Chapter 89
The land where the real-person chicken dinner was built originally belonged to two estates belonging to Ningguo Prefecture.
The Ningguo Mansion was the maternal clan of the Empress Dowager. Years ago, they had a complete falling out with the Empress Dowager because of Xiao Shu's entry into the palace. A few months ago, Xiao Shu was executed for plotting against the royal family, and the Ningguo Mansion was also held accountable. They were disliked by those in power for the second time and had a lot of their property confiscated. Even though they did not lose their titles like the Chu family, their downfall was already destined.
These two estates were among the confiscated properties. This area was considered a "feng shui treasure land," with many estates, including even imperial estates. Ordinary people dared not approach this area, and the nearest villages were all far away.
Therefore, the two-story restaurant that Xue Jin'an led his people through a maze of twists and turns was located in a deserted alley—actually, "deserted" is not quite accurate here, since the alley was already the liveliest place in the area.
This place was originally a naturally formed market town where villagers would come to hold temple fairs and go to the market. However, during the reign of the late emperor, the outer city of the capital was expanded, and many villages in the vicinity were relocated, so it gradually became deserted. After walking around for a long time, I didn't see anyone. The only shop that was open was a coffin shop. If you didn't know better, you would think that this place had been completely abandoned.
"Staying here tonight is terrifying." Fu Lu shivered, quickening his pace to close the distance between himself and Xue Jin'an.
Cui Zui and Fu Ling were both relatively calm. The former was still immersed in the thought of "Oh my god, how did Master know about this godforsaken place?", while the latter was slow to react and was also very insensitive to the outside world.
Fortunately, Xue Jin'an soon led them to the alley where the restaurant was located, which was relatively more lively, at least there were people walking on the street.
This restaurant looks like it's been open for many years; the plaque shows the marks of time. It's not very big, but the interior decoration is quite elegant. You can see scholars coming and going from the entrance, but judging from their clothes, they don't seem very wealthy.
This is quite normal. The imperial examinations are in March, and countless candidates from all over the country are flocking to the capital. In addition, with the Emperor's birthday celebrations, envoys and merchants are arriving in large numbers. The city is already full of habitable areas. Living in the capital is not easy, and the cost of living is already very high. At this time of year, the cost of squeezing in is at least three times the usual amount, which is simply unaffordable for ordinary students.
It is said that poor scholars are rich candidates for the imperial examinations. Once a candidate achieves the title of a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, the local government will give him a considerable sum of money. Wealthy merchants will also offer him money and beautiful women to build connections. However, going to the capital to take the imperial examinations is an activity that consumes a lot of money and energy. If you also participate in poetry gatherings, flower viewing parties, boat trips, and so on, the money will simply not last long.
"It's good that these people can find a place to live. There are many others who can only stay in temples, eating vegetarian food and listening to sutras every day. They're almost becoming Buddhas on the spot." Cui Zui was very knowledgeable about the matter of going to the capital for the imperial examination and knew a lot of information.
After all, although he was only a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination) and had never been able to go to the capital to take the imperial examination, he had many classmates in the past and had heard some news about them.
The restaurant was small, which meant that if someone made a few loud remarks, everyone in the restaurant could hear them.
The moment the dissatisfaction with the "Perfect Prince" was uttered, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him.
Xue Jin'an's gaze immediately locked onto the speaker. There was a table of scholars in the hall. The speaker had a cloth wrapped around his head, his cheeks were slightly flushed, and his eyes were glazed. He was obviously drunk and speaking recklessly.
Cui Zui wasn't quite familiar with the title "Perfect Young Master," and was a beat slow to react. He immediately glared at the scholar with a fierce look in his eyes. Before he had even done anything, just one look was enough to make the insolent scholar sober up. The other scholars at the table next to him all wore embarrassed expressions, as if they had been caught talking badly by the person in question.
The culprit was also embarrassed and scared, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, he was unwilling to lose face, so he braced himself and continued to slander the perfect young master, putting on a disdainful expression and saying, "I am not afraid of power, I am not wrong, and I will never compromise because of this little threat."
"In my humble opinion, the Ten-Complete Young Master is an unrighteous and incompetent man, nothing more than a lowly merchant reeking of money!" Clearly, he was a staunch supporter of the class system of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.
Many people in the capital have already guessed that Jiu Tian Yi is the business of the Ten Perfect Young Master, since Jiu Tian Yi means ten. And it just so happens that Jiu Tian Yi opened in the capital after the Ten Perfect Young Master's reputation was established. Such a coincidence is hard not to arouse suspicion.
Since his sudden emergence, some have admired and praised him, while others have disliked and slandered him. After playing cards became popular in the capital, the latter voices grew louder. At first, they shouted that "playing with things leads to the loss of ambition." Later, when people in casinos figured out a set of rules for playing cards and it became quite popular, the news reached everyone's ears, and the voices criticizing and reprimanding the "Perfect Prince" grew louder.
The scholar rambled on and on, saying nothing new, mainly criticizing the perfect young master. To be fair, this man did have some inside information; he even knew that the "real-life chicken dinner" building, which was still under construction and had no markings, belonged to Jiu Tian Yi.
Towards the end, I don't know if it was because I got excited or the alcohol hit me again, but I couldn't control myself and used some harsh words.
Xue Jin'an had already anticipated that someone would speak rudely when Jiu Tian Yi opened, but he didn't care much. These innocuous words were not as effective as the impeachment petition against him in the imperial court.
Xue Jin'an remained calm, but the three people accompanying him did not.
Cui Zui originally didn't want to cause trouble. He thought that his master had finally made it out of the palace, and it wouldn't be good if something happened to him and people found out. He planned to endure this and come back to beat him up later.
Unexpectedly, this person was so greedy and ungrateful that Cui Zui's face turned cold, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to step forward to argue—read as theoretical writing with one-sided physical output.
Fu Lu and Fu Ling had been in the palace all along. The information collected by Fu Lu's intelligence center was mainly aimed at the palace. Although they knew that their master had some reputation outside, they did not know at first that it was this perfect young master. It was not until they saw Cui Zui's expression that they realized it.
Fu Lu was instantly enraged, staring intently at the speaker's face, memorizing every single feature.
Fu Ling was calmer. She just didn't pay much attention to outside affairs and was a little slow to react, but that didn't mean she knew nothing. She drew her gleaming, razor-sharp dagger with a "whoosh," and waited for Xue Jin'an's order to slit the throat of the insolent man.
Just then, someone moved even faster than them. Xue Jin'an heard a whooshing sound as someone threw a shoe sole down from the second floor. The aim was excellent, and it hit the scholar right in the mouth.
"Ouch!" The scholar cried out as a pair of tattered cloth shoes hit his mouth. He also tripped and fell to the ground, accidentally knocking the food and drinks off the table.
Whether the scholar's classmates were genuinely reacting or just pretending, they immediately stepped back several paces to make room, thus giving space to both sides in the battle and subtly distancing themselves from the situation.
They smoothly returned to the crowd to watch the play, clearly showing that they were just drinking buddies with the scholar.
The others looked at each other with strange expressions for a moment, and couldn't help but think to themselves: Birds of a feather flock together.
Of course, most people are curious about who suddenly threw the object. Slapping someone in the face in public suggests a somewhat impulsive and hot-blooded teenager.
"Utter nonsense!" The voice that everyone was hoping to hear was surprisingly mature and steady. Looking up, they saw a middle-aged man who looked very refined standing on the second-floor corridor, leaning on the stairs and looking down at them with a contemptuous look in his eyes.
“Du Yin, Du Boqing!” Someone recognized him and gasped in shock. Their eyes darted behind him, and they muttered, “If he’s here, does that mean his four friends are here too? Hiss—we’ve really offended the wrong person. This is probably the end of our careers.”
After all, among these five people, Liu Zheng from Jiangnan Prefecture has a good family background, wealth, and ability; Tan Lingyue from Jinyang Prefecture has a good family background, ability, talent, fame, and so on. If anything happens, he can easily solve it with the connections of his father, Tan Qinghui, the head of the school in Jinyang Prefecture; as for Liu Gu, the great talent, his background is a bit worse, but he is an undisputed great talent with a bumpy life. Many people are willing to help him and form a good relationship with him.
The remaining two, Tian Chengmin from Yuzhong Prefecture, was a genuine farmer-student. He couldn't even be described as someone who passed down the tradition of farming and studying. He was able to read and write entirely thanks to the kind old scholar in the village, who was also his master. Most importantly, this man, in terms of appearance, physique, and height, looked more like a martial artist. His fists, as big as casserole dishes, were enough to make anyone want to lie down and cry for help.
There were people who disliked Tian Chengmin and wanted to cause trouble, but most of them didn't dare to show their faces. Besides, when they saw his tall and strong figure, the kind that could take on three scholars with a single punch, they had to keep their words to themselves.
Next up is Du Yin from Huaibei. He's the oldest and most low-key member of the group of five. He's rarely been seen speaking or making a sound. He spends his days sitting there with paper and pen, writing, drawing, and solving problems. If it weren't for the other members of the group being quite famous, his existence would probably be completely overlooked. However, although he doesn't show off much, the fact that he hangs out with the others suggests that he must be quite knowledgeable.
A while ago, the group of five went to a poetry gathering on a cruise ship. Du Yin didn't say much throughout the gathering, while the others were completely suppressed by Liu, Tan, and Liu. Feeling resentful, they challenged Du Yin, forcing him to write a poem. Naturally, they were crushed, and Du Yin even retorted, causing the person who challenged them to jump off the ship, which would then lead to Du Yin getting into trouble.
Upon recognizing the familiar name, Xue Jin'an immediately remembered that he was a netizen who had answered his questions on the provincial examination question-answering website, and that several other people seemed to be here as well.
Du Yin coldly looked at the man below who was covering his mouth and speaking rudely, and began by reciting a classical allusion: "Mencius said: 'Dogs and pigs eat human food without restraint, there are starving corpses on the road but no one helps them, and when people die, they say: It is not my fault, it is the year's fault.' How is this different from stabbing someone to death and saying: It is not my fault, it is the weapon's fault.'"
"There are so many forms of entertainment in this world, and playing cards are just one of them. Those with self-control can cultivate their character, while those without self-control will ruin their lives by indulging in such things. The cards are still the same deck, and what they become in the eyes of the world is not determined by their own will, but by how their owners use them. We cannot blame the cards for the mistakes made by using them, and thus implicate the person who created them."
After the middle-aged scholar finished speaking, he said in a calm tone, "If you don't even understand this simple principle, you should pack your bags and go back to your hometown as soon as possible. There is no way someone like you could pass the exam. If God were to be blind and let you pass, it would be a disaster for the country."
"Get out of here at once!" Du Yin shouted.
The scholar looked displeased, but with no one around to help him, he could only "discretion be the better part of valor," silently vowing in his heart, "You just wait," before angrily turning away.
Afterwards, Xue Jin'an felt Du Yin's gaze sweep over him, but it only lingered for a moment before shifting away, accurately locking onto those people who had been drinking and gossiping with the scholar earlier.
"The way to make friends is based solely on honesty and integrity. Today it's him, but who knows who it will be tomorrow? In this capital, every three steps there's a powerful figure. People are quick to speak, so be careful not to offend someone at any time, lest you hinder your future and be unable to escape." Du Yin didn't specifically name them, but sincerely gave them this advice, which was also meant for the others in the restaurant.
The crowd in the hall immediately became solemn, especially those who had been laughing and joking with the scholar earlier. They broke out in a cold sweat and bowed to express their gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Du."
Du Yin waved his hand, said nothing more, and turned back into the private room. The waiter in the restaurant immediately picked up his shoes and went back upstairs.
Now that the person who made the outrageous remarks had been dealt with, mainly because Du Yin's rebuke was pleasant to hear, Cui Zui no longer needed to go after him. When ordering food, he specially ordered several of the restaurant's signature dishes and two jars of wine, and had them sent upstairs.
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