that followed.
She should have known long ago that once the princess made a decision, no one could stop her, and it would be pointless to say anything. But she was still very unsettled and couldn't make up her mind at all.
"Didn't you say you were looking for a toilet? Why aren't you going?" A moment later, Xuan Yuan Yue's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Huh, this is the place that young man was talking about, but I can't find it." To her surprise, after searching around the courtyard, she couldn't find a trace of the outhouse. Jinlan scratched her head, looking completely bewildered.
"Silly girl, are you sure you didn't remember wrong?" Xuan Yuan Yue went into the courtyard and asked her again, somewhat helplessly.
“That’s right, the young man was talking about the small courtyard at the very back of the backyard!” Jinlan said, sounding somewhat anxious.
"Could it be behind that bamboo grove?" Xuan Yuan Yue looked around and noticed a patch of lush bamboo peeking out from a corner of the courtyard. She called out.
"Yes, yes, that should be it. Princess, wait for me here, and don't wander off," Jinlan said anxiously.
"Okay, go ahead!" Xuan Yuan Yue shook her head as she agreed and gave Jin Lan a push.
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