Chapter 630: Resignation
"Miss Lu, are you not taking any snacks with you today? Are you tired of Qingfengju's cooking?"
The voice was low and slightly hoarse, and contained a strong smile.
When Lu Wenjing heard this, she was stunned.
It took me a long time to come back to my senses, turn around, and see a face I hadn't seen for a long time.
Biting her lower lip lightly, trying hard to hold back the mist in her eyes, Lu Wenjing sniffed and tried her best to make her voice sound calm, "Mr. Lou, long time no see."
"It's been a long time." Lou Yanlin curled the corners of his mouth.
Seven months and twenty-three days in total.
After pursing her lips and being silent for a while, Lu Wenjing raised her eyebrows and asked, "Mr. Lou, why did you come to the capital this time? Is it because of the affairs between the two countries?"
After such a long time, Lou Yanlin came to the capital again, and there was still more than a month before the Chinese New Year. It was hard not to think of the diplomatic relations between Xijinyun Kingdom and Daqin Kingdom.
Lu Wenjing guessed that perhaps the Western Jinyun Kingdom sent Lou Yanlin to send tribute gifts to the Great Qin Kingdom during the New Year.
Lou Yanlin smiled faintly when he heard this. "The king is very kind to me and wants to entrust me with an important task. However, I am not talented enough and do not know how to handle such a big task. I also think that the whole Xijinyun Kingdom is full of talented people, so I asked the king for permission and resigned from my official position."
Resigned from his official position? Lu Wenjing was stunned for a moment, and looked at Lou Yanlin in disbelief, "Then why did you come to the capital this time..."
"I resigned from my official position. My family has no livelihood, so I naturally need to find a way out. Now, counting the family's businesses, apart from the spice business I cooperated with Princess Ping'an, there is only Qingfengju in the capital."
Lou Yanlin smiled and said, "So I had no choice but to bring Xiaosong with me to the capital and run these two businesses well to support my family."
"You mean..." Lu Wenjing was stunned again, "You want to settle in the capital in the future?"
"Of course." Lou Yanlin nodded with a smile. "Although Qingfengju's business is average, it can cover Xiaosong and I's food and drink expenses every month. Besides, there are many businesses, channels, and opportunities in the capital, so it is naturally the best choice to settle down."
"Miss Lu, from the look on your face right now, does it mean that you don't welcome me to settle in the capital?" Lou Yanlin asked with a smile.
How could that be? She had been longing for it.
But Lu Wenjing is the daughter of the Lu family, and she has her pride, so she naturally couldn't say such words. She just tilted her head and said, "I am very friendly to everyone, and Mr. Lou is no exception. Now that Mr. Lou is going to settle in the capital, I will naturally welcome him."
"But Mr. Lou just mentioned that Qingfengju has gained business. The tea at Qingfengju is good now, but the variety of snacks is too few. It is inevitable that they will get boring after a long time. It is difficult for customers to stay. Since Mr. Lou wants to make a living from Qingfengju, he should hire more pastry chefs to make more delicious snacks."
"Miss Lu, what you said makes sense." Lou Yanlin nodded repeatedly, "I will definitely follow Miss Lu's advice and let Qingfengju make more varieties of tea snacks with better taste. I also trouble Miss Lu to support us more in the future."
"Of course." Miss Lu raised her chin. "It's getting late. I'll take my leave today and come back for tea another day."
"I am waiting for Miss Lu at Qingfengju." Lou Yanlin bowed deeply and stood up only after Lu Wenjing walked away.
"Young Master." Manager Sun of Qingfengju hurriedly welcomed Lou Yanlin into the house and asked about his well-being for a long time.
After answering, Lou Yanlin asked, "Does Miss Lu come to Qingfengju often?"
"It can't be said that he comes often." Shopkeeper Sun paused and said, "It should be said that he comes almost every day. Even when he doesn't come, he will send people to Qingfengju to buy some tea and snacks to take back."
"Originally, seeing how much Miss Lu liked our Qingfengju snacks, I offered to send someone to deliver some to the Lu residence every day. But after a few times, Miss Lu told me not to do so and continued to send people to buy them. I thought there might be some excuse, so I didn't insist and just did what Miss Lu asked."
"It seems that Miss Lu really likes the snacks at Qingfengju..."
Lou Yanlin lowered his eyes thoughtfully.
It seems that he made the right decision to return to the capital this time.
After thinking for a while, Lou Yanlin looked up and said, "We should find some chefs who are good at making delicious snacks. We should change the styles of the snacks in Qingfengju."
At least, let her enjoy her meal.
Shopkeeper Sun did not think too much about it. He just thought that Lou Yanlin wanted to take good care of Qingfengju's business after returning to the capital, so he agreed hurriedly.
It took more than ten days for the heavy snow to completely melt.
As winter approaches, the weather becomes colder.
New news came from the palace again.
The fifth princess of the Queen's nephew has reached marriageable age. The Emperor and the Queen want to choose a husband for the fifth princess. In order to choose a man with both good character and talent, they will select young talents in the entire capital and even in the whole world.
Any unmarried man between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six, who is an official of the sixth rank or above, or has a direct blood relative of a fourth rank or above official, and who is in good health and has a decent appearance, can apply.
When registering, the palace's ceremonial officials, as well as the eunuchs and palace maids who serve the emperor and empress, will be present to screen out those with poor appearance, and the rest will need to go through several subsequent rounds of examinations.
The examination assessed talent, adaptability, etiquette and other aspects, and only five people were selected for the final round after elimination. The Queen Mother, the Emperor and the Empress jointly decided on the final candidates for the five princesses.
Just looking at the selection process, it seems to be quite rigorous, like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge, and the competition is extremely fierce.
But many people are still eager to try.
After all, this is the legitimate princess born to the emperor and the empress, and the emperor's most beloved princess. In addition, there is no rule in the dynasty that one cannot serve as an official after becoming a prince consort. Being able to marry a princess means having the foundation for a meteoric rise in success, and such an opportunity is hard to come by.
As for the fierce competition...
Ordinary imperial examinations and official promotions are all highly competitive. In comparison, this is nothing.
But if you are lucky, there will be smoke coming out of your ancestral graves!
Let's try it first! Based on this consideration, when the imperial edict was issued, many unmarried men who met the requirements were eager to try. Some of them even began to quietly invite teachers or aunts released from the palace to come to their homes so that they could take the time to tutor them in poetry, books, and court etiquette.
Many people are worried that they will be eliminated because of their appearance when they apply, so they look everywhere for top-notch embroiderers and people with exquisite makeup skills in order to make up for the gap.
(End of this chapter)
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