Chapter 79 Inviting the Lakeside Hermitage Master: Go and invite Lord Gu over. ...
Thankfully, it was a close call.
When Yu Nie returned to Hongzheng Pavilion, it was almost the end of the Yin hour. Fortunately, Song Ai and the other palace servants did not notice anything unusual.
After escorting her inside the building, Huan Xun left without stopping for a moment.
Cuiwei was both surprised and delighted to learn that their trip had not been in vain and that the Jie people had agreed to their conditions.
However, Yune did not completely relax.
She sat on the couch, her expression thoughtful and contemplative.
She told Cuiwei about the things she hadn't mentioned to Huan Xun on the way.
"Actually, I only realized about the seeds on the way there. Native seeds cannot be directly planted in northern Xinjiang."
Cuiwei was taken aback: "Then, what should we do? If the Jie people find out we lied to them, won't they come back to Beiye to settle accounts with us?"
As for this matter, Yu Nie is not worried.
Seed germination relies on hydrolytic enzymes; to help seeds adapt to low-temperature environments, their quality needs to be improved. Malt contains amylase and saccharifying enzymes. She plans to soak the prickly pear seeds in malt water for an hour tomorrow, and then continue soaking them in salt water.
While in Huaiyuan, Aunt Liu often told her that the climate in Liangzhou was much colder than in Dingzhou, and that farmers there often...
Low-concentration salt water is used to improve the cold resistance of crops.
The Jie people live in an area with exceptionally cold winters. She had to ensure that the seeds wouldn't freeze to death and fail to germinate after they arrived.
The soil in northern Xinjiang is alkaline, while prickly pear prefers acidic or slightly acidic soil. She had to buy some sulfur powder and teach the Jie people how much to sprinkle in the soil to adjust the soil acidity.
In addition, she thought that insulation measures were also essential.
The Jie people travel by horse, and Da Que has never lacked horses.
She had to teach them how to use horse manure to keep the soil warm. You see, fermented horse manure can reach a temperature of 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. This was extra knowledge that their teacher had told them. Manure is a good thing for keeping warm.
In addition, she also needs to buy some saltpeter, in case there is not enough horse manure, saltpeter water can also be used as a substitute.
Now that she has a special status, she can easily find an excuse to get away with things like soaking the seeds, but the process of refining saltpeter is not simple, and everyone recognizes this stuff.
Putting aside the others, there was an uninvited guest in the museum, so she should be cautious.
"No..." While pondering, Yu Nie felt that it would be safer to write a recipe for keeping warm. Things like saltpeter and sulfur powder were not hard to buy, so he could let them purchase them themselves.
Cuiwei, not understanding the meaning behind her words, asked in confusion, "Princess... is something wrong?"
She hadn't had a proper rest in the past two days, but now that she had resolved a major issue, she relaxed and was instantly overcome by sleepiness.
She lay back, stretched out her arms, kicked off her shoes, and got into bed.
Seeing this, Cuiwei walked to the bedside and lowered the curtain on the bed: "Then Princess, please rest. This servant will guard outside."
She responded softly, and mumbled in her sleep, "Cuiwei, go and buy three more bags of prickly pear seeds during the day. I need them."
Cuiwei responded, but it was unclear whether she heard her.
Before long, her breathing became steady and her eyes closed.
*
Having been plagued by insomnia for days, she was already exhausted. This sleep was exceptionally deep, as if she wanted to make up for all the lost fatigue at once.
At the end of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), when the sky was bright, Song Ai came to wake her up. She only mumbled a couple of responses from under the covers, turned over, and fell back into a deep sleep, showing no sign of waking up.
If this continues, the morning classes will naturally be skipped.
She finally woke up slowly from her sleep when the sun was high in the sky and it was almost noon.
In an instant, the sunlight outside the window became so bright it was almost blinding.
After everyone helped her wash up and had lunch, Cuiwei had already bought the seeds.
She used the excuse that she wanted to learn the tree-planting methods she had learned in Shuoyang to plant a few prickly pear trees in the open space of the museum.
Seeing that she had been in low spirits these past few days, Song Ai didn't want to disappoint her, so she went along with her.
After preparing the malt water and salt water, she first put the first bag of seeds into the jar and soaked them in the malt water.
There was still an hour to wait, and feeling lazy, she strolled over and sat down on a bench under the veranda.
The lake outside the corridor is crystal clear, and a group of koi carp swim leisurely, swaying their tail fins.
Her gaze fell on the ripples spreading across the water. She casually picked up some fish food and played with it aimlessly, but her mind had already drifted elsewhere.
Monson said she would get the reply she wanted in three days.
But if he didn't receive that imperial edict for a day, his heart would never settle down, as if he were walking on clouds in mid-air, feeling uneasy and anxious.
Recalling the events of last night, she still felt as if it were a dream.
As Yu Nie gazed at the towering wall in the distance, a face suddenly popped into his mind uncontrollably.
I remember him leading me as we jumped off that high wall.
Recalling the moment when Meng Xun made his move, amidst the flashing swords and shadows, he intervened to protect him almost without hesitation.
Why would he help me?
Just because...she's useful?
If that were true, it would be completely inconsistent with his image as a vicious and wicked person.
"Princess……"
Before she could figure out the reason, a voice that came from afar interrupted her thoughts.
Yu Nie looked up and saw that it was Sui En, the eunuch from the palace, who was rushing to the corridor.
She looked away and continued lying down, her voice languid: "Sui En, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Sui En first bowed and said, "Princess Linchuan and Princess Jingyi have arrived."
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie sat up and looked towards the door: "Let them in quickly."
Before she could finish speaking, Hua Ruo's cheerful voice rang out.
"Sister Shunhe, how have you been these past few days?"
Upon seeing the two of them arrive, Yu Nie stood up to greet them.
"I've been fine these past few days. If I had known you two were coming, I should have waited outside."
The three met under the eaves, and Hua Ruo said, "Sister, you are too kind."
After saying that, she turned around and took a food box from the maid beside her: "Sister, look what good things I brought?"
Yu Nie was puzzled, so he followed to see.
She lifted the food box, revealing steaming lychees inside: "These were specially sent to me by my grandfather. They were chilled and are extra sweet."
Lychees are undoubtedly a rare treat at this time of year.
In the palace, even those of high rank, such as the Emperor, Empress Dowager, Empress, and Empress, might not always receive many of these precious items. Hua Ruo, merely a princess, was able to so easily give away such valuable treasures.
Thinking back to their first meeting, Song Ai had mentioned that Hua Ruo's mother was originally from the Gao family.
In this light, it's no wonder she had such resources; it shows the depth of her aristocratic roots and the extent of her influence.
The Gao family...
Looking at the glistening lychees in the food box, Yu Nie couldn't help but recall the Secretary Gao who had orchestrated the assassination attempt on her a few days earlier.
That person and Hua Ruo must be related by blood.
However, the crime does not extend to distant relatives, and she would not implicate Hua Ruo in the same crime.
Hua Shu then slowly entered, her graceful figure accentuated by a long, embroidered green dress. With gentle eyes and brows, she said to Yu Nie, "It's been several days since I last saw you. You look much more haggard, sister. Have you not rested well?"
Upon seeing her, Yu Nie couldn't help but recall the day she encountered her talking to Gu Xiangzhi. There was undoubtedly an important secret hidden between the two of them.
This secret could threaten Gu Xiangzhi into helping her escape the arranged marriage, so it seems this secret is very important to Gu Xiangzhi.
However, she didn't blame her for using methods to avoid the marriage alliance, which instead caused Hua Yan to suffer.
She probably never expected that she would bring such a big trouble to Hua Yan.
Ultimately, everyone was in the inner palace, under the power of the emperor, and each had their own difficulties.
"It's probably because it's too hot; I haven't been resting well these past two days," Yu Nie replied.
Seeing the fish food in her hand, Hua Shu asked, "Is my little sister feeding the fish?"
"It's just something to pass the time." Yu Nie led them towards Xianliu Pavilion: "Let's not stand here talking anymore. Let's go inside. I'll have Cuiwei make you both a cup of the best tea."
"Sister, don't be busy." Hua Ruo grabbed her wrist: "The weather is cool today. I think the Jin Yue River is breezy, and the willows on the bank are drooping into the water. It's perfect for boating."
Jinyue River is the only river in Jian'an City. The river is wide and expansive, with clear blue waters.
Every spring and summer, the banks of the river are lush with vegetation and the water sparkles, attracting countless tourists to cruise along in small boats.
As she spoke, she flicked her sleeve and said, "It's unusually not hot today, would you like to come along, sister?"
Hua Shu smiled and said, "Little sister, you'd better agree to her soon, or she'll keep bothering you all day."
Hua Ruo looked at her with a pleading expression.
There's nothing particularly important today, except that the seeds need to be looked after.
She pondered for a moment before speaking, "The weather is indeed pleasant. Since you've so kindly invited me, let's go and enjoy the river view. I've never been before, to be honest."
Upon hearing this, Hua Ruo's eyes lit up instantly: "I knew it, Sister Shunhe wouldn't be willing to refuse me."
Hua Shu watched from the side and couldn't help but laugh.
As the three of them prepared to leave, Yu Nie stopped, pulled Cui Wei aside, and instructed her to pay attention to the seeds in the inner courtyard. At the same time, he whispered to her the soaking time and order.
Yu Nie turned to the side, half-covering his lips with a round fan, and said in a very low voice: "After soaking, the seeds are dry when drying, just make sure they are dry for a long time."
Cuiwei understood and quickly nodded in agreement, reassuring her.
After giving his instructions, Yu Nie turned and walked outside with Hua Ruo and Hua Shu.
Song Ai followed closely behind, with several White Guards following behind her.
Hua Ruo and Hua Shu had been living in the inner palace for a long time, and because the emperor intended to suppress the assassination case and forbade it to be spread outside.
Therefore, they knew nothing about the previous dynasty, let alone that Yu Nie had been assassinated.
Seeing that Song Ai had brought so many people, Hua Ruo couldn't help but speak up, saying that the guards around them were enough to protect their safety, and that she didn't need to worry so much.
Having received a verbal order from Attendant Feng, Song Ai was not to reveal a single word about the assassination plot.
Just as she was stuck in a dilemma, unsure how to respond, Hua Shu, who was beside her, suddenly spoke up softly, suggesting:
"Is Vice Director Gu here right now? If Magistrate Song is truly worried, why not have Vice Director Gu come along as well?"
Upon hearing this, both Hua Ruo and Yu Nie were taken aback.
Both of them knew more or less about the unusual connection between her and Supervisor Gu, so they were somewhat surprised to hear Hua Shu say this.
Hua Ruo was the first to recover her senses and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Supervisor Gu is usually very busy with his duties, how could he have time to accompany us on such a leisurely stroll? Sister, perhaps... you should choose someone else?"
Yu Nie could easily guess from Hua Shu's words that she must have something to say to Gu Xiangzhi.
Although she was annoyed by Gu Xiangzhi's insistence, she was now thinking of helping him achieve his goal.
So she turned to Song Ai and said, "Ju Ling, go and invite Lord Gu over."
Upon seeing this, Song Ai bowed slightly and then went inside.
Although the words had been spoken, Yu Nie was unsure whether they would have any effect.
After all, he wouldn't listen to her.
She faced the immense possibility of failure and waited patiently with Hua Ruo and the others for news from inside.
After about half an incense stick's time, she could no longer contain herself and almost wanted to go down and see for herself what Gu Xiangzhi was dawdling about.
Just as she was silently cursing him a thousand times in her heart, a commotion suddenly came from inside the door, and a figure dressed in dark casual clothes was already standing there.
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Author's Note: The chapter about the marriage alliance is almost finished. I'll wrap things up a bit later and then move on to the next big event. [hugs]
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