Inside the Censorate.
Although Gu Yan was newly appointed, he had already established connections with officials in the Censorate due to his investigation of the tea tax in Jiangnan. Moreover, Gu Yan came from a noble background, so on his first day at the office, the entire Censorate showed him great consideration.
However, even with such consideration, as the year-end approached, it was the busiest time for the supervising censors, and Gu Yan found no leisure throughout the day.
During the midday break, Gu Yan invited his colleagues to dine at the Linlang Restaurant.
Just as he reached the entrance of the government office, Gu Yan saw the four maids from his courtyard rushing over with tears in their eyes and kneeling before him.
“Young Master, Young Master, we dare not harbor any improper thoughts toward you. We only wish to stay in the Qingfeng Courtyard to earn a living. But Madam Yun believes we have ulterior motives and cannot tolerate us staying by your side. She has driven the four of us out of the Princess Royal’s residence, leaving us with no way to survive.”
Zhuyi knelt before Gu Yan with a tearful voice, kowtowing as she pleaded, “We beg you, Young Master, not to send us away. We are willing to do anything…”
Upon hearing this, Gu Yan frowned deeply.
Lianyi crawled forward on her knees to Gu Yan, “Young Master, my family has long been gone. Now that Madam Yun has driven us out of the Princess Royal’s residence, in the harsh cold of the New Year season, we truly don’t even know where our next meal will come from.”
Gu Yan’s frown deepened further. He glanced at the looks from his colleagues around the Censorate and said to the four maids before him, “All of you, rise.”
Meiyi kowtowed and said, “Young Master, we beg you not to send us away.”
Gu Yan’s face darkened, and he signaled to his attendant Qingming beside him.
Seeing this, Qingming gestured to a few people sitting in the tea stall at the entrance of the government office. These were guards disguised by Gu Yan’s side, who quickly came over to drag Zhuyi and the others away.
Zhuyi cried out, “Young Master, we have served by your side for many years and have never dared to harbor disloyalty. Yun, out of jealousy for our beauty, cannot tolerate us by your side and seeks to destroy us. It matters not if we cannot return to the Princess Royal’s residence, but we fear that Yun’s jealousy may cause great harm to you in the future.”
The area around the Censorate was also home to the offices of other officials in Chang’an City. As it was midday break for the surrounding offices, Zhuyi’s cries attracted the attention of many officials from other departments.
Seeing the guards take Zhuyi away, Gu Yan acted as if nothing had happened and invited his colleagues to dine at the Linlang Restaurant.
Inside the Linlang Restaurant.
Yun Xiangye, holding Nuonuo, followed Gu Jingyu and took a seat in the private room reserved for distinguished guests.
The Princess Royal intended to hand over the Linlang Restaurant to her, and Yun Xiangye was determined to achieve something with it. Thus, at noon today, she decided to visit the Linlang Restaurant to take a look.
Coincidentally, Gu Jingyu had some free time. As Yun Xiangye was new to the place, she accompanied Gu Jingyu to the Linlang Restaurant.
Gu Jingyu smiled faintly at Yun Xiangye and said, “Sister-in-law, this Linlang Restaurant has been open for many years. In the past, its medicinal cuisine was highly sought after and difficult to secure a seat for. Nowadays, the business is rather ordinary, but there are still quite a few customers who come.”
Yun Xiangye asked, “I see that the dishes here are no longer medicinal cuisine?”
Gu Jingyu smiled and said, “Medicinal cuisine has many rules, and quite a few people can’t eat it casually. Later, it simply became an ordinary restaurant again. Over the past two years, two chefs have been replaced, and business has remained lukewarm. After Aunt Xia Lian left, the accounts here became quite messy. Mother is usually busy with the pharmacy, seeing patients, so the restaurant’s business has been neglected.”
Yun Xiangye looked at a booklet placed in the private room and remarked, “How interesting—they actually write all the dishes in a book.”
Gu Jingyu smiled and explained, “This is called a menu. It was something my grandmother came up with.”
Yun Xiangye selected two light dishes that Nuonuo could eat, intending to try the restaurant’s flavors.
Although Yun Xiangye ran an embroidery workshop and had never operated a restaurant, she felt that the principles were the same: the most important thing was to offer genuine goods at fair prices without deceiving anyone.
The embroidery workshop in Yun Xiangye’s home was well-known throughout the ten-mile radius of Fangqiao Town, thanks to its excellent embroidery craftsmanship and high-quality threads. Almost every customer felt it was worth the price.
For a restaurant to thrive, it simply needed dishes that were visually appealing, aromatic, and delicious, with reasonable prices and generous portions.
Gu Jingyu ordered five or six more dishes. Just as Yun Xiangye was pouring a glass of water for Nuonuo, they heard voices from outside.
“Young Master, the Celestial private room is already occupied today. Would you like to go to the neighboring room instead?”
Yun Xiangye heard Gu Yan’s voice from outside, “Who is in the Celestial private room?”
“Daddy!”
Nuonuo, excited upon hearing Gu Yan’s voice, slipped off her chair and opened the door. “Daddy.”
Seeing his soft and adorable little daughter, Gu Yan smiled faintly, bent down, and picked Nuonuo up. “Nuonuo, what are you doing here?”
Yun Xiangye stepped out of the private room. She had thought Gu Yan was alone, but unexpectedly, there were five or six men in official robes behind him.
A middle-aged official behind Gu Yan praised, “Brother Gu, your daughter is so lovely. If even your daughter is this beautiful, your wife must be as stunning as a fairy…”
“Listen to Old Hu—Brother Gu is so handsome, his wife must be a fairy descended to earth. I wonder if we might catch a glimpse of her today?”
Standing at the door, Yun Xiangye listened to the discussions among the officials around Gu Yan. She frowned slightly—did she really look so unlike Gu Yan’s wife?
Gu Yan glanced at Yun Xiangye, put Nuonuo down, and said, “Daddy has matters to attend to. You and Mother go ahead and eat.”
Little Nuonuo nodded obediently, “Okay, Daddy.”
Gu Yan led his colleagues to the neighboring private room.
Yun Xiangye let out a soft scoff. What a fine Gu Yan—now he wasn’t even willing to introduce her as his wife in front of his colleagues.
Yun Xiangye took little Nuonuo’s hand and returned to the private room. About a quarter of an hour later, the restaurant waiter began serving the dishes.
Looking at the dishes before her, Yun Xiangye remarked, “Why are the portions so small? Isn’t this white-cut chicken supposed to cost three qian of silver? Does three qian only buy such a tiny half-chicken?”
Yun Xiangye stared at the small, delicate pieces of chicken on the plate. Three qian of silver was enough to buy five or six whole chickens, yet this small plate likely contained only about a quarter of a chicken.
The waiter nearby explained, “The guests who come to our restaurant are either wealthy or noble officials, not laborers from the docks. Our dishes emphasize quality and flavor—it’s not about quantity…”
Yun Xiangye slightly furrowed her brows. “These high-ranking officials and nobles aren’t fools either—their money doesn’t come from thin air. Only corrupt officials and unscrupulous merchants would dare spend like this, no wonder this restaurant’s business is lukewarm.”
The waiter sized up Yun Xiangye’s clothing and the jewelry she wore, then said coldly, “Who are you? This Linlang Restaurant is owned by Her Highness the Princess Royal. If you think it’s too expensive here, go eat at the food stalls by the docks—over there, with three coins you can eat as much chicken as you want!”
Gu Jingyu frowned and said, “How rude of you, waiter. Do you know that the person before you is the new manager of Linlang Restaurant?”
The waiter sneered, “The new manager of Linlang Restaurant? How dare you spout such nonsense? Let me tell you the truth—my aunt is the wet nurse of the Duke of Wei’s daughter. The eldest daughter of the Wei family will eventually become the Princess Royal’s future daughter-in-law. The accountant currently managing Linlang Restaurant is my cousin, the wet nurse’s son of the Wei family’s eldest daughter. The position of Linlang Restaurant’s manager will inevitably fall into my cousin’s hands.”
Hearing the waiter’s words, Yun Xiangye frowned slightly. Wei Nian’s reach was quite deep—she had already placed her people even in Linlang Restaurant.
It seemed Wei Nian truly considered herself Gu Yan’s future wife, which was why she had planted her own people in Linlang Restaurant.
Yun Xiangye had originally wanted to achieve something remarkable at Linlang Restaurant to show Gu Yan that he had misjudged her, but now that Wei Nian’s people were in place, managing the restaurant would likely be somewhat troublesome.