After arriving in the capital with Master Lu, Liu Zhiyuan first visited the Minister's residence to pay his respects to the Minister, and then immediately inquired about the location of Li Youran's shop.
He was initially overjoyed, but upon entering, he was met with Li Youran chatting and laughing with a stunningly handsome man, playfully teasing him. Liu Zhiyuan felt quite uncomfortable.
"Young Master Liu, what brings you here?"
Li Youran turned around and saw that it was Liu Zhiyuan. She couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes and hurriedly stood up with a smile to greet him. Liu Zhiyuan's heart was warmed again.
"It's a long story." Liu Zhiyuan didn't go into details, but instead looked around the shop and asked, "You Ran, how's business lately?"
Liu Zhiyuan was quite surprised. He hadn't expected Li Youran to open such a large shop, which combined three large rooms, and in such a prime location.
You know, in Beijing where land is incredibly expensive, it's difficult to do even if you have money. Liu Zhiyuan guessed that Li Youran must have a powerful backer.
But Li Youran didn't bring it up, and he didn't ask either, after all, everyone has their own secrets.
"People in the capital are very strange; they don't buy cheap things, but they scramble to buy expensive ones."
Li Youran smiled and then looked at Kong Qi, saying, "This is my good friend, Liu Zhiyuan, Young Master Liu."
"This is Kong Qi, the expert I invited to help. He has exceptional professional skills."
Upon hearing Li Youran's explanation, Liu Zhiyuan's displeasure vanished, and he realized that he had misunderstood.
"Young Master Liu, hello."
Upon seeing Kong Qi take the initiative to greet him, Liu Zhiyuan hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting.
"Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Kong."
When Kong Qi saw Liu Zhiyuan standing in the home field saying this, he raised an eyebrow and subtly sized up Liu Zhiyuan.
Judging from his scholar's robes, he must be a learned man. His shoes are inlaid with jewels, so his family must be well-off.
People left their hometowns to come to the capital either to participate in the imperial examinations in the spring or to seek refuge with powerful families.
While Kong Qi was sizing up Liu Zhiyuan, Liu Zhiyuan was also glancing at Kong Qi out of the corner of his eye, intentionally or unintentionally.
He was even more handsome than a woman, and his clothes were bright red, extremely alluring. This man looked quite frivolous.
Moreover, for a grown man to be selling jewelry among women, Liu Zhiyuan had a bold guess about Kong Qi's identity, but he wasn't sure.
Everyone says that the capital is prosperous, but it is also decadent. Liu Zhiyuan thought he should find an opportunity to properly remind Li Youran not to be deceived.
At noon, Li Youran hosted a banquet at Yingbin Pavilion on this street.
"I never expected you to become a disciple of the Minister." Li Youran poured tea as he continued, "The Minister has a good reputation among the common people, but he's not so popular with the Emperor. Aren't you worried about it affecting your upcoming provincial and palace examinations?"
Li Youran had heard Yun Yingying mention that the Minister of State was aligned with the Second Prince and was disliked by the Emperor. On the contrary, the Prime Minister, who aligned with the Third Prince, was very popular and had reportedly been attracting many retainers recently, making his residence a bustling place.
"In officialdom, changes can occur every day."
Liu Zhiyuan was reluctant to let Li Youran serve him tea and water, so he hurriedly took the teapot from Li Youran's hand and continued.
"As long as the Minister is wholeheartedly devoted to the people, that is enough."
Even though he became a disciple of the Minister, Liu Zhiyuan was merely following Master Lu's lead, as he was only a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations and had little experience.
He only knew that the Minister was wholeheartedly devoted to the people and did practical things. Even if there were limited opportunities for advancement, he felt it was worthwhile to work for such a person.
"By the way, I already know about the bookstore incident. Don't worry, I will definitely get justice for you."
Even though Wang Xiangyu left, this matter wouldn't end there. Liu Zhiyuan was determined to get justice for Li Youran.
"It's best to stop here, after all, they weren't involved."
Li Youran knew Liu Zhiyuan meant well, so she declined very tactfully. She would handle the matter herself and make Wang Xiangyu repay her a hundredfold or tenfold.
During the conversation, the food was served.
"Try this Peking duck. I've been obsessed with it ever since I came to Beijing."
When the roast duck was served, Li Youran's eyes practically popped out of their sockets.
The roast duck has a golden-yellow, glossy surface, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a unique and delicious flavor.
The way to eat roast duck is to first slice it into thin slices with a sharp knife, spread sweet bean sauce on a baked lotus leaf pancake, then add scallions, minced garlic, roast duck slices, etc., roll it up and eat it, which is extremely delicious.
Li Youran took a piece of dough, picked out a large, white piece of duck meat, and dipped it in some sauce. Then she took a piece of bright red duck skin, along with some shredded cucumber and white scallions.
She rolled it into a duck roll, gave one to Liu Zhiyuan first, and then quickly rolled one for herself and stuffed it into her mouth.
The silky smoothness of the meat, the crispness of the duck skin, and the refreshing coolness of the cucumber. The silky smoothness of the meat, accompanied by the refreshing coolness of the cucumber, swirls all the way to the depths of your stomach.
"The taste is indeed very good, with a unique flavor."
Roast duck is delicious in itself, let alone roast duck that Li Youran rolled herself. Liu Zhiyuan ate one roast duck roll and praised it highly, and then copied Li Youran and rolled another one.
"Eat it while it's hot, it won't taste good when it's cold."
Seeing Li Youran's greedy expression, Liu Zhiyuan knew that she didn't treat her like an outsider.
Compared to those pretentious and affected young ladies from wealthy families, Li Youran was always so natural and unrestrained, which made people feel very comfortable.
Li Youran didn't stand on ceremony. She took the roast duck roll that Liu Zhiyuan had rolled up, put it in her mouth, and then urged Liu Zhiyuan to eat the food quickly.
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