Qi Guze naturally understood what she meant, but he only wanted to tease her, so he continued to play dumb: "Your Tianxiang Pavilion makes a lot of money every day. If you are short of money, then no one is rich."
“Even if my Tianxiang Pavilion is packed with people, it can’t compare to you, the Regent,” Xu Yuehuai continued with a smile. “If you let a little silver slip through your fingers, it would be enough for me to renovate that shop.”
Qi Guze only wanted to tease her on purpose, so he couldn't go too far.
He immediately pulled out a silver note: "Here, take this with you."
Xu Yuehuai had just accepted the silver note when she heard Qi Guze's voice again: "We are in the Mingyue Kingdom now, so you should restrain your temper. If you encounter any trouble, ask Lord Zhao to go with you. Don't easily provoke the guards of the Mingyue Kingdom."
"Don't worry, I know everything." Xu Yuehuai nodded.
The guards and yamen runners of the Mingyue Kingdom are not actually that scary. Besides, they now live in the palace, so most people will give them some face. They are just afraid that General Maimaiti will cause trouble.
Having received the silver, Xu Yuehuai naturally wanted to continue tidying up her shop.
However, she still planned to take Zhang Ting with her, so that Zhang Ting wouldn't get bored in the palace and make random inquiries, thus uncovering Qi Guze's identity.
That was her intention, but Zhang Ting saw it as something else entirely. She thought Xu Yuehuai had changed her personality and suddenly become so easy to talk to.
"Zhang Ting, come with me out of the palace again. It's getting too stuffy to stay cooped up here all the time."
"How could I refuse the Princess's hospitality?" Although Zhang Ting was quite shocked, she still warmly followed Xu Yuehuai out the door. After all, if she became more familiar with her, she might be able to find some clues about Qi Guze.
Both of them had their own thoughts, but on the surface they still pretended to be nonchalant.
The two had only walked a short distance out of the palace when Zhang Ting felt something was amiss. The road beneath her feet looked very familiar. After thinking carefully, she realized that it was the road leading to Maimaiti's residence.
Zhang Ting glanced at Xu Yuehuai, and seeing her still walking forward without changing her expression, she couldn't help but swallow hard, suppressing her panic and forcing a smile as she asked, "Manager Xu, where are we going this time?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai chuckled and said, "Of course we should go and pay a visit to Maimaiti's home. Even a powerful dragon can't fight a local snake. What if he tries to trip us up behind our backs? A visit would be a good way to shut him up."
"Really? Manager Xu is so thoughtful." Zhang Ting replied with a forced smile, subtly wiping the sweat from her forehead. She had thought Xu Yuehuai was trying to test the true relationship between her and Maimaiti.
Seeing her like this, Xu Yuehuai thought to herself: Of course not, I just want to see what your relationship with Maimaiti really is. I'm not going there rashly this time, so I won't let either of you slip up.
However, when Zhang Ting saw that Xu Yuehuai did not answer this time, she became uneasy. She still felt that something was wrong, and she quickly came up with a solution.
"Manager Xu, that Lord Maimaiti might not be watching us at all. He might not even know when we opened the shop. If we go there rashly, wouldn't that be like protesting too much? It would just give him an opportunity to trip us up. I think we should wait until he actually does something to trip us up before we do anything."
Zhang Ting thought her explanation was flawless and would surely dissuade Xu Yuehuai from going to find Maimaiti, but she didn't expect that Xu Yuehuai wouldn't buy it at all.
“It will be too late when that day comes. I call this being prepared.” After saying that, Xu Yuehuai pulled Zhang Ting and rushed to Maimaiti’s residence without saying another word.
Seeing that refusing again would make her feel guilty, Zhang Ting had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Xu Yuehuai.
...
Soon it was the young master's birthday. Although Marquis Ningyuan and Tianxianglou didn't get along, Third Sister wouldn't impose her feelings about people on food. The whole roasted lamb was made with care, and she got up before dawn to roast it.
This has always been the philosophy that Xu Yuehuai has conveyed, and it is also the main reason why Tianxianglou's business is so booming.
Before long, it was almost noon, and a fragrant aroma wafted from the stove, causing the people outside Tianxiang Tower to stop and exclaim: "How fragrant!"
As Zheng Bo alighted from the sedan chair, the fragrance instantly filled his nostrils, making his muscles and bones, which had been tired all morning, feel a bit more relaxed.
He couldn't help but admire it: Tianxianglou truly has its unique strengths.
After sighing, he dared not delay any longer. Missing the appointed time would mean punishment with caning, a punishment his old bones could not bear.
Upon entering Tianxiang Tower, he called out, "Third Sister."
"Uncle Zheng is here. We can take him away in about half a cup of tea's time," Third Sister replied from the kitchen.
"Do we still have to wait? I can already smell the aroma, it should be almost ready by now," Uncle Zheng said, frowning.
"A fragrance that is outwardly expressed is considered inferior, while a fragrance that is subtle and restrained is considered superior." Third Sister's voice came out again, and Uncle Zheng nodded upon hearing this. After all, half a cup of tea's time is only a short while.
Before they knew it, the time was up. Third Sister opened the kitchen door and then used all her strength to pull out the whole roasted lamb, but it wouldn't budge.
"You two go and help Third Aunt," Uncle Zheng gestured with his chin toward the kitchen.
"Yes," the servant replied, rolling up his sleeves and preparing to go inside.
"No... no... no," Third Sister replied, panting heavily, "The smell on you will affect the taste. I roasted this whole lamb for ten hours. You don't want it to be ruined, do you? Jiang Shichen, come and help!"
The servants looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this, while Uncle Zheng waved his hand, indicating that he had indeed heard of this rumor.
Jiang Shichen quickly ran downstairs, went into the kitchen and helped San Niang pull the carriage up, and then he and San Niang helped her onto the carriage.
"Third Sister, I'm stuck, I can't get down!" Jiang Shichen shouted from inside the carriage.
"That's perfect. You can press the lid down for me so the heat doesn't escape," Third Sister said with a laugh.
Zheng Bo opened his mouth as if to say something, but considering that the other party was also doing it for their benefit, he thought for a moment and then remained silent.
“But it’s so hot,” Jiang Shichen replied again, but this time no one paid him any attention.
Seeing this, Zhou Wan felt uneasy. Although they had discussed it beforehand, she was still a little worried when the day actually arrived.
He stepped forward and said to Uncle Zheng, "Uncle Zheng, may I come along too? If Third Sister is busy dividing the meat and cooking, she might be a little overwhelmed."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com