After leaving the Haoyue Palace, Lai Fu saw the prince not far away.
The two men looked at each other, Gu Yanxi walked forward first, Lai Fu looked back at the main hall which was becoming increasingly darker under the sunlight outside, and followed silently.
On the corridor, Lai Fu bent down deeply and said in a loud voice, "When His Royal Highness is free, please send someone to tell this old servant, and I will take you to get the night pearl."
"Don't worry, just send it to my house in two days."
"yes."
Lai Fu glanced around and almost spoke in his mouth, "The emperor asked me to check whether the mushrooms were really cultivated by the daughter of the Hua family. I think the emperor wants to know more than that. I have to check more things. I wonder if your highness has any instructions?"
"Delete all the parts about me, don't drag anyone else into this, and report Green Moss Lane."
"Yes." Lai Fu understood. Hua Zhi might have some involvement with other families, but the prince wanted to protect the girl of the Hua family. He had been dealing with Old Master Hua for decades, and he knew Old Master Hua's character best. Even if there were any bigger involvements, the Hua family would only be trying to protect themselves given their current situation. As long as it was not detrimental to the emperor, he was happy to do the prince a favor.
The two men left without much contact. What happened in the palace naturally could not be hidden from the emperor. After listening, he just sent the person who reported it away. Considering how special he treated Yan Xi, his sons also treated Yan Xi with courtesy. It would be strange if Lai Fu did not go to please him.
That evening, Lai Fu delivered the file to the emperor's desk. The emperor laughed before he even finished reading it, "You've made a street out of this business? You're really good at business."
"Yes, I went there today to have a look and asked someone. It was a dead end alley. Most of the shops were empty and no business could be done there. But the Hua family girl was very courageous. She sold the house that the Queen Mother had bought for Madam Hua and bought the whole alley. Then she knocked down the shop facing the inner river. The dead end alley became a lively alley. The whole alley is used for food business. In addition, most of the snacks are not available outside. When I went there, the alley was packed with people. There were long queues everywhere. Business was really good."
"I really want to see Hua Yizhen's expression after he finds out." The emperor was in a good mood. He was wary of the Hua family's status in the hearts of literati, but he also knew what kind of person the Hua family was. Hua Yizhen was like a stone in the toilet, smelly and hard, which made people furious, but he had no other intentions.
The emperor suddenly missed old man Hua a little. They had been monarch and minister for decades. He still remembered the first time he went to court, looking down at all the important civil and military officials. His heart was beating like a drum, and when he saw Hua Yizhen sitting at the back, he couldn't help but take a few more glances. All the Hua family members had good looks, and his noble air made him stand out. It seemed that in the blink of an eye, the man who was once famous in the capital was now old.
The emperor sneered. Isn't he old too? He is so old that he is not far from death.
He threw the file away with a dull look on his face. "You are quite ambitious and worthy of the Hua family name. I will go back and talk to the Queen Mother about it and make her happy."
"yes."
Gu Yanxi now almost always has dinner at the Hua family, and Lan Qiao habitually cooks a few dishes that suit his taste.
"Cao Cao left early this morning, saying he had to go out for some errands."
"I assigned her a task." So that she wouldn't have to follow Azhi around all the time and couldn't be driven away.
Hua Zhi put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth, "Will she go north this time?"
"You want her to go?"
"My grandfather is old, and the others have never suffered hardship before. I want Cao Cao to show them."
Gu Yanxi originally didn't plan to let Shaoyao go, but she immediately changed her mind and said, "I'll leave a message for her to go over when she gets back."
"Will it delay your business?"
"Won't."
Hua Zhi didn't ask more questions. Although she wanted a love that was side by side, she didn't intend to be an invincible woman. She should give her boyfriend a chance as she had shown.
"I have told my uncle the Emperor about doing mushroom business with you."
Hua Zhi raised her head. Is this really okay
"Eunuch Lai Fu and I have a good relationship. We will submit what should be submitted, and we will not submit anything that should not be submitted."
In other words, Lai Fu is one of them. Hua Zhi understood it immediately. Yes, Yan Xi is not a reckless person. He would not push himself out if he didn't have any trump card.
The two were discussing when Liu Xiang reported at the door, "Miss, Mr. Mu and Mr. Zheng are here."
Hua Zhi hurriedly stood up to greet him. Mr. Zheng would sometimes come over to play a game of chess with her, but Mr. Mu abided by the rules. He used to have a lounge in the courtyard, but he avoided coming here because she had been here for a long time.
Later, she simply had someone prepare two rooms for the two gentlemen in the clan school courtyard. If she didn't go there, she often didn't see them for several days. He probably came here just for that matter.
After greeting each other, Mu Qing did not beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose, "Berlin told me that he wanted to go out for a trip, and the young lady agreed. I think it's a bit too early for him to go on a long journey now at his age."
Before Hua Zhi could say anything, Zheng Zhi took over the conversation, "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It's a good thing that he has the courage. And he has brothers going with him, so how can he suffer any loss?"
The two had obviously argued about this before. Mu Qing ignored him and spoke directly to Hua Zhi, "I'm not trying to stop him from traveling. When he reaches a certain stage, he needs to go out and see in order to gain experience. But it's not right for Berlin's age. Please think about it carefully, young lady."
Hua Zhi suddenly remembered what her grandfather had said, that Mu Qing was a man of top talent and character, but unfortunately what he experienced in his youth became a hurdle in his heart that he could not overcome, binding his hands and feet.
Now it seems to be true.
As a teacher, it is normal to worry about students, but worrying too much is a bit timid.
However, Zheng Zhi was a wild and unrestrained person. If both of them entered officialdom, Zheng Zhi would definitely go further than him.
Hua Zhi led the two to sit down and explained to Mu Qing, "Berlin will not only have Sui'an with him, but Xiaoliu will also go with him. Not only will Xiaoliu bring guards, but I will also send a few more people to follow them secretly. They can handle minor dangers by themselves, and I will protect them if something really happens."
Hua Zhi smiled and said, "How can you see the rainbow without going through the wind and rain? Since Bolin is willing to rush into the wind and rain, I will naturally help him."
Mu Qing still looked disapproving, "But he is only eleven years old..."
Hua Zhi smiled.
Mu Qing suddenly couldn't say anything to object. Berlin was only eleven, but the eldest girl was only sixteen, and she had already supported the Hua family.