The first thing Tong Cheng'er said as she entered the room was, "It's my fault for keeping you waiting, sister."
Huiyu gave her a reproachful look: "Not long, not long. I know you well enough. It's good that you came."
After getting to know Tong Cheng'er, Huiyu understood that Tong Cheng'er was lazy and didn't like going out, so it was already good that she came.
Tong Cheng'er said with a smile, "Sister, you're making fun of me!"
"How could I dare!"
The two were laughing and joking together, and their relationship seemed genuinely good.
"By the way, this must be your first time at Wangyue Tower. The dishes here are really good. You should try them today."
"Rulan and Ruxue said that he was a royal chef released from the palace, but I don't know if it's true."
Huiyu knew about this, and she nodded: "It really did come from the palace kitchen."
It really is a royal chef from the palace. Since Huiyu is so sure, she must know something about Wangyue Tower and its owner. Tong Cheng'er didn't want to know these things, so she stopped thinking about it after a moment.
Tong Cheng'er joked, "Then I'm going to have a good taste today, sister, don't be stingy with the money."
Seeing her joking around, Huiyu laughed and said, "Then you'd better eat as much as you want, otherwise you won't reach the point where it will make my heart ache."
After saying that, Huiyu recited a list of dishes and then asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"
Having experienced hardship, Tong Cheng'er is not picky about food and has no particular hobbies or dietary restrictions. She listened to Huiyu's rambling and ordered quite a few things, but it would be a waste to order more.
"My sister ordered all my favorite dishes. I'm so lucky today!"
"Alright, Qingzhu, tell the waiter that's all there was."
"Yes, Master."
As the two were talking, the dishes were served shortly afterward.
The rule of not speaking while eating was just for show for the two of them. These rules were only used when eating with unfamiliar people. It would be awkward to not talk when eating with close friends!
So the two of them talked and ate at the same time.
Because Tong Cheng'er had doubts about the imperial chef's skills, she paid more attention to the food while eating, and found that she had no complaints about the dishes.
She does have some unique qualities compared to the cooks in her household.
"These dishes do live up to the reputation of this top restaurant; they are truly delicious."
Huiyu thought of the owner behind the restaurant and agreed, "The taste is indeed very good. If it weren't for the fact that Xiuyage is not available for booking, I would like to book it for years to come. The dishes are really to my liking."
Tong Cheng'er: "We can't book it all, but it's the same if we come often."
Huiyu shook her head, saying that she probably wouldn't be able to come often in the future. After marrying into Mongolia, there was no chance she would ever have the chance to come back.
But let's not talk about those unpleasant things today.
Huiyu nodded with a normal expression: "Yes, it's the same whether I come often or not. But to be honest, if you really asked me to book the whole place, I'm afraid I don't have the ability. This Wangyue Tower makes a fortune every day, and booking it once would cost a lot of money. Although I have enough money, I don't have enough to that extent."
As she spoke, Huiyu couldn't help but feel regretful, which showed that she really liked the restaurant's dishes.
"By the way, there's something I wanted to ask my sister about. I don't remember where I read an article that said the people in the palace were afraid that the nobles would get used to the delicacies and that they wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand for them at every meal, so they didn't report many of the rare and exotic items and kept them for their own enjoyment. Is that true?"
Huiyu found this amusing: "Where did you read that article? Although the imperial family has a close relationship with the Imperial Household Department, their food, clothing, and daily necessities are almost always separate. I don't know about this, but I don't think it's true. His Majesty is wise; how could the Imperial Household Department engage in such despicable behavior? Also, it's fine if you say this to me, but don't tell anyone else. Otherwise, someone with ulterior motives might remember it, and you'll be in for a lot of trouble."
Although Tong Cheng'er still had doubts, she knew that Huiyu meant well. It was indeed inappropriate to say such things, as it was essentially making fun of the royal family.
“I’ve remembered what my sister said, and I’m just telling her that I’m still careful with others.”
Huiyu couldn't help but think more about her. She didn't have many close friends, and Tong Cheng'er was one of them, so naturally she hoped that she would be safe and well.
"As long as you know your limits, that's fine."
The two women didn't take these words too seriously, but their neighbors couldn't afford to be.
It was quite a coincidence that Wangyue Tower was the property left by Empress Tong before her death, and after she passed away, she handed it all over to Yinzhen.
Yinzhen originally had little interest in doing business, but he couldn't resist the need for food, clothing and other necessities in the palace. In addition, he felt that he was living a miserable life in his dream, so he didn't want to shortchange himself financially and thought of making up for it.
That's why Wangyue Tower became so popular.
To be honest, even Yinzhen didn't expect Wangyue Tower to become so popular; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was making a fortune every day.
Originally, it wasn't a big deal. Although the government officially prohibited officials from engaging in business, every household had servants and retainers, and they did exactly what they were supposed to do behind the scenes. This was an unspoken understanding.
However, he may have been too conspicuous, because the Third Prince complained to Emperor Kangxi that Yinzhen was engaging in business and competing with the people for profit.
Yinzhen suffered enough from being taciturn in his dream, and resolved not to repeat his actions. He then "cried" to Emperor Kangxi about it.
Kangxi thought that Yinzhen had indeed had a hard time. His cousin had passed away, and Consort De hadn't treated him very well. He originally thought that Consort De had changed, but the recent controversy surrounding the imperial concubine selection made it clear that even her own mother was not as valued as Consort Tong.
The more Kangxi thought about it, the more he felt that Yinzhen had had a tough time. He heard that the restaurant was not doing very well and was left to Yinzhen by his cousin. Yinzhen only gave some suggestions and did not do much else.
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