Moreover, the pastries from Zhenxiufang were really delicious, and she liked them very much.
So she prepared some gifts and came to apologize to Xu Yuehuai.
"Manager Xu, I'm so sorry to have delayed your business and reputation. This is just a small token of my appreciation, please don't refuse it." He then handed over the gift.
Seeing this, Xu Yuehuai could only accept it: "Miss Ye, there's no need to be so polite. After all, we are both victims, so why should we apologize?"
Ye Zhenzhen chuckled: "Manager Xu, the pastries from your Zhenxiufang are really delicious, I especially like them."
"Then come in and have some more. It's on me today." Xu Yuehuai said as she invited them in and arranged for Anan to serve tea and pastries.
This drove the common people even crazier. They kept mentioning the Duke and his wife, as well as the eldest daughter of the Ye family. In no time, Zhenxiufang's pastries became like internet-famous pastries.
This boosted Zhenxiufang's business to a new level, with a constant stream of customers coming and going, and even several big clients placing orders for pastries.
Now that Zhenxiufang's business has stabilized, Xu Yuehuai can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Suddenly she remembered her promise to Anan to go to the academy, so she quickly prepared some pastries from Zhenxiufang, decorated them, and then called Anan over to change him into a scholarly outfit. The two of them then went to Zhongnan Academy.
On the way, Anan seemed a little uneasy, afraid that the gentleman would not accept him.
Xu Yuehuai naturally noticed the man's nervousness and quickly comforted him, "Anan, it's alright. You are so intelligent, the master will accept you."
But she wasn't sure herself, and soon the two arrived at Zhongnan Academy.
"Mr. Liu, how have you been lately?" Xu Yuehuai asked him as soon as she entered the room.
Liu Chunlin was also very happy to see her, "You're in good health. I heard you recently opened a specialty restaurant..."
"Nothing can escape your ears, sir. I was going to come a long time ago, but something came up and I was delayed. Now I'm here to pay my respects to you, sir." Xu Yuehuai said, gesturing for Anan to hand out the pastries.
Liu Chunlin's eyes lit up when he saw the pastries. He had heard about the troubles at Zhenxiufang, but thankfully they had weathered the storm.
"Has there been any news from the Regent lately? When will he return to Chang'an?" Liu Chunlin asked while eating pastries from Zhenxiufang.
Xu Yuehuai paused, pondered for a moment, and then said, "The Regent is blessed by Heaven. Once the matter of bartering with the Underworld Kingdom is resolved, he will naturally return."
Liu Chunlin knew she didn't want to talk more, so he didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he focused on eating the pastries. After one bite, he immediately smiled happily: "Manager Xu, these pastries are truly worthy of your handiwork. The taste is simply superb."
"If it's delicious, please have more, sir," Xu Yuehuai said with a smile.
“By the way, Mr. Liu, you see that Ah Qi’s spot in the academy is now vacant. Could you let Ah Nan study with him? He’s really smart…” Xu Yuehuai said, seeing that the time was right.
"No..." Liu Chunlin was about to refuse, but seeing Xu Yuehuai recommending Anan, he looked up at Anan and found that the child looked very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
At this moment, all he could hear was Xu Yuehua praising the child for being smart. After thinking for a moment, he decided to test him.
"How about this, I'll test this child first." Mr. Liu said, taking a copy of "The Great Learning" from the desk beside him, and then randomly pointing to an article for Anan.
Anan took the book, his little face full of determination and seriousness. He held the book and memorized it in his mind. In less than a quarter of an hour, he was able to recite it completely.
"The Great Learning teaches us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, and to abide in perfect goodness. Knowing where to rest, we can then be resolute; being resolute, we can then be calm; being calm, we can then be at peace; being at peace, we can then deliberate; deliberating, we can then attain..."
Anan recited it word for word, with a relaxed yet powerful delivery.
Liu Chunlin initially didn't think highly of it, but later he was amazed when Anan recited it accurately.
He asked in surprise, "You really haven't read this article before?"
“No.” Anan shook his head.
Liu Chunlin slapped his thigh and laughed, "I'll take this kid."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."
...
Because of the barter system, the marriage alliance was naturally canceled.
When Consort Min learned that her daughter did not have to be sent to a foreign land for marriage, she was overjoyed and could not stop smiling: "This is wonderful! My daughter can finally stay by my side and has temporarily escaped this calamity."
She began to recall the incident, and upon careful consideration, realized that it must have been Ah Qi's doing.
The thought of this made her quite excited. She had devoted herself entirely to her daughter, and now that the situation was under control, she naturally wanted to express her gratitude. She quickly instructed the palace maid beside her to prepare: "Prepare some pastries for me. I want to go to the Crown Prince to thank him in person."
Ah Qi had long known that Consort Min would definitely come looking for her, because the Ninth Princess had already successfully stayed.
Just as I was thinking, I heard a sound outside. When I looked up again, I found that it was Consort Min with her maids.
Ah Qi calmly came out to greet her: "I am sorry for not welcoming Consort Min today."
With a smile on her face, Consort Min gestured for the maid behind her to bring over the pastries, and then went inside with Aqi.
"Ah Qi, I really have to thank you this time. I've received news that the Ninth Princess doesn't need to go for the marriage alliance. You must have played a big role in that." As she spoke, she pushed the pastries on the table toward him. "These were specially prepared by me. I don't know if they suit your taste."
It was already quite obvious, and Ah Qi simply smiled faintly.
"This matter is naturally not my achievement alone. As long as the Ninth Princess doesn't go to marry into the enemy, that's a good thing."
At this moment, Ah Qi moved closer to Consort Min: "We think the same thing about some things. I just used a little more force."
He had already established a good relationship with Consort Min. Although it was Qi Guze who had done the work, he didn't mind gaining Consort Min's trust even more.
However, he never expected that the Empress would arrive at this exact moment.
The Empress had a sudden idea and wanted to come and see Ah Qi.
"I haven't visited Ah Qi during this time. I wonder how he's doing over there. I'd really like to see him."
After all, the Empress still had many doubts in her heart, and the only way to dispel them was through their interactions.
Actually, the Empress didn't have these thoughts originally. It was only on the advice of the palace maids that she felt it would be better to come and see Ah Qi to avoid gossip.
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