Chapter 940 - 942: Guilty-Conscious Ruozhu_1
Bai Ruozhu was startled; she had never heard of the great physician of the world, Yao Yuxuan, until she read about him in the rebel proclamation from the Prince of Duan a few days ago. Now, it seemed everyone in Beiyu City must be aware of the renowned physician Yao Yuxuan.
Even if what the Prince’s proclamation claimed was false, it provided enough gossip fodder for the common people.
Previously, Bai Ruozhu had heard quite a bit of gossip herself. Yao Yuxuan was most famous for events nearly three decades ago. He was known not only for his unmatched medical skills but also for his literary talent and charisma. Many scholars in the Capital mentioned if he hadn’t been so devoted to medicine, he certainly could have acquired a prestigious official position.
It was also said that before the Empress Dowager was married, she indeed was quite close to Yao Yuxuan, and they had even pledged their lives to each other. Unfortunately, the Emperor at the time issued a Holy Edict for marriage, and the Empress Dowager was appointed the crown princess. She didn’t dare to defy the decree and elope, putting the lives of those in the Ding Family above her own. In the end, she became the crown princess and, ultimately, the Empress Dowager.
Bai Ruozhu felt that the Prince dared to write of old affections between the Empress Dowager and Yao Yuxuan in the proclamation because he was fairly certain it was true; otherwise, he wouldn’t risk being caught out. Still, Bai Ruozhu continued to feel that personal affairs were personal matters, and the Emperor couldn’t possibly be an illegitimate child.
She wondered just how much this rumor might affect the Empress Dowager. When Bai Ruozhu thought of the gentle and unassuming Empress Dowager far away in the Imperial Palace of the Capital City, she couldn’t help worrying about her.
"The Yao Family was once connected by marriage to a princess; Yao Yuxuan is the son of that princess. The Yao Family is one of the most distinguished and esteemed families in the Capital City," Shen Lu interjected.
Bai Ruozhu was surprised. With such a significant background, why was the Yao Family competing with her in business?
Shen Lu seemed to read her confusion and whispered, "They’re probably targeting the Empress Dowager. They always find ways to know that the Welcome Inn is her property, and unfortunately, you’re caught in the middle."
Could it be that the great physician turned against her from love to hate? A whirlwind of gossip buzzed through Bai Ruozhu’s mind, but she didn’t feel any stronger animosity. Such matters were bound to happen sooner or later. It was just that the Yao Family had the audacity to provoke her. Anyway, she had already thought of a strategy and wasn’t particularly upset.
"Shen Lao, I’ve been working on an improved version of the fresh soup noodles lately, and I’ll soon have a solution. But this time, you’d better keep a close eye on it," she said, although her "improved version" wasn’t that easy to steal. Still, she had to appear protective to avoid raising any suspicions.
Shen Lu showed signs of joy, "Good, good. That would make it easier for me to explain things to the Empress Dowager."
"The next batch of fresh soup noodles will be made with improved ingredients, certainly better than those used by Moon Gazing Residence. Their flavor might improve, but ours will be more delicious, so customers will still choose Welcome Inn," Bai Ruozhu said smilingly.
"That’s excellent; this is all thanks to you, Ruozhu. I will make sure to keep a closer watch on my people from now on to prevent such incidents from recurring," Shen Lu promised.
Bai Ruozhu and Shen Lu discussed two new dishes before she left Welcome Inn and took a horse carriage to Hot Spring Mansion.
Once she arrived at the manor, Bai Ruozhu sent Guizhi and the others off to be busy, then went to the backyard to soak in the hot springs. After soaking for a while, she quietly slipped into the Space.
She got busy inside the Space, laying out small fish and shrimp to dry on the shore—the main ingredients for her upgraded version.
During this time, she noticed that after the number of fish and shrimp in the pond decreased, they would gradually increase again in some time. As long as the fishing wasn’t excessive and uncontrolled, the Spatial Pond wouldn’t be depleted.
Furthermore, she accidentally discovered that after scooping out the sludge to make pure white Xuan jade paste, not only did the pond’s area somewhat increase, but the quantity of fish and shrimp also grew.
She had previously been concerned that the resources from the Space might one day be exhausted, but now it seemed that as long as she utilized them well, such a problem should not occur.
After preparing the fish and shrimp for drying, she left the Space, then returned to soak in the Hot Spring Pool for a while. She couldn’t help but mutter to herself, "If there were a Hot Spring in the Space, I could soak whenever I wanted, how comfortable that would be."
With that thought, a sudden idea popped into her head. She could dig a pit in the open land within the Space and try to lead the Hot Spring Water into it?
She hurried into the Space, first dug a small pit in the ground, then went out and diverted a bit of the spatial water into it, but soon her face showed a look of frustration. As expected, things weren’t as simple as she thought.
The water from the Hot Spring dried up quickly as soon as it entered the small pit, as if the earth had absorbed it. She diverted water for a long time, but even a palm-sized little pit could not be filled.
At that moment, she noticed that the water level in the backyard Hot Spring Pool had dropped significantly. She quickly stopped her effort. Although the Hot Spring was a flowing source, if she diverted too much, problems would also arise.
Feeling a bit dejected, she changed her clothes and called for a maid to help her wring out her wet hair.
Before long, Guizhi hurried over with a concerned expression and said, "Ruozhu, there seems to be a problem with the manor’s Hot Spring. The water level in the outside pond, as well as the indoor pools that channel the water, have all suddenly dropped. This has never happened before; could it be the Hot Spring is drying up?"
Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched. She had already stopped in time; how could it be so obvious?
"Could this be someone tampering with our Hot Spring Mansion?" Fang Guizhi suspected, then clenched her fists in anger and said, "Let me find out who it is, and see if I don’t skin them alive!"
Just as Bai Ruozhu was about to speak, she choked on her own saliva and couldn’t help coughing. She couldn’t let Guizhi find out that she was the culprit.
"Let’s not panic. It may just be a natural phenomenon. Perhaps it’ll recover in a few days," Bai Ruozhu said sheepishly.
After hearing her words, Guizhi thought it was possible and refrained from continuing her rant.
Feeling guilty, Bai Ruozhu greeted Guizhi and hurried away. Guizhi watched her leave so quickly and started to mutter to herself. Could it really be that someone was tampering with the Hot Spring Mansion, and Ruozhu had gone to investigate on her own?
Thinking this way, she felt all the more that Ruozhu was keeping something from her to prevent her worry.
That very day, Fang Guizhi gathered everyone to give a talk and instructed them all to be alert. Any suspicious people or activities had to be reported to her immediately.
In the following two days, Bai Ruozhu dried all the fish and shrimp in the Space, then took a grinding machine into the Space. With a thought, the fish and shrimp entered the machine and automatically started grinding. She breathed a sigh of relief and exited the Space.
During these two days, Jianqi also brought her a piece of news. The head Chef Liu, who had been recruited as a guest chef, left with a large sum of silver. Somehow, the Beggar Gang in the City got wind of it, saw an opportunity, and robbed him, even giving him a thorough beating. When people found him later, Chef Liu’s head had been severely injured, and he had become somewhat foolish.
The owner of the Moon Viewing Residence was furious about this. After all, he had spent a lot of money to poach Chef Liu. With the chef rendered foolish and the money gone, wasn’t this a huge loss?
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