"I should have known better than to bring them out." After finally calming the children down, Li Shimin couldn't help but smile wryly.
"Their godsons are still young. When they get a little older, they won't be so clingy," Empress Zhangsun said with a smile.
"Qin boy! Qin boy!" Not long after hiding behind, Qin Mu heard Li Shimin's shout. He couldn't help but smile wryly and went over. To be honest, how could he not feel pressured in front of Li Shimin? He had to be careful with every word he said to avoid saying the wrong thing.
Yu Chi Baolin and Cheng Huaimo glanced at Qin Mu with pity, then took a step back without any compassion, indicating that they would never go with him. Qin Mu raised his arm and gave them the middle finger, making an internationally recognized gesture.
"Master!" Qin Mu walked over and bowed respectfully.
“Go and keep an eye on the Crown Prince and the others. You’re not much older than them, so you should be able to play together,” Li Shimin said, pointing to the five children standing to the side.
Looking at Li Shimin holding his daughter in his arms, while looking at his sons with disdain, Qin Mu couldn't help but guess that this guy was also a doting father.
"Yes!" Qin Mu responded and walked to the side helplessly. Although he didn't dislike children, he meant cute and obedient ones. He didn't like boys as much because they were particularly unruly. Seeing how restless these boys were made him even more troubled, but he couldn't disobey the imperial decree.
Fortunately, Qin Mu had a knack for dealing with unruly children. Instead of going directly to them, he walked to the roadside and bought a lot of snacks and toys from several stalls. These were the special treats for the Qixi Festival, known as "Qiaoguo" (巧果).
Qin Mu first distributed the paper-cutting and embroidery he had to a few children before taking out snacks. Just as he was about to distribute them, someone stopped him.
"No, how can we give the Crown Prince and the others food from outside!" the eunuch exclaimed shrilly.
Qin Mu nodded, walked away silently, and stuffed all the snacks in his hand into Qin Huaiyu and the others' hands.
"You servant! Why can't I eat?!" A chubby child angrily kicked the eunuch and cursed.
The eunuch dared not retaliate and could only stammer and apologize repeatedly: "Your Highness, please forgive me, this servant deserves to die!"
Qin Mu hadn't expected this little brat to be so ignorant, and couldn't help but frown. Judging from his expression, he guessed it was Li Tai. Although the eunuch had stopped him earlier, which annoyed him, it was just the eunuch's duty, and there was nothing to be angry about.
"Hmph!" Everything that had just happened had been witnessed by Li Shimin and the others. Li Tai's performance greatly displeased him, and he couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It is all my fault for failing to discipline your children properly," Empress Zhangsun said coldly.
"Your Majesty can handle it as you see fit," Li Shimin nodded slightly. Educating underage princes and princesses was the Empress's responsibility, and with her present, Li Shimin naturally wouldn't interfere, lest he damage her reputation.
As a prince, even if he performed poorly, Li Shimin would not make him apologize for scolding a eunuch.
"Alright, let's find a place to rest!" Li Shimin waved his hand and said. He was thinking that the children were envious of Qin Huaiyu and the others eating, so he wanted to find a place to eat.
"Where is that?" Li Shimin asked, pointing into the distance.
"Ahem! Your Majesty, please forgive me. That's a restaurant run by my son and his men, and it hasn't opened yet," Yuchi Gong replied, glancing up and clasping his hands in greeting.
"What! Your son owns a restaurant!" Li Shimin asked in surprise.
If you were to ask which of Chang'an's top noble families owned the fewest properties, many would tell you it was Duke Yuchi Gong of E! This doesn't mean Yuchi Gong was poor; on the contrary, his family was extremely wealthy. Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) bestowed upon him many rewards, even more generously than 90% of the ministers. However, he was incredibly stingy, reluctant to spend even a single penny.
Therefore, Yuchi Gong only owned one blacksmith shop in Chang'an. Knowing the qualities of this minister, Li Shimin even specially bestowed upon him a small iron mine. That's why Li Shimin was so surprised, even somewhat amused, upon learning that Yuchi Baolin had opened a restaurant. Yuchi Gong's sons were also quite famous, and seemed to be just like their father—all brawn and no brains. While not exactly stupid, they were definitely not cut out for business.
"It was Qin's son who led the charge, along with Cheng Huaimo and a few others," Yuchi Gong said, his old face flushing.
"Ha! So it's the Qin family lad. You old miser, you actually have the nerve to spend money? But this time they won't lose out; they'll make a good profit from their wine alone. I heard it's selling like hotcakes in Chang'an lately, with lines of people buying it every day," Li Shimin said with a smile. (Qin Mu Nong Restaurant)
"I didn't invest a single penny. My son helped to make some things to offset my contribution," Yuchi Gong explained.
"You! You! You're so stingy! Such a good business, and you only invested so little money," Li Shimin said, pointing at Yuchi Gong.
"I don't need that, it's all the kids doing it," Yuchi Gong said righteously.
This answer was perfectly reasonable, which pleased Li Shimin, who smiled and said, "Come with me and see! How's it going?"
Li Shimin led the way, with Qin Mu following behind, only to find themselves outside their own shop. It wasn't open for business yet, but it was almost finished, a five-story building with soaring eaves.
"Heh! Not bad at all!" Li Shimin looked up, exclaimed in admiration, and then walked towards the gate.
The gatekeepers were Uncle Fu and several kitchen staff. They were watching the commotion at the entrance when Uncle Fu hurriedly came forward to greet them upon seeing so many people approaching. He didn't recognize the others, but he had seen Yuchi Gong and Cheng Zhijie before.
"Uncle Fu! Turn on the lights in the building!" Qin Mu stepped forward and gave the order.
"It's Young Master!" Unexpectedly, Qin Mu was also there. Uncle Fu responded and led the waiters who had come to watch the commotion into the restaurant. Li Shimin's guards also went in together.
"Young Qin, isn't it a bit too extravagant to build such a large restaurant?" Li Shimin asked.
"The students don't think it's an exaggeration, because what we sell isn't expensive. The maximum capacity is only a thousand people, which is nothing compared to the wealthy and middle class in Chang'an," Qin Mu explained confidently. Having spent more time with Li Shimin, they were less afraid of him and spoke and acted more naturally.
“Is a thousand people not enough? If a thousand people eat every day, and each person eats for fifty coins, that’s fifty strings of cash a day. And that’s just the general case; most people would probably eat for more than that,” Li Shimin speculated.
Qin Mu said with a smile, "It hasn't opened yet, so everything is still unknown. The students also hope the business will be good."
"Come on, show me what's special about this place!" Li Shimin said.
A large group of people entered the restaurant and were immediately somewhat surprised! From the outside, although the restaurant was grand, it was still similar to modern architecture. However, the interior style was unlike any other. The building was hollow, supported by eight round columns that led to the top. Two spiral staircases led to the upper floors. Square and round tables were arranged around the hall, separated by carved wooden railings, and various sizes of green plants adorned the restaurant, making it resemble a garden.
Qin Mu asked many people to help him find these green plants. The gardens of the Cheng family, the Yuchi family, and the Qin family also fell victim to their wickedness and were mostly emptied.
“It’s a waste to use this place for eating!” Li Shimin sighed, then pulled up a chair, sat down, patted the table, frowned and said with dissatisfaction, “Why don’t you make a few sets of such good food for me?”
As soon as Li Shimin sat down, he realized the advantages of this chair with a backrest, which was much more comfortable than kneeling or sitting on a stool.
"Ahem! If Your Majesty likes it, then I'll have someone make it. But for now, let's tour it first!" Qin Mu reminded him.
He knew this new style of furniture would be popular, which was why he gathered so many carpenters. He would start making the furniture once the restaurant opened. Although these things were easy to imitate, it didn't matter; he just needed to make money on the first batch. Besides, once his reputation was established, even if many people copied it, he wouldn't lose money.
The layout of the second floor is similar to that of the first floor, with one side facing the window and the other side close to the interior of the open-air restaurant, with a passageway in the middle. The entire restaurant is actually circular. From the outside, it appears square, but inside it is circular, and the center is not exactly regular in shape.
The floors above the third floor are all private rooms. Many of the partitions between the private rooms are movable, and when opened, they can be combined into one large private room.
Compared to other restaurants, Qin Mu Restaurant is exquisite. The private rooms on the third floor are quite ordinary, but the private rooms on the fourth floor are almost like rooms, with not only a dining table but also a sofa and a coffee table.
In the largest private room on the top floor, Li Shimin sat comfortably on the sofa, his gaze towards Qin Mu filled with displeasure.
"Young Qin, this thing you call a sofa is more comfortable than my bed. I heard you bought a hundred brothel girls. Are you sure this is just a simple restaurant?"
"Student, this is just a restaurant, of course. Although there are ten rooms for accommodation, they are only reserved for drunk guests and will not accommodate other people overnight," Qin Mu said, his cheek twitching. He didn't understand why Li Shimin had the blood of a gluttonous beast, wanting to possess anything good he saw.
Modern sofas don't have springs; they're just made of two layers of leather stretched together with feathers stuffed in between. The addition of a backrest and cushions makes them seem novel.
"Hmph! I don't care about those things. In short, I want to see these things in my palace as soon as possible. Didn't you see how much Linchuan and the others like them?" Li Shimin said, pointing to the little princess jumping on the sofa.
It seems that children love to jump on the sofa. As soon as the little ones came in, they became fascinated with the sofa. The boys were fine, they just touched it, but the girls were already standing on the sofa with their cushions.
"Your Majesty, I obey your command. However, I do not have suitable materials. Surely Your Majesty cannot use ordinary sheepskin?" Qin Mu said, bowing.
"Tell Zhijie what materials you need. I just want it done quickly," Li Shimin said, waving his hand.
"Your student obeys!" Qin Mu replied with a smile, cupping his hands in agreement. He thought to himself, "No wonder everyone likes to do public work. Not to mention how much money they make, they can make a fortune just from the materials alone. At the very least, they can use their position for personal gain and get themselves a batch of good goods."
Qin Mu was already planning in his mind which things in the house needed to be replaced, such as sandalwood, rosewood, or other precious materials.
"Is that all? Why don't you have a stage or anything like that?" Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction and then asked again.
"Your Majesty, please step forward. You will soon see the most spectacular view from Rugui Tower!" Qin Mu gestured, inviting Li Shimin to stand at the window.
Li Shimin followed and looked down. Just as he was wondering what he was looking at, water droplets began to fall from the rooftop, gradually growing larger, like a heavy rain.
Li Shimin was wondering why it was raining when he suddenly noticed that only the eaves outside the window were dripping, and there was not a drop of rain in the distance. The pedestrians downstairs were still walking leisurely.
Not only that, but rain curtains gradually appeared on the fourth, third, and second floors as well. Because this was a tower-shaped restaurant, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, the four rain curtains truly resembled four curtains standing upright in the restaurant. Behind the rain curtains were densely packed red candles and lanterns. Looking out from the rain curtains, the water reflecting the candlelight created a dazzling array of colors, which was quite beautiful.
This was specially arranged by Qin Mu. Behind the lanterns were pure white porcelain pieces arranged in a concave shape, which had a good effect of focusing and reflecting light.
The restaurant had already lit hundreds of lanterns, illuminating the surrounding area and attracting the attention of passersby. But when the reflection appeared in the water, everyone was stunned and stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at the restaurant.
They couldn't understand why water kept flowing down such a high building, like it was raining, but there wasn't a drop of water anywhere else.
The colorful scene was particularly eye-catching at night, and many people in the distance noticed the unusual activity and kept heading towards the vicinity of the restaurant.
"You... how did you do that? Did you use a formation? Wouldn't that be too costly?" Li Shimin asked in surprise.
"Your Majesty, this is not a formation. There are four water reservoirs on the roof of the restaurant. I arranged for people to pump the water from the river up, and then slowly lower it down. After the restaurant opened, this view can only be seen for half an hour each day," Qin Mu explained.
"How can you push water up from such a height?" Li Shimin asked in surprise.
"No problem, all you need is a thin copper pipe. If you use a few more, pumping water will be much easier."
Of course! Qin Mu didn't explain in such detail, after all, Li Shimin wouldn't understand either. The water on the second floor was actually pumped up from the river behind the restaurant using a waterwheel and siphon. It could not only be used for water decoration, but also to provide tap water for the kitchen and for bathing.
In the center of the lobby on the first floor, a small fountain has been formed by the flow of water. In some areas on the first floor, you can also see waterways running underground. This is the pool's drainage system, which has been deliberately designed to enhance the scenery.
"Your Majesty, this way please!" Ignoring the group of princes and princesses watching the commotion by the window, Qin Mu invited Li Shimin to stand by the inner window.
"We designed a windmill on the top floor, and then piled up ice blocks in front of it. As long as the windmill is turned quickly, it can blow cold air down! Filling the whole building with cold air!" Qin Mu explained.
There is indeed a large windmill upstairs, which is mechanically driven. It only takes one person to pedal it to turn it and blow the cold air and ice down.
"Ice blocks? There are ice blocks piled up below, isn't that the same thing? Where did you get so many ice blocks?" Feeling the gusts of cold air coming from above, Li Shimin reached out and touched the ice blocks, asking.
Qin Mu was taken aback. He didn't know how to explain to Li Shimin the principle that cold air is heavier than hot air, so he could only smile and say, "I have discovered a method of making ice that can produce ice blocks continuously, so there is no need to worry about consumption."
Just then, Yuchi Baolin arrived with his men, bringing over a hot pot and other dishes, along with, of course, chilled fruit. The ice in the restaurant wasn't like the simple method used at home, where they just collected it in a bowl and crushed it. Qin Mu had porcelain molds made, each one perfectly square.
When the crystal-clear ice cubes were placed on the table among the fruit, Li Shimin's appetite was whetted. He picked up one with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and he believed that these were ice cubes made by Qin Mu, not those stored in a cellar.
"I am not being unreasonable. This ice-making method will only be taught to one trusted confidant, and it will not be passed on to outsiders," Li Shimin said after considering for a moment.
Qin Mu deliberately revealed the method of making ice because he knew he couldn't keep it a secret for long and it would soon be noticed by those who wanted to. Given Li Shimin's personality, he certainly wouldn't miss it, so it was better to tell him proactively and gain favor.
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty!"
"I will not compete with the people for profit."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Qin Mu was not afraid to flatter the emperor, as he was used to compliments.
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