Surrounded by mountains, there is a very quiet and elegant valley, and in this valley is a mountain villa.
This villa is Zhou Tong's residence here. After all, it was built under the royal supervision, so the entire villa covers a large area. However, it may be due to neglect of repairs that the entire villa looks a bit dilapidated.
Arriving at the entrance of the villa, Zhou Tong jumped off the carriage, stretched and introduced with a smile.
"Mr. Zhao, this is my villa. It looks good, right?"
Zhao Feng got off the carriage, nodded, and turned to look at the surrounding mountains.
I have to admit that the scenery here is still very good, but it is surrounded by mountain peaks. Although it is not too tall, it is difficult to plant some crops!
It seems that Zhou Tong's poverty is not only because she is not good at business, but also because she is restricted by the geographical environment.
However, Zhao Feng does not plan to talk about these things for the time being, but needs to conduct in-depth investigation before he can give a comprehensive answer.
Following Zhou Tong, who was in high spirits, he came to the villa. There were not as many servants as expected, only a dozen or so, and most of them were women.
Zhao Feng asked with some surprise: "Your Highness, you live in such a place, don't you worry about your own safety?"
Zhou Tong was stunned for a moment, his face turned red with embarrassment, and he said awkwardly.
"Mr. Zhao, are you concerned about my safety?"
Zhao Feng nodded quickly and said with a panicked look.
"Your Highness, there are many bandits in these mountains and rivers. If someone comes to rob you, wouldn't you be in danger?"
"I think your Majesty should send some people over to protect you?"
Zhou Tong looked at his manor with some embarrassment, then turned to look at Zhao Feng.
"Are you sure someone will come and rob me?"
Zhao Feng opened his mouth in embarrassment, and then patted his forehead helplessly.
To be honest, although this manor looks good from the outside, in fact it is not as good as expected inside, and it does not feel grand.
Zhao Feng had a good eye and noticed that the roofs of several pavilions were broken, but they had not been repaired yet.
Zhou Tong smiled and called the housekeeper directly.
"Butler, this is Mr. Zhao from Zhongshushe. Please arrange a room for Mr. Zhao. Just live next door to me."
The housekeeper took a deep breath, looked at Zhao Feng in surprise, and then looked at Zhou Tong with a frown.
"Your Highness, this is against the rules. If word gets out, where will your reputation go?"
Zhou Tong frowned slightly and turned to look at the housekeeper angrily.
"If I ask you to make arrangements, you can make arrangements. Can other houses be occupied?"
The housekeeper turned his head and glanced at Zhao Feng before slowly nodding his head.
Zhao Feng also looked at the housekeeper with some confusion. Although the housekeeper was a woman, she was already over 50 years old. At first glance, she looked like a very shrewd person.
If she was really good for Zhou Tong, it would be impossible for this villa to become what it is now. It seems that there must be a lot of fishiness in it.
Zhao Feng silently kept this doubt in his mind. Zhao Feng would not speak rashly before he understood all the circumstances.
The housekeeper arranged a room for Zhao Feng, and Zhou Tong pulled Zhao Feng and said.
"Mr. Zhao, the skills of the chefs in my house are really poor. How about we go to a nearby town to eat?"
Zhao Feng smiled, shook his head and said.
"No, I see you are still growing some vegetables here. How about I cook today to show you my skills?"
Zhou Tong was pleasantly surprised. Although he wanted to taste Zhao Feng's cooking, he thought that Zhao Feng was a guest after all, so there was no reason to let the guests cook.
Zhao Feng waved his hand and said: "Your Highness, you're welcome. I'm here just to help you. You don't need to treat me as a guest."
Zhou Tong still felt a little embarrassed when he heard this, but Zhao Feng had already rolled up his sleeves and walked directly to the vegetable field of the manor.
When Zhao Feng saw these vegetable fields for the first time, he was a little surprised. He did not expect that this manor was planted with many vegetables and fruits instead of exotic flowers and plants.
It seems that Zhou Tong is also a very pragmatic person, and it is probably because of poverty.
Zhao Feng selected some vegetables, then went to the kitchen to look at the remaining ingredients and found that there was some meat, so he cooked a few dishes and asked Zhou Tong to eat with him.
Zhou Tong asked about the aroma of the dishes cooked by Zhao Feng, and he couldn't help but twitch his index finger. Maybe he was in her manor at this time, so Zhou Tong didn't care about lady etiquette and directly picked up the chopsticks and started to eat.
"Mr. Zhao, your cooking skills are really great. If I, the manor's chef, had half of your skills, I wouldn't have such a difficult life!"
Zhao Feng couldn't help but smile slightly. Although there are some seasonings in this era, most cooking methods are still boiling. This is why he asked Chen Man to open a restaurant and Chen Man was able to make a lot of money.
While eating, the housekeeper from Zhou Tong's manor came again.
"Your Highness, you are finally back. The situation in our village is not very good!"
After hearing the butler's words, Zhou Tong immediately frowned, turned to look at the butler and said.
"Is there anything we can't talk about after dinner? Besides, Mr. Zhao has come a long way and has a long journey, so please don't disturb our fun!"
The housekeeper opened her mouth and glanced at Zhao Feng narrowly, and Zhao Feng said with a smile.
"Your Highness, why don't you let her speak now? It just so happens that I can understand the situation, which can also save time."
After Zhou Tong heard Zhao Feng's words, he nodded with some dissatisfaction.
"Mr. Zhao, you don't know, I brought this housekeeper from the capital. When she was in the capital before, she was in charge of the maids in my uniform."
"Father thought she was very talented, so he asked her to come here with me."
Zhao Feng nodded indifferently. He didn't believe Zhou Tong's words. If he was really a talented person, how could he manage the manor like this?
The housekeeper spoke slowly.
"Your Highness, last year's surplus food is almost used up, and now there are only a few dozen taels of silver left in the mansion. The money I borrowed before..."
As soon as she said this, Zhou Tong was immediately shocked and waved his hand.
"What nonsense are you talking about? When did this princess borrow money from outsiders?"
After saying this, Zhou Tong turned to look at Zhao Feng and found that Zhao Feng's expression did not change much, so he winked at the housekeeper.
The housekeeper quickly covered his mouth, as if to hide it, but this could not escape Zhao Feng's eyes.
