If he only talked about the first part, Lu Guo would still have to think about it, but when he talked about the second part, he said, "Okay, then where are we going now?"
"A winery," Lin Su said with a smile.
The calligraphy and painting studio was extremely prosperous. When its reputation spread far and wide, a restaurant named "Yunlaike" quietly opened, attracting countless customers with the Zuixian wine that was famous in the capital and the calligraphy of Mr. Yangui hanging in the hall.
If the customers go there for these two reasons in the beginning, then the reason they linger on is because of the excellent food, elegant environment and novel stories.
The dishes were all new to the capital, and the environment was very different from previous restaurants. In addition, the storytellers' stories were unheard of, and the wonderful poems and verses in them made scholars compete to spread their stories, which became a trend for a while.
In a prestigious courtyard in the capital, a young man in white gently traced his fingers across a scroll, pausing at the signature. His eyes were filled with admiration. "Chunhui, can you find out more about this Mr. Yangui?"
"Sir, the owner of the calligraphy and painting studio only said that Mr. Yan Gui has never been seen, his martial arts skills are unfathomable, and he just entrusted his paintings to sell. No one can find out his background. As for the owner and his thugs, they are also from other places. They got a new travel permit because their family suffered a disaster, but they are not the kind of people who are good at writing," the neatly dressed servant said.
"Forget it, hang this painting in my room," Yun Hui looked at the painting and really liked it. He didn't like the brushstrokes, but the high mountains and distant waters, the lonely smoke in the desert, which seemed to contain endless ambitions.
He was reborn, tired of the family dispute, and finally escaped from that ugly place with the help of his maternal grandfather. He hated his father who favored his concubine and killed his wife, the concubine who forced his mother to death, and the half-brother who falsely accused him of cheating in the imperial examination in his previous life. He was burning with hatred, and felt that he could not go on without revenge. When he looked at the painting given by his grandfather, he understood the deep meaning of it.
A man has ambitions. Although he must avenge his hatred, he should not indulge in it and forget his original ambition. There is no need to lock his life in the backyard like women.
For a moment, I just felt happy in my heart, and I was wondering what kind of person must have seen to be able to paint such an amazing painting.
But he was also confused. Although he was poor and bullied in his previous life, he was very famous for his literary talent. However, he had never heard of Mr. Yan Gui's name, let alone seen his calligraphy or paintings. But he was not an intolerant person, and he hoped to meet the painter.
Perhaps it is because of rebirth, times have changed, and there will always be some changes, just like meeting Yuchen and the others.
"Yes, sir, if the master knew you liked this painting, he would be delighted." Chunhui carefully put the painting away and suddenly remembered something. "By the way, sir, I heard there are several restaurants in the capital called Yunlai Ke. They not only have Zuixian wine, but also Mr. Yan Gui's calligraphy displayed in the lobby for everyone to see. Each restaurant has a different one hanging on it."
"Really?" Yun Hui had already sat down to read, but now he stood up excitedly, "Is that restaurant related to Mr. Yang Gui?"
"Yes and no. It's said that the owner of the restaurant is acquainted with Mr. Yangui, and he paid a high price for the calligraphy and put it up for public appreciation. It received a lot of praise." Chunhui saw the excitement on his face and smiled. "If you want to go out, I'll arrange a carriage right away."
"Excuse me," Yun Hui said after a moment's hesitation. "Wait a minute. Since we're here for an appreciation, we should dress more formally. Please help me change my clothes."
…
If the east of the city is where officials live, then the west of the city is where the wealthy live. This is where there are the most markets and it is the most prosperous. Among all the courtyards, the Shen family's is the most outstanding. Although they dare not use glazed tiles that can only be used in the palace, the red tiles are already extremely magnificent.
Inside the big house, Chen Tang's face showed no emotion, but even his peach blossom eyes, which were always smiling, were not curved. The shopkeepers present knew that the master was not in a good mood.
But this group of cunning men did not clumsily enough to rush into the muzzles of guns. They just lowered their heads and remained silent, not daring to breathe, making the room even quieter.
As the ebony folding fan with gold inlays slid across the account book, Chen Tang twitched his lips suddenly. "In one month, the profits of the restaurants and inns in the capital were 70% to 80% less than the previous month. What's going on?"
Since he took over the family business, it has only grown bigger, and there has never been such a serious mistake. Losing tens of thousands of taels in a month is a small matter, but if the loss continues without finding out the reason, it will be a big deal.
A dozen or so shopkeepers looked at each other, and finally one of them stepped forward with his hands folded, reporting, "Master, this isn't the Shen family's fault. We've always run our business this way. It's just that a few new restaurants called Yunlaike opened in the capital a month ago, and they've taken away 70% to 80% of our business."
"I've heard of this name before," Chen Tang frowned slightly, but he was too busy to join in the fun at the time. Who knew something would actually happen? "What's so special about it? Go on."
The shopkeeper sighed and said, "Their cooking is excellent. Their wine is the kind of intoxicating drink that ordinary people can hardly get. I don't know why the widow of the Liu family was willing to give the recipe of the wine to the restaurant, and he used it. The dishes there are unique, and there are new dishes every three days. It's unheard of. The cakes are even different from before..."
"And there are Mr. Yangui's calligraphy all over the lobby." A shopkeeper interrupted.
The chatterbox opened, and the other shopkeepers also confided their inner grievances: "The storyteller's story is extremely exciting, a story I have never heard before."
"If there were no storytelling, there would still be musicians playing, and the music would be unheard of. The sound of high mountains and flowing water is so beautiful that people are already searching for the composer, but only Yunlai Ke has this piece of music."
"That's right. We are helpless. Even if we lower the price slightly, it will only bring back customers temporarily."
You talk, I talk, Chen Tang has never heard of such a capable person. If it is not an exaggeration and there is such a person, the loss of the Shen family's restaurant and inn is not unfair.
"Do you know who the shop owner is and where he is from?" Chen Tang asked.
The shopkeepers all shook their heads. "We don't know. The shopkeeper never shows up, so everything is handled by the shopkeeper. And the shopkeeper is very tight-lipped, so we can't get anything out of him."
It is indeed inconvenient to investigate privately, but opening a store requires an official certificate. It seems that I can only ask Yuchen for help. However, Chentang decided to go there in person to find out what the inn is like. If they can cooperate, it would be great. If not, the road of business is full of competition, so it is no wonder that he used some tricks.
Chen Tang and Xiao Huang were good friends, so if the Shen family suffered damage, Xiao Huang would be constrained. Without waiting for Chen Tang to come in person, Xiao Huang had already come alone.
The prince's robe was not overly gorgeous, but it made him look extremely handsome. His eyes and brows showed the solemnity and composure of the late empress dowager, which was different from the frivolous behavior of the current emperor.
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