But his original authority and solemnity were still there.
What he said, even if it was no longer as swift and decisive as before, could not be completely ignored.
Fortunately, Yi Zhiye was no longer the Grand Tutor.
He never cared for power anyway; he just wanted to live a peaceful life. Thus, the Grand Empress Dowager’s annual imperial rewards to him were quite substantial.
At least, it was enough to ensure he lived without worry for food and clothing.
But, merely coming to their place, the journey was indeed far, but it was absolutely impossible to spend all the money.
Since it wasn't all spent, then…
Thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan suddenly said to Zheng Wei, "Could they have been robbed?"
"Impossible. They don't look like they've been robbed at all, and besides, everything they have is still intact." Zheng Wei denied it.
Shen Xiaoyan shrugged upon hearing this; she had just been guessing randomly. Since that wasn't the case, then so be it.
Meanwhile, in the side room at the front, after washing their hands and faces, Yi Zhiye and Namu Zhong sat on the heated kang bed and talked.
"Little Xie ge, why did you insist on coming here?" Namu Zhong leaned on Yi Zhiye's shoulder, her fingers constantly fiddling with the tips of his hair.
"Don't you think they are different from others? Perhaps they can help us." Yi Zhiye smiled faintly, his voice gentle but full of confidence and determination.
"No, I just think Shen Xiaoyan's cooking is very delicious." When it came to food, Namu Zhong's eyes sparkled again.
Although Yi Zhiye didn't look down, he could guess her expression from the tone of Namu Zhong's voice.
"Don't just think about eating. After all, time is running out."
"There's still time. Let me eat heartily for a few days first." Namu Zhong was unconcerned by the gravity in Yi Zhiye's tone.
The reason she was like this was not because of her excessive confidence.
It was precisely because she firmly believed in the saying, "Heaven and earth are vast, but eating is paramount."
Yi Zhiye shook his head with a wry smile and said nothing more. The two fell into silence.
And unbeknownst to them, on the roof above their heads, a black cat disappeared into the air, as if it had never appeared at all.
The black cat reappeared on the kang table in front of Shen Xiaoyan.
Startled, Shen Xiaoyan, who was about to reach out for a cup of tea, touched a soft, warm, and furry body.
"Luoluo, I've told you several times. Don't appear so suddenly, you'll scare me." Shen Xiaoyan chided.
Luoluo flicked its tail, jumped down from the kang table, and sat beside Shen Xiaoyan.
"Didn't you ask me to listen to what those two were saying and then hurry back to tell you? Don't you want to hear it now?"
"Of course I want to hear it. Why wouldn't I?" Shen Xiaoyan's expression immediately changed from chiding to delight, looking at Luoluo expectantly, waiting for its answer.
Luoluo rolled its eyes at her and then recounted everything it had just heard.
After Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei listened, they exchanged a glance.
"It really is something important," Shen Xiaoyan said, her face showing an expression of "See, I told you so."
"It's just that we don't know what it is," Zheng Wei also said thoughtfully.
What kind of matter would cause the Grand Tutor to travel such a long distance to find them?
If there was truly something he couldn't resolve, wouldn't he go to the imperial capital?
Given the Grand Empress Dowager's favor towards him, what matter couldn't be resolved?
"If you want to know, you can just ask directly later."
Luoluo couldn't quite understand Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei's hesitation. In its opinion, nothing was more convenient than asking directly.
"Then how should we ask?" Shen Xiaoyan asked hesitantly.
Luoluo gave Shen Xiaoyan another glare and then said, "Just ask him what he means by 'time is running out,' why he came to find you, and why he didn't go to the old emperor."
Shen Xiaoyan looked helpless, shook her head, and continued, "Then if they ask me how I knew this, what should we say?"
"Just say that this cat overheard it and told you," Luoluo said matter-of-factly.
"Luoluo, you've forgotten again. I've told you, you're not allowed to act too smart in front of outsiders, especially not to talk."
Shen Xiaoyan said this, putting on a stern face.
Luoluo instinctively flinched and lowered its head guiltily, but still peeked at Shen Xiaoyan from the corner of its eye.
Seeing the seriousness on Shen Xiaoyan's face, it knew it had spoken wrongly just now.
Fortunately, Luoluo had always been a good cat that knew how to correct its mistakes.
"I was wrong. I won't be so careless again. I'm leaving." After saying this, Luoluo's shadow disappeared.
Shen Xiaoyan knew that it had once again hidden in the space.
This silly and cute cat, by hiding in the space, would be even easier for her to find?
However, Shen Xiaoyan didn't have the energy to argue with Luoluo now; her mind was full of wondering what Yi Zhiye's words meant.
Unfortunately, those vague words provided no inspiration at all.
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei sat facing each other, thinking until lunchtime, but they couldn't come up with anything.
"Master, Madam, the meal is ready. Shall I serve it?" Huo Fen's voice came from the doorway.
"En, have you sent someone to invite them?" Shen Xiaoyan replied, and then asked again.
"Replying to Madam, I have already sent someone."
"Then serve the meal."
Huo Fen responded from outside and then quickly left the main room, heading straight for the kitchen.
Just as Huo Fen left, Shen Xiaoyan saw Lu Tao Bao and the other two walking over from outside.
Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei exchanged a glance, composed their expressions, stood up, and walked out of the east side room.
As the group was about to sit down, Sima Han, Yue Qingxin, and Shen Xiaoming also entered.
Huo Fen was also bringing Xiao Ni Zi to serve the dishes.
Normally, when the six of them ate, ten dishes and two soups, plus staple food, were sufficient.
However, today there were two more people, and they were clearly big eaters, so a total of twenty dishes and four soups were prepared.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Shen Xiaoyan sighed inwardly, thankfully the table was large enough, otherwise where would it all be placed?
From the moment Huo Fen served the first dish, Namu Zhong's eyes were fixed on the dishes on the table, her eyes filled with a wolf-like gaze.
Now that they were finally all served, she could barely control herself.
"Let's start eating. As the old saying goes, 'Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping.' We can discuss anything after we're done."
Although she desperately wanted to eat heartily and continuously, Namu Zhong still wanted to preserve her image.
Fortunately, she could find a plausible excuse.
Everyone listened to Namu Zhong's words and nodded in agreement.
Shen Xiaoyan and the others had always been silent during meals. Later, when Lu Tao Bao arrived, he was a glutton.
Wasting time talking during meals was equivalent to wasting his life, so no one spoke during meals.
Therefore, for the next period, only the clinking of bowls and chopsticks could be heard.
The meal lasted half an hour. When Shen Xiaoyan put down her chopsticks, the plates and bowls on the table were all empty.