A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Gu Xixi's heart was already occupied by the delicious food.

She walked quickly forward, urging Mu Nanzhao to catch up in a low voice.

Mu Nanzhao watched her retreating figure, the smile fading from his eyes.

Instead, a deep and complex emotion emerged.

This confirms a fact once again.

She clearly didn't want to marry him, at least not right now.

However, Mu Nanzhao already knew about her choice, so he couldn't say he was disappointed.

He valued other discoveries more.

Just now in the imperial study, Mu Nanzhao showed that he didn't care much about Gu Xixi in front of the emperor, and didn't even look at her directly a few times.

This was obviously done on purpose.

But Mu Nanzhao noticed every single reaction and expression of Gu Xixi.

He was certain that she did not like the magnificent palace, which, in the eyes of others, symbolized glory.

Realizing that Gu Xixi was forcing herself to adapt, Mu Nanzhao actually felt sorry for her.

So after leaving that place, he deliberately used food to entice her to think about things she liked and to help her forget the feeling of having to bow her head and suppress herself as soon as possible.

Mu Nanzhao glanced back one last time, thinking to himself that he should try to bring her here less often in the future.

Gu Xixi and Mu Nanzhao met up with He Jinglan in the palace.

They left the palace together, taking a carriage from the He family's residence and departing from the palace gate.

Now that it was convenient to talk, He Jinglan could tell from Gu Xixi's expression that she had achieved her goal.

I am genuinely happy for her. "Although serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, as long as you can travel freely throughout Daye and do what you want without having to beg or beg from others, then your gamble today was worthwhile."

Gu Xixi thought about the future, her heart filled with hope, and a genuine smile appeared on her face.

"That's right. Not to mention things further into the future, the immediate problem of getting Qingtian County to approve wasteland for me, plus obtaining official tea status, could potentially solve both major issues."

With limited funds, partnering with the county government to run a tea plantation is currently the most cost-effective and quickest solution.

He Jinglan grabbed Gu Xixi's hand and shook it, "We must celebrate properly today!"

She looked at Mu Nanzhao.

Mu Nanzhao looked resigned. "Juxianlou, whatever you want."

He Jinglan laughed and said, "Xixi, this Juxianlou is no ordinary restaurant. It is said that even the cheapest dish costs one tael of silver."

“I was originally planning to take you with me, but now it’s perfect. Someone is richer than me and has saved me money.”

Gu Xixi cooperated in a serious tone and said, "You've already spent a lot of money on that dessert shop. You still need to burn money in the early stages of starting a business, so you should be frugal in everything you do."

He Jinglan pouted and looked at Gu Xixi, nodding pitifully.

"That's right! Think about it, you're also in the early stages of starting your business. It will be a long time before your fruit trees and tea trees make money. We're really in the same boat, a pair of poor little bitter gourds!"

Gu Xixi forced a smile, thinking to herself, "Isn't this acting a bit too much?"

Mu Nanzhao saw through everything and asked expressionlessly, "Speak, what else do you want?"

He Jinglan, who had been listless, suddenly perked up. "You need to name the dessert shop and personally write the plaque!"

Mu Nanzhao sighed, "Why don't you two name the shop yourselves?"

It's one thing that Xixi isn't good at writing.

He Jinglan was trained in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from a young age.

There is weirdness.

Mu Nanzhao looked at He Jinglan with certainty, "Aren't you proud of your calligraphy?"

"The opportunity to have the world admire your calligraphy is so rare, how could you bear to give it to me?"

He Jinglan slammed her hand on the tea table and said matter-of-factly, "Of course there's a reason."

"Think about it, in the past six months, who has been the number one dream man of every young lady in the capital?"

Mu Nanzhao's face stiffened, and he subconsciously glanced at Gu Xixi.

Just then, Gu Xixi looked at him with a half-smile.

For the first time, Mu Nanzhao felt like he had been seen through, and quickly looked away. "It's just a plaque inscription. Just tell me a day in advance when you want to use it."

He Jinglan clapped her hands and said happily, "Look, the main customers of dessert shops are still women."

"Everyone knows that the Regent's calligraphy is superb. How many of them went to great lengths to find someone to pull strings in order to obtain his calligraphy? Unfortunately, the Regent never wrote anything for anyone."

"So all we need to do is hang the plaque, which was personally named and inscribed by the Regent, outside the main gate!"

He Jinglan imagined the scene and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Mu Nanzhao glanced sideways and said, "If your brother saw your mercenary demeanor, I really want to see what his expression would be."

He looked at Gu Xixi as he spoke, clearly implying something.

Gu Xixi looked back at him innocently, then calmly turned to the window to look at the street scene.

Even if you become like those you associate with, so what?

He Jinglan didn't seem to care and continued to elaborate on her grand plan.

"When the store opens, there will be so many people eager to admire the calligraphy that it will be much more effective than setting off 10,000 firecrackers!"

"Plus, you were the one who named the shop. With just a slight hint, even the Regent praised our desserts."

"Wouldn't all the wealthy ladies in the capital flock to it?"

Gu Xixi turned back and said in a serious tone, "Although Your Highness is not short of money, the writing fee that should be paid still needs to be paid."

He Jinglan nodded vigorously, "Yes! It's included in the cost!"

Mu Nanzhao was too exhausted to even sigh. He glanced at Gu Xixi without leaving a trace and said, "It's not just women who can attract me."

He didn't want to be branded as "too flirtatious" in Gu Xixi's mind.

After thinking for a moment, He Jinglan finally accepted the topic as Mu Nanzhao had hoped.

"For example, colleagues who are impressed by your abilities and genuinely follow you? And... the vast number of literati, scholars, and candidates attracted by your talent and reputation?"

Mu Nanzhao pretended not to care and nodded slightly.

In reality, he was secretly observing Gu Xixi's reaction with a haughty grin.

However, He Jinglan then said, "These people might prefer to go to a teahouse."

"After thinking it over, I realized that repeat customers and building a good reputation mainly depend on women."

Mu Nanzhao's face turned slightly pale.

So in the end, his only purpose is to attract attention, right?

And judging from Gu Xixi's expression, she seemed to agree as well.

Or was this terrible idea actually Gu Xixi's idea?!

Gu Xixi was unaware of what Mu Nanzhao was thinking at that moment. She assumed he had lost face and was naturally displeased.

She thought to herself, since she had already reaped such a great benefit, it would be impolite to push the person who hosted the dinner too far.

So Gu Xixi changed the subject, "The eunuch Jingdong who guided me today."

He hesitated when he spoke of the regent.

She looked at Mu Nanzhao and asked sincerely, "Is there any little-known past between you and him?"

"Oh, I was just a little curious. If it's inconvenient to say, then never mind."

Mu Nanzhao glanced at him indifferently, "There's nothing I can't tell you."

“Last year, when I was handling old cases of wrongful convictions, his family was just one of them…”

As he spoke, Gu Xixi felt hungry. Seeing the silver eight-treasure pine branch teapot on the table, she thought she should drink some tea to relieve her hunger.

Because the tea table was on the side where Mu Nanzhao was sitting, she couldn't reach it, so she had to stand up and lean over to reach it.

Suddenly, the carriage made a sharp turn and then braked suddenly!