After transmigrating into the body of a widow, I became the richest man in the capital.

Chapter 165 Entering the Palace to See the Emperor

Who else could be the high-ranking official in the capital surnamed Liu but Minister Liu?
Su Xiaoxiao couldn't think of a second person.

However, the final result was quite good, since everyone went there on a whim, not for the sake of delicious food.

After careful consideration, some diners found that the dishes at Baxianlou were more to their liking.

This is beyond doubt, and nothing else can change it.

If it tastes good, it tastes good; if it doesn't taste good, it doesn't taste good. That won't change anything.

Ultimately, it will probably come down to quality. The dishes at Baxianlou are still very delicious, and they've recently introduced various braised dishes, which has certainly attracted another wave of customers.

Su Xiaoxiao's stock of brewed soy sauce is almost gone. In order to continue supplying soy sauce to the kitchen of Baxianlou, she has to go home and focus on brewing soy sauce again.

However, she discovered that all the soybeans she had used for soy sauce were gone, but thankfully the soybeans planted in the field would be ready for harvest soon.

Su Xiaoxiao had just asked someone to pick all the beans, and after more than a month of hard work, they finally managed to pick them all.

Su Xiaoxiao finally put all the beans into the soy sauce vat, and by then, the business of Baxianlou had finally recovered.

This reassured Su Xiaoxiao quite a bit. However, she had to start making soy sauce again, but since the main soy sauce factory was currently in Beijing, Su Xiaoxiao felt it was always a bit inconvenient.

Just as Su Xiaoxiao was worrying about this matter, Qian Musheng brought good news from the capital.

Prince Gong received special attention from the Emperor for promoting soy sauce, and an imperial edict was issued in his honor.

Since the soy sauce recipe was still in Su Xiaoxiao's hands, Prince Gong certainly didn't dare to take all the credit for himself. The Emperor issued an imperial edict praising Su Xiaoxiao, saying that she was virtuous and kind, and that the new soy sauce she developed would benefit the people. He also bestowed gold and silver upon the two of them, ordering them to go to the palace immediately to receive their reward.

According to current parlance, Su Xiaoxiao and Qian Musheng are about to go to Beijing to receive an award together.

Going to the palace to see the emperor and kowtow to express gratitude was a rather honorable thing to do.

When the village head learned of this, he was so excited that he didn't sleep for several days.

In truth, he wished he could immediately go and pay respects to the Emperor in Su Xiaoxiao's place, but he lacked the ability.

Pei Yuan knew about this, and he was both happy and worried. However, seeing that Su Xiaoxiao seemed very excited and willing to go, he gave her a few more words of advice.

"After you arrive in the capital, you must be extremely careful in your actions."

"I understand. We'll play it by ear!"

Despite Su Xiaoxiao's seemingly eagerness to go to Beijing, she actually had no desire to go at all.

But she couldn't refuse, otherwise it would be disobeying the emperor's orders.
After explaining the family matters, Su Xiaoxiao went to the capital with Qian Musheng.

The next day, the two set off together with the imperial entourage that had come to deliver the imperial decree at dawn. Taking advantage of this trip to the capital, Qian Musheng wanted to take Su Xiaoxiao to see the proposed site for the soy sauce factory.

Qian Musheng was very excited. He rode his Akhal-Teke horse, Moon, and the group traveled quite fast. It wasn't until the third day that Qian Musheng felt a little tired and prepared to get into the carriage to rest.

Su Xiaoxiao was just about to ask Qian Musheng about the soy sauce factory when she overheard one of Qian Musheng's less familiar servants complaining to him, "Young Master, you really didn't need to come back to the capital this time. You could have just waited for Miss Su in the city. It's heartbreaking to see you traveling so far!" Upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao immediately stopped. She hadn't expected that Qian Musheng would rush all the way from the capital just to see her one more time, without even having a chance to rest, and now he was heading back immediately.

Su Xiaoxiao was deeply moved after hearing this.

The group traveled day and night and finally arrived in the capital on the night of the third day.

Because she had to go see the Emperor, Su Xiaoxiao had no choice but to stay at the post station with the rest of the group, and rest for one night before entering the palace.

The arrangements at this inn were quite thoughtful; Su Xiaoxiao and the others got a good night's sleep, and all their needs were met immediately.

The next morning, Su Xiaoxiao changed into a new outfit, a silk long gown, a very exquisite dress, and put a hairpin in her hair, which was the one Qian Musheng had given her a few days ago.

Qian Musheng came over to remind her to pay attention to her clothes, but when he saw that Su Xiaoxiao was wearing the hairpin he had given her, he was very happy and walked up to Su Xiaoxiao. When he saw that Su Xiaoxiao looked even more charming with the hairpin on, he was in a great mood.

The two of them entered the inner palace with the chief eunuch. The chief eunuch whispered a reminder to Su Xiaoxiao, "You must not look directly at the Emperor, nor speak casually..."

Su Xiaoxiao thought to herself, "I won't do that, don't worry!"

Because she had also watched period dramas, she felt she should have some knowledge in this area.

Given the strict hierarchical system, she could not possibly commit insubordination, as that would be a capital offense.

The head eunuch called out, "We've arrived at the Southern Study. You all wait here while I go in and announce your arrival..."

Since entering the palace, Su Xiaoxiao had walked for an unknown amount of time, winding her way through countless twists and turns, her head always bowed, unable to lift it.

Her neck was sore, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was around for the time being, Su Xiaoxiao quickly said to Qian Musheng, "Quickly lift your head and rest your neck. My cervical spondylosis is about to flare up."

Qian Musheng found Su Xiaoxiao very cute, and followed Su Xiaoxiao's lead, moving his limbs slightly.

Seeing the anxious expression on Qian Musheng's face, Su Xiaoxiao went over and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, I'm here for you!"

This was actually a way to comfort Qian Musheng, but Su Xiaoxiao made him laugh instead.

Thinking to himself that Su Xiaoxiao didn't look any better than him, he was still trying to comfort himself, which was kind of funny.

Just then, the head eunuch opened the door to the Southern Study and announced, "Summon Su Xiaoxiao and Qian Musheng to come in and meet the Emperor."

In the study, the two of them kept their heads down the whole time after entering. Their feet were on a soft Persian carpet. Seeing the person in front of them looking so nervous, their own nervousness naturally intensified. It was real; it wasn't something they could easily suppress. The tense and authoritative atmosphere infected Su Xiaoxiao, forcing her to lower her head nervously as well.

Although the pattern on the carpet is beautiful, looking at it for too long can be a bit dizzying.

Su Xiaoxiao felt really tired, which was why she was unwilling to go to the palace to meet the emperor.

Are you Su Xiaoxiao?

(End of this chapter)