Chapter 1093 Second Instance of Public Opinion Being Harmed
The scholar was an honest man; he kept thanking them and repeatedly confirmed that the couple would stay in Wuzhou for a while, and agreed on a time to repay the money.
Before leaving, fearing that the couple might be scammed, the scholar gave a detailed review of the ingredients, dishes, and taste of the He Tai Restaurant to prove that what he said was true.
Lin Yuesha had no choice but to use the excuse of going to the restaurant to find someone to send the scholar away.
"This scholar is single-minded, and when he starts muttering to himself, he's just like my older brother."
Lin Yuesha watched the scholar walk away before entering the restaurant with Qi Heng.
As soon as the couple entered, a waiter came up to them. Seeing that they were unfamiliar faces, the waiter exchanged a knowing look.
Are there any private rooms available?
The lobby was noisy, and Qi Heng wanted to find a quiet place to dine.
Yes, it is.
The waiter hesitated for a moment, then said, "There's another room reserved for regular customers, but unfortunately, that person couldn't make it today. If you two want to use a private room, you'll have to pay at least this much."
As he spoke, the man held out a hand.
Five taels of silver?
Lin Yuesha pretended not to understand and asked.
"Sir, is this your first time here? Five taels of silver is only enough for a simple dish of boiled cabbage."
The waiter's tone was full of disdain. He Tai Restaurant was the top restaurant in Wuzhou City. Poor people without money could only look on with envy. It was not a place that one could come and go as one pleased.
To enter a private room, one must pay at least fifty taels of silver. If you are short of money, you should leave as soon as possible, or you will end up like the scholar who was just thrown out – not only will you be beaten, but you will also have to pay for your meal.
The guy was arrogant and snobbish, embodying the word "snobbish" to the extreme.
Lin Yuesha didn't argue with the waiter, threw out a silver note, and decisively chose a private room.
Money isn't the issue; the key is whether the money is well spent. If it's not, that's fine too, because the money will eventually be returned to her pocket.
What would you two like to eat?
With the banknotes in hand, the shop assistant immediately changed his tune, smiling obsequiously.
"My husband and I have come from afar. We have heard that the donkey meat in Wuzhou is exceptional and would like to try it. You can bring us any of your signature dishes."
Lin Yuesha pushed the menu back to the waiter, not wanting to say anything more.
After the waiter left, Lin Yuesha looked around the private room and was drawn to a painting on the wall because it looked familiar.
"Husband, look!"
The background of the painting is a city wall, with the couple dressed in wedding attire. Below the city wall are thousands of troops, clearly the opposing side.
Lin Yuesha's lips curled into a smile. Could it be what she was thinking?
This scene did indeed happen; at that time, Yuwen Kun and Miaoyin were holding a wedding ceremony under the city wall.
This matter was somewhat trivial and had been suppressed from being spread. Lin Yuesha never expected to witness this scene in a private room of a restaurant, and she couldn't describe how she felt.
Perhaps she misunderstood.
Qi Heng sighed. The man in the painting was truly indescribable in appearance, but he dared not comment on it. He was worried that if he brought up the topic, he would be asked to take off his mask again.
The He Tai Restaurant served the food very quickly; within about fifteen minutes, all the signature dishes were served.
"Two distinguished guests, braised donkey meat, roasted fish, eight-treasure wild duck, sweet and sour milk melon, shrimp roe and winter bamboo shoots, plus a Longjing bamboo fungus soup, that's all."
As the waiter introduced the dishes, he noticed that Lin Yuesha was distracted and her eyes kept looking at the framed paintings on the wall. He smiled and said, "Honorable guest, you have a good eye. These are things our boss painstakingly acquired. It is said to be a scene of General Qi and his wife's wedding ceremony, which is extremely rare."
In the painting, the woman's face is obscured by a red veil, but the man's appearance is horribly disfigured.
"Is General Qi looking that bad?"
Lin Yuesha raised a question, saying that the pockmarks on the pockmarked face mask were almost bigger than soybeans, and extremely ugly.
"Cough cough!"
Qi Heng coughed twice; this wasn't the point, and he didn't want to bring up that kind of topic.
"Honored guest, it seems you're not the only one who thinks this way. Every guest who comes to the private room has mentioned it. But we should keep these things to ourselves. If General Qi hears us, we'll be in big trouble. It's a capital offense!"
After the waiter left, Lin Yuesha reminded Qi Heng again, "Husband, your reputation has been damaged a second time."
It is said that when Wuzhou was brought under the control of the Wei family, Shen Huaiyuan had always been quite dissatisfied. Not long after, he contacted his subordinates to send a letter to Qi Heng, expressing his determination to submit.
Shen Huaiyuan collected Qi Heng's calligraphy and portraits, but judging from the behavior of Shen Huaiyuan's brother-in-law, Shen Huaiyuan seemed more like a hater of Qi Heng.
"My lady, the Longjing bamboo fungus is quite good, the saltiness is just right."
Qi Heng served his wife a bowl of soup and changed the subject.
"I'll try the donkey meat first."
The braised donkey meat prepared by He Tai Restaurant has been sliced, and there is still dark red broth on the tray.
Lin Yuesha picked up a piece, chewed it, and then shook her head. Whether it was the cooking method of He Tai Restaurant that was wrong, or the deliciousness of donkey meat that was exaggerated, she didn't know, but in any case, it was an exaggeration.
"My lady, the meat served at He Tai Restaurant is not donkey meat."
After tasting it, Qi Heng immediately drew a conclusion.
"If it's not donkey meat, then what kind of meat is it?"
Lin Yuesha's face turned ashen. Could it be... human flesh?
"My lady, don't think too much. This is made with horse meat."
There is a difference between donkey meat and horse meat. Donkey meat has a delicate texture, while horse meat is coarser. Donkey meat is also brighter in color, while horse meat is darker. The taste and texture are also different.
Most people have never eaten horse meat, so they can't tell the difference, which is why Thai Restaurant dares to pass off inferior products as superior ones.
The Great Qi Dynasty forbids the slaughter of horses, even old or crippled ones. Furthermore, the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty state that killing a horse is a serious crime.
On the battlefield, the soldiers were cut off from food supplies. Even if they were hungry, they couldn't bear to kill their horses, since the warhorses were also part of the soldiers, like comrades.
"Horses are more valuable than donkeys, so why does He Tai Restaurant use horse meat instead of donkey meat?"
Lin Yuesha couldn't understand why He Tai Restaurant was doing this.
If a restaurant wants to use inferior meat, it can use cheaper meat; there's no need to substitute horse meat. Doing so would increase costs and also violate the law.
"It is precisely because killing a horse is a serious crime and people who have eaten horse meat are rare that He Tai Restaurant dared to take action."
Qi Heng stood up, his brows furrowed. It seemed that Wuzhou City was something else, not as simple as the information he had received earlier had suggested.
To uncover the secrets behind this, we need to trace the origins of the horse meat and follow the trail.
Lin Yuesha wanted to say something, but then hesitated and stopped.
This meal was the most tasteless and most overpriced meal she had ever eaten, costing seventy-five taels of silver.
When I paid the bill and went outside, it was already pitch black, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the street.
A cold wind blew by, and Lin Yuesha shivered. Just now at the He Tai Restaurant, the couple ordered a table full of dishes, but they hadn't eaten much, and their stomachs were still empty.
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