The shopkeeper followed Xia Zhi into the room, and first bowed to the five people present one by one. Then, after listening to Li Hong's words, he was instantly stunned. Tomorrow at noon, people from all over Chang'an City will come here to get their meals, so they have to start working tonight.
The shopkeeper naturally did not dare to refuse Li Hong's proposal, but Li Hong would not make it difficult for him. After giving him a few instructions, he asked Xia Zhi to go with him and told Helan Minzhi that he must treat him to this meal.
The shopkeeper followed Xia Zhi in fear and arrived at the door of Helan Minzhi's room. This kind of forced buying and selling was the first time for him, and it was no different from robbery. He wanted Helan Minzhi to spend five thousand taels of silver at once. This... He really couldn't imagine what kind of scene it would be like if these five thousand taels of silver were put together.
Xia Zhi knocked on the door. Following a hearty response from inside, the shopkeeper opened the door for Xia Zhi and then slowly walked in with him.
"Summer Solstice?" When Helan Minzhi saw that it was the Summer Solstice, his first reaction was to quickly stand up from his chair, and then his eyes immediately glanced to the other side of the wall.
Of course he knew that the room on the other side of the wall was said to be a room that only Crown Prince Li Hong could use. Even if the restaurant was full, that room had to remain empty.
Did the prince also come here to eat today? Did he hear what we just said, so he sent Xia Zhi to question us?
Thinking about various possibilities, Helan Minzhi's expression became uncertain, and his eyes revealed fear from the depths of his soul.
Quan Xiancheng looked at Helan Minzhi who stood up. How could he suddenly become a little frightened when facing a girl at the door? Moreover, the faces of several people present, who were originally rosy, turned into earth-gray at this moment, and they all looked frightened.
...
...
It was as if the beautiful lady at the door was a femme fatale, a demon or a monster.
"Miss Xia...Miss Xia, may I know...Miss Xia, do you have any instructions?" Helan Minzhi's throat was tight and dry, and he asked with a cupped hand.
"Oh, it's nothing. My master just asked me to tell you that you will pay for today's meal..." Xia Zhi said lightly.
"Okay, okay, I'll pay the bill for the restaurant today, and I'll pay double." Helan Minzhi interrupted Xia Zhi and responded quickly.
"No, Duke Zhou, I'm treating you to dinner today, how can I let you pay the bill? No, I have something else to ask of you..." Quan Xiancheng said hurriedly.
This won't do. My father's life is in danger and I'm counting on Duke Zhou to save my father. How can I let him treat me to a meal?
Helan Minzhi interrupted him impatiently and said, "I said I will treat you, so it's my turn. It's not your turn to speak here."
After finishing speaking, Helan Minzhi looked at Xia Zhi again, his handsome face full of solemnity, and said solemnly: "Miss Xia, then I'll have to trouble you to come and tell me in person."
The shopkeeper saw that Xia Zhi had a calm expression, but he looked uneasy. He didn't know how Xia Zhi would have the nerve to mention the five thousand taels of silver.
"I dare not. I am only following orders. I have already told the shopkeeper that the total cost of your meal today is five thousand taels of silver. The price was set by my master himself." Xia Zhi's tone remained unchanged as she spoke calmly.
There was a sudden sound of gasps in the whole room. Helan Minzhi stood there, his throat moving a few times involuntarily, staring at Xia Zhi in a daze, unable to believe the number that had just come out of Xia Zhi's mouth.
He wanted to confirm it again, but he didn't dare to. He was afraid that when he confirmed it, the number would go up. This was Li Hong's usual style!
Ever since he was imprisoned in a cell in Taiyi City by Li Hong because of the Cuiwei Palace incident, Li Hong has become Helan Minzhi's nightmare. Sometimes, even if he met Li Hong during the day, he would have a nightmare at night, dreaming that Li Hong had imprisoned him in a cell again, and made him suffer physical pain again.
After watching Xia Zhi turn around and leave, Helan Minzhi took a long time to gradually wake up from his daze, and then slowly sat down on the chair.
Quan Xiancheng thought about what Xia Zhi had said just now. He found that Xia Zhi had been calling herself a slave from the beginning to the end. Looking at Helan Minzhi, whose face turned pale, Quan Xiancheng hit Helan Minzhi's nerves again and asked, "Who is she? She looks like just a slave."
Wu Jing's face was even uglier than Helan Minzhi's at this moment. Xia Zhi's appearance here meant that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must be here, otherwise Xia Zhi would never appear here, and would not let Duke Zhou pay out five thousand taels of silver.
Moreover, Duke Zhou would have to pay the money himself. If he dared to ask others to pay for it, he would probably face something even more deadly.
Li Zhongchang and Li Sizhen also had unhappy expressions on their faces, and they were regretting their actions to the core.
"It's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who is forcing me to hand over the glass workshop that his mother just gave to me this year." Helan Minzhi thought for a long time and finally figured out Li Hong's intention.
When he was conferred the title of Duke of Zhou, Li Hong strongly opposed it, but the Queen still conferred him the title of Duke of Zhou and gave him a glass workshop as a reward. He thought that was the end of it, but he did not expect that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still thinking about it. Was he going to take it back?
Helan Minzhi, with pale cheeks, had no appetite to continue eating, let alone go to find Hu Ji later.
After waving to Wu Jing, the few of them walked out of the restaurant in a daze. Standing at the door of the restaurant, Helan Minzhi couldn't help but look up at the room where the lights were still on.
After staring blankly for a long time, Helan Minzhi seemed to have made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and whispered, "Okay, since you won't let me live, I won't let you live easily either! Let's wait and see!"
A hint of viciousness flashed across his sinister eyes, and then he hurriedly got on the carriage and returned home. He said that he must collect five thousand taels of silver and send it here tomorrow. This was something that could not be changed.
Li Xian and the other four, listening to Xia Zhi's description of Helan Minzhi's expression, laughed so hard that they kept spinning in their chairs. They had never felt so happy in front of Helan Minzhi.
Although he was unable to see it with his own eyes today, the five thousand taels of silver from the fifth brother were real. Unless his father and mother showed up now, Helan Minzhi must deliver the money before noon tomorrow.
At that time, the entrance of Yang'an Tower was probably full of people waiting to get food. I wonder what expression would be on Helan Minzhi's face when he saw that he had five thousand taels of silver and it turned out that he was going to treat so many people to a meal.
Li Xian and others couldn't wait until tomorrow to secretly see Helan Minzhi's expression.
Li Hong said lazily, "Don't even think about it. Helan Minzhi will definitely not deliver it in person tomorrow. By the way, Xia Zhi, put the person who said I am ignorant into the restricted area of Taiyi City and interrogate him."
Naturally, this matter was unanimously agreed by the other four. Helan Minzhi's oppression of them was the most frustrating thing for these princes.
The four of them watched Li Hong, Xia Zhi and Xiao Xue get on the carriage and leave, then they slowly got into their own carriages and returned to their respective mansions.
"Let's go visit Shangguan Yi's house. The last time we went to his house was before he was appointed to the office." Li Hong said to Hua Meng outside the carriage.
If Shangguan Yi had followed the original course of history, he should have died last year, and now he would probably be nothing more than a pile of bones.
However, because of the appearance of Li Hong, who had reincarnated nine times and ten times, he was spared from helping Li Zhi draft the edict to depose the empress, and thus Wu Mei was spared from holding a grudge against him. Naturally, in history, Li Zhi wanted to draft the edict to depose Wu Mei, but it did not happen in the life of Li Hong, who had reincarnated nine times and ten times.
Shangguan Yi is now the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and is also the Grand Doctor of Silver and Green Guanglu, which means he is already in a high position with great power.
The concierge didn't expect that someone would come knocking on the door so late at night. He ran out angrily and opened the small door next to the mansion gate, stuck his head out and asked, "What's the matter? Who are you?"
Li Hong ignored the concierge, Hua Meng and the others, and looked at the house that the court had given to Shangguan Yi. He muttered, "Okay, sir, this house looks good? It didn't flood this time after the rain. Is the terrain here considered high?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the door of Shangguan Yi's house was hurriedly opened by the doorman, and then bursts of hurried footsteps came from inside.
Li Hong followed Xia Zhi and Xiao Xue on both sides, and watched 58-year-old Shangguan Yi, dressed in casual clothes, hurried to the door with his family.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is greeted by your servant Shangguan Yi."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is greeted by your humble servant, the Governor of Qizhou, Guan Tingzhi."
"Get up. I'm sorry to bother you so late." Someone said sorry, but after Shangguan Yi and his son stood on both sides, he walked in.
The doorman felt his legs go weak as he looked at everything in front of him. His Highness, it was a good thing that he was just a little impatient just now and didn't say anything disrespectful, otherwise he would have gotten into big trouble.
The houses of officials were nothing more than three courtyards, the front courtyard, the middle courtyard and the back courtyard. Female relatives usually lived in the back courtyard, so when Shangguan Tingzhi was not at home, his wife lived in the back courtyard and came to the middle courtyard to pay respects to her father-in-law every day. But when Shangguan Tingzhi came back, she could move to the middle courtyard.
Accompanied by Shangguan Yi and Shangguan Tingzhi, Li Hong toured the family's home late at night, muttering to himself, "Not bad, not bad, the courtyard is well designed, very elegant."
"Yes, yes, thank you for the compliment, Your Highness." Shangguan Yi said with a wry smile.
Shangguan Yi didn't know whether His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had suddenly been possessed by evil spirits two years ago. Ever since his granddaughter was born, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had been asking about his granddaughter from time to time.
On the full moon day, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave a lot of gifts for the first time, making the whole palace overjoyed, thinking that they had won the favor of the royal family. But only Shangguan Yi always felt that the Crown Prince favored his granddaughter so much, as if there was some unspeakable secret!
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