Before she could finish speaking, the Empress Dowager had already thrown down the bowl of porridge she was holding.
The old woman was so frightened that she immediately knelt down on the ground.
Before he could say anything more, the old eunuch standing nearby stepped forward and shooed him away, "Shut up and get out!"
The old woman quickly knelt and moved to the doorway, then stumbled over the threshold and closed the door tightly.
The old eunuch took a clean handkerchief and helped the Empress Dowager wipe her hands.
After a long while, the Empress Dowager finally asked, "Has any news been sent in from outside?"
The old eunuch shook his head. "No, it's probably hard to find a pawn as stupid as the Wu family. The person outside didn't make another move."
The Empress Dowager's expression grew increasingly grim. Finally, she took out a jeweled armor and put it on, saying each word clearly, "After recuperating for these past few years, has Tianwu forgotten that I, the Empress Dowager, still exist?"
"The court officials are one thing, but these few lackeys don't even respect me. They dared to replace the bird's nest soup I'm used to eating. Who would believe they have no one backing them up?!"
The old eunuch quickly advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This year's heavy rainfall has made it difficult to obtain blood bird's nest."
"The one in front may have some thoughts in his mind, but he doesn't dare to be truly unfilial. Otherwise, everyone in the world would probably criticize him behind his back, and he wouldn't have the face to sit in that chair."
"Hmph!" The Empress Dowager snorted coldly.
Clearly, this reason was not enough to appease her anger.
"Make me a few new outfits recently. It's almost New Year's, and I want the entire Tianwu to see that I'm not dead yet!"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the old eunuch quickly replied.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager had no further instructions, he quickly withdrew.
The Empress Dowager remained seated at the table, her fingers slowly tapping on her pillow. Each tap was muffled, like a war drum, leaving one wondering where this first flame of war would spread...
Jiayin had no idea that the palace was in such a mess, and even if she did, she wouldn't care.
The great success of the trial operation has set a good precedent for the official opening tomorrow.
Whether it was Manager Yao or all the young shop assistants and maids, they were all full of confidence, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
In the afternoon, the male guests in the lobby also left.
Li Lao Er and Liu Zhiheng helped see the guests off, then went back to sober up.
Jiaren, Lige'er, Guli, Muxu, and a few others sat in the backyard of the fruit and vegetable shop, chatting with Jiayin.
Jiaren and Lige'er are going to visit the teachers at the academy to deliver New Year's gifts. They won't be able to come and help tomorrow, so they asked Guli and Muxu to take good care of them.
Gu Li laughed and said, "Young Master, don't worry. I will also get a share of the profits from these two shops. In fact, I personally led the repairs. No one wants the business to be booming more than me."
"I will do my utmost!"
Mu Xu glanced at him, then looked at Jia Yin who was busy checking the forms, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Wherever the princess is, I will be there. There is no need for the young master to give orders; I will do my best."
Jiaren smiled, exchanged a few more casual words, and then took Lige'er back to the Earl's mansion.
Jiayin brought some food for her sister-in-law and nephew, then packed up and took Guli and Muxu back to Suijintan early in the morning.
Today was the first time that the bean sprout workshop in the second village had delivered bean sprouts to the military camp dock. Almost as soon as Jiayin's carriage arrived at the intersection, Xiaocui and the other women came out to greet them, excitedly announcing the good news.
"Princess, our bean sprouts have been sent to the military camp. The cooks stir-fried them, and all the soldiers loved them!"
"Princess, there are five more restaurants today, and we need a hundred catties of bean sprouts every day from now on."
"And also, those people from the Relief Department are really amazing. They made three trips in one day to carry bean sprouts and sold over 600 jin!"
Jiayin was happy for them and even got off the bus to take a look around the bean sprout workshop.
Qi's son was watering the bean sprouts, and his sister was helping him.
The workshop was originally run by a group of aunties, and with him being the only one in the group, the Qi family boy couldn't help but be curious.
When he heard that it was arranged by the princess herself, he hugged his sister and cried that very night.
Upon seeing the princess approach, he pulled his sister down to kneel and kowtow.
Jiayin didn't want to help the young man from the Qi family up, so Mu Xu pulled him up and said, "A man's knees are worth gold. Don't kneel so easily. The princess doesn't like being worshipped either."
"If you truly want to repay this kindness, then learn more skills. In the future, you will have the opportunity to serve the princess."
Jiayin nodded in agreement and couldn't help but glance at Mu Xu.
He had only been by her side for a short time, yet he understood her temperament so well…
Is it because she's naturally meticulous and responsible, or is there another reason?
The next day, the hot pot restaurant named "Yangming Tianxia" officially opened for business.
Xindu has never lacked wealthy people, or rather, it has never lacked wealthy people who like novelty and excitement.
Yesterday was the soft opening day, and all the customers who ate there said it was great, and they helped spread the word after they left.
So, before noon, both floors of the hot pot restaurant were full.
The young waiters and maids were much busier than yesterday, their feet barely touching the ground.
Fortunately, the soup base was prepared in advance, and the side dishes did not need to be fried or cooked; they only needed to be plated.
Everyone worked diligently but without chaos, and they were able to handle the task effectively.
Jiayin was sitting in the backyard, even more relaxed than yesterday.
I thought my second uncle and the others would come to take another look, but they waited and waited and never showed up.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Jiayin sent someone to inquire about it.
When the news came back, she was truly shocked...
Counting the days, there are only two weeks left until the Chinese New Year.
At this time, according to custom, everyone from the imperial court to ordinary people hopes for peace and smooth sailing, and any problems will be postponed until after the New Year.
I just want to have a good New Year and not add to my stress during this time of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.
But clearly, this beautiful wish cannot be fulfilled.
This year is destined to be an extraordinary year, and it must be recorded in history in a grand and colorful way!
Following the downfall of the Wu family and the indictment of six officials, the long-established Wang family also suffered misfortune at today's grand court assembly.
More than a dozen people from the place where Wang's second son had previously worked rushed to Xindu, beat the cowhide drum in front of the Dali Temple, and filed a fierce complaint.
These dozen or so people were ragged and emaciated, and it was unknown how they had traveled thousands of miles.
If you say that no one lent a hand or gave them confidence, no one would believe you!
But none of that matters anymore; what matters is that they brought solid evidence.
Wang Lao Er manipulated the imperial examinations, bought and sold official positions, colluded with local powerful families, and oppressed the people. All of this was clearly recorded in the ledgers.
It's said there are still a bunch of local ID cards left, and not all of them have actually entered Beijing. Anyone who wants to check can do so; it's guaranteed to be genuine...
You know, Wang Lao Er has always kept a low profile since returning to Xindu. I never expected that he would be so high-profile.
Wang Lao Er, of course, cried out his innocence in court.
While others hesitated, unsure whether to help or remain neutral, the Marquis of Xinting volunteered to lead troops to raid the Wang family's property...
When Jiayin received the news, her first thought was that her godfather was really avenging her!
The Wu family and the Empress went to great lengths to obtain her heart's blood, and the mastermind behind this was Wang Lao Er.
The family wanted to deal with Wang Lao Er, but their abilities were limited, and they didn't want to involve the people behind Wang Lao Er too early.
I didn't expect that the Marquis would start making moves so soon after returning.
The big news had spread throughout the restaurant, both upstairs and downstairs, and the discussions and speculations were in full swing!
Serving you at midnight~
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