Men are superior to women: the heartthrob in Yunqi

Chapter 144 Return to Beijing

Xu Qingcheng took out two pieces of letter paper from her wide sleeves and handed them to Mu Yao.

"This is the news brought by Xie Ci and the Emperor of Southern Xinjiang."

Mu Yao hurriedly opened it and began to read it carefully.

The handwriting of Xie Ci was smooth and light, but a little sloppy, and it was obvious that it was written in a hurry. Mu Yao's heart sank, and a layer of mist covered her beautiful eyebrows.

The content of the letter was concise and to the point. It only said three lines to wish Mu Yao safety, and at the end of the letter was signed with a big "Nian".

Ji Qi's letter was even simpler, with just a big "return" character, which made Mu Yao laugh. This man didn't forget to show off his dominance even when writing a letter to his wife.

Mu Yao suppressed her emotions and asked Xu Qingcheng about the battle between Bei Ming and Nan Yue.

Xu Qingcheng told Mu Yao that the news he got was that although Nanjiang did not directly participate in the war, Beiming's military strength suddenly increased significantly, and in just a few days, it captured several cities in Nanyue. Even Dayun could not do this, which was really incredible. Therefore, Nanjiang was very likely to secretly participate in the war and help Beiming.

"Will the Emperor of Beiming continue to attack Nanyue?" Mu Yao looked at Xu Qingcheng anxiously. Murong Chen had been a hostage in Nanyue for eighteen years, and had suffered a lot. He had an irreconcilable hatred with Nanyue.

Xu Qingcheng paused for a moment, pursed her lips several times, and said, "Probably not."

"Why?" Mu Yao asked for the reason.

Xu Qingcheng lowered her head in embarrassment, as if thinking about something. After a while, she raised her head and smiled slightly, "No one of the four major powers in Yunqi wants to see one dominate. There is no way they can fight."

Mu Yao understood and breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Chutang's mother was the princess of Nanyue, and the Anshang headquarters was in Nanyue. Mu Yao didn't want to see Beiming and Nanyue fighting from the bottom of her heart.

"Have Nanyue and Beiming reached a ceasefire now?" Mu Yao hadn't heard any news about a ceasefire between the two countries recently.

"They are currently sending envoys to negotiate with each other. I heard from my father that the main envoy sent by Bei Ming this time is Xie Ci." Xu Qingcheng told everything she knew and could say.

Mu Yao has no interest in politics, she only hopes that the world will be peaceful and the barns will be full. She has never experienced war in her life, and she never wants to experience it.

"Ayao, I'm going back soon. Do you want to go home with me?" Xu Qingcheng asked tentatively.

"Are we leaving so soon?" Mu Yao asked doubtfully as it was just past noon.

"Tomorrow I will go to Wutai County with several colleagues from the department to take an exam, so I have to go back early to prepare." Xu Qingcheng's eyes were full of expectations, which made Mu Yao feel so distressed that her nose was sore.

She originally wanted to wait for Wei Wushang to come back before going back to the capital together, but she really couldn't bear to let Xu Qingcheng down, so she temporarily put aside all the trivial matters and worries and met Xu Qingcheng's expectations.

Shangjing is not far from Lanling County in a straight line. It only takes about half an hour to get there by galloping on a small road. If you take the official road at normal speed, it will take an hour. Mu Yao thought about the possibility of traveling back and forth between the two places every day.

One hour takes two hours, and the round trip takes four hours. After some preparations, half a day is gone.

Alas! It's still too far! Mu Yao pressed her lips together, sulking in her heart.

Back at the Helian residence, when Mu Yao told Helian that she and Xu Qingcheng were going back to Shangjing, he was so shocked that his eyes almost burst out of his eyelids.

"Xu Qingcheng is going to Wutai County tomorrow. Do you want to go back with her?" Helian Yun asked in a low voice.

Mu Yao nodded and said, "Ah Yun, I still want to go back to see my father. I haven't seen him for several days."

Helian Yun's mouth stagnated, and he almost forgot about his father-in-law. The lines on his face softened instantly: "Then I will go back with you. I will wait for you at my father-in-law's place. I will take you back to Lanling County when the time comes."

Mu Yao had just that thought, and a beautiful dimple appeared on her face.

She asked someone to deliver a message to Shen Chutang, and also asked someone to keep an eye on Songgu Garden, so that if Wei Wushang came back, he would be notified as soon as possible.

Finally, before leaving, he wrote a letter back to Ji Qi, telling him that if he wanted to see his wife, he would have to come and pick her up in person.

Xu Yuanming and Ye Jingshu were so happy to see Mu Yao coming home that they couldn't stop smiling. They ordered the kitchen to prepare a large table of delicacies, including Mu Yao's favorite steamed cured meat, which was decorated with lush green coriander.

Before mealtime, the whole family was already enjoying their meal.

Xu Ruchen and Xu Licheng are both here today. It's rare that the whole family is together.

Mu Yao noticed the hint of sadness between Xu Ruchen's brows, and after the meal asked Xu Qingcheng if Brother Ruchen was still worried about Zhu Errou's rejection of his marriage proposal.

Xu Qingcheng shook her head and quietly told Mu Yao that her parents had already set their sights on other places and had been asking their friends to look for a husband for Xu Ruchen in the past few days.

After that, the two of them were affectionate for a long time before Xu Qingcheng let Mu Yao return to the Taifu Mansion.

Li Changan was delighted to see his daughter coming back, and he pulled Mu Yao to the table to eat.

Seeing that the table was filled with her favorite delicacies, Mu Yao couldn't bear to disappoint her father, so she ate some more.

"Dad, where are Handan and Furong?" Mu Yao asked in confusion when she didn't see them.

Li Changan smiled and replied, "These two girls are as fast as rabbits. They can't sit still for a moment. They are busy!"

Seeing her father smiling so cunningly, Mu Yao understood about 70% of what was going on.

Helian Yun knew that Handan and Furong were sent by Ji Qi, and he was very satisfied with the arrangements Mu Yao made for them. As long as the two of them stayed away from Mu Yao's sight, he would not care what they did.

After the meal, Li Changan kept Mu Yao alone.

Mu Yao brewed a pot of fragrant tea for her father and rubbed his shoulders.

"Why didn't Wei's son-in-law come back with me?" Li Changan missed Wei Wushang. This son-in-law was a good chess player, and his style of play was fierce. He never showed mercy because he was his father-in-law. He had a great time playing against Wei's son-in-law, which pleased him very much.

“Wu Shang took Third Brother Xie to Yangming Town to relax, and helped me set up the Shuiyunjian branch there.

Li Changan nodded with satisfaction. Good boy! He is a warm-hearted person.

"Dad wants to train him and wants him to become a citizen of Dayun and take the civil service exam. What do you think?" Li Changan had this idea long ago. For a son, a career in officialdom is the most important thing.

How can that work!

Mu Yao quickly declined: "Dad, Wushang is used to being free and following his heart. The officialdom is not suitable for him. He just needs to follow his daughter."

Wei Wushang had a fickle temper, and Mu Yao could hardly imagine what he would look like after entering the government in his official robes. No, no, absolutely not! She could only feel at ease if she had him by her side.

"Okay. Dad will tell you something else." Li Changan took Mu Yao's little hand that was on his shoulder and asked her to sit next to him.

"Helian's son-in-law was here just now, so there are some things Dad can't say." Li Changan paused, took a sip of tea and considered what to say next.

"Dad, what do you want to say?" Mu Yao's originally calm heart suddenly began to waver.

Every time Dad spoke to her in this tone, nothing good happened.

Li Changan stroked his white beard habitually, stared at Mu Yao and said, "The emperor mentioned your marriage with Wang Yanzhi to me again recently. Dad has already declined on your behalf. I didn't want to tell you, but Dad learned today that Wang Yanzhi fell ill. The imperial physician diagnosed that it was a heart disease and there was no cure. So the emperor mentioned this to me again."

Wang Yanzhi's persistence and deep love for his daughter deeply touched him and moved him with sympathy, so this time Li Changan did not refuse Emperor Qingyuan again, but agreed to ask again after his daughter came back.

Mu Yao opened her mouth slightly and remained silent.

Li Changan stroked her head and comforted her, "Love is not charity. Think about it again. If you are willing to give Wang Yanzhi a chance, go see him. If not, just pretend that your father didn't say anything."

Mu Yao had wanted to talk to her father about Xiao Douxue today, but now that she learned that Wang Yanzhi was sick, she suddenly lost interest.

At midnight, Handan and Furong came back one after the other. They were overjoyed to see Mu Yao and chatted with her for half the night, which made Helian Yun's handsome face full of clouds, but he couldn't get angry.

Handan and Furong are now doing very well in Shuiyunjian. They are excellent in martial arts, and are good at sword dancing. In the kitchen, they are also good at wielding knives. The men in the kitchen, from the sixties to the young, all admire them and follow their lead. They have become the backbone of Shuiyunjian's kitchen.

Mu Yao nodded with satisfaction. To open a restaurant, you must master good cooking skills. This is the foundation, so that you can hold the place at a critical moment and not ruin the reputation.

Then Mu Yao asked about Handan and Furong's life events and told them to pursue their happiness without any worries. As for the rest, she would take care of it for them.

After hearing the words of the empress, Handan began to reconsider her marriage with He Yuxian. For Furong, it was like she had unlocked all the shackles on her body, and she could freely pursue whatever she wanted.

Back at Linglong Pavilion, Mu Yao saw Helian Yun lying on the bed with his clothes on and sleeping, and blinked her beautiful eyes twice. She carefully straightened his body but he held her tightly and turned over and pressed her under him.

"Are you willing to come back?" Helian Yun curled his fingers and lifted her chin, with liquor burning in his eyes.

"Girls always have endless things to say." Mu Yao put her arms around his neck and said coquettishly.

"I understand. But the night of love is short, and we need to make up for it." Helian Yun said in a low, hoarse voice as he covered her soft body, stroking her snow-white neck through her clothes all the way to her waist. He stretched out his white teeth to untie the belt of the pretty girl and reached inside impatiently.

Mu Yao was so aroused by him that she held his big hand tightly, her eyes filled with desire and shyness.

The night wind blew through the carved lattices, and the cool breeze woke the two people from their itchy feeling.

Her waist swayed gracefully, and in an instant, the air was filled with the rich fragrance of gardenia.