With their heads bowed, the group followed the eunuch and entered the palace.
The current imperial palace was converted from the original imperial residence. While it is not as grand and imposing as the one in Kyoto, it still exudes a royal aura and displays wealth and elegance in every aspect.
At this time of year, the autumn harvest has just ended and winter is about to begin. Not only are the common people going to hibernate, but there are also no major events taking place in the imperial court.
Apart from two censors arguing over a trivial matter, no one else submitted a memorial.
Thus, the grand court assembly held every ten days came to an abrupt end.
Li Lao Er followed Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng out of the palace gate. He wanted to go to the restaurant, but the few nominal officials who had been standing together earlier caught up with him.
"Lord, Lord! We've hit it off with you today and are reluctant to part. If you're not busy, would you like to find us a place to have a few drinks and chat?"
Before Li Lao Er could respond, they joined forces with Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng to snatch the person away.
"Lord Wen and Lord Liu won't stop us, will they? You two have important duties to attend to, but we don't. This is a good opportunity for us to get to know Lord Wen better."
Mr. Wen looked at Li Lao Er, and seeing him nod slightly, he smiled and said, "It's the Earl's first time attending court, and he's unfamiliar with everything, so I'm just explaining a few things to him. With the help of several officials in the future, I can rest assured."
"Alright, thank you, Lord Wen. We'll be going now." The group smiled and escorted Li Lao Er into a luxurious carriage, where they quickly departed.
Others naturally saw it, but they just laughed it off.
Liu Zhiheng was genuinely worried. "Mr. Wen, shouldn't we remind the Earl? Those few are no good! Especially that Junior Minister Chu Heng and Assistant Minister Zhang Jian, notorious good-for-nothings and纨绔公子 (spoiled young masters). The Earl won't benefit from befriending them!"
Mr. Wen, however, did not care and laughed, "These people came to see you on your first day of court, which shows they have ill intentions. How could the Earl be so shrewd as to not know? Going with them is just to find out their true intentions."
"Don't worry, Lord. You won't suffer any losses. Besides, with Ye Shan by your side, even if something happens, he'll be able to protect you and get you out safely."
Liu Zhiheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. "So, the Marquis has also made arrangements?"
“I don’t know,” Mr. Wen shook his head and smiled, “but whatever Ye Shan knows, the Marquis will certainly know as well. If the Earl suffers a loss, the Marquis will definitely not sit idly by.”
The two exchanged a few words and then parted ways.
Li Lao Er boarded the carriage with a group of new friends. After exchanging names and official titles, they began to address each other as brothers and chatted and laughed all the way to an alley in the west of the city.
The alley looked quite ordinary, and there were no red lanterns hanging in front of the houses, so it was clearly not a place for prostitution.
Chu Shaoqing knocked on a door several times, familiar with the place, and was greeted by a woman in her thirties.
The courtyard was filled with the aroma of food and decorated in a very elegant and tranquil style.
It turns out this is a privately owned restaurant!
Chu Shaoqing pulled Li Lao Er aside and introduced, "Lord, this is a place where we usually drink. It's quiet and the food is delicious. We've been standing in court for so long, we must be starving. Let's have a bite to eat together."
"Great! Thank you for your trouble, Brother Qin. This place is wonderful; we could be full just by looking at the scenery, even without eating. It's truly wonderful," Li Lao Er complimented with a smile, and Qin Shaoqing and the others laughed as well.
Even the proprietress was laughing hysterically, "Oh my, this gentleman calls me Earl, could he be the newly appointed Earl of Zhongshan in the capital?"
"Yes, madam, tell the cooks to show off their skills today. Uncle Li's family also owns a restaurant, be careful they don't look down on you and ruin your reputation." Zhang Jian and the others chimed in, laughing as they led Li Lao Er into the house.
The proprietress quickly called her maid to serve tea and snacks, and then went to the kitchen to prepare them.
The crowd gathered around Li Lao Er, their words full of probing.
Is the Marquis busy lately? Has he returned to Broken Gold Beach yet?
What? Liu Zhiheng has joined the Agriculture and Forestry Department. How will the improved seeds be allocated and planted next year?
Li Lao Er pretended to be stupid when he needed to, and pretended to be crazy when he needed to, perfectly portraying the image of a country bumpkin who suddenly rose to a high position, with a glamorous appearance but weak inner strength.
Although everyone inwardly despised them, they still smiled and flattered them on the surface.
Soon, the food was served, and everyone began to eat and drink.
Li Lao Er didn't stand on ceremony and tried all the dishes. They were indeed quite good, but the taste wasn't amazing.
Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. If the taste were truly exceptional and rare, it would have been sold as a restaurant long ago. Why would it be stuck in a small alley, making such a small amount of money?
No one knew what he was thinking. Seeing that he ate a lot, they became even more contemptuous of him for being unsophisticated.
After the meal and tea to aid digestion, a charming woman brought in a guqin (a seven-stringed zither) and played it for everyone to enjoy.
The woman was probably curious about Li Lao Er, this new customer, and kept glancing at him.
Unfortunately, Li Lao Er was more interested in the teacup in his hand and didn't respond at all.
Seeing this, Qin Shaoqing subtly waved to the proprietress outside the door.
So, several scantily clad maids came in to pour tea and offer snacks, and then sat down next to everyone.
The maidservant beside Li Lao Er wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a charming, delicate beauty. She gently raised her hand to pour tea and hold the cup.
When Li Lao Er took it, she seemed to accidentally scratch Li Lao Er's palm with her finger.
Li Lao Er was startled, and his hand loosened, causing the teacup to fall onto his lap, soaking his robe with tea.
Li Lao Er quickly stood up and exclaimed, "Oh dear, this is an official uniform, it can't get dirty!"
Qin Shaoqing then called to the proprietress, "Quickly take Master Li to change into a long gown! I have two new clothes here, Master Li, please choose one of them."
After saying that, he joked with the maid, "Chuncao, you've caused this trouble, you have to take responsibility! Go and serve Lord Li. If you don't serve him well, and he won't be satisfied, we won't let you off the hook either."
The maid blushed and quickly asked Li Lao Er to leave.
Li Lao Er seemed oblivious to the key point, and cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd, saying, "Please wait a moment, everyone, I'll be right back."
"Haha, it's alright if you go a little slower, Your Excellency!"
"That's right, Your Excellency, please enjoy yourself. We're not in a hurry."
"Chuncao is a very good girl. Let her serve the Earl well."
Zhang Jian and the others laughed and joked, but when they saw Li Lao Er leave, they slowly stopped laughing, put their arms around the maids beside them, drank tea and waited, while they felt a secret pleasure in their hearts that they couldn't quite explain.
Isn't everyone in and around Xindu saying that the Li family is loyal and righteous? Aren't they saying the Li family is lucky? Aren't they saying the Li family is favored by the Emperor?
In the end, the Li family are just people. They don't even have a century of wealth and heritage, nor any family to rely on. They're just a bunch of bumpkins. What's so special about them?
See? He was lured out to dinner with just a few words, and any woman could easily win him over with a flick of her finger!
In the future, it's possible that this Uncle Li will be even worse than those good-for-nothings who can't be put on the wall!
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