Chapter 95 Choosing the right partner is very important

Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion)

The building was bustling with people, a lively scene. The kitchen was in a frenzy, with not enough head chefs, not enough kitchen helpers, and not enough waiters.

Li Yao called all the servants and stewards in the house to help her, and she was so happy she couldn't stop smiling!

Our restaurant has never been so popular before! If it stays this way every day, it'll be just around the corner for Zuixianlou to surpass Qingyunlou and become the number one restaurant in the capital!

The head manager was also beaming: "Young master, you truly have foresight. In this contest, Qingyunlou has lost! Our Zuixianlou's reputation has soared, and the restaurant is so crowded that the entire building can't accommodate everyone!"

Li Yao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile, "This isn't my foresight; you're just flattering me. It's all thanks to that person. I'll have to thank her properly later."

The head steward didn't know which one she was referring to. Although he knew that the Princess Consort of the Prince of Ning had dined at the restaurant, he didn't know that the restaurant's improved dishes and the addition of some new dishes and desserts were the Princess Consort's idea. He had previously thought that it was all Li Yao's idea.

After all, Li Yao used to enjoy tinkering with new gadgets, although he didn't see much success with them.

"Although I don't know who the young master is talking about, we really have to thank her. You don't know, the pastries at Qingyun Restaurant that cost thirty taels of silver each taste exactly the same as our pastries that cost three taels of silver each. Qingyun Restaurant has really ruined its reputation now, and a lot of people are going to scold them!"

The head manager was overjoyed. His arch-rival had finally suffered a setback today, and he felt very relieved: "Qingyun Restaurant foolishly colluded with that Chu Yanluo to cheat customers out of their money. Today, their reputation has plummeted, and their business is in dire straits! They lost several thousand taels of silver yesterday, and they will continue to lose money today!"

Li Yao's face ached from laughing: "Good riddance! Qingyunlou was blind to choose to cooperate with that Chu Yanluo. With Chu Yanluo's terrible reputation, it was only a matter of time before their restaurant suffered as well. I just didn't expect their misfortune to come so quickly!"

The head manager said sincerely, "Yes, they did choose the wrong partner, which is why they are in this situation today. Unlike our Zuixianlou, we chose a reliable partner and won a great victory. Now, who in the capital doesn't praise our restaurant for its delicious food and reasonable prices?"

The head manager's flattery worked, and Li Yao nodded in agreement: "Yes, choosing the right partner is very important! You go ahead and get busy. I need to get to know that partner better so she doesn't think we've become arrogant and forgotten about her after we've become famous."

Although the head manager was curious about who this person was and how he could help them defeat Qingyunlou, he was also a very sensible person, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to sit in the position of head manager.

The way to survive is to not ask what you shouldn't ask and not listen to what you shouldn't listen to.

After he left, Li Yao instructed her subordinates: "Go and send some pastries to the Princess Consort of Ning. Send them freshly baked! Also, send her our signature drunken crab. I saw she liked it last time, so pick the biggest and best one!"

"Yes, young master!"

To avoid attracting attention, Li Yao also specially sent some snacks to the other regular customers of Zuixianlou, so that even if someone wanted to investigate the restaurant's secrets, Shen Wantang would not be exposed.

The waiter quickly delivered the snacks and drunken crabs to Prince Ning's residence.

Shen Wantang hadn't expected that, despite Zuixianlou being so busy today, Li Yao would still think of sending her something.

She told Qin Xin to put the things away, and gave her a tip with a smile: "Your young master is very kind. Go back and tell her that I will go to Zuixianlou for dinner another day when it is not so busy."

The waiter quickly agreed and then respectfully withdrew.

As he walked out, he excitedly weighed the purse in his hand. There were at least ten taels of silver in it. People outside said that the newly married Princess Ning was very generous and kind to the servants. Seeing her today, he could see that her reputation was well-deserved!

He worked day and night at the restaurant for a month and only earned three taels of silver. This salary was already quite high. Waitstaff at other restaurants only earned one or two taels.

Now, after making a trip to Prince Ning's residence, the Crown Princess actually gave him ten taels of silver!

As expected of the matriarch of the Ning Prince's mansion, she possesses a dignified and beautiful appearance, and is also generous in her spending. She truly deserves the title of Crown Princess. No wonder the Ning Prince's wife likes her so much, and even the Crown Prince Xiao has started to listen to her. Yesterday, the Crown Prince Xiao actually abandoned his beloved Chu Yanluo and followed the Crown Princess back to the mansion.

Many people who went to Zuixianlou Restaurant today were discussing this matter. They all said that Xiao Qingyuan, the number one romantic in the capital, has probably become more intelligent after marrying the Crown Princess. He doesn't seem to like Chu Yanluo as much anymore and plans to live a good life with the Crown Princess.

Shen Wantang had no idea what the waiter was thinking. She tasted a few pastries and then gave the rest to the maids.

She kept two of the drunken crabs for herself and had Granny Chai send the other four to Princess Ning's courtyard.

While skillfully peeling crabs with tools, Qin Xin talked incessantly to Shen Wantang about what was happening outside: "Your Highness, you have no idea, Chu Yanluo's reputation is completely ruined today. She's almost been cursed to death. Now she's like a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone. Many people are throwing rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at her!"

"She probably couldn't stand being scolded anymore, so she had someone return the thousand taels of gold to Young Master Gu. Oh my, what a scene it was! There were even bodyguards from the escort agency escorting her all the way, as if she was afraid that others wouldn't know that she had returned the gold."

"Princess Consort, why didn't she do this sooner? She didn't retire earlier, but was scolded mercilessly before she finally did. It was too late! Now everyone knows what kind of person she really is."

"The young master didn't return all night. He must know what kind of person Chu Yanluo is, so he's disgusted with her and doesn't even want to go back to his courtyard!"

Shen Wantang ate the crabs she peeled, drank the fresh fruit yogurt delivered by Zuixianlou, and listened to the gossip and interesting stories of the people around her, feeling that she was living a very pleasant life.

She didn't think Xiao Qingyuan didn't return home all night because he was tired of Chu Yanluo. Yesterday, when Chu Yanluo returned, although he had an argument with her, he still let her stay at the palace. If he really disliked her, he would have kicked her out long ago. The fact that he didn't kick her out meant that he still had feelings for her.

He was probably held up by something else, which is why he didn't come home all night. Otherwise, he would have shown up after such a big incident involving Chu Yanluo today.

As for why Chu Yanluo only returned the gold after being scolded today...

She said softly, "That Miss Chu is clearly not as aloof as she appears. She also likes gold and silver. When she saw that Young Master Gu had generously given her a thousand taels of gold, she naturally couldn't resist her greed and accepted it. Although it's a bit late to return it now, it can still salvage some face!"