Who is this young lady?
"Her name is Mei Zhihua. She is temporarily staying at the Chongyang Mountain Inn, and all her expenses are on my tab."
"Okay," Yao Yao replied, then glanced at Mei Zhihua, meeting her gaze. She smiled politely and asked, "Does Miss Mei have any special requests, such as dietary restrictions?"
"Thank you, Manager Yao, but no, we don't have any," Mei Zhihua replied.
Her voice was sweet and delicate, sending shivers down Yao Yao's spine. If she were a man, just hearing her voice would be enough to make her lose her mind, let alone her exceptional beauty.
Hearing the commotion, Yang Yang came out of the inn and saw that Zhong Jiu had returned. She immediately exclaimed with delight, "Brother Zhong Jiu, you're finally back!"
Zhong Jiu's attitude towards Yang Yang remained the same as always. "Yang Yang, you didn't go to Chongyang, the capital?"
Yang Yang replied, "Not yet, they'll probably be transferred there in a few days. Right now, Yao Yao is managing the inn, and it's very hard work for her."
"Oh," Zhong Jiu replied casually.
Yang Yang noticed something was wrong and looked at Yao Yao.
Unexpectedly, Yao Yao shook her head, telling him not to interfere in her affairs.
They were originally two unrelated people. It's just that Zhong Jiu once inquired about her birth chart from Mu Run, but so what? Besides, she and he had never said anything to each other face to face.
Well, it was all just her overthinking that almost led her astray. It was wise of her to pull back from the brink and cut her losses in time.
Yang Yang frowned slightly but said nothing more. His gaze fell on Mei Zhihua, who was following behind Zhong Jiu. "And this is?"
“My cousin, Mei Zhihua, is staying at the Chongyang Inn for a few days. I’ll come pick her up after I finish my business,” Zhong Jiu replied.
Yang Yang was surprised, "So Brother Zhong Jiu has family? I've never heard you mention it before."
Zhong Jiu said, "Something unexpected happened a while ago, so I went back to my ancestral home."
"Who is Brother Zhong Jiu's family?"
“The Zhong family of the Nine Canals of the Wu Kingdom.”
"The Zhong family of Jiuqu, a family renowned for its mechanical engineering?!" Yang Yang exclaimed in astonishment.
"yes."
Mei Zhihua said, "My cousin is the heir of the Zhong family. He came back this time to terminate the master-slave contract with the Prince of Chongyang... no, he should be called the Prime Minister now."
Yang Yang was surprised. "Did the boss ever sign a master-slave contract with you?" As far as he knew, the boss never used master-slave contracts to bind people. Even Xi Gongyong from Xiangcheng had returned the contract to him, leaving all loyalty to him entirely up to his own choice.
Zhong Jiu glanced back at Mei Zhihua, then said to Yao Yao, "Please trouble Manager Yao to take her back to her room first."
Yao Yao nodded, "Okay."
Then he took Mei Zhihua and went ahead.
Zhong Jiu watched Yao Yao's retreating figure, then lowered his gaze and asked Yang Yang, "Is there a fast horse?"
"Of course, it will take an hour to reach the capital."
"Give me."
"Let's go to the stables." Yang Yang led him towards the stables. "May I ask a question? Didn't Brother Zhong ask His Majesty about Yao Yao's birth date and time before? What was his intention?"
"She found out?"
"Um."
"I can't give her happiness, so let's pretend this never happened."
"Oh, what is that Miss Mei's relationship with Brother Zhong Jiu?"
"……fiancée."
...
When Mu Run learned that Zhong Jiu had entered the palace, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He said to Hongmi, "Alright, alright, Yaoyao is finally settled."
Hongmi had already met Zhong Jiu, though it was just a few simple words, but he didn't mention Yao Yao at all.
"Sister-in-law, I feel like Zhong Jiu is acting a little strange."
Something's not right?
"Yes, he's more like he was when I first met him—cold and aloof, as if no one could get close to him."
Mu Run frowned. "Didn't he ask you about Yao Yao's recent situation?"
“No,” Hongmi replied. “That’s precisely what makes me suspicious. Has he changed his mind?”
"Ask him. You've worked together for a long time, so you should be able to ask him about this kind of private matter."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Hongmi was an impatient person, and immediately went out.
Cai brought over a bowl of egg noodles and ran into Hongmi, who was leaving in a hurry. She even greeted her as she walked away.
"Where is Xiao Hong going?" Cai asked Mu Run.
Mu Run replied, "She went to Zhong Jiu and asked him if he had changed his mind."
"Ah?" Madam Cai exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this, "What happened?"
Mu Run recounted the story of Yao Yao and Zhong Jiu to Madam Cai...
After thinking for a moment, Cai said, "I heard from Old Yang that Master Zhong is extremely loyal to the Prime Minister. A loyal person should be true to his heart in everything he does and should not easily change his mind."
Mu Run nodded, "You're right, I also think he's not that kind of person."
"Yes, Your Majesty, don't overthink it. Hurry up and eat the noodles; the little prince must be hungry." Lady Cai placed the noodles on the small table in front of Mu Run.
Mu Run smelled the aroma of the noodles and her taste buds were awakened. "It's still Sister Cai's noodles. I never get tired of them."
"Then eat more." Madam Cai walked to the desk and tidied up some official documents and memorials on the table.
As Mu Run slurped her noodles, she suddenly felt the baby in her belly kick her, and couldn't help but laugh, "You like it too, don't you?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Cai looked at Mu Run, her eyes filled with tenderness.
When Qiao Dongzi learned that Zhong Jiu had returned, he rushed over from the duty room.
Seeing that Zhong Jiu was safe and sound, she was about to speak when she noticed his clothes: a dark blue fitted brocade robe, especially the buttons on his belt, which were made of valuable gemstones.
This was not Zhong Jiu's usual dressing habit. He usually wore a tight black outfit or a short gray shirt, which made it very convenient for him to get things done.
This outfit now looks more like that of a noble young master from a prominent family.
"Zhong Jiu, what's wrong with your clothes?"
"As long as it covers the body and keeps you warm, that's fine." Zhong Jiu didn't think there was anything wrong with the clothes.
Fu Yunchen said, "Please have a seat."
Zhong Jiu bowed to Fu Yunchen and then sat down.
Qiao Dongzi also sat down, waiting for Zhong Jiu to continue.
"The flower thief in Minzhou was a woman, and a black witch from the Black Witch Clan."
Both Fu Yunchen and Qiao Dongzi fell silent for a moment after hearing that.
"A female flower thief?" Fu Yunchen asked.
Zhong Jiu nodded, "The Beauty Face is a living face! It likes to eat the faces of beautiful women. When their faces are eaten, the women suffer unbearable pain, and when they die, it looks like they have been humiliated, but in reality, they are still virgins."
Qiao Dongzi's lips twitched violently. "Where did this evil thing come from?"
"Do you still remember that the Empress Dowager had no face?" Zhong Jiu asked Qiao Dongzi.
Qiao Dongzi was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "You mean, this beautiful face belongs to the Empress Dowager!"
"yes."
"No wonder she was looking for her face everywhere; it turns out someone had stolen it."
"I only managed to kill the Beauty Face in the end; the witch escaped," Zhong Jiu said with a look of shame.
Fu Yunchen tapped his long, slender fingers on the table. "Do you still remember what the witch looked like?"
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