Meng Zhao's eyes widened. A disaster relief official? That's practically an imperial envoy! Although imperial envoys don't have a fixed rank, being appointed by the emperor means they're constantly in the emperor's sight, so they're at least a fourth-rank official or higher.
Normally, she rarely gets to see even a county magistrate, so this was the first time she had ever met such a high-ranking official. Her heart was filled with excitement, and her gaze towards Xiao Youzhi became more eager.
"How can we not take such a high-ranking official seriously? Why don't I go back to Yuyang County with you today and make preparations?"
Xiao Youzhi shook his head. "No need. Your workshop has just opened, and you must have a lot to do. There's no need to go to so much trouble."
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all. My workshop is almost done with work right now. I was planning to go back to Qingshi County in the next couple of days, and I don't have anything else to do right now." Meng Zhao quickly waved his hand, afraid that Xiao Youzhi would refuse.
Xiao Youzhi frowned as he looked at her. "Why are you being so attentive? What are you trying to do?"
Meng Zhao smiled obsequiously, "Young Master Xiao, this is the first time I've met such a high-ranking official. Could you please introduce me?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Youzhi sneered, "Officials personally dispatched by the imperial court have fixed daily quotas for what they do. Do you think you can just see them whenever you want?"
"Isn't it because you're here? Besides, I know what's important. Just let me come along and broaden my horizons." Meng Zhao's smile revealed a hint of flattery and expectation.
"Aren't you afraid people will misunderstand if you, a woman, stay by my side?" Xiao Youzhi frowned.
“Young Master Xiao, have you forgotten that I am a widow? I am still the one who calls the shots at home. I am not afraid of being misunderstood by others.”
After hearing Meng Zhao's words, Xiao Youzhi frowned even more. "You may not be afraid, but I am. I am not married and have no concubines. If a woman suddenly appears by my side, and she is a widow, what reputation will I have if word gets out?"
After saying that, his gaze slowly moved across Meng Zhao's face, and he held out the fan in his hand, nudging Meng Zhao's shoulder and making her spin around. "Besides, even if I'm going to bring one, I should bring a prettier one."
Meng Zhao's fingers were clenched so tightly they were about to break. He kept silently chanting in his mind, "Endure, endure, endure. Taking action won't solve the problem."
Just as Meng Zhao was suppressing his anger, Xiao Youzhi said in a calm tone, "I'll have Chen Xiaowu pick you up early in the morning three days from now. Don't think about anything else, just cook your dishes well." After saying that, he saw his guest off.
Seeing this, Meng Zhao gritted her teeth and glared at Xiao Youzhi in secret.
After leaving Xiao's Grain Store, her mind was filled with thoughts of the imperial envoy. It was already April, and an envoy sent to provide disaster relief at this time must be related to spring planting and reconstruction.
She couldn't get involved in the spring plowing, but she did have an opportunity in the reconstruction project. In recent days, she had visited Niutou Mountain several times and was basically certain that Niutou Mountain not only had limestone mines, but also had abundant reserves.
Limestone is an important material for making cement, and cement has a wide range of uses: building bridges and roads, constructing dikes and dams, building houses, and even building borders to defend against foreign enemies. It is truly indispensable in daily life and national affairs.
However, iron slag is very important for cement to be strong enough. No one but the imperial court can get their hands on this stuff. If she were to get it in secret, she would be courting death. Not only would she bring disaster upon herself, but she might also implicate those around her.
She does have some methods for making cement from scratch. The methods are simple and the raw materials are common. Although they are not as strong as cement, they are still many times better than some of the methods available today.
But she knew that without sufficient backing, she wouldn't be able to keep this thing even if she took it out.
So ever since she discovered this limestone mine, all she could think about was how to hand over the cement formula. With the formula out of her hands, she felt much safer.
She simply wanted to make money from the limestone mine by selling raw materials. Now is a great opportunity. If the cement can be used for post-disaster reconstruction, it would be a good deed.
When Chen Xiaowu came to pick her up, Shen Yun asked her which clothes she wanted to wear. Meng Zhao tapped her fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.
Originally, the purpose of this trip was to cook, so the simpler the clothes, the better. However, remembering what Xiao Youzhi had said last time, she gave up on that idea.
She picked out all the clothes from the trunk, carefully trying them on one by one, and finally chose a red and white dress as a base layer, with a silk robe over it.
Since the dress was already eye-catching enough, I chose a pair of round pearl earrings and only used two pearl flowers for my hair accessories to tone down the brightness of the dress.
As she lifted the hem of her skirt and walked out, Chen Xiaowu was looking around aimlessly when his gaze suddenly fell on Meng Zhao, and he was instantly stunned. "Meng, Madam Meng, the young master sent me to pick you up."
Shen Yun had just praised her a lot, but she was worried that Shen Yun's sisterly filter was too strong. Seeing Chen Xiaowu's expression, she felt a little relieved. After greeting him, she lifted the hem of her skirt and got into the carriage.
The carriage was indeed fast, and we arrived at Chunfeng Tower without much of a bumpy ride. As soon as I got off the carriage, I saw Xiao Youzhi at the entrance.
Seeing her lift the hem of her skirt and step down from the carriage, Xiao Youzhi paused in his steps, his brows furrowed, his eyes deep and cold like a pool, and his tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction, "What are you doing?"
Meng Zhao was a little puzzled and asked, "How about it? Dressed like this and following behind Young Master Xiao, it's not like I'm disrespecting you, is it?"
Upon hearing her words, Xiao Youzhi's lips curled into a mocking sneer. "You really don't know your place." With that, he turned and entered Chunfeng Tower, seemingly angry about something.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
