Chapter 71 Teahouse Affairs
"Why is Editor Xu so nervous?"
Xu Yun, who had been feigning composure, swallowed hard, having never expected Princess Shunde to see through his thoughts so quickly. He couldn't help but smile awkwardly and said, "When we met at the clinic before, Your Highness didn't reveal her identity... and now we're meeting in private..."
Princess Shunde was not very old, but she was known for her precocious talent. Her words and actions were not as lively as her peers. Instead, she was extremely calm and dignified. Even when she was joking, Xu Yun did not dare to slack off.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "Earlier, Editor Xu insisted on waiting for me at the clinic whenever he was free. Now that we're actually meeting, why is Editor Xu feeling embarrassed?"
Hearing her talk about the past, it was obvious that she knew all about his little thoughts. Xu Yun could only explain awkwardly: "The princess is a daughter of gold, and I am only a seventh-rank official. It is inevitable that I feel timid when I meet you."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He asked the waiter to serve tea before saying, "I heard Wang Zhi mention that the editor is well versed in astronomy and geography?"
Xu Yun had recently been overshadowed by Zhu Yuhuan, and he didn't have the courage to show his confidence in front of Zhu Yuhuan. He just said, "I can't say I'm proficient in it, I can only say I know a little bit."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't mind his extra caution and said, "That's perfect. Ever since the locust plague, Father has been very concerned about repairing water conservancy projects across the country. When Ruan An and Ruan Ban return to Beijing to report, Father will not only reward them, but may even assign them new tasks. But after all, he can't put out a fire by himself, so he should at least pass on his skills to more people."
Xu Yun quickly understood what Zhu Yuhuan meant. He asked cautiously, "Princess, are you familiar with Ruan Dayong? This is no ordinary skill."
Everyone knows that the benefits of presiding over the construction of various water conservancy projects are quite lucrative. Ruan Dayong is so highly valued, and his continuous dispatch to build water conservancy projects must have brought him high returns.
How could anyone be willing to give away such a lucrative position? Not to mention a nobody like him. Ruan Dayang was already at the peak of his career, so why would he be chosen?
"Ruan Banban once advised on the river channel changes at Xihehuangzhuang, so we're quite familiar with each other." Zhu Yuhuan took a sip of his teacup. Seeing that Xu Yun was still a little worried, he said, "That's why I recommended Ruan Banban to clear the silt and dredge the Tongji River."
Only then did Xu Yun understand that Ruan An was entrusted with the important task because of Princess Shunde's recommendation.
Whether it was a civil servant or a eunuch, the princess had no particular preferences when recommending talents...
Zhu Yuhuan looked up at Xu Yun and said, "Your Majesty advocates the development of agriculture, and water conservancy is a top priority in agricultural work. Just focus on studying hard with Ruan Banban. As long as you can learn and achieve success, Your Majesty will surely promote you to another position."
After hearing her say this, Xu Yun's original uneasiness gradually dissipated. "I am grateful for the appreciation of Your Highness..." He was halfway through his words when he saw Zhu Yuhuan holding his chin with one hand, looking at him with a smile, obviously waiting for his next words. This made Xu Yun feel a little embarrassed, and the compliments he was about to say were a little difficult to say.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuhuan finally spoke up, "When I judge a person, I don't look at what he says, but what he actually does. If he's determined, I can certainly help him rise to great heights. But if he turns around and wants to harm me, I have plenty of tricks and means to deal with him."
Xu Yun naturally understood this, he was not so stupid.
Even if he did manage to cling to the emperor's thighs one day, the princess was the emperor's sister, and the relationship between the two siblings was always closer than that between him, an official. How could he, an outsider, sow discord? Of course, if he wanted to cling to these thighs, he should cling to them all, the more the better, and the more stable the better.
Before Zhu Yuhuan could say anything, Han Guilan knocked on the door and came in, saying, "Your Highness, Mr. Zhang is here, and he has brought a friend I haven't met yet."
When Xu Yun heard Han Guilan call herself "I", he was stunned and a little confused about Han Guilan's identity.
No matter who he was, how could he call himself "I" in front of the princess? And who was this Mr. Zhang she was talking about?
He was weighing this in his mind when he suddenly noticed Zhu Yuhuan's gaze. Xu Yun immediately stood up and said, "Your Highness, I will take my leave."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and watched Xu Yun leave. Then he asked Han Guilan to lead the way to meet Zhang Zhong.
Zhu Yuhuan usually met with others in a fixed private room. Since he was meeting with Xu Yun today, Zhang Zhong could only wait somewhere else.
As soon as Zhu Yuhuan entered the room, he saw Zhang Zhong drinking tea at the table, and another person standing by the window gesturing at something.
Zhang Zhong heard the sound of the door being pushed open, raised his eyes slightly, caught a glimpse of the skirt embroidered with crane branches, and immediately stood up and said, "I greet Your Highness. May Your Highness live a long and healthy life."
The person who was originally at the window also turned around and saluted like Zhang Zhong, saying, "I greet Your Highness. Your Highness... May you live a long and healthy life..."
Hearing the other party's somewhat broken Mandarin and mixed with Tatar accent, Zhu Yuhuan's doubts immediately disappeared and he said, "You two, get up."
"yes."
This was the first time they had met since Zhang Zhong got married. Seeing that he didn't look at him, Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "I haven't congratulated you on your wedding yet."
Zhang Zhong felt a little embarrassed and said, "It's just a small family matter of mine that has disturbed Your Majesty, Your Majesty, and Your Highness. I am ashamed to accept it."
Zhu Yuhuan saw that his ears were slightly red, and he stopped talking about Zhang Zhong's family affairs. He just asked, "Is this the commander Abji'an's...?"
Zhang Zhong quickly introduced, "This is Tuotuo Boluo, the son of Abji'an." Seeing Zhu Yuhuan's confusion, he explained, "Tuotuo Boluo heard that the Taiping Teahouse was opened by Your Highness, so he came to me and said he had something to ask Your Highness."
Zhu Yuhuan said "oh" and raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "What's the matter? It's related to me?"
Tuotuo Bolu imitated the Han people and bowed. "Your Highness, when Alutai came to the capital to pay tribute, some ignorant people harassed the people of the capital. I heard that there is a good archer in the teahouse. He never missed a shot and extinguished Alutai's arrogance. If the arrow is sharp enough, he can definitely kill them with one shot."
Zhang Zhong heard him change his self-proclaimed name while speaking, and was about to cough to remind Tuotuo Boluo, but he saw Zhu Yuhuan pause in drinking tea, and he couldn't help but feel confused.
What happened to the princess?
Zhu Yuhuan paused holding the teacup, cleared her throat, and asked, "Why does the young master of the Left Commander's family ask this?"
Tuotuo Boluo was not shy and said openly, "I just took a look. He can hit the target every time at this distance and angle. He must be a master archer. I want to fight him a few times."
Zhu Yuhuan raised her eyebrows slightly. She thought for a moment and said, "Of course you can, but... before you fight her, I have something to ask you."
Although Tuotuoboluo was a little confused, he knew the princess in front of him, so he said obediently: "Don't worry, princess, I will tell you everything I know."
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