“My lord…” Hu Ying hesitated and refused to go out, looking at Tang Yi with a wronged expression.

Tang Yi shook his head helplessly, "You can go out now."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Hu Ying had no choice but to leave the private room. She accidentally bumped into Qiu Dayu, and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Don't you have eyes?"

Qiu Dayu lowered his eyes, ignored her, and quickly placed the tableware in front of Jiang Liu, saying, "Please enjoy, Madam."

After Qiu Dayu left, Tang Yi calmly asked, "Now you can tell me, why did you specifically call me here?"

Jiang Liu's expression softened a bit as she picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth: "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since we've eaten together."

Tang Yi also picked up a piece of fish and savored it carefully, saying, "Chef Chen's skills have improved."

He found it somewhat amusing that Jiang Liu had poached the chef from the Tang family just to spite him.

Jiang Liu continued to pick at the food on her plate.

"Liu'er, Hu Ying is just a concubine. If you don't like her, just stay away from her. Don't always find fault with her. Wives and concubines should get along well."

"Okay, I understand."

Tang Yi was somewhat puzzled. Jiang Liu had just been so arrogant, how could she suddenly become so kind?

Did she even listen to me?

What do you know?

Jiang Liu stopped speaking, her face still bearing a faint smile, but it was this polite and distant smile that made Tang Yi feel uncomfortable all over.

During the meal, Jiang Liu took a small sip of wine.

“Lord Tang, I, Jiang Liu, have always been happy to help others achieve their goals. Now that you have a beauty in your arms, from now on, I will not interfere with how many concubines you wish to take.”

Jiang Liu's voice was soft, but her tone was resolute, without the slightest hesitation; she wanted to keep her distance from Tang Yi.

Jiang Liu's marriage to Tang Yi was arranged by a matchmaker.

She chose to marry him because he had achieved academic success at a young age.

I just never expected him to be such a heartless man.

Tang Yi recalled the scene at the beginning of the year when Jiang Liu made a scene at the Tang residence when he married Hu Ying.

How could Jiang Liu be so open-minded?

The past events were vivid in his mind, but he didn't know why Jiang Liu had changed like this.

However, this side of Jiang Liu left him feeling quite uneasy.

Before he could think further, Jiang Liu continued, "However, I have one condition."

Tang Yi raised an eyebrow; he knew that Jiang Liu had feelings for him.

He asked urgently, "What are the conditions?"

"Give me a thousand taels of silver."

"A thousand taels?" Tang Yi jumped up. "Jiang Liu, are you kidding me!" A thousand taels is no small sum.

He felt that Jiang Liu was a woman who didn't have to worry about food, clothing, or daily necessities, so what use was money to her? She was clearly angry with him and deliberately making things difficult for him.

"What, no money?"

What do you need the money for?

“It will have its uses.” Jiang Liu knew that if she said she wanted to do business, Tang Yi would be the first to object.

He has always looked down on merchant families.

"Tomorrow I will have the steward give you one hundred taels of silver. You've been feeling unwell lately, so go back to your parents' home to relax." One hundred taels was quite a sum in Tang Yi's eyes.

"One hundred taels?" Jiang Liu's heart sank. She really did plan to go back to her parents' home, but not to clear her mind.

She had already spent a significant portion of her dowry on buying the shop, and she didn't have enough money.

"One hundred taels is still not enough, Liu'er, stop making a fuss! What's wrong with a man having three wives and four concubines!"

"Five hundred taels, surely you have five hundred taels."

Tang Yi shook his head again, "Two hundred taels, I can only give you two hundred taels at most." This woman was becoming more and more unreasonable.

"Alright." After talking for so long, Jiang Liu had only managed to get two hundred taels of silver, and she was somewhat disappointed. "Two hundred taels is our final favor. From tomorrow onwards, I'll trouble Magistrate Tang to write a letter of divorce, so we can part ways amicably!"

"Jiang Liu, what do you mean?!" Tang Yi could hardly believe his ears.

"What you think it means!"

"impossible!"

Jiang Liu left the private room without saying anything more, and Tang Yi followed closely behind. When he saw Jiang Liu enter another private room, he stopped.

He is the county magistrate; if he continues to cause trouble, wouldn't he become a laughingstock among the people of Baiyang?

He returned to the private room and continued to enjoy the music.

When Jiang Liu returned, she looked much more energetic, but her chest felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard for her to breathe.

...The meal took a long time to finish.

Madam Ding never expected that Qiu Yan's simple remark would affect Jiang Liu.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two left one after the other.

Qiu Dayu was the first to rush over. He wasn't curious about the magistrate's family feud; he was only concerned about how the human traffickers were being dealt with.

Knowing the whole story, we only hope that the county magistrate can bring those people to justice as soon as possible.

As mentioned earlier, Qiu Yan wanted to emulate the modern food delivery service and make Xingyuelou bigger and stronger.

Therefore, she and Zhou Zifang resumed their previous conversation.

"Delivery? Qiu Yan, our restaurant also offers delivery." Zhou Zifang thought that delivery was the most common thing.

"It's not just for wealthy families; ordinary people can also receive gifts..."

Qiu Yan briefly explained her thoughts, which were roughly: first, to find a carpenter to make some food boxes, and then to do some advertising.

Free delivery is available throughout the neighborhood, allowing diners to enjoy delicious meals without leaving their homes.

For longer distances, delivery fees can be three or five coins...

The exact number depends on the actual distance traveled.

After listening, Zhou Zifang thought it was feasible. He said:

"There are a few empty rooms in the backyard of Xingyue Tower, which can be converted into a kitchen."

The two discussed for a long time. During this time, Gu Xiaoran looked around, but because of what had happened, she didn't wander off.

Having finalized the plan, Zhou Zifang specially ordered some food boxes that afternoon, and he also instructed the craftsman to engrave the three characters "Xingyuelou" on the food boxes.

At the same time, Qiu Yan took Gu Xiaoran and sent the draft she had prepared to a bookstore for people to copy in large quantities, similar to modern-day flyers.

To prevent Gu Xiaoran from running off, she always held her tightly.

Zhou Zifang hired several kitchen workers, and when he wasn't busy, he had them learn to cook from Chef Chen.

Because of the existence of human traffickers, he was certain that these people were either living in poverty and unable to make ends meet, or were fleeing famine. Only after they voluntarily sold themselves into slavery did he decide to take them to the Star Moon Tower.

Also, to facilitate food delivery, two vehicles should be prepared in advance.

Qiu Yan glanced at the sky and realized it was time for Qiu Ling'er to finish school, so she took Gu Xiaoran to pick her up.

Compared to Qiu Xu's silence, Qiu Ling'er was much more lively.

As soon as Qiu Yan picked her up, she cheerfully told Qiu Yan about the interesting things that happened that day.

Her friends were all very kind to her, and so was Master Han; everyone took good care of her.

“Sister, Master Han praised me, saying that my handwriting is neat.”

This was all thanks to her older sister's earlier encouragement for her and her brother to read and write together.

Qiu Ling'er's little mouth kept opening and closing, while Gu Xiaoran listened very attentively, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Seeing Qiu Ling'er's happy expression, he grinned foolishly along with her.

Ever since the magistrate visited Xingyue Tower, he has become a regular there.

Furthermore, Xingyuelou's reputation grew as its food became increasingly renowned due to its delicious dishes.

As Xingyuelou's business improved, Shuangxilou's business declined significantly.