“I noticed there were many jade stones in the courtyard.”
Did the Murong family become wealthy only after discovering the mines?
"This servant..."
Amber looked at Yun Duoduo with some difficulty.
"Fine, fine, if you don't want me to talk about it, I won't ask anymore."
Yun Duoduo leaned against the bedpost and chatted with Amber for a while when she heard the butler's servants outside inviting everyone to dinner in the front hall.
After passing the pond, the group followed the maid to the front hall. As soon as they stepped inside, Yun Duoduo smelled a sweet fragrance in the air.
On the glass, pearl, and jade table, various dishes and snacks were laid out, all served on exquisite jade plates.
After everyone sat down at the round table, Uncle Lao stood to the side and said with a smile, "I know you all come from the capital, so I specially instructed the kitchen to prepare some special dishes from Jiangnan, so that you can have a taste."
"If you don't like the food, just tell this old servant. There's a chef from the capital on the estate who can cook the dishes from the capital."
"Oh, by the way, I also asked the kitchen to make a few bowls of abalone and shredded pork noodles. The dishes in Jiangnan are a bit sweet, so if you can't eat that, you can try these noodles."
Wow, there's even abalone!
This is something you can't even get your hands on in the palace.
As he spoke, he placed the noodles that the maid had brought on the table.
"Thank you, Uncle Lao. Could you please tell us about these delicious dishes?"
Yun Duoduo looked at the beautifully decorated and colorful dishes on the table, but couldn't name any of them.
She, Yun Duoduo, was also a princess, a person who had seen the world, but the pastries on the table were indeed much more exquisite than those in the capital.
“Okay,” Uncle Lao said with a smile, introducing each dish on the table one by one.
"This little jade bowl contains Grandma's tea, which is boiled with firewood and brewed in a purple clay teapot,"
The maidservant beside Yun Duoduo poured her a cup.
Uncle Lao pointed to a plate of brown dishes and said, "This Wan San's Trotter was once a dish served to distinguished guests by the wealthy Shen Wansan family in Jiangnan. It symbolizes reunion."
【Shen Wansan? She knows this person; he seems to have some kind of treasure bowl.】
The wealth inside the treasure bowl is inexhaustible.
I wish I had a treasure bowl!
"Oh, and this dish is called Wan San Gao. It mainly consists of sesame cake, peanut cake, walnut cake, jade belt cake, and thousand-layer cake, which symbolizes rising step by step."
Listening to Uncle Lao's enthusiastic and engaging introduction, Yun Duoduo could see his pride and importance. "I really didn't expect there to be so much knowledge hidden in the dishes. Thank you, Uncle Lao. Please sit down and eat with us."
"No, no, we can't break the rules. You all eat first, I'll go check on the master. If there's anything wrong, just tell the servants to come find me."
"Okay, thank you."
Yun Duoduo, A Xiang, and Zi Wan savored the dishes, while Chu Dunshi, Yun Yishu, and Shi Tou couldn't resist their hunger any longer and wolfed down their abalone and shredded pork noodles.
After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Yun Duoduo estimated that Murong Qingge should be almost fully recovered by tomorrow, and his father should be able to get up and speak again, which would be a good opportunity to learn more about the Murong family's businesses.
...
The next morning, after everyone had breakfast, the butler, Uncle Lao, invited them to the study, saying that the master had woken up and wanted to thank them for their help.
Murong Qingge's father lay half-reclined on the soft couch in front of the bookshelf, his lower body covered with a royal blue brocade quilt, his upper body dressed in a dark black robe, and a string of Buddhist beads on his chest.
He was lean, with small eyes, a hooked nose, and strands of silver hair showing through his black hair. His face was somewhat pale. The old man slowly opened his mouth and said, "Yesterday, I am deeply grateful to everyone for saving me."
Cuiyu, the maidservant beside the old man, lowered her head and gently fanned herself with a jade and gold-trimmed gauze fan. Murong Qingge adjusted the dark blue silk soft pillow behind his father.
"I am Murong Qianceng. As for the Murong clan, everyone in Jiangnan knows about them..."
[Crepe, durian crepe?]
The way this person spoke was...unpleasant.
Murong Qianceng paused, slightly out of breath, as if speaking a few words would require all his strength. Everyone waited for him to regain his strength before speaking again.
"I am the richest man in Jiangnan, and quite famous throughout Nanyang..."
[Emma, I've never heard of you before; I'm truly ignorant.]
"My Murong clan has been involved in every industry that you can see."
Murong Qianceng spoke of himself and the Murong family's businesses with pride, his chin slightly raised as he glanced at the guests sitting in front of the couch.
When Yun Duoduo first saw Murong Qianceng, she felt that he was an elderly man with temperament, refinement, and vitality.
But upon hearing Murong Qianceng's words, she only felt that he was an arrogant, narcissistic, and disdainful old man.
"I heard from Qin Ge that thanks to this young girl, the poison was stopped for me yesterday. I can grant you a request."
Murong Qianceng looked down at Yun Duoduo with an arrogant expression.
It's as if they think an ignorant child just happened to be incredibly lucky to have their life saved.
Can you grant me a request?
【My father is the current emperor, my grandmother is the current empress dowager, my elder brother is the Prince Rui, and my brother Jinzhi is a great general guarding a region. What could I possibly need from you?】
"Also, everyone helped out yesterday."
"I have already asked the butler to prepare some fine jade. Thank you all for your help."
As he spoke, Uncle Lao led a group of maids, carrying jadeite wooden trays, into the study.
The exquisitely carved wooden tray contains a pearl from the East China Sea, a gold-carved diamond-patterned armor inlaid with peridot, a gold filigree belt inlaid with rubies, a silver phoenix-carved hairpin, a silver double-buckled bracelet, a thousand-petal gold peony jewelry, and some gold ingots.
"This is a token of my father's appreciation; please accept it."
Murong Qingge lowered his head slightly, his eyes revealing a pleading expression.
Look at Murong Qingge's attitude; he's much more humble than his father.
[If Murong Qingge were to do business in the future, he would definitely do better than this old man.]
"Thank you very much."
Chu Dunshi cupped his hands in thanks.
Ah Xiang and Shi Tou glanced at Yun Duoduo and Yun Yishu, and each picked out an item.
"Thank you, Mr. Murong."
Everyone expressed their gratitude to Murong Qianceng.
"Girl, tell me, what is your wish?"
Murong Qianceng cleared her throat, turned the Buddhist beads around her neck, made a gesture to signal the maid who was fanning her to stop, looked at Yun Duoduo, and asked her seriously.
"I want one million taels of gold."
Yun Duoduo blurted out.
The old man was clearly stunned.
"Uncle Murong, aren't you the richest man in Jiangnan?"
"Are the lives of you and your son not even worth a million taels of gold?"
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