Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Cui Xuan abruptly stood up.

Su Yu noticed clear anger in his eyes.

She blinked with innocence.

Cui Xuan stepped forward, took out a new brocade handkerchief from his sleeve, and replaced the one in Su Yu's hand. "Your Majesty, kindly use this new one."

He then quickly pulled out a set of knives from his sleeve and said indifferently, "The knife of Inner Regular Attendant Yuan is too dull, the meat he slices is too thick, and the timing for cooking the meat is also off. Allow me to take over."

Yuan Ran was somewhat skeptical. Cui Xuan, as the head of a prestigious family, was accustomed only to being served, and his critiques were merely verbal.

But upon seeing Cui Xuan slice raw meat more smoothly than cooked meat, with each piece sliced to a precise thickness and size, as if measured by a ruler, and from being placed into the hot broth to being taken out, each piece remained roughly the same size, it was evident that Cui Xuan had precise control over the cooking time.

Yuan Ran: '...' He had actually been bested by a pampered head of a prestigious family!

Yuan Ran was genuinely disheartened. His already pale complexion grew even paler, and he managed a weak smile. "Your Majesty, may I offer you some wine? I shall retrieve it..."

Xie Yiguan stood up with a smile. "This being the Inner Regular Attendant's first visit, he may not know the way. I shall accompany him."

Cui Xuan cast a light glance at Xie Yiguan. In his view, Xie Yiguan was not a benevolent person, likely harboring hidden motives. However, with Xie Yiguan and Yuan Ran departing together, he found the steamy room less oppressive.

Although Yuan Ran had been acquainted with Cui Xuan earlier, from Yuanzhou to the capital, he had journeyed with Xie Yiguan. In contrast to the aloof Cui Xuan, he held a more favorable impression of the gentle Xie Yiguan.

With Xie Yiguan accompanying him, Yuan Ran felt a sense of gratitude and thanked Xie Yiguan. "I thank you, Minister Xie."

Xie Yiguan smiled. "There is no need for formality, Inner Regular Attendant. Please follow me."

Yuan Ran had thought this was just an ordinary residence, but as he followed Xie Yiguan deeper, he realized there were heavily guarded areas everywhere, indicating it was not as simple as it appeared.

Xie Yiguan took him to the wine cellar and handed him a jar of wine, his face showing a hint of nostalgia. "When His Majesty first ascended the throne, there were too many spies in the palace. His Majesty liked to meet us here."

Yuan Ran tightened his grip and hesitated slightly before asking, "Was His Majesty's life difficult back then?"

Xie Yiguan laughed. "His Majesty is not the type to let his life be difficult."

Yuan Ran was stunned. Xie Yiguan seemed to know Su Yu well. He hugged the wine jar tightly and pursed his lips. He could see that both Cui Xuan and Xie Yiguan were useful to Su Yu, and they could stand openly by the emperor's side, unlike him...

"Your martial skills are quite good, have you ever thought of doing something else?" Xie Yiguan asked casually.

Yuan Ran quickly looked at him, alert. "What does Minister Xie mean?"

Xie Yiguan smiled. "I just mean that His Majesty is very open-minded in employing people. It's a pity for someone with your skills to only serve in the Inner Attendant Bureau."

Yuan Ran lowered his gaze. His better impression of Xie Yiguan did not mean he trusted him. On the contrary, except for Su Yu, he was wary of everyone.

"There's no pity. Being able to serve His Majesty well is my lifelong wish," Yuan Ran said indifferently.

Xie Yiguan smiled and handed him another jar of wine, changing the subject. "His Majesty has a good tolerance for alcohol. Please take two jars, and I'll take two as well."

After fetching the wine, Xie Yiguan led Yuan Ran back. He didn't mind Yuan Ran's wariness and chatted leisurely, sharing amusing stories about Su Yu and himself, and casually mentioned, "I have a younger sister who manages shops in the capital for His Majesty, which is why I say His Majesty is very open-minded in employing people."

Yuan Ran: '...' Having a sister is so great? He also has a sister!

Yuan Ran unconsciously pursed his lips again. He needed to inform Yuan Ling to practice diligently, aiming to become a female general like Gao Lan. Otherwise, how could they, as siblings, compete for the emperor's favor!

When they returned to the dining hall, Yuan Ran saw that the brocade handkerchief in Su Yu's hand was already stained with dipping sauce. He thought, luckily he had brought another one, and was about to take it out for Su Yu when he saw Cui Xuan calmly pull out a new one and replace the one in Su Yu's hand.

Yuan Ran: "..." It's fine, there will always be a time when this brocade handkerchief comes in handy.

However, to his astonishment, Cui Xuan's robe looked light, and he himself seemed like a cold immortal, yet Cui Xuan's sleeves seemed to be able to produce brocade handkerchiefs endlessly. He couldn't even guess how many brocade handkerchiefs Cui Xuan had hidden on him.

Every time he thought his chance had come to hand a brocade handkerchief to Su Yu, Cui Xuan would pull out a new one from his sleeve.

In the end, Yuan Ran was pretty much numb to it all.

Su Yu, eating hotpot and drinking wine, felt quite warm. She decided to get up and step outside for some fresh air. The cold wind that greeted her felt refreshing.

Yuan Ran hurriedly wanted to follow, but Cui Xuan beat him to it, fetching Su Yu's cloak.

As Cui Xuan draped the cloak over Su Yu, he shielded her from the direct cold wind, "Your Majesty, be careful not to catch a cold."

Yuan Ran was about to say that he would adjust the emperor's collar, but Xie Yiguan pulled him back, saying with a smile, "Inner Regular Attendant, why not have another look."

Yuan Ran then saw Cui Xuan's hands, like a ruler, adjusting Su Yu's collar so neatly that not a single crease was visible.

He couldn't believe his eyes. He had lost! He had truly been outdone by Cui Xuan!

While he was still in shock, Liu Wushi subtly stepped in front of him, smiling and saying to Su Yu, "Your Majesty, I've made some trades in Kharkhira and earned a bit of money. I have some spare cash now, would you like to play mahjong with me?"

Liu Wushi might as well have had 'giving money' written all over his face. Su Yu twitched her fingers, finding it hard to refuse, and with a wave of her hand, said, "Let's go, the four of us will play mahjong."

Yuan Ran had no clue what mahjong was. When Su Yu, Cui Xuan, Xie Yiguan, and Liu Wushi sat down to play, he was once again shocked by what he saw.

Although he didn't understand mahjong, he could calculate the flow of silver coins. After two rounds, it was clear that a hefty sum of money had changed hands.

Yuan Ran stumbled outside in a daze, letting the cold winter wind whip past him. After a while, he felt someone beside him and turned to see Yu Chiyou's face.

"..." Though Yu Chiyou's face wasn't bad, having it suddenly up close was a bit startling.

Yu Chiyou's eyes were clear, but when he scrutinized someone, they became very sharp.

He looked at Yuan Ran for a while before stepping back, the sharpness in his eyes dissipating, as if the earlier pressure hadn't come from him.

Yuan Ran also pondered a bit and asked, "Why has Guard Yu come out too?"

"Ah?" Yu Chiyou scratched his head in confusion, then said sheepishly, "As long as there's no shortage of players, His Majesty won't call me to play mahjong."

Yuan Ran's eyes glinted with danger as he licked his lips and asked, "Only when they're not around will His Majesty look for someone else?"

Yu Chiyou was stunned. Yuan Ran's malice wasn't directed at him either. He quickly sheathed his sword, then suddenly widened his eyes, "You actually want to take down one of them just to play mahjong?"

Yuan Ran: "?" Is that something to be surprised about?

Then Yu Chiyou said, "You don't even have a salary, how can you be so poor and still want to play mahjong!"

Yuan Ran: "..." This guy knows how to hit where it hurts more than the three inside combined.

He was silent for a long time before hesitantly looking at Yu Chiyou, "I originally had some savings, but I was afraid His Majesty would find it tainted, so I didn't dare bring it back from Luosuo..."

Yu Chiyou's already round eyes widened even more, "How could that be? How could money be tainted? How could His Majesty disdain it?"

The emperor had confiscated the homes of rebels, filling her coffers to the brim, and never had Su Yu shown any disdain, especially since she didn't even spare the temple funds!

Yuan Ran: "..." Suddenly regretted, she should have brought back all the gold and silver treasures she had hidden in Luosuo!

Su Yu gathered them at the old mansion of the late emperor, not to make a profit, but mainly to inspect the meteorite iron. She also planned to share with the three of them her strategy to attack Luosuo and reclaim the fifteen prefectures by the end of next summer.

Xie Yiguan initially thought Su Yu was planning to launch the campaign in early spring.

Su Yu shook her head, saying, "After the spring thaw, the grasslands are prone to swamps, which would hinder our advance. It's safer to attack in the summer."

Xie Yiguan and Cui Xuan exchanged glances. Now that the King of Luosuo had returned to the Luosuo capital, delaying the attack might give him a chance to regroup.

Su Yu also had this concern, "That's why I plan to build two more cannons."

It must be said that Yu Chiyi, who had been hunting down the King of Luosuo for so long, had some luck on his side.

Therefore, Su Yu also planned to build a rifle with a longer range. If all else fails, she would take the risk and go to the battlefield herself.

Xie Yiguan looked thoughtfully at Su Yu. Was the empress planning to reveal the secret worth a hundred thousand taels of silver after reclaiming the fifteen prefectures? About the empress's secret...

His gaze fell on Su Yu's lips, but before he could take a closer look, a mahjong tile came flying at his face.

Xie Yiguan reacted quickly, snatching the tile mid-air. He looked at Cui Xuan sitting across from him.

Cui Xuan said expressionlessly, "Sorry, I lost my grip on the tile."

Xie Yiguan: "..." You didn't just lose your grip; it practically leaped out of your hand.

Liu Wushi took the opportunity to throw a tile, winking at Su Yu.

Su Yu coughed lightly; this was obviously feeding her tiles.

Liu Wushi's downstream player was Cui Xuan, who ignored the tile Liu Wushi had thrown out and casually drew one.

As expected, Su Yu won again.

"Let's stop playing. There's a map here; let's go over it together," Su Yu said, standing up.

Cui Xuan volunteered to tidy up.

Xie Yiguan naturally followed Su Yu, but this time he wasn't prepared, and a mahjong tile hit him squarely on the back of his head. He turned around.

Cui Xuan still wore his expressionless face, "Sorry, my hand slipped."

Xie Yiguan chuckled twice, "It seems Premier Cui isn't used to doing such tidying up. Perhaps we should call Inner Regular Attendant Yuan?"

Cui Xuan: "..." His hand itched, itching to let a couple more tiles slip.