Although it was just a guarantee, Lu Ziyuan knew what she was worried about.
Yuanqi is not an absolutely peaceful dynasty, especially in places like Lingqing that are close to the border. Foreign tribes are eyeing it covetously, and there must be spies in the city. If news of Zhong Muyu's matter were to leak out, it would only expose her to danger.
Lu Ziyuan nodded and said, "I understand. I will wait until the time is right and until you are willing to tell me."
Zhong Muyu smiled. Lu Ziyuan, now back to normal, was indeed much more understanding.
A torrential downpour lasted all night.
The rain showed no signs of stopping by the next morning.
Worried about her crops, Zhong Muyu took Youzhi and Sister-in-law Zheng to set up a shed. They worked all morning and were soaked in sweat.
After changing her clothes, Zhong Muyu was slowly drinking the ginger soup that Sister-in-law Zheng had cooked when Zhiyu rushed into the house.
"Your Highness, someone from Ling'an County has arrived, saying they have important business to discuss with you."
"Let him in."
Zhong Muyu was considering whether to leave when she heard Lu Ziyuan's gentle voice: "You can stay here, it's alright."
Zhong Muyu nodded: "That's fine. If there are any difficulties, I will try my best to help."
Just then, the person came in.
A cool breeze and moisture wafted into the room. The newcomer, who seemed to be in a hurry, knelt down upon seeing Lu Ziyuan: "Your Highness, a flash flood has occurred in Ling'an County, burying many houses. Please, Your Highness, save us!"
"Get up and speak slowly."
Lu Ziyuan raised his hand to help him up, his brows revealing his nervousness.
After the person stood up, he told the whole story.
Last night's rain was heavier than they had imagined. Ling'an County, a small county town nestled against the mountains, has now had a large number of houses destroyed by mudslides, and many people have been buried.
After hearing his words, Lu Ziyuan immediately stopped writing, stood up and said, "Don't worry, I will go back and lead men to the rescue."
It was clear that Lu Ziyuan was more anxious, and Zhong Muyu also knew that the matter was serious, but if she went along, it seemed that she wouldn't be able to help much.
Lu Ziyuan then came to Zhong Muyu and said, "Zhong Muyu, I can't stay here with you. This matter is of great importance, and I must go."
Zhong Muyu smiled and said, "I understand. It's been a while since I've been to the restaurant. We're all busy with our own things, so there's no need to worry about it."
Lu Ziyuan nodded, then grabbed the raincoat and followed the man.
As usual, Lu Ziyuan left Chengfeng behind to provide backup.
...
The rain lasted for three days and three nights. Zhong Muyu was worried about the situation at the restaurant. As soon as the rain subsided a little, she hurriedly asked Chengfeng to drive the carriage to take her back.
The main streets in the city were deserted. Because of the rain, no one set up stalls, and there were very few people traveling. So there were hardly any customers in the restaurants.
When Zhong Muyu returned, the people at the restaurant warmly came out to greet her. Since she wasn't there, Zaochun was in full management of the restaurant; it seemed she had hired a few more people to help out.
"Your Highness, you're finally back!"
Upon seeing Zhong Muyu, Zaochun couldn't wait to pull her inside and sit down.
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Zhong Muyu felt very sorry for her: "You must be exhausted. You look so haggard."
"I'm not tired. I've been looking forward to your return. I was thinking that if you hadn't come back soon, I would have sent someone to look for you."
Seeing her so anxious, Zhong Muyu asked, "What happened?"
"Your Highness, while you were away, the Xihe Restaurant next door somehow stole our menu and has been stealing all our customers!"
"I see."
Zhong Muyu wasn't too surprised. It's inevitable that a restaurant's good business would attract envy, and you can't prevent that kind of thing just by trying to guard against it.
Early Spring said indignantly, "Your Highness, this Xihe Restaurant has always regarded us as rivals. Now that they have stolen our signature dish, what should we do next?"
"We'll just have to do what we have to do! We can't prevent this kind of thing anyway, but at least no one can copy our pastries."
Zaochun thought for a moment and suddenly had an idea: "Your Highness, why don't you find a merchant who sells foreign spices to be your regular supplier? We can use those spices to cook. Even if it's the same ingredients, the taste won't be as good as theirs."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Muyu nearly choked on her water.
She immediately refused: "No, no, no!"
Why not?
“Those spices are very expensive. Think about it, they are not available in our country. Isn’t it true that things are valued because they are rare? If the price of food goes up, no one will eat it. It’s a terrible idea.”
Zhong Muyu waved her hand, saying that even if there were foreign businessmen like that, she couldn't afford to support the restaurant.
"Then what do we do? We've just let someone steal our formula. I'm so angry!"
Zhong Muyu looked at Zaochun's sullen face. She had never been treated like this before in the palace.
"Alright, alright, let bygones be bygones. I'll just look for something new to make and win back the customers, right?"
Zhong Muyu calmed Zao Chun's emotions, then took out a fountain pen and began to think about the future development of the restaurant.
After everything was arranged, Zhong Muyu went to the kitchen and cooked a pot of secret-recipe broth.
That evening, Zhong Muyu called everyone over and laid out the newly developed dishes one by one.
Chengfeng looked eager to try: "Your Highness, is this another new dish?"
"That's right, try them all and give us your feedback."
"If it's something made by the Princess, then it goes without saying that it will be delicious!"
Chengfeng couldn't wait any longer, and everyone else picked up their chopsticks as well.
Fang Dazhuang asked, "Your Highness, shall we introduce these dishes next?"
"That's right, but we can't sell like we used to this time."
As she spoke, Zhong Muyu took out several documents she had bound together and distributed them to everyone for review.
"This is an idea I came up with this afternoon. What do you guys think?"
Fang Dazhuang and his sister, along with Liu Fu's family, didn't know much about these things, but simply agreed. Zaochun said, "The method is not bad, but it has been raining a lot lately, and there aren't many guests. How about we start when the weather is better?"
Zhong Muyu nodded: "That's exactly what I was thinking, so we'll start preparing these next few days while it's raining, and then begin when the weather gets better."
Everyone agreed that Zhong Muyu would leave to make preparations after the meeting.
...
After several days of gloomy weather, finally, on a rare sunny day, people in the city began to leave their homes, and the streets became bustling again.
Zhong Muyu had a large banner hung at the entrance, announcing a 20% discount on new product tastings, and also introduced VIP cards and hired a storyteller, making the entire restaurant quite lively.
Inside a carriage in the shadows not far away, a slender, strong hand gently lifted the curtain, looking towards the Linggang Restaurant.
The guard beside him asked, "Young master, have you discovered something?"
"No, let's go."
The man's tone was sinister, but a meaningful smile played on his lips.
The guard beside him waved, and the carriage crossed the street, passing by the Linggang Restaurant and heading to the back door of the Xihe Restaurant.
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