Chapter 2815

The Regent opened his eyes, staring in disbelief at the golden aura swirling in his hands. He looked at Yun Xi, his voice trembling slightly. "How is this possible?"

Yun Xi poured himself a cup of tea, took a slow sip, and replied calmly. "I told you before that your state of mind had already broken through. You should have entered the Golden stage long ago. But you failed to advance, which meant there was a problem inside your body. I used my scholarly aura to guide your meridians and check them. I found that someone had given you a drug to block your progress. I used my aura to expel that drug from your body. Once it was gone, you naturally succeeded in breaking through."

Yun Xi bowed slightly to the Regent. "Your Highness, congratulations on successfully breaking through to the Golden Scholarly Aura."

The Regent laughed heartily. For the first time, he felt true joy. After his laughter subsided, he patted Yun Xi’s shoulder. "Wangzhi, thank you."

"Why thank me? Your breakthrough is good news for Da Ru." Yun Xi said seriously.

The Regent was not foolish. He understood that someone like Yun Xi could not be contained by this world. However, if Da Ru lacked a protector with Golden Scholarly Aura, other nations might bully them again. Now that he had broken through, he could live for another two hundred years. In that time, he could certainly find a successor to protect the nation.

"I understand. But I still thank you." The Regent no longer referred to himself as "This King," at least not in front of Yun Xi.

In less than a month, the Regent of Da Ru had also broken through to the Golden Scholarly Aura. This meant Da Ru now had two experts with Golden Scholarly Aura. This was definitely not good news for the other major nations.

"Da Ru is strange," the Yong Emperor muttered. "They either have no Golden experts, or they get two at once. What is going on?"

"Regardless, we should prepare an extra gift," the Crown Prince said helplessly.

It was the same in the courts of the Wu Emperor and the Xia Emperor.

Indeed, kindness invites bullying. When Da Ru had no Golden experts, these nations had plotted to annex them. But Da Ru had many capable generals, so invasion was difficult. Now, with two Golden experts, Da Ru held the upper hand. The other nations, each having only one such expert, had to bow their heads.

These days, the Emperor of Da Ru was the happiest. With two Golden experts, Da Ru had deterred all surrounding nations. The country now had time to develop, especially in trade.

Yun Xi had already made plans for trade. After discussing with Wang Lanxuan and others, the strategy was set.

This was the first time in ten years that the four major nations had gathered together, along with their smaller vassal states. It was a major event for Da Ru, and the capital city was unusually lively.

One day, Yun Xi decided to go for a walk. He took Yang Xue’en with him.

"Master, where are we going?" Yang Xue’en asked.

Yun Xi said calmly, "Let’s go to the city gate. I heard there are tolls being charged there. Let’s go check it out in secret."

"Understood." Yang Xue’en nodded immediately.

Yang Xue’en knew Yun Xi was a supreme expert, so he did not fear danger. He followed mainly to run errands and help. Having served Yun Xi for years, he knew his master was extraordinary and remained fiercely loyal.

Yang Xue’en also knew Yun Xi well. Because Yun Xi was born a commoner, he hated seeing commoners oppressed. Yang Xue’en prayed the rumor about guards taking money was false. He didn’t know what his master would do if it were true.

Most importantly, before Yun Xi had publicly revealed his Golden breakthrough, he might have held back. Now, if he encountered injustice, he might not hold back at all.

Yun Xi walked slowly to the city gate. Because representatives from other nations were coming, security was tighter, and checks on commoners were stricter.

Yun Xi stopped at a temporary tea stall near the gate. The owner was an ordinary old man.

"Old sir, your tea smells quite fragrant," Yun Xi said.

The old man’s face lit up with happiness. "You have good taste, noble sir. I specially ordered this tea from out of town. It’s said to be Yun Family Tea. Do you know it?"

"I’ve heard of it. Is it the Yun Family Tea from Mengyang?" Yun Xi asked with a smile.

"Yes," the old man nodded seriously. "This Yun Family Tea is also called 'Zhuangyuan Tea.' It comes from the hometown of the current Duke of Protection."

"Tea is just tea. Why is it linked to the Zhuangyuan (top scholar)?" Yang Xue’en asked curiously.

"Haha, then you don’t know," the old man said mysteriously. "The current Duke of Protection was the Zhuangyuan in his year."

"Is that so?" Yun Xi was surprised. He had always called it Yun Family Tea. He hadn’t realized people had given it such a grand name. Merchants were indeed clever.

The old man smiled. "And true Zhuangyuan Tea is not easy to get. My tea is good, but it’s not the real thing. I hear the real Zhuangyuan Tea is only one jin per year, and the Yun Family doesn’t sell it. What I sell is slightly inferior, but it is still very fragrant."

"It is very fragrant," Yun Xi nodded slightly. Even if his family’s tea wasn’t from old trees, the aroma had grown stronger in recent years.

"But old sir, saying your tea is inferior so directly won’t scare away customers?" Yun Xi teased.

The old man laughed. "Why should I be afraid? I sell tea for my own happiness. I won’t hide it from you. My son is also successful. He can’t compare to the Duke of Protection, but he passed the imperial exam in the same year. He is now a sixth-rank official and hopes to reach fifth rank next year. He wants me to move there, but I refuse. I am free and happy here."

The old man continued, "I don’t care about making money. I just want fun. My family doesn’t need much money, so why would I lie?"

"Old sir, hearing you speak, I know you are a very open-minded person," Yun Xi said with a smile.

"I had my own charm when I was young," the old man said. "Just not as impressive as the current Duke of Protection. The Duke is the most handsome man in Da Ru."

"Cough, cough. Who said he is the number one handsome man in the country?" Yun Xi said speechlessly. "I remember Chief Minister Wang is also very handsome."

"But Chief Minister Wang is almost forty and has a family. The Duke is only eighteen. He is young, capable, and has Golden Scholarly Aura. So everyone agrees he is the most handsome man in Da Ru." From the old man’s words, it was clear that despite his age, he greatly admired Yun Xi.

Yang Xue’en struggled to hold back his laughter, winking at Yun Xi.

Yun Xi smiled helplessly. "There are many young unmarried men, like General Liexuan."

"Yes, we call General Liexuan the most handsome general in Da Ru." The old man was clearly a gossip.

"Are there others?" Yun Xi asked, curious.

The old man laughed. "There is also Chief Minister Wang, whom you just mentioned. We call him the most handsome husband in Da Ru."

"(⊙o⊙)…" So Wang Lanxuan couldn’t escape the label of 'handsome' either.

"Why do they have such titles?" Yang Xue’en asked.

"Why are you surprised?" the old man said. "Look at Da Ru now. Those with money and power all have three wives and four concubines. Only Chief Minister Wang has one wife. He has never visited any pleasure houses. Of course, the Duke and General Liexuan are also good; they haven’t gone either. But among the three, Chief Minister Wang is the oldest. The Duke and General are still young. So, as an old man, I respect Chief Minister Wang more."

Yun Xi agreed with the old man to some extent. Wang Lanxuan indeed had only one wife, which was rare nowadays.

Of course, Yun Xi knew that Wang Lanxuan chose one wife not just for love, but because he was busy with state affairs and cultivation. He had no time for multiple wives. Outsiders didn’t know this, so Wang Lanxuan’s virtue stood out.

"It seems you know the people in the capital very well," Yun Xi said. He was slightly helpless but not angry. This was just a small person’s daily entertainment.

Most importantly, Yun Xi’s state of mind had already broken through. He could happily chat and laugh with everyone.

The old man laughed. "When you are old, this is the only fun left."

So the old man knew he was just gossiping.

Yun Xi was chatting casually with the old man when a commotion erupted at the city gate.

Yun Xi frowned slightly and said to Yang Xue’en, "Go see what happened."

"Yes." Yang Xue’en stood up quickly to investigate.

The old man sighed. "What is there to see? Probably another guard arguing with someone trying to enter."

Yun Xi asked casually, "Why are they arguing?"

"What other reason could there be? It’s about fees," the old man said. "Because representatives from other nations are coming, security is tighter. That is understandable. But some guards think this is a chance to make money. So situations like this happen often."