Chapter 51 Black Mountain Restaurant

On a sweltering summer night, an invisible fire is burning everywhere.

It burns the lungs and makes one feel uneasy.

Murong Yu drank two bowls of iced tea in his bedroom, but the anger in his chest did not subside at all.

He is the emperor, the supreme ruler, the true dragon emperor.

A mere minister dared to speak so arrogantly to him in public.

When Song Yan was scolding, Murong Yu seemed to see the shadow of Pei Dingli in his old age.

Pei Dingli was so excessive back then.

Although he didn't utter foul language like Song Yan, he was even more disgusting than Song Yan.

At the beginning, Murong Yu had just ascended the throne and was not good at handling state affairs.

Pei Dingli asked him questions and tested him about every detail every day.

When he was slightly careless, Pei Dingli solemnly admonished him:

"Your Majesty, you know that a joke can put the people in dire straits. As a ruler, you should put the people first."

If he objected, Pei Dingli would persuade him even more and even kneel down.

It seemed that he was an incompetent and foolish monarch, while Pei Dingli was a loyal and rare pillar of the country.

He is clearly the Son of Heaven, the whole world belongs to him, and all the people are subject to him. What can't he do?

Later, he just wanted to build a few more palaces, but Pei Dingli dared to use the name of the late emperor to rebuke him:

"Absurd extravagance, arrogance and debauchery are definitely not the behavior of a wise leader!"

Pei Dingli has always been so bold. Relying on his status as a veteran, he forgot who is the king and who is the minister.

The Pei family has been known for its integrity for generations, and many court officials have great faith in Pei Dingli.

He used and supported He Tingfang to form a counterbalance between He Tingfang and Pei Dingli.

When Pei Dingli was accused of colluding with the enemy country, he wanted to take this opportunity to make Pei Dingli suffer a little and then banish him to a remote place.

But what made him most angry was that he had just put Pei Dingli in prison, and the next day hundreds of officials wrote letters to plead for Pei Dingli.

On the third day, civil and military officials knelt in front of the palace, begging the emperor to reconsider his decision.

On the fourth day, scholars and students in Chang'an gathered at the gate of the imperial city to seek justice for the Pei family.

Dayu belonged to the Murong family, but these confused scholars believed in Pei Dingli more than him.

How could he sit back and do nothing?

Murong Yu summoned the Taoist priest Qingyang whom he trusted the most. Taoist priest Qingyang made a divination and said:

"The hexagram indicates a strange phenomenon. The fate of the world will fall to the Pei family. The descendants of the Pei family will surely disrupt the world and overthrow the government."

Murong Yu looked at the documents presented by the officials and students, and believed in Taoist Qingyang's words without a doubt.

The Pei family is so prominent and popular that they will become a great threat in the future.

At that moment, Murong Yu truly felt the threat from the Pei family and decided to eradicate the Pei family.

He was 23 years old that year, and had been on the throne for eight years. This was the first time he used strong means to suppress officials and civilians.

Anyone who dared to defend the Pei family, whether inside or outside the government, would be charged with treason.

This time, Pei Dingli was in prison, and no one could stop Murong Yu.

It was also from this year that Murong Yu truly tasted the supreme power of being an emperor.

On the eve of the Pei family's exile, all the male members were given a drug that would make them sterile, preventing them from having children.

A few years later, when Murong Yu heard that Pei Xuan from Prince Gong's mansion was pregnant, he could no longer tolerate it and took action again.

Murong Yu felt relieved when he heard that Pei Xuan had died.

At this point, except for Pei Shu in the deep palace, the Pei family has no more descendants in the world.

Thinking of Pei Shu, Murong Yu's mind was in turmoil.

At this time, he happened to pass by the locust tree outside Ganyang Palace. Murong Yu remembered that when he first met Pei Shu, she was standing under this locust tree.

Her eyebrows and eyes are sparse and light, and her green dress is as calm as the surface of a lake.

The locust tree is still tall, but the flowers have already bloomed and fallen.

Suddenly there was a noise behind the locust tree.

Wang Nei Shi and the guards immediately came to Murong Yu's side:

"How dare you! Who dares to disturb the Holy Emperor?"

A slender figure of a woman walked out from behind the locust tree.

The figure shrank in fear and knelt on the ground like a broken dodder.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I lost my handkerchief during the day, so I came here to look for it. I didn't expect to disturb Your Majesty."

Murong Yu took a quick look but didn't recognize who it was.

Wang, the eunuch, said from the side: "Your Majesty, this is Qi Cairen."

Eunuch Wang had a good memory for people and was very knowledgeable.

This Qi Cairen was looking for a handkerchief in the middle of the night, and he had to find it near Ganyang Palace. There's no need to guess what his plan was.

Murong Yu also showed impatience on his face, and wanted to order someone to take Qi Cairen away.

But when he was about to speak, the dark clouds in the night sky were blown away by a sudden gust of wind.

The clouds broke and the moon came out, and the moonlight fell like a veil.

The cold moonlight stained the corners of Qi Cairen's eyes, and she looked a bit like Pei Shu when she stood under the tree.

Murong Yu's breathing stagnated, and she lifted her chin:

"What's your name?"

Qi Cairen was flattered, and her cheeks flushed again:

"Your Majesty, my maiden name is Qi Xinyue."

Murong Yu's eyes fell into the woman's eyes, as if sinking into the lake.

…………

The hot summer days were evaporated by the sun in a blink of an eye.

In August, the weather turns slightly cooler.

A new restaurant opened in Baiyun County, Xunzhou.

Located in the southwest corner of Shifang, the location is neither good nor bad, but the food is plentiful, delicious and affordable.

Baiyun County is not big, and the reputation of the store spread through word of mouth.

Therefore, the store business is very good.

The name of this restaurant is a bit strange:

Black Mountain Restaurants.

Originally, Su Zhizhi wanted to name the restaurant "Black Bandit Restaurant", but no one dared to enter after hearing this name.

Wu Yingniang changed the name to "Black Mountain Restaurant".

There is a wine flag at the door with "Wine" written on one side and "Black Mountain" on the other.

Principal Liu and Master Qiu went out to buy pens and ink during their free time today, and happened to pass by the Black Mountain Restaurant.

Master Qiu said, "Mingzhi, I heard a few days ago that this restaurant is delicious. Shall we try it?"

Many small shops were filled with dirt and grease, so Mr. Liu rarely ate in small restaurants.

But today he was indeed hungry, and he could smell the aroma of food, so he nodded:

"A little bit of food will be enough."

The store is not big, with only four or five food tables in total.

When Liu Shanchang walked in, he was surprised to see that everything was clean, and the tables, chairs and floor were spotless.

There are several ceramic pots on the windowsill, with a few jasmine plants in them, which have a pleasant fragrance.

There was a large template hanging on the side of the windowsill, listing the names and prices of the dishes, some of which were accompanied by simple pictures.

"Mingzhi, look." Master Qiu pointed at the wall behind him in surprise.

There were paintings and inscriptions hanging on the wall at the back.

The painting shows chickens, ducks, fish ponds and farmland scenery, which is elegant and interesting and pleasing to the eye.

Director Liu nodded and felt a little more favorable towards this small restaurant.

An old man with a scarf draped over his shoulders:

"What would you two guests like to eat?"

When Master Qiu saw the old man, he saw that he was very old and had only one ear.

He wanted to ask, who was abusing the elderly and forcing the disabled old man to work as a waiter to make a living?

He also doubted whether the old man could hear the names of the dishes clearly.

He slowly named a few dishes.

As a result, the old man quickly repeated:

"Mutton noodle soup, stir-fried sunflower greens, and braised fish. Okay, please sit down for a moment, and tea will be served right away!"

Mr. Qiu: ???

The old man walked to the back, lifted the curtain and went to the kitchen.

When the curtain was lifted again, two adorable children emerged.

Su Zhizhi brought the tea and Xue Che held the tea bowl, and the two of them came to help serve the tea.

The academy has started, and they both study on weekdays. If they are bored during holidays, they come to the store to help out.

"Principal Liu, Master Qiu." Su Zhizhi and Xue Che came over with tea.

Principal Liu and Master Qiu had not expected to see their two young students:

"Why are you two here?"

Su Zhizhi put down the tea and said, "This is the restaurant my mother opened."

Xue Che put the bowls in place: "Students come here to help in their free time."

Shanzhang Liu asked, "Where are Village Chief Hao and his wife?"

Su Zhizhi sat across from Principal Liu. "My mom is cooking in the kitchen. My dad bought the wrong groceries this morning. He bought firm tofu instead of soft tofu. My mom is scolding him right now. He'll be out soon."

Master Qiu: "That old man just now was your relative? Why doesn't he stay at home and enjoy his old age?"

Su Zhizhi: "It's my grandpa. He said he's not old yet and it's too boring at home, so he might as well go out and work."

As he was speaking, a figure flashed out from the kitchen, bringing with it a gust of wind.

That was Kong Wu delivering the food that someone had ordered. He ran fast, and when he delivered the food to someone's house, the food was still hot as if it had just come out of the pot.

Xue Che had already gone to the kitchen to tell the adults, and soon, Xue Che appeared with Hao Ren.

Hao Ren walked towards Principal Liu and Master Qiu:

"Master Liu, Master Qiu, thank you for taking care of Zhizhi and Ache in the academy. You don't need to pay for today's drinks and food."

Principal Liu refused to accept the offer: "The children's situation at the academy is the academy's business. Eating is another matter."

Hao Ren no longer forced them and brought two extra side dishes, then sat down to chat with Principal Liu and Master Qiu.

When talking about the painting on the wall, Hao Ren's expression was gentle:

"This was a painting I made on a whim with my two children. It's hardly worthy of formal presentation."

There are several chickens foraging for food in the painting, two of which are painted in a cute and adorable manner, which makes people love them.

Su Zhizhi pointed at the two chickens in the painting:

"The fatter one was drawn by me, and the thinner one was drawn by Che."

Both Principal Liu and Master Qiu said it was interesting.

After the dishes were served, Hao Ren did not disturb Headmaster Liu from eating, but took Su Zhizhi and Xue Che to sit behind the counter at the door.

Hao Ren is now the owner and accountant of a restaurant.

While he was calculating, he also gave the two children arithmetic problems:

"Now there is a wall five feet thick. Two rats are facing each other through it. The older rat goes one foot a day, and the younger rat also goes one foot a day. The older rat's length doubles each day, and the younger rat's length halves each day. How long will it take for them to meet again?"①

Xue Che thought for a while, then took a pen and wrote some numbers on paper.

Su Zhizhi didn't need to calculate: "Let Abao eat them, and meet them directly in the stomach."

Hao Ren raised the corner of his lips: "Zhizhi, this is a method."

He tilted his head to look at Xue Che: "If we don't let Abao eat, how many days will they keep digging holes?"

Xue Che figured it out and tried to ask, "Meet on the third day?"

Hao Ren nodded with a smile.

The five tables in the restaurant were all full of people. Suddenly, someone at one of the tables exclaimed loudly:

"Brother Li, why didn't you stock up on more? The Song family went bankrupt, and the price of high-quality pine soot ink has increased dozens of times!"