"In these extraordinary times, let's skip the pleasantries and formalities," Zhao Yinfang said unexpectedly bluntly.
Qi Guze didn't keep them in suspense any longer and went straight to the point: "Lord Zhao is also aware of the current precarious situation of our two countries. There is a possibility of war at any time. Once war breaks out, it will be a disaster for millions of people. I really can't bear it."
"I have an idea now, and I wonder if Lord Zhao would be willing to give me this face."
Zhao Yinfang lowered his eyes: "Oh? Please speak freely."
"I would like to ask Lord Zhao to recommend me to the King of Mingyue Kingdom to see if this critical stalemate can be resolved." Qi Guze knew that only by reaching the highest position could there be a chance for a turnaround.
As expected, Zhao Yinfang refused.
"Lord Zhao need not worry about the King of Mingyue punishing me. If there are any consequences, I will bear them all myself, even at the cost of my life."
Zhao Yinfang paused in his tea-pouring, then shook his head slightly: "It's not that I'm worried about being punished, Lord Qi, you've misunderstood."
"Then it seems I was judging you by my own petty standards?" Qi Guze was filled with questions. If it wasn't about taking responsibility, then things had taken a turn for the better.
"Lord Qi, you may not know this, but the King of the Central Plains already has a solution: a marriage alliance." Zhao Yinfang's voice grew somber. "Not to mention, you're still on Maimaiti's wanted list. If you were to appear in the Dark Moon Kingdom, I'm afraid..."
Qi Guze's mind raced, but he remained outwardly composed, instead offering a faint smile as he interrupted him: "Lord Zhao is joking. There are currently no princesses of suitable age in the palace, not even a county princess. I'm afraid it won't work..."
"Hahahaha." Zhao Yinfang also laughed, "Not to mention the Regent, even I didn't expect that His Majesty would choose the Ninth Princess as his marriage partner. His Majesty is truly a wise ruler. For the sake of the country and the people, he is willing to give up his personal feelings."
Qi Guze still felt something was wrong. The Ninth Princess was the Emperor's most beloved daughter, and she was still young. There was no time to keep her in the palace, so why would she be sent out of the palace for a marriage alliance?
If it were the third princess, she might be around the same age, but the other princesses were just children.
Zhao Yin's expression hardened: "Your Highness, out of consideration for our past relationship, I'm kindly reminding you that Maimaiti has already noticed your high-profile actions. Be extremely careful with your every move from now on."
Before Qi Guze could react, Zhao Yinfang added, "If possible, Your Highness would be better off leaving as soon as possible. This is not a place to linger."
...
After learning what Zhao Yinfang had said, Zhang Ting quickly packed up her things at Qipanfeng and left with Qi Guze.
The most dangerous place is the safest place.
Zhang Ting's maternal family lived in the capital of the Mingyue Kingdom. Like Zhao Yinfang, her mother was also from the Mingyue Kingdom.
Along the way, the gates of the Mingyue Kingdom were bustling with activity. To Qi Guze's surprise, Zhang Ting's maternal clan actually held a high position in the Mingyue Kingdom.
This is exactly the same situation as Zhao Yinfang's.
On the other side, after leaving Jinhe Town, Xu Yuehuai and Pei Xuan traveled a difficult journey, following Qi Guze's trail, and arrived at Qipan Peak.
The scene here is quite different from that in Jinhe Town. Jinhe Town is sparsely populated, mostly with the elderly, women, and children, while Qipan Peak is vibrant and bustling.
“Hello, sir, I have a question…” Pei Xuan randomly picked a middle-aged man who looked easy to talk to and walked over, “Do you know someone named Qi Guze?”
The middle-aged man looked Xu Yuehuai and Pei Xuan up and down a few times, then turned and left, saying, "I don't know them."
I asked several people in a row, and the result was the same. They either said "I don't know" or "I've never heard of it," and their attitudes were all very bad. The answers I got were considered good. Some people didn't even look at me and just left.
Pei Xuan was completely baffled.
"That shouldn't be the case. The Regent's trail disappeared here. There are still his torn clothes on the cliff over there. If he's not here, then where could he be?"
Xu Yuehua pondered, "Could it be that Qi Guze didn't tell the villagers his real name for safety reasons?"
Pei Xuan immediately agreed, "That makes sense."
Then, Xu Yuehuai noticed that there were piles of white radishes stacked in front of some houses. Each one was plump and round, but they were discarded there like garbage.
"Excuse me, ma'am, is that a white radish?"
Xu Yuehuai wanted to know the answer, but didn't want to say it directly, so she casually brought up a different topic.
"How did you know?" The older sister finally noticed their similar expressions. "These are new plants we just planted, but we don't know how to eat them yet."
Xu Yuehuai saw a half-eaten white radish and had a sudden inspiration: "Big sister, do you have a pot?"
The older sister looked at her strangely: "Don't all households have pots?"
Xu Yuehuai then found a hunter who had just returned from hunting and bought a leg of lamb for a small amount of silver.
Pei Xuan stared in disbelief at Xu Yuehuai's actions and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
“The people of Qipan Peak are unwilling to tell us Qi Guze’s whereabouts and are ignoring us. Either they don’t trust us or they think we can’t offer them anything. I’ll use white radishes, which are unfamiliar to them, to teach them how to make some delicious dishes. That should be able to win them over.”
Xu Yuehuai washed the large, gamey pieces of mutton, cut them into chunks, and soaked them in water with scallions, ginger, and garlic until there was little blood left.
The mutton is cleaned, and the next step is to blanch it. Put cold water in a pot, add two slices of white radish, and a spoonful of rice vinegar.
The older sister watched from the side and couldn't help but shake her head. This mutton was wild and had a very strong gamey smell. Usually, people would roast it over a fire and rub it with salt to make it barely palatable. Boiling it in water would be suicide, not to mention the vinegar was sour and astringent, and it would definitely be sour and gamey later.
Xu Yuehuai had no idea what the old woman was thinking. She carefully skimmed the foam off the mutton after it was cooked, a task that really tested the chef's skill.
Because it was a large pot heated by firewood, the boiling water was bubbling away, filling the whole house with the aroma of meat. The older sister couldn't help but swallow, but then thought it must smell good but taste fishy.
Xu Yuehuai rolled up her sleeves and instructed Pei Xuan to pour out all the boiled water, boil a new pot of water, add mutton, diced white radish, and simple salt, scallions, and ginger, and start stewing.
About four hours later, she lifted the pot lid. By then, everyone in the village had heard about the new girl and came to the eldest sister's house in groups of three or five to join in the fun. Unexpectedly, the delicious aroma of the mutton soup immediately whetted everyone's appetite.
Eating only stewed mutton can get a bit greasy, so it's a good idea to make some pickled vegetables with radishes.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuehuai washed two more large radishes. Since it's impossible to please everyone, she decided to make two kinds: one sweet and sour, and the other spicy.
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