It was lunchtime at Fu Man Lou, and there were too many people at the front door, so Su Luo and her companions got off the carriage at the back door and came in.

Ah Xu had been waiting there for a long time, and asked the innkeeper to reserve the largest private room for them.

"Madam Su, you've finally arrived! Please come up and have a seat. And take a look at our Fu Man Lou restaurant in the capital."

Ah Xu looked smug. This restaurant was the largest of all the Fu Man Lou restaurants, and it was only through His Highness's guidance and his personal management that it became successful.

"Great! Very good!"

When she went upstairs, Su Luo observed both the upstairs and downstairs areas and found that the decorations and plants were placed very appropriately.

The place features poems recited by Su Luo in Yongle County, paintings, and most importantly, it's always packed with customers.

Inside the private room, a large table of dishes filled every available space.

"Madam Su, try the dishes made by the chefs in the capital and see if they taste like those in Yongle County."

Su Luo, Du Xiuyuan, and the others all sat down before they began to eat.

The flavor is indeed lacking, but in Beijing, it's considered top-notch.

"I've always heard that Fu Man Lou's dishes are the best in the world. I'm so glad I can have this Manchu Han Imperial Feast today. It's all thanks to my master."

Fu Man Lou is very expensive. Du Siyuan has only eaten there once, but he didn't dare to order too many dishes.

There were many dishes on the table, none of which he had tried yet, but the fresh vegetables on them were something he could eat at home.

The things that the grandmaster gave to Fumanlou would always be sent to the Du family.

"Siyuan likes it, so eat more."

After the meal, Du Xiuyuan said to Su Luo.

“Master, my wife has prepared a room for you. You must be tired from traveling these past few days. Why don’t you come back with me to rest?”

When Su Luo wrote to say she was coming to the capital, Du Xiuyuan prepared everything that needed to be prepared at home, including their accommodation.

"Luo Luo, why don't you stay at my residence? Apart from some servants, there is no one else in my residence."

Tomorrow I can also take you to the palace to meet my father, the Emperor.

Nangong Qing is a prince, and his princely residence is certainly nice, but he doesn't even have a principal wife. If Su Luo goes there, it will inevitably cause gossip.

“Nangong Qing, given your status, it’s more convenient for me to stay at the Du residence. Doctor Du has prepared everything, so it doesn’t matter where we stay.”

"But……"

The capital is not like Yongle County, so Su Luo's worries are not unfounded. If she is staying at Du Xiuyuan's house, then she should stay at his house.

If he wants to see Su Luo, he can go to the Du residence to see her.

When the group returned to the Du residence, Du Xiuyuan told Su Luo that he had previously worked in the palace as an imperial physician.

I went to Yongle County with Nangong Qing.

"Dr. Du, you are an imperial physician in the palace, so Siyuan must be one too, right?"

Du Siyuan led the way and, upon hearing Su Luo's words, explained.

“Grandmaster, I don’t have the ability to pass the Imperial Medical Academy exam, but since you’ve come, I hope you can teach me more in the future.”

"When I have time!"

As Du Xiuyuan's son, Du Siyuan's medical skills would not be too bad either. He could handle the main business of Ji'an Hall in the capital all by himself.

“Grandmaster, our pharmaceutical factory is located in the old Du family mansion. We’ll go see it together after you’ve finished your business.”

"good!"

On the way back, Xie Wanwan kept walking and looking around, feeling very melancholy. Although she didn't say anything, her eyes didn't lie.

The Du residence wasn't very large, but they could still set up a few guest rooms, one for each of them.

Su Luo did not ask Yi Huan to invite her to give lessons. Having just returned to the capital, seeing the changes in her old place, everything was different and she found it hard to let go.

That evening, someone knocked on Su Luo's door. When Su Luo opened the door, she saw a smiling middle-aged woman.

"Master, dinner is ready. I've come to invite you to come and eat."

Su Luo: "..."

This person called her "Master" right away. Could it be that she is Du Xiuyuan's first wife?

"Are you Mrs. Du?"

The lady was very cheerful, and always had a toothy smile on her face.

“It’s me. My surname is Yun. Master, you can call me Lady Yun from now on. As for the ‘madam’ or ‘madam’ titles, my old man is like a dead man.”

"But I'm still very happy that you could come, Master. I even prepared a gift for you."

Yun Hui shoved a box from her arms into Su Luo's hands.

"Master, please open it and take a look!"

As Su Luo opened the package, she said, "Madam Yun, you can still call me Madam Su from now on. You don't need to call me Master like Doctor Du does."

"Alright!"

When the box in my hand was opened, it contained a century-old ginseng root—again, a ginseng root.

"Such a precious gift, Lady Yun. Doctor Du once gave me a century-old ginseng. This one is very rare. You should keep it."

Yun Hui pushed the ginseng back to Su Luo: "Madam Su, the old man gave it to you, this is for you. Please help my Siyuan with his medical skills in the future."

Yunhui and Doctor Du have been married for many years. The husband is the breadwinner and the wife is the homemaker. Du Xiuyuan is unreliable when it comes to family matters, but he says that Su Luo is the best doctor in Nanning. Yunhui absolutely believes this.

Yun Hui was too enthusiastic, so Su Luo could only accept the gift she gave her and go out to have dinner with them.

The next day!

Su Luo got ready early; today was the day she was to enter the palace to meet the emperor.

Outside the gate, Du Xiuyuan and Nangong Qing were already waiting for her. After getting into the carriage, she looked around at Jingmao in the capital. People were coming and going, and the buildings were more grand than those in Yongle County.

Many people came out early in the morning, selling breakfast, pulling carts to sell goods, and shops opened their doors early.

There is no such thing as a market day here; every day is a market day for them.

When the carriage reached the first palace gate, Du Xiuyuan and Su Luo bid each other farewell and went to the Imperial Hospital.

Su Luo followed Nangong Qing slowly toward the main hall.

"Nangong Qing, is this where you grew up? It's so big."

Here, the walls are high and the tiles are red, the beams are carved and the rafters are painted, and all the buildings make perfect use of the mortise and tenon structure.

In the morning, there were still a few palace maids and eunuchs sweeping and cleaning.

"Yes, but I rarely came to this place when I was a child. I was almost always in the Imperial Study. The six arts of a gentleman are indispensable."

Nangong Qing wanted to ask Su Luo what she did and what she studied when she was a child, but thinking about the years she went crazy, she decided not to ask.

"Luo Luo, my father should be off court by now. Let's go to the Imperial Study to see him."

"Um!"

The two walked through a narrower corridor. The emperor was holding court, and many ministers were coming out. If they had taken the main road, they would have had to greet them, so they preferred to take a detour.

However, this corridor leads directly to the back door of the Imperial Study. Since Nangong Qing is bringing Su Luo for a formal audience, they should naturally go through the main entrance.

"Luo Luo, although my father is the ruler of Nanning, you don't need to be nervous. He is not a tyrant."

"I'm not nervous!"

As the two were heading towards the main entrance, their eyes were drawn to someone in front of them: a girl in a pale yellow dress was peeking out of the window.