Men are superior to women: the heartthrob in Yunqi

The steamed preserved meat is rich and not greasy, with a moderate salty and sweet taste. Each family has its own merits. However, Mu Yao prefers the one from "Xiyanlou" because it contains her favorite coriander.

Coriander is not common in Dayun. Thinking back carefully, I really don't have much impression of it. When I was a child, I would put a lot of garnishes on the bubble wontons every time I ate them. It tastes very special, cool, crisp and astringent. If you chew it carefully, you can also taste a hint of sweetness. It is delicious when used in cold beef or made into meatballs. I didn't expect to eat it in Beiming. I couldn't help but take another bite of "emerald green".

Seeing Mu Yao take five bites of the steamed cured meat from the "Wedding Banquet House", Xie Ci raised his eyebrows slightly, a halo flowed through his eyes, and smiled: "This coriander is our Beiming specialty. Many people can't get used to it. I didn't expect that you would like it."

Mu Yao paused with the chopsticks in her hand, avoided his gaze and replied, "No wonder I don't see it often in Dayun. Coriander is warm in nature, enters the lungs, helps digestion, removes stagnation, and treats measles and heat toxins. It has a unique taste and can be used as a condiment to add icing on the cake to dishes. If you add sugar or honey after boiling, it will also have the effect of detoxification and beauty, and has many benefits."

"Oh, Miss Mu knows medicine?" Xie Ci asked curiously. It was the first time he heard someone describe the effects of coriander in such detail.

Mu Yao was not modest, she nodded affirmatively. The price of 8.6 million taels of silver per "Bamboo Dew Pill" was clearly recorded in her mind. Suddenly she thought of Wei Wushang's hideous face, and she couldn't help but tighten the jade chopsticks in her hand slightly.

Xie Ci's eyes flashed with a stream of light, and he asked uncertainly: "The medicinal fragrance in Nanshan Pavilion was also made by Miss Mu?"

Hearing this, Mu Yao was slightly surprised that Xie Ci could actually guess that the medicine in "Nanshan Pavilion" was made by her based on a dish. However, she had already planned to develop in this direction and did not intend to hide it, so she looked at Xie Ci frankly and replied: "Yes. My medical skills are not bad."

Xie Ci was slightly stunned. Her words gave him a glimmer of hope. After taking the "Immortal Resurrection Grass", the emperor was no longer in danger of death, but he was still not cured fundamentally. Now the treasury is empty, the Nanyue Kingdom is eyeing it covetously, and there are many emerging small and medium-sized countries. It must be said that the Beiming is now in trouble both internally and externally, and is strong on the outside but weak on the inside. The new emperor Murong Chen is wise and brave, with great talent and strategy, and is an extremely rare wise monarch. This magic needle that stabilizes the sea must not fall.

The emperor intends to win over Southern Xinjiang, and now the new emperor of Southern Xinjiang, Ji Qi, is about to arrive in Beiming.

Ji Qi has been on the throne for a short time, and no information about him has been found. The old emperor of Nanjiang had six princes, but the one who inherited the throne now is not one of them. The new emperor of Nanjiang seems to have appeared out of thin air. I don't know what conditions Nanjiang will put forward in this meeting. Although this country is not large in area and has a small population, it is adjacent to Nanyue and Beiming at both ends, surrounded by the sea on one side, and occupies a strategic position. No matter what, Nanjiang must be won over this time.

"Thank you, Mr. Xie?"

When Mu Yao shouted for the third time, Xie Ci suddenly came back to his senses.

He suppressed his emotions and couldn't help laughing at his unrealistic thoughts. What else was he expecting when even Dr. Jian couldn't cure the disease?

"Please speak, my lady." Xie Ci returned to his usual calm and elegant demeanor.

Mu Yao choked, thinking that what she had just said was in vain. Seeing that Xie Ci looked troubled, she did not want to bother him any more, so she said softly, "Thank you for your hospitality, sir. When my family comes, I will definitely thank you handsomely."

"Miss Mu, you don't have to be polite. Qingcheng and I are from the same school. His teacher and my master have the same origin. Our relationship is closer than that of other fellow disciples. We are all family, there is no need to talk about thanking or not. Miss Mu, just stay here and let me know if you need anything. If I am not in the house, you can find Uncle Miao and he will make the arrangements." When Xie Ci thought of her two husbands who would arrive in Beiming soon, he felt powerless in his heart, but he had no time to spare at the moment.

Mu Yao slept very uneasily that night. She lay on her side on the bed, looking at the hourglass on the table. All the things that happened in the past few days played over and over in her mind like a video recorder. She didn't fall asleep until after the Mao hour.

The midday sun hangs high in the blue sky, and the golden light shines through the oil paper on the carved lattice and lazily falls on Sleeping Beauty.

Mu Yao kicked the quilt sultry and turned over, reluctantly opening her eyes a crack. The bright light extended into her eyes, gently soothing her heart.

She moaned in a daze, her beautiful back slowly tilted upwards, she scratched her hair a few times, and got out of bed in a half-asleep state.

When she opened the door, she was surrounded by the sound of birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. Before she could fully open her beautiful eyes, she heard several loud bangs, which startled Mu Yao so much that she woke up instantly.

There were two rows of people standing in the garden, both men and women, holding golden basins, toiletries, silk clothes, exquisite headgear, pearl embroidered shoes, etc. They were staring at themselves with their eyes wide open, as if their acupoints were pressed, and they stood there motionless, like a rock.

What is the social death moment? It is now!

Mu Yao put down her arms that were about to stretch and pretended to be calm and asked, "Are you here to..."

Before she could finish her sentence, several women dressed as noble ladies in the group came up to her and enthusiastically welcomed her into the room, making the small space suddenly seem cramped.

They all rushed to introduce themselves as if they were full of energy. In an instant, the atmosphere in the room was lively, with all kinds of laughter and joy rising one after another.

Mu Yao's head was spinning as she listened. She sorted out her thoughts from the words of so many people vying to speak. These ladies were retired female officials in the palace, and Xie Ci specially hired them to take care of her at a high price. The oldest lady in green clothes was smiling and said loudly, "I was wondering why our national teacher would be willing to spend so much money to invite us. It turns out that she is a stunning fairy. No wonder she melted this thousand-year-old iceberg completely!"

"That's right! Look at these clothes, I have never seen such exquisite ones in all the years I have been in the palace. It can be seen that the imperial master has put in a lot of effort! Lady, you have to appreciate it!" An aunt in a plum-red dress continued.

Before Mu Yao could reply, another aunt in purple and red rushed to add a few more words: "Hurry up! You keep talking so much and don't do anything!"

Well, since I have no place to speak, I might as well enjoy myself.

Mu Yao fell in love with these clothes at first sight. The dress was a brocade of blue, red and yellow, with three faint colors intertwined and smudged together. She had only seen this color system on the "three-color glazed lotus cup" given by the Xu family as a betrothal gift, and she didn't expect that it could be dyed into clothes. This kind of dyeing technology is quite rare for Yunqi, and the price is probably sky-high.

I owe you a huge favor!

In a flash she was dressed.

The aunts were really warm and considerate. Before putting on her gorgeous clothes, they even helped her relax. It had been a long time since she had been so comfortable with "Masha Ji". Suddenly, the grand plan of building a beauty salon flashed through her mind, but she quickly gave up the idea. The chain hotel has not yet opened, why is it so ambitious!

"Ms. Mu is so beautiful. I am not well-educated and cannot describe her. Please describe her for me!" Aunt Zijianghong exclaimed.

Everyone shook their heads in unison. They felt that such a beauty could only be found in heaven, and now that they were able to see her in the mortal world today, they had no regrets in this life!

Seeing their distracted looks, "Zi Jiang Hong" could hardly contain her smile: "Okay, no more!"

He turned to look at Mu Yao, pulled up her soft hand, rubbed it gently and said, "Ms. Mu, I'll take you to lunch. The Imperial Master is waiting." Zhou Rong couldn't wait to see the Imperial Master's eyes widen when he saw Ms. Mu.

Along the way, Mu Yao still asked her aunt about the price of this outfit. It was really too exquisite, and from what her aunt said, these were all gifts given to her as a thank you, so she had to estimate it clearly and repay the favor later.

Zhou Rong didn't want to say anything, but she felt it was necessary to speak up for the Imperial Master. The young master had put so much thought into this and kept it to himself, so how could the lady know how deep this friendship was?

"Ms. Mu, you don't know that these were purchased urgently at large sums of money from various jewelry stores in Xian Shui by the Imperial Master. I don't know the exact amount of silver, but I heard that it seemed that the private money of the reinforcements was used." Why did she know so much? It was because her husband and the chief steward here, Miao Guan, were brothers.

"What!" Mu Yao paused in her tracks and looked at Zhou Rong in disbelief.

What does it mean to use the private money of the reinforcements? Could it be that Xie Ci took the military pay without permission?

"What does the private money of the reinforcements mean?" Mu Yao asked in shock, her heart about to jump out of her throat. This was far beyond her expectations, and she wished she could take off her clothes immediately.

Zhou Rong saw Mu Yao's almond eyes wide open, full of horror, and her mouth twitched: Oh no, I said too much, look at her mouth, it's better not to say anything, and quickly waved her hands and said: "No, no, my lady misunderstood, our national teacher is so glorious, how could he commit such a crime of disobedience. Yes..." Zhou Rong paused, it's over! It seems that she really said too much and said something she shouldn't have said. Although it's not a big secret, many people know it, but they don't make it public.

"What is it?" Mu Yao asked immediately.

Zhou Rong pulled Mu Yao over and replied after thinking for a while: "Ms. Mu, I told you, you can't show it in front of the young master."

Mu Yao nodded. Zhou Rong then spoke out half-doubtfully. The arrow had to be shot, and there was no way not to speak out at this time.

It turns out that the economic situation in Beiming has not been very good in the past two years. A lot of national strength has been spent on maintaining stability on the border with Nanyue. In addition, the new emperor ascended the throne, and a huge amount of military strength was spent on quelling civil strife and eliminating heresy. Therefore, the emerging stability seen in the city and the people's peace and happiness are all stabilized by the new emperor and Xie Ci with great difficulty. Xie Ci's industries are all over Beiming. His family is backed by the first imperial merchant in Beiming. Over the years, he has made huge financial contributions to the stability of the new emperor's regime. More than half of his annual income from the industries he runs supports the new emperor.

Mu Yao listened to Zhou Rong's long and stammering words and finally understood everything. In short, it was: thank you - financial difficulties.

Mu Yao felt depressed, and walked into the hall with Zhou Rong with heavy steps, looking thoughtful.

"Mr. Xie." She forced herself to greet Xie Ci.

Xie Ci turned around and stood with his hands behind his back. The fairy-like figure and jade-like complexion of the person who came suddenly caught his eyes. The huge visual impact made his heart tremble heavily.

In the golden light, the beauty was wearing bright "flower-dyed cloud brocade", which set off her graceful and slender figure. The light green silk ribbon around her waist gently fluttered down as she stepped, creating ripples in the air.

Her wine-red hair was tied up into a beautiful flower basket bun, her eyebrows were deep and shallow, her eyes were like autumn water, her face was like peach blossoms with dew, and her body was fragrant. The rare pink and green headdress made her look even more dazzling and charming.

The dress she wore today did not have a collar, revealing her flawless white collarbone, but the collar was pulled up high on the chest, covering two-thirds of her proud jade peaks, leaving only a shallow valley faintly visible.

Xie Ci stared at her for five full breaths without blinking. It was only when Zhou Rong coughed hard that the stillness in the air was broken.

"Ms. Mu, please take a seat." Xie Ci restrained his expression, but Mu Yao caught it clearly.

Today's steamed cured meat was topped with a lot of coriander, and several other dishes on the table also had some coriander added to them appropriately.

There was a moment of silence, and Mu Yao felt her chest swell up. After hesitating for a while, she finally said, "Thank you, Master. The dress is very beautiful. I like it very much. I'm sorry to have troubled you. Actually, I don't care much about my clothes on weekdays, so there's no need to spend so much money."

"Ms. Mu, you are too polite. They are just a few pieces of clothing. It's nothing to worry about. Just like it." Xie Ci said amiably. He felt very comfortable to receive the affirmation from the beautiful lady, and his recent worries seemed to have faded a lot.

The topic seemed to be opened up all of a sudden, and the atmosphere gradually became lively. When Mu Yao asked about the situation in Dayun, Xie Ci's eyes flashed with disappointment. He smiled faintly and replied: "If everything goes well, Hai Dongqing should have passed the news to Wutai County. It is nearly four or five days' drive from Xianshui. Miss Mu, don't worry, I believe that Master Helian and others will come to pick you up soon."

Are there still four or five days left? Wei Wushang, that bastard, actually took me so far!

Mu Yao pursed her lips, her face showing a hint of sadness.

Xie Ci picked up a piece of Dingsheng cake and placed it on the porcelain plate in front of her, and said softly, "Don't worry, I believe you will be able to see them soon. I need to go out of the house once in the afternoon and will be back before dinner. The night view of Xianshui is picturesque. If you have nothing to do, how about I take you to cruise on the Ershui River at night? There are always singing and dancing, lantern festivals and iron flower performances on the river. It is very lively and is a major feature of our local area. Many ladies will go there to enjoy it."

Er River... ? Mu Yao's thoughts began to drift away. She remembered that she and Shen Chutang had met by the Er River.

"Does Ershui flow directly into Xianshui?" Mu Yao asked.

Xie Ci smiled and replied, “The Ershui River is very long, flowing through the six cities and 123 rivers of Beiming, directly connecting to Xianshui, east to the western border of Yunlan, and is the veritable “mother river” of our Xianshui City.

"Okay." Mu Yao smiled.

Since we are here, we should make the best of it. We might as well take this opportunity to have a good look around here. Suddenly, she remembered that the ten thousand taels of silver notes that Shen Chutang left for her were still with her. She couldn't help but blush. How could she have forgotten this place when she left? Now she didn't know when she would be able to see it again. She suddenly felt suffocated. But when she thought about the two prescriptions she left for him, she didn't feel so ashamed anymore.

This sum of money was enough for her to buy painting materials. Thinking of Xie Ci's careful care for her and the predicament he faced, she felt that she should take action and do something.