Chapter 127 Uncle Guo

In the past, when Emperor Yuan Yong went out of the palace, he would mostly visit high-end teahouses, restaurants, antique shops and bookstores. Occasionally, he would stroll around the alleys, cattle and horse trading markets, and theaters, and he rarely set foot in other places.

Seeing Xu Lanshan cheerful and excited today, he couldn't help but become interested as well. He followed her around. He had never thought of buying these things before, but after trying them, they seemed to taste pretty good.

The two of them walked around for a long time and Xu Lanshan was very satisfied. The autumn weather was clear and the coolness of the early morning had long gone. The sun was bright and warm. This kind of weather was perfect for boating on the lake.

It just so happened that this place was not far from the most famous White Lake in the capital, and it took more than two quarters of an hour by carriage to get there. Xu Lanshan wanted to go boating, so the two of them went together.

After parking at the dock, Xu Lanshan spotted a tall, majestic, and luxurious restaurant overlooking the lake not far away. She tugged at Emperor Yuan Yong's sleeve, pointed at the restaurant, and said with a smile, "Brother Yuan, look, that restaurant is so grand. Let's go boating on the lake first, and then have lunch there, okay? We'll get a seat by the window and enjoy the view while we eat. How nice!"

Emperor Yuan Yong thought about the scene and felt ashamed. As a noble emperor, he had long been tired of the delicacies of the land and the sea, but it seemed that he had never thought about the issue of dining environment. His favorite concubine's words were quite tempting, right?

"Okay, then I'll follow Lan'er."

Xu Lanshan smiled again and said, "The owner of this restaurant is truly discerning and has the wherewithal to make such a grand investment. The best seats will probably be in high demand. Your Majesty, would you like to reserve one in advance?"

Emperor Yuan Yong felt even more surprised and looked at Yu Huai.

Yu Huai bowed slightly and said, "I'll go make the reservation right away."

"Go!"

Yu Huai strode towards the restaurant.

Xu Lanshan enthusiastically took Emperor Yuan Yong to rent a boat.

They didn't need a boatman to row the boat, as the imperial guards who followed them would do it for them. As long as they paid enough deposit, the boatman was happy to save them the trouble.

Dong Zhi chartered four boats at once. The emperor, the Concubine Zhaoyi, and two guards took one boat, and he, Commander Yu Huai, and other guards took three boats to follow the emperor.

A moderately large pleasure boat drifts slowly away from the shore, the clear, shimmering water shimmering in the water. Reaching out to scoop up a handful, it's crystal clear, and the oars' rustling sound is melodious. The boat rocks gently, and the vast expanse of the water is breathtaking. Looking up, you'll occasionally spot white waterfowl fluttering by, their powerful wings flapping. Looking down, the cool, refreshing water vapor washes over you, leaving you feeling refreshed.

Xu Lanshan couldn't help but bend down and reach out to play with the water. Emperor Yuan Yong watched for a while, then pulled her to sit beside him. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the water droplets from her hands. He chuckled and said, "The lake water is already cold in late autumn. Don't do this again. The lake is also deep. Be careful not to fall in."

Xu Lanshan rubbed against his arms, smiling sweetly and charmingly: "Isn't it that the emperor is here? As long as the emperor is here, I am not afraid!"

Emperor Yuan Yong laughed heartily. "Lan'er is getting better at ordering me around! Well, don't call me Your Majesty outside, and don't call me that on the lake either."

The main reason was that he wanted to hear Brother Yuan a few more times.

Xu Lanshan smiled and immediately followed suit: "Yes, Brother Yuan!"

Emperor Yuan Yong glanced at the guards on the boat and around him, then thought nothing of it. Ultimately, he did nothing. It would have been much more convenient if it weren't for these eyesores. What a pity...

The midday sun became scorching, so Emperor Yuan Yong ordered his guards to turn around and return to the shore in time for lunch.

After lunch, Xu Lanshan wanted to go shopping, so Emperor Yuan Yong smiled and said, "Then go look for antiques or jewelry shops. If there's anything Lanshan likes, I'll buy it for you."

Of course, the antiques and jewelry outside weren't as good as the ones in the palace, but since it was a rare visit, it was fun to go shopping. Xu Lanshan agreed without hesitation. Since the items bought outside didn't have the imperial mark, they could be sold. How great...

The private room that Yu Huai booked for the two of them was the one with the best view in Cuihu Residence. In order to protect the emperor, he booked both sides of the room at once. The guards went in to guard the room so that they could appear in time if there was any disturbance.

Everything was originally fine. Xu Lanshan and Emperor Yuan Yong were chatting and laughing in the elegantly decorated private room while waiting for the dishes to be served. Suddenly, the shopkeeper came in with three handsomely dressed young men and their servants.

Emperor Yuan Yong slowly withdrew his hand from Xu Lanshan's shoulder, his expression already filled with worry.

Xu Lanshan was also startled and looked at the shopkeeper with raised eyebrows.

In this private room, only Yu Huai and Dong Zhi were serving, so of course Yu Huai had to be in charge of matters concerning external matters.

"Who are you? Boss, what do you mean?"

Yu Huai didn't notice that the leading young man looked at Xu Lanshan deeply with shining eyes when he came in.

The shopkeeper bowed and smiled: "I'm really sorry, my guests, Mr. Shen and his friends are regular customers of our shop. This - Mr. Shen has always used this private room in our shop. I see that there are not many of you. Can you please be flexible, Mr. Shen..."

Young Master Shen seemed to be annoyed by the shopkeeper's hesitation, and immediately said with a smile, "Meeting is fate! We happened to meet today, how about we become friends? Let's just share a table! Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any loss. Today's consumption is covered by me, hahaha!"

Emperor Yuan Yong sneered, "Get lost!"

Make friends? Are you qualified? Who is qualified to be his friend?

Mr. Shen’s triumphant laughter suddenly froze on his lips, as if he couldn’t believe it: “What did you say?”

Yu Huai stood in front of him and said rudely, "My master told you to get out, didn't you hear? Boss, are you bullying us? Since we've reserved this private room, it's ours. Whether others are used to it or not is none of our business. Our master won't share a table with strangers. Get out, get out!"

Another man in a silver-blue brocade robe beside Master Shen glared at Yu Huai fiercely and shouted, "How dare you! Do you know who our Master Shen is? Don't be so shameless! Master Shen doesn't despise you, so you should just burn incense and be so arrogant! I tell you, slave, you better take it easy and don't bring trouble to your master!"

Another person chimed in with a sneer, "That's right, you're shameless, you won't accept my toast, you'll have to pay for it!"

Emperor Yuan Yong had never been insulted like this before, and his face turned extremely ugly.

Seeing that the emperor was obviously in a bad mood, Yu Huai couldn't help but regret it. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't be afraid of Zhang Yang. He should have asked someone to guard the door of the private room and kick out anyone who dared to disturb him.

Now, by such a coincidence, this fool has come to the Emperor's presence...

"Get out, don't you understand?"

Yu Huai was filled with murderous intent and strode forward, ready to take action.