Chapter 7

Shangguan Wan'er gracefully moved to the Hebi Palace.

She called a palace attendant and instructed, "Find out about the Ruchun Winehouse, especially the origin of that sign. Make sure to get the details clear."

As Shangguan Wan'er spoke, her usually cold and beautiful face softened, and she said, "Since I'm out of the palace, bring me a bowl of tofu pudding. The imperial chefs in the palace serve too much rich food; it's really getting腻 (tiring)."

An hour later, a eunuch knelt in the Zhaogao Hall.

Shangguan Wan'er sat behind the desk. Although Hu beds and Hu stools were common, in the palace, people still knelt. Shangguan Wan'er wore a light green dress. Despite her young age, she served the emperor with a cold and stern face. But now, she showed a hint of innocence.

She was busy with the bowl of tofu pudding, taking a few bites, she frowned, "Salty? Why isn't it sweet? These tofu pudding makers who use salt are worse than rebels, hmm..." She wrinkled her nose and decisively concluded, "Salty rebels, they deserve to die!"

Despite this, she still finished the bowl of tofu pudding with great interest, then lifted her eyes, looking at the eunuch kneeling in the room, and asked, "Did you find out?"

"I did."

"Tell me." Shangguan Wan'er became serious again. She squinted her eyes as if she were dozing, but her half-covered eyes sparkled.

"The sign of Ruchun Winehouse was indeed written by the Crown Prince himself and was later framed. It reads 'Unmatched Culinary Skills.'"

Shangguan Wan'er seemed to think of something, frowned, and pondered, "Continue."

"There is a manager, a bookworm..."

"Bookworm..." Shangguan Wan'er frowned again. She was a talented woman, the granddaughter of Chancellor Shangguan Yi, and had been favored by the Empress for her wisdom and literary skills, managing the imperial edicts for many years, earning the title of "Female Chancellor." However, this did not mean she liked bookworms. Talented scholars and bookworms were different; the former were elegant and charming, while the latter were annoying.

"Why is he a bookworm?"

"He has been reading since he was young, hiding in his room every day to recite the Four Books and Five Classics, read, and write. However, he lacks economic skills. After his father died, he still did not strive for progress, spending his days nodding and shaking his head while holding books, leading to the decline of Ruchun Winehouse, with few customers. It is said that the winehouse is poorly managed and can no longer sustain itself."

Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but feel annoyed, "Such a person, unable to carry on the family business or make a living, is truly laughable, just a stupid worm, not a true scholar. Is there anything else?"

"There is..." The eunuch hesitated, not daring to speak for a long time.

Shangguan Wan'er, who had lost interest in Ruchun Winehouse, couldn't help but press, "Speak your mind."

"Also, the food there is terrible. I inquired from the neighbors and nearby diners, and they all said that starving to death is a small matter, but eating the food cooked by Mr. Qin is a sin, worse than pig feed. Last month, someone risked it and ate there... ate... something out of it..."

"Stop." Shangguan Wan'er didn't need to hear more to know what the eunuch was going to say. She couldn't help but feel nauseous and scolded, "You really don't know your place, saying things you shouldn't."

The eunuch looked aggrieved, "Sister, you told me to say it."

Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but feel frustrated. She sighed, "This time is truly troublesome. The emperor inquired about Ruchun Winehouse, which actually refers to the Crown Prince Li Hong. This matter is not simple. No matter what, I must visit Ruchun Winehouse."

"Um, I'll go tomorrow, and before I go, I'll have a full meal."

...

Perhaps due to its bad reputation, even after a few days of reopening, there were still no customers.

The only customer was a freeloader. Deng Jian was very concerned about Qin Shaoyou's business. He considered himself a man of high moral principles and had given Qin Shaoyou many suggestions. For example, he had dozens of friends who wanted to come and freeload. Qin Shaoyou was so scared that he couldn't find a word to describe this shameless guy, and finally, he nodded and shook his head, saying, "I have never seen such a shameless person."

Qin Shou learned cooking from Qin Shaoyou every day. With no customers, he practiced dish after dish, gradually improving, especially the minced meat eggplant. Except for the fire control and the thickness of the eggplant slices, it was barely acceptable.

However, this practice wasted a lot of ingredients, but Qin Shaoyou didn't mind. He couldn't cook every day, and good knives should be used on the right tasks, so Qin Shou needed to be trained.

Today was sunny and warm. It was said that in early March, the Confucian temple by the Yi River would have a fair, which would be very lively. As a result, the winehouse's business was even colder. Qin Shaoyou leaned on the counter, dozing off. Such a decadent life was truly hateful, but... let's sleep first.

By mid-morning, Qin Shaoyou, who was half-asleep, heard footsteps.

Qin Shaoyou was excited. Although yesterday he had lured a merchant in and offered him an 80% discount, with Deng Jian, who had a fierce face, hiding a stick in his sleeve, the merchant was terrified and entered the shop, ordered two small dishes, and fled when Qin Shaoyou went to the kitchen to cook. This made Qin Shaoyou very frustrated.

Now, these footsteps were the second customer of Ruchun Winehouse. No... listening to the footsteps, there were not just one but many customers.

Qin Shaoyou couldn't help but shed tears of joy. Ancestors, your incense from last night has worked, finally, a real customer has come.

But he told himself not to panic, not to be too excited, not to show any unusual expression, and not to scare the customers away. He needed to be calm, composed, and handle the situation with ease. Ruchun Winehouse's business was so 'good,' did it really need just one customer?

Yes, he needed to have such confidence. So he immediately pulled out an old ledger, which was already yellowed, and while flipping through it, he used an abacus, shaking it and sighing, "Yesterday's revenue was only four thousand coins, with over seventy customers. But it's said there's a fair recently, so it's good. I'll take a break these few days, and when the fair ends, I'll be busy with a full house."

"Ah... the business is so good, it's really worrying. I'll hire another helper tomorrow."

He looked worried and hesitant, but then he casually lifted his eyes, slightly surprised.

Standing opposite the counter was an extremely beautiful woman, about sixteen years old, wearing a silk dress. A bit disappointing was that, although there was no GuangDIAN Bureau, the woman's chest covering was not low but had a straight collar embroidered with silver threads.

She was a very beautiful woman, but her eyes lacked the innocence and clarity typical of a woman her age. Her eyes were deep and seemed to hide many stories.

Behind the woman stood four or five guards, each carrying a sword, broad-shouldered and muscular, seemingly casual but always on guard, ready to react at the slightest sign of trouble.

Qin Shaoyou smiled. He had practiced this smile in front of a bronze mirror for a long time. The customer is God, and a spring-like smile is a must.

"Sir, would you like to eat?"

As he spoke, Qin Shaoyou's Adam's apple couldn't help but tremble, his heart pounding. If this woman answered that she had taken a fancy to him, Qin Shaoyou couldn't guarantee he wouldn't strangle her in anger.

Shangguan Wan'er felt a bit strange. Was this the bookworm? He was polite, but his gaze was too intense. No, it was impolite!

But since she had come, she nodded, "Um... to eat."

Qin Shaoyou breathed a sigh of relief. These two simple words were like heavenly music to his ears. He quickly said, "Sir, please."

He was excited and personally went around the counter, choosing the window seat closest to the window, dusting it with a feather duster, and respectfully inviting Shangguan Wan'er to sit.

Shangguan Wan'er, who was no ordinary person, found Qin Shaoyou's attentiveness a bit excessive. She inwardly sneered, "Perhaps this bookworm thinks I'm a beauty. His innocent demeanor is somewhat interesting, but he's just a fool."

Shangguan Wan'er sat on the Hu stool, and the guards stood on either side.

Qin Shaoyou eagerly brought a menu, "Sir, what would you like to eat? Here's the menu."

"Menu..." Shangguan Wan'er was suspicious, took the menu, and saw a list of dishes with names like 'Prosperity and Wealth' and 'Colorful Splendor.'

Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help but smile, finding the unique dish names somewhat interesting. The handwriting was also unique and good, which was her evaluation of the writing.

So she looked up and smiled, "Your calligraphy is a bit lacking, but the style is unique. With more practice, you might become a master one day."

Qin Shaoyou was very sad. Lady, I'm a chef, okay? Praising a chef for his calligraphy, do you think that's appropriate?

Qin Shaoyou smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment, but I don't deserve it. Miss, it's time to order."

Shangguan Wan'er immediately thought of the information the eunuch had gathered, feeling a chill and a sense of being forced to the execution ground. She smiled, "May I ask the manager's name?"

"Qin Shaoyou." Qin Shaoyou was already impatient.

Shangguan Wan'er smiled, "That's a good name."

Qin Shaoyou smiled bitterly, "Please order..."

Shangguan Wan'er, "Your place is quite elegant, the name is meaningful, and the handwriting is good. Where are you from, what is your birthday, how many people are in your family, and what books have you read..."

Qin Shaoyou began to suspect that women in the Tang Dynasty were too promiscuous. Was this older woman really interested in him?

But, could she at least eat first before flirting?

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