Ming Shu hurriedly said, "Judging from Old Han's tone, he naturally thinks I rescued her from that hellhole and wants to thank me in person..."
"But the person Lady Su should thank is you, Master!"
Ming Shu couldn't help but glance at Xiao Yuan's injured right leg.
If the situation hadn't been chaotic, Xiao Yuan wouldn't have been ambushed from behind and injured his right leg by the Master of the Paradise Altar while trying to protect Su Niangzi.
Unfortunately, there were only two of them at the time, and they were unable to control the rabble whose minds had been bewitched by the enchanting music, allowing the master of the Paradise Altar to escape.
Xiao Yuan's expression remained perfectly calm: "She invited you, so just go. Why are you being so indecisive?"
"But if I go, what if she asks me about what happened back then? How am I supposed to answer?" Ming Shu dared not let Su Niangzi misunderstand that he had saved her.
Xiao Yuan looked at him with a half-smile: "You're usually so eloquent, so why don't you know how to speak now?"
Akira: "..."
Fine, he won't go then, okay?
"Then I'll resign!" Ming Shu turned to leave, but suddenly heard the man behind him cough lightly.
"Invite her to the inn for tea!"
"What?"
Hearing Han Changrong's words, Su Xuerong asked in surprise, "Inviting me to his inn for tea?"
Han Changrong scratched his head: "Lord Ming said that he was recently entrusted by Lord Zheng to investigate the whereabouts of the Master of the Blissful Altar. He has too many things to do, so he asked you to go to the inn to meet him, my lady."
Su Xuerong was silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'll trouble you to make another trip. I'll go to thank him tomorrow morning."
That day, she asked Xiuchun to go to the street to buy some spices, made several sachets by hand, and prepared some fine compressed tea. The next morning, she took Xiuchun and Han Changrong to the Jinxiu Inn.
Ming Shu was already waiting downstairs. When he saw Su Xuerong wearing a veiled hat getting off the carriage, he hurriedly went to greet her: "How are you feeling, Madam Su?"
"Thank you for saving me, Lord Ming!" Su Xuerong immediately bowed to him.
Ming Shu quickly offered a gesture of support, saying, "My lady, please don't be so polite. Since I'm engaged to Jin Yu, you are my cousin. How could I stand idly by in that situation?"
Su Xuerong glanced at him and smiled.
Ming Shu led the three of them toward the veranda in the backyard, and after a short while, they arrived at a separate two-story building.
"My lady, this way please!" Ming Shu respectfully led Su Xue Rong upstairs to the tea room.
Su Xuerong looked around the tea room in the upper room and was slightly surprised.
The furnishings and layout of this tea room hardly resemble an inn.
Not to mention the luxurious setting, the exquisite "Twelve Gentlemen" teacups and precious tea balls on the tea table look like collectibles from a private residence.
Su Xuerong had some doubts.
When Ming Shu approached them a few days ago, he said that he was now serving as a sub-prefect in the Hangzhou government, a sixth-rank official position.
How could a mere sixth-rank official like him afford to stay at the Jinxiu Inn in Zhenjiang, which was said to be comparable to an imperial palace?
How could someone prepare so many expensive tea-making items when on a last-minute business trip?
Ming Shu seemed to see her confusion and said with a self-deprecating smile, "Actually, these are all my family's... Hangzhou Prefect's belongings. I'm just temporarily borrowing his territory."
Su Xuerong didn't think much of it, took off her veil and sat down. Her delicate eyebrows and clear eyes were like spring mountains in the rain, different from the pitiful beauty she had shown in the cave.
Su Xuerong suddenly felt a burning sensation from the screen in front of her. After looking at it for a moment, she frowned slightly and shook her head gently. The jade earrings on her ears gently tapped on both sides of her fair cheeks, creating a wisp of smoke.
She immediately had Xiuchun present the gift. Mingshu declined at first, but then accepted it.
He couldn't help but glance at the screen behind him and asked, "I wonder if Madam Su knows how to make tea?"
Su Xuerong smiled and said, "Of course I will."
Ming Shu then asked, "Does my wife know traditional Chinese painting?"
Su Xuerong nodded again.
"What about the infused tea?"
Su Xuerong raised her eyes and looked at Ming Shu, somewhat puzzled: "Why do you ask this, sir?"
Akira gave an awkward smile: "I was just asking out of curiosity..."
Su Xuerong was silent for a moment and then smiled and said, "I certainly don't know such advanced skills."
Ming Shu's awkward smile froze for a moment, then he immediately said, "Since you've come all this way, how about you paint a landscape painting?"
Su Xuerong frowned slightly.
Who is the host and who is the guest today?
Ming Shu hurriedly added, "I've heard Jin Yu say that no one can match your tea-making skills. I've taken the liberty of inviting you here today because I want to witness it for myself."
Su Xuerong looked at him quietly, and after a moment she sneered, "Jinyu doesn't know that I can paint with ink!"
Akira's cheek twitched violently.
They've been exposed!
Su Xuerong suddenly looked toward the screen where Ming Shu had been looking and said coldly, "I wonder if you are the 'old friend' who invited Mr. Ling to the North a few days ago?"
Xiao Yuan couldn't help but chuckle softly, and slowly turned his wheelchair to emerge from behind the screen: "My wife is indeed intelligent."
The sky remained overcast, a cold, ambiguous light shrouding his brows, like frost and snow, his dark eyes even more inky than the deep night.
Young Master Jiyue is as fine as jade and as elegant as bamboo.
When Su Xuerong saw him again, she showed no surprise. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and stared at him, asking, "Who exactly are you?"
Ever since she first met this man in Suzhou, she felt that he was someone of extraordinary origin.
Especially since she had several chance encounters with him and his men along the way, she had to be on guard.
Until the day Mingshu took the initiative to come to her door and tell her about his engagement to Jinyu, she was very grateful to Mingshu, but she began to have doubts about the "master" behind him.
Xiao Yuan glanced at Ming Shu.
Ming Shu breathed a sigh of relief, quickly got up, smiled apologetically at Su Xuerong, and hurried out.
Xiuchun and Han Changrong, who were outside the door, were puzzled. Mingshu hurriedly led them downstairs.
Su Xuerong stared intently at Xiao Yuan, only then noticing the bandage on his right leg. She frowned and asked, "Are you injured?"
For some reason, the frantic scene in the cave before she lost consciousness immediately flashed into her mind...
Seeing her staring at her right leg, Xiao Yuan said casually, "It's nothing serious, it's fine."
Su Xuerong withdrew her gaze and stared at him coldly again: "Who exactly are you, sir?"
The person who could make Ling Qingxue head north without hesitation and force him to learn how to make tea in just three days was no ordinary person.
Xiao Yuan frowned slightly.
He had been pondering these past few days why the Su family wanted to leave Xiao Shiyan.
But where did she learn the art of pouring hot water and creating magical tea?
With her stunning beauty, and Xiao Shiyan being in the prime of his life, how could he easily let her leave?
A series of problems made Xiao Yuan feel extremely anxious.
Although Xiao Cheng had already conquered the country and was preparing to ascend the throne, countless potential crises still lurked throughout the Central Plains.
One careless move and many seemingly insignificant people and things can unleash a massive wave.
Xiao Yuan paused slightly and smiled, "I am Ge Cong'an, the second son of the Ge family in Hangzhou Prefecture."
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