Zuo Yi was left speechless. They had not even entered the establishment, let alone sampled the food or drinks there. So how exactly did the prince form the basis of his assessment?
He followed Prince Li’s line of sight and raised his head to examine the glamorous signboard. While he could not appreciate the sophistry behind it, those words did somewhat exude a grandiose feel to it, but not to the degree where it warranted that much praise.
The staff at the concierge was surprised upon sight of the exquisite appearances of the new guests. Was there ever a prominent young master with such heavenly existence and disposition in Fengyuan County? Accidentally meeting the gaze of the new entrants, the staff bowed politely to welcome them and avoided looking at them straight in the eyes.
“Young master, plea… this way… please.”
The concierge staff unconsciously cowered in anxiety while serving them.
Ming Jue requested for a private room on the second floor by the window. Another waiter, dressed in the same attire, respectfully placed a small booklet on the table and spoke, “Young master, this is our menu. Please take a look and call me when you are ready to make orders.”
Menu?
It was a novel concept which he had never seen or heard before.
Ming Jue creased his eyebrows. He originally planned to order only the alcohol here to verify the rumour. But at this moment, he unintentionally caught a glimpse of the menu cover and picked it up.
On the cover was a painting of a mountain forest, with somewhat amateurish brushwork, conveying an art style that was both playful and elegant. Ming Jue could tell that this artist definitely had exceptional talent. A smile escaped from his lips.
Zuo Yi: “…”
Did he just smile!?
That cold and emotionless master of his!?!?
A painting could make him smile!?!?!?
What sort of magical establishment was this Hundred Flavour Tavern, which could even stimulate the prince’s emotions time after time?
Could the Fengshui arrangements here contain some kind of insane effects?
In a cold and deep voice, Ming Jue finally placed his order, “Bring us a large flask of wine, and serve every signature dishes that your restaurant has to offer.”
The waiter took the orders and quickly left the room. Only after reaching the stairwell, could he finally relax and pat his chest in relief. This was the first time he had been faced with such imposing pressure from someone. He was so anxious that he could not even breathe properly. The pressure was much more intense than their local sir magistrate himself.
The food and alcohol was served in no time. Ming Jue swirled the wine around in his cup. Even before tasting it, he could tell that the rumour was true just by the smell. The wine exuded a rich and profound aroma, easily surpassing the top-grade wines only available in the royal palace.
Ming Jue sunk deep into his own thoughts. Why had he never heard of an extraordinary wine like this in his previous life?
Was it because that the Hundred Flavour Tavern had not expanded its operations to the capital? Or did the owner experience some kind of accident?
His curiosity was piqued. The owner was able to produce such fine quality wine and operate the business out of harm’s way, even from the prying eyes of other opportunistic vultures. The owner must either have had extraordinary support from influential backing or possessed immense personal abilities.
“Zuo Yi, go find out more about the restaurant owner.”
Not surprised by this sudden order, Zuo Yi immediately left to perform his new assignment…. and returned shortly after.
“Reporting to Your Highness, getting information about the owner did not require much effort. Many people in Fengyuan County know her. Her fame is close to that of a living legend.”
Ming Jue raised his eyes slightly, as if to urge Zuo Yi to continue.
Zuo Yi resumed his words, “The owner of this restaurant is a woman named Su Jin. She is a local resident of Fengyuan County, born in a family of peasants without any noteworthy background. She single-handedly opened this restaurant two years ago, and also operates a spicy snack shop and a hot pot store under her name. Currently, her business has rapidly expanded towards the Jiangnan region, and is expected to establish its presence in the capital soon.”
As he recounted what he had heard to his master, he could not help but admire the capabilities of the restaurant owner. A woman from a humble background and without any support was able to single-handedly disrupt the food industry, which had impossibly high barriers to entry due to the existence of many long-standing large incumbents. Not only did she went against the odds and accomplished this, it was also an amazing feat to defend her businesses on her own to this point.
Ming Jue fell into deep contemplation. A woman? With no background? And born into a family of peasants?
Zuo Yi continued to share what he had found out, “Your Highness, there is another piece of information, although I am not sure if it will interest you. It is also the main reason why that woman is considered a legend. I heard that she gave birth to triplets three years ago…”
For some reason, Ming Jue’s heart skipped a beat as Zuo Yi’s words caught his attention. He regained his composure shortly after and frowned slightly. Why did he react like that?
Putting that aside for now, the delivery of triplets was truly a feat deserved to be called a legend. In the entire history of the Great Yuan Dynasty, there was no record of women giving birth to triplets. This was the first of its own kind.
……
Su Jin bade farewell to the Jiang sisters and made her way to her own restaurant after leaving the Magistrate’s residence. She wanted to bring some cloud cakes home for her mother and check the ledger since she happened to have some free time today.
Upon sight of Su Jin, the shop attendant’s eyes lit up and he quickly strode forward to greet her, “Boss, are you here today to attend to some business?”
“Nothing in particular. I just happened to be around nearby and had some time to spare. Might as well check the ledger now while I am here today, so that the branch manager can save himself from making a separate trip. By the way, have the kitchen prepare some cloud cakes for me. I want to bring some home.”
Her mother, Qin Shi, was a big fan of those cakes.
After handing out instructions, Su Jin headed straight towards the third floor.
“Understood, I will notify the kitchen right away.”
Every month, the managers of each outlet would gather at her manor to present the ledger records, and tomorrow happened to be the last day of the accounting month.
The third floor had an unobstructed view of the surrounding. Su Jin stood by the window with her hands behind her back, observing the flow of people passing by with an expressionless face.
She was a relatively unmotivated person and lacked ambitions. In the first place, she had only started a hot pot shop to kill time because she wanted to eat spicy food. But the unexpected arrival of her three kids changed her mentality. For the sake of providing her kids with a comfortable life, she converted it into a business chain.
She was satisfied with her life as it is, and had no intention of getting involved in anything else.
The door to a private room on the second floor gradually opened and Ming Jue appeared from it, wearing a black brocade robe embroidered with golden auspicious cloud pattern, exuding a noble presence that stood out from the rest. His appearance immediately attracted everyone’s attention, but only a few dared to look him in the eye.
And Su Jin was one of those few people!
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Ming Yue instinctively felt a gaze coming from the upper floor. He shot a sharp glance towards the window on the third floor, but there was no one was in sight. Feelings of dissatisfaction could be seen within his eyes. His instincts were never wrong. Someone was observing him from the third floor.
He turned around, thoroughly looked through the area, before confidently walking off.
Su Jin patted her chest, surprised by how perceptive the man was. It was by sheer luck that she had managed to dodge his eyes in time.
The System rubbed its chin, leering at her and whispered, “Host, what are you hiding something from me? Did you get involved in some debauched relationship behind my back again? What exactly have you done to hide like that?”
Su Jin was dealing with her complicated feelings and answered honestly. “It’s him!! That was my man who ran away without leaving a word. ”
“System, am I dreaming right now? Why had he appeared in Fengyuan County? He looks so much better standing up as compared to when he was lying flat down. An impeccable male of his calibre… how much should I offer to ask his mom for his hand in marriage? Do you think the money that I had earned in the recent years is enough to propose to him?”
For someone who was satisfied with her mediocre life until moments ago, she was now starting to feel regrets. It was a wake-up slap straight to her face. As the saying goes – . Now that she had another taste of his peerless looks, her heart began to flutter again.
The System was left in a complete loss for words. It’s tiny brain was hurting so much that it could not process the situation. What nonsense was its host spouting this time?
(Calm down… Breathe in… Breathe out… Slow and steady…)
The System narrowed its eyes, reviewing the man it had just recorded with its image capturing ability. Its expression immediately made a turn for the worse and it started to critique sarcastically. “A man of his calibre obviously would not be short of women. With his exceptional appearance, it is easy for him to fool around and commit adultery.”
It was a direct, complete and outright rejection from the System. There was no way the System would be willing to let someone else claim its host so casually, after it had painstakingly groomed her up! Over its dead body!
Even if the System was pretty much useless, and could only look after its host in the most trivial areas from behind the scenes, it still considered itself as her guardian!
The System tugged its handkerchief, feeling indignant and unjust. In its heart, it was secretly plotting against that man like a villainous parent in-law would.
(All men are big doo-doos! Hmph!)
“You have a point. I should learn more about his situation first. Even if he is the dad of the three kids, I have no intention to intrude in his life and force him to marry me if he already has an existing family.”
If that was indeed the case, she would accept the situation and give up on him. Although giving up a man of his calibre was a pity, she would have to settle with finding another man. Who knows… the next one could be even better!
The System broke out from its own conspiracies and pretended to agree. “That’s right, my host!! A man like him must have already established a family, and who knows, maybe even a few children.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions and investigate properly. It would be a pity to miss out on such a wonderful husband material.”
As Su Jin spoke, drool began rolling down the edges of her mouth from her imaginations. As for what exactly she was fantasizing about, only the person in question would know…
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.
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