People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Cao Ze's heart stirred. "I've long heard of this tea's extraordinary fragrance and unique aroma. It originated in Qin and later spread to the Western Hu, where the Hu people cultivated it in the harsh northwest. It is said to have been deeply loved by Prince Chengjiao of Qin."

If he remembered correctly, Qin's failure to conquer Zhao was due to Cheng Jiao's rebellion.

With a light laugh, Ya Fei extended her fair wrist, grasped the handle of the boiling teapot, and poured a cup for Cao Ze, saying, "Have a taste."

Cao Ze looked at the snow-white tea leaves floating in the tea soup and slowly took a sip.

He took a careful sip and said, "The tea has a unique and unusual aroma, and it is smooth and refreshing on the palate. It's a fine tea."

Ya Fei said slowly, "This is a Snow-Topped Silver Shuttle produced in Zhao this year after the snow. Its taste is not as good as the Snow-Topped Silver Shuttle produced in Qin."

Cao Ze was slightly taken aback, not expecting that such good tea was still a substandard product.

It seems his tea ceremony skills are still lacking; he can't even compare to Ya Fei.

How will I be able to scheme against those tea masters in the future?

For a trainee in the "Sea King" (a term referring to a male celebrity), improving his tea ceremony skills is an urgent matter!

"Please explain in detail, Your Highness."

Ya Fei smiled and said, "So there are things you don't know."

She cleared her throat. "Among the seven kingdoms, the best production area for Snow-capped Silver Shuttles is Qin, followed by Yan, and then our Zhao. Do you know why, sir?"

Cao Ze pondered for a moment and said, "Bitterly cold."

Ya Fei looked on with appreciation and said, "Indeed, the two words you pointed out are the root of the quality of the Snow-capped Silver Shuttle."

"However, within the seven kingdoms, there are several bitterly cold places. If we are talking about the most bitterly cold places, then it is the land of the northern wolf tribe."

"The harsh and cold lands of the Hu region are the best breeding ground for the snow-capped silver shuttle."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ze said, "Indeed, the environment shapes the people, and this applies to both people and tea."

Ya Fei said, "That's right, that's why there are many products in the Northern Western Regions that are not available in the Central Plains."

Cao Ze recalled with a hint of nostalgia, "The Ice and Fire Hundred-Year Red grapes there are exceptional. They are made from ice-red grapes grown at the foot of snow-capped mountains and on the edge of the Gobi Desert."

He had drunk it once in the Wolf Clan's royal court, but later, due to the attack on the city by the Left Wise King and An Lulu, all the wine and such things were taken out as rewards, and he hadn't tasted it since.

It was arguably the best wine he had ever tasted.

Chapter 147 Three Must-Visit Spots

Ya Fei smiled gently and poured Cao Ze another cup of tea.

"A cup of Ice and Fire is worth ten taels of gold. This Ice and Fire Hundred Year Red is something even I have only drunk a few times."

"Even this Snow-capped Silver Shuttle was a gift from someone else; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to afford this thing that costs a thousand taels of gold for a mere tael of snow."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Your Highness, you can't afford to drink, can you?"

Putting everything else aside, he personally witnessed Consort Yan giving Consort Ya a gold note worth a thousand gold coins as "room fee".

A thousand taels of gold is enough to exchange for ten thousand taels of gold, so how could they not afford to drink this?

Ya Fei chuckled and said, "I just feel it's not worth it."

"With this money, it would be better to buy some Cold Dew Orchid Wine from Zilan Pavilion. One gold coin for a small jar, it suits my taste perfectly."

Cao Ze asked with a soft "Eh?" "Purple Orchid Pavilion?"

As one of the three must-visit spots in Qin's Time, Zilan Pavilion felt instantly familiar to him upon hearing it.

Ya Fei didn't notice the change in Cao Ze's tone.

"Yes, this Zilan Pavilion only gained some fame two years ago. It is said that its owner is a very capable and beautiful woman with a mysterious background."

"I have always wanted to meet them. It is not easy to support a song and dance hall in this chaotic world."

"Oh, the reason I heard about this Zilan Pavilion is because of a woman named Nongyu last year."

"She is about the same age as Xue'er, but her skill in playing the zither has impressed even the master Kuang Xiu in the city."

Cao Ze asked with some surprise, "Your Highness has met this... Miss Nongyu?"

He knew that the cabaret was divided into those for sale and those not for sale.

It's obvious that Zilanxuan isn't for sale.

Otherwise, Consort Ya would definitely look down on her, let alone want to meet her.

That's so cheap.

Doing business, especially doing business with the wealthy and powerful.

You have to be like Wei Zhuang; strength isn't important, what matters is maintaining your prestige.

As South Korea's most notorious den of iniquity, it is frequented by high-ranking officials, wealthy businessmen, and everyone who has seen women there.

Who would go in primarily for women? Those who want to play around are definitely looking for a fake relationship, seeking social value, emotional value, and fulfilling spiritual needs.

In other words, if people care about their reputation, you have to give them face and be presentable.

Therefore, the people in Zilanxuan were probably all dancers and singers who accompanied guests for meals and drinks.

Just like the traditional song and dance performances in Handan, or modern internet celebrities, they don't sell in principle, but rather cater to different audiences.

It's mostly a matter of mutual consent to catch a big fish.

This is the only way for Zi Nu, who is in charge of intelligence, to obtain better, more accurate, and more valuable information.

Ya Fei smiled and said, "Of course, I remember that the young lady was with a woman dressed in purple that day. It seemed that she wanted to visit Kuang Xiu and learn the art of playing the zither."

"and after?"

Unable to contain his curiosity, Cao Ze continued to ask, as he was unaware that Zi Nu and Nong Yu had visited Handan City.

But thinking about it, it's quite normal.

Handan was the most prosperous place for song and dance among the seven kingdoms, and even the great qin master Kuang Xiu lived there.

As the head of Zilanxuan, it's quite normal for her to bring Nongyu here to become her apprentice.

"later?"

A memory surfaced in Ya Feili's eyes as she said, "Master Kuang Xiu almost never accepts students, so they were unsurprisingly rejected."

"And that little girl named Nongyu, though seemingly gentle, was very proud and played an unnamed tune outside Master Kuangxiu's house."

"I still remember that day, when the music started, it attracted all the birds to gather."

"Unfortunately, before I could get there, the woman in purple hurriedly left with Nongyu, seemingly worried about causing some accident."

"I learned about these things from Master Kuangxiu later, and that's when I became interested in Zilanxuan. That's when I heard about Hanlu Orchid Wine."

Cao Ze continued, "What did Master Kuang Xiu say?"

Ya Fei thought for a moment and said, "He said he was passionate about music, had no time, and didn't want to take on students."

"However, he highly approves of Nongyu's music. He commented that although it has many flaws, it is full of spirituality. If one is willing to put in the effort to improve it, it could attract thousands of birds to gather, and even become spiritually connected, playing a melody that touches the heartstrings, instead of just a few hundred birds."

Cao Ze took a slight breath. In his opinion, getting all the birds to land and listen was already impressive enough, but who knew that Kuang Xiu was still a little unimpressed.

No wonder Jing Ke told him beforehand not to praise that old fellow Kuang Xiu, because he was prone to getting cocky, and that he should get him drunk first.

If you can get him drunk, you can make him run naked in Handan city if you want.

Did they come this year?

Seeing Cao Ze's determined look, Ya Fei chuckled and said, "You've found out so much, you wouldn't happen to have feelings for them, would you?"

Cao Ze sipped his tea to cover up his misunderstanding, saying, "How could that be? We've never met. I was just curious after hearing Your Highness mention it."

As a man who is obsessed with good looks and whose main focus is on cultivating the Qi of the liver and kidneys, it would be strange if he didn't have feelings for Zi Nu Nong Yu.

Ya Fei chuckled and said, "I heard you say before that if a woman is curious about a man, it is a sign that she is about to fall in love with him."

"Then on the other hand... Mr. Cao Ze, your intentions are not pure."

Cao Ze thought to himself, "It seems I should talk less about those trivial matters between men and women with Ya Fei in the future. I might end up being completely under this woman's thumb."

"Since Your Highness does not wish to speak, then so be it."

Consort Ya said quietly, "I don't care if you have other women in the future."

“I grew up in the palace since I was a child, and I know all about the bad qualities of you men. I also know that as a person in a high position, I will not lack women, nor can I lack women.”

"I have only one request: no matter what your status or position may be in the future, you must not let Xue'er down."

"I've made myself perfectly clear, do you understand?"

Cao Ze put down his teacup, patted his chest, and assured her, "Your Highness, please rest assured, I will not let Xue Nu down."

Ya Fei's words clearly indicated that she had wanted to tell him this for a long time.

If he dared to evade the issue, given this woman's temperament, she would surely ruin him.

However, this also shows that Ya Fei cares a lot about Xue Nu.

She cared so much that she was willing to lower herself to make things clear with him, and there was even a hint of threat in it.

Consort Ya's serious and tense face relaxed, and she smiled, "That's good. I can also tell you, sir, that those two women did not come to Handan this year."

Cao Ze asked instinctively, "Why?"

After asking the question, Cao Ze felt like slapping himself. He had just asked for trouble; the conversation should have ended there.

"Heh, how would I know why? Perhaps it's because of the alliance of the five kingdoms, or perhaps it's because of giving up the apprenticeship... But I think it certainly isn't because of you, sir."

Ya Fei extended her slender, delicate fingers towards Cao Ze, making a pointed remark.

Cao Ze thought to himself, of course it wasn't because of him. It was obvious that Ya Fei was advising him to stop flirting with other women.

But asking him to give up visiting the three sacred sites of Qin Dynasty would truly be asking the difficult question of Cao Cao.

If you don't go to check in, what's the difference between that and staying on the Green Green Grassland as a sheep?

Then, when he caught sight of the Snow Maiden and Li Ji emerging in their magnificent dance costumes, he suddenly realized that staying as Boiling Sheep, abandoning the great forest, and clinging to a few trees... didn't seem so unacceptable after all...

Well, these two girls definitely fit the "it's actually pretty good" rule!

Chapter 148 Stockings, High Heels, and Mugwort