The group's favorite, the blind princess is both a doctor and a poisoner

Between Water and Clouds

study

Xiao Chengchang was sitting opposite Xie Jiusi sipping tea.

"Qingshan Yunwu is indeed top-grade. Master Shuiyun's craftsmanship is truly unmatched. If I had the chance, I would really like to make the acquaintance of this hermit master!"

Xie Jiusi sneered at the corner of his lips, his tone was light,

"Your Highness, are you here today to see Mr. Shuiyun? If so, please forgive my disrespect. Mr. Shuiyun has always been a recluse and doesn't see outsiders."

A hint of coldness flashed across Xiao Chengchang's eyes, and he smiled heartily.

"It's inevitable that the master's temperament is a bit eccentric, and this king understands. I came here today to ask if Patriarch Xie has considered the cooperation I mentioned last time?"

Xie Jiusi looked at the docile man in front of him, raised his thick eyebrows slightly, and did not answer.

Xiao Chengchang smiled slightly and said in a dignified tone,

"Master Xie, I will keep my word. If the Xie family can lend me a helping hand in the future, I will guarantee that the Xie family will become the only prominent family in Tianjin."

Xie Jiusi was silent for a moment, raised his eyelids slightly, glanced at the person in front of him, raised his eyebrows slightly, lowered his head, picked up the teacup in front of him, and slowly sipped the tea.

His tone was calm, but he could not refute it.

"Your Highness Prince Gong, you're joking. My Xie family has never sought high positions, only the continued prosperity of the family. Moreover, the five great families have long agreed not to participate in the royal family dispute."

The Xie family is now ranked first among the five major families. Although other families have been eyeing the Xie family over the years, with Xie Jiusi around, they dare not act rashly.

As soon as these words came out, the smile on Xiao Chengchang's face disappeared instantly, and his eyes became a little cold.

"I thought Patriarch Xie was a smart man."

Xie Jiusi chuckled, "Jiusi is just a businessman."

Xiao Chengchang looked at the handsome man in front of him with a gloomy face. After a long silence, he spoke.

"If that's the case, then I must have misjudged him. I never thought that the renowned Patriarch Xie would be so cowardly."

Xie Jiusi didn't take him seriously at all and said calmly, "Your Highness has a keen eye."

Xiao Chengchang was so angry at his words that his face turned red and his neck became thick. However, the Xie family had an extraordinary status in Tianjin. It would not be good for him to offend Xie Jiusi. He could only say unhappily, "I have something to do in the palace. I will take my leave today."

He stood up and walked towards the door. After taking two steps, he paused and turned back to Xie Jiusi and said,

"If Patriarch Xie changes his mind, Prince Gong's Mansion welcomes you at any time."

Xie Jiusi stood up and bowed to see the guest off, "Goodbye, Your Highness."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Xiao Chengchang flicked his sleeves and left angrily.

As Su Yuejian arrived at the door of Shuiyunjian, she saw Xiao Chengchang walking out angrily. She quickly hid behind a stone pillar.

After watching Xiao Chengchang get on the carriage and drive away, he walked out from behind the pillar, walked to the gate of the mansion, handed the jade token to the servant at the door, and turned around to go in to report.

Soon Gan He rushed out excitedly.

"Master Jin! You're here! Please come in, the master is waiting for you!"

Su Yue smiled at his excited look and followed him to the study.

This was her first time in Shuiyunjian, and she carefully looked at the mansion in front of her along the way.

The mansion was spacious and magnificent, with carved beams and painted buildings yet still grand and elegant. Su Yuejian noticed that even the glass, which was rarely seen in ordinary homes, was inlaid here as whole pieces of window sashes, as transparent as colored glaze, making every room look very bright and clear.

The two walked through the courtyard and came to Mo Zhai. Outside the study were many lush, emerald green crabapple trees. The blooming flowers were densely packed together, and from a distance, they looked like white clouds and fresh snow.

When Xie Jiusi saw Su Yuejian come in, a gentle smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Thank you, brother. Your Shuiyunjian is really good!"

Su Yuejian came in, bowed, and sat down opposite him without any hesitation.

Xie Jiusi smiled lightly, "This Shuiyunjian was originally built for Mr. Shuiyun."

Su Yue was stunned and blinked in confusion, "For me?"

Xie Jiusi looked at his dumbfounded expression and sighed.

"Who made me think that Master Shuiyun was a sixty-year-old man? I spent a huge amount of money to build this mansion so that he could have a stable home and take care of him in his later years."

Su Yuejian burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, thank you, big brother, you are so thoughtful. You are ready to take care of me like a son and see me to my old age...hahahaha"

Gan He, who was standing by, was also amused and had to cover his mouth to hold back his laughter.

Xie Jiusi wrinkled his nose, raised his hand and gave Su Yuejian a slap on the head.

"You're still laughing! You have no respect for yourselves!"

"Ouch!" Su Yuejian cried out in pain, covered her head with her hands and lowered her head, her eyes sweeping over the two cups of tea on the table.

Thinking of Xiao Chengchang's figure just now, he put away his smile instantly and asked seriously, "Brother Xie, when I came here just now, I saw Prince Gong leaving. Why did he look for you?"

Speaking of Prince Gong, Xie Jiusi sneered and said sarcastically, "He is just trying to win over my Xie family and use them as his pawns."

Su Yue's eyes turned cold when she heard this, and her tone became even lower. "You agreed?"

Xie Jiusi shook his head, raised his hand to pick up a new teacup, poured her a cup of new tea and handed it to her.

"My Xie family has never participated in royal disputes. It has always been like this and will not change in the future."

Su Yue felt relieved when she heard his serious tone.

"That's good. Prince Gong isn't as virtuous as people say. Brother Xie should be careful."

Xie Jiusi didn't expect that he also knew about Prince Gong, and raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise.

Su Yuejian didn't notice his doubts. She took out the recipes for incense, desserts, and dishes from her bosom. She also took out the spices she had made in recent days and placed them on the tea table.

Xie Jiusi couldn't help but be amused as he watched him constantly taking out various porcelain bottles from his bag.

Gan He also laughed and said, "Master Jin, you carry so many things with you when you go out, this cloth bag has become a treasure chest!"

Su Yuejian glanced at him unhappily and snorted, "Those are all treasures made for you!"

Then he began to introduce each recipe to Xie Jiusi and Gan He.

Seeing how excited he was talking, Xie Jiusi's smile became even more pronounced.

Gan He already admired him very much, and now he worshipped him even more!

"Master Jin, is this Sushan really that delicious?"

"Of course. Here, the recipe is here. Ask the kitchen staff to make it later!"

Gan He excitedly picked up the prescription and held it in his arms like a treasure.

Xie Jiusi looked at the recipes in front of him and recalled the delicious dishes at the Su Mansion’s birthday banquet that day.

"When it comes to delicious food, Princess Minghua of the Imperial Tutor's Mansion is truly exceptional in her cooking skills."

Hearing Xie Jiusi's sudden words, Su Yue's body stiffened and she felt a little uneasy.

He wouldn't recognize her through the recipe, would he?

But his next words dispelled her doubts.

"Brother Jin, I heard that Princess Minghua returned to the Duke of Huguo's Mansion a few days ago. Have you seen her?"

Su Yuejian breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "Yes, I must have seen it when I was following the Third Young Master!"

Gan He immediately asked her curiously, "People say Princess Minghua is the most beautiful woman in Tianjin. Master Jin, have you seen her after she's recovered? Is she really as beautiful as people say?"

As soon as these words came out, Xie Jiusi also stared at him closely.

However, he didn't want to know whether Su Yuejian was beautiful or not, but whether Lu Jinxi liked Su Yuejian.

Su Yue's smile froze, and she felt very embarrassed. How could she say that she was the most beautiful woman...

I could only say politely, "It's just... okay."

Gan He was a little disappointed. "Ah...it seems that these are all rumors. Well, it's true. Princess Minghua is already the most talented woman in Tianjin. People can't be so perfect!"

Xie Jiusi glanced at him coldly, and Gan He immediately shut up.

Xie Jiusi praised, "I think Princess Minghua has both excellent talent and temperament, and she is also an excellent cook. She is a rare woman."

Su Yue was even more embarrassed to hear him praising her like that, and smiled guiltily.

"It's not that bad. To me, she's just an ordinary woman."

Hearing him say that, Xie Jiusi's lips curled up slightly.

Gan He said, "But I think Princess Minghua is quite nice. The master of the family invited her to have tea before. This is the first time the master of the family has invited a woman!"

Su Yuejian was stunned when she remembered his invitation that day. Her mind was hot and she asked faster than her brain could think.

"Brother Xie, you don't like the princess, do you?"