Chapter 52 After adjusting her clothes, Jiang Zhiyao looked up during the meeting.
"Chief Minister Yan." The dozen or so officials who arrived bowed to Yan Zhenxi in unison.
Yan Zhenxi walked to the front and sat down, saying calmly, "Please sit down, everyone."
The officials bowed their heads and sat down to begin their discussion.
If people were somewhat dissatisfied when Yan Zhenxi first became the Grand Secretary, no one would have such thoughts now.
Compared to before, Yan Zhenxi, after becoming the Grand Secretary, has become more meticulous and shrewd, and more aloof and noble, making people hesitant to speculate about him.
His occasional display of ruthless methods is even more astonishing, surpassing some officials who have been in office for decades. Now, no one has any objections to this young prime minister.
"This matter is settled," Yan Zhenxi said finally. "That's all for today."
"I will not keep you all for a meal."
"Yes." The officials bowed and were about to leave, but one of the junior officials hesitated.
He had only recently been promoted, and today was the first time he had the opportunity to discuss matters with Yan Zhenxi.
He originally wanted to make a good impression on the Prime Minister, but he found that he had very few opportunities to speak during the process, and even when he did speak, he only echoed a few words.
Now that he was about to leave, he felt a little unwilling.
After hesitating for a moment, he spoke: "Prime Minister Yan, is your face important? Who is so bold as to do this?"
"I have an ancestral prescription that is fast-acting. I wonder if Chief Minister Yan would like it?"
He knew perfectly well that the Grand Secretary would never need a prescription from a mere official like himself. He only said this to show his concern for the Grand Secretary, hoping to leave a slight impression on him.
The junior official was well-versed in this, and he had previously treated his superiors in the same way.
The other officials who were about to leave paused, wondering who this audacious person was.
Of course, some of them saw the marks on Yan Zhenxi's face, but they were all just silently surprised. They glanced at him and quickly lowered their eyes, not daring to say anything.
They all knew that the prime minister had always disliked people speculating about him or flattering him.
The person, who had been expressionless and whose emotions and thoughts were unreadable, suddenly smiled slightly. He touched one side of his cheek, where the mark had faded, and said with a light laugh, "It's nothing, I just accidentally made Madam angry."
"Who are you?" Yan Zhenxi asked in a low voice, his smile fading.
The junior official's face instantly lit up with joy, and he said with slight excitement, "Reporting to Grand Secretary Yan, I am a junior official in the Ministry of Revenue, Liang..."
“Dr. Liang,” Yan Zhenxi interrupted him, “I remember the Ministry of Revenue is currently dealing with the money and grain affairs of various prefectures, and they are extremely busy.”
"It would be best if Physician Liang paid more attention to official duties."
The junior official, of course, understood Yan Zhenxi's implied meaning. His face turned from red to white, and he quickly knelt down, saying, "What the Chief Minister Yan says is true."
Yan Zhenxi stood up, walked past him, ignored everyone else, and left the meeting place.
-
Jiang Zhiyao was embroidering. She had already bought the small shop and registered it with the government. Jiang Zhiyao planned to continue running it.
However, she won't stay in the shop all the time like before; Jiang Zhiyao plans to hire a manager.
I usually sell my own embroidery in this shop, and I also accept embroidery from other embroiderers.
After settling things at the shop, Jiang Zhiyao went to find Nanzhi.
She had already explained things to Ji Wanqing and Cheng Mingzhu in their letters, and as for Nanzhi, she wanted to go and see her in person.
Although it had only been a few days since they last met, Jiang Zhiyao felt an overwhelming sense of longing.
Nan Zhi opened a small eatery in the capital. When Jiang Zhiyao arrived, it was the first day of the eatery's opening.
Jiang Zhiyao went there in the afternoon, and since it wasn't mealtime, there weren't many customers in the restaurant.
"What would you like to eat, sir?" Nanzhi greeted them warmly as soon as they entered. "We have sweet and sour pork ribs..."
"Miss?!" Nan Zhi's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Jiang Zhiyao clearly.
"Hmm." Jiang Zhiyao thought for a moment and said, "I want sweet and sour carp, four-happiness meatballs, braised pork, and a vegetarian goose."
"I'll do it right away!" Nan Zhi led Jiang Zhiyao to the best spot in the shop and then immediately went to the kitchen.
Jiang Zhiyao sat down and carefully looked around the shop. The shop was a bit small, but the layout showed the owner's care. There was also a waiter in the shop.
Although the shop is in a less desirable location, Jiang Zhiyao believes that with Nanzhi's culinary skills and attitude, it will definitely get better and better.
Before long, all the dishes were served, and Jiang Zhiyao pulled Nan Zhi to sit down together.
Jiang Zhiyao made it clear to Nanzhi that she no longer planned to leave the capital. Upon hearing this, Nanzhi couldn't contain her joy: "That's wonderful! If Miss wants to eat my cooking, just call Nanzhi over anytime."
"No need to trouble yourself." Jiang Zhiyao smiled and shook her head. "I see you have delivery services, right? You can just deliver it then."
After chatting for a while, it was already dinner time before we knew it, and the restaurant gradually became more and more crowded.
Jiang Zhiyao smiled and stood up: "I won't bother you any longer. You go ahead with your work. Just come to my residence anytime you want to find me."
"Okay!" Nan Zhi had been smiling the whole time. She had thought it would be a long time before she could see her mistress again, and she had been sad for a while.
After meeting Nan Zhi, Jiang Zhiyao returned to her residence.
"Ayao is back?" Yan Zhenxi said gently as she sat at the table, where steaming hot food was laid out.
"Ah." Jiang Zhiyao said with some annoyance, "I forgot to mention, I've already had dinner."
She had almost finished eating at Nanzhi's restaurant, but because she hadn't had Nanzhi's cooking for a while, she couldn't resist eating a little more.
"It's nothing." Yan Zhenxi pulled Jiang Zhiyao to sit down. "Ayao, you're not eating? Will you stay with me?"
“Okay.” Jiang Zhiyao nodded, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Yan Zhenxi eat.
The teeth marks left in the morning had faded, and Yan Zhenxi still maintained a refined and elegant demeanor while dining.
This was the first time Jiang Zhiyao had seen Yan Zhenxi dining without wearing a blindfold. After staring at him for a while, Jiang Zhiyao suddenly leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
Yan Zhenxi, who was just putting a small amount of food into her mouth, paused, a slight smile spreading across her face.
"Would you like a bite?" Yan Zhenxi asked gently, picking up a little of Jiang Zhiyao's favorite dish.
Looking at Yan Zhenxi's gentle face and the dishes that were served to her, Jiang Zhiyao opened her mouth and ate.
Seeing that Jiang Zhiyao ate obediently, Yan Zhenxi smiled and picked up a little more.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Zhiyao realized that she had unknowingly eaten a lot more.
Before she could even voice her complaint to Yan Zhenxi, Yan Zhenxi spoke first: "Sorry, I'll rub A Yao's stomach for a bit."
After sitting for a while, Yan Zhenxi carefully helped Jiang Zhiyao put on earmuffs and a fox fur coat, then took Jiang Zhiyao to the garden to digest her food.
Amidst the laughter and conversation, Yan Zhenxi asked the question he had always wanted to ask: "When did Ayao fall in love with me?"
"I won't tell you," Jiang Zhiyao replied with a smile, her voice tinged with a lighthearted laughter.
"Okay, Yao." Yan Zhenxi took her hand, bent down and whispered in her ear, "Just tell your husband, okay?"
Jiang Zhiyao still didn't give in, but her eyes were bright as she looked at Yan Zhenxi with a hint of shyness.
Yan Zhenxi couldn't help but kiss her eyes.
After the kiss, Yan Zhenxi pressed his forehead against Jiang Zhiyao and affectionately rubbed his nose against hers: "What do I have to do for Ayao to tell me?"
"Do you really want to know?" Jiang Zhiyao asked hesitantly.
“Of course,” Yan Zhenxi replied softly, “I really, really want to.”
Jiang Zhiyao thought for a moment and said, "Then you have to listen to me tonight."
“Okay,” Yan Zhenxi quickly agreed.
Back indoors, Yan Zhenxi took off his outer robe to take a bath, and Jiang Zhiyao saw him come out after a short while.
Jiang Zhiyao walked over quickly, draped a clean outer robe over him, and pulled his slightly open inner garment closer together. She frowned slightly and said, "Although it's warm inside with charcoal fire, you still need to be careful not to catch a cold."
After straightening her clothes, Jiang Zhiyao looked up and saw Yan Zhenxi's somewhat resentful gaze: "Didn't you say that I should listen to you tonight?"
“Yes,” Jiang Zhiyao replied matter-of-factly, “but what does that have to do with you not dressing properly?”
"Don't you want to do anything to me, Ayao?" Yan Zhenxi leaned closer to Jiang Zhiyao and whispered. His collar, which had just been closed, opened a little more, revealing his fair chest and the skin below.
Jiang Zhiyao suddenly realized and poked his somewhat full chest: "Were you trying to seduce me like this before?"
"Ah Yao finally figured it out." Yan Zhenxi showed no embarrassment at being caught, but instead chuckled softly. "But Ah Yao always manages to seduce me, what about this time?"
Looking at his fair and rosy skin, Jiang Zhiyao couldn't resist kissing his collarbone and even sucking on it unconsciously.
Only after realizing what she had done did Jiang Zhiyao belatedly feel a flush rise to her cheeks.
The person in front of her still looked as elegant and refined as ever, but the red mark there made Jiang Zhiyao blush.
She turned her head away with difficulty, swallowing hard. "Not today. I need to rest properly."
Yan Zhenxi hugged Jiang Zhiyao, the heat from his recent shower still lingering on her body: "Is it really not okay, Ayao?"
Jiang Zhiyao was stunned for a while before slowly saying, "It really won't work. We need to take a break today."
Her lower back is still a little sore.
Seeing that Yan Zhenxi was about to make another move, Jiang Zhiyao hurriedly stopped him: "You can't do this anymore. We agreed that you have to listen to me tonight."
"What can't be done?" Yan Zhenxi raised an eyebrow and smiled gently.
"You can't tempt me anymore." After saying that, Jiang Zhiyao added, still not entirely at ease, "You promised to listen to me today."
"Alright then." Yan Zhenxi sounded quite regretful. He straightened up and slowly adjusted his collar.
"But not today," Jiang Zhiyao added softly.
Yan Zhenxi heard Jiang Zhiyao's whispered words clearly, and couldn't help but smile: "I'll do whatever A-Yao says."
After playing chess and reading for a while on the couch, Jiang Zhiyao felt a little tired and wanted to turn off the lights and go to bed.
After turning off the lights and lying in bed, Yan Zhenxi hugged Jiang Zhiyao and asked, "Was I obedient tonight?"
Jiang Zhiyao's somewhat dazed mind cleared a little upon hearing his words: "No, tonight isn't over yet..."
"I won't do anything else tonight, Yao, just tell me first, okay?" After waiting for a while, Yan Zhenxi didn't hear Jiang Zhiyao's reply, but only her light and steady breathing.
Yan Zhenxi chuckled, took Jiang Zhiyao's warm palm in his hand, pulled her close to his chest, and closed his eyes.
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