She first took out an exquisite celadon teapot and used boiling water from a copper kettle to scald the inside and outside of the teapot.
Next, take out three kinds of tea from the shelf, put a portion of each into the teapot, pour in half a pot of hot water, then hold the bottom of the pot with one hand and press the lid with the other hand, and start shaking it.
A moment later, she placed the teapot, which she had shaken several times, on a tray and rinsed it with boiling water again. At this moment, steam began to rise from the spout.
At this moment, the woman from the Western Regions began to look at Li Xue with affection. Li Xue couldn't help but shudder. This was not tea tasting at all, but more like a blind date.
This move was incredibly powerful. Fortunately, Li Xue was a girl, so it had no effect on her. If the other party were a man, that look would probably be enough to make him fall for her.
The woman picked up the teapot, poured the tea into a very small porcelain cup, held it with both hands, and handed it to Li Xue.
"Please have some tea, sir."
After the woman finished speaking, she continued to look at Li Xue with deep affection.
Li Xue didn't care about any of that. She took the teacup, looked it over, and felt that the cup was too small. It would be too much trouble to drink tea from this cup.
In front of the woman from the Western Regions, Li Xue still had to show some manners and not let the woman see that she had no taste.
She picked up the teacup, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip. The tea was incredibly fragrant, with a hint of sweetness that left a lingering aftertaste.
"Good tea!" Li Xue immediately praised.
Having received Li Xue's approval, the woman from the Western Regions was very excited and kept offering tea. Before long, Li Xue had drunk seven or eight cups.
The teacup was smaller than a wine cup. Although Li Xue kept sipping tea, the total amount of tea she drank was less than what she would normally drink in a cup.
Li Xue has not found anything unusual here so far. If she wants to know the secret of this place, she still has to continue to play along with this woman from the Western Regions.
Seeing that the tea had been almost finished, the woman began to introduce herself. Tea ceremony was only one aspect of her knowledge; she was also skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She asked Li Xue what she liked, and said she could perform it on the spot.
Li Xue had practiced martial arts since childhood and was not very interested in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting. However, the woman wanted to perform for her, and she couldn't refuse. After thinking for a moment, she asked her to play a piece for her.
The woman stood up, took a guqin from the zither stand next to her, held it in her arms, sat opposite Li Xue, and began to play.
Li Xue wasn't very knowledgeable about music, but the woman's zither skills were truly first-rate. The sound of her zither was melodious and graceful, like a mountain stream flowing through the water, and the tune was as beautiful as Xi Shi washing silk.
This was the first time Li Xue had listened to a piece of music so attentively, and she was already quite engrossed in it.
When the song ended, Li Xue couldn't help but applaud.
At this time, the women of the Western Regions gave people the feeling of being charming and beautiful.
Fortunately, Li Xue is a girl; if she were a man, he definitely wouldn't have been able to resist.
Li Xue finally understood that many tea drinkers from the capital came here not for the tea itself, but entirely for the stunningly beautiful women.
Why would the teahouse offer free services to court officials? Li Xueshi couldn't understand it at all.
He planned to put on a show with this woman to gain her trust and see if he could make any new discoveries.
Thinking of this, Li Xue asked:
"I've been with you for so long, yet I still don't know your name."
"My surname is An, and my given name is Duo'er," the woman said.
"Andor, the girl's name is so beautiful, just like her, she is stunningly beautiful."
Seeing Li Xue praise her, Andor was very happy and asked.
"I wonder where you are from, sir."
"My surname is Kang. My ancestral home is Yuanxi. My ancestors came to the capital to serve with the late emperor a hundred years ago. Thanks to the emperor's favor, I am now serving in the Military Affairs Office and hold the rank of fourth grade."
Upon hearing that Li Xue's ancestral home was in Yuanxi, Andor immediately became excited.
"It turns out that your ancestral home is Yuanxi, and mine is Lanwei. Lanwei and Yuanxi are both located in the desert region, so we can be considered fellow countrymen."
As Li Xue had expected, it turned out that this Andor came from Lanwei, a very unstable region in the Western Regions, somewhat similar to the former Yuanxi.
Andor comes from the Western Regions, which contains a lot of information. It cannot be ruled out that this is a way for a certain force in the Western Regions to infiltrate the Central Plains.
Li Xue remained calm and continued chatting with Andor.
As the saying goes, when fellow villagers meet, their eyes well up with tears. They seemed to have met kindred spirits, and the more they talked, the more they clicked.
At this moment, Li Xue decided not to rush things. She planned to win over Andor's heart first, find a breakthrough from her, and eventually discover the secret here.
An hour later, as dusk approached, Li Xue prepared to return home, but An Duo'er was already reluctant to part with him.
"Now that you have departed, when will you return?"
"I will definitely come at this time tomorrow, but my father is very strict and I must return to the manor now."
"Please wait patiently, my lord. Duo'er will wait for you here tomorrow."
In order to put on a show for Andor, Li Xue left, turning back every few steps, and Andor saw her off to the door.
Li Xue boarded the carriage, and the servant drove it away.
To avoid being followed, Li Xue kept an eye on the back of the carriage, and only returned to the palace after confirming that no one was following her.
After returning, Li Xue immediately summoned her four guards and told them about her encounter with Andor at the teahouse, asking them to analyze what had happened.
The four guards had accompanied Li Xue to Yuanxi before and knew that the situation there was complicated.
After exchanging words, the group realized how terrifying the situation was. The influence of the Western Regions had infiltrated the capital and was beginning to court officials.
Some officials frequent teahouses, treating them as their own havens. They go there to enjoy the company of beautiful women and experience intimate moments, but what do they actually gain from teahouses?
The teahouse is filled with beautiful women who provide free services to officials. In return, these officials do favors for the teahouse, and the teahouse gets what it needs.
This question is chilling to think about.
This is terrifying. How many officials in the imperial court are regulars at teahouses? How many officials have already been corrupted?
This was no small matter, and Li Xue could no longer sit still.
The Fourth Prince cannot know about this yet. Given his volatile temper, if he finds out, he will immediately lead his men to overturn the teahouse, which would be troublesome.
Lord Yao is bold yet meticulous, calm in the face of adversity, and is also the person I trust most. I will tell him about this matter first and see what countermeasures he has.
As dusk approached, Li Xue's arrival at the Yao residence at this time greatly surprised Lord Yao.
"Is there something important that brings you here, Princess?"
Li Xue glanced around the room and, finding no one else there, began to speak:
"I went to that teahouse in the western suburbs that Lord Yao mentioned this afternoon and discovered some secrets. I would like to discuss them with Lord Yao."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
