The next day, with nothing happening in the army, Li Yong finally relented after being persuaded by the two men. The three of them then relentlessly dragged Zhao Moyan out of the camp and onto the streets of a town in the northern border region. This was a border area between two countries, a major trade route, and the people coming and going were quite diverse, with people of different races and appearances mingling together on the streets. The three followed Zhao Moyan as they strolled along. When they passed a bookstore, Zhao Moyan stopped, and the shopkeeper quickly approached them, saying, "What do you need? Our shop has a full range of goods, including Mr. Tian's masterpieces, all guaranteed to be the latest editions. Would you like to come in and have a look?"
“Mr. Tian!?” Zhang Zhan and Lu Da looked at Li Yong together.
Li Yong glared at them, then pulled Zhao Moyan and said, "Brother, let's go look somewhere else."
Zhao Moyan ignored him and stepped into the bookstore. The shopkeeper immediately took out Tian Yu's latest books and poems, saying, "These are all collector's editions. Mr. Tian hasn't written in a long time. I had someone specially bring these back from the capital. Please take a look."
Li Yong was so angry he was speechless. He kept glaring at the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper didn't understand what he meant. The other two, on the other hand, picked up books and read them with great interest, as if they had discovered a new continent. Zhao Moyan casually flipped through a book, then turned around and left with great interest.
Li Yong beckoned the other two to follow, but the two were engrossed in their books and refused to put them down. They quickly dropped some silver, each pocketing a copy before hurriedly catching up with Li Yong. "Did the Crown Princess really write this?" Li Yong didn't answer them, but glared at them angrily. Lu Da nudged Zhang Zhan and said, "Call her Madam!"
In front of the grain store, the owner shouted loudly, "The latest variety of rice! Come and see! Mr. Tian's newly cultivated rice is plump and nutritious."
"This!? Could it also be planted by the... Madam?" Zhang Zhan asked in surprise, his mouth agape. Seeing the expressions on Li Yong and the Marquis's faces, the two of them silently shut up and continued walking forward.
"The latest rouge, personally developed by the Crown Princess of this dynasty, with the support of the Imperial Medical Academy, is absolutely amazing!" the rouge seller shouted loudly.
The two people following at the back didn't need to ask to know. They usually didn't go out and didn't care about these things, but today they discovered that their lady's things were everywhere.
Lu Da casually picked up a woven item bought by an old woman by the roadside. The old woman immediately introduced it, saying, "Sir, this is the latest design by the Crown Princess. All the wealthy families in the capital use this. Would you like one?"
"This was also designed by the Crown Princess!? The one who designed it, Mr. Tian?" Lu Da asked incredulously.
"That's right. Mr. Tian is now the Crown Princess. She came up with this idea to help those elderly people. Now everyone likes these items, and the temples are in short supply. Would you like one, sir?"
"Come on! Give me one!" Lu Da was completely convinced and began to carefully admire the futon, finding it more and more beautiful the more he looked at it.
Zhao Moyan stopped in front of the rouge stall, picked up a box and said softly, "The rouge I bought for her back then, she didn't touch a single box. It's still in Old Zhao Village. I thought... but it turns out she didn't even like it."
The group walked to a tavern in town, and after sitting down, Li Yong told the waiter to bring out all the best dishes in the restaurant. He smiled apologetically at Zhao Moyan and said, "Brother, you should get out and about more often. Look at the nice weather today." The other two nodded and smiled back.
After all the dishes were served, Li Yong's smile vanished as he swallowed hard. The other two, seeing Li Yong's expression, assumed the food was bad and asked curiously, "Is the food bad?" Zhang Zhan asked tentatively.
"It's nothing, brother. If you don't like it, I'll have the waiter change it." He then called over the waiter and said, "You don't have any other dishes here, change it!"
"Is there something wrong with these dishes? This chef was specially brought in from the capital. He studied cooking with Mr. Tian, and these are all his specialties. The braised pork is especially exceptional!"
Now it was the other two people's turn to swallow their saliva. They really wanted to try it, but they didn't dare to touch their chopsticks.
Zhao Moyan picked up her chopsticks and started eating without saying a word. Seeing this, the other three dared to pick up their chopsticks as well. Zhao Moyan only ate two bites before putting down her chopsticks and drinking wine. Zhang Zhan and Lu Da, having enjoyed a hearty meal, devoured it in a flash, exclaiming as they ate, "Are all these really made by Madam? They're so delicious!"
"Madam is truly a remarkable person, so incredibly capable. I, Lu Da, have never seen such a wonderful person before," Lu Da mumbled.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg for Madam; there's more to come!" Li Yong was about to say when he saw Zhao Moyan immediately shut up and glare at the other two, telling them to stop talking too.
After dinner, seeing that it was getting late, Li Yong didn't dare to wander around any longer and said to Zhao Moyan, "Brother, why don't we go back?"
Zhao Moyan, however, became interested and said, "You guys go back first!"
"Brother, do you want to continue shopping?"
Zhao Moyan didn't say anything and went into a brothel. The three of them were very surprised, but also very excited, and followed him in.
Zhao Moyan entered the private room. The madam, seeing that the group was of different status, dared not neglect them. She brought several women to serve him and arranged for a few dancing and singing performances.
After the legendary song was finished, the three people who had been watching with rapt attention clapped and cheered, but feeling the cold pressure coming from the main seat, they swallowed hard and withdrew their hands. Zhang Zhan said to Lu Da beside him, "Could this song have been written by the madam as well?"
At this moment, the madam came in and said, "How are you gentlemen? This little tune was sung by Mr. Tian for the princes. I went to great lengths to get my hands on it."
Li Yong remained relatively calm, while the other two, upon hearing this, widened their eyes in astonishment and exclaimed, "What other talents does Madam possess?!"
The group drank until very late before heading back. Lu Da and Zhang Zhan were already quite drunk, and on the way back they kept praising Tian Yu, completely forgetting the purpose of their outing. In the end, they even lamented together that Zhao Moyan would never have the chance to see his wife, which was such a pity. Li Yongqi's face turned red and his neck thickened. Was he really there to help or to cause trouble?
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