Ning Chen thought about it and felt that he would probably be beaten up if he returned to the palace now. Zhangsun was in a fit of anger. If he went back now, wouldn't he be looking for a beating?
All of a sudden, Ning Chen recalled what Li 'er had told him two days ago. His eyes darted around as he walked up to Xiaoning and whispered,""Sister Qingning, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me," said Qing Ning with a frown.
Ning Chen leaned into Xiaoning's ear and sniffed her fragrant scent. He put away the messy thoughts in his mind and said a few words seriously.
" Are you serious?" Qing Ning said with a serious expression.
"100%," Ning Chen nodded and confirmed.
"Alright, I will go back and report first. As for your request, I cannot make the decision. It depends on the Empress's wishes."
As it was a matter of great importance, Qing Ning had to rush back to the palace. She stopped after taking two steps and shot Ning Chen a warning look."Stay here and don't think about running."
" Of course, of course." Ning Chen hurriedly nodded and pretended to be obedient. However, he was thinking in his heart whether he should run away quickly. Waiting for Zhangsun's decree seemed too unreliable.
After Qing Ning left, Ning Chen dragged Li 'er, who was already numb, to the back hall.
"Who exactly are you?" Li 'er broke away from Ning Chen's hand and took two steps back with red eyes.
" Lower your voice," Ning Chen said cautiously as he looked left and right.
" Don't take me for a fool. I can tell that the girl is not an ordinary person with just one look. Besides, you keep mentioning the word 'niangniang'. Don't tell me that this is just a name." As she spoke, tears fell from Li' er's eyes.
Ning Chen was at his wit's end. He couldn't just watch the little girl cry on the street. That would be too much of a beast. Helplessly, he could only tell her about his time in the palace.
Of course, he kept the matter of the fake eunuch and Mu Chengxue a secret. He tactfully " embellished " the process of entering the palace. As for the escape, he could not say anything. He said that he had been ordered to leave the palace, but he did not dare to return if he messed it up.
It wasn't that he was deliberately hiding it, but that he wasn't the only one who was involved in these matters. Once the truth was revealed, those who knew would not have a good ending.
" Then why did she go back by herself just now?" Li 'er asked while sobbing. She had forgotten that she was still angry after listening to the story.
Ning Chen patted the little girl's head and said softly," Didn't you tell me two days ago that the emissary of the Zenith Kingdom had given Great Xia a difficult question? I offered to exchange the answer for the grace of leaving the palace."
Ning Chen was in a bad mood. It was hard to accept that fate was not in his own hands, but the reality was that he was far from being able to control his own future.
"Did you really solve the problem of the envoy of Zhen Ji?”
Li 'er did not hear the helplessness in Ning Chen's words, but she was very surprised by this answer. In her opinion, the difficult problem posed by the envoy of the Zhen Ji Kingdom was impossible.
Ning Chen calmed himself down and smiled." There are no perfect people or things in this world. Everything that is perfect is just a scam waiting to be cracked. The problem of the envoy of Zhen Ji seems to be unsolvable, but in fact, it is full of loopholes. Anyone can do it."
" Even I can't do it," Li 'er pouted and said unwillingly.
" That's because you're stupid," Ning Chen joked with a smile.
The emissary from the Kingdom of Zhen Ji came to Great Xia. After half a month, he explained his purpose of coming. He was here to marry a princess of Great Xia for the King of Zhen Ji.
It was not a big deal at first. There were many women of suitable age in the royal family. Generally, Emperor Xia would only need to confer the title of princess and marry them. However, the envoy of the True Extreme Kingdom had requested that the bride must be Emperor Xia's legitimate princess. This was no small matter.
The Xia Emperor had many children, but he only had one princess waiting to be married off, and that was the ninth princess, Xia Xinyu. Back then, the imperial consort passed away after giving birth to the ninth princess. The son and daughter were young and had no one to rely on. The eldest grandson could not bear to see them grow up, so he raised the two of them personally and treated them as his own.
Xia Xinyu had just turned sixteen this year and had inherited the beauty of the Imperial Noble Consort. She was slim and graceful, and could be said to be the brightest pearl in Great Xia.
The envoy's request infuriated the Xia Emperor, but there was also a sense of helplessness.
Great Xia was facing a serious external threat. The Ancient Meng Royal Court in the north could send troops at any time, and the Eternal Night Divine Cult in the west was waiting for an opportunity to invade the Central Plains again. Although Great Xia was strong, it could not afford to send troops from three directions.
What Emperor Xia couldn't bear was that while the emissary of True Extreme Kingdom was asking for a marriage, he also asked Emperor Xia to cede Bai Ruo Yuan, who was located at the border between the two countries, as the dowry of the princess.
Everyone knew that Bai Ruo Yuan was the most important source of iron ore for Great Xia. 40% of the weapons and armor used by Great Xia soldiers came from here. Once Bai Ruo Yuan was ceded, it meant that Great Xia had cut off its lifeline.
Naturally, the Xia Emperor would not agree to it and flatly refused.
Of course, the emissary was not stupid enough to think that Emperor Xia would agree to such a rude request. His goal was not that.
After a round of bargaining, both sides took a step back. The emissary of Zhen Ji proposed a bet of twenty thousand warhorses. He set three difficult questions about courage, wisdom, and luck. Xia lost, and they didn't need to cede Bai Ruo Yuan, but they had to give up Bai Ruo Yuan's right to use him for three years.
The envoy of the Zhen Ji Kingdom had chosen to retreat in order to advance at the right time. He had taken advantage of Great Xia's reluctance to start a war and deliberately spread the news of the bet to the world to put pressure on Great Xia. As long as they retreated and retreated appropriately, Great Xia would have no choice but to compromise.
As expected, the Xia Emperor agreed, but he also added a condition. If True Extreme lost the bet, the Xia Empire would have to decide who the princess would marry.
The emissary of Zhen Ji had no objections to this. Their goal was Bai Ruo Yuan, and marrying the princess was just an excuse to get Bai Ruo Yuan.
Emperor Xia had his own considerations. The reason why Great Xia was so wary of the Royal Court of North Mongolia was 90% because of the cavalry of the Royal Court of North Mongolia. Although Great Xia was powerful, they had a fatal weakness.
There were no horses in Great Xia!
It wasn't that they didn't have ordinary horses, but that they didn't have warhorses. The Northern Mongol Royal Court lived a nomadic life, and their people were valiant. They were good at riding and shooting, and their unique Ferghana Horse was a rare breed. The production rate of warhorses was extremely high, but Great Xia was much worse in this aspect. The number of warhorses left in battle was less than one in ten, and their numbers were very tight.
Twenty thousand warhorses was more than half of Zhen Ji's stock, and it would be a significant relief to Great Xia's shortage of warhorses.
However, the Xia Emperor had not expected that the Great Xia would be defeated in just the first round of the contest of courage.
It wasn't that Great Xia lacked loyal and brave warriors, but that the problem that the envoy of the True Extreme Kingdom had posed was not something that ordinary people could do.
The oil was boiled to extract the needle, and the person who extracted the needle had to be decided by the other party.
This was not a matter of courage, because no one could pick up a hair-thin embroidery needle with a crippled hand.
The officials of Great Xia had tried countless times, but it was simply impossible.
There was no lack of smart people in Great Xia. They had also tried adding water, wine, and even vinegar to the oil, but in the end, they still failed.
The emissary of the Zhenji Kingdom had only given Xia three days, and tomorrow was the deadline. Hence, after receiving Ning Chen's promise, Qing Ning hurried back to the palace.
In Weiyang Palace, Zhangsun had not slept for two days and two nights since he had been the envoy of Zhen Ji Kingdom. When he saw that Ning Ning had returned, he was not in the mood to ask about Ning Chen.
It was the first time that Qing Ning had seen her grandson since she left the palace five days ago. When she saw his haggard face, she could not bear to see him. Knowing what he was worried about, she went forward to tell him what Ning Chen had said.
"Bang!"
After hearing this, Zhangsun slammed the table and roared angrily," What time is it now? He's still negotiating with me. Bring him back. If he dares to resist, knock him out and bring him back."
"Yes, sir."
" Yes, Master!" Qing Ning replied. She did not dare to delay and immediately set off for Lingyan Pavilion.
At the same time, in the Lingyan Pavilion, Yue Hanyi went straight to the back hall after returning. She looked for Ning Chen and told him that she was here for the soap making method.
Ning Chen looked at Li 'er, who was beside him. He was surprised, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel complicated. It was difficult to describe.
" I won't say it," Ning Chen refused without hesitation. There was no room for discussion.
" 10% of the profits will go to Young Master," Yue Hanyi promised seriously.
Ning Chen was unmoved and remained silent.
"Twenty percent!"
"Thirty percent!"
Seeing that Ning Chen was still unmoved, Yue Hanyi frowned and said in a low voice,"40%, no more."
Ning Chen laughed coldly and said word by word," I'll still say the same thing. I won't say it!”
Yue Hanyi's eyes narrowed at first before she smiled in relief and softly said," Since Young Master is unwilling, this little girl cannot force you."
Beside her, Li 'er was secretly anxious. She could not figure out why Ning Chen was so stubborn. She secretly tugged at the corner of Yue Hanyi's clothes, her eyes full of pleading.
Yue Hanyi sighed and said," I know that Young Master has some opinions about Hanyi. If this little girl didn't guess wrongly, Young Master should think that the Lingyan Pavilion has restricted the freedom of these women, which is why his attitude towards Hanyi has changed so drastically."
"But does young noble know how many places of fireworks there are in the Imperial City, and how many women are slaves? In comparison, in the Lingyan Pavilion, they at least have the choice to sell their bodies or not."
When she said this, Yue Hanyi glanced at Li 'er, and her beautiful face flashed with tender affection. She continued," For someone like Li' er who was sold into a place of fireworks since she was young, she has no one to rely on. Where can she go after leaving the Lingyan Pavilion?"
Li 'er's eyes were red. She walked in front of Ning Chen and pinched his arm, apologizing timidly,""I'm sorry, I just wanted you to reconcile with Sister Yi, so I gave the soap to Sister Yi."
Li 'er, be good. I'm not angry."
Ning Chen raised his hand and ruffled the little girl's hair. He then looked up at Yue Hanyi and said," I can give you the method to make soap, and it's not the one you learned from Li 'er. It's the real method to make soap, but I have a request."
Yue Hanyi and Li 'er were shocked when they heard this, especially Yue Hanyi. She was much more knowledgeable than Li' er, so she naturally knew how valuable the soap was. Now that she heard it, Ning Chen seemed to have held back.
" Don't be surprised. I only used that soap to make Li 'er happy. It's okay to do it for fun, but if I do it in large quantities, there will be many unsolvable problems."
After he finished speaking, Ning Chen explained the real method of making soap again, including how to use stones to burn quicklime, then make slaked lime, and then refine soda from it, and finally make soap from soda and pig oil. After a pause, Yue Hanyi and Li 'er were confused, not fully understanding.
Seeing this situation, Ning Chen asked for a pen and paper and wrote down the details of the production process. He even added diagrams where necessary before handing it to Yue Hanyi.
After watching for a long time, Yue Hanyi finally roughly understood the profundities within, and she could not help but sigh,"Young Master is truly an extraordinary person."
"False reputation"
"Young Master is too modest."
"You're welcome."
Although his words were humble, Ning Chen's head was almost raised to the sky. What he meant was, you praise me, continue to praise me!
Yue Hanyi found it funny. After all, he was still a young man. After the awkwardness, he was silly and somewhat cute.
"Ning Chen, let's go. Follow me back to the palace."
At this moment, a cold and beautiful figure walked over. In just a few steps, she was already in front of him. She grabbed Ning Chen's shoulder and left…
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