Whose little lady is so crazy?

Chapter 571 Plans don’t change quickly

Guard Liu told Hong Xiaoduo that her mistress was in the study, so she went straight there.

Quan Jinghuai only glanced at her departing figure before calling his disciples to begin their training.

However, today's activity wasn't sword practice or horse stance, but rather a grappling and fighting manual that Hong Xiaoduo had given him half a year ago. At first, he didn't take it seriously.

The movements looked very simple, and it was unclear where she had learned them; there wasn't even a note on which sect they came from.

But the more I watched, the more I realized how wonderful this fighting technique was.

The movements may seem simple, but they are highly practical in close combat.

He was immediately drawn to it. After teaching his disciples the moves of his own school every day, he devoted himself to studying this fighting art on his own. Sometimes he would call on his eldest disciple, Tian Shu, to spar with him.

He has now fully grasped every move and style of this fighting technique. He originally planned to practice more himself before teaching his disciples, but now he has to change his mind.

If this is delayed any longer, I'm afraid very few disciples will be able to learn this grappling and fighting technique.

So far, two disciples have already missed their chance to learn from him. If he doesn't hurry up and teach them, Tianquan probably won't learn many moves.

He no longer cared about being saddened by the fact that his second disciple could not practice martial arts by his side. Even if they never met again, as long as the other party did not do anything despicable, he was still Quan Jinghuai's disciple.

At this moment, Hong Xiaoduo looked at the contents of the note in her hand. There were not many words, just a few lines, but they made her feel relieved.

The matter of the moldy relief grain sent from Jiaozhou to the disaster area has finally been investigated.

It really wasn't the disaster relief grain from Jiaozhou; just as she had suspected, it had been switched. And she wasn't wrong about where it was switched—it was in the grain warehouses that had been received by the disaster area.

The person who switched the items, from the mastermind to the participants, has been identified.

"Xiao Duo, the subordinates who went to investigate were worried that we would be waiting too long, so they sent a message back by carrier pigeon. The detailed record is already on its way back. I estimate that it will arrive by noon the day after tomorrow at the latest."

"Now you can breathe a sigh of relief. As for Lord Ye and Prince Mu, perhaps we should wait until my men arrive before speaking to them?" Lan Zechen said after waiting for Hong Xiaoduo to finish looking around.

He investigated this matter at Duobao Pavilion out of consideration for Xiaoduo, not to gain favor with Prince Ye or to make Prefect Ye owe him a favor.

He, Duobaoge, doesn't even look at the people others try to curry favor with.

It's always others who fawn over Duobaoge, never him. Cough cough, of course, his recent actions are also to please someone, but the meaning is different.

He admired this girl, and, well, he also wanted to get some rare and good stuff, especially delicious food.

"Pavilion Master Lan, then I'll thank you on behalf of Tianxuan. I'll look for a suitable gift later. It's not on behalf of Lord Ye, but a token of my gratitude from Hong Xiaoduo and Tianxuan."

"Once this matter is settled, we should also bid farewell to the Pavilion Master. Please have your men inquire which restaurant in this area has good food. I'll treat you to dinner; we'll eat out." Hong Xiaoduo put away the note and said to Lan Zechen.

Since we're expressing our gratitude, we can't eat the awful food Tianji makes. That's not gratitude, that's revenge!

Tianji's failed practice project should be handled by our own people!

Just as Lan Zechen was about to say that there was no need to be so polite and that he could treat everyone himself, Jin Gui reported from outside that Prince Mu had arrived.

"No, isn't he investigating the case of disaster relief grain? Why is he so free? Or did he turn his attention to me?" Lan Zechen frowned.

He wasn't there when Prince Mu brought people to his residence looking for Hong Xiaoduo, but he had seen the prince outside.

“If Pavilion Master Lan doesn’t want to see them, there’s no need for him to show up. I’ll go see what’s going on,” Hong Xiaoduo said with a smile as she stood up. Lan Zechen, however, stood up as well: “It’s no big deal to see them. After all, I’m the owner of this mansion. How can I not see guests? If I don’t show myself, he might think I’m afraid of him. Let’s go together.”

Hong Xiaoduo didn't say anything when she heard him say that. The two of them walked to the front hall together and saw Mu Rongjing standing aside, watching Fan Wu and his two subordinates practice the grappling and fighting techniques with Quan Jinghuai along with Tian Shu and the others.

Upon seeing Hong Xiaoduo approach, Murong Jing walked over.

Mu Rongjing looked at the person standing next to Hong Xiaoduo and guessed that this was the owner of the mansion that Hong Xiaoduo had told him about before, and also the one who had come here with them.

Because he was afraid of displeasing her, Mu Rongjing did not order his men to investigate this person after learning about him.

Another reason is that he trusts Hong Xiaoduo's judgment of people. She will only deal with those who have ulterior motives and evil intentions, but will not tolerate those who are colleagues, let alone those who live in their mansions.

Anyone who catches her eye must be of good character.

Therefore, before Hong Xiaoduo could introduce him, he first clasped his hands in greeting and introduced himself.

Lan Zechen was quite surprised. Although he had never met this Prince Mu, he knew a thing or two about him. Moreover, if he wanted to know more details, it would be the simplest thing for him.

I never expected that the current emperor's right-hand man would be so humble.

Therefore, Lan Zechen smiled and responded, "I am Lan Zechen, the owner of Duobao Pavilion. Your presence at my humble abode, Young Master Mu, is an honor to grace my humble dwelling. Young Master Mu, please come inside."

"So you're the owner of Duobao Pavilion, my apologies for not recognizing you." Mu Rongjing responded politely while glancing at Hong Xiaoduo, thinking, "Such a special person, you're quite tight-lipped."

She really is something else; the people she associates with are no ordinary people!

Hong Xiaoduo received Mu Rongjing's gaze, and with a slight smile, the three of them entered the living room together.

"Jin Gui'er, go brew a pot of Hong Xiao Niangzi's Jiande white tea, Baihao Yinzhen, to entertain the young master," Lan Zechen ordered loudly after taking his seat.

I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to tell this young master Mu that Hong Xiaoduo's relationship with him was not casual. She was able to stay with him and even gave him rare and fine tea that he couldn't buy with a lot of money.

Hong Xiaoduo was speechless after hearing this. She thought to herself, "How old are you, Lord Lan? Why do you still have the mentality of a child?"
“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten something. Miss Hong, when you visited my residence in the capital last time, you gave my father that tea, West Lake Longjing? Do you still have any? If so, I’d be so bold as to ask you for some more. My father loved it so much after drinking it that he couldn’t bear to drink the remaining half-can. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any even after offering a lot of money.” Mu Rongjing said to Hong Xiaoduo with a smile.

Hong Xiaoduo looked at the two people in front of her and was speechless. The idiom "Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix" automatically popped into her mind.

“I’ll check my luggage later to see if I still have any tea. If I do, please take it back to the Marquis. May I ask what brings you here, Young Master? Is there any progress on the case of the disaster relief grain?” Hong Xiaoduo quickly asked.

"Not yet. It was your Brother Fan who said he would invite you to a restaurant tonight, so I came along," Mu Rongjing replied, picking up the Baihao Yinzhen tea that Jin Gui had just poured for her. To be honest, the aroma of the tea was fresh and lively, and the tea soup was sweet and smooth on the palate. She was quite generous to this Lan Pavilion Master!
He wasn't in a hurry to solve the disaster relief grain case, since Prefect Ye himself acted as if he hadn't done anything wrong and wasn't afraid of anything.

I haven't restricted him in any way, and so far, Prefect Ye's official prestige and reputation haven't been affected at all.

I was in the mood to host a banquet for her and Tian Shu this afternoon! Let's just leave this case as it is for now. That way, she won't leave this place for the time being, and I can use Fan Wu's connections to find excuses to see her every day.

"I'll treat you to dinner tonight. Actually, it's fine if you tell me first, Your Highness. We've found out the truth about the case of the moldy relief grain in Jiaozhou City."

"So, once the concrete evidence arrives in the next few days, we'll be leaving this place," Hong Xiaoduo said.

Although there were still a few days left, Hong Xiaoduo felt that plans could not keep up with changes, so she decided to host the banquet first.

In the past, it was always the Crown Prince and Brother Fan who hosted banquets for her and the children. That was because she didn't have much money in her pocket, so she didn't want to suffer for the sake of saving face.

Things are different now. She's quite wealthy now, so it's only right that she reciprocates by treating others to a meal.

"What? You've found out the truth?" Murong Jing asked incredulously...