“You, you, you! Are you insane? Shen Yu, do you have any idea what you’ve done? Qingzhou… Qingzhou City is already a dead city. What are you going there for? To die?”
“Those civil officials curse at you—let them. All they do is find fault and scold people. Why do you bother with them? Just because they said a few things, you’re going to throw your life away?”
“Answer me! Talk! Also, I gave you the spices in advance. If you die, what will I eat when I come to this courtyard to mooch meals in the future?”
Xiao Yue, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, was already waiting in the courtyard of Mu’en Hall.
As soon as Shen Yu returned, she immediately began an endless stream of nagging.
Her petite figure stood with hands on her hips, looking domineering.
Although she was not tall, a head shorter than Shen Yu, her presence was in no way inferior.
That small frame could actually overpower Shen Yu in aura.
“Right! What will my lady eat?”
Xiao Tao chimed in from the side, scolding Shen Yu for being irresponsible.
Shen Yu listened to their accusations with some embarrassment.
She knew that Xiao Yue was worried about her.
But the current situation was…
Shen Yu had to go to Qingzhou City, and she had to solve all the current problems.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be just a scolding.
The vaccines and the credibility of the Medical Recruitment Exam would lose their efficacy.
Mu’en Hall, which had just begun to improve, would be seized upon as a handle by the noble families, who would use it as a breakthrough to drag it step by step into the abyss.
Shen Yu was in a nascent stage; one misstep and all efforts would be wasted.
Once Shen Yu and the Mu’en Hall under her lost credibility, in His Majesty’s eyes, Shen Yu’s coming to the capital would be meaningless.
“Shen Yu! Shen Yu, what are you spacing out about?”
“Did you not hear what I, this princess… I, this lady, said?”
Seeing that Shen Yu seemed to be zoning out, Xiao Yue’s pretty face flushed red with anger.
She wished she could directly reach out and spank Shen Yu twice.
“No, I just think you look cute when you’re serious. All that nagging, just like my mother.”
“Pfft! You idiot Shen Yu! Who… who’s your mother?”
Xiao Yue’s face instantly reddened, but this time not from anger—from shyness.
Her delicate cheeks were as red as a ripe apple.
At the same time, she cursed in her heart: ‘Stinky Shen Yu, dumb Shen Yu, silly Shen Yu. Who’s your mother? How did you get the idea that I look like your mother? Is that a normal person’s way of thinking? Shouldn’t a normal person think I look like your wi… No, no! What am I rambling about? It must be because I’ve been so busy lately that my head is all muddled.’
“In short, you are not allowed to go to Qingzhou City. No matter what, you cannot go!”
“I have considerable influence. I can easily find a few scapegoats to go in your place. You don’t have to go to your death.”
As for the situation in Qingzhou City, Xiao Yue believed she understood it much more deeply than Shen Yu.
That place was a real-life underworld.
Those memorials sent to the East Palace—the words describing the raging plague—Xiao Yue needed immense courage just to read them once.
“Miss Xiaoyue, I absolutely must go to Qingzhou City this time. Not just for my own reputation, but for His Majesty, for the Medical Recruitment Exam, for the people of Qingzhou, and even for the people of the entire empire.”
Shen Yu’s expression was serious.
She swept her gaze over the people standing in the courtyard.
Qingzhou City was now a time bomb, with the risk of exploding at any moment.
Once it became uncontrollable, the entire empire would be on the brink of collapse.
With the opening of maritime trade imminent, the empire’s mighty fleet was invincible wherever it went.
The good days of plundering others and arming themselves were almost here—Shen Yu certainly couldn’t allow one Qingzhou City to ruin her and the Empress’s plans.
Yin Qiu had never seen Xiao Yue so angry.
She was so frightened that she stood there trembling, at a loss.
On the other side, Cui Yuming and Cui Keyi, the two sisters, along with other women of the Cui clan, were so scared they didn’t dare breathe loudly.
Cui Yuming was aware of Xiao Yue’s true identity, but before Shen Yu returned, Xiao Yue had warned her not to reveal it.
So Cui Yuming’s pressure at this moment was obviously greater than the others.
Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess, the future heir to the throne, was right in front of her, loudly scolding her master for being irresponsible, crying as she scolded.
The way she acted—if anyone said they didn’t have some secret relationship, Cui Yuming wouldn’t believe it at all.
Cui Yuming’s mind was about to short-circuit.
Looking at Xiao Yue’s attitude toward Shen Yu, though her words were harsh, her actual behavior was like a clingy little wife.
Every word carried genuine concern—it was truly saccharine.
Could it be… could it be that her master Shen Yu was also going to marry a princess?
And not just any princess—the Eldest Princess who would become Empress!?
Just how thick of a thigh had she inadvertently latched onto?
“I know you care for the people, but Qingzhou City is also extremely dangerous.”
Xiao Yue hesitated.
She knew clearly that if Shen Yu could go to Qingzhou City, it would be the best solution for the imperial court under the current circumstances.
But this was for the public good…
Xiao Yue didn’t think of herself as a saint who could watch her beloved go to death for the sake of the world’s people.
But in her position, she had to play the saint, at least on the surface.
If it were anyone else, as long as it wasn’t Shen Yu, she might have been able to grit her teeth and agree.
But it had to be Shen Yu.
“Talking about it has made me hungry. Yin Qiu, prepare a hotpot. Let’s eat hotpot.”
“Miss Xiaoyue hasn’t tried hotpot yet, has she? Sit down and eat something first, then we’ll talk slowly.”
Shen Yu looked at Xiao Yue in front of her and gently persuaded her in the softest voice possible.
“I won’t eat. I’m not hungry. Now you need to listen to me. I think…”
Xiao Yue said she wouldn’t eat, but when the hotpot was actually prepared and she smelled the spicy, numbing, and fragrant aroma, she couldn’t help swallowing.
“Th-then I’ll just eat a little bit. When I’m full, I’ll scold you again.”
Xiao Yue’s face reddened as she spoke, a bit embarrassed.
She had been here for so long, chattering away, and was already starving.
“Okay.”
Shen Yu smiled and nodded, then led Xiao Yue into the room.
Sure enough, like mother like daughter—Xiao Yue’s love for hotpot was in no way inferior to the Empress’s.
Bite after bite, her face flushed from the spice, her small lips swollen red, yet she couldn’t bear to stop.
“Hiss hiss hiss, this flavor is so wonderful. It’s a bit painful and a bit hot, my mouth is numb as if losing sensation, but it’s really delicious.”
Xiao Yue stuffed a large mouthful of lamb slices coated in sesame sauce into her mouth, absolutely unwilling to stop.
“How did you make this?”
“Just a casual stroke of inspiration,”
Shen Yu explained somewhat vaguely, her own head dripping with sweat from the spice.
“Impossible? This pot is full of good things. That red fruit of unknown origin—though I don’t recognize it, I’m sure the slightly painful and hot feeling comes from it. And these unknown Sichuan peppercorns. Other Sichuan peppercorns are black; why are these green? All sorts of spices and beef tallow—this isn’t something an ordinary family can afford. Eating one pot like this costs nearly five taels of silver, let alone researching its recipe.”
Xiao Yue looked at Shen Yu, a hint of scrutiny in her eyes, which made Shen Yu at a loss for a moment.
Youthful brains really are sharp.
Yesterday, the Empress was too busy devouring the meal to notice these details.
Xiao Yue, on the other hand, couldn’t be silenced by the meat in her mouth.
“I also have a dipping sauce recipe here. This is called an oil dish. Miss Xiaoyue, try it quickly.”
How could Shen Yu explain these things?
Of course, she couldn’t.
She could only use food to plug Xiao Yue’s mouth.
“Wow!”
After tasting the oil dish, Xiao Yue couldn’t help letting out an exclamation, then continued to bury her head and devour.
Shen Yu saw that she had stopped mentioning the recipe research, and thus let out a sigh of relief.
‘It seemed her identity still had some bugs. She’d have to ask Grandpa to patch things up later; otherwise, the risk of exposure would be too great.’
On the other side, Xiao Yue, who was busily chewing on crunchy tripe, carefully glanced at Shen Yu out of the corner of her eye.
‘This should be enough to remind Shen Yu. Always bringing out these incredible things—with her “clean” background as a farmer’s daughter, it’s clearly impossible. If she continues like this, it’s only a matter of time before outsiders notice something off. If those old fogies in the imperial court find out Shen Yu’s true identity, then even if I intervene, I won’t be able to save her life. Shen Yu, until you can truly stand firm in the imperial court, it’s better to keep a low profile.’